The primordial dragon cub, realizing it couldn't intimidate Noah with a glare alone, immediately bared its tiny fangs.
"Grr."
Startled by the sharp little teeth, Noah instantly withdrew his hand.
"How stingy..." he muttered sourly. "Mister Yu isn't yours alone."
The livestream exploded with laughter.
[HAHAHAHA!]
[Baby Dragon: Touch my human and die.]
[That possessiveness came out of nowhere!]
[Noah has officially been rejected.]
[Look at his aggrieved face! I'm dying!]
[The way the two cubs are staring at each other is so adorable!]
Yu Weiwei looked at the sulking little dragon before gently flicking its forehead.
"You can't bully children."
The cub looked up at him innocently and let out a pitiful whine.
"Awoo..."
It even rubbed its head against his hand as though complaining first.
Noah scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"...I don't think it likes me."
Yu Weiwei glanced at the little fellow clinging tightly to his arm and sighed helplessly.
"I noticed."
Lily covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter.
For the first time since the nightmare had begun, genuine laughter echoed through the quiet forest.
Nearly forty minutes later, the trees gradually thinned, and rows of houses came into view.
"This is our home!" Noah exclaimed excitedly, pointing toward the settlement.
Yu Weiwei quietly looked ahead.
The settlement wasn't particularly large, housing only a few hundred families. Children played freely in the streets while adults chatted outside their homes. Compared to the gloomy atmosphere of Greenveil City, the people here looked far more energetic and full of life.
Could it be because they're far away from the nobles?
Just then, several residents noticed the unfamiliar white-haired young man approaching with the Hart siblings.
"Who's that?"
"I've never seen him before."
"Wait..."
Their eyes fell upon the little primordial dragon cub resting comfortably in Yu Weiwei's arms.
"...A primordial dragon beast cub?"
The lively atmosphere instantly froze.
A wave of panic swept through the crowd.
Everyone knew how fiercely primordial dragon beasts protected their young. If an adult dragon was following the cub, the entire settlement could be wiped out.
More and more residents gathered, their eyes filled with vigilance as they stared at Yu Weiwei.
"What is a primordial dragon beast cub doing here?"
"Where are its parents?"
"No outsiders are allowed into our settlement."
"What if the adult dragons are nearby?"
A middle-aged man stepped forward and spoke apologetically, though his tone remained firm.
"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you inside."
The livestream comments immediately became dissatisfied.
[Seriously?]
[Weiwei literally saved their children!]
[At least let him explain first!]
[To be fair... if I suddenly saw someone carrying a primordial dragon beast cub into my home, I'd panic too.]
Seeing the atmosphere becoming increasingly tense, Noah hurriedly stepped in front of Yu Weiwei.
"Wait! Brother Yu isn't a bad person!"
Lily also stepped forward.
"He saved us."
The residents looked at the siblings in confusion.
Taking a deep breath, Lily calmly recounted everything that had happened in the forest. From the moment the nobles abducted them, to Yu Weiwei risking his life to save them, to the appearance of the crimson lizard, and finally the primordial dragon beasts entrusting their cub to him before their deaths. Meanwhile, Noah enthusiastically interrupted every now and then, his eyes sparkling as he dramatically reenacted parts of the battle, making the scene sound even more unbelievable.
The more they listened, the more stunned the residents became.
The children had only gone out to gather herbs.
How had something so ordinary turned into a life-and-death ordeal?
"So... he saved both of you?"
Lily nodded firmly.
"He did."
"And the cub willingly followed him?"
"It refused to leave Brother Yu's side," Noah answered before shooting the cub a jealous look. "It's so clingy."
Even after hearing the entire story, however, the residents didn't lower their guard.
An elderly man sighed softly.
"We're grateful that you saved our children."
"But gratitude and trust are two different things."
"We've suffered too much because of outsiders."
No one argued with him.
Yu Weiwei wasn't offended. He simply stood there quietly with the now sleeping cub nestled comfortably in his arms.
Just then, two men hurried through the crowd.
"Noah!"
"Lily!"
The siblings' eyes immediately lit up.
"Papa!"
"Dad!"
The two fathers pulled the siblings into a tight embrace. Only after carefully checking that neither of them had suffered any serious injuries did they finally let out relieved sighs.
