The four of them finally arrived at Yun Wu's residence.
Lu Xiao gave the modest house a brief glance. His eyes narrowed slightly, his expression cold and openly judgmental.This wild wolf really has no taste at all, he thought.
If not for Xue Yunxue, he would never have stepped foot in a place like this. His own villa was far more suitable—spacious, refined, and peaceful. But he restrained himself. He respected Yunxue's choice, even though deep down, he wished she would choose to stay with him instead.
Inside the house, Xue Yunxue was already busy preparing dinner when Luo Shixin arrived. He was mildly surprised to see Lu Xiao there as well. From Xiang Shuai, he quickly learned a summary of what had happened to Xue Yunxue earlier.
Luo Shixin's gaze settled on the girl—calm, sharp, and calculating.
Interesting, he thought.
So she was not merely beautiful and gentle; she could fight as well. Completely different from Hu Shui in the past. That princess had possessed spiritual energy at level fifty, yet she had been too lazy to temper her body. Great power without a trained physique was nothing more than half-baked strength.
Dinner soon began. For the first time, Xue Yunxue sat at the same table with all four of her beast husbands. As she chewed slowly, her eyes swept over them one by one, as if trying to understand each of their places in her complicated new life.
Yun Wu.A werewolf, twenty-three years old. His strength level stood at sixty-seven, well-balanced between spiritual energy and physical power, with a solid earth element. He had once been nothing more than a slave bought by Hu Shui. But his talent had been too outstanding to ignore—so much so that Hu Shui had been forced to free him. At the same time, Yun Wu had been her greatest threat, which was why she bound him with marriage. He later became a feared war commander of the Yanhuo Kingdom, before being dishonorably discharged shortly after Hu Shui's death. The reason behind that dismissal remained a mystery.
Xiang Shuai.A nineteen-year-old snake youth. Childish, reckless, with a tongue as sharp as venom. A rare albino white snake from the Shelua Kingdom, married into this land for political reasons. What puzzled Xue Yunxue was why he had not returned to his homeland after Hu Shui's death.
Luo Shixin.Twenty-five years old. A legendary golden eagle, the war general leading the Cloud Army that guarded the skies of the Yanhuo Kingdom. He came from the Luo family—a clan famous for their absolute loyalty to the King and Queen. For generations, they had strengthened their status through royal marriages. Calm like still water, elegant, dignified, unfathomable—and ruthless when necessary.
And lastly—
Lu Xiao.A twenty-three-year-old half-vampire, ostracized by both society and his own family. Far from the image of a cruel, emotionless vampire, his attitude toward Xue Yunxue was gentle—too gentle. His eyes seemed capable of reading souls, piercing through the deepest layers of one's mind. With strength at level eighty, he was the strongest among them.
Yet for some reason, being near him always made Xue Yunxue feel threatened—a subtle, indescribable pressure, as if she were being seen more deeply than she should be. Moreover, she had never once seen him touch his food. Did he truly not feel hunger at all? Or did he really prefer drinking blood?
There was still one name she had never met.
Lin Yuan.The fifth beast husband.
Xue Yunxue didn't know what kind of man he was—and more importantly, she didn't know whether Lin Yuan harbored resentment… or something far more dangerous toward her.
Bai Ling lounged casually on the balcony of her spacious villa. Sheer curtains fluttered gently in the night breeze, while the glow of crystal lamps reflected softly off the marble floor. She wore a thin, pale silk nightdress that wrapped around her body, elegant yet languid.
One beast husband knelt before her, his fingers skillfully massaging her calves with just the right amount of pressure. Behind her, another beast husband worked on her shoulders, easing the lingering tension from her body. Bai Ling closed her eyes, enjoying the service as if it were her natural right.
That peace shattered when heavy footsteps approached.
A lion-type beast husband stopped a few steps away and lowered his head respectfully."Lingling," he said cautiously, "we've investigated the woman who was with Yun Wu."
Bai Ling slowly opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing beneath her lashes."And?" she asked coldly.
"That woman is registered as Yun Wu's partner. Her name is Xue Yunxue. Her origins are unclear—she isn't registered with any clan. However…" He hesitated. "She is a female fox beast."
The last sentence was like a spark dropped into oil.
"What?!" Bai Ling's voice rose sharply.
