Free Web NovelChapter 324: Chapter 324: Eager Initiative
Qiao Xixi’s words had barely scattered on the wind before sharp claws slit the throats of those beastmen.
Every beastman present witnessed the scene, and it left a deep impression on them.
"For a tribe to grow and prosper, it must have unity. Scourges like them, who persecute the females of our tribe, deserve to die. In the future, if any of you encounter such beastmen, you can come and tell me. I will never give them the opportunity to harm you."
"The contaminated water source has been taken care of, so there’s no need to worry. That’s all for today. You may all return home."
The beastmen departed one by one.
Qiao Yi held the tiger cub, a trail of older cubs behind him. They stood at the gate of the inner city, watching Qiao Xixi from afar on the high platform.
"Wow, Mother was so cool just now!" Qiao Qiao gazed in Qiao Xixi’s direction, her eyes sparkling.
Xiya also looked surprised. "I never knew Mother had Water Control. That’s an ability only high-ranking beast souls of the Mermaid Clan possess."
"Langqi, aren’t you happy to see Mother so powerful?"
Qiao Yi snapped back to reality and lowered his gaze to Qiao Lie, who was looking up at him.
His stern expression softened. He stroked the boy’s head, his voice growing a little heavy.
"Qiao Lie, what do you think is your mother’s greatest hope for you?"
Qiao Lie furrowed his little brow and said without hesitation, "Mother must want me to become a powerful male, just like Father."
Qiao Yi smiled at him. "That’s not it."
Qiao Lie was confused. ’This is a world that worships strength. Becoming powerful is what every beastman strives for, so why is that wrong?’
"What your mother cares about most isn’t how powerful you become. It’s that you live a safe and happy life."
The cubs were all stunned.
"You’ll understand when you’re older."
’Of course, any parent would be happy to have powerful children.’
’But if that power becomes a threat to her... then he would rather she live her entire life as an ordinary female.’
On the high platform, Qiao Xixi watched Gu Man’s mouth open and close, but her mind grew hazy. Her body temperature was soaring.
Jin Ling had just finished dealing with the situation when he turned and noticed something was wrong with Qiao Xixi.
He strode over and placed a hand on her waist to support her.
The searing heat unique to a male washed over her, and Qiao Xixi trembled at the contact.
She lifted her head to look at Jin Ling.
Jin Ling froze for a moment when he met her pair of eager, glistening blue eyes.
"Jin Ling..." A soft, sweet voice spilled from her lips.
Jin Ling’s tiger-like eyes darkened, and he immediately swept her into his arms.
"We’re going back now." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Gu Man assumed Qiao Xixi was just tired and didn’t stop them. "Xixi, you should go get some rest. I’ll find you tomorrow."
"Mm."
Jin Ling leaped off the high platform with Qiao Xixi in his arms, running swiftly toward the inner city.
Seeing Jin Ling running toward them with Qiao Xixi, Qiao Yi hurried forward to ask what was wrong.
Qiao Xixi didn’t want Qiao Yi and the cubs to worry. She peeked her head out from Jin Ling’s embrace and whispered, "I’m fine, just a little sleepy. I want to go home and rest. Langqi, why don’t you take the cubs to play for a while?"
Qiao Yi saw that Qiao Xixi’s face was flushed and her eyes were hazy. He didn’t fully understand, but he had a good idea of what was happening. He simply shot a look at Jin Ling.
"Don’t hurt Xixi."
Jin Ling was taken aback, not expecting Qiao Yi to say something like that. He nodded and strode away.
The tiger cub, seeing his father and mother run off without even a glance his way, grew angry. He squirmed on Qiao Yi’s shoulder, babbling furiously as if letting out a string of fierce curses.
"There, there, An’an. How about we go play by the water?"
The moment he heard "play by the water," the tiger cub stopped fussing. He obediently settled on Qiao Yi’s shoulder and pointed toward the water’s edge.
Jin Ling carried Qiao Xixi into their stone house and shut the door behind them.
Qiao Xixi wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. A heavy mist clouded her eyes, and her hands began to rove restlessly over him.
Jin Ling could hardly bear her forwardness, but he clung to his last shred of reason and gently grasped her hands.
"Xixi, what’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Annoyed at being stopped, Qiao Xixi wrenched her hands free. Not wanting to waste another word, she pulled him close and kissed him.
Jin Ling’s last bit of reason vanished. He took the lead, surrendering himself to her bit by bit.
Qiao Xixi’s body was not just uncomfortably hot; it was suddenly filled with an aching emptiness, a desperate need to be filled.
When Jin Ling’s gentle, lingering kisses landed on her lips, she was far from satisfied. She gripped his shoulders and deepened the kiss herself.
Her assertiveness bordered on desperation, something Jin Ling had never seen from her before.
She clung to him. As waves of passion overflowed, invisible golden threads flowed from every corner of Jin Ling’s body, pouring into hers.
Qiao Xixi closed her eyes, reveling in the pleasant sensation of being filled and the ultimate satisfaction it brought.
An unknown amount of time passed. The golden lines at the corners of Jin Ling’s eyes flared with an unusual brilliance before gradually dimming. Only then did the two of them, locked in a tight embrace, finally begin to catch their breath.
This time, Qiao Xixi leaned against his chest and closed her eyes, exhausted.
Jin Ling was utterly spent as well. The moment he heard her even breathing, he too sank into a deep sleep.
The black bear male, who had been sent from the tribe to Wing Beast City to gather Regeneration Flowers, panted with exhaustion as he gazed at the city towering high on the mountain peak.
He pressed onward. As he started up the mountain path toward Wing Beast City, he spotted the Regeneration Flowers growing on the mountainside in the distance.
He rushed forward eagerly. With a sweep of his large hand, he plucked all the Regeneration Flowers in sight and stuffed them into the beast-hide bag he carried.
He failed to notice two figures standing on a nearby tree, watching him.
Huang Ying shot the black bear male an impatient look, her frustration simmering with no outlet.
"Hasn’t any news come back from the Black Panther Tribe yet?"
Fenglin replied in a low voice, "Not yet. But rest assured, Mistress, the Blue Fruit Powder has been added to their water source. The females in the tribe must have been affected by now."
Huang Ying let out a cold laugh. "Indeed. Once they find out their precious females and cubs have been harmed because of Qiao Xixi... tell me, do you think they’ll make her suffer a fate worse than death?"
’The thought of what Qiao Xixi was about to face was incredibly satisfying!’
’She deserved it for ruining my plans time and time again! Because of her, I haven’t accomplished a single thing!’
Huang Ying’s gaze shifted to the black bear male, who was preparing to leave with his big bag of Regeneration Flowers. She sneered, "Since when can this stupid bear just take things from my Wing Clan? Go. Stop him. He won’t be taking a single flower, not a single blade of grass, from our territory."
Fenglin grunted in acknowledgment, leaping down from the tree to block the black bear male’s path.
"Stop. Leave the Wing Clan’s property where you found it."
The black bear male just wanted to return to the Black Panther Tribe and complete his mission; he had no desire for conflict.
"There are plenty of these flowers on the mountain. I only took a few. They’re needed to save a life, so please, just let me go."
"Save a life?" Fenglin scoffed. "Since when can the Regeneration Flower be used to save a life? That’s news to me."
