Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 161 - 105: Father-in-law and Mother-in-law

Chapter 161: Chapter 105: Father-in-law and Mother-in-law

Lou Xianyue trailed behind Sang Luo without saying a word, a quiet and otherworldly air about him.

At first, Lan Cang hadn’t even noticed him. It was only after confirming Sang Luo and the children were all right that he saw the... third wheel.

Realizing the two had never met, Sang Luo took each of her beast husbands by the hand and said cheerfully, "Cangcang, let me introduce you. This is Lou Xianyue, the Beast Emperor of the Endless South Sea. He’s a partner I met in the sea, and we have a child together."

"Ah Ze, this is Lan Cang, my first Beast Husband. He’s the City Lord of Ice-breaking City and Little Zhi Xin’s father. The two wolf pups you just saw are Zhi Xin’s brothers. The black one is the eldest, and we call him Little Stone. The orange-red pup is the second, and his name is Zhuizui. Zhi Xin is the youngest, their little sister."

"You had three wolf pups in one litter?"

There was a clear hint of envy in the way Lou Xianyue looked at Lan Cang.

He had just secretly used his power to probe them. All three wolf pups were Innate King Beasts, exceptionally gifted.

Lou Xianyue’s estimation of Lan Cang rose considerably. ’This Beast Husband’s talent may be average, but he certainly produces excellent offspring! My dear Sang’er is truly amazing.’

"Sea Emperor, it’s a pleasure." Lan Cang nodded, gesturing invitingly. "All visitors are guests, and Luoluo’s partner is an honored one. Would you care to come in for a drink?"

Lou Xianyue smiled in return. "That won’t be necessary. I have matters to attend to at the Royal Palace, so I can’t stay long. I only came this time to personally escort Sang’er."

Hearing the intimate way he said her name, Lan Cang’s eyes darkened. He said nothing, but his expression visibly soured.

In a single breath, a torrent of thoughts flooded Lan Cang’s mind. ’So, she laughs and banters with other Male Beasts, too. She nestles in other partners’ arms. She even... has children with other Male Beasts...’

He knew he wouldn’t be the only one, but now that another Beast Husband was standing right beside her, he found he wasn’t nearly as composed as he’d imagined he would be.

’These last few blissful days must have lulled me into a false sense of security...’

"So, you’re the one who’s been taking care of Luoluo these past few days. I appreciate your efforts."

"Sang’er is my partner," Lou Xianyue replied. "There’s no need for thanks. It’s only natural that I take care of her."

As he spoke, Lou Xianyue stepped forward, draped an arm over Lan Cang’s shoulder, and guided him toward the nearby woods. He turned and smiled at Sang Luo. "Sang, didn’t you say you missed the little ones at home? Go on and catch up with the children. Brother Lan Cang and I have a few things to discuss before I leave."

"Okay. Don’t be long, you two."

Sang Luo didn’t think much of it. Spotting the three little pups chewing on who-knows-what again, she hurried after them into the backyard.

Once they reached the Stone Forest and were out of sight of the City Lord Mansion, Lan Cang slapped Lou Xianyue’s hand away. "I don’t think we’re that close," he said with a frown. "Whatever you have to say, say it here."

The faces of the two Male Beasts instantly turned cold, the air between them crackling with tension.

Polyandry was the default family structure in the Beast World, but that didn’t mean the Male Beasts coexisted peacefully. It was common for them to come to blows, and it wasn’t unheard of for those fights to end in serious injury or even death.

And King Beasts were especially, fiercely possessive of their mates.

Just because neither of them ever showed it in front of Sang Luo didn’t mean they didn’t feel it.

As an Emperor Beast, Lou Xianyue’s possessiveness was bound to be even stronger.

To be brutally honest, from the moment Lou Xianyue first laid eyes on Lan Cang, he’d looked down on him. A dark thought had even flickered through his mind—to secretly get rid of this Beast Husband and claim that cute little white wolf pup and the remaining two pups as his own...

