Chapter 128 - 126: Little Fish Brother’s Adorable Bid for Affection

On the way to the Eastern Coast, Hu Qian stressed repeatedly, "Ying Li, that female cultivates. Plus, she’s an avian Beastman. You’re one too, so if she flies, it’s on you to catch her!"

Ying Li replied, "I know. You’ve said that five times on this trip!"

"She’s incredibly beautiful," Hu Qian said. "That’s why so many Beast Kings chose to contract with her. The Eagle King protects her, and the Snake King, the Fox King, and even the East Sea Mermaid Prince, Lanxing, are all her Beast Husbands!"

Bao He interjected, "That’s impossible. What Beast King isn’t proud? No matter how beautiful she is, she couldn’t have contracted every Beast King on the Eastern Continent."

Hu Qian insisted, "It’s true. To put it simply, she and her group are a real handful. There are only three of us Eight-striped Beast Kings going. We can’t be careless! I learned that the hard way last time. That’s how I got beaten into this state."

"Understood," Ying Li said. "We definitely won’t be careless."

Hu Qian’s words had made both Ying Li and Bao He a little curious.

’Just how beautiful is this female, anyway?’

’How beautiful and how much trouble could she possibly be?’

...

Chi Xiao was full of energy today. Eager to impress Nan Zishi, he took all the Beast Skin Skirts they owned down to the river to wash them.

The large Chi Xiao was pounding the Beast Skin Skirts with a big wooden mallet when he accidentally smashed a hole in one. He glanced at it. It was Xuan Jin’s.

He tossed it aside.

Han Feng flew over from the distance, landing beside Chi Xiao.

"Brother."

"Han Feng, what are you doing here?"

Han Feng crouched down beside Chi Xiao. Seeing him washing the Beast Skin Skirts, he started to help. The two tall, strapping Eagle Beastmen squatted by the river, carelessly pounding away at the skins.

That is, until Chi Xiao picked up a tiny Beast Skin Skirt.

He looked it over. ’It’s not one of the cubs’... It’s the Little Female Master’s!’

His eyes lit up. He reined in his strength and began to scrub it gently.

Han Feng lowered his voice. "Brother, there’s news from the rebel army."

After Chi Xiao finished washing Nan Zishi’s Beast Skin Skirt, he set it carefully aside and patted it dry. "What is it?"

"The rebel army’s leader is in the Eastern Desert. It seems he’s been captured by the Beastmen in the mine area. The rebels are trying to arrange a rescue."

Chi Xiao was speechless.

’The Little Female Master just mentioned the Eastern Desert, and now the rebel army is planning to send people there too?’

...

The diligent Hu Bai used the various seasonings Nan Zishi had left him to begin researching and discovering new culinary delights.

His female master ate both meat and vegetables, so he studied how to prepare both.

He could render fat from the meat, and the resulting oil was delicious for stir-frying or deep-frying vegetables.

Especially with yellow ground fruits—potatoes—Hu Bai had already come up with many different ways to cook them.

Nan Zishi had Xuan Jin smooth out a large wooden plank for her. She hung it from a tree branch, picked up a piece of charcoal, and began her lesson for the cubs.

The cubs gathered around her obediently, watching her write. As Nan Zishi wrote, they repeated after her.

"First, I’ll teach you your numbers. This is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9."

"Zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine."

Fox Qi recited them clearly.

Little Fu babbled along.

She Yang’er recited earnestly with a series of hisses.

Although Huo Jun couldn’t see, he was still able to learn and review along with his younger siblings.

The atmosphere in their little family was harmonious and happy.

After dinner, the sky began to grow dark.

Nan Zishi paced in front of the cave, pondering how to get to the Eastern Desert.

She seemed to recall mentioning it before while chatting with her Beast Husbands. The grave crime she was accused of—killing a female—was severe enough to get her sent to the mines in the Eastern Desert Mine Area.

’Maybe I can just play along. I’ll wait for Ten Thousand Beasts City to send someone to arrest me, and that’ll be my direct ticket into the mine area.’

A tall, handsome figure robed in white appeared before her.

Hu Bai, who had been busy all day, was massaging his sore arms and legs as he walked toward his cave.

A pang of sympathy and guilt struck Nan Zishi.

Hu Bai’s constitution was already weak, yet he was always bustling about, taking care of her. She realized it had been many days since she’d last given him a check-up.

Nan Zishi pulled a stethoscope from her storage space and followed him into his cave.

Xuan Jin froze mid-step.

’The little female chose that flirtatious fox again tonight?’

’What is it about that damn fox that makes her choose him time and time again?’

Xuan Jin glanced back, only to see Lanxing following her as well.

’Oh?’

’Two males tonight?’

’Then I’m not going. I prefer to have her all to myself. I’m not into that kind of thing.’

Inside the cave, the beautiful, charming White Fox male smiled, his eyes full of allure. "Female Master, what brings you here?"

