TFBAT – Chapter 40

Hu Jin’s father! He actually came so quickly!

Chi Yuyang felt an inexplicable tension rise within her.

Yet Hu Jin’s expression remained as relaxed as ever, not even the slightest twitch in the curve of his ears.

She couldn’t help but ask out loud.

“Hu Jin, what are you thinking about?”

Chi Yuyang had always assumed that Hu Jin was looking forward to meeting his father.

At the very least, a question that had troubled him for years could finally be answered.

“He’s thinking.”

A magnetic voice came from outside the house, interrupting their conversation.

“After seeing me, the questions you want to ask me.”

Chi Yuyang looked up and saw Xue Yin suddenly appear before her. Behind him was a figure slowly approaching them.

“This is Lord Xue.” Xue Yin’s face was full of excitement at having his wish fulfilled; he even became a bit incoherent. “These… these people are…”

He scratched his head, unable to remember the names of the three people in the room.

Had he forgotten to ask? No wonder he kept feeling like he had forgotten something!

“Those two are your children.”

Xue Yin pointed at Hu Jin and Yuan Wu, then glanced at Chi Yuyang.

The aura around her clearly indicated that she belonged to the beast beside her, but his memory told him this female was someone else’s partner.

At that moment, recalling the tense relationship between the two beasts, he understood.

So, Xue Yin continued, “This female is your daughter-in-law.”

That statement wasn’t exactly wrong.

But Chi Yuyang couldn’t shake the feeling that Xue Yin’s gaze was strange.

His eyes drifted toward her intentionally and unintentionally, then circled several times between Hu Jin and Yuan Wu before finally resting on her again.

What kind of imagination is this beast having!

Chi Yuyang rolled her eyes in her mind, thinking it was probably a side effect of Yuan Wu’s mental control.

After the introduction, Xue Yin stepped aside so that Lord Xue could clearly see the scene inside the house.

Lord Xue’s face appeared before Chi Yuyang.

His features were extremely similar to Hu Jin’s, but his body carried the maturity and stability of an adult beast, so his baby-faced traits weren’t as pronounced as Hu Jin’s.

What struck Chi Yuyang as odd was that Lord Xue looked only a little over thirty.

Realizing that Chi Yuyang was staring at him, Lord Xue gave her a faint glance.

The slightly cold eyes carried an innate arrogance and sense of superiority.

Chi Yuyang instantly felt a little uncomfortable.

But she didn’t think too much and certainly didn’t dare to speculate.

Although she didn’t know the full extent of Lord Xue’s mind-control ability, the first sentence he said just now made it clear: he could directly peer into people’s minds.

“You two are indeed my children.” Lord Xue answered the most critical question directly.

“Hu Jin, Yuan Wu.” He quickly called out their names.

Chi Yuyang immediately looked at Hu Jin.

Hu Jin’s expression remained calm, but the hand he held hers with trembled slightly.

“Anything you want to know.” Lord Xue first looked at Hu Jin, “You can ask me now.”

Although both Hu Jin and Yuan Wu were his children, for some reason, he instinctively chose Hu Jin first to speak with.

Perhaps it was because of Hu Jin’s appearance.

Seeing Hu Jin, it was as if he saw himself when he was young.

Hu Jin’s heterochromatic eyes were inherited from him, but when emotions filled them, they resembled the tiger that had left a mark deep in his heart.

“Since you are leaving, why didn’t you dissolve your bond with my mother?” Hu Jin looked at Lord Xue and asked in a deep voice.

“Maybe I forgot, sorry.” Lord Xue’s tone when answering Hu Jin was not as cold as when he looked at Chi Yuyang. If you listened closely, there was even a hint of affection.

At the start, he spoke with a sense of superiority, but his strength could fully support his arrogance.

Yet Chi Yuyang subtly noticed the look in Lord Xue’s eyes toward Hu Jin, and in his attitude during the conversation, there was an obvious trace of apology and a barely perceptible attempt to appease.

This changed her impression of Lord Xue.

Because she loved Hu Jin, she would do everything she could to care for him—and naturally, she would also like someone who cared for him.

The man standing in front of her, Hu Jin’s biological father, might really have some unspeakable difficulties.

Hearing Chi Yuyang’s thoughts, Lord Xue raised an eyebrow but didn’t explain further.

Hearing this answer, a complex smile appeared on Hu Jin’s face.

He was smiling, but his eyes betrayed no trace of amusement.

“Did you control my mother’s memories?”

“No.” Lord Xue shook his head. “My mental control ability isn’t strong enough to alter someone’s memories; I can only temporarily control their mind.”

As a tiger, Lord Xue’s strength was more prominently reflected in his physical power.

“Then why did my mother…” Hu Jin’s eyes were filled with confusion, “suddenly forget me?”

“Mind control… it’s difficult to change a beastman’s nature, unless…” Lord Xue began, but seemed to recall something from the past. He sighed and retracted the words he had intended to say.

Hu Jin, lost in thought, gradually became dazed, completely missing what Lord Xue had just said.

Chi Yuyang silently stored Lord Xue’s words in her mind.

