Beauty and the Beasts

Just as Bai Qingqing was feeling baffled, she saw Curtis’s head suddenly fall limp on the ground. The entire snake body too, abruptly collapsed on the ground, stirring up sand into the air.

Bai Qingqing subconsciously slowed down her pace from a sprint to a slow walk.

After a long while did she manage to let out a murmur, “Curtis?”

Is Curtis dead? Why is he lying there and not moving an inch?

Bai Qingqing absent-mindedly blocked out everything around, unable to sense the scorching sun above her head nor the scalding heat under her feet nor the piercing sunlight… in her eyes, there was only that giant snake lying stationary.

She mechanically moved both legs as she edged closer to the snake, with disbelief and refusal to accept it in her heart. However, tears flowed down from her eyes uncontrollably.

Sensing something was amiss, Parker turned around and woke up Winston, before chasing after them. On the way, he hauled up Bai Qingqing and brought her to Curtis’s side.

Bai Qingqing dazedly stared at the snake’s head at her feet, her body not moving at all while the tears blurred her eyes.

She didn’t even dare to check. She only hoped that in her watery vision, the snake beastman could get up on his own.

Parker glanced at her. It was no big deal to him initially, for if Curtis were dead, he would have one less rival in love. But seeing Bai Qingqing in such great sorrow, his heartache far exceeded his jealousy, and he, too, hoped that Curtis would be fine.

He ran to Curtis’s head and listened, then transformed into a human and said urgently, “Qingqing, don’t cry. He’s not dead.”

Immediately, Bai Qingqing’s eyes lit up, and she crouched down and placed a finger under Curtis’s nose.

Indeed, a chilly air current was emitted from within. Bai Qingqing’s tense heart suddenly relaxed, and her body turned limp, making her fall sitting on the ground. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and ultimately wasn’t able to resist sobbing out loud.

Parker licked Bai Qingqing’s face and, tasting the salty taste of tears, felt yet more intense heartache.

“Stop crying. I’ll drag him back. Curtis is so scared of heat. Surely you don’t wish for him to continue staying under the sun?”

Bai Qingqing got to her feet right away and urged, “Hurry, let’s go back now.”

Parker caressed the top of her head with an aching heart. He then circled his arms around the snake beastman as he dragged him back with difficulty, making a long trail on the sand as they moved.

On the way back, Bai Qingqing finally felt the scorching heat of the sand under her feet, so she briskly ran towards the grotto.

Although it was strenuous for Parker, he wasn’t any slower than Bai Qingqing, and the duo ended up reaching the grotto at the same time.

Having taken a short nap, Winston’s eyes were much more normal now. He merely cast a glance at Curtis and determined in a resolute tone, “Although there are no injuries on his body, he’s still unconscious. He must be poisoned.”

Bai Qingqing’s tears, which had finally stopped flowing, fell down her cheeks once more. She grabbed Winston’s hand and asked as she stared at him with teary eyes, “You’ve been poisoned before, so you should understand Curtis’s condition. Will he die?”

Winston fell silent for a moment, and his tightly creased brows didn’t relax even slightly. Yet, his words were filled with hope.

“Thankfully, Curtis is also a stripeless beast, making him of the same level as Saint Zachary, so he still has a chance of survival. If it were me or Parker, we would surely have died.”

Bai Qingqing returned to Curtis’s side once more, rubbing her face against the chilly and dry cracked skin on his head as she said, “You wanted a female baby so badly. You mustn’t die before you see the birth of our female baby.”

As she spoke, she could feel the dry and withered state of Curtis’s skin. She raised her head and looked at Parker and Curtis. “Move him to the lake and soak him in it. He’ll feel better.”

Parker and Winston were also incredibly thirsty. With one carrying the child and Bai Qingqing, while the other dragged Winston, the family of five headed to the lake.