Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

Youlie stood by the sofa, watching Chiheng cling to Yetang's arm and roll around in a rage, his gray-blue eyes completely unmoved.

After Chi Heng finished shouting his whole set of lines like "I have abs, I have wings, I can breathe fire," he slowly spoke, his voice as calm as if he were stating an objective fact that had nothing to do with the farce in front of him.

"Little Firebird, you are still a prisoner. I am free."

Chi Heng froze as if a pause button had been pressed. He slowly released his hand from Ye Tang's arm, turned his head, his eyes wide open, his pupils filled with disbelief—the impact of those words was immense.

He was a prisoner. Although he had been granted free access, although Lu Yu tacitly allowed him to linger in the living quarters, and although Ye Tang had been cooking for him for almost a month—in the Empire's archives system, he, Chi Heng, the young patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan, was still listed as an "inmate of Prison Zero."

Youlie, from the very beginning, was registered and imprisoned under the name of "Yetang's private bodyguard." In the Empire's archives system, he was a clean and free man. Free men can be beastmen, but prisoners cannot. This logic is simple and crude, but impeccable.

"Ghost Hunter!" Chi Heng sprang up from the sofa in a fit of rage. "I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"

"Noob." Youlie uttered two words indifferently, then turned and walked away.

A wolf and a bird clashed again in the yard. Crimson and silver-gray figures tumbled and collided on the lawn, bird feathers and wolf fur flying everywhere.

As Chi Heng fought, he realized he was at a disadvantage again—he was no match for the SS-rank Canglang on the ground. So he flapped his wings and skillfully flew to the branch of the old tree. Looking down at Youlie below, a smug smile appeared on his bird face.

If you can't beat them, fly. The Ghost Hunter can't fly, so he has air superiority.

Youlie looked up at him. His grey-blue eyes were calm as still water, and then he did something Chiheng never dreamed of.

It collapsed onto the grass, clutching its head with its two front paws, and let out a pitiful howl.

Ye Tang rushed out of the kitchen wearing an apron, still clutching a spatula she hadn't had time to put down.

She saw the large, silver-gray wolf lying on the ground in the yard, whimpering with its head in its hands, while the Vermilion Bird in the tree was still flapping its wings triumphantly. Instantly, the whole scene filled her mind.

"Little Firebird! Why are you bullying Ghost Hunter!"

Chi Heng's wings froze in mid-air, the smile on his bird-like face still lingering before he was stunned by this question. No, bullying? He bullied You Lie?

He looked at his feathers, which were now a mess from being scratched, several flight feathers sticking up crookedly. His condition was even worse than before the beating. Pointing at himself, his voice sharpened, "I didn't! He bullied me! Look at my feathers! He scratched them all!"

Ye Tang looked at the messy, upright feathers on Chi Heng's body; they did indeed look like they had been scratched by wolf claws. She hesitated for a moment.

Youlie revealed half of its wolf face from its paws, its gray-blue eyes wet, its voice low and weak, a stark contrast to when it called "chicken" inside the house: "He pecked me, Tangtang, it hurts."

Ye Tang looked down at the large dog—no, the wolf—whimpering in pain at her feet, and her heart clenched instantly. He was her dog, who had carried her all the way from the forest to where she was now, and who guarded her bedroom door every night. Regardless of whether he was an Imperial Major General or not, he always held a special place in her heart.

She crouched down, reached out and rubbed Youlie's ear, her voice soft and gentle: "Okay, okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Let me see where you're hurt."

Chi Heng stood on a tree branch, watching the scene below, the bird dangling in the wind. His mind replayed the entire process of Youlie falling down—the movement, the angle, the wail—it was clearly premeditated.

This wolf had planned it all out long ago. If he couldn't hit him, he'd feign pitifulness to impress Ye Tang, making her feel sorry for him and pin the blame on him. This cunning, this shrewdness, this ruthlessness—he's practically a second Youming! No, Youlie is Youming's younger brother; wickedness is ingrained in his very being, a direct descendant, without a doubt.

"Little Warden! Don't believe him! He's faking it!" Chi Heng jumped up and down anxiously in the tree.

At the opportune moment, Youlie nuzzled his head into Yetang's arms again, and gently tapped his tail twice on the grass—a habitual action he took when he was in a good mood, but at this moment he tapped it with extreme restraint, so restrained that only he himself knew he was wagging his tail.

"He can't fly, how did he bully you?" Ye Tang squatted down next to You Lie, rubbing the wolf's ears while looking up at Chi Heng, whose fur was standing on end in the tree, her tone carrying a sense of self-evident logic.

Chi Heng's wings trembled from her words. Yes, Youlie couldn't fly, but he was an SS-rank Grey Wolf; his bite force could pierce alloy plates, and a single swipe of his claw could crack a rocky mountain. So what if he couldn't fly? Did that mean he couldn't bully birds?

