Free Web NovelChapter 354: Chapter 354: I’m Not a Monster
In the dreamscape, Qiao Xixi watched the storm clouds, which swirled as if stirred by a great wind, gradually deepening in color.
Suddenly, her pupils contracted. She reached out a hand in shock.
A few scattered raindrops fell into her palm.
"It’s rain. It’s really raining."
Yun Ji stared, momentarily stunned by Qiao Xixi’s delighted expression. His own form grew even fainter.
"Yes. You’ve learned to create something from nothing, but your technique is still a bit clumsy. You need more practice."
"No problem."
Inside the stone house, Xiya watched her younger siblings file in before turning to lock the wooden door.
"Mother and An’an are still sleeping. Let’s be quiet."
Hearing the noise, the little tiger cub’s two fuzzy ears twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Awoo~?"
Qiao Qiao heard the stirring and walked over. Mimicking Qiao Xixi, she gently patted the tiger cub’s back. "Did we wake you, An’an? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
The tiger cub groggily climbed to her feet, smacking her lips. "Hungry. Hungry."
"An’an’s hungry. I’ll go get her some food right now."
With that, Qiao Ang opened the door and went out.
’He was too embarrassed to admit that he hadn’t eaten his fill earlier. He planned to grab a snack for himself while getting food for An’an.’
Qiao Ang sprinted downstairs. Just as he was about to cross the courtyard to the kitchen, a dark shadow flashed across the sky.
He looked up in surprise to see several Golden Eagle Beasts circling above the inner city.
"Golden Eagle Beasts! What are they doing flying into the tribe’s territory? This is bad. I have to tell Mother right away."
Qiao Ang spun around, about to run back upstairs.
But the Golden Eagle Beasts in the sky had already spotted him.
A beastman perched on one of the Golden Eagle Beasts scoffed, "Grab that cub."
The Golden Eagle Beast dove. Just as it was about to land, the black wolf beastman riding it leaped down, blocking Qiao Ang’s path.
"Where do you think you’re going, little cub!"
Qiao Ang started, his ears flattening against his head.
"Stupid beastman! You want to catch me? Dream on!"
He quickly shifted into his beast form and, instead of running into the courtyard, he turned and dashed toward the other side of the corridor.
One after another, more male beastmen leaped from the Golden Eagle Beasts to chase after Qiao Ang.
Hearing the commotion downstairs, Sangqi and the others opened the door to see Qiao Ang on the verge of being surrounded by the beastmen.
"Oh no, Qiao Ang is in danger!"
Sangqi spun around, about to head downstairs.
"Wait, brother! They’re all adult beastmen. We can’t necessarily beat them in a direct fight."
Qiao Lie quickly grabbed Sangqi, who was about to go downstairs.
"Then what do we do? They’re going to catch Qiao Ang!"
Qiao Lie’s small face grew even colder. "I have a plan. We’ll split up."
Several little heads huddled together, whispering furiously.
The little tiger cub curiously squeezed in between her brothers and sisters, staring up at them with wide, inquisitive eyes.
"Here’s what we’ll do. We can use everything we prepared before. Sisters, you stay in the room and protect Mother. I’ll go to the first floor. Brother, you go to the second floor, where we have our stuff ready."
The cubs nodded in understanding.
"Okay, we know what to do."
"Awoo, awoo!!" ’What about An’an! What do I do!’
Qiao Lie picked up the little tiger cub and placed her back on the bed. "Be good, An’an. Sleep with Mother a little longer. Big brother will bring you some yummy treats in a bit."
’Yummy treats!’
The little tiger cub obediently rolled into Qiao Xixi’s arms and pretended to close her eyes.
Their plan set, Sangqi and Qiao Lie opened the door and went out.
Qiao Qiao’s and Xiya’s young faces were filled with worry and fear of the unknown danger.
Downstairs, Qiao Ang was cornered by four beastmen.
"Be a good little cub and do as you’re told, and we won’t kill you."
Qiao Ang clenched his fists, his face flushed red. Just as the beastmen thought he was about to fight back, he suddenly raised his hands with a look of perfect obedience.
"Okay, I surrender. You promised you wouldn’t kill me if I surrendered willingly, okay?"
The beastmen froze for a second, then burst out laughing.
Just as they thought. How could a tender little cub possibly have the guts to fight them?
"Of course. Take him away for now."
One of the beastmen grabbed Qiao Ang’s arm. Qiao Ang was indeed obedient, not struggling at all as he was led away.
"Go search the house. There must be others."
"Right."
Qiao Ang watched the remaining beastmen. As they turned to leave, a small flame suddenly shot from his palm toward the eyes of the beastman holding him.
"AHH!"
Startled, the beastman let go and stumbled backward.
Qiao Ang quickly shifted into his beast form, leaped onto the beastman’s back, and sank his teeth into his shoulder.
"ARGH! You damn fox cub, you dare bite me!"
This bite, infused with the power of his beast soul, ripped a chunk of flesh from the beastman’s shoulder, sending him into a blind rage.
"You’re courting death!"
By the time the beastman’s hand swiped at him, Qiao Ang had already leaped off.
"Qiao Ang, over here!"
Qiao Ang looked up and saw that Qiao Lie had come downstairs.
The other beastmen, alerted by the commotion, turned and chased after the two cubs.
"Qiao Lie, what are you doing out here? Get back upstairs and protect Mother! Get her out of here!"
"First, we stop them."
"Okay."
"They’re over there! Get them!"
Seeing the beastmen charging, Qiao Lie immediately knocked over a wooden bucket. When the pursuers reached the spot, their feet suddenly slipped, and they fell hard to the ground.
"Qiao Ang, now!"
Qiao Lie shifted into his beast form and slithered rapidly toward one of the fallen beastmen, his crimson snake body quickly coiling around the man’s neck.
"AHH!"
The beastman tried to grab at Qiao Lie, but Qiao Ang lunged forward and bit his wrist.
"ARGH!"
The beastman’s agonizing screams echoed throughout the courtyard.
"Stinking cubs, you dare trick us."
Seeing this, the remaining beastmen didn’t dare to advance rashly. Instead, they tried to go upstairs from another direction.
One beastman leaped to the second floor, but as soon as he set foot on the stone steps, he felt something falling from above.
He dodged quickly, but as he did, the ground beneath his feet vanished. The stone step had suddenly disappeared, and he fell, completely unprepared.
"AHH!"
Sangqi ran out from the shadows. He looked at the beastman impaled on sharp bone knives and snorted.
But soon, another pursuer—a Black Bear beastman—came after him.
The Black Bear beastman saw his companion’s gruesome death, roared in fury, and leaped over the trap, pouncing toward Sangqi.
As Sangqi turned, his body transformed into a thick black mist that swirled around the Black Bear beastman.
The infuriated Black Bear beastman swiped at the mist, but his hands grasped nothing again and again.
"What the hell kind of monster are you?"
The black mist paused, then pulsed with even greater intensity as an angry voice emerged from it: "I’m not a monster!"
The dense black mist shot into the Black Bear beastman’s nose, ears, and mouth. The beastman’s eyes widened in shock. When the mist dissipated, he fell to the ground, stiff as a board.
The black mist gradually coalesced back into Sangqi’s form.
At that moment, the whites of his eyes had completely vanished, leaving them entirely deep black.
