174: Chapter 174 Arranging Schooling and Continued Development

Xing Jiu's ears instantly turned beet red. His hands moved helplessly before finally resting on her waist.

After a brief, light kiss, Sang Qing chuckled and patted his cheek. "What are you so nervous about?"

It wasn't like they hadn't kissed before.

"I... I'm not." Xing Jiu's eyes became shy, yet they shone brightly, reflecting her not-so-petite figure.

He was just too happy.

His large, rough palms supported her waist, lingeringly stroking her clothes. "Qing Qing..."

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Xing Jiu leaned down to hug her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. "You're finally back."

He had thought she didn't want him anymore.

Three years.

He had counted the days with difficulty; every day had felt like a year.

Fortunately, she was back.

Xing Jiu held her, whimpering like a child.

A drop of warm tear slid down her collarbone and disappeared into her collar. Sang Qing patted Xing Jiu's head, momentarily at a loss for words.

The sky was covered by a thick night, and the drifting raindrops carried a hint of bleakness. The large trees in the manor rustled in the wind. Under the dim yellow streetlights, a tall figure had been standing in the rain for an unknown amount of time.

In the darkness, his lips curled slightly, revealing a flash of fanatical possessiveness.

It's good that she's back. It's good that she's finally back.

After seeing off the last guest, Sang Qing supported her waist and stood on the steps, her face stiff from smiling so much.

Xuan Xiao let her lean against him, his large hands massaging her waist as he asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

Sang Qing let out a comfortable sigh and shook her head slightly. "I'm alright. It's just been a long time since things were this lively."

Withdrawing her gaze, she turned to look at Xuan Xiao and headed back into the house.

They hadn't seen each other for too long and were overjoyed. The group of Little Cubs had also played like crazy, so the gathering didn't end until nearly midnight.

Yawning, Sang Qing rubbed her eyes and slowly waddled like a duck.

The next second, Xuan Xiao scooped her up. "Let's go, it's time to go back and rest."

Seeing the exhaustion on her face, his heart ached for her.

"I'm fine. Where are the Little Cubs?" Sang Qing wrapped her arms around his neck and glanced at the cubs who had been lying haphazardly in the living room just a moment ago; now, there wasn't a beastly shadow in sight.

"Herman, Chi Yu, and the others will take care of them. Don't worry about it." Xuan Xiao carried her and walked upstairs with steady steps.

She needed rest now.

Clutching the edge of the bathtub, Sang Qing leaned drowsily in Xuan Xiao's arms, letting him bathe her.

This was so comfortable.

She hadn't soaked in a bath for a long time and had almost forgotten what it felt like.

It was just that she couldn't soak for too long since she was pregnant; otherwise, she would have wanted to stay in a bit longer.

The sound of pitter-patter rain came from outside, and it sounded like quite a downpour.

Zhou Wanwan and the others should be home by now, right?

Sang Qing squinted her eyes as Xuan Xiao lifted her out of the bathtub.

Rainy days were perfect for sleeping.

After changing into soft, clean pajamas, Sang Qing was tucked into the blankets. Xuan Xiao leaned over to kiss her rosy cheeks several times, grinning widely.

His fragrant mate smelled so good.

He needed to quickly tidy up the bathroom and come back to sleep with her.

Outside, the wind howled and the rain poured, but inside, it was warm and peaceful.

After closing the doors and windows, Xuan Xiao glanced at his mate, who was already fast asleep, then quickly turned off the lights and got into bed.

Mmm... It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed. Sang Qing slept deeply and soundly. By the time she woke up, it was already the following afternoon.

If Chi Yu hadn't kept saying it was fine, the beasts in the house would have been driven mad with worry.

After all, no pregnant female in any household slept like this—she had slept for nearly a whole day.

They had thought Qing Qing was like before... So, when Sang Qing opened her eyes and saw a circle of heads surrounding the bed, she was nearly scared to death.

The beasts breathed a sigh of relief. After kissing her a few times, they each dispersed, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Xuan Xiao and Fu Ning stayed behind to look after her.

As he helped Sang Qing get out of bed, Fu Ning wouldn't stop kissing her. Sang Qing pushed him away in annoyance. "Stop it, I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

Could they at least let her get out of bed first?

Fu Ning pouted and gave her a few more pecks on the cheek. "I wouldn't mind Qing Qing at all."

