Chapter 53
Everyone was in an uproar, wondering if Xu Shao had lost his mind. Yan He was the legendary Beast God? How was that possible?
They certainly thought Yan He was great, and everyone liked him, but to genuinely acknowledge him as the legendary Beast God was something they simply couldn’t do.
Yan He also looked embarrassed; he felt like this whole scene resembled a pyramid scheme rally.
Of course, Xu Xingchuan knew empty words wouldn’t convince anyone. He glanced at He Ting, who stood in the very center beneath the statue. He Ting gave a subtle nod.
A moment later, staff from the stables led out two handsome horses. One was a stunning Ferghana horse with a steady temperament, who only swished its tail happily upon seeing Yan He. The zebra beside it, however, couldn’t control itself; it easily broke free from its restraints, kicked up its hooves, and galloped toward Yan He.
“Those two horses… aren’t they He Shao’s two uncles? I heard they both fully transformed into wild beasts. The head of the He family worried himself sick—two sons turned into beasts, and his only grandson is locked in here forever.”
Some timid students shook their heads repeatedly watching this scene: “No, I don’t want that, I don’t want to become a mindless wild beast…”
If not for the transformation, He Shao’s two uncles would have been favored sons of heaven, not even thirty years old.
With even the young masters of the He family ending up like this, many students felt a sense of grief for their own kind.
Before the sorrow could spread, all the students watched in bewilderment as the exceptionally excited and enthusiastic zebra rushed toward Yan He, its front hooves splashing straight into the basin of holy water.
Yan He: “…”
Well, that’s just great. My hand-washing water is all muddied.
Yan He saw Xu Xingchuan’s face change; believing in the Beast God was his absolute faith!
Yan He hurriedly lowered his voice to advise, “Black and white animals are all a bit brainless, don’t…”
The panda cub was staring at Yan He.
Uncle Zebra happily washed his hooves in the basin, staring at Yan He’s colorful fur costume, and decisively opened his mouth, extending his horse head toward the tiger fur on Yan He’s left chest.
“Trade for my horse hair!”
He Ting froze completely. This familiar, humorous voice had disappeared from his world for years; he never thought he would hear it again.
This voice came from the zebra’s mouth. Everyone knows that in the animal world, only specific birds can speak human language; zebras cannot.
This sudden change shocked everyone present.
“Holy crap, oh my god, what’s happening? Speaking human language after fully transforming? Is there a recording nearby?”
“Recording? Look at the expressions of those two horses; they don’t look like wild beasts at all.”
“So, what’s the situation now? Or has the school hospital developed a drug that can restore those who have fully transformed?”
“…”
This change immediately alerted the academy’s higher-ups.
Receiving a signal from Xu Xingchuan, Yan He looked at the cup of “holy water” muddied by horse hooves, his face crumpling. Still use it?
Yan He extended the hand wearing the Beast God ring, his slender fingers lightly dipping into the holy water pool. Accompanied by holy singing, water droplets slid from his fingertips in the morning light, falling gently onto the zebra’s furry head.
The zebra suddenly shuddered, shaking itself as water droplets flew from its head.
A naked, familiar human figure appeared before everyone.
He Shao looked down at his two slender hands; he had almost forgotten they were hands and not hooves…
He seemed to have had a long dream, filled with days spent as a zebra in the academy stables, hazy and dreamlike.
A tall figure appeared in front of him. He Shao looked up to see the unflappable He Ting handing him a set of clothes, but the hand holding them was trembling slightly.
“Little Ting!” He Shao extended two hands he hadn’t used in a long time and was unaccustomed to, grasping He Ting’s trembling shoulders.
He Ting murmured, “Second Uncle…”
He hadn’t expected to see this day again.
Maybe because days as a zebra lacked human worries, with food and drink provided, He Shao looked even more spirited.
He Ting’s heart was surging, but he took a deep breath and pushed the down jacket in his hand toward He Shao: “…Put on clothes first.”
He Shao scanned the dumbfounded students. Standing under the Beast God statue, he said carelessly, “We’re all men here.”
Seeing the little guy dressed like a Christmas tree out of the corner of his eye, He Shao paused, then smiled and took the down jacket: “Okay, I’ll put it on first.”
In his hazy memories as a horse, He Shao remembered his nephew always bringing this little guy, Yan He, to feed him and his older brother. His little nephew probably had something going on.
“He Shao turned into a human?!!”
The crowd was in an uproar; someone exclaimed.
No one had ever heard of a fully transformed student turning back. With so much related research over the decades, there absolutely wasn’t a new study indicating it was possible.
Everyone looked on in disbelief, as if witnessing a miracle.
He Ting also looked at Yan He somewhat out of control. He always knew Yan He was different and had the ability to restore humanity, but he didn’t expect he could really restore his uncle and reunite his family.
