Chapter 41
Chapter 41: I Didn’t Break the Law, So Why Am I Going to Jail?
Something was wrong with Jia Lian.
Su Yan went to find Grom. She didn’t mention Rona’s sudden worsening—after all, she hadn’t gone into the birthing room. She only said Ashley had asked her to come over.
Grom’s expression tightened at the mention of Rona. “What a shame,” she murmured. “Such a good female.” Then she straightened. “I’ll go take a look. As for your full-month banquet at the Beast God Temple—no problem.”
“Thank you, Tribal Shaman.” Zulu kept his tone courteous. “Then we won’t disturb you any further. We’ll go back and prepare.”
“All right. Another day we’ll drink tea together again.”
“No problem.”
Zulu took Su Yan’s hand and led her away. His palm was warm, his grip steady, like he thought he could anchor her with nothing but touch.
Behind them, Grom watched with a look of genuine satisfaction—until her gaze drifted back toward the birthing room, and she sighed again.
…
On the way home, Su Yan’s thoughts tangled into a tight knot: Rona’s suffering, Jia Lian’s resentful look, the way she’d poked at Rona’s jealousy until she bled again. Each piece cut at her from a different angle, and together they made her skin prickle.
“Zulu,” Su Yan said, “do you know Jia Lian?”
“Jia Lian Wa Er Tuo?” Zulu glanced at her.
“Yes.”
He answered easily. “She’s the favorite female in Breeding Den.”
Su Yan’s mouth twisted. “You know a lot.”
Zulu laughed, light and unbothered. “Don’t overthink it. I’ve never been there. When we’re in the Beast Forest hunting devil beasts, a bunch of males gather together. People talk.”
Su Yan’s curiosity sparked despite herself. “Then what kind of reputation does she have among you?”
Zulu considered. “La Ge mentioned her once. He said she likes males with strong talent. Temper doesn’t matter. As long as the talent is good, even if a male has no coins, he can still get her.”
“La Ge?” Su Yan’s eyes narrowed. “Shava’s beast husband?”
Zulu nodded. “He’s probably one of her regulars.”
Su Yan’s temper flared, hot and immediate. “Shameless. Men are all trash.”
Zulu just blinked at her, the picture of baffled patience.
“And you’re the same,” Su Yan snapped, the words spilling out too fast. “Once I give you kids, you’ll run off with them.”
The memory hit her—sharp, ugly. The black panther. Good food, soft words, careful hands while she carried the cubs. Then cold emptiness the moment they were born, as if her usefulness had ended with the pain.
Zulu tilted his head, watching her closely. “So you do care about me?”
Su Yan stopped short and stared up at him. “What does that mean? Are you planning to leave?”
Zulu’s gaze slid to her belly. “It’s not impossible.”
Something hard rose in Su Yan’s chest, cold as stone. She yanked her hand free. “If that happens, I will forget you. Completely. In my heart, not even a grave will be left for you.”
Even if he died, she wouldn’t care.
Zulu looked at her for a long moment, eyes steady and serious. Then, without warning, he smiled.
It was a bright, almost dangerous kind of smile—dazzling enough to steal breath and make a person forget they were standing on dirt.
“Good,” he said softly. “Very good.”
He lifted a hand and patted her head like she was a kitten putting up claws. “That’s my good female.”
Su Yan slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
She turned and walked ahead, fast, the hem of her clothes flicking against her ankles.
Behind her, Zulu watched her back. The smile on his face slowly faded. His gaze lifted toward the distant sky, and his voice dropped into something nearly soundless. “If I could stay… why wouldn’t I?”
…
Rona died.
They even brought in the rabbit clan’s Tribal Shaman. Two tribal shamans working together still couldn’t hold her. In the end, she bled out—life sliding away in a slow, unstoppable spill.
A high-grade fertility female—still like a flower bud that hadn’t even opened—withered away in one night.
Before she died, she screamed with everything she had left, “Su Yan, you did this to me! Even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!”
And just like that, Su Yan became the suspect.
Clan Chief Agma Lei Shi took his grief and hurled it at her. He forbade her from holding the babies’ full-month banquet at the Beast God Temple. He even tried to drive the Mi Lu Te family out.
