Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing poured water into the bowl with much difficulty as she said, “He’s gone.”

Parker wrinkled his nose with a look of disdain on his face.

“What a stink.”

Although Bai Qingqing couldn’t detect the smell, after hearing Parker say this, she felt her breathing grow unsteady.

Not many girls were unafraid of insects, especially since the scorpion king was a giant one at that.

At the thought of the fact that he even smelled, Bai Qingqing felt her breathing lighten.

“Sit tight. I’ll help you wipe your body.”

Bai Qingqing dabbed a clean piece of animal skin with water and walked to his side.

Parker sat properly as he was told, shaking his tail in a good mood. This made An’an, lying right beside him, to get fur in her mouth and sneeze.

Bai Qingqing held down his tail with one hand and berated him softly. “Behave yourself.”

In response, Parker tensed his tail into a rod and placed it behind him as he was told.

Bai Qingqing first wiped the scratch claws on his waist. She only saw the injuries on his body and hadn’t noticed that her own wrist had turned terribly swollen and red.

Parker immediately grabbed Bai Qingqing’s hand, making the latter gasp in pain.

“How did you get injured?” As Parker spoke, he detected the scent of the scorpion beastman on her wrist, and his breathing visibly turned heavier. He raised Bai Qingqing’s wrist to his lips and gently licked it.

Bai Qingqing merely smiled and continued tending to his wound with the other hand, saying nonchalantly, “It’s nothing. He merely pulled me by the hand and didn’t do anything to me.”

“Hmph!” Parker was disgruntled. Still worried, he checked Bai Qingqing from head to toe. Only when he saw no other wounds did he barely manage to hold his anger back.

Bai Qingqing simply allowed him to check. After that, she said with a smile, “Regardless, I’m still very grateful to the scorpion king. I’ve fed An’an the antidote. He said the concentration of the antidote is very low, so it might take more than one dose. But at least An’an will be in a much more relaxed state when the next full moon arrives.”

Parker said, “That’s true.”

…

Mitchell leisurely walked along the tunnel, his good mood evidently displayed in his light footsteps, his entire being radiating with pink bubbles.

From behind came a set of heavy and urgent footsteps, making Mitchell freeze in place and immediately hide.

Alas, it was too late. Feeling a painful sensation from his shoulders, he felt an immense strength pin him onto the ground.

Muir retracted his fists and squatted next to Mitchell, his low and raspy voice sounding as though he came from Hell.

“I told you not to touch her!”

Since the situation was already so bad that to make it worse made no real difference, Mitchell laid on the ground nonchalantly and said, “If you have the guts, you should have stopped me there and then, cowardly beastman who doesn’t dare to show your face!”

Muir clenched his fists, the muscles on his arms—which were longer than the apes’—puffing up like balloons.

“Believe it or not, if not for the fact that I still need your antidote, I might just kill you now.”

“I believe you.” Mitchell nodded and said nonchalantly, “But you’re aware that I’m not afraid of death.”

Muir narrowed his jet-black eagle eyes, a sharp glint radiating from within as he abruptly raised his fist and pounded down with all his strength.

Bam!

An explosive sound rang, stirring up plenty of dust.

After the dust settled, one could see a deep dent in the ground where his fist had landed. The depth of that dent was beyond the elbow of that arm.

Despite the layer of dust and soil that now covered his face, Mitchell’s countenance remained unchanged. The only thing that betrayed his disconcerted emotions was his chest, which was now heaving up and down.

Muir cast one final warning glance at him, then got to his feet and left with a gust of cold wind.

After Muir walked a distance away, the relieved Mitchell let out a breath of murky air.

Seemed like it wouldn’t be an easy task to get this female.