Chapter 169- The Wolf King’s Naughty Little Wife – The Bonding Ceremony (15)
As night fell, torches were lit one by one around the central square, making it as bright as day.
It was only after dark that the true revelry of the Beast God Festival began.
The sub-beastmen held hands and formed a circle, dancing around the bonfire.
That afternoon, Bai Tang had been helping prepare food in the central area when he was caught by Priest Mana and dragged off to be “dressed up.”
Priest Mana first prepared hot water and pushed Bai Tang to take a bath and wash his face. She then used fruit-scented plant oil to smooth his hair, adorned his head and wrists with flower garlands, and finally tried to apply a strong, unknown floral perfume on him.
Bai Tang quickly waved his hands and politely declined.
No way—the scent was far too overwhelming. He had already sneezed several times.
Seeing that Bai Tang truly disliked it, Priest Mana reluctantly gave up.
Even so, Bai Tang had already been thoroughly “tormented” by the whole ordeal. As Priest Mana put it:
“As the Beast God’s messenger, you need to set a good example. Whether those beastmen can find a mate tonight depends on you.”
It sounded strange—though he couldn’t quite say what was off about it.
Priest Mana hadn’t helped Bai Tang prepare for no reason; it had been at Kyle’s request.
On the day of the Beast God Festival, sub-beastmen or females with prospective partners were supposed to be dressed up by their ya-father or female-mother, symbolizing the elders’ blessing to the younger generation. The more elaborate the attire, the more it showed affection toward the beastman partner.
Since Bai Tang had no parents, the high-ranking Priest Mana stepped in on his behalf.
Kyle, I’ve done all I can for you. Whether or not you can win over your sub-beastman now is up to you.
Priest Mana stood by the window with a smile, watching Bai Tang walk out, followed eagerly by a large group of beastmen.
As long as a pair hasn’t bonded, any beastman still has a chance to confess to a sub-beastman or female. Tonight, the “battle” among the beastmen was bound to be lively.
When Bai Tang arrived at the central square, the sub-beastmen warmly ran over and surrounded him.
“Wow~ Bai Tang, you look so pretty tonight…”
“And you smell so nice too… it’s really lovely…”
Just then, a beastman stepped forward and said to Bai Tang, “Bai Tang, I really like you. Be my partner.”
The sub-beastmen burst into teasing laughter. Bai Tang was stunned by the beastman’s bluntness, while the others egged him on and watched with amusement.
Bai Tang gave the beastman an apologetic look and said, “Sorry, I can’t accept your confession.”
He had been rejected. The beastman had anticipated this outcome, but still wanted to give it a try—just so he wouldn’t regret not trying.
The beastman walked away, and Bai Tang was quickly pulled into a dance by the sub-beastmen.
Kyle, who had just arrived at the central square and witnessed everything, walked over and clapped the rejected beastman on the shoulder.
“Come, let’s have a match.”
The heartbroken beastman: “!!?”
As expected, Kyle didn’t even need to shift into his beast form—he easily knocked the beastman to the ground.
Unshaken and composed, Kyle turned to the crowd of onlooking beastmen and said, “Anyone else who wants to pursue Bai Tang—come and fight!”
The beastmen looked at one another. They had been thinking about pursuing Bai Tang. Not hiding their intentions, they challenged Kyle one after another. And so, in a corner of the central square, a dramatic scene unfolded.
One by one, winged wolves leaped into the sky—only to crash back down moments later.
The sub-beastmen and females gasped again and again in amazement at the spectacle, while the dashing main character—Kyle—appeared in his magnificent silver-winged wolf form.
“If Kyle didn’t already have a prospective partner, I’d confess to him too.” the females thought.
Meanwhile, the object of everyone’s envy, Bai Tang, was genuinely being pulled by the sub-beastmen into a bonfire dance—completely missing Kyle’s heroic performance.
After flattening a ring of beastmen, Kyle withdrew to a quiet spot to return to human form. He put on the new clothes Bai Tang had sewn for him, and then strolled gracefully toward the bonfire where the sub-beastmen had gathered.
“Ooh, look who’s here.”
“Kyle’s coming.”
Everyone was well aware of Kyle and Bai Tang’s relationship, though no one said it outright. Seeing Kyle approach, they tactfully made way for him.
“Tang Tang.” Kyle knelt down on one knee and pulled out the freshly picked flowers he had been carrying.
“I love you. Bond with me. Let me take care of you.”
The sub-beastmen had never seen this kind of proposal before. They didn’t know the word romantic, but they could feel it in that moment. All eyes turned to Bai Tang with envy—after all, how often does a beastman kneel on one knee to confess?
“Say yes!” Brown called out, cheering for his friend when Bai Tang remained silent.
Soon, a chorus of “Say yes!” joined in, echoing around them, giving Kyle their full support.
This proposal method—simple and old-fashioned—was something Bai Tang had once mentioned offhandedly. It was the cheesiest idea of all.
Kyle actually went through with it. There was no ring, only flowers he had picked himself.
Bai Tang smiled sweetly. Amid the crowd’s cheers and teasing, he nodded firmly.
“Yes.”
“Waaah…”
As they witnessed the birth of a new couple, everyone burst into applause.
With Kyle and Bai Tang setting the example, other beastmen began confessing to the sub-beastmen and females they admired—some were successful, others faced rejection. Laughter and joy echoed across the central square.
After the confession phase came the beastmen’s “sparring” segment.
Every year during the Beast God Festival, the tribe held this event, where beastmen would compete in strength and skill. The top ten would be named the tribe’s Ten Great Warriors. If the current chieftain was stepping down, the newly selected warriors would face off against previous champions, and the winner would become the next chieftain.