"Get lost!"

Sang Qing shot him a glare.

After she finished washing up, Xuan Xiao brought some slightly thicker clothes and pulled her onto his lap to help her change.

Tugging at the collar on her chest, Sang Qing looked at the undergarment she was wearing and shook her head.

"No, it's a bit tight!" It felt restrictive.

This was an undergarment she had worn during her previous pregnancy. Thinking it shouldn't go to waste, she had kept it.

But looking at it now, she couldn't wear it.

Fu Ning's eyes darkened. "I'll go get you a new one."

Sang Qing nodded. "The new ones are in the second cabinet."

Once she had changed and gone downstairs, Herman quickly brought food to the table. "Qing Qing, are you hungry? Come and eat something."

Sang-Grandmaster-Qing leisurely sat down with the support of her mate's hand.

Fu Ning was even considerate enough to want to feed her by hand.

Politely declined.

She wasn't an invalid.

Sang Qing first took a sip of juice and watched the cubs playing in the yard before picking up her chopsticks.

"Did they sleep well last night?"

She wondered if the cubs were used to this place.

"Very well," Herman replied with a smile, his eyes fixed on her.

"Once they've played for a few more days, send them to school. Fu Ning, remember to bring Xiao Wu back."

Sang Qing chewed her food as she arranged their upcoming tasks.

In this house, no beast was allowed to be idle.

Little Cubs had their own things to do as well.

Chi Yu walked in holding a large bouquet of flowers, his expression a bit hesitant. "Won't it be too early, Qing Qing?"

Because they had just returned to Beast King City, none of the beasts had gone out today.

But Sang Qing clearly saw the upward curve of his lips; he looked like he couldn't wait to send the Little Cubs away.

"It's not too early; they're already three years old." The school had a nursery class, and she had already had Zhou Wanwan arrange it.

They could be companions for Fia's and Wan Wan's cubs.

Fu Ning immediately went to the side to inform his Mother.

Xiao Wu had been at the Underwater Palace for several months now; it was time to come back.

If Qing Qing hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten he had another cub.

After Chi Yu trimmed the flowers in his hand, he placed them in a vase. "Then let's do that."

He would just follow Qing Qing's arrangements.

After eating, Sang Qing planned to take the Little Cubs for a stroll in the city.

Fortunately, there were six mates; one beast supported her, while the others each carried a cub in one hand.

It was strangely comical.

Seeing this formation, Sang Qing leaned against Sa Yu and began to laugh uncontrollably.

The other beasts stared at her in confusion, afraid she might laugh so hard she'd lose her breath.

Sang Qing told them what she was thinking, and everyone ended up laughing.

Sa Yu wrapped his arm around her waist, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. "Isn't that just perfect?"

Gently wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, Sa Yu didn't even spare his own cub a second glance.

He still preferred staying with his mate.

Sang Qing nodded frantically and then led them out of the manor.

The Little Cubs looked at the novelties on the street with wide eyes, glancing all around. One moment they were pointing at this, the next at that; their eyes couldn't take it all in.

Since there were many beasts on the street and they were still small, Xuan Xiao didn't think it was good to let them walk on their own, so he could only carry them.

Once they were familiar with the streets later on, they could walk by themselves.

Looking at the prosperous and lively streets, a bright smile appeared on Sang Qing's face.

Nowadays, Beast King City not only had a Commercial Street but also a Food Street and a Farmers' Market.

Sang Qing toured each one in turn.

The changes were indeed quite significant.

Chris, holding a planning document, squeezed Fu Ning aside and plopped down in front of Sang Qing. "City Lord, I've been looking for you for ages."

Sang Qing sipped her sugar water, smiled at her, and then waved to the shop owner. "Three more bowls of sugar water."

Fu Ning stared at Chris resentfully, but the two handsome Merfolk beside her directly blocked his gaze, bearing the brunt of Fu Ning's resentment on behalf of their mate.

Fu Ning rolled his eyes at them.

Useless!

Weak as fish, yet they dared to resist his pressure.

"Are you looking for me for something?" Sang Qing wiped the corner of her mouth, pinched Fu Ning's waist, and asked Chris with a smile.

"Of course." Chris took a sip of water and pressed down on the thick stack of plans in her hand. "I went to your house to find you, but you weren't there. I wanted to discuss something with you."

