After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 71

After the old emperor and his entourage left, Xie Zhqing entered a brief period of boredom—though, this time, it didn’t last long.

This was because Xie Lingyue was growing at an astonishing rate.

She was becoming increasingly restless.

She was speaking more fluently, her limbs were lengthening, and her baby teeth had started coming in.

From the outside, at eight months old, Xie Lingyue looked almost like a typical one-year-old human baby.

Another issue soon followed—Xie Lingyue had started teething.

Xie Zhqing: “…”

He watched the baby with a headache—she was currently fighting with Fufu over a teething ring.

Fufu, unable to compete with her, turned her back and sulked in a corner.

As Xie Lingyue grew a bit older, she had learned a little about human thinking and emotional management. Noticing the bunny’s frustration, she put down the teething ring and poked Fufu’s bottom through the bars of the cage.

Fufu ignored her, so she kept poking.

“Alright, Lingyue,” Xie Zhqing finally couldn’t stand it and spoke up, “No more bullying Fufu.”

Xie Lingyue turned her head and obediently nodded at him.

She got up from the table, wiggling her chubby little body, and noticed Ateus in the corner.

…Ateus, sensing danger, quickly shook its ears, got up, casually circled the room, and then straightly escaped out the door!

“Ateus! Ateus!” Xie Lingyue called out.

Ateus pretended not to hear.

Xie Lingyue pouted and looked at Xie Zhqing sadly.

Xie Zhqing: “…”

He awkwardly looked away.

“Mother, play with me!” Xie Lingyue demanded from the table, “Mother! Play with Lingyue!”

Xie Zhqing, feeling helpless, cleared his throat and called Ateus back. He patted the large wolf’s head and quickly said, “Ateus, take the baby to Lang Sa!”

Reluctantly, Ateus went to the table, waited for Xie Lingyue to clumsily climb onto its back, and then took her out.

Once they were gone, Xie Zhqing sighed in relief.

Unknowingly, Xie Lingyue had reached the age where she was starting to annoy rabbits and wolves. Xie Zhqing wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking it might be a bit too early…

After being kept busy by Lang Sa all night, he just didn’t have the energy to deal with Xie Lingyue’s antics today. The little prince thought, let Lingyue go bother Lang Sa!

Speaking of Lang Sa, the Wolf King had been very busy recently.

He was occupied with persuading the elders of the wolf tribe to agree to his stepping down from the position of Wolf King.

“Wolf King, you must think carefully!”

“Wolf King, the wolf tribe cannot be without you!”

“Wolf King, old臣—”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Lang Sa waved his hand to interrupt. “Speak properly, everyone is a wolf here. Don’t use those formal words from the Central Plains. I don’t understand.”

“…”

“Do you all think that no one can take over the position of Wolf King?” Lang Sa said. “Just find someone to replace me.”

The elders were distraught. “The position of Wolf King is not something you can just casually replace!”

Lang Sa: “Why not?”

He shrugged, feigning innocence. “Doesn’t my job have a replacement?”

“Yes, but can it be replaced just like that?!”

At this point, a loud female voice suddenly came from outside the room.

Lang Xiaoxiao kicked open the door—the habit was exactly like Lang Sa’s.

She stood with her hands on her hips, looked at the elders with a proud expression, her smile bright and charming.

“Lang Sa can be the Wolf King. Can’t I, Lang Xiaoxiao?”

The elders were speechless and turned to Lang Sa—

Lang Sa shrugged and continued to act innocently. “Yes, why can’t Lang Xiaoxiao?”

*

Ateus returned not long after leaving.

Xie Zhqing was quite surprised and asked, “Didn’t find Lang Sa?”

Xie Lingyue cheerfully said, “Busy!”

Oh, it seems Lang Sa was busy again.

“Alright.” Xie Zhqing patted her face and picked her up from Ateus’s back.

He cleared the way for Ateus to enter the room.

