Chapter 73: Chapter Seventy-Three: Cunning Long Zhan

Lin Wan took a slow, deep breath as she stepped out of the cold storage vault and looked up at the vast, seamless sky of the pocket dimension.

There was no sun blazing overhead, nor were there any stars or a moon. It was just a calm, neutral sky that cast a soft, even light over the entire estate.

The temperature was absolutely perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, completely lacking the harsh, unpredictable winds of the primitive jungle outside.

A wave of intense relief washed over her, making her lean back against the white pillar of the mansion’s porch.

’I finally have a space,’ Lin Wan thought to herself, a genuine smile breaking across her face. ’I actually get a system that leaves me an entire mansion filled with advanced ammunition and everything my babies could ever need. I am incredibly lucky.’

It was the ultimate security blanket. If the Upper Realm ever descended with an army, or if the wild beast clans managed to breach their borders, she wouldn’t have to be a passive victim or a burden to her mates.

She could simply take her babies and vanish into this modern paradise.

As she was admiring the peaceful view, a sudden shimmer of light appeared in the sky directly above the garden.

New digital words began to form in real-time, blinking urgently:

[Host should probably go outside. The males must be worried about you.]

Lin Wan’s heart gave a sudden, violent thump. The warmth in her chest turned into instant panic as reality slammed back into her mind.

’Oh no,’ she thought, her eyes widening. ’I disappeared right from the middle of the bed without saying a word. Qin Mo and Long Zhan are probably losing their minds right now.’

She turned around, preparing to mentally command the box to send her back, but the monitor near the front door flickered one last time, displaying Weiwei’s final, strict instruction:

[Host shouldn’t tell the males about this place until you get their marks. Goodbye, host.]

Lin Wan barely had time to nod before her mental fingers gripped the boundary of the space. In a fraction of a second, the beautiful green lawn, the modern white pillars, and the crisp, clean air of the mansion dissolved into a flash of light.

When her eyes snapped open, the familiar scent of burning firewood and animal furs filled her nose. She was standing right in the center of the bedroom inside the wooden cottage.

The moment her feet touched the floorboards, the full, heavy weight of her advanced pregnancy instantly returned, causing a sharp ache to shoot up her lower back and down her swollen legs. She stumbled slightly, holding her large stomach to steady herself.

But the physical pain was instantly drowned out by the absolute chaos roaring outside the cottage.

Even through the thick wooden walls, Lin Wan could hear frantic shouting, the heavy thudding of running boots, and the terrifying, resonant roars of beasts echoing from the forest borders. The entire territory was in complete turmoil.

What she didn’t know was that shortly after she had vanished, Qin Mo had walked into the bedroom carrying a wooden bowl of hot, freshly prepared broth for her.

When his silver eyes landed on the empty, untouched bed, the bowl had shattered on the floor.

The Teng Snake King had instantly raised a red-alert alarm, believing that Elder Shen had secretly returned or that a hidden enemy had snatched their vulnerable female right from under their noses.

Within minutes, every single male from the Orcyto tribe and the Dragon warriors had abandoned their posts, scattering into the deep jungle in a desperate, frantic search to track her scent.

Only Long Zhan had refused to leave the immediate vicinity. The large Dragon Lord had stayed behind in the ruined square, his heart tearing itself apart, stubbornly remaining near the cottage just in case she somehow came back.

The exact second Lin Wan’s aura materialized inside the bedroom, Long Zhan’s powerful draconic senses picked it up.

The heavy wooden door of the cottage didn’t just open; it was practically thrown off its hinges as Long Zhan burst through the frame.

His face was pale, his dark mantle disheveled, and his violet eyes were wide with a raw, unadulterated terror.

The moment his gaze landed on her heavily pregnant figure standing safely by the bed, his entire body shuddered.

He didn’t say a word. He crossed the room in a single, desperate stride, throwing his massive arms around her and pulling her tightly against his chest.

He held her so fiercely that Lin Wan could feel the hard, frantic thudding of his heart slamming against her own ribs. His large shoulders were trembling violently.

Before she could even utter a word of comfort, Long Zhan pulled back slightly, grabbed her face with his large, scarred hands, and tilted her head up.

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, his lips moving against hers with a raw, terrifying desperation that left her completely breathless.

It wasn’t a kiss of passion; it was a frantic, desperate attempt to prove to his own mind that she was still alive, still warm, and still here.

When he finally let her go, his hands slid down to grip her shoulders, his breathing ragged.

Lin Wan looked up at his face, and her breath caught in her throat. The mighty, arrogant Dragon Sovereign—the man who had conquered tribes and stood tall against the heaviest domains—had thick, silent tears streaming down his face.

His violet eyes were completely bloodshot, swimming with a level of insecurity and terror that she had never seen in a beast male before.

She knew they would be deeply worried, but she had never expected to make Long Zhan cry. The sight of his broken pride pierced her heart with an intense wave of guilt.

"Wanwan," Long Zhan whispered, his voice cracking, completely rough with emotion. "Where have you been? Where did you go?"

Lin Wan’s throat felt tight. She remembered Weiwei’s strict warning about keeping the space a secret until she received their marks.

She couldn’t tell him the truth yet, no matter how much her heart bled for his tears.

"I... I just went to check on something, Long Zhan," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly as she looked down at his chest. "I didn’t mean to scare you."

Long Zhan stared at her face, his sharp eyes taking in her slight hesitation. He was a Sovereign; he knew her expressions better than anyone, and he could instantly tell that she was hiding something major from him.

