Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 34: Bloodlines and Broth

Hei Yan’s father.....murdered his sister?

For a second, the image of the big, goofy black panther sitting on the border, pouting because he missed his "special meat," flickered in her mind. It was hard to reconcile that image of a needy, oversized housecat with a lineage of cold-blooded killers.

"I... I never knew," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Hei Yan never mentioned a war or a treaty. He just speaks about his father as a great hunter."

[DING! (ó﹏ò｡)]

[Ouch. Talk about a ’Romeo and Juliet’ situation, Host! Except Romeo is a panther with zero impulse control and Juliet is currently being seduced by a snake with a tragic backstory. 10/10 for drama!]

Shut up, System! This isn’t a show! Xin Yi snapped internally, feeling a genuine wave of pity for the beastman sitting beside her.

"You can’t blame him for that, Qing Lin," she said softly, turning her body toward him. "Hei Yan wasn’t even an Alpha back then. You can’t hold a son responsible for the sins of a father he probably barely understood."

Qing Lin’s jaw tightened, the muscles rippling under his pale skin. He let out a sharp, bitter scoff. "Blood follows blood, Xin Yi. The Panther tribe thrives on conquest and ’honesty’ that usually involves a claw to the throat. Why should I show mercy to the son of a man who broke my father’s heart and left my sister’s bones in the dirt?"

His emerald eyes flashed with a sudden, sharp annoyance. He looked away from her, his long fingers drumming a restless rhythm on his thigh. "I am the only one who remembers. My father was too broken to speak of it after the funeral. Hei Yan’s father......that monster managed to act as though my sister had never even existed. There was no apology. No reparations. Just silence and a border that shifted in their favor."

"That’s... that’s painful, Qing Lin," Xin Yi said, her voice dropping to a tender register. "To be the only one carrying the memory of someone you loved... that’s a heavy burden."

"You are the first outsider I have ever told," he murmured, his eyes closing. "Even my warriors only know that we hate the Panthers. They do not know the why."

She reached out, hesitantly at first, and began to run her fingers through his long, silky green hair.

Qing Lin stiffened for a moment, his pupils dilating. Then, slowly, he leaned into her touch. A sound, not quite a purr, but almost like one, hummed in his chest.

"Do it again," he commanded, his voice barely a whisper.

Xin Yi smiled her fingers scratching gently at the base of his scalp. "See? You’re just as needy as the cat, you’re just better at hiding it."

He didn’t argue. He shifted, resting his head in her lap, his long, lithe body stretching out across the silk-covered bench. It was an incredibly vulnerable position for a King, especially one as guarded as he was.

"You should stay with me," he said, his voice muffled against her. "The Panthers are brutes. They will tire you out with their noise and their hunger. Here, in the Azure Scale, you could be a true Queen. I would give you everything you want for without you even having to ask."

"You kidnapped me, you silly snake," Xin Yi laughed softly, though her heart was hammering against her ribs.

He opened one eye, a mischievous glint returning to his gaze. "And I would do it again. In a heartbeat. I would steal you from the Tiger and the Panther a thousand times over if it meant I could keep this warmth."

Xin Yi felt the familiar heat of a blush rising to her cheeks. She quickly looked away, trying to change the subject. "You wouldn’t like it for long. I’m a handful. In my world, we have things you wouldn’t believe. Everything is different."

"Tell me," he urged, looking up at her with genuine curiosity. "Tell me of this ’modern’ world. What is a ’truck’? You mentioned it in your sleep yesterday."

Xin Yi blinked. "I talk in my sleep? Great. Well... a truck is... it’s like a massive beast made of metal. It doesn’t eat meat, it eats ’fuel.’ It can carry an entire tribe’s worth of food across the land in a single day. And we have buildings so tall they touch the clouds, and light that stays on even when the sun goes down, and—"

She rambled on, describing skyscrapers, airplanes, and the internet. To her, it was home, to him, it sounded like a delirious fever dream. She talked about the grocery stores where you didn’t have to hunt, and the bathrooms, the glorious, porcelain, private bathrooms.

Qing Lin watched her the entire time, a small smile playing on his lips. He didn’t interrupt. He didn’t scoff. He just watched the way her eyes lit up and the way her hands moved as she tried to describe a television.

"I like it when you talk and talk," he interrupted softly, catching her hand mid-gesture. "I do not understand half of what you say, but the way your soul shines when you speak of it.....it is more beautiful than any silk or gemstone."

Before she could protest, he sat up and pressed a swift, cool kiss to her cheek.

"Stop it!" she squeaked, pushing him away, her face now a vibrant shade of pink. "We’re supposed to be ’civilizing,’ not... whatever this is!"

Qing Lin chuckled, standing up smoothly. "I will stop. For now. I just had to. You were being.....particularly radiant."

He stretched, his muscles rippling under his skin like a coiled spring. "Well, come. The sun is high, and my people have been waiting. You promised to teach us how to cook that delicious soup you made for the Panthers. They have longed for it since they saw the steam rising from their tribe."

"It’s called bone broth and vegetable stew, not just ’soup,’" she corrected, standing up and smoothing out her outfit.

"Whatever it is, they want it. They want your cooking, and they want to see their ’Goddess’ again," he teased, reaching out to pull her close for a moment. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his touch lingering. "Come, Pink Skin."

Xin Yi scoffed, shoving his shoulder. "My name is not Pink Skin! It’s Xin Yi!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

[DING! (◕‿◕✿)]

[Oh ho! Look at the chemistry! The Snake King is definitely a more sophisticated version of that flashy Tiger, Feng Huang. He’s got the tragic backstory, the intellectual curiosity, and the smooth lines. Host, your harem is getting even more competitive!]

I’m not having a harem! I’m building a federation! Xin Yi argued back, though her hand was still tingling where he had held it.

"I know your name," Qing Lin whispered, leaning down so his lips brushed her ear. "I just like the way you look when you’re annoyed. It makes your skin......glow."

He led her out of the treehouse, his hand resting possessively on the small of her back. As they walked toward the village center, where the cooking fires were already being lit, Xin Yi looked toward the border.

She could still see the dark silhouette of Hei Yan, sitting like a guardian gargoyle in the distance.

Ten days, she thought, a knot of guilt and excitement twisting in her stomach. I have seven days left, and I’m already starting to feel like I’m at home in the one place I’m supposed to be a prisoner.

Sigh.