However, Ateus wagged its tail and stayed put. It looked at Xie Zhqing, signaling him to look at something in the distance.

Xie Zhqing looked up—

He saw Fuxing in the distance.

Fuxing was the tiger that had appeared on the grassland earlier and had injured Lang Xiaoxiao.

It had healed its wounds on the grassland and hadn’t harmed anyone since, but it had stayed around. Xie Zhqing, busy playing with Xie Lingyue every day, wasn’t very aware of the details, only vaguely hearing that Lang Xiaoxiao had been taking care of it and that Fuxing’s name was given by her.

It was said that Fuxing wasn’t inherently aggressive; it had only attacked Lang Xiaoxiao out of desperation after being severely injured and encountering several fierce beasts.

Still, seeing him now, Xie Zhqing felt uneasy.

At this moment, Xie Lingyue was calling out from his arms, “Tiger Tiger! We met Tiger Tiger!”

In the distance, Fuxing shook its ear fur and walked toward Xie Zhqing.

Ateus arched its back and kept a watchful eye on him.

But Fuxing had no intention of harming anyone.

He looked at his sharp claws, then said to Ateus, “I won’t harm them. I just want to say a few words.”

Then he hid his claws behind his back.

Ateus remained cautious, blocking their path.

Xie Zhqing thought for a moment, went into the room to put Xie Lingyue back in her crib, and then returned to Fuxing.

“Ateus, it’s fine.” He patted the large wolf’s head and asked Fuxing, “What do you need to tell me?”

Then he remembered the fierce wound on Fuxing’s leg during their last meeting and quickly added, “Are your injuries healed? I still have some ointment from the Wolf King. I can get it for you.”

“It’s healed, no need,” Fuxing said.

Fuxing wasn’t very articulate and spoke with a stiff tone. His words came quickly but were disjointed, and his cold expression made him seem intimidating.

“Oh… That’s good. That’s good.” Xie Zhqing scratched his face.

The tiger in front of him made him extremely awkward. There was no longer the sense of pressure he had felt during their first meeting, but Fuxing was far from the lively wolves on the grassland. Standing in front of him, Xie Zhqing felt as if the air around him was frozen.

Later, Fuxing spoke again, “I’m sorry about last time.”

Xie Zhqing said, “No need to apologize. You didn’t hurt me.”

Fuxing said, “You were frightened.”

Xie Zhqing awkwardly replied, “Well, it was… kind of scary. But don’t worry too much about it.”

A tiger suddenly appearing on the grassland, where only wolves and a few herbivores lived, would startle anyone…

Fuxing said, “Well then. Do you have any paper and ink?”

Xie Zhqing: ?

The topic seemed too abrupt, and Xie Zhqing was puzzled. Nevertheless, he agreed to Fuxing’s request and brought out some paper.

Fuxing didn’t take it but said, “Hold it.”

He then dipped his claws into the ink and carefully stamped them onto the paper.

He didn’t apply much force, but his sharp tiger claws still lightly pricked Xie Zhqing’s palm through the thin paper.

Xie Zhqing looked down and saw a small tiger paw print on the paper.

The ink was extremely dark and thick, but the mark left was a cute, big paw pad.

Xie Zhqing thought it was adorable but didn’t dare show it on his face. He cleared his throat, adjusted his expression, and asked, “Fuxing, what does this mean?”

Fuxing said, “Exchange.”

“Exchange?”

Fuxing looked at him quietly and, after a while, explained, “I scared you and need to apologize. This is an exchange; you can use it to have me do something for you.”

Xie Zhqing was both amused and exasperated. “No need, really. If we’re talking about it, Xiaoxiao’s injuries were more severe. Just exchange it with her.”

“…” Fuxing seemed to think of something, as he stiffly turned his head when he heard Lang Xiaoxiao’s name and said, “Forget her.”

He held the paper with his tiger claws. Tigers don’t control their strength well, and in a short time, Fuxing’s claws had poked a small hole in it.

