Chapter 75: Sharpened spare for fishing
As if she would be blown away by one fish tail.
She understood Mu Qingyi’s side because that deer beastman was simply caring by nature. He was always soft, always attentive, always acting like she might fall apart if left alone with a strong breeze. She could recognize that. But Feng Yiren? Feng Yiren sounded like he was enjoying this.
That sly fox bastard.
And the worst part was that she could see on Hu Baiyu’s face that he also did not want her in the water. The lion had not spoken, of course, but she could read it clearly in the way his lion ears angled back a little and in the way his eyes stayed fixed on her feet and the river at the same time.
So it was not only Feng Yiren now.
They were all against her.
At least that was how it felt in Lin Huahua’s little dramatic heart.
Then, because she was growing desperate, she tried a threat.
"If you do not let me try," Lin Huahua said, lifting her chin with all the seriousness in the world, "then I will hit you."
Silence.
Three tall muscular beastmen looked down at her.
And none of them flinched.
Not one.
Lin Huahua froze first from shock.
Because yesterday, if she even breathed in their direction too sharply, at least one of them tensed as if expecting trouble. But now?
Now they were staring at her with the same expression that basically said, be serious.
That hit her pride badly.
Very badly.
For one second she could only stand there thinking, Have I been too easy on these men? Why are they looking at me like I cannot do anything anymore?
Then she remembered that no, she really could not do anything anymore, because what exactly was she supposed to do? Hit them? These men were huge. They were all shirtless, muscular, broad chested beasts wearing only hide beast skirts, and every one of them looked like they could lift her with one hand and a bored expression.
So yes, they were clearly bullying her now.
All of them together.
Lin Huahua’s little face turned serious, and then she threw out the most dangerous threat she had.
"Fine," she said. "Then I will run away."
That worked.
The change on their faces was immediate.
Mu Qingyi’s calm expression tightened.
Feng Yiren’s red eyes sharpened.
And Hu Baiyu?
That lion folded so fast it was almost shameful.
He dropped right down to one knee in front of her and shook his head quickly, his whole face saying no, no, no, absolutely not. His lion ears were tense, his tail was stiff, and the panic on him was so obvious that even Lin Huahua herself blinked at the speed of it.
Feng Yiren turned to look at him and looked deeply offended. "Are you even a male?" he snapped. "She makes one silly threat and you fold like wet leaves."
Hu Baiyu ignored him completely.
He only kept his gaze on Lin Huahua.
Mu Qingyi let out another helpless sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if his life had suddenly become much more tiring. Then the nurturing deer beastman looked at Lin Huahua and finally gave in a little.
"Fine," he said. "You may try once. Only once. You catch one fish or fail once, and then you come back."
Lin Huahua’s entire face brightened instantly. "Yes, yes, yes!"
Her ears perked up, her tail started swishing happily, and the earlier misery vanished as if it had never existed at all. She looked so excited that Mu Qingyi had to remind himself for the hundredth time that his female was genuinely too easy to read now.
So they handed her the spear.
And that was how they reached this moment.
Mu Qingyi then reached in one of the baskets and pulled out a sharpened spare then handed it gently to her.
Lin Huahua’s smile quickly turned to a frown.
"I have to use this to fish?" Lin Huahua looked at the sharpened spear in her hands and then back at her males with disbelief written all over her little face, because after all the begging and all the shameless promises she had made on the way here, she truly had not expected that these beastmen would hand her one long sharp stick and act as if that explained everything.
"No, use it to eat" Feng Yiren replied.
Lin Huahua ignored him and looked at the sharpened spear in her hands again, then back at them, and then finally down at the river as if hoping the fish themselves might rise up and explain the process to her respectfully.
They did not.
Feng Yiren crossed his arms and said, "You see? I said it. Just use it. Why are you holding it like it is a question from the heavens?"
Lin Huahua’s little face turned dark at once.
This fox was truly rage-baiting her now.
"You know what," she said, lifting the spear at him in pure annoyance, "I am going to use this on you if you do not shut up."
The sight was honestly not very threatening.
She looked small already, and with the spear in her hands she only looked like a very angry little rat who had found a long stick and decided it was now a weapon of justice.
Feng Yiren, of course, was not scared.
In fact, the corners of his lips twitched.
That made Lin Huahua even angrier.
Soon after, she was allowed into the shallow part of the river, and all three males immediately followed her in different ways. Mu Qingyi stepped into the water first and checked the ground beneath the surface with careful feet to make sure there were no sharp hidden rocks or holes she could slip into. Hu Baiyu stayed close enough that if she lost balance for even one breath, he could reach her instantly. Feng Yiren, though still acting as if he did not care, kept scanning the water with sharp fox eyes for anything that might rush too close to her legs.