TFBAT – Chapter 39

Mental control—this was Yuan Wu’s ability.

Doesn’t this mean…

Hearing this, Chi Yuyang immediately turned her head to look at Hu Jin.

In the darkness, the white tiger’s dazzling heterochromatic eyes shone brighter than ever. At the same time, she vaguely felt a change in the texture under her hand.

So, Chi Yuyang reached out and touched his back.

She had barely made contact when she realized that Hu Jin’s fur had bristled!

At this moment, his entire body seemed to scream three words:

Impossible!

The fur on his back stood on end, and when she touched it, it carried a static-charged sensation, like the friction of a sweater in winter. Chi Yuyang’s hand, which had intended to continue, froze mid-air.

“Hu Jin?” she called softly. Then, changing the direction of her hand, she first stroked his suddenly erect ears, and then ran her hand along the fur on his back.

“Auww.”

With Chi Yuyang’s touch, the white tiger’s fur gradually softened.

Xue Yin, a beat slower, finally noticed something was off.

“You two… why are you acting like enemies?”

Confusion—and something else—shone in Xue Yin’s vertical pupils.

But in this situation, Chi Yuyang didn’t notice Xue Yin’s oddness.

At that moment, Yuan Wu, who had been silent for a long time, scoffed.

He had expected Hu Jin’s reaction to be more intense.

At least, Hu Jin wasn’t as indifferent as before.

So Yuan Wu poured more fuel onto the fire.

“See, we have the same father. And this is atavism—our ancestor might have been an ape-type beastman.”

Now, Hu Jin’s greatest annoyance must be the ape tribe.

“If the tiger genes that Hu Jin prides himself on carry ape blood, then what’s the difference between him and me?”

“…” Chi Yuyang thought his assumption was downright ridiculous.

Putting aside the possibility that Hu Jin’s father had ape genes, since Yuan Wu’s mother was from the ape tribe, his atavism most likely came from her side.

Moreover, Yuan Wu likely had never met this “Snow Lord”—what gave him the right to declare that he had ape genes?

Chi Yuyang couldn’t help but frown.

Yuan Wu’s words seemed very targeted—aimed at Hu Jin’s resentment toward the ape tribe.

Meanwhile, what she didn’t see was a faint, barely perceptible joy flashing in Yuan Wu’s eyes in the dim corner.

Chi Yuyang was about to speak when her attention was drawn to the person beside her.

The white tiger, at some unknown moment, had returned to human form,

and buried its head in the crook of Chi Yuyang’s neck.

Surrounded by soft fur, she immersed herself in the sensation, momentarily forgetting to speak.

Hu Jin’s slightly low, muffled voice came at that moment.

“I don’t want to be a descendant of the ape tribe. The apes and tigers are mortal enemies now.”

His eyes drooped, his tone forlorn. “And the clan leader said ape beastmen rarely transform back into beast form because their forms are neither strong enough nor beautiful enough.”

So the ape tribe does have a beast form.

Speaking of ape beast forms, Chi Yuyang’s mind involuntarily conjured up various types of apes.

Although she didn’t know exactly what Yuan Wu’s beast form was, she suddenly felt a crack appear in the nearly perfect image of his face.

“Hu Jin, you are a tiger, and only a tiger,” Chi Yuyang said firmly.

No matter how you looked at Hu Jin’s beast form, it was just a tiger.

Then, Chi Yuyang turned to look at Xue Yin, intending to ask him some questions about Hu Jin’s father.

But she saw Xue Yin suddenly revert to his beast form and collapse onto the ground.

He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, motionless.

“Xue Yin?”

At this moment, Chi Yuyang vaguely saw a tiger a few steps away, the black stripes on its back…

There were three.

She froze for a moment, wiped her eyes, and counted again.

Still three.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

A series of coughs echoed from the corner.

Chi Yuyang took a deep breath, a thought forming in her mind.

Suppressing her anger, she spoke calmly.

“Yuan Wu, you controlled Xue Yin’s mind.”

“Yes,” he admitted without hesitation, unexpectedly, “but everything he said was true.”

Yuan Wu’s vision couldn’t fully function in the night, yet he still looked toward where Chi Yuyang was.

He saw the round ears trembling among the fur of the person right next to her.

Looking further, Hu Jin’s eyes were partially hidden by fine silver hair.

“Perhaps our father’s ancestors did include apes,” he emphasized again.

It was difficult for him to control multiple beastmen at once.

So before he could control Hu Jin, he first needed to release Xue Yin from his control.

Upon hearing this, Chi Yuyang squinted her eyes.

Despicable and shameless.

Yuan Wu’s target had been Hu Jin from the very beginning.

Even controlling her was only a means to breach Hu Jin’s heart.

Now, with the matter of her father unable to shake Hu Jin, he had found another route.

She didn’t really care that Hu Jin carried Ape Clan genes.

But what would his clan think?

Back when she was with the Sheep Clan, she had lied that she was an Ape. By chance, she had overheard Ape Clan beastmen plotting to annihilate the Tiger Clan with Hu Jin present.