He said seriously, “Keep it. This is very important. You can ask me to do anything. If one day someone wants to kill you, you can have me die in your place.”

It was getting increasingly absurd. Xie Zhqing helplessly said, “Who would want to kill me…”

However, Fuxing’s serious expression didn’t seem fake. Xie Zhqing had no choice but to accept it—otherwise, the paper would soon be punctured into a honeycomb.

The ink on the paper had dried. Xie Zhqing touched it with his fingertip and once again thought it was adorable, then carefully put the paper into his sleeve.

He tilted his head, smiled at Fuxing, and said, “Then I’ll exchange something with you too! Wait a moment.”

With that, the little prince turned and went into the room to bring out two small oranges and handed them to him.

“These were harvested just a few days ago,” Xie Zhqing explained. “You might not know, but the Wolf King previously cleared a piece of land for growing vegetables, and everyone tried planting various things. We were surprised that they actually bore fruit.”

As he spoke, he handed the small oranges to Fuxing.

…However, Fuxing couldn’t hold them.

His tiger claws couldn’t open properly, and his fat pads couldn’t grasp the oranges like a human. With a little carelessness, the oranges rolled onto the ground.

Xie Zhqing bent down to pick them up and put them back in Fuxing’s hands.

They fell again.

Fuxing: “…”

In the end, Xie Zhqing peeled the oranges and let Fuxing use his claws to eat them. This was how the exchange was completed.

Just as Xie Zhqing was about to leave, Fuxing was called back by him.

Fuxing turned in confusion and asked, “Is there something else?”

Xie Zhqing smiled and asked, “What are your plans? Are you staying here?”

Fuxing said, “I don’t know.”

Xie Zhqing had heard a bit about Fuxing’s background.

Beast tribes generally didn’t value family ties highly, and tigers, being solitary animals, were even less concerned with it. Fuxing couldn’t clearly say where he came from. He had run to many places but had never found a peaceful place to live.

Later, when he was injured and fleeing from pursuers, he stumbled into the wolf tribe’s territory in a panic.

To outsiders, the wolf tribe was brutal and mysterious. After entering the grassland, he indeed evaded his pursuers, but…

Could wolves and tigers coexist peacefully?

Xie Zhqing scratched his face and tried to explain, “If you want to stay, that’s fine. The Wolf King manages this place well, and many beast tribes can live peacefully together. The small oranges you just ate were taken care of by some deer!”

However, Fuxing wasn’t concerned with that. He said, “It’s all the same. Here and elsewhere, it’s all the same to me.”

After saying this, Fuxing left, leaving Xie Zhqing alone in confusion.

At this moment, Ateus, who had been waiting quietly, came over and nudged his leg.

Xie Zhqing bent down to pat its head, and no longer dwelled on these matters, went back to the room to continue playing with Xie Lingyue.

*

At dinner, Lang Sa said to him, “I need to go out tomorrow, well, go out.”

The strange tone immediately made Xie Zhqing alert. He poked Lang Sa’s arm and said, “You’re at it again, keeping me in suspense.”

The Wolf King didn’t hide it, looking down with a smug smile, but he wouldn’t tell Xie Zhqing what he was going to do.

He put his arm around Xie Zhqing’s shoulders and whispered in his ear, “You’ll find out in a couple of days.”

“You’re impossible!” Xie Zhqing couldn’t pry it out of him and had to bump his forehead against Lang Sa’s.

After playing around for a while without getting an answer, Xie Zhqing gave up.

He took out the paper with Fuxing’s paw print and showed it to Lang Sa, saying, “Fuxing is… quite interesting.”

To his surprise, Lang Sa just glanced at it and said, “Oh, he actually came?”

It turned out that this was Lang Xiaoxiao’s “education.”

“Lang Xiaoxiao said that if someone hurts others, they should apologize, and if they scare someone, they should also apologize,” Lang Sa explained in detail. “But Fuxing, with his simple mind, couldn’t understand this. The solution he came up with was an exchange—he scared you, so he will do something for you.”

