I Got Cheated On and Ended Up in A Beast World

Morning arrived quietly over the northern mountains. A thin layer of mist drifted through the forest, covering the cold ground like a soft white blanket.

The Silver Leopard camp was already awake and busy. Soldiers sharpened their weapons, cooks prepared a hot breakfast, and patrol teams gathered near the main gate to wait for their daily orders.

Wei Xiang stepped out of his warm tent, fastening a protective leather guard around his right wrist. One of the younger soldiers hurried over to him immediately.

"Commander Wei," the soldier called out.

Wei Xiang looked up from his wrist. "What is it?"

"The morning patrol is fully ready, sir."

Wei Xiang nodded. "Let’s go."

Before he could take another step, Wang’s deep voice stopped him from behind. "Wei Xiang."

The young commander turned around quickly. "Patriarch."

Wang walked over slowly, his hands behind his back. "I will go with you on the patrol today."

Wei Xiang looked surprised by the offer. "You territory rarely leave the camp during these routine morning patrols, Patriarch."

"I know," Wang replied, glancing toward the distant peaks. "But I want to examine the changing terrain myself today."

Wei Xiang smiled. "Then let’s go."

The two men mounted their large snow wolves and rode out of the camp, with nearly twenty experienced scouts following closely behind them.

The mountain path was incredibly narrow. Snow still covered most of the rocky ground, though small patches of green grass had begun appearing beneath the melting ice.

One of the scouts pointed toward the dirt ahead. "Patriarch, we found fresh footprints right here yesterday."

Wang climbed down from his mount and crouched beside the deep tracks. He touched the edge of the print carefully. "They are old."

Wei Xiang walked over to join him. "Are they from Shadow Guards?"

Wang nodded, standing up. "They passed through this area two nights ago."

Another scout frowned in worry. "They managed to come this far into our territory?"

"It seems so," Wang said calmly. "They are actively watching our movements."

Wei Xiang smiled slightly. "Well, we are watching them too."

That comment earned a quiet chuckle from several nearby scouts, and the tense atmosphere among the men eased up significantly. They mounted their wolves again and continued moving deeper into the rugged mountains.

An hour later, the group stopped their mounts near the edge of a high cliff. From this vantage point, they could see the distant outline of the Supreme Citadel standing proudly among the snowy peaks.

The fortress was still very far away, but it was close enough to remind every warrior exactly why they had marched all this way.

Wei Xiang stared silently at the massive stone fortress. "So that is where she is..."

Wang followed his gaze, his dark eyes narrowing. "Yes."

Neither of them spoke a word for a long, heavy moment. Finally, Wei Xiang asked in a quiet whisper, "Do you think she is afraid, Wang?"

Wang answered after a short pause. "She must be."

Wei Xiang lowered his eyes to the snow. "I wasn’t there to stop him."

Wang looked at the young Roc. "None of us were there, Wei Xiang."

Wei Xiang shook his head, his fists tightening on the reins. "I promised her that I would protect her. I failed."

"You were protecting the rest of the clan," Wang reminded him.

"I still failed her," Wei Xiang muttered.

Wang’s voice remained calm and steady. "But you survived."

Wei Xiang frowned, looking up. "It did not feel like surviving to me. It felt like a total loss."

Wang remained silent for a moment, staring at the distant palace. Then he spoke in a low, soft voice. "When I first found out that she had disappeared from the tribe, I blamed myself too. I thought that if I had arrived earlier, or if I had been stronger, things would have been completely different." A bitter smile appeared on the Patriarch’s face. "But no amount of regret can change the past."

Wei Xiang slowly nodded, digesting the words. "I know."

Wang placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "So stop trying to carry the weight of everything alone."

Wei Xiang smiled faintly, feeling a bit lighter. "I will try."

At that exact moment, a scout suddenly ran toward them from the brush. "Patriarch!"

Everyone immediately became alert, their hands moving to their weapons. "What happened?" Wang demanded.

"We found someone hiding in the pass."

Wang’s eyes narrowed. "Someone? An enemy?"

"No, sir. A merchant," the scout explained.

Wei Xiang frowned in confusion. "A merchant? In these dangerous mountains?"

