Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

"Father, this...you're saying this in front of outsiders..." Chi Yan's face flushed red, his gaze darting evasively towards Ye Tang. He was being questioned about his love life by his father in front of his son and a strange junior, and even with his good temper, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"You're the outsider!" Chi Xiong slammed his hand on the stone table, the teacup lid rattled and jumped up, tea splashed onto the table, and Chi Heng was so frightened that half of his wing popped out.

"Xiao Tang is my granddaughter-in-law! You, as her father, not only ignore your son, but you also call my granddaughter-in-law an outsider in front of me?"

The old man was furious. If Chi Yan weren't his own son, he would have doubted whether he had been given the wrong egg back then. The Vermilion Bird clan has only one requirement when choosing a female—sincerity and good character.

Family background and bloodline are secondary, but he knew from the first glance that Bai Jianjia, a female who looked down on her own peacock bloodline and wished she could replace all her blood with divine beast blood, was not a good match for him. Yet this foolish son was completely infatuated with her, and she practically threw herself at him with a mere flick of her finger.

"Father, I... Heaven can bear witness to my feelings for Jianjia. I have never done anything to betray her..." Chi Yan's voice was tinged with grievance and stubbornness. To this day, he still felt that it was the bravest act of defiance in his life, defying his father's orders for love—how heroic!

"Is that the point?! Ah!" Chi Xiong's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again. How dare he mention Bai Jianjia? His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the table.

The key point is whether you cheated on him? The key point is whether Bai Jianjia is actually Chiheng's biological mother! The key point is who Chiheng's biological mother is! This idiot listened for so long, and all he could think about was "my feelings for Jianjia are as clear as day." He's a complete idiot.

"I'm telling you, Uncle, being love-struck never ends well." Ye Tang stood up and poured Chi Xiong a cup of tea made with freshly brewed spiritual spring water, then presented it to the old man with both hands. "Grandpa, take a breather."

Chi Xiong took the teacup and gulped down a large mouthful. The clear, sweet tea slid down his throat, and a cool sensation rushed to the top of his head. The throbbing anger that had been lurking near his temples slowly subsided. He exhaled a long breath and patted Ye Tang's hand: "My granddaughter is so thoughtful."

"Get lost, and don't come back unless it's important!" Chi Xiong waved Chi Yan away, not even bothering to look at him again.

Chi Yan was scolded by his father and looked disheveled. The grievance on his face had not yet faded. His lips moved several times, but in the end he just sighed softly: "Father, I... never mind, please calm down, I'll go first."

As he turned to leave, he paused at the doorway, glancing back at Chiheng. His son was diligently peeling nuts for Yetang, some he'd pulled out from somewhere, arranging the shelled kernels one by one on the plate in front of her, not eating a single one himself. His gaze lingered on the plate of pitted nuts for a moment, then he turned and left.

"I'm so angry!" Akio slammed his teacup down on the table.

"Grandpa, don't get angry with him. You still have Chiheng. How will you hold your great-grandchild if you get sick from getting angry?" Yetang patted Chixiong's back.

"Hmm, Xiao Tang, I knew you were a good girl." Chi Xiong recovered and looked at Ye Tang's obedient appearance, finding her pleasing to the eye no matter how he looked at her. "I'm at ease leaving Chi Heng in your care."

Chi Heng paused in his nut-peeling motion, then looked up at Ye Tang, who was soothing her grandfather's face. Hearing her say something like, "How will I ever hold my great-grandchildren?", his heart skipped a beat.

Little Tangtang brought up her great-grandchildren in front of her grandfather, which showed that she genuinely wanted to spend her life with him. He put a few more freshly peeled nuts into Yetang's dish, silently planning to hatch a nest of eggs for her.

Then he thought of how his father was criticized for being love-struck and realized that Ye Tang was absolutely right. He should never learn from his father's sycophantic behavior and should take it as a warning.

Ye Tang picked several large bags of tea leaves grown in the spiritual field from her space. The leaves were emerald green, washed with spiritual spring water, and then dried over a low fire. Each leaf was curled up like a snail, emitting a clear and refreshing herbal fragrance.

She wrapped the tea leaves neatly in brown paper, stacking them high, and presented them to Chi Xiong with both hands: "Grandpa, I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring anything decent. This tea is just a small token of my appreciation. You can brew it and drink it as you like. I'll bring you more when you've finished it."

Chi Xiong took the tea leaves and smelled them; the refreshing aroma alone invigorated him. He carefully stored the tea leaves in his storage ring, then turned to look at Ye Tang's obedient appearance, his golden eyes filled with affection and reluctance.

"Your marriage to Chiheng is the greatest gift I can give you, my good child. Grandpa has a gift for you." He took something out of his storage ring and presented it to Yetang with both hands.

It was a stick about two feet long, entirely crimson, with a dark red sheen on its surface that could only be formed by repeated tempering at extremely high temperatures. Flame patterns flowed faintly along the stick, and the top was decorated with several vermilion bird tail feathers, each one shimmering with light.

