Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off Chapter 580: Mother and Daughter’s Painful Truth (02)

Su Qinglan offered a small, pained smile.

'In my initial life, my soul could never achieve a complete reunion; the connection was fractured. I endured sixty miserable years. Hu Yan departed, leaving me in sorrow. My father passed away with his wishes unfulfilled. My second husband, Han Jue, died defending me. Rong Ye was slain by his own brother's men. Xuan Long vanished, likely captured and imprisoned. I devolved into a state of near-mindlessness, incapable of action. Mu Lihua and her followers subjected me to torment every single day.'

Wang Mulan erupted into heart-wrenching sobs. She covered her mouth, yet her shoulders heaved uncontrollably. How could her daughter have endured such profound suffering?

Su Qinglan's face was already awash with tears, but her voice remained steady.

'Ultimately, I found An Mo. I remain uncertain of his true identity, but Xuan Long had entrusted my safety to him. An Mo discerned that my soul was fragmented, the reason for my tormented existence. He bestowed a blessing upon me, allowing for a fresh start. That is how I returned and began anew.'

A weighty silence descended upon the room once Su Qinglan concluded her account. Only the sound of Wang Mulan's broken weeping punctuated the stillness.

'How... how could such a fate befall you?' Wang Mulan wailed, her voice strained. 'My dearest daughter... you endured so much. Mother is so sorry... Mother deeply regrets!'

She pulled Su Qinglan into her embrace once more, her tears flowing unchecked.

Outside the dwelling, the five men stood utterly immobile, like statues. Their potent beastman senses had clearly conveyed every word Su Qinglan uttered. The longer they listened, the more profound the silence became.

Hu Yan's mind went completely blank initially. Then, a tempest of emotions raged within his chest. His breathing grew shallow and ragged. His hands balled into fists so tight that his knuckles whitened, his nails digging into his palms and drawing blood.

Second life...? She suffered for sixty years in her prior existence? I left her...? I abandoned my own mate to despair?

He recalled the Su Qinglan he first encountered in this life – at times fiery, at other times chillingly distant. He now grasped the entirety of it.

The void in her eyes, the concealed scars, the moments she would abruptly fall silent... it all coalesced into understanding. His eyes flushed crimson, and a low, mournful growl rumbled from the depths of his throat.

Overwhelming regret and self-recrimination threatened to drown him. He yearned to rip out his own heart for his failure to protect her in that preceding life.

Shi Feng's imposing frame quivered uncontrollably. The typically formidable and proud lion beastman felt as though sharpened blades were piercing his chest repeatedly. His piercing gaze turned a violent scarlet, and an aura of killing intent swirled around him like a raging tempest.

She was subjected to daily torture... treated like a mere beast... and I was not even present to shield her? In this current life, I finally found her, yet I remained oblivious to the depth of her agony.

His heart clenched with agonizing intensity. He had always taken pride in his strength, yet he had failed to safeguard his destined mate from such profound misery across multiple lifetimes.

Xuan Long's usually languid and serene emerald eyes deepened to an almost black hue. His face became frightfully pale. A maelstrom of guilt and heartache churned within him.

An Mo... I placed my trust in him with her... She endured all that torment alone because her very soul was fractured. I vanished and abandoned her...

Han Jue remained perfectly still, his countenance utterly devoid of color. His mind relentlessly replayed Su Qinglan's words. The normally responsible man felt as if his entire world had crumbled around him.

She battled zombies single-handedly for twenty-five years... She endured abuse and was driven to the brink of madness in her first life here... And we remained ignorant. We jested, teased, and loved her, unaware of the crushing burden she carried alone.

The weight of guilt was immense. He had always strived to be the dependable pillar, the one who attended to her daily needs, yet he had failed to perceive the deepest wounds etched upon her heart. His eyes reddened, and his chest heaved with stifled sobs. He felt utterly inadequate as her partner.

Su Mingxuan, her father, was in the most dire emotional state. His robust physique swayed precariously.

As a father, the guilt was simply unbearable. He had failed his daughter not just once, but across two distinct lifetimes. His eyes burned a fiery red, and tears finally traced paths down his stern visage.

He loathed himself intensely for not perceiving Mu Lihua's machinations sooner.

Not a single one of them harbored even a shred of doubt regarding Su Qinglan's testimony.

They could no longer bear to remain outside.

Hu Yan initiated the movement. His eyes aflame with pain, he pushed open the door and strode resolutely inside. The others followed closely, their heavy footsteps echoing with a blend of urgency and profound emotion.

Upon entering, they witnessed Wang Mulan and Su Qinglan still locked in a tight embrace, both weeping profusely.

This scene inflicted further anguish upon their hearts.

'Lan Lan...' Hu Yan's voice broke as he advanced towards them.

The five men formed a protective circle around the mother and daughter. Su Mingxuan immediately drew his mate and child into his embrace, holding them close. Once they finally released each other after a long moment, the husbands couldn't contain their emotions any longer.

They converged on Su Qinglan in a massive, comforting group hug. Their imposing, robust figures enveloped her smaller form, creating a sanctuary against the world. The familiar scents of her mates enveloped her, instilling a profound sense of safety and peace.

"Lan Lan... I am so incredibly sorry," Hu Yan choked out, his voice thick with anguish. He pressed his face into her hair, his robust frame shuddering.

"In your past life, I failed you. I abandoned you to face it all alone... I can never forgive myself for that. But in this new life, I vow to remain by your side, always. Never again will I leave you."

Shi Feng embraced her from the opposite side, his arms like unyielding steel yet impossibly tender. His tone was a low, resonant rumble, heavy with unexpressed feelings.

"I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. It's a failure I despise. However, from this moment forward, any who dare to harm you will have to go through me, even if it means my death. You are my entire world, Lan Lan."

Xuan Long gently cupped her tear-streaked face in his hands, his jade-green eyes reflecting a deep well of love and sorrow. He bestowed repeated kisses upon her forehead, his voice soft yet radiating unwavering resolve.

"You endured such immense pain all by yourself for far too long. I vanished, leaving you behind... I am unworthy of you. But I will dedicate every single day of this existence to making amends. Your sorrow is my sorrow. Your tears are my tears."

Han Jue clutched her hand firmly, pressing it against his chest so she could feel the frantic thumping of his heart. Tears finally welled and spilled from his eyes.

"I believed I was safeguarding you adequately... yet I was so tragically blind. You fought your battles in another realm, enduring silent suffering even here... Forgive me, Lan Lan. My apologies are profuse. I shall never permit you to feel isolated again. Never."

Su Qinglan's weeping intensified within their warm embrace. Her reply was soft, her voice quivering with emotion, "It wasn't your fault... None of you. In the prior life, it was I who pushed you away. Yet, you remained, making ultimate sacrifices for my sake. Now, in this life, I finally have all of you. That is sufficient. It is more than sufficient."

Wang Mulan observed the heartfelt scene, tears tracing paths down her cheeks, her heart aching yet finding solace. Su Mingxuan stood near, one arm encircling his mate, while his other hand rested gently atop his daughter’s head.

A profound sense of lightness washed over Su Qinglan. The crushing weight of the secrets she had carried in solitude for so long had finally been shared and lessened.

Enveloped by the boundless love of her parents and her devoted husbands, she whispered, her voice trembling but filled with newfound hope:

"In this life... let us find happiness together. All of us."