177: Chapter 177 Building a Hot Spring, Transferring Smiles

"It's mainly because of the rain today; it washed away the scent. Otherwise, I could have tracked him down." Sa Yu pursed his thin lips, his handsome brows furrowed, and his expression was quite grim.

Knowing that a beast had been peeping outside the house, he couldn't stop worrying.

"If he shows up again, I will definitely catch him."

Sa Yu took the towel, his eyes resolute.

Next time? Next time, she would take action herself.

That beast didn't seem to want to harm her, but why did he keep appearing near her home?

It was truly baffling.

At that moment, the sound of a Little Cub crying interrupted her thoughts.

Sang Qing didn't think too much more about it; she had to take care of the Little Cub first.

As for that beast, she told all her mates at home to be on alert.

If he dared to show up again, they had to catch him.

What Sang Qing didn't know was that after the lights in her house went out, that figure appeared outside the manor again.

Cold rain washed over his face, mixed with bitter tears. He looked indescribably dejected and listless, forming a sharp contrast with his tall stature.

After resting for a few days, Sang Qing's body had fully recovered. The puffiness from her pregnancy had faded, and her figure had become perfectly proportioned and radiant.

The beasts at home were constantly trying to snuggle with her, both openly and secretly. If they hadn't been worried that she hadn't fully recovered, she likely would have received some very heavy 'affection'.

Back in Beast King City, all the beasts in the family had things to do, but Fu Ning insisted on staying home to take care of Sang Qing and the Little Cubs.

They had originally decided to take turns caring for their mate and the cubs, but Fu Ning had stubbornly claimed all the responsibility himself.

He didn't like going out to interact with other beasts and preferred to stay home.

Besides, he felt the Cubs were still small and needed his meticulous care.

His mate also needed him by her side.

—

After staying home for a few days, Sang Qing planned to go out for a stroll.

If she didn't go out now, it would be the Cold Season.

Beast King City was green all year round and never looked desolate. Even during the rainy season, green leaves and tender buds could be seen everywhere.

The streets, adorned with greenery, were as lively as ever. Since it hadn't rained yet today, there were many beastmen on the road.

Sang Qing went out alone; Fu Ning had been ruthlessly left at home to watch the Cubs.

After wandering the streets for a couple of laps, she successfully met up with Chris and Herman. The three of them discussed areas of Beast King City that still needed renovation.

Herman held Sang Qing's hand, listening intently to their conversation and occasionally lost in thought.

Sang Qing paused and suddenly looked back.

At a corner, a corner of a garment quickly flashed by.

"What's wrong?" Chris looked at Sang Qing in confusion.

"Nothing." Sang Qing shook her head and looked away.

Again.

She had felt like someone had been watching her since she stepped out today.

Given her current intuition, she was likely correct.

Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, Sang Qing continued her conversation with Chris and the others.

The morning passed, and Sang Qing returned home before the rain started.

However... staring at a pile of things in front of her, Sang Qing looked at Fu Ning and Sa Yu in wonder. "Who bought all this?"

"We didn't buy it. A shop owner from Commercial Street delivered it, saying you bought it." Sa Yu frowned slightly as he looked at the various fruits, food, and clothes on the table.

"Didn't you buy it, Qing Qing?"

Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted it.

Sang Qing shook her head with a cold expression.

"I didn't."

"Then who bought it?" Fu Ning asked, holding a cub with a look of surprise.

"..." Sang Qing's expression was strange.

"Forget it, just leave it there for now. I'll go to the shop later and ask, then I'll know who bought it." As long as it was paid for via light brain, she could check the transaction records.

Sa Yu took Sang Qing's hand and said worriedly, "Could it be that beast from before?"

He had been keeping an eye on things in Beast King City these past few days but hadn't spotted that beast yet.

"I don't know either." Sang Qing found it truly bizarre.

Who could it be?

The key was that he even knew how to use her name to get Fu Ning and the others to accept these things.

She didn't know if he was being kind or plotting something.

Sang Qing felt a faint sense of unease and thought she really needed to find that beast.

But as the days passed and the Cold Season began to show its face, that beast seemed to have vanished without a trace and never appeared again.

Snowflakes the size of rice grains drifted down. Sang Qing sat on the balcony, holding a Little Cub in her arms, eating an ice cream.

Eating ice cream in winter was certainly a thrill.

The Little Cub whimpered twice, its small hands grabbing at her.