Lang Sa folded the tiger print and returned it to Xie Zhqing. “Keep it. For them tigers, this is indeed the most valuable promise.”

Xie Zhqing was surprised. “So that’s it… Did he exchange anything with Xiaoxiao?”

“…” Lang Sa paused for a while and then spoke with a wry face, “Lang Xiaoxiao said she wanted Fuxing to be her little slave and obey her orders. That crazy girl!”

Xie Zhqing: “…And then?”

Lang Sa: “Fuxing said she was crazy and fought with her.”

Xie Zhqing silently covered his face.

“But…” Lang Sa said after some thought, “I think he wants to stay on the grassland. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed here for so long.”

Xie Zhqing asked, “Can he stay?”

“As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, anyone can stay,” Lang Sa shrugged. “Alright, enough about him.”

Lang Sa picked up Xie Lingyue and they sat together as a family of three in silence.

Xie Lingyue was very restless, climbing from Lang Sa’s lap towards Xie Zhqing. She only settled down after being threatened by the Wolf King.

After calming the baby, Lang Sa held Xie Zhqing around the waist, letting him lean on his shoulder.

“Today… I had a meeting with several elders of the wolf tribe,” Lang Sa said slowly after a moment. “I’m planning to choose a day for Lang Xiaoxiao to take over from me.”

He kissed Xie Zhqing’s forehead and whispered, “Once everything is wrapped up, we’ll go out and have fun, okay?”

Lang Sa had said this so many times that Xie Zhqing was already prepared.

He scratched the Wolf King’s clothes with his fingertip, whispered a reply, and then shyly touched his lips with his own.

“I’ve decided that we should travel around first,” Lang Sa said, pressing his forehead against Xie Zhqing’s. “After we’ve seen the most beautiful sights in the world, we’ll settle down in Anyu, okay?”

Xie Zhqing embraced his neck, leaned dependently against him, and said, “Okay.”

Xie Lingyue was squeezed between the two of them—the little baby still didn’t understand what such intimacy meant.

She spread her arms and cried, “Lingyue wants hugs too, Lingyue wants hugs too!”

Xie Zhqing wiped his eyes, sat up straight, and held Xie Lingyue. He kissed the little girl’s forehead and cheerfully said, “Little Lingyue wants to go out and play with Daddy and Mommy. Are you happy?”

Xie Lingyue cheered, “Happy! Happy!”

Xie Zhqing smiled and hugged her tighter.

The next moment, he fell back into the familiar embrace.

Lang Sa wrapped his arms around him from behind, pulling him close.

“Let’s go! Our family of three is going out to play!”

Lang Sa’s laughter came from above. Xie Zhqing felt extremely warm inside and also shouted, “Going out to play!”

*

The next day, Lang Sa indeed went out and made sure to inform Xie Zhqing, almost as if he had “guess what I’m going to do” written on his face.

Xie Zhqing pouted, disapproving of his teasing.

After enough teasing, Lang Sa finally got serious. He took Xie Zhqing’s hand to check its temperature and asked, “Is your hand cold?”

“Not cold.” Xie Zhqing shook his head, touching him with his palm. “My feet are not cold either, not cold at all.”

Lang Sa nodded. “That’s good.”

He then mounted his horse.

After Lang Sa left, Xie Zhqing found some time to visit Fuxing.

He had already figured out how to use the “exchange.”

Fuxing frowned slightly. “This is a very important thing and there’s only one. Don’t use it lightly.”

Xie Zhqing said, “It’s not used lightly; I’ve thought it through.”

He continued slowly, “Fuxing, I guess you want to stay on the grassland, right?”

Fuxing looked away without answering.

