A weak and evil woman was exiled? The beastly husbands risked their lives to protect her

Chapter 649 Are you two really husband and wife?!

"My blessing?" Jiang Xinli's heart skipped a beat. "How will it be bestowed?"

“There’s a special ceremony.” The horned lizard-man’s eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, gripping his sword tightly.
"I don't know the specifics either."

Yu Hanche noticed something amiss, his sharp red eyes fixed on him, his voice cold and deep:

"Then tell me everything you know."

With a flick of his finger, a soundproof barrier appeared around the three of them.

The camel-men following behind them immediately gripped their weapons tightly, looking at the horned lizard-men with tense expressions.

The horned lizard beastman raised his hand to signal them to calm down, glanced fearfully at Yu Hanche, and then respectfully addressed Jiang Xinli.
"After you meet the city lord, you can ask him about these things, including the questions you had last night."

A bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. "Distinguished guests, the auspicious hour is approaching. Please come with me to meet the city lord first."

Jiang Xinli frowned and gently tugged at Yu Hanche's hand, "Let's go."

The barrier dissipated, and the group continued walking towards the main hall.

This time, the horned lizard beastmen quieted down.

The closer you get to the main hall, the wider the passage becomes, and the more guards there are along the way.

They were all scorpion-like orcs, with tall, straight figures and piercing gazes.

After walking for a while, the horned lizardman stopped in front of a magnificent palace.
"Distinguished guests, we have arrived at the main hall."

In addition to the luminous pearls, the surrounding walls are also inlaid with many black pterosaur sculptures.

The slightly somber color scheme, coupled with the solemnly standing scorpion guards, instills a sense of awe.

Noticing that Jiang Xinli's palms were sweaty, Yu Hanche gently squeezed her fingers.

She looked up at him, only to find that he was looking down at her.

He remained calm and spoke silently: Don't be afraid.

She paused slightly, and her anxiety inexplicably lessened.

"Welcome, distinguished guests from afar." An owl-like orc dressed in a black robe, holding a bone staff, and with a chain of feathers and bones around his neck, stepped forward and bowed to the two.

He looked at Jiang Xinli, his voice aged yet respectful:

"I am the High Priest of the Stone Clan. The City Lord will arrive shortly. Please come in."

The high priest looked very old, with wrinkles on his cheeks and the backs of his hands, and his neck was covered with black and yellow feathers.

I could sense the energy fluctuations around him, but I couldn't tell his level of ability.

When his sharp gaze swept across Jiang Xinli's face, his pupils trembled almost imperceptibly, and a fleeting glimmer of ecstasy flashed across his face.

When he looked at Jiang Xinli again, there was a hint of awe in his eyes.

"Thank you for your trouble." Yu Hanche nodded calmly, grasped Jiang Xinli's hand, and stepped into the main hall.

The temple doors slammed shut with a loud bang, and the high priest bowed deeply towards the front of the main hall, reporting in a low voice.

"The Holy Maiden's identity has been confirmed. We respectfully request the City Lord's presence."

Holy Lady?!
Jiang Xinli was secretly startled and subconsciously frowned.

Yu Hanche seemed to have thought of something, a dark glint flashing in his red eyes.

Footsteps sounded, and a tall, robust, dark gold figure slowly emerged from behind the screen in the main hall.

The moment Jiang Xinli saw the person who had arrived, her breath caught in her throat.

The other party was over two meters tall, with a handsome and dignified human-shaped upper body.

Below the waist, however, it retains the form of a golden giant scorpion.

Its exposed skin was covered with a layer of dark gold carapace, and it trailed a dark red, pointed tail that carried a deadly venom.

The last time Jiang Xinli saw a half-human, half-beast creature was Yun Bo, Xue Xi, and C'Thun.

However, they were handsome and dashing, completely different from the scorpion city lord with amber vertical pupils in front of them.

Yu Hanche's gaze fell on the other party's slightly petrified, hardened shell, but he quickly and calmly looked away:
"City Lord."