Mmm, it smells so good, so good.

Sang Qing patted the Little Cub's bottom and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

The sound of footsteps came from the door, and she peeked out to see a group of Little Cubs running in, laughing and playing.

"Mother~"

"Mother~"

The peaceful atmosphere was broken, and Sang Qing quickly finished the ice cream in her hand in a few bites.

She couldn't let them find out, otherwise... After hiding the stick, Sang Qing gave them a gentle smile.

"You're back? Are you cold?"

Even though the Cold Season had begun, the school didn't close, and they still had to go every day.

Chi Yu and Xing Jiu had picked them up. After helping them take off their thick coats, they left them to their own devices.

The house was kept at a constant temperature, neither cold nor hot. They were healthy and could bounce around however they liked.

After hanging up the clothes, Chi Yu came to Sang Qing's side.

Taking the Little Cub from her arms, Chi Yu leaned down and kissed her.

So sweet~

Did she eat ice cream?

Chi Yu pinched her cheek. "Aren't you cold?"

Sang Qing raised an eyebrow. "Shh~"

Don't say it out loud.

It couldn't be discovered.

Chi Yu chuckled and kissed her cheek again before carrying the Little Cub to the side.

The six little ones pestered Sang Qing to recite poems for her. Each beast went once, so Sang Qing heard it six times.

"..."

"When your Fathers come back later, remember to recite them for them too." She couldn't be the only one to endure this torture.

Share the joys and the hardships, right?

"Okay~" The little ones didn't know their Mother's true thoughts and obediently nodded in agreement.

Sang Qing gave a mischievous grin, then got up to get them some fruit and snacks.

Xing Jiu washed his hands and came over, clinging to her. "Has Aqi not returned yet?"

Aqi was also living here now; after all, he wasn't an adult yet and needed someone to look after him.

"He went out with Sa Yu. Don't worry." She didn't know what was wrong with Sa Yu, taking Aqi out for a stroll even when it was snowing.

She didn't mind, though.

Xing Jiu nodded and kissed her soft cheek, his eyes sparkling as he watched the little ones running all over the floor.

By evening, all the beasts in the family were back.

Herman sat on the sofa with a look of utter despair, listening to the Little Cubs recite the poems they learned today for the fifth time.

Sa Yu pursed his lips, his body language showing his resistance.

Xuan Xiao, on the other hand, was full of smiles and listened intently.

Sang Qing snickered from the side.

As expected, smiles don't disappear; they just transfer.

Xing Jiu brought food to the table. "Dinner's ready."

Aniel, looking like he was in deep misery, quickly scrambled up from the carpet and picked up a Little Cub. "Alright, alright, let's eat first and continue later."

He hoped they would forget all about it after eating.

Nighttime.

Sang Qing was sitting in the bathroom trimming her nails.

Xing Jiu walked in with her pajamas. Looking at her silky, black, shoulder-length hair, he knelt beside her. "Qing Qing, your hair has grown long."

Taking the clippers, Xing Jiu began to help her trim them with a smile in his eyes.

Sang Qing's nails were very beautiful, rounded and full, with a faint pink glow.

Sang Qing touched her hair with her free hand. "It has grown a bit.

Do you think long hair looks better or short hair?"

After having the cubs, she was too lazy to maintain it, so she hadn't trimmed it and let it grow.

Xing Jiu looked at her with total tenderness and continued to trim her nails. "Both look good."

The corners of Sang Qing's mouth curled up as she reached out and stroked his pure white hair. "Why hasn't it changed back yet?"

She had given Xing Jiu pills to restore his blood and Qi, but two months had passed, and his hair was still white.

The new hair growing in seemed to be white as well.

Xing Jiu kissed the back of her hand. "It doesn't matter, Qing Qing. Don't you like my white hair?"

He picked up her other hand and began to trim it carefully.

Sang Qing pouted slightly. "I like it, but other beasts will definitely give you strange looks if you stay like this."

"I don't care about how they feel." Xing Jiu held one of her slender fingers and smiled dismissively.

As long as his mate liked it, it was fine.

Besides, white hair was cool and unique.

Sang Qing stretched her neck and stared at his profile for a moment.

Xing Jiu had excellent bone structure. Even when he was at his skinniest, his face didn't look ugly at all.

Now, under Sang Qing's care, he had become stronger and filled out. His features, with thick brows and large eyes, had an unusually fresh, youthful feel.

