Beast World: The Crazy Female Is Chased by Five Beast Husbands - Chapter 29

At that moment, an elderly man in gray robes suddenly approached Li Xuanyue and bowed respectfully to her.

His hair was streaked with white, his body slightly hunched, looking no different from the elders of the clan.

But upon closer inspection, Li Xuanyue noticed something striking Zhong He’s eyes bore a striking resemblance to the old man’s, nearly seventy to eighty percent alike.

Could this elder be related to Zhong He by bl00d?

Just as she was pondering this, Zhong He stepped forward and spoke.

“Father, do you need something?”

His tone was indifferent, so much so that it seemed as if he didn’t even recognize Zhong Zhou.

Zhong Zhou frowned in displeasure.

“Is this your father?”

Li Xuanyue gave Zhong He a strange look, lowering her voice to ask.

She found it hard to believe.

After all, one was a man of striking elegance, while the other was aged and frail.

Their clothing and demeanor made it difficult to imagine they were father and son.

Had she misheard?

Zhong He frowned at her, initially unwilling to answer. But when his gaze met Li Xuanyue’s clear eyes, he eventually nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yes.”

His voice was soft, but the certainty in it was unmistakable.

“Then you two talk.”

Having confirmed the man’s identity, Li Xuanyue wasn’t unreasonable.

She knew to give them space lest they think her too harsh to grant even this small courtesy.

“Thank you, Princess.”

Zhong He’s father expressed his gratitude.

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Zhong He’s eyes, but out of respect for Li Xuanyue, he didn’t refuse.

In the end, Zhong Zhou led Zhong He to a spot he deemed quiet enough, and the two sat down.

“Speak plainly, Father. What is it you want?”

Zhong He cut straight to the point. There was little left for them to discuss.

But since his father had sought him out, he wanted to know the reason.

“Do you know about your mother’s disappearance?”

Zhong Zhou’s murky eyes fixed intently on Zhong He.

Though his tone was probing, his instincts told him this matter was undeniably linked to Zhong He.

He cared so deeply for his mother how could he remain so composed upon hearing she was missing?

Sure enough, even after Zhong Zhou’s words, Zhong He remained as steady as a mountain, unmoving.

Not a trace of urgency or worry showed in his eyes only calm detachment.

“Isn’t that your concern? Why come to me?”

In Zhong Zhou’s eyes, hadn’t his mother always been nothing more than a pawn to control him?

Now that she was missing, shouldn’t he be scrambling to find her? What was the point of coming here?

“Was it you?”

Zhong Zhou’s gaze bore into him.

He could think of no one else but Zhong He.

The timing was too coincidental no sooner had he arrived at the Phoenix Clan than the room where Zhong He’s mother stayed caught fire, and then she vanished.

Zhong Zhou refused to believe this wasn’t premeditated.

The only explanation was that his son had planned all of this long before coming here.

“Don’t you think you owe your father an explanation?”

Zhong He’s eyes instantly turned cold.

“Explanation for what?”

“Has Father forgotten what you promised me before I left?”

He reminded him word by word: “You said you would protect my mother well.”

This was precisely why Zhong He had agreed to the marriage alliance with the Phoenix Clan in the first place.

Everything had been for the sake of his mother’s safety.

With his current abilities, what kind of woman couldn’t he have? There was absolutely no need to humiliate himself by sharing a wife with other men.

And the one responsible for all of this was his father.

“Yet now that she’s missing, instead of immediately sending people to search for her, you come here under the pretense of a family visit to interrogate me. Don’t you find that laughable?”

Did he really think Zhong He wouldn’t fight back?

Zhong He was not some spineless puppet.

The only reason he had tolerated his father’s behavior in the Crane Clan was out of respect for his mother.

He had once sworn before her that no matter what happened in the future, he would never commit patricide.

Otherwise, he would never have allowed his father to live this long.

Zhong Zhou’s face burned with humiliation at his son’s words.

“Stop pretending! If you didn’t do this, then who else could have?”

Zhong Father spoke in a fit of rage.

His son was cunning, always composed and unreadable since childhood.

Even when he did something wrong, he could remain expressionless.

Only Zhong Mother had ever been able to break through that facade.

Yet just now, when Zhong Zhou mentioned her disappearance in front of him,

Zhong He hadn’t reacted with the same murderous fury he had shown back in the Crane Clan.

Something was clearly amiss.

“Hah!”

Zhong He laughed, his tone light.

“Evidence?”

His sharp gaze locked onto his furious father.

“Everything requires proof. Without evidence, do you really think I’ll accept you pinning this on me?”

“You!”

Zhong Father’s frustration stemmed precisely from his lack of evidence.

If he had any, he wouldn’t be standing here, humiliated by his own son.

“Hmph!”

He snorted coldly before roughly flicking his sleeve.

Zhong He paid no attention to his father’s murderous glare, calmly straightening his robes as he stood.

“Well, it’s getting late.”

He glanced at his father’s livid face and spoke dismissively:

“If Father has nothing else to say, I’ll take my leave and rest.”

He had no intention of wasting any more time here.

Hidden behind a rock in the shadows, Li Xuan Yue had never expected to overhear such explosive revelations when she followed them.

Originally, she had ensured that the relatives from the other four clans were properly accommodated by her and Yin Xin.

Only Zhong Zhou had been left out because he had wanted to speak privately with Zhong He midway, so she had forgotten to arrange his lodging.

She had intended to personally inform him where he would be staying tonight,

hoping to demonstrate her regard for Zhong He and ensure he wouldn’t lose face before his father.

But after hearing their conversation, she realized the relationship between father and son was far from harmonious.

Moreover, Zhong He had only agreed to the marriage alliance with the Phoenix Clan because his father had threatened his mother.

In her past life, she had never understood the true reasons why her five consorts had agreed to marry her.

Only now was she beginning to see clearly.

They had not consented to the marriage willingly each had their own hardships and reasons they couldn’t refuse.

She simply didn’t know.

Upon learning the truth of this matter, it would be a lie to say Li Xuanyue didn’t feel a pang of sorrow in her heart.