Chapter 8 — I'll Make the Wolf King Pay in This Life

They watched from below, not even offering a single finger to help. The snake’s tail tightened around her shoulder.

"In this life, I will not endure it anymore."

Chi Loc Minh spoke.

"Not anymore."

An Cuu Uyen repeated, as if confirming it for her. Three days later, the investigation results from Lawyer Tran arrived. Of the three companies under Chi Kien Bang’s name, two were involved in serious accounting fraud and tax evasion. Among the properties held by On Chi, one had been used to secure a loan under Chi Loc Minh’s name—without her knowledge. The 1 billion currency units Chi Oanh used for the auction had been funneled through an underground bank, originating from the black ledgers of Chi Kien Bang’s company. It was illegal from start to finish. Chi Loc Minh organized the evidence neatly, but she did not report it to the police immediately. She called Chi Kien Bang. Three seconds after the connection, his coarse voice boomed in her ear.

"Chi Loc Minh, did you receive the lawyer’s letter? Are you going to pay the 5.2 million? If you don’t pay—" "Father," Chi Loc Minh interrupted, her voice soft. Chi Kien Bang paused; it had been a long time since he heard her use this calm tone.

"You know exactly what the books of those three companies look like. And you are well aware that the house under On Chi’s name used my identity for a loan." Silence filled the other end of the line.

"The 1 billion Chi Oanh spent was moved through an underground bank, siphoned from your company’s illicit accounts."

The silence stretched longer.

"All of this evidence is currently in my possession."

Chi Loc Minh’s voice remained without a ripple. "Withdraw the lawyer’s letter. From now on, do not come looking for me regarding your affairs, and do not meddle in mine. Let us be like river water and well water, never crossing paths."

"You—" Chi Kien Bang’s voice trembled. "You dare to threaten me?"

"It is not a threat," Chi Loc Minh stated. "It is a notification."

"You ungrateful wretch—" "Ungrateful people are not born that way."

Chi Loc Minh’s voice finally held a hint of warmth, though it was a chilling one. "It is the result of twenty-four years of biased upbringing. Goodbye, Chi Kien Bang." She hung up and blocked his number. The next day, the lawyer’s letter was withdrawn. Chi Kien Bang did not call again, nor did Chi Oanh. Everything became so quiet it was as if these people had never existed at all. An Cuu Uyen crawled onto the sunny windowsill, tilting its head to glance at her.

"Is it done?"

"This part is."

Chi Loc Minh stepped to the window, watching the city with the snake through the glass. The sunlight was beautiful. It was only by living a new life that she could truly feel such beauty.

"What comes next?" An Cuu Uyen asked.

"Next—" Chi Loc Minh’s phone rang. It was a message from Tong Soc.

"Ms. Chi, the news regarding the Red Moon transit pass auction is in. The date has been moved up to the day after tomorrow, and the venue is Long City." Chi Loc Minh stared at the message. Red Moon. The world’s largest underground organization for beasts. Their transit pass meant legal entry into the world of beasts—and access to higher purity mineral veins and more powerful, mystical artifacts. For An Cuu Uyen to recover, relying on human rare-earth ores was not enough. They had to go to the beast world.

"An Cuu Uyen."

"Hm?"

"Do you know Red Moon?"

The snake’s tail stiffened.

"I know it." Its voice was slightly strange. "Its founder, thirty thousand years ago, was my seventy-second subordinate."

"Your subordinate went on to found the world’s largest underground beast organization?"

"After I fell, each of my subordinates carved out their own territory." An Cuu Uyen’s voice held a touch of helplessness. "Some became kings, some went into business, and some... started crime syndicates." It took a moment for Chi Loc Minh to digest this information.

"So, if you show yourself, will Red Moon accept you?"

An Cuu Uyen was silent for two seconds.

"In my current... noodle-like form," it said, sounding reluctant, "it is hard to say if they would accept me. But if I can prove my identity, the instinct to serve me is etched into their very genes."

"How do you prove it?"

"My divine pressure is unique. The pressure of the God of Myriad Beasts is entirely different from the aura of a common beast—it is a suppression at the level of bloodline. Any beast who has witnessed it could never mistake it." Chi Loc Minh nodded.

"Then we will go to the auction the day after tomorrow."

"To buy a pass?"

"No." The corner of Chi Loc Minh’s mouth lifted. "To reclaim our heritage." An Cuu Uyen observed her expression. Having lived for thirty thousand years, it had never seen a human smile like someone who had just struck a massive fortune while mentioning "reclaiming heritage."

"What are you plotting?"

"You are the God of Myriad Beasts. The founder of Red Moon was your subordinate." Chi Loc Minh ticked off her fingers. "Legally speaking, all the assets of Red Moon are your inheritance." The snake was stunned.

"You intend... for me to go to Red Moon and demand my inheritance?"

"Correct."

"The assets they have been building for thirty thousand years?"

"Correct."

"That is an underground empire spanning the globe."

"Correct."

Chi Loc Minh crouched down to meet its gaze. "So, do you want to go back and be the boss?" An Cuu Uyen’s golden slit pupils widened to their limit. It stared at her for five seconds.

"Chi Loc Minh."

"Hm?"

"The brain of a human like you," the snake’s tail began to sway uncontrollably, "in all my thirty thousand years, I have never seen anyone like you."

"Are we doing it or not?"

The tail swayed even more frantically.

"We are doing it."

Two days later, at the fifth basement level of Long City, in the Red Moon auction zone. It was several levels higher than any black market. The floors were solid marble, the chandeliers crystal, and the staff wore custom-tailored suits. The guests consisted of representatives from major clans, the elite of the beast world, and a select few human moguls. When Chi Loc Minh entered in her black suit, many eyes turned to her. It wasn't because she was famous, but because she was so young. The youngest bidder here looked at least forty. She found a seat in the corner. An Cuu Uyen was coiled around her left arm, hidden under her long sleeve.

"Are you nervous?" the snake asked.

"No."

"Your heart is beating fast."

"That’s excitement."

The snake huffed. The auction began. The first item was the transit pass.

"A-level Red Moon transit pass, starting bid 500 million. It allows free entry and exit to the three major regions of the beast world for fifty years." Bids rang out rapidly. 500 million, 800 million, 1.2 billion, 1.5 billion. Finally, the first pass went to a Middle Eastern billionaire for 2.3 billion. The second went for 1.8 billion. Before the third could begin, Chi Loc Minh stood up. Every eye in the hall converged on her.

"Young lady, may I ask—" the auctioneer began.

Chi Loc Minh spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it was crystal clear.

"I am not participating in the auction. I have come to retrieve my property." The hall fell dead silent. The auctioneer stood frozen on the podium.

"Retrieve... your property?"

"The founder of Red Moon was the seventy-second subordinate of the God of Myriad Beasts, An Cuu Uyen."

Chi Loc Minh’s voice was as calm as still water. "The God of Myriad Beasts has returned. The thirty thousand years of assets held by Red Moon are, legally speaking, the God’s inheritance." Silence. Absolute, heavy silence. And then—laughter erupted.

"Hahaha!"

A fat man laughed so hard his entire body bounced on his seat. "The God of Myriad Beasts? That is a legend from thirty thousand years ago!"