Yan He looked down at his hand. Am I that strong?
“Yan He,” He Ting’s voice trembled slightly, “My Third Uncle…”
Yan He looked at the Ferghana horse staring at them with sparkling eyes, then down at the holy water pool muddied by the zebra, and closed his eyes. “If your Third Uncle doesn’t mind…”
Once is an accident, how could twice be a coincidence?
Long ago, it was said that He Shao’s Third Uncle was the best-looking in the entire academy, handsome and full of noble temperament. Now it seemed true.
Yan He stared at the faces of these two uncles, then at He Ting.
Mm, although their beast forms were different, the three looked very similar, all handsome.
He Ting’s Third Uncle, He Yu, quickly dressed, looked at Yan He, reached out to pat He Ting’s head gently, and said, “Your Second Uncle and I need to see the academy’s higher-ups. The suicide of the Specially-Enrolled Student Association president in the Beast God Chapel has nothing to do with you.”
Hearing this title, Bai Yuzhou suddenly focused.
The Specially-Enrolled Student Association president He Yu mentioned wasn’t him, nor Wu Saiqi, but the one before the last.
This was the first time He Ting lost his composure in public. He tightly gripped his two uncles’ sleeves, murmuring, “Those don’t matter…”
What mattered was seeing them again in his lifetime.
Although they were uncles, they were similar in age, uncle and nephew but also good friends.
He Yu said seriously, “This is very important, Little Ting.”
He Yu turned to look at Yan He, smiling gently. “The fodder Little He fed was always delicious; we always liked it.”
Yan He blushed. They remembered their days as horses? Then all his wild remarks to them must have been noted down?
Including but not limited to: He Ting looks good on top, wonder if he’s the same below; when will He Ting give him a raise; is He Shao gay? He probably isn’t gay, etc…
Seeing his two uncles heading to the academy’s high-level conference room, He Ting wanted to follow, but He Yu smiled and pointed at Yan He under the statue, signaling him to stay.
Their nephew had taken a huge blame, and even done a lot for the academy to keep them out of the zoo or from being released into the wild. Now it was their turn to protect him.
The academy’s higher-ups had obviously been monitoring the Beast God’s Birthday event, and upon learning there was something fishy about that student’s death, they immediately arranged for officials to pick up He Yu and He Shao.
Yan He watched He Ting see his two uncles off. It was the first time he had seen He Ting so discomposed, like a child. When he looked up at him again, his eyes held the warmth of spring.
“Holy crap, for real? Yan He really is Lord Beast God? I always thought the Beast God Cult was scamming people.” A student exclaimed.
“So what did that mean just now? He Shao took the blame? The rumor that he bit someone to death is fake? His uncles are witnesses?”
“Is it really holy water? It can restore fully transformed beasts to human form, and crucially not intellectually disabled. It should be easier to stop me from transforming easily, right?”
“I… I want to try. I’ve always been Lord Beast God’s most loyal believer.”
“…”
Under the Beast God statue, it became thoroughly lively.
Since stepping into Bestia, many pessimists had never thought they would leave the academy one day, but now… there seemed to be a chance.
No matter how good Bestia was, no matter how noble the academy, or how it had everything, it was still a magnificent cage filled with the hierarchical order of the animal world.
In this moment, their gazes began to look up at Yan He fervently.
Yan He stood under the Beast God statue, the morning light coating him with a layer of sacred brilliance.
At this moment, they were certain: Yan He was their Beast God.
The only god they could believe in and count on.
Believers lined up one by one, kneeling devoutly before Yan He. Yan He lightly dipped water from the replaced holy water pool and sprinkled it on the heads of the believers.
Water droplets landed on hair strands, emitting a faint glow, then silently seeped into the scalp, disappearing without a trace.
Yan He became more and more accustomed to it. Every time he sprinkled a drop of holy water, he sincerely prayed in his heart that the kneeling believer before him could control their transformation and live a normal life.
“Is this hand-washing water?”
Yan He suddenly heard students whispering discussion and stiffened.
Um… well…
“Couldn’t it be bathwater?”
As soon as these words came out, a friend nearby glared fiercely and whispered, “Don’t blaspheme the god!”
Yan He: “…”
There really are a lot of perverts in the academy.
The high and mighty F4 were also the most devout believers, kneeling before him, waiting for baptism.
Before entering Bestia, everyone said the F4 were the highest level of the entire academy and absolutely not to be offended, but now they too knelt devoutly before him.
Yan He was the one standing at the very top of Bestia’s food chain.
Students bathed in the winter sun, enjoying the baptism of holy water. Restless bestial nature and uncontrollable lust were quietly restrained and suppressed. The changes in their bodies made them feel like they had returned to before their first transformation.
