Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

"What is it?" Jing Yao sat at the military table, a map of the northern border defenses spread out in front of him, his posture upright and his expression dignified. If it weren't for the strong smell of spicy beef tallow filling the tent, this would have been a perfect scene of a marshal working.

When Youming lifted the curtain and went in, the smell made his nose sting. Jingyao followed his gaze to the empty lunchbox, and without changing his expression, pushed the lunchbox under the table, the movement so smooth as if he had rehearsed it countless times.

"Marshal, Youlie's wife has prepared quite a lot of supplies for him." Youming stood straight, his expression serious.

"The mistress?" Jing Yao raised an eyebrow, his amber pupils slightly contracting. That wolf cub who used to follow Ye Tang around like a dog in Prison Zero every day had quietly settled his status.

It's all his mother's fault for dragging him out of Prison Zero, giving that cunning wolf an opportunity. However—

"Youlie has already broken through to SS-level combat power at such a young age. This amount of work is too easy for him. He even has time to eat a midnight snack." Jing Yao rested his chin on his hands, his tone carrying an unquestionable superior's concern.

"Yes, Marshal."

"You can arrange it."

Youming gave a crisp military salute, turned, and left the tent. A night breeze brushed against the slightly upturned corners of his mouth, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his grey-blue eyes. He was a complete professional at tricking his younger brother.

The days of the Shadow Hunter in the North, under the combined training of his two superiors, were even more difficult than when he was fighting desperately against the Fallen Beasts on the battlefield.

He accepted that Youming had tricked him, after all, he'd been tricked since childhood, and his immune system was already well-developed. But Jingyao's involvement in tricking him was something he hadn't expected.

The White Tiger Marshal, known for his integrity and uprightness in the military, seemed to have opened the door to a new world after his self-heating hot pot was confiscated last time.

At first, Jingyao came up with a high-sounding reason—"the curfew was in violation of regulations," "the food standards were exceeded," and "it is forbidden to cook privately within the camp."

Later, the rules became increasingly outrageous, such as "no food if training volume is not up to standard", "confiscation of extra meals for being late to the morning meeting", and "snacks confiscated for deviating from the patrol route". They were just trying to find fault with anyone.

Later, Jingyao didn't even bother to make up excuses anymore. Every time Youlie lifted the lid of the self-heating hot pot, before the spicy and fragrant aroma could even waft out of the tent, a large, bony hand would reach out from behind and take the pot away.

The movements were fluid and seamless, so fast that Youlie even suspected Jingyao had been squatting outside his tent for half a day.

"Marshal, is this appropriate?" Youlie looked at his empty hands.

"You have a problem with that?" Jing Yao asked, holding the hot pot he had just seized, his amber eyes filled with an air of self-righteousness.

"Yes," said Youlie, his voice calm and frank.

"So what? I'm going to take it anyway." Jing Yao, without changing his expression, picked up a piece of fatty beef with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with relish.

"Naive," Ghost Hunter uttered.

The air in the tent fell silent for a moment. Jing Yao's chopsticks froze in mid-air, his amber pupils slightly contracting.

No one in the military had ever dared to use those two words to describe him: upright, self-disciplined, and enforcing the law with absolute certainty—each word was a compliment.

The word "naive" seems completely out of place for the image of a marshal of the Third Legion of the Empire. But after saying that, Ghost Hunter simply shrugged, his expression as calm as if he were merely stating a fact.

Jing Yao narrowed his eyes, feeling that this wolf cub was becoming increasingly arrogant, but he didn't pursue the matter further, as the hot pot wouldn't taste good once it got cold.

Standing to the side, watching his boss engrossed in eating hotpot, Youlie's mind conjured up another image. In the military, Jingyao was a marshal and his superior, but given Jingyao's behavior of stealing his food and targeting him so aggressively, he was 100% certain that Jingyao had feelings for Yetang.

Youlie smirked, a smile exactly like Youming's when he was scheming. If he were to complain to Yetang now that the Marshal was bullying him and stealing his food in the Northern Territory, leaving him hungry, how would Yetang react? Yetang had said that if she wanted to enter her household, he needed to give her his consent.

In the end, the domineering White Tiger Marshal will only be able to turn into a pitiful white cat squatting in a corner.

"Marshal, please enjoy." Youlie's tone suddenly became kind.

Jing Yao's hand, which was holding the beef tripe, froze in mid-air as he glanced warily at You Lie. This wolf cub only ever spoke in this tone after being tricked by his brother.

But he was busy eating hotpot and didn't have time to delve into the wolf's thoughts. He simply assumed that the kid had finally learned to respect his superior and continued to enjoy his meal.

Jing Yao successfully seized another bag of beef jerky. You Lie watched as his marshal tore open the packaging bag in front of him and chewed the spicy beef jerky with a crunching sound, his handsome face showing not a trace of shame.

