Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing thanked the leopard under the tree. “Thank you very much. If they were to run out, my heart wouldn’t be at ease today.”

Howl! Harvey looked up and replied to her. He then walked up to the back of the big tree, changed, then put on an animal skin skirt before entering the tree hole as well.

During this time, Bai Qingqing broke off a thick branch outside the tree hole and tossed it at Parker, who was smoking meat under the tree.

“Damn leopard! If the children are hurt, I won’t let you off.”

Parker pawed at the soil in an aggrieved manner. He shouldn’t have let Qingqing hear those things.

Young children needed to experience life and death, or else they wouldn’t grow stronger. It’d be worth it to nurture the strongest one in the litter even if one or two were to die.

As a child of a beast king, he had a sibling who didn’t manage to survive and became food for a wild beast.

He was worried that the children wouldn’t be strong enough in the future given how much Qingqing doted on them.

“Don’t scold Parker. We all grew up like this.” Harvey’s voice suddenly rang out in the tree hole.

Bai Qingqing recalled her furious gaze and said calmly, “I know, but I can’t bear to see my children get hurt.”

Stroking her bulging stomach, Bai Qingqing smiled softly. “They’re already stronger than normal children. Although they might not become the strongest due to my restraints, at least they are all alive.”

Howl—

The leopard cubs came up as well, looking a little unhappy. However, they still nudged against their mommy’s legs.

Bai Qingqing stroked them.

Looking at the endearing scene between mother and children, Harvey felt a little envious. It was the leopard cubs’ blessing to have a mother like her.

“How do you feel today?” Harvey asked.

Bai Qingqing said, “It’s the same as before. There isn’t much feeling.”

Harvey said, “Then, the time isn’t here yet. Just rest peacefully.”

Bai Qingqing was delighted when she heard that. Like human babies, female children here would also remain in the womb for ten months. Considering the time she had mated with Winston, it had already been over nine and a half months.

If she didn’t give birth in another half a month, then An’an wouldn’t be Winston’s. There wouldn’t be any remnants of the scorpion poison, either.

Bai Qingqing would rather give birth to Winston’s children separately than to have An’an’s body be bad.

An’an, you must hang on!

Harvey smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous. I’ve left the medicinal herbs in your tree hole. I’ll get Parker to cook them for you later.”

“En, I will,” Bai Qingqing said.

There was another snake beastman in the tree hole who had stiffened up as the weather had turned cold. Harvey constantly felt a chill on his back and didn’t dare to stay for long. He gave a few more instructions before quickly leaving.

Bai Qingqing walked over to Curtis’s side and said, smiling, “Is the reason why you aren’t hibernating because you’re waiting for An’an to be born?”

“Ssss—” Curtis flicked out his tongue and opened his mouth, letting out a huge yawn.

Cold air spurted out from his mouth, having a faint snake stench that hit Bai Qingqing’s face.

Bai Qingqing had long gotten used to this scent. She rested her forehead against Curtis’s head and rubbed against him intimately.

She felt a little bad to see how tired he was and suggested, “Why don’t you sleep first? I’ll wake you up to take a look after An’an is born.”

Curtis turned into his human form. His body shrank, and the temperature of his skin seemed to turn even lower as if ice had been frozen on it.

“I can hold on,” Curtis said with determination. “Compared to how other snake beastmen aren’t able to hibernate for the sake of their mate, this fatigue isn’t much.”

It was hard to change Curtis’s mind once he decided on something. Bai Qingqing knew this and didn’t try to further persuade him. She gave it some thought before saying, “During the meal later, I’ll get Parker to bring up a basin of heated coal. It’ll help to raise the temperature in the tree hole a little.”