After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back

Chapter 417: Amazing Shushu

Many beastmen heavily guarded the area around the magic array.

Nina and Odian threw on their invisibility cloak and slipped past the guards, carefully carrying their cubs into the array’s perimeter. As Odian held Nina’s hand and meticulously inspected the formation, the cubs—filled with a mix of tension and excitement—remained perfectly quiet and well-behaved in her arms.

While they were looking around, a patrol of beastmen approached, forcing them to duck out of sight.

"Ugh, every time I think about what this array actually does, I lose all motivation to keep working on it," a green-eyed male sighed.

"Who would want to?" a black-eyed male replied. "My best friend was chosen for the sacrifice. But if we don’t use it, what will happen to our females and cubs?"

"If only City Lord Adir were still here. He would never resort to such a cruel method," the green-eyed male lamented.

The other male quickly scanned their surroundings. "Keep your voice down! You’ll get us into trouble if someone hears you. City Lord Milt is in power now; if his supporters catch you saying that, you’re done for."

"But it’s the truth! He shouldn’t have been made leader in the first place," the male muttered under his breath.

A white-haired male joined the conversation. "I agree. Personally, I still support Elder Xirin. If he comes back, would you guys back him?"

"Can he cure the city’s beastmen without sacrificing males? If he can, I’m in. Frankly, I’ll support whoever can cure this plague," the green-eyed male said.

"Me too. I don’t want to watch my best friend die like this," added the black-eyed male.

The white-haired male gestured for the other two to lean in close. "I heard a rumor," he whispered. "Elder Xirin has a way to save the city’s beastmen without a single sacrifice."

"Really? He’s no witch doctor, how could he manage that?" The green-eyed male sounded skeptical.

"Well, I believe it. The moment Lord Xirin returns, I’m throwing my support behind him," the white-haired male declared.

"We’ll see. If he actually has a cure, I’ll support him."

"Same here."

The other two remained half-skeptical as they continued their patrol.

Nina frowned slightly as she watched the departing backs of the Tengshe clan males. They then turned their attention back to investigating the magic array.

When they finished, Odian’s brow was deeply furrowed. "Nina, this is indeed a Soul-Devouring Array."

Nina’s brows knit tightly. "Yeah. Let’s head back."

On their way back, as they passed an alleyway, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. The group immediately rushed toward the sound.

Following the noise, they spotted a masked beastman dressed entirely in black, actively draining the energy from another beastman. The victim was rapidly withering away. Clutching the black-clothed beastman’s clothes with a death grip, his eyes widened in shock. "It’s... you..." Before he could finish his sentence, he turned into a shriveled corpse.

The black-clothed beastman let out a cold laugh and prepared to dispose of the body, but suddenly noticed vines lashing out at him. He immediately launched himself into the sky and fled. Despite Nina reacting instantly, she was a step too late to catch him.

She looked down at the corpse on the ground. "I didn’t expect the victim to be an elder this time. He looks different from the previous ones—much more shriveled."

This particular elder had been one of those who supported her earlier. Unfortunately, they hadn’t arrived fast enough to save him. The cubs blinked as they looked at the body; they weren’t afraid, but they felt the elder had met a rather tragic end.

"Nina, I noticed that the beastman just now didn’t seem to use any crystal stones," Odian noted.

"Then he is highly likely the one who possesses the innate ability."

Nina quickly scanned the corpse and noticed his hand seemed to be gripping something. She turned to Odian. "Odian, look at his hand."

Odian saw it too. Reaching down, he casually plucked Idir out of Nina’s pocket. "He’s your clansman. Go grab whatever is in his hand."

Idir shot Odian a speechless glare, thinking: Why don’t you grab it yourself? He had been perfectly comfortable in Nina’s pocket, and yet he was the one dragged out.

Aviel pressed his lips together to hide a smug smile. Luckily, he wasn’t the one grabbed. Nina’s pocket smelled so good and was incredibly cozy. Enjoying the moment, he nuzzled against her clothes.

Odian raised an eyebrow. He simply couldn’t stand the sight of them mooching around in Nina’s pockets all the time.

