Chapter 41: Su Lie's Suspicion

Su Xiyue: "..."

Her mouth twitched, and dark lines appeared on her forehead. She was utterly speechless. Father, you are at least the head of a tribe; could you please maintain some dignity? You are really embarrassing yourself like this.

Su Lie also realized that his ravenous eating habits were rather unsightly. His weathered face flushed slightly, and he awkwardly set down the stone plate, offering a light cough to cover his embarrassment. He looked at Su Xiyue, his gaze softening considerably, and praised her, "Yue'er, the food you made is delicious. It has truly made me look at you in a new light."

This daughter of his had previously been lazy and gluttonous, but in the last few days, she had changed so much that he could hardly believe she was the same person.

Su Xiyue smiled faintly. "As long as you like it, Father. I will make it for you often when I have time." She paused, then asked tentatively, "Father, what do you think of Mia?"

When Su Lie heard her mention Mia, his brows lifted. He looked at her, assuming that Mia had bullied her and that she had come to him to lodge a complaint. He immediately said in a deep voice, "What? Did Mia bully you?"

He was well aware that the relationship between Xiyue and Mia was poor and that they frequently clashed. However, he generally did not interfere in matters between the younger generation as long as things did not get out of hand. In his view, scuffles between the cubs were normal; he was far too busy to concern himself with such trivialities.

Su Xiyue was momentarily stunned. She had not expected Su Lie to think this way, but remembering that the original owner had indeed complained to him often, she felt a mix of amusement and frustration. She quickly waved her hands to explain, "Father, you've misunderstood. Mia didn't bully me. Besides, now that I have awakened my supernatural ability, if she dares to bully me, I won't just take it lying down."

Hearing this, Su Lie’s expression eased slightly, but then he looked at her with confusion. "If that is the case, why did you bring her up today?"

She lowered her eyes and said, half-truthfully, "Oh, it's nothing. I just noticed that Mother really likes Mia—more than she likes me, her own daughter. She has even questioned me several times on Mia's behalf. Someone who didn't know better would think Mia was the one she gave birth to, and that I was just picked up somewhere."

At these words, Su Lie’s expression darkened instantly. He knew that Mu Qing did not like Yue'er. In the past, he had let it slide because Yue'er had been unruly. But no matter how much Mu Qing disliked her, Yue'er was still their flesh and blood; that was a bond no one could change. Yet, to bully her own child in favor of someone else's? That was madness. His expression turned grim, and he radiated a chilling aura; he was clearly furious.

Observing his reaction, Su Xiyue knew her words had hit home, so she struck while the iron was hot. "Father, although Mia’s mother died young and it is natural for Mother to pity and care for her, the fact that Mother repeatedly gives her meat and animal hides is excessive. Besides, Mia has seven powerful beast-mates; she truly does not need Mother’s help. It seems Mia is just very dear to Mother."

The hint was clear enough; it was now up to Su Lie to connect the dots. She had not wanted to meddle, but since Mu Qing kept causing trouble, she could not be blamed for retaliating.

Su Lie’s face was somber. He was not a foolish man; he immediately grasped the implication. He had known that Mu Qing liked Mia and that they were close, but he hadn't paid it any mind, assuming it was simply because Mia was pretty and sweet-spoken. But to like someone enough to bully his own daughter, and to frequently gift her meat and hides? That was clearly wrong. As Yue'er said, Mia had seven powerful mates; she didn't need Mu Qing's support at all.

Whether it was his imagination or not, as he recalled Mia’s face, he suddenly felt that her features bore a striking resemblance to Mu Qing’s. He had never thought of it before, but the more he considered it, the more uncanny the likeness seemed.

As the possibility crossed his mind, Su Lie’s face turned deathly pale. The air around him seemed cold enough to freeze someone. He stood up abruptly and said in a chilling tone, "Yue'er, I will investigate this matter. You may go back now."

That was exactly what she wanted. She nodded obediently. "Thank you, Father."

Leaving Su Lie’s residence, Su Xiyue curled her lips into a smile, feeling quite pleased. She carried her basket; the cleaned stone bowl was at the bottom, and the top was filled with furs—tiger, sable, snow mink, silver fox, and raccoon. They were varied, warm, and precious. Su Lie had given them to her before she left, saying that if his belongings were going to be secretly given away by Mu Qing, he would rather give them to his own daughter than let others benefit.

She hummed a little tune on her way back, causing the passing female beast-folk to cast strange, sidelong glances at her.

After Su Xiyue left, Su Lie sat alone in the stone house, his face as dark as a storm. A moment later, he snapped his fingers. Instantly, a tall beast-man emerged from the shadows, handsome in appearance and wrapped in a piece of animal skin. He knelt on one knee before Su Lie and said respectfully, "What are your orders, Chief?"

Su Lie glanced at him with a cold expression. "Lang Yi, go and find out if there is any special relationship between Mu Qing and Mia. Pay particular attention to whether Mia might be Mu Qing's daughter."

Although females were precious in the beast world and could have multiple mates, as the Chief, he could not possibly share his partner with other beast-men. That had been the agreement when he chose Mu Qing. Mu Qing had promised to have only him as a mate. Otherwise, why would he have chosen her when there were so many other females in the tribe? While Mu Qing was attractive, she was not a peerless beauty.

"Yes, Chief," Lang Yi replied respectfully.

In a flash, his figure shifted into a white wolf and vanished into thin air.

Su Lie watched the direction in which Lang Yi had disappeared, his eyes narrowing, a cold light flickering in their depths. He was lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Mia, having seen Su Xiyue prepare the pig intestines so deliciously, saw no reason why she couldn't do the same. Enduring the stench, she took a set of intestines from the tribal square to the river to wash them. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get them clean, and the process only made her feel nauseated.

She thought that she might as well go find Mu Qing. Mu Qing was her mother, and also Su Xiyue's mother. If Mu Qing demanded that Su Xiyue make the dish, that ugly wretch wouldn't dare refuse, would she? Then she could just help herself to the food.

With that in mind, Mia lost interest in scrubbing the foul-smelling intestines. She didn't know how to prepare them anyway. She stood up, tossed the intestines into the river, and walked away.

She had only gone halfway when she ran into Mu Qing, whose face looked particularly grim. Mia was startled and hurried over. "Mother, what’s wrong? Why do you look so upset? Who made you angry?"

She looked around nervously as she called her "Mother," relieved to find no one else was nearby. She only dared to call Mu Qing "Mother" in private, never in public.

Mu Qing was already fuming, and hearing Mia’s voice only annoyed her further. She stopped and snapped, "Who else could it be but that good sister of yours?" She was referring to Su Xiyue.

Mia knew exactly who she meant. Su Yao was obedient and eager to please, so she would never make Mother angry. Her eyes flickered, and she comforted her, "Mother, don't be angry. Sister is just ignorant; don't lower yourself to her level."