Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Smiling Even Sillier Than Feiyan

Sunxiao’s serpentine eyes turned frigid as he shot a cold glance at Feiyan. "Shut up, unless you want to be thrown into the sea."

Feiyan pouted. Hmph. He wouldn’t stoop to arguing with this stinking snake.

To vent his frustration, Feiyan channeled all his energy into chopping wood.

Sunxiao walked over to Jin Ling to ask about the situation.

Jin Ling told Sunxiao everything Xiya had told him.

"Xixi will soon realize the cubs are missing. We need to find her as soon as possible."

"Mm."

"Wow, little sister is so cute! Here, let big sister pet you. Your fur is so soft and comfy."

"Little sister looks exactly like her father, Jin Ling. Even her eye color is the same."

Jin Ling turned to see a few cubs gathered around the little tiger cub, absolutely adoring her.

"AWOO~"

The little tiger cub thought her older brothers and sisters were playing with her. She wobbled to her feet, trying to bat at their hands, but her limbs were unsteady. The moment she stood up, she fell right back down into a split.

"Hahahaha, little sister is so much fun! I want to give her a kiss!" Before anyone could react, Qiao Ang scooped up the little tiger cub and buried his face in her fur.

"Brother, put little sister down! I want to hold her, I want to hold her too!"

A gentle smile graced Jin Ling’s features.

This was the first time Sunxiao had ever seen Jin Ling with a smile sillier than Feiyan’s. He turned away in disgust to go cook.

Xiya quickly hit it off with her younger brothers and sisters, joining in their fun.

Deep beneath the sea, Xijing had brought Huang Ying into a deep-sea canyon.

Huang Ying was of the Wing Clan and was just as terrified of the seawater.

’System, save me! This fictional character is going to kill me!’

’Host, if he really kills you, I will save you. Don’t worry.’

Hearing the system’s words, some of Huang Ying’s fear dissipated.

With a flick of his fingertip, Xijing dispersed the seawater surrounding Huang Ying.

Finally able to breathe, Huang Ying clenched her fists. "Xijing, what are you doing, bringing me down into the sea?"

"Huang Ying, was it you who told Tiger Beast City the location of the merfolk settlement, allowing them to launch a successful surprise attack and seize our waters and salt field?"

Huang Ying was stunned. She thought she had been so secretive, her acting flawless. ’How could Xijing possibly know?’

She put on a pained expression. "Xijing, is that really what you think of me? I’ve even borne a merfolk child for you. If I didn’t truly want to be your mate, would I have sacrificed so much? And now you’re questioning me? This is breaking my heart."

Xijing’s eyes remained unmoved, his killing intent spilling out. "Huang Ying, you are not the one who gave birth to Xiya."

Huang Ying’s expression faltered. She couldn’t understand how Xijing knew. She had already used a Ruby to suppress the female aura on Xiya.

"Xijing, what’s gotten into you? Why are you saying such hurtful things? D-do you not like me anymore?"

A cold smile touched Xijing’s lips. Male merfolk only have one mate in their lifetime. So when Huang Ying appeared and claimed to be Xiya’s mother, he had subconsciously accepted her as his one and only partner for life. It had nothing to do with like or dislike.

’And yet, she had deceived him. She was even the main culprit behind the plot against his people!’

How could Xijing possibly be fooled by a few simple words from her now?

Xijing slowly opened his hand. In an instant, the frigid seawater surged back, swallowing Huang Ying bit by bit.

As the fear of death closed in, Huang Ying truly began to panic.

’System, hurry up and save me! He’s going to kill me!’

’Host, I have not yet detected the termination of your life signs.’

"You..." The seawater quickly filled her mouth. She didn’t dare speak again, only glaring daggers at Xijing. In the sea, she was utterly powerless to resist.

"This entire archipelago has more than one salt field. So why were you so insistent on stealing ours? Why?"

Huang Ying’s eyes bulged as she struggled, but no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t break free from Xijing’s grasp.

"If you don’t talk, I’ll let them tear you to shreds."

Huang Ying glanced to the side and saw huge fish swimming toward them. They circled around her, as if waiting for the right moment to devour her alive.

"You... GLUG... Let go... I’ll tell... you..."

"Xijing... GLUG... I’ll talk, I’ll talk..."

Xijing watched her. The water around her slowly receded to neck level. Finally able to breathe, Huang Ying gasped for air.

"Because your salt field isn’t an ordinary one. It’s a Seven-color Salt Field."

A flash of confusion crossed Xijing’s eyes.

Afraid he would turn ruthless again, Huang Ying quickly explained, "The Salt Crystals from the Seven-color Salt Field can... can be used to extract an energy element. This energy element can awaken the Beast Soul within a beastkin."

Not all beastkin in the beast world can have an Awakened Beast Soul. Beastkin with Awakened Beast Souls are a crucial factor in the strength of a tribe or a Beast City.

Whoever holds the key to awakening Beast Souls would one day rule this land.

Huang Ying only knew all this through her system. She didn’t actually care about any of it; cooperating with Tiger Beast City and gathering intelligence for them was all for the sake of her mission.

Her goal was to take Xijing away and subject him to extreme humiliation, thereby planting the seeds of hatred in the young villain, Xiya, and laying the groundwork for her eventual descent into ultimate darkness.

That was her real mission!

Everything had been going so smoothly up until now. But for some reason, Xijing had suddenly changed his mind and started suspecting her.

The thought that her plan might fail made Huang Ying furious enough to kill.

"Where did all those Salt Crystals end up?"

"Tiger Beast City and Wing Beast City. Xijing, I was forced! You have to believe that I truly love you."

The water began to rise slowly again. "I have one more question for you. When was the first time you saw me?"

Huang Ying froze, her eyes flickering. "It was... that time at the seashore..."

"No. It was on the ice plains."

Huang Ying’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Her reaction confirmed Xijing’s suspicions.

"Who... are you, really!"

The water surged up again, this time completely submerging Huang Ying.

’Threat to host’s vital signs detected. Imminent loss of life detected. Activating Host Protection Protocol. Saving host.’

"BEEP BEEP BEEP"

The seawater suddenly erupted in a froth of huge bubbles. Xijing felt his grip loosen, and by the time the bubbles in the water had vanished, Huang Ying was gone.

Xijing stared in shock at the dark surroundings. ’H-how is that possible?’

Back on the shore, Qiao Xixi was still waiting for Xijing behind the reef. They had agreed beforehand that if they got separated, they would regroup at this spot.

Suddenly, a cough sounded from above. Qiao Xixi quickly hid herself better, thinking their pursuers had caught up.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH... Son of a bitch, I almost died at the hands of some fictional character! Shit! All that effort, wasted just like that. All my good acting, for nothing!"

Hearing this string of curses, Qiao Xixi was completely dumbfounded.