Idir didn’t dwell on it. He put on a pair of gloves and pried the item from the dead elder’s hand.

Holding it up, he showed it to Nina. "Nina, it’s a scrap of beast-hide. It looks like it was torn from a piece of clothing. The scent on it doesn’t belong to the elder; it’s been masked with stinky grass, making it hard to identify."

Nina looked closely at the black scrap of hide. "Then it must belong to the killer. I saw from a distance that the elder seemed to be gripping the murderer’s clothes."

Shushu stared at the hide, scrunching up his tiny nose to give it a sniff. He tugged at Nina’s clothes, looking as if he wanted to tell her something. The other cubs watched the scrap curiously, though all they could smell was a foul, pungent odor.

"Does Shushu want to say something?" Nina asked.

Just as the words left her mouth, a commotion echoed nearby.

"Did you guys hear that just now? I think I heard a beastman screaming over there."

"I heard it too, right over that way."

"Let’s go check it out, quick!"

Soon, the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard approaching from not far away.

Nina looked down at Shushu. "Shushu, let’s talk about this a bit later."

Shushu nodded obediently.

Nina turned to Odian and the others. "Beastmen are coming. Let’s get out of here first!"

"What about the elder...?" Idir asked, glancing back at the corpse.

"Leave the body. Just take the scrap of hide back with us," Nina decided.

She handed Idir a bag to store the scrap in. As Idir prepared to shrink down to slip back into her pocket, Odian blocked his path. "You just touched something filthy. You’re not allowed near Nina. Fly back on your own."

Idir glared resentfully at Odian, thinking to himself how utterly annoying this stinky phoenix was.

Nina couldn’t help but chuckle. "Alright, let’s move!"

They quickly retreated and made their way back to their campsite.

Once they were safely back, Shushu gently patted Nina, his eyes asking: Mother, can I speak now?

Nina smiled. "Go ahead, Shushu. You can speak now."

Shushu pointed at Idir. Mother, the scent on that piece of hide in Father Idir’s hand feels a bit familiar. I think I’ve smelled it somewhere before.

Odian held up the stinky grass. "Shushu, do you mean this smell?"

Shushu shook his head. No, the beastman’s scent.

Nina was astonished. "Do you remember where you smelled it, Shushu?" She hadn’t expected him to be able to pick it out.

Idir and the others were equally surprised. Shushu had quite an impressive little nose to detect something they had completely missed. He truly lived up to his wolf clan heritage. The other cubs looked at Shushu in awe—their brother was amazing.

Shushu tilted his little head, thinking hard for a moment, before looking up with a touch of guilt. I’m sorry, Mother. I can’t remember. I smell too many different things every day. His large, watery eyes locked onto hers. Mother, let me think about it some more. Maybe I’ll remember.

Nina gently stroked his head. "It’s alright. Shushu is already incredible—even better than your fathers. If you remember, great. If you don’t, it’s no big deal. Mother has other ways to catch the bad guy."

Thrilled by the praise, Shushu nodded happily. Mm!

"Nina, why don’t we let the males from the wolf clan have a sniff? Maybe they’ll find a clue," Aviel suggested.

"Good idea," Nina agreed.

Idir passed the hide around to the wolf clan males, but unfortunately, none of them could pick up a familiar scent.

The husbands, along with Ming and Ridan, stared at the wolf clan males. It turned out it wasn’t the wolf clan that was extraordinary—it was just Shushu.

Aron beamed with pride; his grandson was truly exceptional. Yanai raised an eyebrow, quietly impressed that the brat’s little nose was actually that sharp.

"Nina, even though the wolf clan didn’t find anything, the killer must have crossed paths with the cubs at some point. That still allows us to eliminate a lot of suspects," Yanai noted.

"Yes. The cubs haven’t gone out much lately, so the circle of suspects shouldn’t be too large," Kith added.

Based on the clues they had gathered recently, Nina and the group drew up a list of suspected beastmen and formulated a plan.

The next day, they snuck into the city and split up to take action.

Suddenly, Tair sought out Idir.