A fierce longing sparked in Yaoxi's eyes, tinged with a hint of caution.
"How could I? You have a mother, after all."
Qiao Xixi shrugged nonchalantly. "She doesn't like me, and I don't like her. I would never consider her my mother." 'If it weren't for keeping the beast world stable, she would've wanted to off the Beast King.'
'It's not that Yu Qing can't die, just not right now. That last remnant of dark power hasn't been found, and if someone were to use it to stir up trouble while Beast King City had no one in charge, chaos would easily break out.'
'Qiao Xixi was no saint, but she didn't want to see countless innocent beastmen get dragged into the carnage.'
Considering everything the Beast King had done to Qiao Xixi and her father, it was no surprise she felt that way.
"Alright. From now on, Auntie Yaoxi will think of you as my own cub."
"Mm-hm."
As they cooked, Qiao Xixi told Yaoxi amusing stories about her and the cubs, and Yaoxi listened intently.
