Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Sure Enough, It Was Fake!

Ashley was rushed off her feet at the Beast God Temple. The place smelled of stone warmed by bodies, herbs crushed underfoot, and old smoke that clung to the corners like memory.

When she saw Su Yan, she grabbed her like she’d found a rope in deep water.

“Finally—someone who can write. Come help.”

“What happened?” Su Yan asked as she was pulled along.

Ashley led her to a stone table piled high with beast-skin slips covered in messy handwriting—numbers, names, crude scrawls, ink blotting the edges.

“In two days, the mouse clan and rabbit clan are holding a devil-hunting victory banquet,” Ashley said. “And we’re celebrating the mouse clan moving here. All the important people from both clans will attend. These slips are what each household is contributing—food, supplies, everything. Sort it and record it neatly.”

“Alright.”

Su Yan picked up the feather pen.

Her own pen had been bought from the System Shop, but the beast clan commonly used these. They collected feathers from a large bird called qingting goose, dipped them in a blue-black liquid made from pigment stone and plant juice, and wrote on beast-skin. The marks held stubbornly, like scars.

Su Yan read every slip once, then began to sort and record them in clean categories. The work was simple and steady—order imposed on chaos.

When Ashley came back and saw the layout, her eyes lit up. “This is perfect. It’s so clear. How did you do that? Teach me.”

Before Su Yan could answer, a familiar voice cut in.

“No. She needs to go home.”

Zulu.

Su Yan looked up. “Why are you here?”

“The father-in-law sent me,” Zulu said calmly. “He said it’s getting late. He didn’t feel safe letting you walk back alone.”

Ashley’s mouth quirked. “Is it Uncle Oro who’s worried—or you?”

Zulu’s smile didn’t change. “Both.”

Ashley stared at his striking face and, for a heartbeat, looked dazed. No wonder Rona was willing to cling to him no matter what.

Lucky for Ashley she had Lin Lang. If she didn’t have a partner, she might have been pulled in by that face too.

She patted Su Yan’s shoulder. “Come early tomorrow. I’m counting on you. By then, I’ll save your whole family good seats and good food and wine.”

Su Yan smiled. “Deal.”

As they turned to leave, Ashley leaned in, voice lowered to a whisper. “Keep an eye on your man.”

“Huh?” Su Yan blinked, confused for a moment.

Then her gaze slid to Zulu’s face—handsome to the point of being unnatural, even more seductive than before—and she understood.

A face like that, power like his… there wasn’t a female alive who wouldn’t want him. Even some males would covet him.

“Alright,” Su Yan said. “I’m going.”

“Go, go,” Ashley urged. “Early tomorrow, okay? I’m depending on you.”

Su Yan walked out with Zulu.

On the road, she glanced down at her empty hands.

If the real him were here, he wouldn’t let her walk like this. He would have laced his warm, rough palm around hers as naturally as breathing.

“The moon is really round tonight,” Su Yan said, eyes on the bright disc overhead.

Its light painted the wet road silver, turned puddles into broken mirrors.

But her heart felt like it was sinking through cold water.

Zulu didn’t look at the moon. His gaze stayed on her. “I asked around. Mouse clan females can get pregnant again three days after giving birth.”

“That’s in beast form,” Su Yan said. “I gave birth in human form. It’s different. I need longer.”

“Mm.” His voice was smooth. “Rest well. We’ll talk once you’ve fully recovered.”

“You once said—” Su Yan stopped mid-sentence and looked straight into his eyes.

Zulu met her gaze. “What did I say?”

“Forget it.” Su Yan clasped her hands behind her back. “Let’s go home. I miss the children.”

At first she hadn’t known how to feel about them. But as they grew fluffier and cuter, she’d started to like them more and more.

On Earth, people raised cats and dogs and called them their babies. Here, these tiny furballs were hers—how could she not love them?

When they reached six and shifted into human form, they wouldn’t be this adorable.

Zulu watched her soften at the thought of her cubs. Then, without warning, he reached out and hauled her into his arms.

“Finish what you were going to say.”

Su Yan startled hard. “What—”

“Finish it.” His tone carried a pressure that didn’t allow refusal. “What did I say before?”

“You don’t remember what you said yourself?” Su Yan forced her voice calm beneath the weight pressing down on her.

For a moment, Zulu held that pressure steady—then withdrew it like a blade sliding back into its sheath. His eyes turned cool. “Heh.”

Su Yan steadied her breathing and pushed back. “Or did you say it to too many females and forget?”

“How many females do I have?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you know best?”

“Not necessarily,” Su Yan said. “Maybe I’m just one of them.”

His gaze sharpened. “So it isn’t that your body hasn’t recovered. You’ve started to loathe me. Is that it?”

“That’s something you should ask yourself.”

Su Yan shoved him off and walked forward. In her palm, a small flame gathered—faint, but real, the heat licking her skin.

Zulu stopped. His expression darkened.

“No wonder you could give birth to a fire-type pup,” he said quietly. “So that’s it. What other secrets are you hiding?”

Su Yan opened the System Map and watched him from a distance, every tiny shift in his face magnified by the upgrade she’d paid two hundred points for.

Expensive, but worth it.

She heard his low murmur clearly.

Sure enough.

Fake.

The real Zulu already knew she had fire-type talent. He’d never have reacted like this.

And the way this one kept circling her secrets—was he staying close just to dig her up?

Zulu caught up in a few long strides. “I went to the Beast Forest today and hunted a crimson fox. I could make you a scarf.”

“Let it go next time,” Su Yan said. “Those things hold grudges.”

“It’s already dead.”

“…Fine.”

Zulu took her hand.

His palm felt smooth—and cool. The contact made Su Yan shiver.

She lifted her eyes and fell into a sea of red.

Her mind-sense was swept away, drowning in a crimson tide for a heartbeat—

Then she snapped back into the world.

The wide, pitted road was busy with mouse clan beastmen. When they saw Zulu, they greeted him respectfully.

Zulu returned every greeting with ease, friendly and warm, not a trace of arrogance.

If you weren’t close enough to know him, you would never suspect he wasn’t who he claimed to be.

Su Yan’s expression stayed cold. She was about to wrench her hand free when she spotted someone coming from the other side.

Rona.

Of course.

Rona carried a bulging beast-skin bag. When she saw Su Yan and Zulu holding hands, shock flashed across her face—then jealousy flared so hard it seemed to scorch her eyes.

But she quickly swallowed it and put on a bright smile.

“Brother Zulu,” she said sweetly, ignoring Su Yan completely, “I was just thinking of you, and then I ran into you. What a coincidence. I used the marten pelts you gave me last time to make a marten coat. Try it on and see if it fits.”

She held the bag out to Zulu.

Su Yan yanked hard, pulling him behind her, and faced Rona head-on.

“He gave you marten pelts?”