Whoever Comes to Power, the Sky Falls and the Earth Cracks

The next morning, dawn had only just begun to break.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating dust motes drifting through the air.

“Ugh…”

On the neither-large-nor-small bed, Ye Shu let out a weary groan and slowly opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Why do I feel even more exhausted the longer I sleep?”

His whole body felt heavy, as though a massive boulder were pressing down on him.

He raised his eyes.

The good news was that he had found the cause.

The bad news was that there was nothing he could do about it.

Jiang Xin was hugging his left arm, Xia Hanmo was hugging his right, and Ao Xue was sprawled across his waist. Her dragon tail swept across his calves from time to time, as restless in her sleep as she was when awake. Meanwhile, Little Beast had reverted to her original form and was lying on his chest, her tiny tail curled into a circle around herself as she snored peacefully.

“Well, well. Every one of you is sleeping comfortably.”

The corner of Ye Shu’s mouth twitched.

They were all comfortable, but he did not even have enough room to turn over.

And this was with only four of them present.

If all of his wives were here, it might be more practical to dismember him before bed, let everyone hug a piece, and then piece him back together in the morning.

Just as he was thinking this, the girls began to wake up one by one.

“Mm…”

Ao Xue slowly opened her eyes. Her dragon tail gave a little twitch, and the first thing she saw was Ye Shu’s utterly hopeless expression. Memories of the absurd events of the previous night surged back like a tide, and her pretty face visibly flushed.

“You’re awake? Then get off me already.”

Ye Shu rolled his eyes at her before waking the other girls, who were still sleeping soundly.

“Chirp?”

Little Beast opened her eyes hazily. She shook her head from side to side, rose to her feet, and arched her back in a long stretch. Even her furry beast face wore an expression of deep satisfaction.

It had been a long time since she had slept so comfortably.

As expected, Teacher was still the best~

“Chirp, chirp!”

After waking up, Little Beast padded over to Ye Shu’s face and affectionately rubbed her furry cheek against his chin, gazing at him adorably.

“Good morning.”

Ye Shu smiled and rubbed her little head. Ao Xue, sitting beside them, immediately grew jealous and glared resentfully at the pair.

Why was she the one who had been kicked off him?

Why did this creature get to stay in his arms and rub against him all she wanted?

Why?

As if sensing her gaze, Ye Shu turned his head and beckoned to her as well. Ao Xue froze for a moment before scrambling over joyfully. She placed her little head in Ye Shu’s palm and let him gently rub the top of her head. Her large eyes narrowed in contentment, and the jealousy and displeasure she had felt moments ago vanished without a trace.

Xia Hanmo and Jiang Xin exchanged a strange look.

Why did it feel like…

Their man had not found himself any new lovers at all. He had merely found two pets and casually taken advantage of them.

Were they really supposed to call these two their sisters?

“Um…”

Xia Hanmo scratched her head and hesitantly interrupted them.

“What exactly are we now?”

At those words, Ao Xue and Little Beast both froze.

They truly had not had time to think about that question.

Originally, everyone should have been enemies. Little Beast and Xia Hanmo’s group had even dug a tunnel here with the intention of rescuing Ye Shu from this courtyard.

But who could have imagined that things would turn out like this?

“Everyone outside Myriad Beast City is still waiting for good news from the few of us,” Jiang Xin added. “Little Beast wants to help the beast clans of the Eastern Wasteland find a way forward.”

“Husband, we also need to return to the Mo family...”

Before she could finish, Ao Xue abruptly cut her off.

“I don’t agree!”

She threw her arms around Ye Shu’s arm, tilted her head up to stare him in the eyes, and bared two sharp little tiger fangs as she threatened fiercely, “You’re not allowed to leave!”

Ye Shu: “...”

Looking at Ao Xue’s expression—which practically screamed, *If you dare leave, I’ll bite you to death*—Ye Shu rubbed his forehead and said wearily, “I don’t recall saying I was leaving.”

Then he looked up at Little Beast.

“Since the two of you now call each other sisters, there’s no need to compete or fight. You’re both working for the future of the beast clans. Who sits in that position isn’t what truly matters.”

“Why not join hands and work together?”

“Chirp chirp!”

Little Beast nodded firmly in agreement.