This is his third bag of snacks today. His self-heating hot pot was confiscated for breakfast, and his ready-to-eat chicken breast was confiscated for lunch. Now it's snack time in the afternoon. He just took out some beef jerky from his storage ring, and before he could even tear it open, a hand reached out from behind him—the familiar action, the familiar force, the familiar shamelessness.

Just then, Youlie's personal terminal lit up. Ye Tang's communication request popped up, and his little wife's enlarged face appeared on the holographic screen.

The moment Youlie connected the call, the expression on his face switched from indifference to a slightly tired gentleness, a switch so fast that even Youming, the master of face-changing, would have to admit defeat.

"Youlie, you've lost weight?" As soon as the call connected, Ye Tang's brows furrowed. Her little wolf cub had only been gone a short time, and his once full cheeks had become noticeably sunken, and his silver-gray hair had lost its luster.

Although it was because the hunter had just completed a 10-kilometer patrol and hadn't had time to shower, she felt that she was tired, hungry, and had been bullied.

"Yeah, I'm working overtime every day and don't have time to eat." Youlie's voice was half an octave lower than usual, with a slight droop at the end. Coupled with his noticeably thinner face, his pitiful state was off the charts.

As he spoke, he casually tilted the computer camera slightly, so that the image simultaneously showed his empty hand and the White Tiger General behind him, who was sitting in an office chair, fiercely chewing beef jerky.

Jingyao abruptly stopped chewing the beef jerky.

"The military affairs in the North are heavy, and the capable should be given more work." Jing Yao stood up and walked into the communication range, his back straight, and his expression regained the dignity and composure of an Imperial Marshal.

"Hmph, Marshal Jingyao is just taking advantage of my Youlie's honesty." Ye Tang rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and wasn't buying it at all.

She's no longer the cautious new warden of Prison Zero who used to handle military documents with utmost care. After making a fortune feeding them, her mindset has long since shifted from that of a humble worker to that of a protective caretaker.

This damn cat doesn't do any work herself, but relies on being a marshal to exploit her poor and weak little hunter baby. What kind of skill is that?

"Warden Wild, in your heart, am I just a bastard boss who exploits his subordinates?" Jing Yao tried his best to maintain a dignified expression, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw You Lie looking at him quietly with those gray-blue eyes, his expression innocent to the point of being sarcastic.

"Isn't that right? You said you didn't bully him, so why is the food I prepared for Youlie in your hands?" Ye Tang's voice rose half an octave.

Jing Yao looked down at the bag of beef jerky in his hand that he hadn't had time to put away yet. The atmosphere in the office became so quiet that General Baihu felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He glared at Youlie with a sharp look – you better explain yourself.

Youlie's expression switched from "a tired overtime worker" to "an honest person who is bullied to the point of having no way to complain," and every micro-expression seemed to say, "Look, he's glaring at me again."

"Tangtang, I'm fine. Did Chiheng cause you any trouble?" He gently changed the subject, his tone gentle and restrained, his face slightly gaunt from continuous high-intensity training.

Ye Tang felt as if her heart had been ripped open by a furry wolf's paw. Her little wolf cub, even after being bullied like this, was still concerned about her.

"No, Little Firebird is very well-behaved. I'll have him take me to you in a bit." She hung up the call and started packing her things.

The office returned to a standoff between the two. Jing Yao slammed the bag of beef jerky on the table, his jaw clenched tightly. He finally realized he'd been tricked by You Lie.

That line, "I'm working overtime every day and don't have time to eat," that gesture of pointing the camera at the beef jerky in his hand, and that tea-scented "I'm fine," were all ways of handing Ye Tang a knife.

He had thought this wolf was honest, completely different from that cunning Youming. Birds of a feather flock together, it seems.

"You hunter, you're really something." Jing Yao leaned over the silver-haired wolf in front of him, his amber tiger eyes burning with the anger of being tricked.

"Marshal, even an honest person will fight back if they are bullied too much." Youlie met his gaze, a faint smile on his lips, the same one that Youming had.

He was stating an undeniable fact, and Jing Yao opened his mouth, only to find that he couldn't find the confidence to refute it.

"Little Firebird, how far is the North from here?"

"If I fly, it won't take long to get there." Chi Heng tilted his head, stretched out his wings from behind and stretched them out, his face full of anticipation. "You want to see the scheming wolf? I'll take you there, I guarantee it'll be fast and stable, but I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?" Ye Tang stopped stuffing snacks into her storage ring and looked warily at the opportunistic bird. This little firebird had even learned to bargain.

"Come back and let me sleep on the floor!" Chi Heng clasped his hands together, wishing You Lie would stay in the Northern Territory for a few more months so he could have the bedroom floor all to himself.

By the time the scheming wolf returned, he had already firmly secured his position as the empress by using the entire summer's sleeping quarters on the floor.

"Deal." Ye Tang nodded crisply.