Seeing Hu Jin fall into deep contemplation, Lord Xue turned his gaze to Yuan Wu.

“You…”

“Why I am like this… I think you already understand,” Yuan Wu said from the corner, a cryptic smile tugging at his lips.

Lord Xue fell silent for a moment at Yuan Wu’s words.

He sighed again—this time, a mix of helplessness and sorrow—but ultimately didn’t continue his previous line of thought.

“Father,” Yuan Wu spoke again, “don’t you think you owe us some compensation?”

He emphasized the word compensation.

Chi Yuyang frowned at this.

Yuan Wu had blocked Lord Xue from speaking earlier, and now he was demanding compensation. This was the second time Lord Xue had been forced to avoid saying what he wanted to say.

“What do you want?” Lord Xue paused for a moment. “To reach Rank Five?”

“Yes.” Yuan Wu coughed indifferently. “If I reach Rank Five, this body of mine can also be restored.”

He then cast a glance at Hu Jin.

“I suppose Hu Jin also intends to reach Rank Five.”

Just like that?

Chi Yuyang was momentarily stunned.

Could it be, as Yuan Wu had suggested before, that once he and Hu Jin both reach Rank Five, they could finally have a proper fight?

But the logic didn’t add up—the sequence was all wrong.

He had gone to great lengths to bring Hu Jin here; how could he possibly let Hu Jin reach Rank Five smoothly?

“Don’t worry,” Lord Xue suddenly said. “I will ensure that both of you reach Rank Five successfully.”

Chi Yuyang felt as though he had heard the concern in her heart.

At least for now, Lord Xue’s attitude seemed proper.

“Hu Jin, what do you think?” Chi Yuyang pinched Hu Jin’s tail.

Since Lord Xue had apologized, he had stayed in the same position for a long time without moving.

“Wife,” Hu Jin suddenly held her tightly, “stay with me here a few more days, alright?”

“…Alright.” She would stay by his side even without being asked.

But when Hu Jin said this, she sensed he had another motive.

“Very well. I will take you to my residence,” Lord Xue said with a satisfied smile. “By the way, I want to speak privately with my two children for a moment.”

He intended for Chi Yuyang and Xue Yin to step aside.

Chi Yuyang, knowing the cue, walked outside the Xue House. She also had a few questions for Xue Yin.

“Lord Xue is amazing! His children really are extraordinary!” Freed from Lord Xue’s imposing presence, Xue Yin finally felt alive again.

Earlier, inside the house, Lord Xue’s authority and Hu Jin’s unconsciously exerted pressure had temporarily shortened his ability to speak.

As a pure human, Chi Yuyang couldn’t understand Xue Yin’s frustration.

Recalling what Yuan Wu had said yesterday, Chi Yuyang quickly changed the topic.

“Do the Snow Tigers have any unique traits?”

“Unique traits?” Xue Yin looked puzzled.

“For example… in terms of choosing a mate…” Chi Yuyang gave a hint.

“Oh.” Xue Yin suddenly understood. “Don’t worry. Our female members can have multiple male partners at the same time.”

“…” Not exactly the point.

Xue Yin misunderstood her question a bit.

“Our Snow Tiger clan dislikes those outside beastmen who use relationships to bind each other,” Xue Yin said seriously. “In reality, most external couples have no real affection.”

“Relationships don’t need other things to bind or prove them,” Chi Yuyang decided to follow his lead.

She was genuinely surprised that the Snow Tigers understood the meaning of emotional bonds.

The kind of partner relationship Xue Yin described was very similar to a certain type of relationship she had seen in her previous world.

She added her own opinion, “I think mutual affection is more important; having a formal relationship is just a bonus.”

Xue Yin peeked inside furtively, then in a gossipy tone said, “Not necessarily. Don’t you want to have offspring with your partner?”

“…” Chi Yuyang couldn’t help but think: why are these tigers always thinking about having cubs?

Could it be because their population is small?

“Our Snow Tigers, living deep in the mountains, care a lot about offspring. But we know that mating only within the clan can cause genetic issues. So since Lord Xue’s generation, some have started mating outside with other species.”

Chi Yuyang straightened up.

Though she didn’t fully agree, she found the topic intriguing. Perhaps she could uncover something Lord Xue was hiding.

She hadn’t expected the Snow Tiger beastmen to understand the dangers of inbreeding.

“But…” Xue Yin gave a mysterious smile. “You and Hu Jin have already mated, haven’t you?”

He could tell just by her scent.

Chi Yuyang nodded.

“What you want to know… the unique traits of the Snow Tiger clan…”

Xue Yin dragged out the words, building suspense, making Chi Yuyang wish she could call Hu Jin to stop this boring act.

“If you don’t want to say, I’ll have Hu Jin ask his father.”

Chi Yuyang turned, pretending to leave.

She had already realized Xue Yin was a chatterbox. Even though Yuan Wu had controlled him last night, his nonstop talking now was clearly his true nature.

As expected, Xue Yin stopped her steps.

“Hey, I say—”

Chi Yuyang looked at him with a smile.

“Exactly,” Xue Yin said. “Through much practice, we found that Snow Tiger males can only impregnate outsiders in their beast form.”