Mei Xue Yan groaned softly and finally lifted her head to look straight at him. Her usually calm and commanding eyes now carried a trace of worry she didn't bother to hide. After a moment of silence, she asked in a low voice, "Are you really going to join them for this fight…?"
Jun Mo Xie didn't even pause. He grinned, the same carefree smile she knew far too well, and nodded firmly.
"Of course I am," He replied. "I'm the one who started this trouble. If I hide behind others now, wouldn't that be shameless?"
His tone was relaxed, but there was no room for doubt in his words.
Before Mei Xue Yan could speak again, a loud and hearty laugh broke the atmosphere.
Big Bear slammed his palm against the stone table, the heavy sound echoing through the clearing.
"Brother-in-law, you don't need to get involved at all!" He said happily, his eyes shining with excitement. "Just leave such small matters to me. I'll beat that old bastard Li Jue Tian until he can't tell north from south, and then I'll crush his bastard son, Li Teng Yun, right under my feet!"
His words were rough, direct, and full of killing intent.
The other Xuan Beast Kings burst into laughter at once. Some slapped the table, some raised their wine cups, and others nodded fiercely in agreement.
"That's right!"
"Big Bear alone is more than enough!"
"Let's see how long Xue Hun Manor can scream!"
The clearing was filled with noisy approval.
Mei Xue Yan's lips twitched. She rolled her eyes sharply and turned toward them, her voice suddenly cold and sharp. "Enough. Shut your mouths."
It was as if a blade had cut through the air.
The laughter stopped instantly.
All the Xuan Beast Kings froze in place. No one dared to speak. They glanced at one another, then lowered their heads like children caught misbehaving.
Long Crane reacted the fastest. He coughed lightly, then waved his hand in a subtle gesture. Without wasting a second, all the siblings vanished one after another, with some leaping into the trees, and others melting into shadows, disappearing so quickly that even the wind barely stirred.
In just a few breaths, the lively clearing became quiet again.
Jun Mo Xie looked around, then chuckled. "They really don't want to get beaten."
Mei Xue Yan sighed, clearly helpless against her siblings. She walked over to the stone table and sat down gracefully. Crossing one leg over the other, she rested her elbow on the table and spoke softly, "Now tell me… why did you make such a big fuss over a small Great Master like Li Jue Tian?"
Jun Mo Xie followed her and took the seat opposite. He calmly picked up the wine jar, poured a cup for her, then one for himself. The clear liquid shimmered faintly as it filled the cups.
He lifted his cup and took a slow sip before replying, "First, Guan Qing Han is my woman. Protecting her is my responsibility."
Mei Xue Yan listened quietly, her expression unreadable.
Jun Mo Xie continued, his voice still calm, but a cold edge hidden beneath the surface. "Second, even if she weren't my woman, she would still be my family. If Li Teng Yun had been honest and sincere, I would've let him go."
His fingers tightened slightly around the cup. "But he dared to use force. He dared to threaten her and her family."
He placed the cup down gently, the sound soft but decisive. "That wasn't arrogance. That was courting death."
Mei Xue Yan let out a soft sigh and shook her head, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips. She knew Jun Mo Xie's temperament better than anyone.
As long as no one touched his bottom line, he could laugh, joke, and act carefree. But once that line was crossed, there was no turning back.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm, her gaze soft as it settled on his face. The earlier jealousy had faded, replaced by quiet understanding.
"You really haven't changed," She said softly.
Jun Mo Xie smiled back at her, relaxed and confident, as the night breeze of Tian Fa Forest passed through the clearing.
Beneath the calm laughter and wine, an unspoken storm was quietly drawing closer.
Mei Xue Yan smiled lightly, the tension on her face easing for a brief moment. The firelight reflected softly in her eyes as she looked at him and asked in a calm voice, "Then what is your plan? How do you intend to make your move?"
Jun Mo Xie leaned back slightly, looking completely relaxed, as if they were discussing tonight's weather instead of an upcoming war. He chuckled and said casually, "It's actually very simple."
He raised his cup, swirled the wine once, and continued, "The first clash will naturally be the Xuan Beasts against the army. Knowing Li Jue Tian's personality…"
His lips curled into a knowing smile. "Arrogant, narrow-minded, and extremely fond of showing authority. He will definitely set my Third Uncle as the Commander-in-Chief of the army."
Mei Xue Yan's eyes flickered, and she understood immediately.
Jun Mo Xie went on, his tone calm and confident. "He'll want to use that battle to show power, to humiliate my family. So I'll let the Xuan Beasts handle that part. Whether they win or lose doesn't really concern me."
He placed the cup down and looked straight at her. "The only fight I care about… is with the people from the Three Holy Lands."
The moment those four words left his mouth, Mei Xue Yan's expression darkened. Her brows knitted together slightly, and she let out a low groan of displeasure.
Even now, just hearing that name was enough to stir her irritation.
Jun Mo Xie noticed it immediately. He laughed softly and reached out, placing his hand over hers, patting it gently in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry so much," He said lightly. "As long as they're sensible, I'll give them some face."
His fingers tightened ever so slightly around her hand as his voice lowered. "I'll spare their lives."
There was a brief pause. Then he added calmly, almost casually, "But if they refuse to listen… if they insist on being blind and arrogant…"
He smiled faintly, but there was a cold glint hidden deep in his eyes. "Then I can only apologize to you. I will kill all of them."
Mei Xue Yan groaned softly again, her lips pursing in mild frustration. Yet she didn't pull her hand away because she knew him too well.
Compared to his usual decisiveness, this was already restraint. Giving the Three Holy Lands a chance at all was proof enough.
She looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and shook her head helplessly.
"You're really troublesome," She muttered.
Jun Mo Xie laughed, squeezing her hand lightly. "But you still like me this way."
She shot him a glare, though there was no real anger in it.
Under the quiet moonlight of Tian Fa Forest, their joined hands rested on the stone table, steady and warm, calm on the surface, while beneath it, an inevitable storm continued to gather.