CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 21 IT’S HIM WHO DIDN’T WANT IT, SHE FORCED IT ON HIM_1

"Mother..." Bei Ji seemed to realize he had caused trouble. His forked tongue flickered as he planned to change back.

However, just then, Si Yan made an effort to open her arms wide and hugged the little snake cub in front of her.

"Mother..." Bei Ji’s body and soul trembled in her embrace.

Si Yan was terribly afraid of snakes. In previous years, if they accidentally transformed into their beast forms and Si Yan saw them, they would inevitably endure a frenzied beating.

He had already braced himself for a beating and a scolding.

He had never, ever imagined Si Yan would actually embrace him in his snake form!

Si Yan swallowed hard, suppressing her deep-seated aversion to slithery creatures. She said, "Mother is very scared. But Mother needs to get used to you all."

Bei Ji’s heart thudded wildly, and he couldn’t help but burrow further into Si Yan’s embrace, which made her even stiffer.

Xi Qing was so astonished by this scene that his jaw dropped. Even Nan Mo, who had been hiding in a corner, had appeared at the back of the cave at some point, watching them.

Si Yan’s voice shook. "Bei Ji, which form do you usually prefer?"

Bei Ji’s forked tongue hissed by Si Yan’s ear. "As a cub, I prefer my snake form."

They were still cubs and preferred their beast forms. However, because transforming would invariably scare Si Yan and lead to beatings and scoldings, they did so less often.

Si Yan touched Bei Ji’s beautiful white scales, her voice trembling as she said, "If you like your beast form, then stay in it. Mother may be very scared, but... Mother will also try hard."

Hearing this, Bei Ji boldly attempted something: his white snake tail coiled around Si Yan’s waist, and his white head flickered his tongue in front of her.

Si Yan was terrified. Her face turned pale, her heart pounded unbearably fast, and she felt she could become Xu Xian the Second at any moment.

She began to frantically tell herself: Don’t be afraid, it’s my cub, my own cub!

Bei Ji’s forked tongue suddenly approached and licked her face, then he daringly planted a kiss on her.

The next moment, Si Yan’s mind went blank, and she collapsed to the ground.

She was so afraid of snakes, truly, terribly afraid.

Immediately, Bei Ji transformed into his human form and anxiously said, "Mother, Mother! Did I scare you? I’m sorry!"

Staring at the cave ceiling, Si Yan touched her easily startled heart, then rubbed her forehead and said resignedly, "Bei Ji, put on your new beast skin skirt."

Bei Ji hurriedly went to put on the beast skin skirt.

Si Yan felt once again that the road to getting along with her cubs was long and arduous.

Feeling guilty for having scared Si Yan, Bei Ji stood apologetically before her. "Mother, I’m sorry. I was wrong."

He had been too eager to get close to his mother, so he had acted boldly for a moment, not expecting to frighten Si Yan into a daze.

"...It’s okay." Si Yan stroked Bei Ji’s head to comfort him, then said to Xi Qing, "Xi Qing, come here."

Reluctantly, Xi Qing walked forward. Si Yan took out another beast skin skirt. She removed Xi Qing’s old skirt and put the new one she was holding on him.

Xi Qing was stunned, standing there. "Is this beast skin skirt... made for me?" he asked in disbelief.

Si Yan nodded. "Yes. I made marks on the beast-tooth buttons of your and Bei Ji’s skirts. Although your skirts look very similar, Bei Ji’s has a ’Bei’ character carved on it, and yours has a ’Xi’ character."

Xi Qing couldn’t read. Seeing the snow-white beast skin skirt wrapped around him, his expression grew complicated. He pursed his lips slightly. "Female, I’ve clearly been unkind to you. Why would you make a beast skin skirt for me?"

Si Yan reached out to ruffle Xi Qing’s head, but he immediately retreated, avoiding her hand. He moved to take off the beast skin skirt.

Si Yan looked at her hand hanging in the air. Never mind, she thought.

"It looks good on you. Don’t take it off; if you do, you won’t get dinner!" Si Yan said as she cleaned up the messy scene.

