Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Behind her, the temperature in the room dropped to subzero levels.

The eyes of the five beastmen... Hu Yan, Han Jue, Rong Ye, Xuan Long, and even the quiet Shi Feng were literally digging into An Mo’s back. Their auras flared up, heavy and suffocating with a sudden, protective fury.

"An Mo..." Xuan Long’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble that made the wooden wall vibrate. "Why is my female bowing to you? What ’favors’ did you perform for her while she was asleep?"

An Mo shuddered violently, pressing his back against the wall. "Xuan Long, believe me! I didn’t do anything!" he wailed, his eyes darting frantically toward the exit.

"Female, please! Stand up! Don’t shorten my life! If you keep bowing, these five are going to turn me into mincemeat before sunset!"

He looked at her with an almost teary expression, his hands raised in a defensive posture. "Don’t bow at me! I don’t know what you’re thanking me for, but please, just stop! I want to live to see tomorrow!"

Su Qinglan straightened up, blinking in confusion. It was then that Xuyu’s voice echoed in her mind, sounding a bit tired.

"Host... you’re wasting your breath. An Mo doesn’t remember a single thing. The past life you saw was in another timeline, a version of reality that was erased when you transmigrated. In this timeline, he hasn’t saved you from an alley or blessed your soul yet. To him, you’re just suddenly acting very, very strange."

Su Qinglan felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. She looked at the terrified man in the corner and then at her five husbands, who looked ready to start a war.

She realized that to them, her behavior looked like she was deeply indebted to An Mo for something secret.

Did she just create more trouble for this pitiful man? Ahh! She really didn’t mean to.

"I... I just meant thank you for the medicine!" she blurted out, trying to fix the situation. "He gave me... very good medicine while I was asleep! Right, An Mo?"

An Mo nodded so hard his neck cracked.

"Yes... yes, Lan Lan doesn’t have to bow to me... it is just a simple medicine."

The heavy tension in the room snapped, though the husbands still looked suspicious.

Han Jue narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "That must have been some incredible medicine for a bow like that. We’ll be sure to ’repay’ you later."

An Mo let out a whimper, knowing that "repay" usually meant a very long, very painful sparring session. Ahh! He was already tired.

Su Qinglan bit her lip, suppressing a laugh despite the lingering grief in her heart.

An Mo had reached his limit. He didn’t want to stay in this room for another second. He wasn’t sure what Su Qinglan would do next... would she bow again? Would she try to hug him?

Every time she moved, the five men in the room looked like they were ready to skin him alive.

An Mo was good at fighting, sure, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. Especially not with Xuan Long.

In the past, An Mo had actually cared about the grumpy snake and wouldn’t dream of hitting him too hard because of their long friendship.

But this damned Xuan Long? He didn’t think for a single second before mercilessly beating An Mo whenever he got upset.

"I’m leaving! I’m out!" An Mo yelled.

Before anyone could stop him, he reached down and scooped up all three cubs... Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, and Xiao San... into a bundle in his arms. He bolted toward the door, his robes fluttering behind him like a panicked bird.

"Only you, my babies, will fill the hole in my chest!" An Mo muttered as he ran. "I need hugs! Give uncle some good hugs! Your uncle is very depressed right now... you have to compensate for the danger your mother just caused me!"

He squeezed the three of them tightly against his chest, seeking comfort from the only creatures in the house who couldn’t legally kill him yet.

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Er: "..."

Xiao San: "..."

The cubs were not ready to give him any affection at all. They struggled in his grip, their little tails twitching with annoyance.

They didn’t want to be squeezed by a lunatic; they wanted to cuddle with their mother! Who would like an uncle who squeezed half the breath out of them every time he got emotional?

Xiao San, the little snake, tried to wiggle out of An Mo’s arms, while the two tiger cubs let out tiny, disgruntled huffs. But An Mo didn’t care. He vanished outside the house, still whispering about his "broken heart" and "near death experience."

Su Qinglan stood by the bed, staring at the empty doorway where An Mo had just disappeared. She was completely speechless.

She remembered the man from her vision... the one from the "other" timeline.

In that memory, An Mo had been a literal messenger from the heavens. He had been glowing with a divine, golden light, his voice calm and wise as he gave her the hope and the will to live. He had been a figure of pure grace and power.

But now? Looking at this man who had just kidnapped her children while crying like a dramatic teenager?

Is this really the same person? she thought, her eyebrow twitching. The past version was a god... this version is a disaster. Why does he look so immature now?

She turned back to her husbands, who were still scowling at the door. "Is he... always like that?" she asked softly.

Xuan Long snorted, crossing his arms. "He’s an idiot. A powerful idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. Don’t worry, Lanlan. If he squeezes the cubs too hard, I’ll go drag him back by his ears."

Su Qinglan sighed, a small smile finally breaking through her confusion.

The heavens’ messenger might have been a beautiful memory, but this "immature" An Mo was the one who was actually here, making her life loud and ridiculous.

It was a different kind of blessing, but she realized she liked this one much better.