But he could also tell that Sang Luo treasured this Beast Husband of average talent, valued him even more, perhaps, than she valued him.

Lou Xianyue was a clever man. He didn’t want to destroy the relationship he had worked so hard to maintain with her, so he quashed the dark impulse.

Lan Cang had long since sensed Lou Xianyue’s hidden disdain. The other man’s talent and power were unfathomable, far surpassing his own. He feared he couldn’t even compare in terms of looks...

It was a bitter pill to swallow. ’I can be magnanimous and tolerate her other partners,’ he thought, ’but if she’s faced with a more exceptional male than me every day, will Luoluo still have any regard for me in time? Will she even remember I exist?’

Both were lost in their own thoughts. After a moment, Lan Cang was the first to break the silence.

"Her journey was perilous. It must have been thanks to your protection that she made it out safely. Thank you for bringing her and the child back unharmed. If there is ever anything you need from me in the future, Sea Emperor, I will do my utmost to repay this debt!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Only after solemnly thanking Lou Xianyue did Lan Cang broach a more personal topic. "If I may ask, Your Highness, when did you and Luoluo... meet? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard her mention you."

"I hold little importance in her heart, so naturally, she wouldn’t have mentioned me." Lou Xianyue let out a bitter laugh. ’If it weren’t for our child acting as a bond between us, and the fact that I happen to be powerful enough to be useful, she probably would have never thought of me again for the rest of her life.’

Lan Cang shook his head. "If she truly had no feelings for you, she wouldn’t have had a child with you."

A flicker of light crossed Lou Xianyue’s eyes. He gave Lan Cang a rare, appraising look before smiling again. "In that case, I’m just a pitiful man using our child to stay on her radar. She probably cares more about the Mermaid offspring she’s never even met than she does about me, the Beast Father."

Lan Cang sighed internally. ’Am I any different?’

Sang Luo always prized her children above all else.

"Luoluo giving me three children is already the greatest blessing. I daren’t ask for more. As long as she stays by my side for even a moment longer, as long as just a sliver of her affection is meant for me, I’ll be content."

"You truly don’t ask for much," Lou Xianyue said, his gaze drifting toward the distant Stone Forest.

But what he wanted... was so much more.

But they clearly hadn’t come here just to share their woes. Lou Xianyue quickly looked back at Lan Cang and took a step forward. "I’ve always been curious about Sang’er’s origins. As her first Beast Husband, you should be the one she values most and has spent the most time with. Tell me, have you ever met her parents?"

"Never." Lan Cang raised an eyebrow. "Have you?"

Lou Xianyue stared at him for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Once."

"..." Lan Cang fell silent, a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

"Which tribe are her parents in? A city? An Empire? Why hasn’t Luoluo brought them here? Please, Beast Emperor, tell me. I’ll personally take gifts and pay them a formal visit!"

Lou Xianyue shook his head. "If you’re truly that curious, you should let her be the one to tell you."

Clearly, Sang Luo had never told him.

Lou Xianyue sighed to himself. ’I’m afraid this little female hasn’t truly fallen in love with any of us.’

He thought back to the Illusion Realm he had encountered in the Insect King Palace...

The Illusion Realm could bring forth the people and things a person desired most, those held most important in their heart. And not a single one of her Beast Husbands had been among them.

The tenderness deep within her heart was reserved for the family that had raised her.

The warm, happy atmosphere as Sang’er interacted with her family was something that made Lou Xianyue’s heart ache with longing, just by watching from the sidelines.

It was a kind of blissful atmosphere that Beastmen never had the chance to experience as they grew up.

Perhaps it was because she had grown up surrounded by that kind of familial warmth that Sang Luo treasured her children so dearly, pouring all her love into them. She was even willing to venture deep into the heart of the Insect Clan’s territory for that little wolf pup, unafraid even of death...

’Will she treasure our child that much, too?’