Chapter 52
Chapter 52: It Feels So Good!
Before a beastman cub transformed into human form, it didn’t look much different from a wild cub.
So Su Yan still wasn’t sure what, exactly, the little black panther was.
But he was too clever, too responsive. He tracked her voice with his ears even in sleep, relaxed under her touch like he knew—somehow—that she wouldn’t hurt him.
Her hand rested on his round head, and the warmth of that small living weight tugged at an old ache.
Her first child.
She hadn’t even gotten to see him before he’d been taken away. That regret had teeth.
Where was he now?
Probably still in the Senyu Beast Forest.
The forest sprawled across both the West District and the East District. Even traveling a thousand li a day, crossing from one end to the other could take a year—and that was assuming the land didn’t fight you.
With so many natural barriers, that enormous black panther wouldn’t be able to move fast with a cub in tow.
So Su Yan never once seriously considered that the little black panther in her bed might be her child.
Still… they were both leopard-clan types. Similarity wasn’t impossible.
Su Yan pulled a book from her system space—an illustrated guide on massage for young beasts. Following the acupoint descriptions, she gently worked her fingers into the cub’s body.
He made pleased little sounds, soft whimpers like he was dreaming of warm sunlight. When she pressed the right spot, his paws flexed and his tail tip twitched.
Su Yan watched, amused and oddly proud of herself.
When she had more cubs in the future, she’d do the same for them.
The missions tied to childbirth meant she could never raise every baby properly—that was the cruel truth of it.
But in the limited span fate allowed, she still wanted to give them something real.
Her love.
The little black panther slept deeply, his eyes curving as if he were smiling.
Su Yan lightly flicked his whiskers. “You’re adorable.”
A soft knock sounded at the door.
Bai Kai Xin stood there, voice low. “Sister Su…”
Su Yan looked up. “Did you get the fresh meat?”
“I did,” he said, hesitating. “But… his family came.”
Su Yan’s chest tightened with sudden, reluctant dread.
Bai Kai Xin opened the window for her and gestured downward.
In the courtyard stood a black panther the size of an elephant.
Even still, it moved with quiet, controlled power, like a mountain deciding where to place its weight. Golden slit pupils—bright as a rising sun—fixed on her with a steady intensity that made her skin tighten.
If not for the sheer scale of him, and the fact that the timing was wrong, Su Yan might have thought—
No. She cut that thought off.
“You…” Su Yan leaned out slightly, voice careful. “What are you to him?”
“His father.”
Two words hit like thunder.
Su Yan’s ears rang. She lifted a hand, stopping him from saying more, and turned to Bai Kai Xin. “Explain.”
Bai Kai Xin whispered, “He said his child snuck out. A beast trafficker noticed, caught him, and sold him to the pet shop.”
Su Yan stared at the massive body below, at the dangerous power packed into that frame.
She could not afford to offend him.
Not even a little.
With a sigh that felt like tearing cloth, she scooped the cub up. “I’m going to miss you,” she muttered, half to herself. “You’re chubby and ridiculous.”
Bai Kai Xin couldn’t help stroking the cub once, quick and reverent. His eyes shone with barely contained excitement.
A golden-eyed black leopard beast cub.
Most people would live their whole lives without even seeing one.
That clan protected their young with frightening devotion. Before the coming-of-age ceremony, cubs never appeared in public. Whatever fate awaited that beast trafficker… it wouldn’t be pretty.
“It feels great, doesn’t it?” Su Yan teased when she caught Bai Kai Xin’s expression.
“Yeah,” he admitted, breathless. “It’s… incredible.”
Outside, the enormous panther could hear them. He could probably imagine exactly what they were doing.
His tail flicked once. He began to pace, each step thudding like a small quake, the ground trembling beneath him. Dust shivered off eaves and fell in thin streams.
He was impatient.
Su Yan didn’t dare delay further. She carried the cub out.
When the father saw his child sleeping soundly, unharmed, his agitation eased. He lowered his massive head, signaling Su Yan to place the cub on top.
But Su Yan—somehow—reached out and rubbed the father’s huge head instead.
Her palm sank into thick fur, impossibly soft over impossible strength.
For one stretched heartbeat, the black panther simply stared.
Su Yan’s smile went a little strained. “Hehe… your fur feels amazing. Honestly, even better than your son’s.”
The black panther opened his mouth, carefully lifted the cub from her arms, and set him safely in his own grasp.
Then, as if pulled from nowhere, a bulging money pouch dropped into Su Yan’s hands—heavy enough to make her wrists dip.
And with that, father and child were gone.
Su Yan opened the pouch.
Crystal coins.
They caught the light, bright and cold—so many she couldn’t count at a glance, but at least a hundred. Their weight was steady, undeniable, like a silent declaration.
On the Beast World Continent, females were considered naturally weaker. They were meant to be protected, supported, provided for.
Even if a male wasn’t by a female’s side, the support money still had to be paid. It was the price a male paid for a female to bear his child—over a lifetime.
The black panther left Ten Thousand Directions Inn… and, once, looked back before disappearing.
—
Ten Thousand Directions Inn finally reopened three days before the Divine Beast Academy began recruiting.
During the renovation, Su Yan hadn’t been idle. She’d gotten friendly with the neighbors, building goodwill one conversation at a time.
So on opening day, people came to celebrate.
Su Yan prepared a proper feast—good wine, good food, generous portions. The scent of meat and spice drifted into the street, drawing curious noses and hungry eyes.
She ordered dozens of flower baskets to line the entrance, and she handed out free opening gift boxes, each one stamped with Ten Thousand Directions Inn’s advertisement.
One told ten. Ten told a hundred.
Before long, more people arrived just for the freebies.
Even the teahouse across the street benefited. Every seat was taken.
In a private room by the window, a little black panther clung to the sill, staring mournfully at Su Yan as she handed out gifts below.
Their table was already piled with over a dozen colorful boxes.
“Awoo…”
The cub called down at her.
Su Yan looked up, laughed, and took another box. “Still want more? Fine—here.”
She tossed it toward the window.
The little black panther didn’t catch it.
A long, pale arm reached out instead, and a large hand closed around the box with effortless ease—fingers long, knuckles clean and calm, as if the world had never dared rush them.
Su Yan craned her neck and called, “Open it. There’s jerky inside—feed it to him.”
No answer came.
The little black panther pawed at the window, desperate to “escape,” but didn’t dare jump.
Su Yan smiled at him. “When I’m done, I’ll play with you.”
Then she turned back to the crowd.
Bai Kai Xin hurried over, flushed with excitement. “Sister Su! We’re full. Every room!”
“Good.” Su Yan’s eyes lit, but she didn’t let herself linger. “Hand out the remaining gift boxes, then stop.”
“I’ll do it,” Bai Kai Xin said quickly. “You go rest.”
“I can’t rest,” Su Yan said, already moving. “We have too many guests. When you’re done, have Little Xian Zi tidy up.”
Little Xian Zi was the employee Su Yan had hired—a dog-clan beastman with water talent. Bright-eyed, cheerful, and hardworking. He and Bai Kai Xin clicked as partners, making the work smoother.
When Su Yan went inside, the little black panther by the window drooped his ears at once, losing his energy as if someone had snuffed out a candle.
That pale hand scooped him up and stroked him gently, slow and patient. “She didn’t recognize you. Don’t sneak over again.”
“Awoo…”
The cub curled miserably into the man’s chest, ears flattened completely.