228: Chapter 228 Now!

"I heard that if you get too carried away during mating, you'll turn into your Beast Form!"

Potato's words seemed to echo in her ears.

So... after all these years, was this the first time Yan Qing had let himself go?

She had thought that just having his lower body turn into a snake shape was what "turning into Beast Form" meant.

Tang Ruan suddenly felt like she had wronged him.

It was all her fault for having such a low level before, forcing him to hold back all this time...

Yan Qing had gone to the Beast King Palace early in the morning to meet with the city lords.

Tang Ruan tidied up a bit and went to check on Guo Guo.

Just as she reached the door of the room where Guo Guo was staying, she collided with the Female Beastman Witch Doctor responsible for taking care of her.

"Divine Maiden!"

When the Female Beastman Witch Doctor saw that it was her, she fell to her knees with a thud.

Tang Ruan instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"What happened?"

"Guo Guo is gone!"

"When did this happen?"

"Just now! She woke up last night, and I had been playing with her. Toward dawn, Guo Guo fell asleep. I just—"

Tang Ruan didn't have time to listen to her continue. She immediately gathered the beastmen of the Beast King Palace to search for her.

Soon, they found Guo Guo in the kitchen.

The Beast King Palace kitchen had a large stone pot with a diameter of over a meter.

The little one didn't know how she had managed to sneak in here. At that moment, she was lying leisurely inside that stone pot.

The beastman responsible for cooking was kneeling on the ground, shivering as he held the extinguished firewood.

"Divine Maiden! I really don't know what happened! I had just added salt and was preparing to boil the meat, and when I turned around—"

"It's not your fault!"

Hearing Tang Ruan's voice, Guo Guo, who had been paddling in the pot, turned her head. Her little face showed the embarrassment of being caught red-handed.

She blinked at Tang Ruan and began paddling even faster, as if if she didn't "paddle" now, she wouldn't have another chance.

The Old Witch Doctor followed them over. "Perhaps the water in the hot spring isn't salty enough; this pot has salt, so Guo Guo prefers it here!" His tone sounded somewhat excited, filled with longing for unknown medical fields.

Tang Ruan glared at him. The Old Witch Doctor: ...

Then, she glared at Guo Guo. Guo Guo: ...

Tang Ruan walked toward her. She was truly angry!

If the beastman responsible for cooking had returned a moment later, they all would have been drinking fish soup for lunch today!

Tang Ruan grabbed Guo Guo by the back of her collar with one hand and lifted her out.

The little one cowered, hunching her shoulders, opening her big, innocent eyes and blinking at Tang Ruan, attempting to "get by on cuteness"...

"Do you know you were wrong?" Tang Ruan put on a stern face. Guo Guo: Failed to get by on cuteness.

Guo Guo nodded slightly, stretched out her short little arms, and made "ah ah" coquettish sounds, wanting Tang Ruan to hold her.

She had truly already come to see her as her mother.

Tang Ruan took a deep breath. "No hugging! I'm angry." Guo Guo: ...

Guo Guo's lips trembled, and her purple eyes shimmered with tears, but her little gaze darted around, revealing her mischievous nature.

Tang Ruan had finally realized that while this Cub looked well-behaved, she was actually very good at reading people.

"Crying won't help!" Tang Ruan said angrily. If she didn't make her realize the seriousness of the matter, she felt—she would dare to do it again next time!

Tang Ruan had already placed Guo Guo on the ground. Guo Guo still opened her arms toward Tang Ruan, waiting for her to hold her.

Tang Ruan turned around coolly and walked outside. Guo Guo hurriedly chased after her, making "ah ah" sounds, wanting to hold her back.

Tang Ruan was actually already wavering, but she had to insist on being "angry" for a while longer. Suddenly— "Mama!"

Tang Ruan's steps faltered. She stood there in disbelief, thinking she had misheard.

"Ma..." Guo Guo tried again, but as soon as she said one word, her throat seemed to get stuck. This time she really cried in frustration.

The moment Tang Ruan turned around, she saw her running toward her while crying, grabbing onto her leg. "Mama!"

This time it was even clearer than before. "Yes!" Tang Ruan replied, finally picking her up.

