Beauty and the Beasts

“The peacock tribe’s territory is just ahead. You’ll hide inside, while I lure them away outside. I’ll come back to fetch you later.”

“No way!” Bai Qingqing was so startled that she straightened her back. “That’s too dangerous for you!”

The corners of Muir’s lips arched up in a faint smile as he gazed at Bai Qingqing passionately. “You’re worried about me?”

Bai Qingqing said angrily, “How can I not be worried? They will kill you.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not so easy for them to catch me when I’m moving by myself.” Muir’s brows were deeply furrowed. What he worried about was that Curtis would snatch away Qingqing in this period. If that were to happen, he wouldn’t have an opportunity.

With one hand over her tummy that had a visible arc, in consideration of her child, she finally agreed to Muir’s arrangement.

“Help me disguise myself. I don’t wish to attract the attention of males again.” Bai Qingqing’s tone was resolute.

A hint of pain flickered across the depths of Muir’s eyes.

Don’t wish to attract the attention of males again… Does Qingqing find me bothersome? But he didn’t fall for her because of her beauty—his life belonged to her.

“Okay,” Muir replied in his deep voice.

There were quite a lot of vines on the trees, as well as purple balls the size of peas. When one pressed upon it with his fingernails, a purple liquid would seep from it. This was a fruit that young eagles were rather fond of eating. Oftentimes, their beaks would be stained with that color; it had excellent dying properties.

Muir smudged the left side of Bai Qingqing’s face with the liquid from the purple ball, as well as a small patch at the corner of her right eye. When the wind blew upon it, the liquid dried up and didn’t at all feel sticky, leaving behind two purple birthmarks.

Bai Qingqing looked at her reflection in Muir’s eyes and felt rather satisfied with her current appearance.

It was comparable to her freckled face back then. Even better, this time it didn’t appear protruding and felt so natural that she couldn’t even feel anything.

Muir said, “Bird beastmen don’t have a keen sense of smell, so they won’t notice your disguise. But you need to remember that the liquid of the purple ball will melt when it comes into contact with water. Never ever touch water… also, try your best not to sweat.”

“Got it.” Bai Qingqing nodded her head seriously.

…

The peacock tribe’s village was in a forest of banyan trees. Though it looked like a forest from afar, it was only upon a closer look that one realized there was a tree.

This tree occupied an area of more than a thousand square meters. It was tall and big, and there were many layers of tree crowns. Many hair-like roots hung from the tree branches that grew horizontally.

Some of the roots were thin like noodles, whereas others were thick like small trees. The longer ones were stuck into the ground, making this tree appear as dense as an entire forest.

“Is this where the peacock tribe lives?” Bai Qingqing had just finished speaking when she heard a loud and clear screech.

“Gah—”

That sounded like a beautified caw of a crow. It sounded a little raspy, yet clear like spring water. There was an ethereal quality to it as it resounded throughout the quiet forest.

Bai Qingqing looked up and saw a green peacock spreading open his wings as he slowly descended. His large, yet glamorous tail opened up into a fan behind him, decorated with colorful and vibrant eyespots.

Bai Qingqing felt like she had entered a gigantic oil painting, and the peacock before her was the main lead of this very painting.

Thud! The peacock’s feet landed on the ground. Unlike the light movement of an eagle beastman, it made a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft.

Subsequently, it transformed into a naked youth with green hair.

The youth had two animal stripes, and he looked abnormally handsome. His glossy dark-green hair came down to his hips, making his glamor appear restrained. His facial features were exquisite and perfect—especially those single-eyelid eyes of his that arched up at the edges. His green eyelashes were ridiculously long, nearly curled up to the lower end of his brows. He was seductively charming, yet he didn’t exude a feminine vibe.

This was an extreme beauty. However, right now Bai Qingqing wasn’t in the mood to appreciate that.