Chapter 174: Qiuqiu’s Mutation
The lights of the Waste Female Safety House seemed exceptionally stark and pale before the dawn.
Su An’an was sunk deep into the back of her chair.
Her pink fox ears drooped listlessly, her palm clutching the Big Pearl that was Qiuqiu’s favorite.
Big Cat, Fei Zhao, Night Abyss, and Lan Cangming filed into the room.
The face of every Beastman was etched with the exhaustion of a sleepless night.
"Still no sign of him?" Su An’an stood up, her voice trembling slightly.
"We’ve searched the entire East District."
Big Cat’s tail slapped anxiously against the floor.
"It’s not just that we can’t find him."
Night Abyss’s dark red, vertical pupils narrowed to a thin line. "All Tracking Techniques failed at the last place Qiuqiu was seen."
"It’s as if they were devoured by something."
"To be able to completely erase all traces from under our four Tracking Techniques..."
Lan Cangming’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice suddenly dropped low.
"Only the Black Priest’s bloodline mark."
The words made the temperature in the room plummet.
The color drained from Su An’an’s face instantly.
The image of that miserable Divine Female from two hundred years ago flashed before her eyes.
That Divine Female, marked by a Black Priest’s bloodline curse, had hidden with her thirty-six 4S Beast Husbands, moving from place to place. In the end, they were still found and destroyed.
"The bloodline mark not only locks onto the host’s location, but it also continuously devours their consciousness."
Fei Zhao’s nine tails unconsciously tangled together.
"The last person to break this kind of curse was the previous Holy Priest of the Golden Feather Clan, back when he was still alive."
Big Cat’s tail stiffened, and he couldn’t help but look at Su An’an. "The only one who has mastered the Holy Purification Skill now is..."
"Seville Golden Feather."
As the name tumbled from Su An’an’s lips, she tasted iron.
The top celebrity Swan whose throat she had personally poisoned had now become the Holy Priest of the Golden Feather Clan.
The Four Great Beast Husbands fell silent at once.
"I’ll go find Seville."
Su An’an’s voice was soft, but it landed like a clap of thunder in the room.
Fei Zhao’s nine tails instantly puffed out. "Are you insane?"
"After Seville returned to the Alliance with his voice poisoned, the Golden Feather Clan announced that you are permanently forbidden from setting foot in their territory!"
Lan Cangming’s brows furrowed, his tone filled with worry.
"If he sees you now, his first reaction will definitely be to unleash a Feather Blade storm."
"I know."
Su An’an’s fingertips dug deep into her palm. "But Qiuqiu can’t wait."
Night Abyss suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Have you forgotten his last words?"
He mimicked Seville’s hoarse voice, "’The next time we meet, I will slit your throat.’"
The temperature in the room plummeted.
Su An’an slowly raised her head, a resolute light swirling in her dark eyes.
"Then I will deliver my throat to the tip of his blade."
"Anan!" Big Cat’s roar made the glass hum.
"Listen!"
She pried Night Abyss’s fingers off one by one.
"I can kneel in repentance before the Golden Feather Clan’s Holy Hall. I can endure any punishment. I can even..."
Her voice caught. "...destroy my own voice."
Fei Zhao’s fox ears twitched violently. "But you’re..."
The words "Divine Female" rolled around on his tongue but were ultimately swallowed back down.
"My status doesn’t matter. I just want to find Qiuqiu soon."
Su An’an stroked the little teeth marks from Qiuqiu on the Big Pearl.
"If it weren’t for Qiuqiu, I would have died long ago on that Black Star slave ship."
Fei Zhao’s fox tail slapped heavily on the floor, and he let out a long sigh. "Fine."
He turned to the other three. "Let’s go test the waters with the Golden Feather Clan first."
Night Abyss nodded. "It’s better if they make conditions than to let Anan walk right into danger."
"You should go back and rest first."
Lan Cangming placed a hand on Su An’an’s trembling shoulder, a soothing blue light glowing from his fingertips.
"You’ve stayed up all night and completely exhausted yourself. After we find Qiuqiu, he’ll need you to stabilize his bloodline."
Su An’an opened her mouth, but in the end, she just nodded lightly and turned back to her room, her fox ears drooping.
Big Cat’s tail slapped the floor in irritation as he turned his head to Night Abyss.
"Doesn’t the old Priest of the Golden Feather Clan still owe you a favor?"
"Mhm." Night Abyss extended his sharp claws, tracing the Golden Feather Clan’s communication rune in the air.
As the holographic image flickered to life, the long, snow-white beard of the Golden Feather Clan’s High Priest trembled slightly.
The old man’s profound gaze swept across the gathered Four Great Beast Husbands, the gem on his feathered crown refracting a halo of surprise.
"Well now, what a rare lineup."
"Elder Jin!"
Night Abyss retracted his claws and, with rare reverence, bowed his head. "It has been a long time since I have seen Seville. Is he well?"
Elder Jin stroked his white beard, his deep gaze probing. "Why are you looking for Seville?"
Night Abyss’s dragon tail swayed gently as he tried to choose his words.
But Ying Jiuyao had already stepped forward and spoken directly.
"We have a cub who’s been marked by a Black Priest! We need Seville’s Holy Power to help."
"A Black Priest?!"
Elder Jin’s feathered crown shook violently, the gems on it clinking together with a crisp sound.
He muttered under his breath, "To think they wouldn’t even spare a cub."
His gaze rested on Night Abyss for a moment, recalling the help he had offered years ago. He sighed deeply.
"Seville is not within the clan. You might be able to find him on Black Star."
"Black Star?!"
The color drained from the faces of all four Beast Husbands at once.
The communication cut out, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Fei Zhao’s fox ears twitched uneasily. "Are we really going to find Seville?"
He licked his sharp teeth. "What if he refuses to forgive Anan?"
He stopped mid-sentence, his nine tails unconsciously tangling together. "What if... what if they make up?"
His voice grew quieter. "We were chosen for Anan by Her Majesty the Empress, but Seville is someone she sought out herself."
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Every Beast Husband knew it in his heart.
That arrogant, top-celebrity Swan was, without a doubt, their strongest rival for her affection.
"Hey, Big Cat!"
Fei Zhao suddenly poked Ying Jiuyao with his tail. "The position of first Beast Husband is going to change hands, you know."
The fur on Ying Jiuyao’s tail bristled for a moment before settling back down. "Doesn’t matter."
"As long as Qiuqiu comes back and Anan is happy, I’m fine with being number two."
He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned at Fei Zhao.
"Besides, you’ll definitely be number five."
"Bullshit!"
Fei Zhao’s tails fluffed out like a dandelion puff. "Anan praised my dressmaking skills before!"
"Stop bickering. Anan is still waiting for news."
Night Abyss cut off their argument and pushed open the main door with a cold expression. "Let’s hurry up and find Seville."
Inside a small, two-story building on Black Star, thick curtains blocked out the daylight.
Seville was organizing medicinal herbs when he suddenly heard a faint whimper from the attic, like the muffled sound of a cub biting down on cloth.
"Little cub?"
He set down his mortar and pestle, his long, silver-violet hair tracing an arc of light in the darkness.
Chaotic Energy fluctuations seeped from the crack under the attic door.
He pushed the door open to find the blanket lumped in a ball, squirming abnormally.
"What’s wrong with you?" Seville walked to the bed and caught a strange scent.
"I’m fine!"
Qiuqiu’s nasal reply came from under the covers, but the end of his words twisted into a strange hissing sound.
Seville yanked the blanket off, his pupils constricting abruptly.