Xie Zhqing didn’t mind and continued, “Fuxing, you should know that Xiaoxiao is about to take over the position of Wolf King. So I hope—if you’re willing to stay on the grassland, I would like to ask you to assist her. Is that okay? I’m not doubting her ability, it’s just…”

Xie Zhqing gestured, “The grassland is so vast, and Lang Sa often struggled when he was the Wolf King. Back then, I thought if someone could assist him, like the old Wolf King and Queen, that would be great. It’s just that I…”

He lowered his head, looking dejected. “I don’t understand these things and can’t help him.”

Fuxing didn’t refuse but didn’t explicitly agree either. He said, “This kind of thing is not worth using this to exchange.”

Xie Zhqing shook his head. “Why isn’t it worth it?”

He spread out the tiger print, placing it in Fuxing’s hand, and said seriously, “‘Exchange,’ as you said. You scared me, and in exchange, I hope you can help take care of my family. This is indeed worth it!”

Fuxing stared at him for a while, then took the paper. He continued to stare at it for a long time, as if considering whether this was really meaningful.

But in the end, he agreed. Fuxing nodded and said, “Okay. Then you won’t have another chance.”

“I know.” Xie Zhqing nodded and added, “However, Fuxing, if you decide to leave the grassland or leave here in the future, our ‘exchange’ will be invalid.”

Fuxing’s expression was somewhat blank—clearly, he hadn’t thought about the future or made plans.

“I hope you can help Xiaoxiao, but I don’t want you to be bound by our ‘exchange,’” Xie Zhqing continued. “If you want to leave in the future, you can leave at any time. At that point, our ‘exchange’ will no longer count.”

Fuxing replied with half-understanding, “…Alright.”

In the distance, Ateus was walking towards them.

When Xie Zhqing heard the sound, he turned around, and his expression immediately became lively.

He waved to Fuxing and said, “I’m going! Fuxing, thanks for the ‘exchange.’ Wish you happiness!”

Xie Zhqing hurried back home—he was too eager to find out what Lang Sa was up to.

Feeling anxious, his words were hurried as well. He initially wanted to say that he and Lang Sa were about to leave the grassland, and in the future, Fuxing would only have Lang Xiaoxiao as a familiar wolf here. He hoped they could take good care of each other and that if Fuxing could integrate into the wolf tribe someday, it would be a good thing. He also wanted to express that Fuxing’s condition had improved much since they first met and hoped he would continue to get better and plan his future well.

The message was too long, and the little prince was in a hurry, so it all came out as a simple “Wish you happiness.”

However, Fuxing seemed to understand. He shouted towards the direction Xie Zhqing was leaving, “Thank you!”

Xie Zhqing didn’t have time for more words, only turning back to wave at him.

Fuxing stood in place, thinking for a while, until he poked another hole in the paper before coming back to his senses.

He put away the tiger print he had made and, after some hesitation, set off to find… Lang Xiaoxiao.

*

Xie Zhqing rushed back home and bumped into Lang Sa, who was carrying a large box into the house.

“!” Xie Zhqing exclaimed, “What is it? What is it! Let me see!”

Lang Sa was being mischievous again.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around Xie Zhqing, saying, “You’ll find out in a moment.”

Not only did he not let him see, but he also covered Xie Zhqing’s eyes—he had found one of the baby’s old clothes and used it to blindfold Xie Zhqing.

The little prince lost his sight instantly, feeling both scared and helpless. “Lang Sa! Take this off quickly!”

Lang Sa just laughed and didn’t answer.

He guided Xie Zhqing to sit on ** and busied himself with unpacking things nearby.

He ignored Xie Zhqing’s incessant questions.

After a while, Lang Sa finally finished and walked over to Xie Zhqing, gently removing his clothes one by one with great care and without any hint of desire.

Xie Zhqing realized—Lang Sa was changing his clothes.

The blindfold was so thick that Xie Zhqing couldn’t see a sliver of light, so he had to let Lang Sa do as he pleased.

The clothes Lang Sa dressed him in were very soft and comfortable, though the process was somewhat cumbersome.

However, Lang Sa seemed to have practiced beforehand. Though his movements were awkward, he didn’t take too long.