If the tribe hadn’t spoken up—if Grom hadn’t intervened—they might have been forced to move to the rabbit clan that same day.
Of course, the rabbit clan would’ve welcomed them, especially the Old Clan Leader. He’d been itching for his grandsons to grow up under his nose again.
“What does Rona’s death have to do with me?” Su Yan fumed. “I didn’t break the law, but I’m being treated like I need to go to jail.”
Zulu rubbed her back in slow, steady strokes, coaxing her breath to settle. The warmth of his hand moved in patient circles, like he was trying to smooth the anger out of her body before it could bite the cub.
“Don’t be angry,” he murmured. “Worst case, we move to rabbit clan village. My father already expanded the house. He even set aside land for Little Luo to build a factory—just the way you wanted.”
Oro didn’t object much. Mixed tribes weren’t rare. As long as they weren’t bullied, it didn’t matter where they lived.
“Fine,” Su Yan said, cheeks puffed. “But I’m not leaving under an ugly accusation.”
“The wandering beastman from the jackal clan has already been torn apart alive,” Zulu said. “Everyone in the mouse clan knows you had nothing to do with it. Why cling to a few words from the clan chief?”
Zulu kept rubbing her back, careful and rhythmic, as if anger itself could bruise her from the inside.
Su Yan’s waist had already softened into a faint curve of pregnancy. Zulu’s protectiveness had sharpened into something almost tense, like a blade kept close.
Su Yan wasn’t worried about the baby. The Childbearing System had her covered.
But the humiliation sat in her throat like a stone.
Rona’s final scream didn’t feel like a simple jealous curse. Even if Rona resented her over Zulu, would she really die still clinging to that and leave her family no clue, no explanation?
“I want to know why Rona hated me that much,” Su Yan said. “You’re part of it, sure… but I keep feeling like there’s something else.”
It felt like a piece of the puzzle had slipped under the table, and she could almost see its edge—almost.
That was when Ashley arrived with a basket of fresh fruit. The scent of it filled the room, bright and clean, like a false promise of ease.
She paused when she noticed Su Yan’s slightly rounded waist, surprise flashing across her face before it warmed into a smile. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Su Yan pulled her inside. “Come sit.”
Ashley looked around the guest room. Compared to last time, it was even neater and more refined. Her gaze snagged on the unfamiliar furniture—smooth edges, clever joinery, everything polished with care. “Who made these? Make me a set.”
“Little Luo and Zulu,” Su Yan said. “They got bored and built them. I drew the plans.”
She guided Ashley to a long bench laid with a beast-hide rug. The wood beneath was golden-thread nanmu—warm-toned, with shimmering grain that caught the light like thread spun from sunlight.
Ashley ran her fingers along it, eyes wide. “How many crystal coin? I want one.”
“No crystal coin. I’ll give you this one later.”
Ashley blinked. “Give it to me?”
Su Yan nodded. “My father and Little Luo decided we’re moving to rabbit clan village.”
Ashley’s smile faltered. “What? Why so sudden? Is it because of the clan chief? I can go talk to Grandmother again—”
“Partly.” Su Yan exhaled. “But there’s also a high-grade fertility female in the rabbit clan. Little Luo fell for her at first sight. She won’t marry into the mouse clan, so Little Luo has to marry into her family. He’s willing.” Su Yan’s tone stayed matter-of-fact. “My father set a condition: when they have kids, at least one girl and one boy will take the Mi Lu Te surname. She agreed. So it’s settled.”
Ashley clicked her tongue. “The clan chief really went too far.”
“My father and the clan chief already had friction,” Su Yan admitted.
Ashley’s eyes sharpened. “Because of your mother?”
Su Yan nodded once.
Ashley let that drop, then leaned in. “By the way—did you know Jia Lian left Breeding Den? The clan chief’s keeping her now.”
Su Yan stared. “He is?”
Ashley nodded grimly. “He hasn’t given her a proper status, but he spoils her. Fine cotton dresses from the East District. A pearl necklace. Things Rona used to have.”
Jia Lian.
The name snapped into place inside Su Yan’s mind like a latch clicking shut.
She looked up, breath catching. “When Rona died… was Jia Lian there?”