Nan Zishi felt a jolt from the beautiful fox Beastman’s charm. "I haven’t given you a check-up in a few days," she said. "I’m here to examine you."

The girl placed the earpieces of the stethoscope in her ears. Holding the chestpiece in her small hand, she slipped it under his Beast Skin Skirt to listen to his lungs.

As she pressed the cool metal of the stethoscope against his chest, a blush slowly crept across Hu Bai’s face.

’He was no longer as innocent as when they first met.’

’Now, his mind easily wandered to lewd places.’

’She’s so close... I really want to kiss her.’

Lanxing heard their voices and walked in, only to see Nan Zishi’s hand seemingly touching Hu Bai’s chest. His face instantly flushed red.

’Sister is touching Brother Hu Bai’s chest with that thing.’

’It looks... really strange. The kind of strange that makes you blush and your heart race.’

"Lanxing?"

’All the males in the family want to be close to her. He wants to, too.’

Lanxing felt awkward but also curious. "Sister," he asked, "what can you hear with that?"

Nan Zishi smiled. "Lots of things. You can even hear a heartbeat."

’"A heartbeat?" If she can even hear that, does that mean you have no secrets at all?’

’Could she even hear what you’re thinking?’

’Oh god...’

’Brother Hu Bai is being so good, letting Sister listen to his sounds.’

’If it were him... he thinks he’d be looking forward to having Sister listen to his body’s sounds, too.’

’If Sister listened to his body’s sounds, maybe all she’d hear is "I like you so, so much."’

Lanxing’s face instantly turned beet red.

Lanxing wondered if he should leave.

Nan Zishi finally noticed the strange atmosphere. "What are you two thinking about?" she asked. "I’m just giving Hu Bai a check-up!"

Lanxing was a little confused. ’A check-up? I didn’t misunderstand that part.’

"Is my heart beating fast?" the blushing White Fox asked in a low voice, even though he knew perfectly well that it was.

Nan Zishi counted. "Pretty fast. 142 beats per minute."

The two Male Beastmen paused. For one, they didn’t understand what this "minute" unit of measurement was.

For another, while neither of them was familiar with such large numbers, they knew 142 was a big one.

Nan Zishi said, "Don’t worry. As I recall, a fox’s heart rate is around 100 beats per minute. So 140... while a little fast, is still within the normal range. You’re not sick."

Hu Bai’s face grew even redder, and his heart beat faster still.

Perhaps because he was feeling emotional, he started to cough again.

Nan Zishi quickly pulled the stethoscope away and patted his back. "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine..."

Nan Zishi said, "Your lungs sound normal, and your eyes, tongue, and complexion all look good. Your health has improved a lot, but you’ve been overworking yourself these last few days. You need to rest properly. You can delegate your chores to others; you don’t need to do everything yourself."

Hu Bai gazed at her and smiled indulgently. "I know."

’Even so,’ Hu Bai thought, ’I still have to be the one to handle Nan Zishi’s washing, her meals, and her clothes.’

’It’s not that I can’t delegate it, but if I do, no one else is as meticulous as I am. They won’t do it right.’

’In the end, I just can’t rest easy unless I do it myself.’

Nan Zishi walked out of Hu Bai’s cave with Lanxing trailing closely behind her.

’Lanxing, Lanxing, remember what your brothers-in-law taught you. You have to take the initiative.’

"Lanxing, is something wrong?"

Lanxing mustered his courage. "Sister, would you... like to listen to the sounds inside my body, too?"

His face grew even redder after he said it.

Nan Zishi was both surprised and amused. She sized him up curiously.

The young Mermaid Beastman was flustered for a moment, but he quickly composed himself, his face still flushed. "Listen... to the sounds of my body."

’And listen... to the voice of my heart.’

"Alright." Nan Zishi took Lanxing’s hand and led him to a large tree, where they sat down.

Lanxing sat with one leg bent and the other stretched out. His legs were long and slender. He hugged his knee, turning his head to look at her.

’He had always known the sea was beautiful, with its pretty coral and schools of colorful fish.’

’But now, he felt the land was beautiful, too.’

’The brilliant starry sky was beautiful, and so was the sea beneath it.’

Nan Zishi teased him, "You want me to use my stethoscope to listen to the sounds of your body?"

’My dear Lanxing looks perfectly healthy. He’s not sick or in pain.’

’Asking me to listen with my stethoscope... this probably isn’t just about listening to sounds.’

’My dear Lanxing is sending some adorable signals.’

Lanxing nodded. "Mhm."

Nan Zishi took out the stethoscope. She gently slipped it beneath his beautiful, light purple Jue Sha garment and pressed it against his chest.

Feeling the cool touch of the stethoscope and the soft brush of Nan Zishi’s hand, the 300-year-old young merman’s face instantly flushed crimson.

’The lessons his brothers-in-law had taught him about the ways of males and females exploded like fireworks in his mind.’

’It’s over. Did Sister hear the impure thoughts in his heart?’

’I’m done for, I’m done for, I’m done for!’