No one is allowed to surpass her.

Seven Kills watched the little cub’s retreating figure and said, “Great-Grandmother, I can return to the deep mountains and ask my sisters from the clan to come down.”

“I trust you, Seven Kills, but what about your sisters’ tempers? Will they harm us?” Liu Yi hesitated.

If the tigress’s sisters were all tigresses too, wouldn’t that be dangerous?

“They won’t. I’ll warn them in advance,” Seven Kills said with great confidence.

Liu Yi watched its departing silhouette, weighed down by heavy thoughts.

Little Phoenix fluttered onto her shoulder, tilting its small head, gazing at her with concern.

“Don’t be afraid, Little Phoenix. Even if the sky falls, you have your mother here.” Though anxiety gnawed at Liu Yi’s heart, she couldn’t bear to let the bird worry.

Even in the worst case, if she truly couldn’t withstand the coming storm, she would fight with all she had to win a path to survival for the little ones.

Soon, the sound of a tiger’s roar split the silence of the forest, shaking the very mountains. The tiger clan had emerged, awe-inspiring and powerful, sending birds scattering and small beasts fleeing in panic to their nests.

Yet it seemed they hadn’t come to hunt, but were instead communicating amongst themselves in low, rumbling growls.

“Did the human really risk her own life to save the cub?”

“Absolutely. Great-Grandmother is different from other humans; she is trustworthy!”

“Very well, then we shall trust her too…”

On a distant peak, several tiger shadows loomed, their forms growing clearer and more imposing as they approached.

The largest tiger, massive and muscular, took the lead—clearly the Tiger King. Its short, glossy brown fur gleamed in the light; its eyes blazed like torches, sending chills through anyone who met its gaze.

Liu Yi watched all this through the window, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She knew she couldn’t show weakness, so she steeled herself and stepped outside to greet them.

But she remembered Little Phoenix, worried the tigers might harm it, and tried to tuck it away into her spatial pocket.

Unexpectedly, the little bird anticipated her move, angling its wings to evade her hand. With no choice, she shot it a meaningful look and whispered, “I know you want to protect Mama, but the situation is uncertain now. Stay behind me as much as possible, alright?”

“Chirp~”

This was exactly what Liang Zuan wanted. It spread its tail feathers, half-closing its round black eyes, making them look long and slanted, exuding a powerful aura that struck fear into other creatures.

Even the forest’s monarchs couldn’t withstand its pressure.

The tiger clan began to pace restlessly, growling in agitation.

Never before had any animal dared challenge their authority on their own turf, yet this seemingly unimposing bird radiated such strength that it made them uneasy.

Seven Kills eyed Little Phoenix repeatedly; its beastly instincts screamed that the little bird was extremely dangerous.

The cub often whispered in its ear that Little Phoenix was a “green tea bird”—pretending to be obedient and diligent in front of Great-Grandmother, while the other cubs teetered on the edge of losing favor.

But now, it was clear: Little Phoenix didn’t regard the cubs at all—they wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth!

Liu Yi, blinded by her affection for Little Phoenix, felt a chill down her spine, assuming it was the tigers that scared her—never suspecting the true source.

“Seven Kills, you’ve even invited the Tiger King and his clan down from the mountains. You do me, a humble host, great honor.”

After a few polite words, she focused her attention on laying out her rules to the Tiger King.

Her demands were simple: she hoped the tiger clan would refrain from hunting on her Nine Peaks, and that when the villains from the Di family arrived, they would follow her strategic commands to protect their home together.

Ice Lump was out persuading the little animals to join her cause—if the tigers were allowed to slaughter them at will, everything would fall apart.

The tigers were proud—how could they submit to a human?

Liang Zuan shook his wings, letting his wood abilities surge through the earth.

“I know the tiger clan is born free, unwilling to be bound. You’ve only come here today out of respect for Seven Kills. But now that all living things are evolving, if the tigers want to remain at the top of the food chain, shouldn’t they also improve? Progress isn’t just about physical evolution, but about thought as well.”

Liu Yi pulled out a tablet, showing them a video.

It was a gunfight—cold, ruthless weapons that tore flesh apart before anyone could react.

Seven Kills added support, recounting how humans had used power suppressors the previous day, and how it and the cub had barely survived.

With both carrot and stick, she couldn't tell if her words had truly convinced the tigers, or if Seven Kills was simply the vanguard, testing the waters for the clan.

She dared not let the tigers stay in her own house, so she unlocked the elegant, antique building at the back of the estate, inviting them to lodge there. She hung a wooden sign, renaming it Tiger Hall.

She was quite handy; following the instructions, she hooked up the generator herself.

She mounted the hundred-inch TV on the wall and played movies for the tigers in the ground-floor hall—science and technology, weaponry, and wildlife documentaries.

To prevent them from chewing on wires again, she warned them in advance and covered the cables with carpet.

Now that animals were mutating, they were all clever!

She neither tried to curry favor nor forced intimacy, simply did what she promised, then left Tiger Hall.

“Little Phoenix, don’t be afraid, Mama is here~” The tigers’ intimidation was no joke; she was tense to the core, yet worried about giving the little bird psychological trauma.

She’d seen too many birds sink into depression, plucking their own feathers until they were bald.

Now, Little Phoenix was more otherworldly and handsome by the day. She couldn’t let it become a bald, ugly chick again.

When it was grown, she’d help find it a beautiful mate and watch them raise a nest of adorable chicks, all chirping sweetly…

Oh, just thinking about it made her giddy with delight!

Liang Zuan couldn’t guess what was making her giggle, but seeing her happy made him even happier.

Truthfully, he hoped the Di family would send more people. The more souls he absorbed, the better his powers harmonized with his body. His avian abilities were already at level four—just one more and he could regain his human form.

Ice Lump, Spark, and Water Cannon only returned from their persuasion mission after three in the afternoon.

The little tiger cub, having failed its first diplomatic mission, slunk back to the estate looking dejected, oblivious to anything amiss.

Canines had sharp noses; Spark and Water Cannon instantly caught the scent of the tigers, their fur bristling in alarm.

“If anything goes wrong, just pee as fast as you can,” Spark slowed its pace, voice low.

Water Cannon knew Spark wanted to use its urine to conduct electricity and worried about accidentally shocking Ice Lump.

“If you hesitate, disaster follows. Just listen to me. Ice Lump’s skin is thick—he can handle a little shock.”

Usually, when the others watched cartoons, Spark would ask Dog Mom for a tablet to watch “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” alone, convinced it was the smartest of the cubs.

“Ice Lump and Seven Kills have each other—but we only have Mama.

Remember, no matter what happens, no one is allowed to go past Mama. Ever…”