Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing nodded. “En.”

Ssss~ Curtis had just eaten and was feeling a little tired. After hearing Winston’s words, he stretched his back and wanted to get up.

However, the hole was too short. The moment he straightened, half of his body darted out. He was like a snake plowing the land.

Eventually, a flat piece of soil even covered his head.

“Pffft!” Bai Qingqing burst out laughing.

The snake in the middle of the hole moved his body and threw her a glance with a hint of anger in his glowing red eyes.

Bai Qingqing quickly stifled her laughter.

Curtis straightened up and turned into his human form, saying, “I’ll go with you.”

“I’ve caused this trouble. I should be the one to deal with it.” Winston insisted.

Curtis said, “You brought Snow into this. So, this is no longer just your own matter.”

Winston paused slightly, then turned to look at Bai Qingqing seated at the entrance holding the child.

Bai Qingqing immediately returned a smile. Of course, she was supportive of Curtis and Winston going together. That scorpion king was also a four-striped beastman, and she was worried that Winston would suffer in his hands again. With Curtis around, she’d feel at ease.

However, it’d be tough on Parker.

Parker climbed onto the animal skin again, accidentally getting a few pieces of soil onto it. He immediately dusted it off and sneaked a look at her. He heaved a big sigh of relief when he realized that she hadn’t noticed it.

Winston exhaled and took the lead to leave. Curtis followed close behind him.

Parker smiled and said, “That’s great. Only the two of us are left again.”

Bai Qingqing speechlessly rolled her eyes at him, hiding the luminous ball into the luggage.

The hole was instantly engulfed by darkness.

“They aren’t around, so we better be more careful and don’t lure others here.”

Parker immediately became dejected. He wasn’t strong enough, resulting in Qingqing not having a sense of security when she was with him.

Parker’s hand slowly clawed out a deep mark, his gaze turning determined.

He must get stronger!

…

Any beastman who had just entered the underground palace would feel astonished. This place was too big, completely an independent world by itself.

Other than the absence of sunlight and starlight in the sky and of plants, there wasn’t any difference between the underground palace and the outer world.

Curtis spent one day before finding Winston, and they spent half a day rushing back. Now that he was headed toward the entrance together with him, another two days flew by (because he had to match Winston’s speed).

Of course, they had no concept of time in this underground palace where they couldn’t see the sky.

Curtis looked up at the flickering light spots above. His blood-colored pupils, which had become enlarged due to the darkness, contracted and became slim, returning to being cold vertical slits.

“This is the only exit?” Curtis asked.

Winston said, “This is the only one I know of. The scorpion king is wary of me and didn’t tell me the exit leading to the outer world.”

After saying that, he roared. There weren’t many beastmen on the top level, and the scorpion beastman keeping watch remembered Winston’s voice. He immediately threw down a rope.

Before the rope came down, the shadows lurking around seemed raring to make a move. There wasn’t a need to see, it was clear from just sensing that the many pairs of coveting gazes.

Wary of Winston’s strength as a four-striped beastman, the shadows held back their impulses and hid in the dark, observing.

Winston tugged onto the rope and was quickly pulled up.

Curtis looked up, and, after seeing that the rope didn’t come down even after a long time had passed, impatience grew in his eyes.

Winston tugged at the rope, the other end still with the scorpion guard.