Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

"Thank you, Grandpa. I knew you loved me the most." Chi Heng hugged Chi Xiong tightly, rubbing his head against his grandfather's shoulder several times, just like when he was a child. His tail popped out from under his robe and wagged vigorously behind him.

Chi Xiong stumbled as his grandson tackled him, his gray eyebrows twitching. He reached out and patted Chi Heng on the back of the head. This kid was over thirty years old, a troublesome troublemaker who gave the entire empire a headache, but in front of him, he was still that fledgling bird that hadn't even grown its feathers yet, daring to fly over his head.

"The dowry of my Vermilion Bird Clan's young patriarch must not be inferior to that of the Azure Wolf Clan." Chi Xiong's voice carried the arrogance of an old aristocratic family.

Chi Xiong leaned back into his chair, supporting himself on the desk, and watched Chi Heng happily flipping through the pile of property documents. A hint of emotion flashed in his golden eyes. "Xiao Heng, you have much better judgment than your father."

When his son Chi Yan wanted to marry Bai Jianjia, he was vehemently opposed. It wasn't a matter of social status—although the Peacock Clan wasn't of the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, they were still a prominent family in the empire, and a marriage between the two families wouldn't be considered either too high or too low in aristocratic circles.

As a seasoned veteran who had spent half his life in the Ministry of Security, he could tell at a glance that Bai Jianjia didn't like Chi Yan at all. The way she looked at Chi Yan wasn't at him as a person, but at the Vermilion Bird bloodline behind him, his S-level combat power, and his status as the eldest son of the Vermilion Bird clan.

She needed the purest divine beast bloodline to fill the hole in her heart, and Chi Yan was the perfect patch. He had spoken to his son privately, explaining things clearly and logically, but Chi Yan wouldn't listen to a word.

At that time, Chi Yan was completely infatuated with Bai Jianjia, even using the promise that "if there are any Vermilion Bird cubs in the future, they will take my surname Chi" as evidence. When Chi Xiong heard this, he knew that his son was doomed. A female who wanted to exchange her child's surname for marriage was never in love from the beginning.

But he couldn't go against his son's wishes, and Bai Jianjia's dignified elegance during the courtship was impeccable, so he could only swallow his pride and nod.

Later, when Chi Heng was born, Bai Jianjia kept her promise and let the child take the father's surname. Chi Xiong held the newly hatched chick, looking at its golden eyes and soft red down, and thought that perhaps he had misjudged it, and perhaps Bai Jianjia would gradually learn to cherish it in the future.

It wasn't until Chi Heng was five years old, when she beat him so badly that his skin was torn and bleeding, that he realized the truth he had seen through at a glance back then had come true in a more cruel way on his grandson more than a decade later.

"That's right! Don't you know whose grandson he is!" Chi Heng proudly puffed out his chest, holding a stack of property documents taller than his head, his golden eyes shining like two small suns.

His grandfather was the chief of the Vermilion Bird Clan, his father was a direct descendant of the Vermilion Bird Clan, and although his mother was unreliable, he didn't care. His little prison warden was the best person in the world.

He dared to touch Jing Yao's tiger head, the white tiger head of the marshal of the Third Legion of the Empire. Many people didn't even dare to get close, but Ye Tang not only touched it but also said it felt good. He dared to touch Han Zhou's tail, that black panther that strangers shouldn't approach. Even his adjutant didn't dare to touch the tip of his tail, but Ye Tang reached out and stroked its fur. When he was glared at, he muttered, "A fluffy baby that can't be touched isn't a good baby."

Treating Cangming like a sardine – the Sea Abyss Royal Family, an SS-level combatant, was just a big fish that refused to surface for air in Ye Tang's eyes. Without saying a word, he grabbed a net and scooped it up, then stuffed catnip into his mouth afterward.

She insults Ling Shou like a chicken, infuriating the young patriarch of the Skyfeather Falcon Clan to the point of daily bristling anger, yet the more she insults him, the more dependent he becomes on her. She treats You Lie like a dog; the Empire's fourth SS-rank combatant, the pride of the Azure Wolf Clan, is nothing more than a large silver puppy in her presence.

He recalled when he first arrived at Prison Zero, his breakdown level was 93, and he was deemed irreversible, thinking that he would die here for the rest of his life.

Then a young female came in carrying roasted lamb chops, tilted her head and called him Little Firebird, asking if he liked sweets. From that day on, he knew that the rest of his life belonged to her.