“From now on, one of you will handle external affairs, and the other internal affairs. Little Beast will manage the beast clans’ internal matters and remain in the shadows, serving as the brains of the beast clans. And you will be responsible for dealing with the outside world, standing in the open as the public leader of the beast clans. Understand?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“I completely understand!”

Ao Xue folded her arms and nodded vigorously. In truth, she had not understood a word Ye Shu had said. The only part she understood was that he was not leaving.

“So as long as we make this fellow stay, that’ll do, right?”

She slapped her chest and declared with absolute confidence, “Leave it to me! I’ll make those old geezers behave themselves and bring the beast clans of the Eastern Wasteland into the fold too.”

“No one will dare look down on them again!”

Wait, was that what he meant?

Ye Shu stared at Ao Xue blankly, beginning to wonder whether she had actually understood anything he said. But seeing the look on her face that clearly said, *I understand everything now,* he felt too awkward to point it out.

Seeing his disbelief, Ao Xue immediately grabbed his hand and assured him, “Ah, just put your mind at ease! Don’t you trust me to get things done?”

“Just stay here. I’ll be back in no time.”

With that, Ao Xue grabbed Little Beast, who was standing beside her, and hurried off toward the City Lord’s Manor.

“Hey! I haven’t finished talking yet!”

Ye Shu hurriedly called after them, but Ao Xue and the others had already vanished through the doorway, leaving behind only a whirlwind of a departing figure.

“Forget it.”

Ye Shu sighed. “It should be fine if Little Beast just stays with the beast clans, right? That silly dragon can’t possibly be that foolish.”

He tipped his head back and glanced at the ceiling. “Since things have come to this, I should just get some sleep first...”

Meanwhile, on the street leading to the City Lord’s Manor—

“Big Sister Ao Xue.” Little Beast, her hand held by Ao Xue, took a yellowed booklet from her clothes and handed it over. “This is a cultivation method Teacher wrote for the beast clans. With it, demon beasts of any bloodline can cultivate beyond the limits of their bloodline.”

“There’s something this good?”

Ao Xue was taken aback for a moment, then tucked it into her robes and muttered under her breath, “I knew that bastard was up to no good. If I hadn’t thoroughly devoured him, he might’ve shown up at our doorstep with an army someday!”

Little Beast: “...”

Why did she have the feeling that Sister Ao Xue was rather unreliable?

“All right, we’re here.”

As the two spoke, the City Lord’s Manor was already right in front of them. Ao Xue raised her leg and kicked the door open.

Bang!

Several elders inside, who had been discussing the commotion from the previous night, were startled and looked up in unison.

Ao Xue strode in with a little girl in tow.

“Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?”

the Giant Ape City Lord asked cautiously.

“I came here today for just one thing.” Ao Xue planted one hand on her hip and raised a finger. “From this day forward, the beastfolk shall be jointly governed by me and this Amethyst Lion.”

“What?!”

The elders cried out in alarm and hurriedly tried to dissuade her.

“Your Highness, this must not be done!”

“It will cause unrest among the beastfolk—”

“Don’t give me that. I can’t be bothered to listen!”

Ao Xue frowned and cut them off. Then she pulled the copy of *Heaven Rewards Diligence* that Little Beast had just given her from her robes and tossed it before the elders.

“This cultivation method will allow the beastfolk to cultivate free from the constraints of bloodline. From now on, bloodline will no longer be a shackle, but merely a source of support.”

“What?!”

The moment those words fell, the elders were struck as if by lightning.

With trembling hands, they picked up the cultivation method. They could scarcely believe what they had heard, yet after reading only a few pages, they could already tell that Ao Xue’s words were true.

“This... this...”

Tears streamed down the elders’ faces, and they were too overcome to speak.

Could the bloodline shackles that had plagued them for so many years truly be broken at last?

“Thank you, our King, for bestowing this method!”

Holding the manual reverently, they bowed in unison.

Ao Xue furrowed her brows in confusion. It was just some lousy cultivation method—was all this really necessary?

“All right, all right. No need for such formalities.”

She waved a hand, her tone casual. “Since we have this method, spread it throughout the beastfolk. From this day onward, our beastfolk shall no longer be constrained by the rank of their bloodlines. High or low, all shall be treated equally.”

At those words, the elders’ expressions changed at once.

They looked up at Ao Xue in disbelief, then lowered their eyes to the cultivation method in their hands. After a moment of silence, they bowed their heads.

“We obey our King’s command!”