Chapter 158: The Disloyal Little Cub
Sangze suddenly drew near. Qiao Xixi instinctively tried to back away, but he gripped her shoulders forcefully, making her look directly into his eyes.
"I’ll help you get the sacred crystal, and you’ll stay here and keep me company."
There was no way Qiao Xixi would agree to this condition.
"How about another one?"
Sangze chuckled lightly. His large hand suddenly cupped the back of her head. Just as his lips were about to press against hers, Qiao Xixi immediately lifted Sangqi, who was in her arms, in front of her face.
Sangze got a mouthful of fur.
Sangze sneered. ’Very good.’
It was the first time Sangqi had been kissed by his own father, but he showed none of the affection he had for Qiao Xixi. He just disdainfully pawed at Sangze’s face.
"Father, don’t bully Mother!"
Sangze lifted him out of Qiao Xixi’s arms. "You little traitor."
"I am not!"
Sangze glanced sideways at Qiao Xixi. "Little female, think it over carefully before you give me your answer."
Sangze turned and slapped the Earth Escape Beast on the head. "Behave and go back for now. If I come back next time and can’t find you, I’ll tear your lair apart."
The Earth Escape Beast nodded timidly before turning and burrowing back into the ground.
"Little female, I’m heading back. Are you coming or not?"
Of course Qiao Xixi couldn’t stay here in the middle of the night. "I’m coming."
Sangze suddenly walked up to her, startling Qiao Xixi. She thought he was about to pull another trick and retreated several steps.
But to her surprise, Sangze just squatted down in front of her.
"Are you that afraid of me?"
Qiao Xixi had to admit she was wary of the capricious Sangze.
"I just want to give you a piggyback ride. Get on."
Qiao Xixi approached dubiously. She really did need Sangze to take her back to the deep pit. But just as she climbed onto his back, Sangze suddenly stood up and tossed her into the air.
Qiao Xixi cried out in alarm. The next second, she landed in a firm embrace, his uninhibited, wicked laugh ringing in her ear.
"HAHAHA, I changed my mind. I want to carry you in my arms now."
Qiao Xixi gritted her teeth. ’This damned pervert!’
After taking them back to the pit, Sangze went out to hunt again.
Sangqi said that Sangze was a very picky eater. He only ate fresh, warm meat and would never touch anything left over from the previous day.
’Hmph. Let him starve for a couple of meals, and he’ll learn to behave.’
She took out some Spiritual Spring water for the two cubs to drink, then carved some meat off last night’s Wild Bull Beast for them to eat. She herself ate dried meat and fruit from her space.
"Sangqi, can you tell Mother about yourself? How did you get injured?"
Once he was full, Sangqi licked his paws and laboriously shifted his small body to lean against Qiao Xixi. This was his favorite thing to do now.
"I don’t know. I haven’t been able to stand since I can remember. Father said that when he found me, my beast bones were already broken."
Qiao Xixi was stunned. ’Could it be that the original owner of this body abandoned him because she found out his beast bones were broken?’
Judging by the original owner’s temperament, that was definitely something she would do.
Qiao Xixi’s heart ached for him as she gently stroked his small head. "Then have you never transformed into your human form?"
"I have, but it’s even harder to walk in human form, so I spend most of my time as a beast. Mother, do you want to see my human form?"
Qiao Xixi nodded, and Qiao Lie looked over as well.
Feeling a little shy under their gazes, Sangqi said, "Okay, I’ll transform for you."
Qiao Xixi saw a black mist rise up, obscuring her vision. When it dissipated, a little boy with eyes like dots of ink appeared before her.
His eyes were round and black, exceptionally bright even in the darkness. He had a head of short, slightly curly hair, and his features were strikingly handsome. Because of his heterochromia, he looked like one of the mixed-race babies from her former world.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, Sangqi rubbed his hands together nervously. "Mother, am I... am I ugly?"
Qiao Xixi snapped back to her senses, pulled him into a hug, and planted a kiss on his little face.
"You’re handsome. Very handsome."
It was the first time he had received a kiss from his mother, and his little face flushed red. He looked up at Qiao Xixi with shining eyes, then suddenly leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek too.
Qiao Xixi didn’t forget to pick up Qiao Lie and give him a kiss on the cheek as well.
Qiao Lie, who had been maintaining a stern little expression, also had a faint blush spread across his fair face after being kissed.
"Mother, will Father and the others be able to find us?" Qiao Lie asked softly, leaning against Qiao Xixi’s chest.
"Yes, they will. They’re already on their way to the mineral vein."
This was the answer she had just gotten from Little Yao. Knowing they were safe and sound, she could relax a little.
The two cubs grew drowsy in Qiao Xixi’s arms, and even Qiao Xixi’s own eyelids were growing heavy. But she didn’t dare to sleep before Sangze returned.
Although Sangze’s nighttime personality was a bit strange, at least he hadn’t done anything to harm them so far. She had a tiny bit of trust in him.
What Qiao Xixi didn’t know was that a group of people had just arrived outside the deep pit.
Tulun looked at the deep pit and made a hand gesture to the beastmen behind him.
"Go see if he’s in there."
Upon hearing this, two beastmen from behind him crept silently to the edge of the sinkhole to look down.
By the extremely faint light, they could clearly see Qiao Xixi and the others.
Soon, they retreated back to Tulun’s side.
"Captain, Sangze isn’t here. But inside the cave, there’s a female Wandering Beast, a snake cub, and Sangze’s cub."
Tulun’s pale golden eyes narrowed. "It’s not dawn yet. In a direct confrontation, none of us are his match. Go. Grab his leopard cub first, just in case."
"Yes, sir."
Tulun and his men approached the deep pit silently. Just as they were about to climb down, Qiao Xixi’s eyes snapped open.
Qiao Lie and Sangqi also sensed the change in Qiao Xixi’s aura and woke up.
Tulun was the first to climb down into the deep pit. He was a little surprised to see them awake.
"Just a female, but your vigilance is quite high."
Qiao Xixi watched them with cold eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Tulun was a bit surprised when he sensed Qiao Lie’s 3-star beast soul, but for a large tribe, this wasn’t particularly rare. He didn’t pay any mind to a single female and a cub.
"We want him." Tulun pointed at Sangqi.
Sangqi’s eyes filled with rage. "You’ve come to hurt my father again!"
Qiao Xixi hugged Sangqi a little tighter, secretly pressing a few Bubble Fruits into his and Qiao Lie’s hands.
’Thank goodness this stuff has a high yield. I still have a lot left in my space.’
"I will never hand Sangqi over to you."
Tulun sneered, wasting no words. "Do it."
The moment those beastmen drew near, Qiao Xixi threw the Bubble Fruits.
BOOM!
The beastmen retreated quickly in surprise, and Qiao Xixi seized the opportunity to grab a vine at the edge of the sinkhole and start climbing up.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Tulun glared at them sinisterly.
"Go! Capture them all!"
"It won’t be that easy to catch me! Cubs, throw them!"
A series of Bubble Fruit explosions followed. Tulun gritted his teeth in anger. "Cut their vine!"