Beauty and the Beasts

Winston’s face was tanned and it exuded fatigue, but his eyes were bright and spirited. At the sight of Bai Qingqing, his eyes brightened by yet another notch.

“You’re back.” Bai Qingqing greeted him with joy. “Are you hungry? Have you eaten today?”

Winston stared fixedly at her, his eyes brimming with words, yet he couldn’t utter out a single sound.

His heart that had been drifting unsteadily outside seemed to finally settle down now that it had found a home.

Having experienced separation, Winston only then realized that he was now someone with a spouse, for he really couldn’t stay apart from her.

But even if it made him feel terrible, it also brought him a sense of bliss. This was proof of their becoming spouses.

“Winston?” Bai Qingqing stood on tiptoe and waved a hand before him. She asked with a smile, “Are you dreaming?”

Winston’s head shook, and he snapped back to reality. The minute he lowered his head, he saw Bai Qingqing’s puffed up stomach, and his stern expression became gentler.

“It’s become a little bigger,” said Winston.

Bai Qingqing caressed her stomach. “I’ve been eating well lately.”

She felt hot seeing Winston exuding hot air. If there wasn’t Curtis cooling down the temperature on the second story, she would long have shifted to the top story with Parker.

“Let’s go live up there. It’s so hot down here. No wind enters the tree hole at night.”

Winston gazed at the tree hole and thought to himself: Once the stone castle is constructed, Qingqing will be able to live in greater comfort. I’ve to speed up the progress.

Curtis lifted her and straightened his body, rising story by story, as though they were riding an elevator.

Each story in the tree hole was about five meters high. When they reached the fifth story, they were 25 meters above ground, which was equivalent to the eighth or ninth story in the modern ages.

It was windier at a higher altitude, so rustling sounds could be heard at the entrance as wind entered. But only a few wisps of wind could enter, so it only felt more cooling when one sat at the entrance.

Winston rolled up the grass nest using animal skin and carried it up, then laid it right underneath the tree hole entrance.

“If you still feel hot, sleep on the top of the tree tonight.”

Bai Qingqing nodded her head. “Mm.”

Curtis stuck out his head and looked downwards. He said to her, “I’m going out for a while and will be back in the afternoon. I’ll be responsible for today’s food.”

Bai Qingqing guessed that Curtis was going to find a safe spot to shed his skin, so she said, “Okay.”

He edged closer to her face and touched her lips with his tongue, before transforming into a snake and slithering out.

Now, only Bai Qingqing and Winston were left in the tree hole. No idea why, but clearly, she had become spouses with Winston for a few months now, but she still couldn’t seem to let go of her inhibitions in front of him. It would be apt to call her interaction with him “polite.”

Sitting next to the tree hole, Bai Qingqing twirled her hair with a finger. Clad in an animal skin skirt, Winston also sat down on the grass, maintaining a safe distance of half a meter away from her.

That side of Bai Qingqing’s body leaning against Winston’s felt numbed.

She tried to act naturally and randomly started a topic. “Err, what did you find out when you followed those wolf beastmen? And how did these tiger beastmen come here?”

Winston said, “Indeed, it’s the ape king. He found a wolf tribe of a decent scale and moved in. He also has the help of several four-striped mermen.”

“Several four-striped mermen?” Bai Qingqing wasn’t surprised by the first revelation, but she was horrified to hear of four-striped mermen.

“Isn’t there only one golden four-striped merman?” Bai Qingqing smacked her head. “I remember it now. The tribal heads of the merfolk tribe spend their time on land for most of the year. Towards outsiders, they would say they’re searching for information regarding the land and collecting crystals. But in fact, they were looking for Jean. This was why I’d never seen those highly-skilled mermen before.”