The Scorpion City Lord slowly approached and bowed to Jiang Xinli, saying, "I apologize for keeping the Holy Mother waiting. Please forgive me. Please take a seat."

His hand gestures were nimble, but his kneeling posture was slow and stiff.

Jiang Xinli noticed something was amiss, but her expression remained calm. Several hamster servants served tea.

The Scorpion City Lord said, "Holy Mother, this tea is made from the morning dew collected by our Holy Beast City. Please enjoy it."

"Thank you." Jiang Xinli picked up her teacup, took a small, seemingly insignificant sip, and then looked directly at the other person.

"What does the city lord mean by 'Holy Female'?"

"Holy Mother, please take a seat, and I will tell you the whole story."

As he finished speaking, his sharp gaze fell on Yu Hanche and Jiang Xinli's hands, which were clasped tightly together.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Yu Hanche's other hand and, noticing the red mark on his palm, a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes.
"Holy Maiden, if I may be so bold, what is your relationship with this warrior?"

Seeing a cold glint flash in Yu Hanche's eyes, the Scorpion City Lord explained,
"'Warrior' is the highest honorific title we Stone Clan use for male orcs."

Yu Hanche replied in a deep voice, "Reporting to the city lord, we are husband and wife."

Jiang Xinli: “.”

Although she was somewhat speechless at his presumptuous decision, she did not object due to the special circumstances at hand.

The Scorpion City Lord looked at the priest, then at Jiang Xinli, as if seeking confirmation, "Holy Mother, are you two truly husband and wife?"

Jiang Xinli nodded, "Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man beside him smiled almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Xinli noticed a hint of something in the Scorpion City Lord's eyes. "Is there a problem?"

"It's somewhat different from the legend, but—" the Scorpion City Lord smiled calmly, "it doesn't matter."

He calmly guided Jiang Xinli to sit in the seat of the city lord.

Yu Hanche stayed by Jiang Xinli's side without leaving her side for a moment.

The Scorpion City Lord sat down beside him and spoke calmly.

"The high priest predicted yesterday that the Holy Mother would descend upon us."

However, both he and I were in the Sanctuary last night and were unable to greet the Holy Mother in time. Please forgive us, Holy Mother.

Sanctuary?

Could it be that there is another sacred tree?
The key to not leaving this place is something else, something that will blossom and bear fruit, right?

Jiang Xinli's mind raced, and she smiled slightly.
"You're too kind, City Lord. There are just some things I'm not clear about, and I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me."

The Scorpion City Lord immediately bowed and said, "Holy Maiden, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Jiang Xinli looked at Yu Hanche and asked, "I heard this is the hometown of sacred beasts?"

"Yes, Holy Mother."

"The Stone Clan guards the sacred beast ruins?"

"Yes, Holy Mother."

"I heard that the city lord is also the clan chief?" Her gaze sharpened slightly.

"But there are many different kinds of beastmen in the city. A 'chieftain' is usually the head of a tribe. Isn't that a bit special?"

"This is a question I can answer with the Holy Mother in a moment," the Scorpion City Lord said with a slight smile.
"Does the Holy Mother have any other questions?"

"So the sacred beast is—" Jiang Xinli paused, "...the black dragon on the palace murals?"

Upon hearing this, the Scorpion City Lord stiffened slightly, but his expression remained calm and composed.

“The Holy Female is wise; she can discern some of the secrets simply by observing the murals.”

The sacred beast is the beast god worshipped by our race; its true form is indeed a black dragon.

Jiang Xinli's heart sank: it really was related to Jin Yuan.

“The golden dragon on the mural—” Jiang Xinli said, while observing the reactions of the Scorpion City Lord and the Owl High Priest.

The two men were slightly startled when they heard the name Jinlong, but quickly regained their composure.

The Scorpion City Lord stood up and calmly replied:

"That's the Scaled Clan."