One of them then turned toward Yu Weiwei and bowed slightly.
"I heard you saved our children."
"Thank you."
Yu Weiwei returned the gesture with a polite nod.
"It was nothing."
The man was about to say something else when he suddenly froze. His eyes remained fixed on Yu Weiwei's face as though trying to recall a distant memory.
"...Wait."
He unconsciously took two steps forward.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look remarkably like someone?"
Yu Weiwei blinked in confusion.
"I'm not sure who you mean."
The man's breathing became slightly uneven.
"Lin Zhe."
"And General Yu Chen."
The moment those names left his mouth, Yu Weiwei's eyes widened slightly.
"You know my fathers?"
The two men exchanged a glance before smiling.
"So you really are their son."
"I knew I wasn't mistaken."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
The surrounding residents stared at Yu Weiwei in astonishment.
"General Yu's son?"
"No wonder he looked so familiar."
An elderly resident suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! As expected of General Yu's son!"
His weathered face was filled with affection as he warmly beckoned Yu Weiwei.
"Come in, come in."
He then turned toward a nearby young man.
"Roshan, hurry home and tell your mother we have an honored guest!"
"Yes, Dad!"
Roshan answered loudly before sprinting away as fast as he could.
Yu Weiwei looked completely bewildered.
Before he could even react, he had already been ushered into the settlement and seated inside one of the houses. In front of him, the table had been filled with nutrient solution drinks of every flavor the residents could find.
An elderly woman smiled kindly.
"We weren't sure which flavor you preferred, so we brought a little of everything."
She sighed with a hint of embarrassment.
"Mr. Lin once told us that guests should always be welcomed with food and drinks. It's just a pity that none of us knows how to prepare natural food anymore."
Seeing the confusion on Yu Weiwei's face, she smiled gently and explained,
"Many years ago, Lin Zhe and General Yu Chen saved everyone here during a Hive invasion. They were the benefactors of this entire settlement."
The Hart couple, who had just entered the house, nodded in agreement before finally introducing themselves.
The brown-haired man smiled warmly.
"My name is Lucien Hart."
The blond man sitting beside him nodded.
"And I'm Olivier Hart."
"We're Noah and Lily's fathers," Lucien added.
Yu Weiwei nodded politely.
"I'm Yu Weiwei."
Lucien chuckled.
"We know. After all, we've been waiting a long time for you."
Yu Weiwei paused, a trace of surprise flashing across his face.
"...Waiting for me?"
Lucien smiled mysteriously but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Olivier before speaking.
"It all started twenty years ago. Back then, Olivier was only a D-rank."
His expression gradually turned solemn.
"During a beast attack, he suffered severe internal injuries and was poisoned. Every doctor who examined him reached the same conclusion. They all said he had less than three months to live."
The room fell silent.
"It was Mr. Lin who saved him."
"He stayed here for several days, personally treating Olivier's injuries."
Looking at his husband, Lucien's eyes were filled with lingering gratitude.
"Not only did he save Olivier's life, but after completing the treatment, Olivier's rank rose directly from D-rank to B-rank."
"Every doctor who examined him afterward insisted their instruments had malfunctioned."
Olivier laughed helplessly.
"To be honest, I thought they had made a mistake too."
Yu Weiwei's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
A direct increase of two ranks...
That wasn't something ordinary healing could accomplish.
His spiritual sense quietly spread outward, carefully sweeping over Olivier's body.
The next moment, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
So that's it.
Hidden deep within Olivier's body was a dormant bloodline. A small portion had awakened, while a large portion remained sealed because his cultivation was still too weak. The bloodline emitted a unique aura that resonated faintly with the surrounding lifeforms. Driving beast crazy.
A Beast Tamer Bloodline.
As long as the difference in strength wasn't overwhelmingly large, its owner could naturally earn the trust of beasts, communicate with them, and eventually form contracts regardless of their rank.
Yu Weiwei's gaze shifted toward Lily.
Without anyone noticing, another thread of spiritual sense quietly examined her body.
Just as he had expected.
She had inherited the same bloodline.
However, unlike Olivier, her bloodline had barely awakened. The tiny awakened portion had already seeped into her bloodstream, making it almost impossible for ordinary people to detect.
If no one discovered it, she would likely spend her entire life believing she was an ordinary person.