Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

Ye Tang lightly tapped the lemonade glass against his forehead; the glass made a crisp sound as it hit his skin. "Are you stupid?"

She looked up at Youlie's slightly widened, grey-blue eyes. "I'm asking if you're willing, not asking you to settle accounts. If you don't like him, I don't want him."

The cool touch of glass traveled down his forehead, but Youlie felt the spot where he had been touched burning. His pupils dilated slightly, and he even forgot to hold the glass steady, almost spilling the lemonade.

What did she say? If he doesn't like it, she doesn't want it? Chi Heng's dowry was piled in her arms, the thickness of those gold-embossed documents was enough to make any female in the empire nod without hesitation, but she said that if he was unwilling, she would return it.

Females in the empire would not ask their male beastmen for their opinions; the law does not require it, customs do not encourage it, and the whole society tacitly accepts that the feelings of male beastmen can be ignored.

He had witnessed countless male beasts' silence and dejection after marriage since childhood, and he was prepared that one day he would have to share his wife's affection with other male beasts.

But Ye Tang gave him a right he had never dared to dream of—the right to veto. This wasn't stipulated by law, nor required by custom; it was simply given to him by her. He had married the right person.

Chi Heng almost exploded on the spot. He looked at You Lie's slightly trembling eyelashes, then at Ye Tang's serious expression—he knew clearly that Ye Tang was not joking.

If Youlie were to actually say "I don't want to," all of his dowry, his release certificate, the half-storeroom he rushed back to the old house to move, and all the possessions he shamelessly begged and pleaded with his grandfather to get, would all be returned to the Vermilion Bird Clan's old house.

Then the entire aristocratic circle of the empire will know that Chi Heng, the young patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan, has had his dowry rejected by the female. This is a hundred times more humiliating than being imprisoned in Zero Prison! How will he ever face the aristocratic circles again? Even those bald pheasants will dare to laugh at him!

He grabbed Youlie's hand, gripping it tightly. "Brother Youlie!" The moment those four words escaped his lips, the air in the courtyard seemed to freeze. The lemonade glass in Youlie's hand did indeed shake slightly, and a few drops of icy liquid splashed onto the back of his hand, but he didn't notice at all.

Chi Heng has known You Lie for almost twenty years. They started fighting when they were cubs and have continued to fight until they became adults. Over these twenty years, the nicknames he has given You Lie could be compiled into a dictionary—Dead Wolf, Scheming Wolf, Stupid Dog, Four-Legged Beast, Big-Tailed Wolf. Every time they meet, they are either fighting or arguing.

He had never called Youlie "brother" in his entire life, and even when he said "Youlie" to others, it was with a gritted teeth. Now, he was holding his nemesis's hand and calling him "nemesis brother."

"You promised, you'd be the boss and I'd be the subordinate! You can't go back on your word! Going back on your word is the act of a little dog!" Chi Heng grabbed You Lie's hand and shook it wildly, his voice already carrying a hint of desperate shamelessness.

His pride was shattered in last night's battle over the makeshift bed, and then shattered again this morning in his grandfather's office. Now, he had crushed the last vestiges of his self-respect into dust. The pride of being the young patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan, the dignity of his S+ combat power—none of it mattered when it came to marrying the young warden.

What does face matter as long as you can get through the Ye Tang family's door? That thing can't be eaten or exchanged for a cake, whoever wants it can have it. You Lie looked down at his fingers, which were clenched so tightly they were white, and then looked at Chi Heng's desperate face. For the first time in his decades of life, he read pleading in the eyes of this firebird.

He switched the lemonade glass to his other hand and gently tapped the back of Chi Heng's hand with the finger that was being held.

"Little Warden..." Seeing that Youlie remained silent, Chiheng was afraid that this scheming wolf was plotting something bad, so he quickly turned around and continued to woo Yetang.

He took a deep breath and recalled the expression on Youlie's face every time he got something—his eyes would squint slightly, the corners of his mouth would turn down a little, his tail would wag slowly, and he would lean against Yetang, who would then show that cute expression and agree to anything.

So he did as he was told, narrowing his crimson eyes, pressing his lips down, and wagging his tail vigorously behind him.

But he forgot that he was a bird of prey. A bird of prey squints its eyes as an instinctive reaction to lock onto its prey. When it grinned, it revealed two rows of white teeth. Paired with its focused, glowing crimson pupils, it didn't look like it was being coquettish. It looked exactly like an owl that had spotted a field mouse.

Ye Tang got goosebumps from his "coquettishness" and quickly pushed his face away. She couldn't let this firebird continue to act cute; this wasn't cuteness, it was a psychological attack.

She pressed her throbbing temples and tossed the hot potato to the person behind her who was best at handling messes: "Don't ask me, it's first come, first served, and Youlie has to agree first."

Chi Heng wasn't annoyed when his face was pushed away; instead, he was taken aback by what he heard. He had grown up in the empire and had always seen marriage rules where the female had the final say, and the male could only passively accept them.

Ye Tang could have simply accepted his dowry, and You Lie wouldn't have been able to object in the slightest—that was a right granted to her by law. But she voluntarily returned that right to You Lie.

Chi Heng turned to look at You Lie. This time, his eyes held no rivalry, no boasting, but a solemn reassessment of his childhood nemesis. No wonder this cunning wolf was so devoted; he wanted a wife like this too. Marry her, he had to marry her, or he'd be a fool not to.

"Brother Youlie..." Chiheng once again unleashed his trump card, his voice softening several degrees, and coupled with his face that hadn't had time to adjust its expression after being pushed away by Yetang, the lethality doubled.

He'd never uttered those four words in his thirty-plus years of life, but today he did it all at once. He'd already thrown away all pretense of dignity, so what difference did one more "brother" make?

Youlie lowered his eyelashes, his heart in turmoil. On one hand, there was the power Ye Tang had given him—she had truly entrusted him with the power of veto, a trust that weighed more heavily on him than any military medals he had received since childhood.

On the other side was the firebird in front of him who had no shame in order to get married. He had known Chi Heng for so many years and had never seen this proud Vermilion Bird bow down for anything, but now it was calling him "brother" in a soft voice.

The young patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan, S+ level combat power, bloodline of an ancient divine beast, and all the assets of the long-established Vermilion Bird Clan. He mentally calculated them one by one.

Although Prison Zero is relatively closed off, Ye Tang can't stay here forever. Sooner or later, she'll have to leave and face the covetousness of various factions within the Empire. A female who can repair mental breakdowns is invaluable to any family, and the news can't be kept secret forever.

When that day truly comes, he alone, as an SS-rank Azure Wolf, might not be able to protect her completely. But if the power of the Vermilion Bird Clan is added to the mix…

"Tangtang, how about giving him a trial period..." Youlie said cautiously, then added, "If he doesn't pass the trial period, we'll return him." The last sentence almost made Chiheng jump up. Return him? He, the young patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan, was afraid of a trial period?

"I'll listen to you." Ye Tang made a decisive decision and patted You Lie on the shoulder.

The Hunter's tail swayed gently behind him. He wasn't entirely without ulterior motives. He could have easily refused now, kicking Chi Heng and his dowry out.

帝国的雌性一生不可能只有一个兽夫，他从小就知道。与其让野棠将来娶一个他完全不熟悉、无法信任的雄兽进门，不如让他亲自把关，挑一个他知根知底、能被他按在地上揍、还愿意老老实实叫他哥哥的家伙。

Although Chi Heng was stupid, at least he was obedient. He lowered his eyelashes and looked at Chi Heng, who was still giving him a "thank you" look, and thought that this feeling wasn't so bad.