Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

The darkness that had swallowed Su Qinglan’s consciousness began to crack like old glass.

She felt the ground beneath her soul shaking, and she knew the journey through the past was finally over.

The images of the lonely cave, the silent years with Han Jue, and the cold streets where she had lived as a beggar dissolved into gray dust.

As she fell through the void, a familiar, sobbing voice echoed in her ears.

"Host? Host, are you alright?" Xuyu asked, his voice thick with tears. "Why didn’t you quit? I told you to stop! I told you it was too much!"

Su Qinglan felt herself floating in a soft, white space. She gave a very tired, gentle smile. "Xuyu... I’m okay. I’m just happy you are always with me."

The system let out a loud sob. "Host, you didn’t have to see those things! Those are nothing but bad memories. They are rot and poison! I wanted to protect you from that darkness."

Su Qinglan shook her head slowly. "Even if they are bad memories, Xuyu, they are a part of my life. If I had never known the truth, I would have lived in a shadow forever. I would have always wondered why my heart felt so empty. I don’t regret seeing it. Knowledge is better than a beautiful lie."

Xuyu went quiet for a moment, his sniffling slowing down. "The memories end here, Host. But there is something you need to know about why your journey was so difficult. Do you remember the zombie world where you lived before?"

Su Qinglan’s eyes widened slightly. "Yes. I remember the hunger and the constant running."

"You were supposed to contract me back then," Xuyu explained, his tone becoming serious.

"I was assigned to you from the very beginning. But in that world, there was a female who had the power to snatch the powers of others. She stole me from you. She took your chance to travel to this world properly. That is why your soul was delayed for so long."

Su Qinglan let out a soft breath. "So that’s why I was never able to return? You were supposed to be my guide, but someone took you away?"

"Yes," Xuyu replied. "But you were given a second chance because of An Mo. He made sure that no one could distort your destiny again. He blessed the fragment of your soul that stayed here, and he paved the way for your other half to return from the modern world. This time, no one was strong enough to stop the merge. That is why I was finally able to attach to you successfully. We were always bound to return to this world together."

Su Qinglan felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. "Thank you, Xuyu. Thank you for finding me again."

"Don’t thank me yet, Host!" Xuyu’s voice suddenly turned urgent. "You need to wake up right now! Your husbands are probably going insane. Do you know how long you’ve been out? You’ve been in a deep sleep for an entire week!"

"A week?" Su Qinglan gasped.

"Yes! And you aren’t in the grassland anymore," Xuyu added.

"They carried you all the way to Dragon Beast City. They’ve been taking turns watching you, and they haven’t slept a wink. If you don’t wake up soon, I think Hu Yan might actually tear the house apart."

Su Qinglan’s heart clenched painfully. She remembered the faces of the men in the tragic timeline...the way they had died one by one trying to protect her.

She realized once again how much they had sacrificed for her in this life. She didn’t want them to suffer for even one more second.

"I’m coming back," she whispered. "I’m coming back to them."

In the real world, inside a small wodden house in Dragon Beast City, the air was heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs and the thick, suffocating aura of worried beastmen.

Hu Yan was sitting by the bed; his hair was messy and his eyes bloodshot. He looked like he hadn’t moved in days.

He watched as a single, crystal-clear tear rolled down Su Qinglan’s pale cheek. His heart lurched. He reached out a trembling finger and gently wiped the tear away.

"Why are you crying again in your sleep, Lan Lan?" he whispered, his voice cracking with exhaustion.

"Please... just open your eyes. I don’t care if you hate your mother. If you don’t like her, we can always go somewhere else...just come back to me."

Beside him, Xuan Long stood like a silent statue, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.

Han Jue and Rong Ye were near the door, their expressions grim and hollow.

Shi Feng and An Mo also sat silently on the floor with the cubs in their arms; everyone had been excited to come to the Dragon Beast City, but now it has long died.

Suddenly, Su Qinglan’s eyelashes fluttered.

The room went deathly silent. Hu Yan froze, his finger still resting on her cheek.

Slowly, with a small groan of effort, Su Qinglan opened her eyes.

The hazy gold of the room’s light flooded in, and the first thing she saw was the face of the man who had lost his mind with grief in another life.

"Hu... Yan..." she breathed, her voice tiny and raspy.

Hu Yan’s eyes widened in total shock. For a second, he couldn’t even move. Then, a ragged sob escaped his throat as he lunged forward, catching her hand and pressing it against his chest.

"Lan Lan! You’re awake! You’re finally awake!" he cried out.

The other men rushed to the bedside instantly. Xuan Long’s cold face broke into a look of pure relief, and Han Jue let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a week.

Su Qinglan looked at all of them...her living, breathing husbands. In this life, everyone is with her, and this was the greatest blessing for her.

The nightmare was over. She was finally whole, and she was finally home beside her loved ones.