They looked at their hands, expressions somewhat dazed.
This feeling of regaining control over oneself… was so nostalgic.
Some students couldn’t control themselves and wanted to go test in the academy’s specialized transformation rate detection instrument.
Winter had arrived, and the end of the term was not far off. They had never thought they could walk out of Bestia during the winter break, but now a inexplicable hope arose.
“My transformation rate dropped! Holy crap, it really dropped! 1%?? It’s not that I doubt myself, I’m doubting if the academy’s instrument is broken.”
More and more students went to test, and everyone’s transformation rate was below 5%. This data was unprecedented. The academy stipulated that 10% allowed freedom of entry and exit during holidays.
They… could go out?
And all this was because of Yan He, his god?
They heard Yan He was just a child from a driver’s family, but it didn’t matter. The thousands of students in Bestia would be his backing.
Regarding outside the school, they had many, many things they wanted to do.
They could check in at various picturesque places in the empire, taste the must-eat snacks trending online, see their idol in person at a concert…
All beautiful things would no longer be confined to fantasy but could be realized one by one.
An unprecedented sense of happiness surged through their bodies, so happy they almost wanted to cry.
The academy’s higher-ups were completely shocked, verifying the monitoring data again and again to ensure no errors, and then mandating blood tests for all students again.
The higher-ups were a contradiction. Those students who couldn’t leave the academy forever because of transformation were pitiful, but if they had unstable factors, they would bring unprecedented disaster to other citizens of society.
Personal safety was the most basic guarantee of the empire.
But what if they truly achieved the purpose of Bestia’s founding?
Then they had no reason to imprison them.
Freedom should be returned to them.
The blood test results would be announced collectively in an hour. Everyone waited nervously, constantly refreshing their Moe Beast app.
Even He Ting, the student the academy higher-ups had decided to keep in the academy forever, received his due.
Everyone saw a vote publicly initiated by the F4, and students clicked in to vote in favor.
An hour later, the academy broadcast suddenly sounded, with the voice of the academy dean unable to hide his excitement:
“On behalf of Bestia Academy, I congratulate all students. Your coursework may not be finished, but you have ‘graduated’ from Bestia!”
“The gates of the academy will open for you.”
“Go, go meet your freedom!”
The entire venue was silent, followed by a roar of excitement like a tsunami.
Everyone surged toward the perennial closed academy gate, and Yan He walked in the very center.
No one forgot that today was the last day Yan He was restricted from leaving the school.
Yan He looked at the towering iron wall in front of him, dividing inside and outside into two worlds, and now they would return to the original world.
“Student Yan He, this is the new nameplate our Nameplate Department made for you.” The beaming head of the Nameplate Department came with a small box.
Yan He recognized him; he was the one who delivered his promotion to a pale gold nameplate during He Ting’s banquet.
Yan He opened the box, and inside lay a black gold nameplate engraved with his name.
Xu Xingchuan had said that for a specially-enrolled student like Yan He to join the ranks of black gold, he needed the approval of everyone in the academy.
One opposing vote would invalidate it.
And now, passed unanimously!
Yan He took out the latest black gold nameplate to replace his old one.
Yan He might be the first person in Bestia’s history to climb the ranks so quickly, and without any doubts voiced.
Yan He wore the new nameplate, and today, Bestia welcomed its true new king.
Yan He would personally open this door imprisoning freedom for everyone.
Walking out of this door, he could still meet good friends like Yun Xiao, accompany Pan Ze to seek justice from the Pan family who looked down on him, and even…
“I want to take you to my home to meet my parents personally, Yan He.”
He Ting said this to him.
“Mm!”
Yan He looked back at him and nodded heavily.
Yan He stepped out, placed the hand wearing the Beast God ring on the cold iron gate, and pushed outward with all his strength.
The gate creaked, slowly opening outward, revealing the outside, free world that should have been theirs too.
While everyone stood怔怔 in place, daring not to move, as if this were a dream they didn’t want to wake up from.
Yan He suddenly turned around, took off the black gold nameplate on his left chest in front of everyone, threw it into the sky, and let it fall to the ground.
“Let’s embrace freedom together!”
Yan He took a big step, crossed the iron gate, and walked out.
The F4, the only exchange student Ling Ye, and the Specially-Enrolled Student Association president Bai Yuzhou chased after him without thinking.
Behind them, the students woke up from their dream. They took off the nameplates on their left chests that once symbolized their class identity in the academy and threw them heavily on the ground.
Facing the light, loyal believers followed their Lord God, walking out of Bestia step by step to meet their light.
Coincidentally, they all caught that light.
[End of Story]
~
Translator’s note: Time to say goodbye. There’s no extras in the source: JJWXC
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