Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing agreed in the end. Carrying the bamboo basket she completed two days ago, she led the two males out of the house.

After a rain, the air felt especially refreshing and so clean that a single speck of dust couldn’t be seen. It made breathing a pleasure.

“So many lobsters!”

Bai Qingqing excitedly ran a few steps. The moist ground felt very slippery. She accidentally slipped and gasped when someone held her from behind.

Cortis let go of her and indicated for her to continue playing.

“Thanks,” Bai Qingqing said with a smile. She fixed the straps of the bamboo basket. Because of the bump earlier, the straps now felt so tight it hurt her shoulders. Cocking her head, she saw that her shoulders were skinned from the abrasion with the unpolished bamboo straps.

Ouch. If she had known earlier, she would have weaved a basket she could hold with her hands, like Eve’s.

“Qingqing, I’ll carry it for you.” Parker ran over barefoot.

Leopard beastmen could move around nimbly in their human forms. When they arched their feet, thick and sharp nails would extend from their toes. They wouldn’t slip when they walked, but with every step they took, they would leave behind five holes.

Parker ran over, leaving his unique imprints on the way.

Bai Qingqing removed the pack basket and tossed it to him. When Parker saw the injury on her shoulder, he lowered his head and licked the wound, his heart aching for her. “Your skin is too tender. Don’t touch such stuff in the future.”

Tender… Although she was very happy to be complimented on her good skin. But, that made her feel like Mary Sue!¹

Bai Qingqing struggled to control her mouth muscles. Don’t laugh, please don’t laugh out loud.

Parker’s hot breath fell evenly upon her neck, causing her to squirm and walk away from them.

Parker licked the corner of his lips in relish and said, “Why are you bringing this out? You have no babies to carry these in.”

Just then, a lobster with a deep-red shell came swaggering towards her. The sharp-eyed Bai Qingqing quickly reached out to grab it by the shell. Waving its giant pincer, the lobster turned around to pinch her.

Nearly pinched by the lobster, the startled Bai Qingqing yelped. “Parker Parker, hurry up and bring me the pack basket.”

Parker held out the pack basket as he was told. Standing at a distance one to two meters away, Bai Qingqing directly threw the lobsters in.

Parker widened his eyes. “How can you…”

“How can you what?” Bai Qingqing relaxed and asked strangely.

“This is used to carry cubs!” Parker shouted. He stared at Bai Qingqing with a reprimanding look. “How can you use something that’s used to carry cubs to contain lobsters?”

Out of motherly love, females possessed the talent to weave such tools. They would, right before their babies were born, weave all sorts of things to contain babies, to make it convenient for them to take care of their young ones.

The females would even compare among themselves whose weaving technique was better, with the shape and materials being the basis of their comparisons.

Parker had always thought that Bai Qingqing was making this in preparation for her future babies, so he didn’t think much of it when she weaved one with bamboo. He also thought that she was simply bringing it out today to show off to the other females.

Unexpectedly, she was using it to contain lobsters.

All of a sudden, Parker felt funny looking at the lobsters in the basket. It felt to him like these were Qingqing’s babies from another species, and that she had a lobster as a mate…

Bai Qingqing froze in surprise. She turned around to look at Cortis and discovered that his expression was also a little odd. Only then did she realize that she had done something stupid again.

Bai Qingqing twirled her two index fingers together and asked, “Is there a problem? I just felt that this would be more convenient. It’s lighter than something made out of stone, and I’m able to carry it with me.”

“Of course there’s a problem. A huge problem. This is used to carry our babies!” Parker said, bewildered.