Among the younger generation of beastmen, Kyle was undoubtedly one of the best. Naturally, he was among this year’s top ten warriors.
Bai Tang recalled the original story, in which the Winged Wolf Tribe rose to greatness under Kyle’s leadership. He looked at the cheerful, kind faces around him and found it hard to imagine that, year after year, they had once faced deadly winters—waiting for death in the cold after each joyous Beast God Festival. Those who survived would thank the Beast God for mercy.
He wasn’t an atheist, but he knew that unless a disaster was truly beyond control, most hardships had human solutions.
“Kyle, are you going to run for chieftain?” Bai Tang asked softly as he leaned against Kyle’s chest.
“Well, does Tang Tang want me to run?” Kyle asked in return, gently holding Bai Tang’s hand.
Tang Tang liked peace and quiet. If Kyle became chieftain, he’d be swamped with responsibilities every day—there’d be no more calm.
Kyle wanted to make the tribe better, but if Tang Tang didn’t want that kind of hectic life, then he wasn’t determined to pursue the title. As a member of the Winged Wolf Tribe, he could still contribute—he just wouldn’t have the same influence over decisions.
“I do.” Bai Tang loved the kind-hearted beastmen—sub-beastmen and females alike. They were still young, so full of life and warmth. How could they perish due to weather that hardly even counted as a true disaster?
“Kyle, become the chieftain.” Bai Tang said with a bright smile.
“Okay.” Kyle tightened his grip on Bai Tang’s hand.
As long as it’s something you want, I’ll try anything.
With Bai Tang’s support, Kyle felt even more confident about running for chieftain.
After every match, he would glance down from the stage—and Bai Tang would always flash him a sweet smile and shout loudly, “You can do it!”
Finally, the competition reached its final round: Kyle versus Brown, the two strongest and most agile warriors in the tribe.
“Kyle, don’t go crying if you lose, alright?” Brown joked. He hadn’t witnessed Kyle’s one-sided domination of the other beastmen earlier that afternoon—if he had, he might’ve thought twice before teasing.
“You’re welcome to try,” Kyle replied calmly. He wasn’t going to go easy just because Brown was his friend.
The two beastmen shifted from human form back to their beast forms. The crowd gasped in excitement as the match began, while Bai Tang watched anxiously from below.
At last, the silver wolf delivered the final blow, knocking the white wolf—Brown—off the stage.
And with that, a new chieftain was born.
“Kyle! Kyle! Kyle!” The beastmen erupted into cheers.
Brown shifted back into human form, gritting his teeth.
“Tch—Kyle hits hard.”
Is this how desperate a beastman gets when trying to impress his partner?
Brown wasn’t a sore loser—a loss is a loss, and he accepted it. Even if he’d lost, he was still one of the Winged Wolf Tribe’s top warriors.
“Congratulations, Kyle,” Brown said with genuine warmth.
“Mm.” Kyle, as always, was a man of few words.
“Kyle, the Winged Wolf Tribe is in your hands now. The future belongs to your generation.” The old chieftain finally stepped down with honor. Seeing the tribe thrive while he was still alive brought him peace. Even if he returned to the embrace of the Beast God tomorrow, he would do so without regrets.
“I hereby announce the new chieftain—Kyle!” The Priest Mana stepped forward, raised Kyle’s arm high, and declared his victory.
The cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder in waves. Standing among them, Bai Tang watched Kyle being celebrated, his own face lighting up with joy.
Suddenly, Kyle jumped down from the stage. The beastmen parted to form a path, and he walked straight to Bai Tang, took his hand, and brought him back up with him.
“Priest Mana, let’s begin the bonding ceremony now,” Kyle said firmly—he could hardly wait to declare his claim to Bai Tang before everyone.
“Alright.” The Priest Mana smiled gently.
Even someone as reserved and composed as Kyle, when it came to his partner, was just like any other beastman—full of possessiveness.
The bonding ceremony was held for all beastmen who were ready to pair with their partners.
The Priest Mana stood at the very front, followed by Kyle and Bai Tang, and behind them were the other beastman couples.
Each pair held hands as the Mana Priestess recited a string of words known only to the priesthood.
After the chant, each person made a small cut on their finger and pressed the bloody fingertip onto a stone.
The Priest Mana then dropped the stone, now imprinted with both Bai Tang and Kyle’s blood, into a bowl of water. Miraculously, the stone dissolved upon touching the water, and the clear liquid turned a milky white.
Kyle took the bowl the priest handed him, and together with Bai Tang, they drank from it.
Before their eyes, the wounds on their fingers healed, and a golden wolf head mark appeared on the back of each of their hands.
Each pair’s wolf head looked slightly different—based on the beastman’s wolf form, yet with unique traits.
Partners whose hands bore this wolf mark were considered blessed by the Beast God.
“Tang Tang, you’re mine,” Kyle exclaimed, thrilled, as he picked Bai Tang up and spun him around.
“I’m not yours,” Bai Tang replied.
Kyle instantly tensed. Had Tangtang regretted it? If so, then…
But Bai Tang smiled, gently brushing his fingers over the wolf head mark on Kyle’s hand before lacing their fingers together. “You’ve got it backward. You’re mine.”
In every world, the male lead would lose his memories. They weren’t the same person, yet they shared the same soul. And each time Bai Tang appeared, he would always gravitate toward him.
“You’re right, Tang Tang. I belong to you,” Kyle murmured, leaning closer and gently biting the lips that always stirred his emotions.
It didn’t matter how—it only mattered that they belonged to each other.
Author’s Note:
On such a good day, let’s not have the female lead show up.
Next chapter is the finale~ Mwah~ 💋