Among her mates, Xuan Xiao and Chi Yu were the most steady; Fu Ning and Herman were more unruly; Sa Yu was honest and resilient; and Aniel and Xing Jiu looked the most youthful.

"Do your toenails need trimming?" Being stared at by his mate, Xing Jiu's ears turned red, and his voice dropped.

"No need, Xuan Xiao trimmed them for me a few days ago." Sang Qing shook her head, pinched his reddened ear, and spoke with a smile.

Xing Jiu bit his lip and looked over with deep eyes. The scar between his brows was still there, but it added a touch of ruggedness to him.

"Then... then shall we take a bath?"

A shy blush appeared on his innocent face. Xing Jiu's bright eyes flickered, and the skin on his neck began to turn red.

Sang Qing was amused and leaned down to kiss the scar at the end of his eyebrow. "So proactive today?"

Before, he had been so shy that he refused to bathe with her no matter what.

What happened? He finally came around today.

Xing Jiu blushed. "Mhm~"

It was mainly because he had been too embarrassed before.

The scars on his body were too ugly. Although Qing Qing didn't mind, he felt ashamed of them himself.

But he later discovered that Qing Qing didn't care about those things at all.

So he no longer had that psychological burden.

A light fragrance lingered as steam rose, and the atmosphere in the bathroom began to turn flirtatious.

But to Xing Jiu, taking a bath was taking a bath; it had to be done seriously.

When Sang Qing came out wrapped in her pajamas, she passed by Xing Jiu and angrily stepped on his foot. The resentment coming off her could have fueled ten evil immortals.

I hate that you're such a blockhead.

Xing Jiu looked completely dazed.

The room was silent as Sang Qing lifted the covers and got into bed.

The Little Cub was now over a month old and could already sleep separately from her; Fu Ning was still taking care of her.

Propping her head up to read a book in bed, Sang Qing thought that Fu Ning was truly a qualified Father.

When it came to taking care of the Little Cub, he was truly beyond reproach.

Xing Jiu dawdled as he came out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed, looking like a poor little thing neglected by his wife.

What a waste of his large frame.

Sang Qing glanced at him and handed him the book in her hand. "Come here, read to me."

Only then did Xing Jiu show a faint smile. He happily took the book and lay down beside her.

He was too easily satisfied; all his emotions seemed to change along with Sang Qing's feelings.

A raspy voice reading a book always had a sense of having weathered many storms. Especially since Xing Jiu read slowly and sometimes had to pause, Sang Qing, half-lying in his arms and wrapped in the quilt, gradually let her gaze go blank.

I really want to sleep.

Her eyelids grew heavy.

In the warm room, only the sound of a reading voice getting softer and softer could be heard, with the occasional friction of a turning page.

Sang Qing pillowed her head on Xing Jiu's arm. Her breathing gradually became even and steady as she fell into a very deep sleep.

Xing Jiu looked down at her face with longing, carefully closed the book and placed it on the bedside table, then gently turned off the light.

—

Outside, light snow fluttered in the cold wind. Sang Qing sat leisurely at home, brewing tea around a stove, listening to the flowers and enjoying the snow.

Another Cold Season had arrived.

Taking a sip of the steaming fruit tea, Sang Qing looked out the window; the first snow was beautiful.

After getting the two Little Cubs ready, Fu Ning bounced over and sat down beside Sang Qing with a thud. "I'm thirsty, Qing Qing, feed me!"

Sang Qing smiled slightly, picked up the cup beside her, added a bit of hot water, and thoughtfully brought the cup to his lips.

"Here, here, drink up, drink up."

Fu Ning cockily tried to drink from her hand, but Sang Qing pulled the cup back and gave him a kiss on the mouth.

The tall beast was stunned. It was as if thousands of fireworks were exploding in his eyes, or like ice and snow melting into a pool of spring water.

Ahhh, naughty Qing Qing, he loved her so much.

Sang Qing waved her hand in front of him, thinking he had gone stupid.

Fortunately, Fu Ning quickly reacted and happily hugged Sang Qing, kissing her non-stop.

"Alright, alright." Her face was about to be kissed raw by him.

Sang Qing pushed against his furry head, almost unable to breathe.

Fu Ning pouted pitifully and clung to her like a piece of gum, holding her tightly, but the love in his eyes was about to overflow.

Stroking his head, Sang Qing poured him another cup of water.