TFBAT – Chapter 27

Chi Yuyang hadn’t expected the Chief to come directly to Hu Jin’s cave.

“Greetings, Chief.” Encircled in Hu Jin’s arms, she smiled and greeted him, trying to cover up the awkwardness of having just woken up.

Hu Zhuo, however, wore an expression that said he already understood everything.

As the Chief, he had seen all kinds of mates before.

“A tiger that has just come of age truly is strong and vigorous,” he even commented aloud.

Hearing this, Hu Jin nodded solemnly, as though accepting a compliment.

Before the conversation could drift further down this path, Chi Yuyang quickly brought up the serious matter.

At the same time, she secretly pinched Hu Jin’s waist, warning him to pay attention and stop letting his hands wander.

“Chief, you went to the Snake Tribe…” Chi Yuyang asked.

“Oh, right.” Hu Zhuo sat down inside the cave. “As it happens, the Snake Tribe’s chief hasn’t gone into hibernation yet, so I had a chat with him.”

“He said that the Ape Tribe’s previous fifth-rank beastman could indeed control minds, but the activation of this ability came at the cost of his life. So, he didn’t live long and never had time to realize his delusion of unifying the continent. In fact, it was from him that the Ape Tribe began harboring such absurd ideas.”

“At the cost of life?” Chi Yuyang blinked.

Could that be why Yuan Wu had seemed so sickly, as though he didn’t have much time left?

Mind control—just the sound of it was terrifying.

But if it came at the price of one’s life, then perhaps that counted as a sort of balance.

“According to the Snake Tribe’s chief, that Ape Tribe leader was a once-in-a-millennium genius. In conversations with beastmen, even across different species, he could, with just a few words, read their thoughts.”

“And the principle of mind control lies precisely in that. If you acknowledged what he said, it was equivalent to handing him a key that allowed him to enter your heart.”

At this, Chi Yuyang stole a glance at Hu Jin.

Back in the Ape Tribe, Yuan Wu had controlled her into declaring she was his mate.

Which meant she had already acknowledged Hu Jin as her mate long ago, hadn’t she?

Her little movement didn’t escape Hu Jin’s notice, and before she could react, he planted a sudden kiss on her cheek.

“…” Chi Yuyang hurriedly turned her head to see the Chief’s reaction.

Couldn’t Hu Jin show some restraint in front of an elder?

Luckily, Hu Zhuo’s gaze didn’t waver, and he simply continued: “So far, the only ways to break free of mind control are either overwhelming willpower or, before he can read your thoughts, finding a flaw in his words to distract him.”

It sounded like a battle of wits.

Chi Yuyang thought for a moment, then asked: “Does this ability have nothing to do with the controller’s eyes?”

Hu Zhuo had never once mentioned eyes in connection to mind control, which made her doubtful.

“No,” Hu Zhuo shook his head. “At least, that man a thousand years ago did not use his eyes to activate the ability.”

“Chief, I think there’s something wrong with his eyes,” Hu Jin interjected.

“Perhaps the ability manifests differently depending on the beastman,” Hu Zhuo said after a pause. “From your description, this Yuan Wu has only just come of age. For a fourth-rank beastman to already master mind control—that’s no small feat.”

“Hu Jin also reached fourth rank right after coming of age,” Chi Yuyang smiled.

And in her eyes, Hu Jin’s power was far more practical than Yuan Wu’s mind control.

“Can he control animals? Like controlling their minds to make them deliver themselves?”

Hu Zhuo shook his head.

Animals couldn’t speak, nor did they have conscious thought. They reacted purely on instinct.

In other words, Yuan Wu’s ability only existed to control beastmen with their own thoughts and wills.

To Chi Yuyang, it was nothing short of brainwashing—forcing other beastmen to accept his views.

After a thousand years, the Ape Tribe had produced another beastman with this power. Naturally, they started dreaming again of unifying the continent.

But why target the Tiger Tribe?

The Tiger Tribe was hidden in the forest, their numbers not large.

Besides, they had plenty of third- and fourth-rank warriors—hardly an easy target for control.

This was something Chi Yuyang never understood.

And with Hu Zhuo’s leadership, the Tiger Tribe was learning to use wisdom as well.

After the lesson of Hu Ya, their defenses had only grown stronger.

So was Yuan Wu’s true target Hu Jin?

But why Hu Jin?

“Thank you, Chief.” When Hu Zhuo rose, both Chi Yuyang and Hu Jin gave their thanks.

After he left, Hu Jin leaned closer to her face.

“Wife, I want to tell you something.”

“All right,” Chi Yuyang shifted slightly.

Since Hu Zhuo was both Hu Jin’s elder and the Chief, she had stayed tense the whole time he was present. Now that he was gone, she could finally relax.

But as soon as she moved, Hu Jin fell silent.

“Hu—” She hadn’t even finished when she felt something pressing against her from below.

