The mont a golden light lit up Sangze’s pupils, he collapsed.
"Sangze!"
Only after confirming the area was safe did Qiao Xixi lead the cubs down from the large tree, weaving through the scattered corpses of beastn to reach Sangze.
Sangze slowly opened his eyes, which held a faint, vacant look.
"Xixi?"
He sat up, but when he saw that his surroundings were littered with the bodies of beastn, he froze in shock.
"Sangze, are you okay?"
Sangze stiffly turned his head to look at Qiao Xixi, his voice trembling. "This... All of this... I... Did I do this?"
Qiao Xixi pursed her lips. "Sangze, I know it wasn’t you."
His mismatched eyes instantly welled with tears. He shook his head, unable to accept it. "I... I’ve killed... so many beastn again."
"Father, they ca to capture . You were just trying to protect ." Sangqi was heartbroken to see Sangze in this state.
"They’re right. I’m the monster who killed my own mother. I’m a monster!" Sangze wailed before turning and fleeing.
"Sangze! Sangze!"
"Father! Father!"
Qiao Xixi gave chase, but Sangze was too fast. It wasn’t long before she lost him.
"Mother, I know where Father went."
Qiao Xixi looked at Sangqi, confused.
Sangqi said, "I can take you there, Mother."
"Okay."
Following Sangqi’s directions, Qiao Xixi took a path through the woods to a small creek. In the distance, she could see Sangze sitting on a large boulder by the water.
As Qiao Xixi walked closer, she could hear his whimpering sobs.
She said nothing, simply sitting down beside him in quiet companionship.
Glistening teardrops stread down his cheeks, falling into the clear water and blurring his reflection.
After so ti had passed, Sangze finally looked up, his face filled with apology.
"I’m sorry, Xixi. I must have scared you."
Qiao Xixi took out a few pieces of candy and offered them to him. "When you feel upset, have a piece of candy. It’ll help you feel much better."
Sangze opened his mouth and ate the candy. A sweet flavor imdiately spread through his mouth.
"It’s so sweet. You’re so kind, Xixi."
Qiao Xixi smiled faintly. "Sangze, can you tell your story?"
"Do you really want to know, Xixi?" Sangze asked earnestly.
Qiao Xixi nodded. "I do. Are you willing to tell ?"
Sangze lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling like tiny wings.
"Then I’ll tell you. But after you hear it... can you promise not to hate ?"
Qiao Xixi promised.
"Actually, my father is the Clan Leader of the Divine Leopard Tribe, and my mother is a female from the Fox Clan. He was her first mate, and her favorite. The day I was born, terrifying claps of thunder rolled across the sky. Everyone said my mother was about to give birth to a monster..."
His voice grew desolate at this point.
"But after I was born, I displayed an innate talent that surpassed all other beastn. I awakened my beast soul the very day I was born, and before I turned three, it had already reached five stars. My father was overjoyed, and we were all so happy back then. But on the night I ca of age, I suddenly beca like a different person. I went on a rampage, killing many beastn in the tribe and severely wounding my mother."
Qiao Xixi asked softly, "And... do you rember what you did that night?"
Sangze’s brow furrowed in pain as he shook his head. "I don’t rember. From that day on, I can’t rember a single thing that happens at night."
"I heard from my older brother that our father tried to stop that night, and I severely wounded him too. In the end, my brother had to lead a group of beastn to subdue . They said I was a monster from ancient tis and that they had to kill . But no matter what they did, I couldn’t die. That’s when I realized... an immortal, evil beast lives inside my body!"
"So, your father and the others decided to imprison you in the Hopeless Abyss, forbidding you from ever leaving?"
Sangze nodded. "Yes. Last night, those beastn must have co to use a Dark Origin Stone to suppress the evil beast inside . But they were still killed by it."
"Then... have you tried communicating with ’him’?"
Sangze shook his head.
Qiao Xixi frowned. "Everything you know about what happens when you lose your mory cos from what other beastn have told you. Is it possible that’s not the truth?"
Sangze was stunned by her question; he’d never considered that before.
"Sangze, do you trust ?"
Sangze looked at her, puzzled. "Xixi, of course I trust you."
Qiao Xixi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "But why?"
Sangze thought for a mont before replying, "I just don’t think you’re a bad person."
’Oh, Sangze... Sotis the line between a good person and a bad one is just a single thought.’
"If you trust , I can help you ask ’him’ why he did what he did that night."
Sangze said nervously, "Xixi, you’ve t him? Did he hurt you? Don’t be afraid! I’ll take you to dig up the Saint Crystal right now and get you out of here. You can’t stay here any longer."
"He didn’t hurt , so you don’t have to worry."
Sangze was very confused. "Does ’he’ like you too? Is that why he didn’t hurt you?"
’What in the world is he talking about?’
"No, he probably just thinks life is boring and needs so amusent."
Qiao Lie: ’...’
’Mother, even so... your description is actually pretty spot-on.’
"Oh. So he doesn’t like you. But I do. I like you very much, Xixi."
Er...
This sudden confession left Qiao Xixi unsure how to react.
But seeing the pure clarity in Sangze’s eyes, devoid of any lust, she told herself she was probably overthinking things.
He probably just saw her as a friend he could rely on and liked her in that sense. So she replied with certainty, "I like you very much too, Sangze."
Sangze tried to suppress a joyful smile. "So you don’t think I’m a monster, Xixi?"
"I believe that you would never do anything to harm your family. I think you should return to the Divine Leopard Tribe and find out what really happened that night."
A light was slowly kindled in the depths of Sangze’s eyes. Since coming of age, Qiao Xixi was the first person willing to believe he hadn’t done those things.
"I... Can I really?"
"Why not? You don’t know what happened last night. When the beastn from the Divine Leopard Tribe arrived, they couldn’t find ’him,’ so they tried to capture Sangqi to use as a hostage."
’Anyone who would use a cub to bait their enemy couldn’t be a good person.’
Besides, she had overheard sothing the Golden Lion beastman said last night.
"Luckily, the Young Clan Leader was smart enough to take a piece of Sangze’s brat’s beast bone. As long as Sangze doesn’t want his cub to be a cripple forever, he’ll have to do as he’s told!"
Sangqi’s disability wasn’t sothing he was born with—he had been crippled by the beastn of the Divine Leopard Tribe. If he could just get his beast bone back, he would be able to recover.
’Those beastn had viciously taken Sangqi’s beast bone just to threaten Sangze and keep him from leaving the Hopeless Abyss. This was sothing she could not tolerate!’
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