Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing quickly greeted him. “There you are. We’re going out to play. Do you want to come?”

Winston’s raised heart suddenly lowered. Seeing the family leave, he thought they were going to move out.

“I have things to do,” Winston said in a serious tone. Then, worried that his aloofness would cause her to overthink, he added, “Don’t stay out too late. It’s dangerous outside.”

Bai Qingqing smiled and replied, “We’ll head out first, then. Don’t hunt. We’ll bring food back.”

“Mm,” Winston responded. He remained in place for a long time as he watched them leave, not averting his eyes even when they were out of sight.

He was too greedy. He got carried away because of Bai Qingqing’s gentleness and forgot his ugliness. He even caused her to be mocked by other females. But it made sense. Given Bai Qingqing’s beauty, only the best males were worthy enough to be her mates. Both of them were indeed incompatible.

He was honestly grateful to Eudora for helping him to gain a clearer understanding of himself. He previously prohibited her from entering the stone castle as he didn’t want to cause trouble for Bai Qingqing.

“Your Majesty, the tools have been prepared. When do we set out to the Camel Hump Valley to build the houses?” A tiger beastman reported to Winston.

“We’ll go now,” Winston replied without turning his head. He then led a group of beastmen out of the castle.

…

The mountains were covered in lush greenery. The green leaves and brown branches had been washed clean by the rain, and not a speck of dirt could be found on them. The colors were so vibrant that it seemed as if they had become more saturated.

The rotten leaves had been washed away, revealing the mud underneath. The ground was covered in broken branches and splinters of wood. Some trees were even uprooted in areas that faced the wind, leaving behind holes in the ground.

When Bai Qingqing and the rest entered the forest, the little snakes couldn’t be controlled.

They had long since gained their hunting abilities, but their parents had kept them at home. Now that they were outside, they quickly slithered into the forest and were nowhere to be seen after a while.

“Don’t run about, little snake!” Bai Qingqing chased after a snake. After running a few steps, her clothes had wet marks left behind by the water on the plants.

Seeing this, Curtis quickly went over to her and picked her up. “I’ll find them.”

Parker added, “I can smell them, so I’ll be able to find them so long as it doesn’t rain. Don’t run about. The ground’s slippery.”

“Okay.” Bai Qingqing looked around, unable to find a single snake.

It’s a little distressing to raise these kids. They could run away from home at any moment. It’s like they’re not close to me even though I brought them up.

Many fungi appeared on the mountain after half a day of clear weather. Since they’d just eaten up their supply of dried wood ear at home, Parker plucked a large leaf, folded it into a cup, and picked the fungi.

The small plants around them shook violently from time to time. If one shook off the water droplets and took a close look at them, it wouldn’t be hard to find black and red marks—signs that a large snake had hunted there.

A snake would lie down on the ground and let its food digest for a while after eating its fill. This was especially the case for baby snakes—they loved to sleep after eating. The little snakes’ first time hunting was very successful. By the time Parker had picked enough wood ear, the jungle was quiet once more.

Bai Qingqing sat on a large, clean rock, then made a small fire amongst the rocks and roasted a few eggs. She had become a little restless after not seeing the little snakes for a long time.

Curtis said a long time ago that we should get rid of the little snakes. He shouldn’t be thinking of doing that now, right?

Bai Qingqing jumped off the rock when Curtis wasn’t looking. However, after walking two steps, she was stopped in her tracks.

“Stay put.” Curtis carried Bai Qingqing back.

Bai Qingqing replied, “I want to go find the little snakes. I’m worried about them.”

Just then, Parker came back with a handful of wood ear and even held a sleeping snake in one hand.