Chi Heng had a meal with Chi Xiong. To be precise, Chi Xiong insisted that he stay for a meal before leaving, saying that he had flown back in the middle of the night without even having a sip of water, and that if word got out, people would say that the Vermilion Bird Clan was abusing its young clan leader. Chi Heng glanced at the barely dawning sky outside the window, and then at his grandfather's unyielding expression, and had no choice but to sit down.

The steward, accompanied by several servants, served the standard breakfast of the Suzaku clan's old house: boiled rock goat meat, cut into neat squares, with a small dish of coarse salt on the side; a special nutritional supplement for each person, with the Suzaku clan emblem printed on the tube; and a pot of tea.

Chi Xiong picked up the nutrient solution, unscrewed the cap, and drank it all in one gulp without changing his expression. He then picked up a piece of boiled meat with his chopsticks, dipped it lightly in coarse salt, and put it in his mouth, chewing it with relish.

Chi Heng looked down at the breakfast in front of him, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, hesitant to put them down. Boiled meat in plain water, coarse salt dipping sauce, and a nutrient solution made from gravy—this was indeed his daily diet before he met Ye Tang. He even thought that rock goat meat dipped in coarse salt was the most delicious thing in the world, and that the nutrient solution was what three meals a day should look like.

But after a month of eating grilled lamb chops, honey-glazed chicken legs, chocolate lava cake, strawberry ice cream, and bubble tea in Prison Zero, he felt like he wasn't eating, but being tortured, when faced with this bland, tasteless boiled meat.

"What? Isn't this your favorite flavor?" Chi Xiong picked up another piece of meat, and paused for a moment when he saw his grandson's bitter and resentful expression.

"Grandpa, you've worked so hard." Chi Heng's voice was filled with heartfelt compassion. He hadn't known what his grandfather ate every day before, but now that he did, he felt incredibly unfilial. The first thing he did upon returning was to ask the warden to make several more desserts and send them over.

Chi Xiong frowned, not understanding what his grandson meant. What hardship? He had eaten boiled meat his whole life and never felt there was anything wrong with it.

But he didn't ask any further questions, because Chi Heng had already taken out a document from his pocket and placed it respectfully in front of him, even with a pen ready.

"Grandpa, please sign my release certificate."

Akio glanced at the document. The release certificate was issued by Lu Yu, with the mental breakdown value assessment report attached as an appendix. All the data was clearly displayed—breakdown value 70, stable for more than 48 hours, good mental state, release granted.

But he remembered that Lu Yu had given this certificate to Chi Heng before. It was Chi Heng who stayed in prison and refused to leave, forcing the collapse value back to 73, which is why it has dragged on until now.

"What? You're not staying in prison anymore?"

"I want to stay," Chi Heng said matter-of-factly, "but I can't get married because of my status as a prisoner." His logic was very clear: he wanted to marry Ye Tang, so he had to be a free man; but after the marriage, he would still have to live in Prison Zero because Ye Tang was there, his favorite kitchen was there, and all his cakes, ice cream, and bubble tea were there. Being released from prison and moving in were not contradictory; it was just a change of identity.

"Alright." Chi Xiong picked up the pen, signed his name on the release certificate, and then pressed the clan chief's seal. He pushed the document back to Chi Heng, and then said something that almost made Chi Heng slip off his chair: "Bring Ye Tang back for dinner another day."

"Bringing it back is no problem, but let's skip the meal..." Chi Heng stuffed the release certificate into his pocket, looking miserable. He imagined the scene: Ye Tang sitting in the dining room of the Vermilion Bird Clan's old house, with a plate of boiled meat and a nutrient solution in front of her, politely smiling but not knowing how to start eating.

And if his mother were there, the atmosphere would be so awkward he'd be practically steaming. No, absolutely not. At least until he convinced his grandfather to completely upgrade the Vermilion Bird Clan's food standards, he would never let his little warden suffer like that.

Without looking back, he rushed out of the restaurant, transforming into his beast form in the courtyard. He grabbed the stack of packed property documents and family crests with his claws, flapped his wings, and soared into the sky. His crimson figure streaked across the dawn light, speeding towards Prison Zero.

He had the dowry, the release certificate, and his freedom—now he was going to pile all of this up in front of Ye Tang, to show that scheming wolf who was the most generous male beast in the entire empire when it came to dowry.