But Chi Heng opened his mouth, looking at the "I have seen through the truth" expression on Shuxia Yetang's face, and realized that he couldn't explain it at all - because from the visual effect, he was flying in the sky and Youlie was lying on the ground holding his head. No matter how you looked at it, it was him bullying Youlie, not Youlie bullying him.

"Warden, you're being unfair!" Chi Heng's voice carried a genuine sense of grievance.

"Yes, I am biased." Ye Tang admitted it readily, without even a second of hesitation.

Chi Heng felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest. She didn't even try to pretend. He knew that Ye Tang favored round-haired creatures. Jing Yao was round-haired, Han Zhou was round-haired, and although Cang Ming wasn't fluffy, he had a beautiful fishtail and was considered a semi-special recipient. But he, Chi Heng, and Ling Shou were flat-haired, so their priority in Ye Tang's heart was naturally a level lower.

But he thought he was different—he gave her Tail Feather, he helped her burn down the gate of the Wild House, and he was so sweet-talking every day that even honey couldn't compare. He thought he was a million times more likable than Ling Shou, that free-range chicken. But compared to Youlie, that big, round-furred wolf, he still lost.

"He's faking it! He's a wolf, not a dog!" Chi Heng struggled desperately on the tree.

"I know," Ye Tang looked up at him, "He's my wolf."

Youlie lay on the grass, resting his chin gently on Yetang's knee, his grey-blue eyes looking up at Chiheng in the tree. He didn't speak, nor did he show any victor's expression; he just lay there quietly and obediently, as if he really was just a bullied big dog that needed its owner's comfort.

Looking into those eyes, Chi Heng felt his blood pressure spike again. He was still faking it. This wolf's acting skills were even better than his fighting prowess.

Chiheng stood on a tree branch, its crimson tail feathers drooping down and swaying gently in the wind, before the bird visibly wilted.

Its wings stopped flapping, its voice stopped howling, and its crimson-gold eyes stared at the scene below the tree—Wild Tang was squatting on the ground, rubbing Youlie's ear with one hand and brushing the grass clippings off his feathers with the other, muttering something like "It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore."

The hunter rested its head on her lap, its eyes half-closed, its tail slowly sweeping across the grass. It had lost, utterly and completely.

Chi Heng flew down from the tree dejectedly, transformed into human form, and landed in the courtyard, his long, crimson hair drooping listlessly over his shoulders.

He glanced at Ye Tang and You Lie, said nothing, and silently turned and walked into the kitchen. You Lie raised his eyelids, looking at the desolate back of the firebird, and his ears twitched—this guy didn't throw a tantrum this time, which was unusual.

Chi Heng went into the kitchen, opened the warming cabinet where Ye Tang kept desserts, and took out a whole plate of mango mille-feuille, two boxes of chocolate-coated ice cream, and half a pot of bubble tea that hadn't been chilled yet. He carried all of these things to the dining table, pulled up a chair, sat down, tore open the ice cream wrapper, and took a big bite.

He scooped up another large spoonful of mango mille-feuille and stuffed it into his mouth, not even bothering to wipe the cream stuck to the corners of his lips. Then he took a big sip of bubble tea, crunching the brown sugar pearls loudly. He ate several mouthfuls in a row before slowing down, and then suddenly stopped, looking down at the half-eaten ice cream in his hand.

It's just pretending to be a dog. What can Ghost Hunter do besides pretending to be a dog? He can breathe fire, fly, and give you his tail feathers—yes, his tail feathers! That Ghost Hunter, besides pretending to be a dog, wagging his tail, and scheming, hasn't given Wild Tang anything!

In terms of status, Chi Heng is the rightful one! The Vermilion Bird Clan's tail feathers are courtship tokens, clearly stated in the Imperial textbooks. Ye Tang accepted his tail feathers, and according to Imperial tradition, he is her beast husband—You Lie has never given her a single feather!

Thinking this, Chi Heng couldn't help but smile. He scooped up another large spoonful of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, feeling that he wasn't so miserable after all. So what if You Lie was favored now? His status was temporary, while his own was permanent. One day, he would surpass You Lie's position in Ye Tang's heart.

So Chiheng used his strong logical abilities to coax himself back to peace.

He tossed the last popsicle stick into the trash can, stood up with the empty plate, and regained his energetic demeanor. His long, crimson hair regained its shine, and his tail feathers sprang out from under his robe, sticking up high.

As he passed through the living room, he ran into You Lie, who had just come in from the courtyard. Chi Heng didn't stop, raised his chin slightly, glanced at You Lie with a look that said, "I won't stoop to your level," and hummed a tuneless little tune as he went back to his guest room.

The hunter paused slightly, a faint hint of confusion flashing in its grey-blue eyes. Just a moment ago it looked like the sky had fallen, but now it's all excited again? This flat-feathered bird is truly unpredictable.