Beauty and the Beasts

After more than a week, the skies finally cleared up. Outside, the weather was glorious and the air was refreshing. The chirping of insects and birds could be heard everywhere, making for a lively scene.

The restless Bai Qingqing kept staring outside the tree hole.

Finally, the figure of a leopard appeared. Bai Qingqing got to her feet and watched as the figure ran into the tree hole.

Roar~ Parker climbed up the tree hole, transformed into a human, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Mm, mm.” Bai Qingqing nodded repeatedly.

“Where to?” Curtis’s voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Bai Qingqing froze momentarily, then lowered her head and said in a small voice, “Going out to play.”

“I’ll come with you,” said Curtis.

Bai Qingqing, who had no idea how to refuse his offer, was stumped for words momentarily. Parker draped a coat over her and said, “I told Qingqing we were going out to play, just the two of us. If you wish to go, you’ll need to wait for your turn.”

She thought Parker would definitely get walloped again. But unexpectedly, Curtis actually said “Okay” after pondering for a moment.

“Ah?” Bai Qingqing couldn’t believe her ears.

Parker, however, lifted her up and efficiently went down the tree. Only then did Bai Qingqing dare to believe what she just heard.

She had a feeling Curtis seemed to have found out. Ah, she couldn’t care anymore, the important thing at hand was to visit her little snake.

Parker carried Bai Qingqing to a stone mountain near the city walls. There was a horizontal crack at the foot of the mountain, of a wide area and a height higher than that of a person. It was a good spot for hiding from the rain.

With one arm hooked around a small bamboo basket, Bai Qingqing held Parker’s hand with the other. She peered around and asked, “Where’s the little snake?”

“Don’t be anxious, I brought him in earlier. He should be hiding somewhere.” Right after he finished his sentence, Parker heard a hiss coming from the crack in the stone.

Both of them looked inside. A black and red figure of a snake was seen scurrying out speedily. Although the snake was quite sizable, his speed was as nimble as that of a small snake. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before them.

The wound on his waist had healed, and no signs of him having been injured at that spot could be seen. This made Parker really happy when he found him earlier today.

Bai Qingqing forgot how to speak momentarily and merely stared at him dazedly.

In the past, she used to fear the baby snakes. But now that the little snake had grown up, she was no longer afraid since he bore a great resemblance to Curtis. The only thing she felt was a sense of closeness and touched.

The little snake froze and perched up his upper body, staring blankly at her.

“Baby?”

Bai Qingqing only managed to find back her voice after freezing for a few seconds. She involuntarily moved towards the little snake.

The little snake, too, snapped out of his trance and let out two hisses. At the sight of the leopard beastman standing behind her, his gaze instantly turned ferocious.

Ssss!

Bai Qingqing was about to squat down to hug her little snake when, unexpectedly, he suddenly slithered away. She anxiously turned her head and looked behind, to find that the little snake was now attacking Parker as though he had gone crazy.

Ssss~

Howl howl~

A leopard and a snake entered a nervous combat mode all of a sudden, and biting and fighting sounds ensued.

The half-grown snake beastman’s attacks were ferocious and vicious, sinking his teeth into the leopard and spitting venomous substance, maniacally twisting his body as though he was high, as though he was dancing. It seemed like he was bullying the leopard counting on the fact that he wouldn’t retaliate in the presence of his mommy.

The venomous substance landed on the withered tree leaves, making “Pccht” sounds, and the tree leaves could visibly be seen corroding.

In the face of danger, Parker transformed into a leopard and blocked in front of Bai Qingqing. Not daring to attack the little snake, he was forced to jump up and down on the ground.

Parker had wanted to run out of the crack in the rock because he would easily escape from the attack then. But the little snake slyly anticipated this and deliberately blocked his way. Parker shouted for help from Bai Qingqing as he dodged the attacks.

Howl~