The scout nodded. "He claims he is traveling between the neutral clans to trade."

Wang exchanged a quick glance with Wei Xiang. "Bring him here to me."

"Yes, Patriarch."

A few moments later, two soldiers escorted an elderly fox beastman toward them. The old merchant looked terrified and bowed deeply. "This humble old one greets Patriarch Wang."

Wang studied the old fox carefully. "What are you doing in a war zone?"

The merchant smiled nervously, shifting his heavy pack. "I sell medicine and rare herbs, sir. The neutral clans still need medical supplies, even during a conflict."

Wei Xiang stepped closer, his expression stern. "You picked a highly dangerous time to travel through these paths."

The merchant laughed awkwardly. "An old man still needs to eat, young commander."

Several soldiers smiled at the honest answer, and the tension in the air eased slightly.

Wang then asked, "Have you passed near the Supreme Citadel during your travels?"

The merchant hesitated, his eyes darting away. "Yes, I have."

Wei Xiang immediately noticed the hesitation. "You are hiding something from us."

The merchant quickly waved his hands in panic. "No, no, please! I simply do not wish to cause any trouble for myself."

Wang spoke calmly to reassure him. "If you know something about the Citadel, tell us. I promise we will not harm you."

The old fox looked at the surrounding soldiers before letting out a long sigh. "I did not actually enter the Citadel walls myself. But I delivered some rare herbs to a small village nearby."

"And?" Wei Xiang pressed. "What did you discover?"

"I heard the villagers talking," the merchant lowered his voice mysteriously. "They said the Manticore King has not left his inner palace much these past few days."

Wang remained completely expressionless. "Continue."

"They also said that the King personally visits the high tower every single evening."

Wei Xiang’s brows furrowed deeply. "The tower? Which tower?"

"The separate one where the human female lives," the merchant explained.

A heavy silence spread through the group of warriors. The merchant hurried to explain himself further. "I do not know if the rumor is absolutely true, sirs! It is only what the local people were saying."

Wang thanked him with a small nod. "You have been very helpful to us."

The merchant looked immensely relieved. "I will take my leave then, Patriarch."

Wang gestured toward one of his guards. "Give this man enough food and water for his journey ahead."

The old fox’s eyes widened in surprise. "Thank you, Patriarch! May the ancestors bless you."

After the merchant left the area, Wei Xiang quietly asked, "Do you believe his story, Wang?"

Wang looked back toward the distant Citadel. "I believe he repeated exactly what he heard in the village."

Wei Xiang folded his arms over his chest. "But rumors are not always accurate."

"No, they are not," Wang agreed, his gaze fixed on the mountain fortress. "Which is why we will continue to rely on our own spies for real information."

Just then, a familiar hawk circled high above the mountain peak before diving sharply toward them. Wei Xiang looked up immediately. "Look, it is our messenger bird."

The hawk circled once more above the group before folding its wings and landing neatly on Wang’s outstretched leather arm guard. Wei Xiang recognized the bird immediately. "It came directly from our western outpost."

One of the soldiers quickly untied a small bamboo tube fastened to the hawk’s leg and handed the scroll inside to Wang.

The entire camp became perfectly quiet as Wang unrolled the small paper. His sharp eyes moved across the words only once before he folded it back up.

Wei Xiang looked at him anxiously. "What does it say?"

Wang handed him the scroll. "Read it yourself."

Wei Xiang accepted the paper, and his brows slowly drew together in surprise. "A meeting? He wants a meeting?"

Elder Mu stepped closer to the table. "What kind of meeting?"

Wei Xiang looked up at the elders. "The Supreme Citadel has sent an official request to our lines. It says, ’To avoid unnecessary bloodshed before either side makes the first move, His Majesty Cassian proposes a face-to-face meeting under a temporary truce.’"

The entire command tent fell completely silent. Another clan elder frowned deeply. "A truce? Can that Manticore King truly be trusted?"

Elder Mu folded his arms thoughtfully. "Cassian is many things, but he has never been known to break his official word in a treaty."

Another elder shook his head in disagreement. "That does not mean this is not a clever trap. We cannot be careless."