This is the legendary "Vermilion Bird Family Rules". When Chi Xiong was young, he used the Vermilion Bird True Fire to temper it for several months before it was formed. It is heat-resistant, impact-resistant, comfortable to hold, and smooth to swing. It is specially used to beat up disobedient little Vermilion Birds. It will not hurt your bones when you hit it, but it will definitely hurt you to the bone.

Every time Chi Heng got into trouble, Chi Xiong would grab this family rod and chase him all over the yard. The two of them ran around the courtyard of the Vermilion Bird Clan's main residence countless times, from when he was three to when he was thirty.

The moment Chi Heng saw this "family heirloom," the smile on his face froze, then visibly faded, his ruddy complexion darkening several shades. He instinctively took a half-step back, a flicker of guilt and fear etched deep into his bones flashing in his crimson-gold eyes.

"Xiao Tang, this kid Chi Heng has a nickname, the Empire's Number One Rascal. If he acts recklessly and makes you angry, you'd better discipline him for your grandfather." Chi Xiong solemnly handed the family law to Ye Tang, his expression as if he were entrusting a national treasure to someone.

"Okay, Grandpa." Ye Tang took it with both hands, nodded with a smile, and even weighed it in his hands. The weight was just right, the feel was excellent, and it was powerful and swift when swung.

"Grandpa...you really are my dear grandpa..." Chi Heng's smile was more like a grimace. Little Tangtang was already not easy to mess with, and now that he had the family heirloom for legally beating birds, how could he possibly have a good life in the future? But despite his complaints, Ye Tang's words "holding a great-grandchild" still echoed in his mind.

Grandpa passed on all the family rules to Yetang, which meant he completely accepted this granddaughter-in-law. They were family, so he could get beaten if he wanted, since Little Tangtang's beatings wouldn't hurt him anyway.

As the sun began to set, Ye Tang climbed onto Chi Heng's back, carrying a large pile of return gifts. Besides the family heirloom, there were various elixirs, rare minerals, and several miniature robes that Chi Heng supposedly wore as a child, all found in the Vermilion Bird Clan's storeroom.

With a flap of its wings, Chi Heng steadily took off from the courtyard of the Vermilion Bird Clan's main residence and flew towards Prison Zero.

Back in Zero Prison, Ye Tang sat on the living room sofa, examining the "family heirloom" given to him by Chi Xiong. The flame patterns on the stick shimmered under the light, and the handle was worn smooth and shiny, clearly the marks left by years of beating birds.

She tried swinging it twice in the air. The stick made a soft whooshing sound as it cut through the air. It felt excellent in her hand and had a moderate weight. It was indeed a family heirloom of the Vermilion Bird Clan, used specifically for beating birds.

Chi Heng peeked out from the kitchen, holding a plate of freshly washed grapes. He immediately saw Ye Tang waving the stick that haunted his childhood nightmares on the sofa, and froze at the kitchen doorway.

"Little Tangtang, you wouldn't really lay a hand on me, would you..." He placed the grapes on the coffee table, stood several steps away from Ye Tang, and stood with his hands neatly hanging at his sides.

He had been beaten countless times by his grandfather with this thing since he was a child. Every time he heard the whooshing sound of the stick, he would reflexively want to cover his head and squat down. Now that the stick had fallen into Ye Tang's hands, his weak point was firmly grasped.

Ye Tang noticed Chi Heng's reaction and found it extremely amusing. This firebird, usually so energetic and chattering, even daring to confront You Lie head-on, was now standing at attention, frightened by a stick. She raised her hand, as if to swing it down, but the stick drew an arc in the air and then came to a steady stop.

Chi Heng reacted much faster than he thought. He squatted down abruptly, covering his head with his hands, a move so practiced it was heartbreaking. He even subconsciously cried out, "I was wrong!!!"

He waited a moment, but the stick didn't fall. Looking up, he saw Ye Tang looking down at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, a smile that was three parts mischievous and seven parts playful.

"Little Tangtang, you're scaring the bird." Chi Heng released his hands from his head, his ears so red they looked like they could bleed.

"Why would I hit you if you listened to me? Besides, couldn't you dodge?" Ye Tang placed the stick on the sofa armrest.

"I won't dodge. I am the most obedient male beast, the most obedient male beast to my wife." Chi Heng stood up, patted his chest, raised his chin slightly, and his crimson eyes were full of pride, as if he was saying "I got first place in the whole empire" instead of "I will obediently take the beating".

Ye Tang paused for a moment, then put the stick under the sofa. Chi Heng's tail immediately sprang out from behind him, wagging vigorously; he knew that Xiao Tangtang wouldn't bear to hit him.

Seeing Chi Heng's smug expression, Ye Tang couldn't help but reach out and gently scratch Chi Heng's chin with her fingertips using the cat-scratching technique she had learned from the Blue Star Cat Cafe.

Chi Heng froze as he was tickled, then his eyes slowly narrowed, and he let out a comfortable sigh, unconsciously nuzzling his head into Ye Tang's palm.

He had lived for over thirty years and never knew that having his chin scratched could feel so good—a hundred times better than taking a bath in lava.

He moved closer and closer, his shoulder gently resting on Ye Tang's shoulder, his long, crimson hair brushing against her neck, soft and warm. Such a big bird actually adopted a petite and affectionate posture.