Xuyou hummed in agreement. "Okay, okay. I heard Father Xiao Cheng once hunted a Long Tusked Elephant for Mother and used its tusks to make lots of combs."

Cang Jing quickly said, "Youyou, you don’t have to envy Si Shuo the Female Saint. In the future, I’ll hunt a Long Tusked Elephant for you as a betrothal gift!"

Xuyou laughed and playfully tugged his ear. "I’m not envious. I just think it’s wonderful to be cherished by someone. Brother Jing, let’s not compare ourselves to our fathers. They’re much older, so of course they’re stronger."

"You have to remember, your safety always comes first. I’ll be here, waiting for you to protect me."

A warmth spread through Cang Jing’s chest. He wasn’t old, but the adult males never censored their conversations around the young ones. He was well aware that every female had several males, and naturally, she had her favorites and those she disliked. ’A male like me, who’s quiet, stubborn, and uncompromising, is always at a disadvantage. I’m the type who does plenty of guarding and hunting, but no one ever sees my efforts.’

’Who doesn’t yearn to be cared for?’

"Alright," he said. "For Youyou, I have to work even harder to protect myself and improve my strength so she won’t worry about me." He was in his Beast Form, and his features twisted into what looked like a foxy grin.

Si Shuo hadn’t expected her cubs to go out for a little stroll and come back with a child husband for one of them.

The usually even-tempered Xu Chi’s expression soured. He had always been the one to look after the cubs. Now, this young Mountain Wolf was about to take over most of the responsibilities for Youyou. The jarring shift made him finally understand why his Couple Brothers would get so grim-faced and feel the urge to bite someone when this happened to them.

Xuyou grinned, linking one arm through Si Shuo’s and the other through Xu Chi’s. "Father, Mother, look! Isn’t the son-in-law I brought home for you handsome?

"He’s a Mountain Wolf Beastman, so he’s bound to be brave in battle, loyal, and steadfast. Plus, his father is the Clan Leader of the Mountain Wolf Clan! Isn’t he a great catch? A prospect so good you couldn’t find another one like him even if you searched with a lantern.

"I’m a great judge of character! Father, whether your future son-in-law becomes formidable or not all depends on your training.

"You don’t want to be outdone by the other fathers, right?"

’I can’t let that happen!’ Xu Chi narrowed his eyes. He looked at Cang Jing, who knelt on the ground with his back ramrod straight, and then at the gold, black, and white free-range chickens strutting about. He nodded at once. "As long as he is good to Youyou, Father has no objection."

Xuyou let out a small cheer and turned to look at Si Shuo.

Si Shuo smiled. "I’ll listen to your father!"

Xu Chi couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms. "Wrong, A shuo. It should be me who listens to you."

Xuyou, long used to this, deftly slipped out from between them to avoid being a third wheel. ’Ugh, another public display of affection,’ she thought. ’But today’s different. I have my own child husband now!’

"Come on, Brother Jing, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the family," Xuyou said, climbing back onto Cang Jing’s back. She sprawled out and began introducing everyone one by one.

After making the rounds, Xuyou had collected quite a few nice things. She gleefully took out a Storage Bone Ring with an internal space five meters high and twenty square meters in area. She wove a necklace from hemp rope, put it on Cang Jing, and taught him how to bind it to himself.

"Brother Jing, from now on when you go hunting, you can secretly stash some of your catch in here. You have to remember, never, ever reveal this secret to anyone outside our family."

Cang Jing nodded gravely, his face filled with astonishment and joy. He picked up a stone and began to play with it, making it vanish into the space and then reappear a moment later.

"Youyou, whenever I find something good, I’ll store it all in here. I won’t give any of it to anyone else—it’ll all be for you!"

"Mm-hm. This Storage Bone Ring has some preservation properties. Things will stay fresh for ten to fifteen days, but any longer than that and they’ll still spoil," Xuyou added, reminding him carefully.

Seeing Ali’s envious expression, Xiao Cheng smiled and pulled his little daughter into his arms. "Ali, how about Father takes you to pick out a Tiger-headed Sea Eagle tomorrow?"

Ali’s eyes lit up. She burrowed joyfully into Xiao Cheng’s arms, nuzzling him. "Father, you’re the best!" ’She could tell that when her sisters got child husbands, it was their own fathers who were the most upset.’

’Not like her father, who was actually offering to help her pick out a child husband.’

"We’ll have your mother come along tomorrow, too. She’s the best at picking out males. Just look at all your fathers in this family—aren’t we all incredible? And that includes me, of course!" Xiao Cheng added with a proud lift of his chin.

"Right, right, right," Ali said, nodding with a smile, though in her heart, she saw things perfectly clearly. ’No wonder Father is so enthusiastic about this. I’m just another part of his and Mother’s little games.’

Having gotten her father’s approval, she scampered over to her two sisters who didn’t have child husbands yet and began to show off, telling them her father himself had promised to help her pick one out.

This made Sweet Ring and Little Hong terribly envious, and they immediately ran to find their own fathers.

With practiced ease, Sweet Ring slithered up onto Ji Liang’s shoulder and hissed coaxingly, "Father, Father, I want a child husband too!"

Ji Liang shot a cold glance at Xiao Cheng. ’That man has no shame, desperate to curry favor with his own daughter.’ He then drawled lazily, "Hiss... be good, my dear. You’re only as thick as a finger; you can get around just by hanging on to someone. Isn’t having Father and your big brother to protect you enough? When you’re a little older, we’ll pick someone even better!"

Sweet Ring huffed. "Father has Mother, and Big Brother has Mumu. I’m the only poor little thing with no one to devote themselves to taking care of me."

"You want an Eagle Beast? Are you sure you wouldn’t just be its next meal?"

Sweet Ring looked conflicted. She really did want a Flying Beast Husband. Besides, her family was quite pragmatic. While they appreciated good looks, they were rational enough to understand what they actually needed.

Eagle Falcon-type flying beasts were handsome, agile, and fast, with formidable Combat Power. They were the most practical kind of flying beast—the type one could build a life with.

But Eagle Beasts and Snake Beasts were natural enemies; she was afraid of being snatched up and carried away. Still, she wanted to fly high, to glide and look down on everything from above, to soar on the wind! 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She went limp, draping herself dramatically over Ji Liang’s shoulder. ’All the other sisters have child husbands, but not me... not me... not me...’

The little female cub was getting all emo and muttering to herself.

Ji Liang tapped her head with his finger, amused. "Alright then, how about we go take a look tomorrow? Any Eagle Falcon Beastman able to make it to Golden Lion City must be extraordinarily strong. They should represent the highest level of skill on the entire Southern Continent.

"The opportunity to participate in the arena tournament and the Secret Realm trial is rare. I expect many Beastmen will come to compete and bring their females and cubs along to see the sights."

Sweet Ring perked right up, rubbing her head insistently against Ji Liang’s cheek. "Father, you’re the bestest, bestest, best! You’re the most amazing father ever! I love you..."

The corners of Ji Liang’s lips curled up. ’The girls have certainly learned their mother’s way with words and use it quite smoothly.’

Little Hong also fluttered onto Yin Jiang’s shoulder. "Father..."

Yin Jiang’s senses were keen, so of course he knew what had transpired. As much as he hated the thought of his little girl having a Beast Husband, he didn’t want to see her look disappointed.

"My dear, what kind of Beast Form do you want your child husband to have?"