In an instant, she stood up. A crystal glass on the small table was swept to the floor, shattering into pieces. A decorative vase followed, then a small statue she grabbed without thinking. The sounds of impact echoed across the balcony, yet none of her beast husbands dared to stop her.
Bai Ling's fury erupted without restraint.
She had waited too long for Yun Wu.
Ever since he had still been the husband of that eccentric princess—the mad girl everyone spoke of with contempt—Bai Ling had already set her heart on him. Even after the princess died, Bai Ling had been certain her time had come. She waited with unwavering confidence, believing Yun Wu would eventually turn to her.
But what happened?
Yun Wu remained single for an entire year—and when he finally chose, it wasn't Bai Ling. Instead, he chose some unknown woman, a fox beast of mysterious origin.
The humiliation was so real it made her chest feel tight.
The beast husbands around her remained silent. They were far too used to her outbursts—Bai Ling's anger was a storm better endured than opposed.
Bai Ling panted, her fingers clenched tightly. Her gaze sharpened, cold and dangerous.
"Xue Yunxue… I must get rid of her," she murmured softly, as if carving the name into her memory.
The next morning…
Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in Yun Wu's windows, falling gently across the dining table now littered with the remains of breakfast. The four men sat facing one another, the atmosphere quiet yet tense—like the air before a storm.
Xue Yunxue was outside, feeding the beast children wandering nearby.
Luo Shixin was the first to break the silence. He set his cup down calmly, his voice cool and firm.
"This week, my task is to protect Yunxue."
The words fell like a hammer.
Xiang Shuai's expression changed instantly. He snorted softly, clearly unwilling.
"I'll go wherever Yunxue goes," Lu Xiao interjected without emotion, as if the decision were already final.
"If he's going," Xiang Shuai grinned lazily, his snake tongue flicking out briefly before retreating, "then I'm going too."
Luo Shixin frowned, his gaze moving between the two of them.What on earth had possessed them?And more troubling—why was Lu Xiao, the reclusive vampire who should have no interest in royal affairs, interfering in this matter?
Luo Shixin slowly rotated his teacup, the sound barely audible, giving his thoughts time to settle.
"Perhaps," he said at last, "we need to rearrange our plans for Xue Yunxue."
Lu Xiao's gaze hardened.
"Before that," Luo Shixin continued more sharply, "have you truly confirmed that she is Xue Yunxue… and not Hu Shui?"
The question hung in the air.
Lu Xiao fell silent for a moment, his jaw tightening. He was about to answer when Luo Shixin added calmly, meaning heavy in his tone:
"If the mermaid princess were here, she could see her spiritual space. Access her memories. We'd know the truth."
Lu Xiao's brows immediately furrowed, rejection clear in his eyes.
"If that fish were here," he said coldly, almost sneering, "she'd probably kill little Xue'er the moment she saw her."
Silence enveloped the table once more. They all knew what Hu Shui had done to that mermaid—how she delighted in hurting her, even ripping off her scales simply because she found them beautiful, jeweled and dazzling. The mermaid, obsessed with beauty, had suffered terribly. Hu Shui had been cruel to her.
Little Xue'er?
Behind his calm expression, Luo Shixin's heart skipped a beat. His eyes narrowed slightly, sharp like an eagle locking onto prey.
Since when did this vampire use such a term of endearment?And since when had his tone changed when speaking Xue Yunxue's name?
Was Lu Xiao joking…?
"And one more thing," Lu Xiao continued flatly, utterly unconcerned by the strange looks directed at him."I can guarantee she is not Hu Shui. She is another soul—named Xue Yunxue."
The words landed heavily on the table.
The other three men fell silent at once.
If there was one being in this world who could never lie about souls, it was Lu Xiao. The reclusive vampire never spoke without reason—and that was precisely what made his statement so terrifying.
"Another soul?" Yun Wu finally spoke, his brow deeply furrowed. "What do you mean by another soul?"
"Hu Shui's body was nothing more than an empty shell," Lu Xiao replied without hesitation. "She never had a soul."
The air seemed to freeze.
"What?" Xiang Shuai straightened, all trace of humor gone. "No soul? Are you saying… she was already dead?"
"Yes," Lu Xiao answered curtly."She died long ago—even before we ever met her."
The three stared at him in disbelief.
"Then," Xiang Shuai said again, more softly but with tension, "how do you explain the fact that Hu Shui's body remained alive? Breathing, speaking, acting… like any living human?"
