What on earth are you playing at!

The coming-of-age ceremony concluded. Among the remaining nine young females, except for three who were infertile, the other six had already chosen their beast husbands.

Sang Yingying chose a male beastman named Ai Chuang as her mate.

In truth, what she really wanted was Banai.

Banai was the one with the highest spiritual power level among the younger generation of male beastmen in their silent Blue Fox tribe!

Although Banai had been designated as Cang Qian’s beast husband, since he planned to take revenge on Cang Qian, there was no way he would form the beast bond with her.

Sang Yingying intended to wait until the one-month deadline passed, after which Cang Qian would be expelled from the tribe. Then she would propose taking Banai as her mate.

Once she secured Banai and healed his leg, his spiritual power level would rise!

With two beast husbands boasting good spiritual power levels, combined with her moderate fertility, she was certain to bear two fine beast offspring!

Perhaps this would even attract the attention of the Azure Fox Beast Kingdom, allowing her to be selected into the Beast Palace to enjoy wealth and honor.

At this moment, Cang Qian’s gaze pierced through Sang Yingying’s thoughts.

Cang Qian smiled softly but did not expose the white lotus’s true nature. Instead, she said to Banai beside her, “Let’s go, my beast husband, to visit your home.”

Banai looked at her suspiciously.

Her words made it seem as if she had never been to his home before.

Yet, as the tribe leader’s granddaughter and the future inheritor of the chieftain’s position, Cang Qian was well aware of every beastman’s household and living conditions within the tribe.

But now she acted like she knew nothing at all.

Banai quickened his pace and deliberately walked behind Cang Qian, refusing to lead the way.

When they reached a fork in the road, Cang Qian suddenly froze, thinking, “Oh no, where exactly is Banai’s home?”

She immediately scoured her memories of the original character but couldn’t recall anything.

Perhaps Banai’s home had never been important enough in the original character’s mind to leave any memory fragments.

Banai stood behind her for a moment and asked, “You don’t know where my home is?”

Cang Qian turned to him and scratched her head, “Um… I kind of forgot.”

“Forgot?” Banai raised an eyebrow, increasingly doubtful. “You come to my home frequently with the tribe leader to check on my leg’s condition—how could you forget that?”

His words sent a jolt through Cang Qian.

Oh no!

She had no memory of those visits!

Steeling herself, she quickly fabricated an excuse, “I accidentally hit my head this morning, so I’ve been forgetting things from time to time.”

---

“Like right now—I really can’t remember where your home is!”

Banai was skeptical: “If you hit your head, why didn’t the tribe leader mention it?”

Cang Qian defended herself: “There were so many things to do this morning, plus the coming-of-age ceremony preparations. I was so busy I forgot to tell grandpa, so naturally, he didn’t know.”

She rubbed her temples, pretending to have a headache.

Banai frowned but said no more, walking ahead past her.

After a few steps, his gaze caught a reflective surface ahead, and he saw Cang Qian behind him making a playful face.

His frown deepened.

The original character was taciturn and expressionless—not only never making such lively faces but never even smiling.

But Cang Qian’s personality was completely different—expressive, talkative, and always reasonable.

That’s why Banai frowned so deeply when he saw her making a face.

He felt like the Cang Qian he met at the coming-of-age ceremony was a completely different person from usual.

Unconsciously, Banai suspected that this was the same malicious female plotting something again, just like when she schemed to break his leg back then.

Though he hadn’t witnessed her do it himself, he had overheard a conversation between Sang Yingying and her.

He had heard Cang Qian admit to it, so he never doubted it!

For now, he set aside his suspicions and continued walking toward his home.

Cang Qian quietly followed Banai deeper into the village.

After about twenty minutes, they arrived at a relatively large wooden house, its front yard spotlessly clean.

Banai opened the door.

Cang Qian entered behind him and saw the house had two bedrooms and a living room—simple but impeccably clean.

She glanced around, then explored the two bedrooms in turn.

Banai remained silent, watching her every move.

After the inspection, Cang Qian said instinctively, “I didn’t expect a male beastman living alone to keep such a tidy house—it’s quite nice!”

“Since you’re my beast husband now, I’ll move in here to live with you starting today.”

Banai sat in a rattan chair and said coldly, “You’re the tribe leader’s granddaughter. As your beast husband, I should be the one moving into your home.”

“Moving into my house? What are you up to? Plotting something again?!” Cang Qian rolled her eyes and blurted, “Why do you always think I’m scheming something against you? Your leg’s already like that; what else could I want?”

“I really just thought your house was so clean and neat that I wanted to live here.”

---

In truth, the main reason Cang Qian wanted to move into Banai’s home was to conveniently treat his leg. If she stayed at the tribe leader’s home, that white lotus would be there too.

Cang Qian didn’t want Sang Yingying to know about her healing abilities yet, to avoid any underhanded moves from her.

But her words triggered alarm bells in Banai’s mind.

Suddenly, he stepped forward and gripped her wrist tightly: “This isn’t the first time you’ve come to my home. Why are you pretending you’ve never been here? What game are you playing? Speak!”

Cang Qian realized she had misspoken again.

She hurriedly explained, “Didn’t I say I hit my head and can’t remember some things?”

Banai’s suspicious eyes glared at her.

“It’s true—I still have a headache.”

To convince him, Cang Qian deliberately leaned on him and asked, “Could you help me to the bed to rest a bit?”

As she leaned on him, Banai, for some reason, didn’t pull away; instead, with quick reflexes, he grasped her waist firmly.

In that instant, he froze.

Her soft waist and faint scent suddenly stirred something deep within him.

Cang Qian was truly beautiful—naturally gifted in her looks.

But the original character’s malicious reputation had left the tribe’s beastmen despising her. No matter how beautiful she was, the males thought she was a venomous woman.

Banai lowered his eyes and looked into her lively gaze. “Do you really have a headache?”

Cang Qian blinked her big eyes and nodded slightly.

Banai expressionlessly bent down and carried her toward the bedroom.

Though his leg was injured, it only affected his cultivation and made his walking less graceful.

He could still carry and lift without issue. After all, his spiritual power ensured his daily life wasn’t hindered.

Banai laid her gently on the bed.

At that moment, Cang Qian’s breath suddenly caught.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Banai, who was now forcefully clutching her throat.

…

…