All the beastmen who had followed them out saw this scene. The Old Witch Doctor was moved to tears.

"It's so touching! It is love that has healed this Cub."

Tang Ruan held Guo Guo. "Call me that twenty more times, and I'll forgive you." Guo Guo: ... Such a greedy Mama.

---

The city lords' meeting had just ended. Tang Ruan excitedly found Yan Qing to share the news that Guo Guo could call her Mama. But Yan Qing didn't seem very happy.

Tang Ruan proudly bounced Guo Guo in her arms. "Call Papa!" Guo Guo: ...

Guo Guo struggled to open her mouth for a long time, but simply couldn't squeeze out a single word. Yan Qing: "Hand her over to the Witch Doctor!"

The Female Beastman Witch Doctor who had been waiting on the side heard the Beast King's voice and immediately stepped forward to take Guo Guo, but was nimbly avoided by Tang Ruan.

She leaned into Yan Qing's ear and asked mysteriously: "Tell me! Are you jealous of Guo Guo?"

"Yes."

Tang Ruan: ... She had just wanted to tease him, she didn't expect... he actually admitted it. Jealous of a Cub? Yan Qing wasn't that kind of beastman, was he?

Yan Qing raised his hand, signaling the other beastmen in the Beast King Palace to withdraw. Only the two of them remained.

Tang Ruan: "Yan Qing, you must be joking with me!"

Yan Qing pulled her to his side: "No, you finally came to live in Central City, but your attention is entirely on her, so I am jealous." He gently stroked her face.

Tang Ruan was stunned. Yan Qing was actually really jealous... Suddenly, Yan Qing smiled. "So, from now on, you need to spend more time with me, okay?"

Tang Ruan nodded immediately. "Okay."

Seeing that she really believed him, Yan Qing reached out and pulled both her and Guo Guo into his embrace. His words just now were half-true and half-false. It was true that he wanted Tang Ruan to spend more time with him. However, as a Level 10 beastman, he had an instinctive perception of danger. He always felt that this Cub would bring something bad to her.

---

Late at night. Yan Qing was suddenly called away by She Mu, saying there was something very important. Tang Ruan was woken up, and after Yan Qing left, she couldn't fall back asleep no matter what.

She walked into the corridor to look at the moon. Suddenly, she heard the sound of faint footsteps downstairs. She looked down. She saw a small figure running toward the kitchen. Guo Guo?

How did this little one sneak out again! Had the Female Beastman Witch Doctor not noticed? Tang Ruan immediately chased after her.

Guo Guo stopped at the kitchen door for a moment, then quickly turned a corner. Tang Ruan: ? This is—did she suddenly remember that she wasn't allowed to?

Tang Ruan wanted to see what she was actually trying to do, so she followed from a distance. She saw the little one trotting all the way. Finally, she stopped by the hot spring.

Before Tang Ruan could call out to her, she jumped in with a "splash". Tang Ruan: ...

The Old Witch Doctor had told her that on Merfolk Return Day, it was an instinct for the Jiao Clan to return to the sea. If they didn't stay in the water, they would feel uncomfortable all over. Anyway, Guo Guo couldn't drown. Tang Ruan simply sat on the bank and waited for her.

Time passed minute by minute. About ten minutes had passed, and Guo Guo still hadn't come out of the water. Tang Ruan began to worry.

Although she knew that the Jiao Clan could breathe underwater, this hot spring connected to Dongdong Valley, which meant there was an underground river. What if Guo Guo accidentally entered the underground river and couldn't get out? It was pitch black in the underground river; would she be scared?

Thinking this, Tang Ruan also jumped into the hot spring and began to grope around. "Guo Guo— Guo Guo—"

Suddenly, she saw ripples appearing in the area in front of her that was most brightly lit by the moonlight. Tang Ruan feigned anger: "Guo Guo! You—"

... Under the moonlight, the ripples gradually disappeared, as if no one had ever been there...

---

Merfolk Palace. Tang Ruan spat out a few mouthfuls of seawater and woke up from her coma.

A dagger was immediately shoved into her hand. Jiao Luo's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Help me draw blood! Right now! If you don't do it! I will kill your Cub!"