Beauty and the Beasts

“Can this… really work?”

Bai Qingqing was wrapped up in animal skin while she held onto An’an. She probed her head out and said worriedly, “What if we can’t get back out after going down?”

They had spent half a day and found a new quicksand river that would also allow them to enter Flame City. Therefore, Curtis decided to bring Bai Qingqing down directly. She’d be put through less hardship then.

“Since we’re already here, why should we suffer outside?” Curtis tidied up the animal skin and pressed Bai Qingqing’s head inside. “Be good and stay inside. We’ll be here to take on everything outside.”

“En.” Bai Qingqing held onto An’an and squatted down.

Parker tied the remaining bit of their luggage onto the rope and then looked up at Alva, tossing him a jar of water.

“Hey, drink up quickly. After you’re done, I’ll take everything with me.”

Alva didn’t mind. He opened up the wooden cork and took a few careful sips before returning it to him.

Given his speed, he’d be able to fly back in at most a day. He wouldn’t die of thirst.

“Take care!” Alva wiped his mouth, turned into his beast form, and flew off.

Parker tied everything onto the rope, then himself and Bai Qingqing as well. He didn’t pay Curtis any heed.

Curtis threw a glance at them, hugged Bai Qingqing with one arm, then waved his tail and dragged Parker, who was caught off-guard, along together.

Roar!

Parker was given a fright and kicked his legs to turn over. However, before he steadied himself, he was brought into the quicksand.

It was very dark in the animal skin. After entering the quicksand, it clearly became even darker without any hint of light rays. The scorching heat also disappeared suddenly, and hints of coolness seeped in from the gaps of the animal skin.

Bai Qingqing felt that her body was being pressed from all directions. She put her limbs around An’an as an additional layer. After quite a while, her body felt relaxed.

“We’ve arrived?” Bai Qingqing’s stuffy voice came out from the animal skin.

She then felt the arm carrying her tighten and immediately understood Curtis’s intention. She shut up.

This was a dark world with passages leading in all directions. This area of quicksand waterfall brought them to the center of the passageways, and they were able to see the scene of the various passageways.

There were beastmen moving around, either in their animal form while covered in sand and dust, or their human form while carrying boulders of varying sizes. They entered from one passageway and left from another, covered in sweat and blood.

The air was extremely murky, filled with the scent of sweat, blood, and rot.

The two beastmen who suddenly appeared while carrying luggage attracted the attention of all the beastmen around, especially the female voice that rang out from one of the bundles.

“You guys brought a female?”

A lion threw a few assessing glances at Curtis and Parker, turning into a man with four animal stripes and a beard.

The man’s voice wasn’t loud, but it resonated through one’s ears. There was also a hint of power in his voice. He was clearly not someone weak.

His gaze landed on Curtis for a little longer, as if having doubts about his animal stripes. His gaze then landed on Parker, who had three animal stripes on his face.

Parker was instantly shocked. He didn’t expect that they’d encounter a four-striped beastman right off the bat.

Even if they were to lose in person, they mustn’t lose in disposition. Parker stared at the lion beastman and said, “What’s that to you?”

The hair and head on the lion beastman’s head instantly erupted. This was the sign of a beastman flying into a rage.

All the beastmen passing by came over, bellowing away with a strong desire to stir up trouble, instigating for the lion beastman to make a move.

However, the lion beastman seemed wary of something. His hairs stood up while he stared at Parker warily.

“I don’t remember how long it has been since I’ve touched a female. If you guys have brought one…”