He knew she hadn’t just stepped outside to look at the trees. But as he looked at her pale face and her heavy stomach, the fierce anger that usually came with being deceived completely failed to rise.

He let out a long, shaky breath, wiping the moisture from his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to regain his composure. "I don’t know what it is that you can’t tell me, Wanwan," he said, his voice dropping into a low, incredibly gentle tone. "But just know that... I am always here. Whenever you want to talk, whenever you are ready to tell me, I will be right here waiting."

Lin Wan’s heart gave a sudden, intense flutter. The absolute, unconditional trust and devotion in his words completely disarmed her. Moved by a sudden wave of deep affection, she tried to lift herself up.

But her heavily advanced pregnancy made her balance clumsy. She jerkily pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, her hands gripping his shoulder for support, and planted a soft, lingering peck right on his lips.

Long Zhan’s violet eyes widened in surprise. The lingering darkness and terror in his expression instantly vanished, replaced by a sudden, bright warmth.

A faint, boyish smile touched his lips, though he quickly coughed and looked down at her with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Wanwan," he murmured, his voice thick with a sudden, playful rumble. "That is not how to kiss."

Lin Wan’s cheeks instantly flushed a bright, furious pink. Embarrassment washed over her, and she immediately snapped into a defensive, playful anger to hide her blushing face.

She gave his chest a firm push, her eyes blazing hot with an adorable threat.

"That is not how to kiss?" she demanded, huffing loudly as she crossed her arms over her large stomach. "And how exactly do you know how a proper kiss is supposed to feel, Long Zhan? Have you been practicing a lot with other females behind my back? Is that it?"

To Long Zhan, her fierce expression didn’t look threatening at all; she looked more incredibly cute than anything else. Her puffed-up cheeks and blazing eyes made his heart swell with happiness.

He quickly raised his hands in mock surrender, playing along with her jealousy as he pled for forgiveness.

"No, never, Wanwan! I swear it," Long Zhan said, a low chuckle escaping his chest as he stepped closer to soothe her. "A beast male does not need practice. From the exact moment of our birth, our instincts naturally know how to cater to and please our chosen female. It is inborn. Our blood tells us exactly how to hold you, how to touch you, and how to kiss you properly."

Lin Wan let out a loud harrumph, turning her head away to hide the smile tugging at her lips. "Inborn instincts. Fine, I’ll let it slide this time."

Wanting to change the subject before her face burned any hotter, she turned and walked outside onto the wooden porch of the cottage.

The moment she stepped into the open air, she stopped, her brows furrowing. The entire village square was completely deserted. The usual bustling noise of the tribesmen, the guards, and the children was entirely gone.

She turned back to Long Zhan, who was following closely behind her. "Where is everyone? And where is Qin Mo?."

The moment she asked about the serpent king, Long Zhan secretly rejoiced in his heart. He knew exactly what had happened, Qin Mo had sprinted into the deepest, darkest parts of the southern jungle with the tracking dogs, completely frantic and losing his mind trying to find her.

But Long Zhan had absolutely no intention of telling Lin Wan how hard his rival was working.

"I don’t know where he is," Long Zhan said smoothly, which wasn’t technically a lie. He knew Qin Mo was in the forest, but he didn’t know the exact coordinates or which bush the snake was currently tearing apart.

Looking at Lin Wan’s slightly weary posture, Long Zhan immediately saw the perfect opportunity to press his own advantage while his smooth-tongued rival was nowhere to be found.

He gently took her hand and guided her toward a comfortable wooden chair resting on the porch.

"Sit down, Wanwan. Your feet are heavily swollen," he said softly, pressing her gently into the seat.

Lin Wan let out a soft sigh of relief as she sat, her body truly feeling the strain of the pregnancy now.

Before she could say anything, Long Zhan knelt directly on the wooden floorboards in front of her. He gently lifted her aching, swollen feet, placing them onto his lap, and began to massage them with his large, warm hands, using the perfect amount of pressure to soothe the tension.

He looked up at her, his violet eyes completely serious now, devoid of any arrogance. "Wanwan... earlier, you told Qin Mo that he could mark you after the birth. You promised him a status as your beast-husband." He squeezed her ankle gently, his voice carrying a hint of his deep, lingering insecurity. "What about me? Am I still just an outsider to you? Can I... can I also get my status confirmed?"

Lin Wan looked down at the mighty Dragon Lord kneeling so humbly at her feet, remembering his raw tears and his fierce protection from earlier.

Her heart completely melted. She reached out, her fingers gently stroking the base of his purple horns.

"You aren’t an outsider, Long Zhan," she said softly, a warm smile gracing her lips. "The promise is yours too. After the triplets are born, you will get your status. You will be my man."

Long Zhan’s face lit up with absolute triumph, a deep, rumbling purr vibrating through his chest as he continued to massage her feet with newfound energy. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

It was exactly this tender, intimate scene that Qin Mo witnessed the moment he burst back into the courtyard.

The Teng Snake King was completely covered in dirt, his silver hair messy, his breathing ragged from sprinting across half the continent in a frantic panic.

He had come back to check the square, his heart filled with terror, only to freeze at the edge of the porch.

Seeing Long Zhan kneeling so happily, holding Lin Wan’s feet, and hearing the faint echo of their shared promise, Qin Mo’s entire face instantly went pitch black, his silver eyes narrowing into two slits of pure, icy fury.