Although she had clarified back then that she wasn’t an Ape, under the impulse of self-interest, if Hu Jin acted opposite to what he had before, she could understand.

In this beastman world, many things defied logic, but not every beastman was willing to accept the unusual.

And Hu Jin had always been called an oddity in his clan.

Chi Yuyang shook her head, driving the thoughts away.

Yuan Wu still hadn’t been able to control Hu Jin; she had to influence Yuan Wu’s mood to thwart his schemes.

“You still have Snow Tiger genes, yet you claim to be an Ape,” Chi Yuyang thought of Yuan Wu mimicking Hu Jin’s words earlier, and her eyes flickered.

“So even if Hu Jin has Ape Clan genes, he doesn’t belong to the Apes. And you keep babbling on—Hu Jin probably hasn’t been shaken in the slightest, has he?”

Since Yuan Wu spoke, Hu Jin hadn’t said a word.

Though he had shown a brief flicker of surprise, Chi Yuyang could feel his body remained relaxed.

Otherwise, his hands wouldn’t be fidgeting like they were now.

Hu Jin’s hands?

As if recalling something, Chi Yuyang let out a sigh.

She suddenly realized her worry had been unnecessary.

That tiger of hers!

“Hu Jin.” Chi Yuyang pretended to be angry and pinched his arm. “Behave yourself.”

He had never been deceived by Yuan Wu from the start, yet she had been worried for him.

“Wife,” Hu Jin, caught in the act, gently kissed her earlobe in a comforting manner. “I just wanted to see what Yuan Wu intended.”

His voice was calm now, far from the earlier panic, which eased Chi Yuyang’s mind.

“You actually…” Yuan Wu’s voice was gritted with obvious rage.

Repeatedly failing to enter Hu Jin’s heart, he finally realized where the problem lay.

Yuan Wu, who had once toyed with hearts at will, finally tore off his ferocious mask after stumbling in the same spot several times.

“You actually deceived me!”

“What’s wrong with deceiving you?” Hu Jin finished Yuan Wu’s sentence. “I felt something was off the moment Xue Yin mentioned my father.”

Chi Yuyang poked Hu Jin’s face.

Even after that, she still felt unsatisfied, so she moved the hand Hu Jin had on her waist away.

He had even kept this from her.

“What kind of beastman would offer information freely to a stranger they just met?” Hu Jin smiled, circling Chi Yuyang’s waist while speaking. “Especially a cautious tiger like me.”

Even with their tokens and Snow Tiger traits, until personally verified, Hu Jin didn’t think he would be trusted.

Just like when Chi Yuyang treated Hu Ya, the clan leader and shaman there acted out of trust.

“You really don’t understand tigers at all,” Hu Jin said with a radiant smile, not caring whether Yuan Wu could see him. “You’re just an Ape.”

Yuan Wu suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha, interesting… But I didn’t deceive you about your father.”

“I don’t care.” Hu Jin’s hand rested in a place it shouldn’t have; after receiving his wife’s glare, he rubbed his nose. “As long as my wife doesn’t care.”

He hadn’t wanted to hide it from her, but realizing Yuan Wu’s intention, it was too late to inform Chi Yuyang.

“Of course I don’t care.” She couldn’t see Hu Jin’s expression clearly, but from his voice, she judged that he was truly fine, finally feeling at ease.

So she didn’t stop Hu Jin’s actions again.

Her “not caring” referred to him keeping things from her.

Her tiger always managed to surprise her.

“Oh?” Yuan Wu raised an eyebrow. “Then if I told you that Snow Tiger genes carry coldness and promiscuity by nature?”

“….” Chi Yuyang thought Yuan Wu must have been too angry to speak coherently.

Personality traits—how could they be inherited?

Besides, coldness and promiscuity were opposing traits.

Chi Yuyang was about to refute when Yuan Wu’s slightly hoarse voice reached her ears.

“I’m tired. Tomorrow, when you meet my father, you’ll know.”

With that, the corner fell silent.

“Wife, I’ll stay with you as you sleep. Good night.” Hu Jin, while Chi Yuyang was still pondering, left several marks of himself on her face before reverting to his beast form.

Falling into a familiar and warm embrace, Chi Yuyang paused her thoughts.

Indeed, tomorrow, meeting Hu Jin’s father would bring answers.

“Good night, Hu Jin.”

The next morning, Chi Yuyang was woken by Hu Jin shaking her.

“What is it, Hu Jin?”

Half-asleep, seeing Hu Jin’s enlarged face in front of her, she instinctively leaned closer.

After the morning kiss ended, Hu Jin slowly spoke.

“Xue Yin said my father is on his way here.”

“Oh.” Chi Yuyang nodded, then closed her eyes again.

She had slept very late the night before, leaving her mind in a hazy state.

A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes.

“Hu Jin, you just said…”

Before she could confirm, she noticed Xue Yin not far off, bowing politely toward the outside, murmuring something.

“Lord Xue, I’ve admired you for a long time…”