Startled, she tried to slip away, but Hu Jin locked her tightly in his arms.

“Didn’t your heat already end?”

Hu Jin turned her around forcefully.

Now face to face, she saw the unmistakable desire in his mismatched eyes.

“Wife, when I’m in beast form, the feeling is gone. But when I hold you like this…I can’t stand it anymore.”

Chi Yuyang suddenly remembered Hu Jin saying his human and beast forms didn’t affect each other.

No way…

“Hu Jin, let me ask you.” She tried to back away, but his hands held her waist firmly, giving her no escape.

She had no choice but to fold her legs up to sit on her own thighs, creating a barrier between herself and his body.

Only then did she continue: “Do Tiger beastmen always mate in beast form?”

“Yes.” Hu Jin didn’t stop her from adjusting. All his focus was on restraining himself.

“No exceptions?” she pressed.

“None,” his voice dropped lower than usual.

That answer broke her inside.

Hu Jin had just confirmed her suspicion.

If the Tiger Tribe only mated in beast form, then for them it was purely reproduction, not intimacy.

And since they rarely took partners from other tribes, they probably never realized the difference if done in human form.

But now Chi Yuyang knew.

She finally understood why the word “mate” had always felt strange when applied to her.

In human form, beastmen’s bodies were no different from humans.

So if Hu Jin used his human form, then what they did could no longer be called mating.

It was making love.

And she and Hu Jin had been making love for three days straight!

“Wife.” Hu Jin’s gaze grew unsteady. “I think I’m sick. Down there…it hurts.”

Chi Yuyang froze, then reflexively asked, “Where?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could bury herself.

She didn’t need his answer; she knew.

“I want to bathe.” But Hu Jin didn’t explain further.

That instantly reminded her of the time she’d seen him washing in the icy stream.

“No! If you keep bathing in that cold water, you’ll make yourself ill even if you weren’t before.” She gritted her teeth. “…I’ll help you.”

The pure look of confusion in Hu Jin’s eyes made her face flush scarlet.

She had no experience, but as an adult, she’d at least heard things.

Since they were leaving for the Ape Tribe tomorrow, this was the only way.

“Hu Jin, I’ll help you with my hand…”

…

Soon, Chi Yuyang, held tightly in his arms, felt completely helpless against him.

“Hu Jin, it hurts…”

His repeated thrusts made her instinctively clutch at his neck.

Though they had agreed on just her hand, she couldn’t resist the longing in his eyes.

He wanted her, even if he didn’t say it.

So once she began, he pushed her down.

No, Hu Jin even discovered a new way—holding her as he moved on the furs.

Chi Yuyang felt her tiger had an inexplicable talent in this matter of desire.

—

The next day, Chi Yuyang finally managed to reset her body clock.

Hu Jin knew they had to leave for the Ape Tribe, so he hadn’t continued for too long.

From sunset to bedtime, he stopped of his own accord.

That led Chi Yuyang to suspect that his so-called “heat” in human form only heightened his desires; its end didn’t mean they disappeared.

“Good morning, wife.” He offered her cooked meat and rice.

“Today we go to the Ape Tribe,” she sighed.

She was still nervous.

After all, Yuan Wu had once controlled her, leaving lingering fear.

“Wife, yesterday I meant to tell you something.”

But the moment Hu Jin’s voice sounded in her ear, her fear dissolved.

With him around, even if Yuan Wu controlled her mind, he could never lay a finger on her.

“Mm, go on.” She smiled again.

With Hu Jin, she always felt safe.

Seeing her smile, Hu Jin’s tone grew lighter.

But his words were heavy.

“Wife, I never told you…the reason I failed to advance was because of my three brothers.”

“They sent me food in my mother’s name, just before my tribulation.”

“I ate it. And during the tribulation…”

Even though he knew his mother no longer remembered him, he had still accepted it—because a part of him still hoped.

But in the end, it only led to disappointment.

Hearing this, Chi Yuyang couldn’t help but raise her head and kiss his cheek.

“You think Yuan Wu ordered your brothers to do it?” She guessed why Hu Jin chose this moment to say it, but her heart still ached for him.

She ached for her foolish tiger.

And she hated his brothers for exploiting his feelings.

But the true culprit was Yuan Wu.

When Hu Jin nodded, Chi Yuyang took a deep breath.

She really wanted to know what Yuan Wu’s real scheme was.

Honestly, she wasn’t afraid of matching wits with a beastman.

After all, she had studied a profession dealing with animals.

Even if the Ape Tribe’s beastmen were more human-like, they still had beast instincts.

And if, as Hu Zhuo had said, mind control didn’t rely on eyes, then she could watch Yuan Wu’s expressions to read his secrets.

“Let’s go, Hu Jin.” Chi Yuyang patted the white tiger’s head before her. “Let’s go find your father.”