"That urgent?" Sang Qing took a bite of a dried fruit handed to her by Herman, lightly raising an eyebrow as she looked at the pile of plans.

Surely not.

"It is a bit urgent.

The most important thing is that Beast King City can't accommodate any more residents.

We need to expand the residential area." Currently, there were only a few residential units left in Beast King City, but there were already several hundred beastmen queued up for residency. She didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, the City Lord was back.

In addition, the schools and martial arts halls were also overcrowded. Every day, the beastmen who wanted to enter and learn would block her door and ask her eight hundred times.

Sang Qing gave a gentle smile, soothing her emotions, "Okay, okay, leave this to me. I promise I'll have it solved for you in two days."

Chris breathed a sigh of relief, took the sugar water handed over by the clerk, quickly took a sip, and then sweetly fed a few sips to her mate.

Sang Qing chuckled, "You've worked hard."

"There's no rush today. I'll wait for you at home tomorrow, and we can discuss it slowly."

It was time to establish an office so that she could help Chris share some of the burden.

It seemed that upon returning to Beast King City, she was going to be busy again.

"Father, Little Ling wants another bowl of sugar water." Sitting in Chi Yu's arms, the Little Cub looked at her empty small bowl, quickly raised her little hand, and made a cute request.

Chi Yu touched her hair, "No more, Cub.

There will be more delicious food in a while, otherwise your stomach won't be able to fit it all."

Chi Yu was the beast with the strongest 'house-husband' vibe among all of Sang Qing's mates. He always spoke with warmth and generosity, and when he dealt with the Little Cubs at home, his voice was practically dripping with sweetness.

Sang Qing turned back and pinched her daughter's little cheek, "Father is right."

Sang Ling pouted slightly and looked at her Mother expectantly, trying to melt her with her big-eye skill.

Unfortunately, it was useless.

Seeing this, the other cubs gave up on the idea one after another.

In fact, they also wanted a bit more.

After saying goodbye to Chris, Sang Qing and the others continued to stroll down the street.

Sang Ling held the small bread in her hands, her face beaming with joy, finally believing her Father and Mother's words.

She liked this place so much; there was so much delicious food.

Baby likes it here the most.

After wandering around, Sang Qing had a good grasp of the current situation in Beast King City.

She would go home and study how to arrange the new residential area, and the port also needed to be planned.

Languidly nestled on the sofa, Sang Qing chewed on the end of her pen, looking at the somewhat rough drawings in front of her, adding things to them from time to time.

The number of people the residential area could currently accommodate was thirty thousand, which was actually far from the maximum capacity of Beast King City.

But she didn't like having too many beastmen staying in the city, as it would lead to various frictions and conflicts.

As long as the population could maintain basic operations, it was fine.

Furthermore, when the Little Cubs in Beast King City grew up and started families, if the number of beastmen was too high, the city would be overcrowded within twenty years.

However, the things she was going to arrange next required enough manpower.

She was torn.

As for the port.

She also wanted to discuss it with the Mermaid Clan Queen.

Or perhaps, establish a residential area there at the port?

Anyway, beastmen were needed there for infrastructure construction.

Looking at the forest's location on the map, Sang Qing thought of her Father and brother.

After the Little Cub was born, she planned to go back for a visit.

She hadn't seen them for a long time.

She heard that Zhi Zhi had given birth to two more cubs, and she hadn't sent any gifts over yet.

The pitter-patter of rain sounded outside again.

A cool breeze blew in, fluttering the white gauze by the window and bringing the rain mist into the room.

Sang Qing curled her toes, feeling a wave of coolness.

But it was a very comfortable kind of coolness.

She always felt very hot while carrying the cub, so the rainy season was indeed much more comfortable.

Aniel came in from outside carrying a glass of iced juice, his voice quite magnetic, "Sister, are you finished with your work?"

He placed the juice on the table and went to close the window.

"Don't close it," Sang Qing stopped him.

"Oh!" Aniel glanced at the pitch-black darkness outside the window and withdrew his hand.

Coming to the sofa, he tidied up the messy papers and took a blanket to cover Sang Qing.

Sang Qing leaned against the sofa and told him to take it away, as she felt too hot.

Although the temperature was low during the rainy season, it was still a bit hot for her.