Luo Shixin, silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp."Was she being controlled by dark power?" That was the only possibility he could think of.
"Hm." Lu Xiao nodded slightly."Yes."
One word was enough.
The expressions of the three men changed—not simple fear, but the realization of something far more dangerous than they had imagined.
A dark power capable of moving a body without a soul…Controlling a vessel for years…Creating a living puppet that didn't even realize it was already dead.
"That means…" Yun Wu exhaled heavily, his jaw hardening, "we've been living alongside something that wasn't even human."
"And no one realized it," Luo Shixin added quietly.
Lu Xiao lowered his gaze, his eyes darkening.
"Because she was made to look perfect," he said softly. "Empty… but obedient. Alive… but never truly living."
Silence reclaimed the table.
"If Hu Shui truly had no soul…" Xiang Shuai's voice faltered mid-sentence, as a horrifying realization struck him. His face slowly drained of color."Then how could the soul-bond marks merge with her?" he continued quietly but sharply. "Whose soul were we actually bonded to?"
His hand clenched unconsciously. He still remembered it clearly—the day of that marriage. The soul-bond light had shone brilliantly on Hu Shui's forehead, undeniable and real.
"Exactly," Yun Wu said heavily. "I experienced the same thing."
The silence thickened, pressing down on them.
"So…" Xiang Shuai swallowed, his body shuddering, "does that mean we bonded our souls with dark power?"
The very thought made him nauseous. Soul-bonding with a lowly entity—worse than death.
"No."Lu Xiao's calm voice cut through the tension.
"The entity controlling Hu Shui's body never truly fused with it," he explained. "It merely moved the body like a puppet."
Lu Xiao leaned back against his chair, his gaze dark as if piercing the past."Someone sealed Hu Shui's body perfectly, keeping it alive even without a soul."
He didn't say one thing—that he himself had sensed two immense forces colliding within that body. Two opposing poles, endlessly at war. And he still had no answer.
"Our souls were only bound to Hu Shui's blood and flesh back then," Lu Xiao continued. "That bond was temporary. Logically, once the dark power left her body, our soul bonds should have been released as well."
"Then why," Luo Shixin interjected, his eyes narrowing sharply, "did the soul-bond marks reappear when Xue Yunxue entered that body?" He paused."And shine even brighter than before?"
Lu Xiao fell silent.
His gaze went blank for a moment before he spoke quietly but firmly,"I won't discuss that now."
His tone shut down any chance of rebuttal.
"But there is one thing you must understand," he continued, a cold aura slowly spreading from him."Under no circumstances are you allowed to hurt her."
He looked at them one by one.
"If you do," he said slowly, "you will regret it—far more than you can imagine."
"Why do you speak as if you've known Yunxue for a very long time?" Yun Wu asked, frowning.
"Because I have."Lu Xiao's answer was short, but heavy.
"You don't hurt the one you care about, do you?" he continued, his voice low and cold."If you do… you'll regret it until death."
The three men exchanged glances, confusion filling their eyes.
This reclusive vampire carried far too many secrets. Every sentence he spoke seemed to open a new door—only to seal the answers behind thick fog.
"When the time comes," Lu Xiao said at last, "you'll understand the reason yourselves."
Silence ruled the room once more.
Not long after, the door opened. Xue Yunxue entered, carrying several large pots that were now empty. Her exhaustion was obvious—she must have fed nearly all the beast children in the area.
The heavy atmosphere eased slightly.
Luo Shixin seized the moment to change the topic.
"In the past year," he said, "the movements of the rebel factions allied with dark power have grown increasingly aggressive."
He looked at Lu Xiao."But I never expected they'd infiltrated our territory this deeply."
He paused, then asked cautiously,"There are rumors that the vampire clan has joined forces with the dark power. Do you know anything about that?"
Though Lu Xiao was known to be solitary, Luo Shixin was certain this cunning vampire possessed an extensive intelligence network.
"I don't know," Lu Xiao replied briefly. "I can't confirm it yet."
Then he added in a flat tone laden with meaning,"But for now… they seem to be busy."
"Busy with what?" Yun Wu asked.
"Transforming Lu Ning," Lu Xiao answered."Into a true vampire."
He lifted his gaze, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"So he can inherit the position of clan leader."