Xi Qing’s hand paused. He hesitantly lifted his head. It wasn’t that he wanted it; she had forced it on him. It wasn’t as if he absolutely had to have it.

"I’ll go make dinner for you all," Si Yan said.

Si Yan went off to make dinner. Xi Qing sat silently in the corner, his hands hidden beneath his new beast skin skirt, continuously stroking it.

When Si Yan had given Bei Ji the beast skin skirt, he had been so envious. After receiving his own, his heart thumped wildly in his chest, and he didn’t understand why.

The little snow-white beast skin skirt was so much prettier than his previous one, which was stiff and heavily worn. This one was soft and so comfortable.

He touched the spot on the beast tooth where the "Xi" character was carved. He didn’t know what this symbol meant, but the bad female had said this character was "Xi."

Nan Mo felt a strange stirring within him. As he turned back from the cave entrance, he noticed Dongchi, who was on the bed, had already opened his eyes. The two of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Nan Mo didn’t understand why Bei Ji had suddenly sided with Si Yan. Nor did he understand why Si Yan had made beast skin skirts for Xi Qing and Bei Ji—and by hand, no less.

Was it because he and Dongchi weren’t worthy? Was that why the bad female treated Bei Ji and Xi Qing well, but not them?

Nan Mo looked at his younger brothers’ beast skin skirts with a bit of envy.

Dongchi also opened his eyes for a moment, then quickly shut them again. He bit his lip and buried his head in the beast skins.

「In the evening」

Si Yan made a large pot of stir-fried lettuce with sliced meat, reheated the bone soup from before, and then called the cubs to eat.

Dongchi had woken up and seemed much better. Bei Ji brought him a bowl. Not wanting to be force-fed by Si Yan again, he had no choice but to eat slowly on his own.

After the meal, Bei Ji eagerly went to wash the dishes and scrub the pot, while Si Yan began to boil water and filter some for drinking.

After heating the water, she poured half a tub for a bath and looked at Xi Qing. "Xi Qing, come and take a bath."

Xi Qing walked over, feeling embarrassed under her gaze, and turned his head away.

Si Yan started to remove his beast skin skirt, and this time Xi Qing did not refuse. "I’ll wash your hair first," Si Yan said.

Suddenly, Xi Qing refused loudly and fiercely, "I won’t wash my hair!"

After his outburst, Xi Qing seemed to regret his harsh tone. He bit his lip and lowered his head. "I won’t wash my hair."

Si Yan paused for a moment, then said, "Alright."

She placed Xi Qing in the bathtub. After wetting him, she used a piece of scrap Long-eared Beast hide as a washcloth to clean him. After drying his body, she lifted him out and dressed him in the little beast skin skirt.

Xi Qing was completely flushed.

The bad female had bathed him, and he felt... he felt... shamefully happy.

He bit his lip.

Xi Qing, have you forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?

You cannot forgive the bad female!

Dressed in his new white beast skin skirt and sitting on the grass mat, Xi Qing felt an intense turmoil within him, so intense he almost wanted to transform into his snake form.

But if he transformed into his snake form, would it scare the bad female?

Xi Qing suddenly remembered how Bei Ji had transformed into his snake form and gotten close to her, and he felt a surge of jealousy.

So what if he scared her? It wouldn’t be the first time. At worst, if he terrified her, she would just give him a beating!

With that thought, Xi Qing transformed in an instant. A verdant green forest python appeared in the cave. It swiftly slithered towards Si Yan, and suddenly, a large green snake’s head appeared before her, hissing and flicking its tongue.

Instantly, Si Yan’s face turned as green as Xi Qing himself.

Good heavens...

"Xi... Xi Qing?"

The green forest python hissed arrogantly at Si Yan. "Bad female, it’s me."

Si Yan’s heart tightened.

It’s my cub, my own cub. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. If I show fear, the cubs will be heartbroken.

Si Yan stretched out her hand, wanting to touch Xi Qing’s head, but saw Xi Qing’s long green tail coil around her waist and then quickly withdraw, not allowing her to touch his head.