Chapter 142: Feigning Mystery

A bonfire burned on the riverbank, with the entire Yu family gathered around it. Even those too severely injured to move had been carried to the warmth. The younger generation knelt in the inner circle, while the elders sat cross-legged around them. Four wounded men carried the remains of Yu Shixiang on a wooden door, placing them upon the pyre.

"Father, don't burn my father!" Little Yihao struggled to break free and pull his father from the flames, but his mother held him down with a desperate grip. Amidst the stifled sobbing, Yu Shixiang was reduced to ashes.

The Eldress personally gathered her son’s ashes into a clean white cloth and held them to her breast. Yu Yuwei heard her murmuring incoherently, "Xiang'er, I will take you home tomorrow."

When the discussion turned to whether to stay or leave, the Eldress said with an indifferent expression, "I am leaving, regardless."

The Matriarch scanned the group and said in a low voice, "My opinion is that everyone should stay. These old, weak, and wounded folk would not survive the journey back to the Imperial Capital. And these children—they are the hope of the Yu family; we cannot afford to lose a single one. If something were to happen on the road, we would never be able to forgive ourselves."

Glancing at her mother-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law murmured, "Grandmother’s concerns are valid. Mother, it would be more prudent to return once things at home have settled."

"You may stay; I am taking Xiang'er home," the Eldress replied coldly.

"I am going to the Imperial Capital as well," Mu Yuyan said, biting her lip. The trials of recent days had stripped away the fragility of the girl she once was at the Mu family estate, leaving her with a strong sense of resolve.

Others voiced their opinions, with supporters of both remaining and leaving split down the middle. Finally, the Matriarch asked, "Ninth Girl, what is your opinion?"

"First Aunt will leave with me, but everyone else should wait. If my sister can secure support from the Sword Sect, I will have her come to pick up the wounded and the children. Once that is done, the others can free themselves to help Second Brother." At the end, Yu Yuwei cast a pointed look at her cousin.

Mu Yuyan’s face flushed red, and though she seemed unhappy, she remained silent.

"Yesterday, I encountered a creature from the Demon Realm upstream. Before I leave, I will clear this area. For the next few days, everyone must stay here." Just as Yu Yuwei finished speaking, the sound of rhythmic hoofbeats echoed in the distance, and a cloud of red soon drifted over the horizon.

In the distance, the little white bear could be seen perched on the head of the Red Cloud Deer King. The little thunder hawk had also been standing on the King’s head, but upon seeing Yu Yuwei, it let out a joyous cry and streaked toward her like lightning, landing on her shoulder.

After some time apart, the thunder hawk had grown considerably. "It seems you’ve been eating well; you’ve grown so much," Yu Yuwei said with a smile, using her fingers to preen the hawk’s feathers. The little creature affectionately rubbed its sharp beak against her cheek, chirping happily.

The children looked on with envy, even little Yihao, whose eyes were as swollen as bruised peaches.

Hesitating for a moment, the eldest daughter-in-law said, "Ninth Sister, this little thunder hawk has no master. Could you give it to Hao'er? Ever since he saw it upon arriving, he has dreamed of it."

Yu Yuwei frowned slightly. Before she could speak, the Matriarch reprimanded, "Just because Hao'er likes it, does that mean his aunt should give it to him?"

Though it sounded like a defense, the Matriarch’s underlying meaning was, "Your nephew likes it, so as his aunt, you should give it to him." Yu Yuwei didn't care about other things—especially since she liked little Yihao—but the thunder hawk regarded her as kin, and she did not want to force it. "The thunder hawk is not my private possession. If it likes little Yihao, I will not object."

Children are the most perceptive. Little Yihao looked at the thunder hawk, then shook his head in disappointment, saying, "It doesn't like me."

Yu Yuwei smiled without a word. After a moment, when neither the Matriarch nor her sister-in-law demanded she force the bond, the tension in her heart eased. Smiling at little Yihao, she said, "Well, the thunder hawk has been with me for a long time; I consider it family and don't want to force it. However, I can gift you other spirit beasts—adults, hatchlings, or even monster eggs. And I guarantee they will be of high rank."

"Can I have that Red Cloud Deer?" little Yihao asked ambitiously, pointing at the Deer King.

"The King is out of the question, and so are the ones already bonded. You can ask the King which of the others you may choose from, but they cannot leave the Cloud Desolation Marsh." Yu Yuwei ruffled the hair of the dejected Mu Yuyan and asked with a smile, "Don't you want a Red Cloud Deer for transport?"

"I like white," Mu Yuyan replied listlessly.

The young girl was lovesick. It seemed she was deeply in love with her second brother and hoped that the playboy would turn over a new leaf. Sighing inwardly, Yu Yuwei teased, "Just dye the deer white with pigments."

"Is there a kind that won't fade?" Mu Yuyan asked with complete sincerity.

Nearby, the Red Cloud Deer King let out an indignant snort, and the herd followed suit, creating an impressive sound that sent the children scurrying back in fright. The little white bear raised its paw and swatted the King on the forehead, and it immediately behaved.

Feeling her sleeve tugged, Yu Yuwei turned to look at the oval-faced young girl beside her. "Aunt, I want a Red Cloud Deer too, may I?"

Yu Yuwei smiled. "The Deer King is losing its temper. If we ask for too many, it will kick us out. I can give you a different spirit beast."

"Then can I have a big bird? It doesn't have to be a thunder hawk, as long as it's as beautiful as that one." The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the thunder hawk, causing the creature to preen and chirp with vanity.

"That can be arranged. I will have the Deer King’s master help acquire some beasts for you to choose from," Yu Yuwei said, half-truthfully. She identified with the Yu family, but that did not mean she was willing to reveal all her trump cards.

The children cheered. No one doubted her mysterious claims; in fact, if she had claimed to control the Deer King herself, they would have thought she was talking in her sleep. They were simply curious about how she had come to know such a mysterious master.

Yu Yuwei was not worried about anyone discovering her husband was the master of the Deer King. She trusted that the old master of the Ning family and Ning Zhongwu would keep the secret tight to protect Ning Mofei. She even suspected that, given the Ning family’s possessiveness, any soldiers who learned the secret had either been silenced or had their memories wiped.

With his grandmother’s help, little Yihao chose a young calf, while Mu Yuyan, with Yu Yuwei’s assistance, chose a sturdy doe—second only to the King in strength—and even got a "buy one get one free" deal, as the doe was pregnant.

"The fawn is for your future child," Yu Yuwei whispered with a grin. Mu Yuyan swatted at her, and Yu Yuwei laughed, leaping onto the back of the Deer King to lead the herd and begin clearing the area.

In the forest far away, Ye Wu leaned against an oak tree, his gaze fixed on the beautiful woman galloping on the deer, filled with boundless infatuation.