Aniel sat down, placed her feet on his lap, and began to idly massage them for her.

Sang Qing was still thinking about things, so she didn't pay much attention to him.

Taking a deep breath of the fragrance from his sister, Aniel hugged her waist and began to whine softly, "Sister, you're ignoring me."

Sang Qing touched his soft golden curly hair, her gaze not moving away for even a second, "Shut up, I'm busy."

Please don't disturb her, otherwise how could she discuss things with Chris tomorrow?

Aniel pouted, his large hand gently stroking her belly as he brought the juice to her lips, "Then finish the juice before you continue with your work."

Sigh, it seemed his charm still wasn't great enough.

Sang Qing glanced at the juice, took it, and drank it down.

"Are the Little Cubs all asleep?"

She asked casually, handing the empty glass back to him.

Aniel nodded obediently and pecked her on the lips, "Mhm."

The Little Cubs had so much fun today that they had fallen asleep long ago.

Another cool breeze blew in, and Sang Qing put down the notes in her hand and stretched.

She was finally almost finished with her work.

Time to sleep.

Sang Qing stood up from Aniel's lap and suddenly heard him groan.

"What's wrong?"

Looking back, she saw Aniel pressing his legs with a grimace of tingling pain.

"My legs are numb," Aniel pouted and looked at her pitifully, "I need a kiss from Sister to get up."

Sang Qing felt like she was the one who was truly 'numb'.

She quickly slapped Aniel's face gently and gave him a look of disdain, "Then you can just sit here."

Aniel rubbed against her palm and huffed willfully, "No."

Sang Qing smiled and pinched his face, "Seeing this face of yours always gives me a sense of guilt, like I'm bullying an underage beast."

He really looked too young.

His fair and clean face looked like it could be pinched for water, making him seem much younger than her.

Aniel grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth, and threw a seductive wink at Sang Qing, "Don't pity me because I'm a delicate flower, Sister~"

Err... Sang Qing simply couldn't bear to watch.

After Aniel recovered, he slowly stood up and helped her to the bathroom... before going to bed.

Aniel nibbled on the corner of Sang Qing's mouth and reached out to touch her rounded belly, his eyes shining with a glimmer of hope.

He hoped that one of the cubs in his sister's belly was his, so that he could rise in status through his child and completely secure his position.

Baby, you must be capable.

Father is counting on you.

The next day, Sang Qing was still sleeping in.

Sa Yu walked to her bedside with her clothes and lingeringly kissed her awake, "Get up, Qing Qing, Chris is waiting for you."

Sang Qing grumbled twice and turned over to continue sleeping with her back to him.

Sa Yu, feeling helpless, lifted his half-awake mate out of the blankets.

Sang Qing's eyelids drooped as she let out a yawn.

Sa Yu rubbed her messy short hair and kissed her tender face, "Come back and sleep later."

If Qing Qing hadn't insisted that he must wake her up, he really wouldn't have had the heart to do it.

Sang Qing nodded dizzily, quickly changed her clothes, washed up, and went downstairs.

After eating a few bites of food, Sang Qing took Herman to the meeting room.

After being busy for two consecutive days, under Chris's suggestion, Sang Qing still decided to build another residential area next to Beast King City.

As for this residential area, it would be close to Beast King City but not connected to it; it would be an independent zone but still under the management of Beast King City.

Sang Qing felt it was feasible and began to discuss the construction with the System.

After thinking it over, Sang Qing redesigned this residential area.

The style and area of the houses in this residential area were to be much larger, making them more suitable for families with a larger number of beastmen. Similarly, the rental price was increased by one shell crystal.

As for the number of houses, Sang Qing still only settled on around twenty thousand.

She didn't want too many beastmen, as this soil could not yet support the lives of so many.

Once the port was opened and there were more food supplies and job opportunities, it would not be too late for her to continue development then.

After giving fifty thousand points, this residential area sprang up overnight.

The beastmen who had never seen such a thing called it a miracle. Upon hearing this, Sang Qing just smiled.

Good, that's exactly how it should be promoted.

The object of faith on this continent must be the beast god.

The more prestige and believers the beast god has, the more prosperous this continent can be in the future.

The beastmen and the beast god complemented each other.

After handling the matters of the residential area, Sang Qing discussed the establishment of the port with Chris.