After Xiao Jin was taken to the police station, they reviewed the surveillance footage and took his statement.
It was indeed Liu Chen and his group who provoked first. Although Xiao Jinâs retaliations were a bit heavy-handed, it could theoretically be considered self-defense.
Moreover, he struck with precision; despite the severe beating, there were no fatal injuries, and it couldnât be classified as major harm.
The police looked into his records and learned that he was a Major General who fought life and death for the Empire, and now, as Princess Shen Tangâs Beast Husband, after some negotiations, they had to release him.
...
Shen Tang read through the entire sequence of events and fell silent, her expression rare for its cold and sternness!
Fine, she remembered this, the Liu Family in the Imperial City!
It was one thing to insult her, but they dared to bully her Beast Husband.
She wonât forget this grudge!
Completely ignoring how badly Xiao Jin beat up that young master.
Once she recovered from her deep thoughts, Shen Tang turned to look at Xiao Jin, who was eating as if nothing happened.
The dog-man seemed to sense her scrutinizing gaze, as the round Black Panther ears on his head drooped a little more, clearly feeling guilty!
Shen Tangâs mouth twitched, caught between laughter and tears.
In the end, she didnât bring it up.
After finishing the meal, Shen Tang went to rest on the wicker chair in the hotel courtyard.
After the Beastmen were off to their own activities, she called Xue Yinzhou over, "Watch the Liu Family for me, especially that young master. I donât even know if heâs been discharged from the hospital yet."
"The Liu Family?" Xue Yinzhou looked puzzled; in his memory, they hadnât had a past conflict with the Liu Family.
Shen Tang explained, "Iâve heard some rumors that Xiao Jin was injured the other night in a conflict with a Liu Family young master... Anyway, keep a close watch, and inform me immediately of any movements!"
"Alright." Xue Yinzhou nodded and was about to turn away.
"Wait!" Shen Tang suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called him back, "Come here first."
Xue Yinzhou turned back to her, his cool phoenix eyes carrying a hint of confusion, but he obediently stepped forward.
Then, his body froze!
The daring female pulled open his collar, revealing a broad expanse of cold, white, firm chest, which glistened under the sunlight like flawless jade.
This piece of supposedly flawless jade, however, had an obvious blemish.
On his left chest, right over the heart, was a shallow scar.
This shallow scar was not noticeable from afar, but up close, it was evident at a glance.
It was the spot where his Heart Scale was removed.
Shen Tangâs slender white fingers lightly brushed over the scar, speaking with complexity, "This leaves a scar? Why didnât you tell me?"
"There used to be more scars here." Xue Yinzhou caught her hand and placed it on his chest, "But this time, it was something I did willingly; you donât need to feel guilty."
He looked down to see Shen Tang showing a pained expression.
Ha... sheâs feeling sorry for him.
Once again, he saw her feeling sorry for him.
This scene stirred Xue Yinzhouâs emotions, making him feel inexplicably thirsty, every nerve and cell in his body radiating indescribable joy and heat... but he hid his feelings well, maintaining a cool demeanor, not letting the female sense his emotional shift.
Xue Yinzhouâs fingers twitched slightly, but he couldnât help cradling Shen Tang in his arms.
He lowered his head and kissed her neck.
The cold, slippery snake tongue gently licked.
Shen Tangâs heartbeat quickened, and a light blush appeared on her cheeks.
Xue Yinzhou asked restrainedly, "Is it alright, Tangtang?"
Ever since he angered her the last time, he hadnât asked for this again.
After all, Xue Yinzhou was a Snake Beast, whose instincts were hard to control.
She wasnât truly angry either.
Shen Tang couldnât bear to refuse him, plus, his actions awakened her own deep desires.
"Donât forget the main business... hold back a little!"
Hearing her consent, Xue Yinzhouâs handsome face broke into a gentle smile, "Iâll be gentle."
Then, he carried her back to the room.
After a night of lingering affection, Shen Tang was woken by the alarm sounds in her mind,
"Somethingâs wrong, Host, your Panther Husband is in trouble!"
Shen Tangâs morning grumpiness disappeared instantly, her eyes widened in panic as she asked anxiously, "What happened after just one night?"
"What do you think? Heâs definitely been retaliated against!"
The system said, "That young master from the Liu Family got badly beaten by Xiao Jin last time, and he holds a grudge. He spent several days recovering in the hospital, and just got discharged today, gathering his familyâs experts and putting a heavy bounty on over a hundred elite Beastmen, all above Sixth Rank, including a dozen Seventh Rank Beastmen, and even one Mid-Eighth Rank Beastman that he got from his father, all ganging up on Xiao Jin this morning to exact revenge!"
"The last incident was so severe that even the Liu Family Head knows about it, and was furious, determined to teach him a lesson!"
"Xiao Jin is now on the entire Liu Familyâs blacklist; heâs unlikely to escape unscathed this time!"
Shen Tangâs mood sank to the bottom as she realized that no matter how strong Xiao Jin is, he couldnât fight against hundreds, especially with an Eighth Rank Beastman among them!
This wasnât just a beating; it was with the intent to slaughter!
Xue Yinzhou woke up to see Shen Tangâs pale, anxious face, his heart tightened, and he embraced her, whispering, "Whatâs happened?"
"Yin Zhou, Xiao Jinâs in trouble, you have to take me there now!" Shen Tang was so anxious she was about to cry.
Xue Yinzhou didnât ask further questions, and the two quickly got dressed and hurried towards the outskirts of the city.
...
On the other side, atop a certain century-old building.
Yun Han sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, his posture lazy.
The splendor of half the Imperial City lay in his view, yet he had no mind to look at anything else.
Between his long, distinct fingers was a cigarette, the smoke blurring his sharply cut and perfect face, giving a few notes of irritation for no apparent reason.
For some reason, his mind kept drifting back to that female Shen Tang.
He couldnât possibly like her.
However, he was extremely curious about her changes, endlessly puzzled.
Yun Han usually paid no attention to things about Shen Tang, often avoiding them, but this time, he flicked the cigarette ash, turning to the Beastman serving nearby, "What happened during my absence?"
His voice was deep and languid, with a hint of smoky hoarseness,
"...Tell me about Shen Tang."
The attendant looked surprised, not daring to ask further, and recounted everything that happened over the past few months to Yun Han, especially the part about Shen Tang.
Yun Hanâs deep, narrow black eyes showed a trace of astonishment, what he heard from Lin Yu and the others was too superficial.
Upon hearing this, he finally understood that so much had happened to her.
She even helped a nearly bankrupt research institute develop a new potion.
Recently, the first batch of potions was officially launched, causing a huge stir.
The potionâs price was far below the exorbitantly priced inhibitors on the market.
They made hardly any profit, earning just enough to cover costs.
This move caused dissatisfaction among many pharmaceutical companies, who secretly suppressed and smeared her, even sending assassins to surreptitiously murder her, but several times she escaped peril, and not only did she not bow to those forces, she even quietly eliminated quite a few, further inciting more public support and protection!
That greedy, useless female had done so much?
Would she really be this kind-hearted?
Yun Hanâs expression was complex, disbelief evident.
His cigarette burned slowly to the end, a strand of ash scorching the cool white skin on the back of his hand, yet he seemed oblivious.