Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Everyone moved to the open space just outside the wooden hut. Xuan Long spread a large, clean beast hide on the ground as a makeshift mat.

The group settled down comfortably in a loose circle under the blue sky, the vast plain of the Dragon Beast City stretching around them.

Su Qinglan’s eyes widened the moment she saw the dishes. Hu Yan had prepared a generous meal, a simple but mouth-watering one: fragrant braised meat chunks, stir-fried wild vegetables with garlic, tender roasted ribs and a hearty bone soup.

Nothing too complicated for their primitive setting, yet everything smelled incredibly delicious.

They all started eating. Su Qinglan took a big bite and immediately placed her hand on Hu Yan’s arm. "Hu Yan, you cook such delicious food! Really, it’s amazing."

Hu Yan’s face turned slightly red. His eyes crinkled with a pleased smile as he quickly scooped more meat and vegetables into her bowl.

"Lan Lan, eat more. Now you are eating for two... or rather, for many." He glanced meaningfully at her stomach. "I can already see there are many cubs in there, Lan Lan."

Su Qinglan laughed brightly.

The three little cubs, each with a small bowl of soft meat in front of them, were chewing quietly.

The moment they heard "many cubs," their little ears perked up sharply.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Er stopped mid-chew, their big round eyes staring straight at their mother’s belly. Even Xiao San’s small head lifted, tongue flicking in confusion.

Su Qinglan almost burst out laughing at their stunned expressions.

She reached out and gently rubbed Xiao Yi’s fluffy head, since he was closest.

"Why are you all so smart at such a young age? Do you understand what Daddy means? Mommy is carrying your little brothers and sisters inside."

The cubs’ eyes widened even more.

Xiao Yi immediately pushed his little bowl with a clatter and sprang toward her lap, his mouth still greasy from the meat, clearly intending to nudge and sniff her stomach.

Before he could smear her fresh clothes, Hu Yan swiftly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"What are you doing? Your mother just bathed, and you want to rub your dirty face all over her?"

Xiao Yi stiffened in mid-air, letting out a small growl in his baby tiger language. "Nooo... I was just checking my little brother and sister!"

Hu Yan’s expression turned amused. "Oh? Then go ahead and check. Tell your father how many cubs there are."

Su Qinglan laughed. "What are you asking a little cub for? You couldn’t even count them yourself earlier, and now you’re pinning your hopes on a tiny cub?"

Everyone chuckled.

Xiao Yi, however, was fully focused. He glared at her stomach with intense concentration, as if he could see through it with sheer willpower.

Su Qinglan didn’t have the heart to stop him or tell him to go back to eating. She simply watched with amusement.

Suddenly, Xiao Yi flared both his little front paws wide open.

Su Qinglan blinked in surprise. "What? Should I count your fingers? One... two... three..." She counted on one paw, then the other. "Six? Is it six?"

Xiao Yi shook his head vigorously. "No!"

"Then how many?" Su Qinglan asked, tilting her head.

Xiao Yi looked completely confused and tense. His paws were stiff like little rocks...he couldn’t bend individual claws or fingers properly.

How was he supposed to show the number?

His tiny face scrunched up in frustration as he tried to figure out how to explain to his mommy.

The adults tried hard not to laugh too loudly, but Rong Ye’s shoulders were already shaking. Xuan Long’s lips twitched. Even Shi Feng looked amused.

In his panic, Xiao Yi suddenly jumped straight into Hu Yan’s arms. He grabbed one of Hu Yan’s large hands and forced it open, repeatedly pointing at the five fingers with his nose and paws.

Su Qinglan’s eyes lit up with understanding. She laughed softly. "Five? Is it five, Xiao Yi?"

Xiao Yi’s eyes sparkled. "Yes! Yes!"

The entire group erupted into laughter.

"Five?" Hu Yan nearly choked on his food. "How could that be possible? The most any female has ever given birth to is three. We’ve never heard of five!"

Rong Ye grinned mischievously. "Xiao Yi, are you trying to make your mother the most sought-after female of the Beast World?"

Xuan Long crossed his arms, though his voice carried rare amusement. "Little one, even I only counted up to seven earlier... but five sounds more believable than seven."

Han Jue shook his head with a smile. "Don’t crush the little guy’s heart. He’s trying his best."

No one wanted to disappoint the earnest little tiger cub, so they played along.

Su Qinglan nodded warmly and stroked Xiao Yi’s head again. "Yes, my baby is right. There are five little siblings inside. You’re so smart!"

Xiao Yi puffed up with pride, his striped tail swishing happily.

The atmosphere turned even livelier.

Su Qinglan began feeding the cubs herself...placing soft pieces of meat into their mouths one by one. Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, and even Xiao San all clamored closer, wanting to be fed by Mommy.

Their little faces looked utterly content.

At the same time, Shi Feng quietly picked up choice pieces of meat and vegetables and fed them directly to Su Qinglan, making sure she ate well.

On the other side, An Mo was devouring the food like he hadn’t eaten in years...stuffing his mouth rapidly, cheeks bulging, completely unlike his usual calm and steady self.

Xuan Long stared at him for a long moment, clearly fighting the strong urge to kick the glutton away.

In the end, he held himself back with great effort.

’He looks like he hasn’t seen food in a lifetime...’ Xuan Long thought, sighing inwardly.

’I won’t kick someone who is starving. I have to be magnanimous today.’

An Mo noticed the glare.

Instead of stopping, he snickered loudly through a mouthful of food and continued stuffing even faster.

He had never eaten anything so delicious in his life.

Even back in the upper domain, where he had tasted all kinds of exquisite dishes, none of them compared to Hu Yan’s simple but perfectly flavored cooking.

The braised meat was tender and juicy, the soup rich and comforting...it was heaven.

He sneaked a glance at Hu Yan and seriously started thinking about kidnapping the man.

This guy had real talent! If he could cook like this every day...