Afterward, he bent down and picked up Xie Zhqing.

“…” Xie Zhqing was surprised, “What exactly are you going to do?!”

Lang Sa remained silent, only carrying Xie Zhqing on his back.

The path beneath them was so familiar that Xie Zhqing quickly realized, “Oh! We’re going to your secret base, right?”

Lang Sa finally reacted, his laughter unmistakable.

He moved quickly, and soon they arrived at the edge of the cliff.

Xie Zhqing continued to grumble, “Lang Sa, it’s not like I haven’t been here before. Why be so mysterious?”

As he spoke, Lang Sa had already jumped down with him. He finally set Xie Zhqing down but refused to remove the cloth covering his eyes.

Xie Zhqing complained, “Lang Sa, you’re so boring!”

He grumbled while trying to unfasten the buttons behind his head. After some effort, he managed to remove the cloth and quickly blinked his eyes, hoping his vision would become clear again.

However, before he could see what kind of clothes he was wearing, his vision was covered once more—Lang Sa placed a red cloth over his head.

Xie Zhqing was momentarily stunned.

He could clearly distinguish colors and the object in front of him—it was a large red veil with intricate golden patterns along the edges.

The little prince’s heart raced.

He looked down at his outfit—

Lang Sa had dressed him in a set of bright red clothes.

The style and design were exactly the same as what he wore on their wedding day!

Xie Zhqing dazedly lifted the veil—

Lang Sa stood in front of him, smiling.

“Lang Sa, this is…” Xie Zhqing murmured.

“I was in a hurry to bring you back to the grassland, and I didn’t pay attention to anything else,” Lang Sa said slowly. “Later, I realized that for you, marriage is incredibly important. I didn’t understand these things, so I ignored everything—no ceremonies, no wedding chamber, I didn’t know anything.”

Xie Zhqing’s eyes slowly reddened.

“Afterward, I kept thinking that I needed to make it up to you,” Lang Sa said with a smile, gently touching Xie Zhqing’s eyes. “You are my wife.”

Tears rolled down Xie Zhqing’s cheeks, wetting the Wolf King’s fingers. He suddenly remembered that on their wedding day, he had also sat in the bridal sedan, crying.

The scene was similar, the tears the same, but the feelings were entirely different now.

Lang Sa led him to kneel at the entrance of the secret base. They faced the only light in the dark cave and reverently bowed three times.

First, to heaven and earth.

Second, to ancestors.

Lastly, the couple bowed to each other.

When they stood up, Xie Zhqing clearly saw that Lang Sa’s eyes were also moist.

He wiped his own eyes and gave Lang Sa a radiant smile.

Lang Sa gently rubbed the back of his head and bent down to kiss his lips.

The sky gradually darkened.

The bright moonlight poured down, but the moon was too shy to fully gaze at the kissing couple, revealing only a small corner at the cave’s entrance.

The evening breeze was gentle, and the moonlight was soft.

Today, the third prince of the Kingdom of Anyu is married.

TL note = I did not cry😭😭

AN –

This is the end of the main story!

Every time I type “The End,” my feelings are quite complex. I won’t be accompanying you on Xiaoqing’s journey from now on. Sob sob.

There are a few side stories planned, which are as follows:

1. 1. First, a chapter about the past life. This side story is quite sad. The main points of the past life have already been covered in the main story, but there are some details about Lang San’s change in mindset that will be added.

 

2. 2. A fairy tale-style sweet treat, where if Xiaoqing is really a rabbit, the big bad wolf carefully takes the injured little rabbit home and tends to it.

 

3. 3. Possibly an “if” line, imagining a scenario where the two haven’t met in their past lives, leading to a simple love that develops after marriage. I have a bit of a traditional taste and really like the “destined to be together in this life and the next” trope.

This is the tentative plan for the side stories. I don’t have any ideas for additional main story extras at the moment, as I feel the main story is very complete. If you have any requests, feel free to suggest them! Muah!