Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 52: Collecting Beastmen!
"I want to go with you!" Xiao Long’s grip on her leg tightened. "You’re the best Pink Skin ever! And you make good food! And you smell nice! And even though you do weird naked adult stuff with Uncle Qing, you’re still my favorite! Please please PLEASE can I come?!"
"Xiao Long—" Mo Yan started.
"PLEEEEEEASE!" The boy was doing the full-on puppy eyes now. "I’ll be good! I promise! I won’t climb on people! I won’t eat the soap! I won’t spy on anyone doing adult stuff EVER AGAIN!"
Xin Yi looked helplessly at Mo Yan. "I.....I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, I’m going back to Azure Scale territory, and then probably into a war zone when Hei Yan finds out about—" She gestured vaguely at her neck, where two marks now sat side by side.
Mo Yan studied his son for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Very well."
"WHAT?!" Xin Yi and Qing Lin said simultaneously.
"He can go." Mo Yan looked at Xin Yi with his unnerving eyes. "You saved my tribe. You saved my son. You have given us knowledge worth more than gold." His expression hardened. "But if anything happens to Xiao Long—if he gets so much as a scratch—I will hunt you across every territory in this world. I will find you. And I will make you wish you’d never fallen from your sky."
Xin Yi swallowed hard. "That’s......very clear. Thank you?"
"Don’t thank me." Mo Yan reached down and ruffled his son’s hair with surprising gentleness. "Thank him. He has been crying about you leaving.
"I was NOT crying!" Xiao Long protested, even though his eyes were still red and puffy. "Warriors don’t cry! I was just.....leaking! From my face! Because of allergies!"
[DING! (╥﹏╥)]
[That’s the WORST lie I’ve ever heard!]
[But also the CUTEST!]
[Xiao Long Affection Level: ABSOLUTELY MAXIMUM!]
Xin Yi knelt down to look Xiao Long in the eye. "Okay. You can come. But you have to listen to me, okay? And no more bursting into rooms without knocking!"
"I PROMISE!" The boy threw his arms around her neck. "Thank you thank you THANK YOU! This is the best day EVER! Well, except for the naked part. That part was bad. But everything else is AMAZING!"
Qing Lin cleared his throat. "We should leave soon. The longer we delay, the more......difficult the Panther will become."
"You mean more feral," Xin Yi muttered.
"Exactly."
[DING! (⊙_⊙)]
[NEW QUEST ALERT!]
[SURVIVE THE PANTHER’S WRATH!]
[Current Status: Marked by TWO Alphas]
[Hei Yan’s Jealousy Level: CRITICAL]
[Your Chances of Survival: LOL]
[Side Quest: Keep Xiao Long Alive]
[Mo Yan’s Threat Level: TERMINAL IF YOU FAIL]
[Good luck, Host! You’re going to need it! ☆]
~
They left within the hour.
The entire Black Water tribe gathered to see them off, showering Xin Yi with gifts, dried fish, preserved fruits, so many bars of experimental soap that her dimensional storage was getting crowded.
Su Lan hugged her. "Come back and teach us more, okay?"
"I will. I promise."
Chao Yue pressed a small carved snake figurine into her hands. "For luck. And to remember us."
"I could never forget you guys."
Mo Yan stood at the edge of the village, Xiao Long already perched on Qing Lin’s shoulders, chattering excitedly about everything he was going to see.
"Pink Skin! Pink Skin! Are there plenty frogs in panther territory? Can I catch one? Can I keep it? Can I name it Yen Shi?"
"Why Yen Shi?"
"I DON’T KNOW! It sounds like a good frog name!"
Qing Lin caught Xin Yi’s eye and mouthed: Help me.
She just grinned.
Mo Yan stepped forward one last time. "Qing Lin."
"Yes?"
The massive Serpent King pulled his friend into a brief, rough embrace. "Protect them both. And when the Panther tries to kill you—"
"When?"
"—run for your life."
"Very helpful."
The Snake King chuckled. "Safe travels, brother."
~
They were halfway to Azure Scale territory when Xiao Long finally asked the question.
"Pink Skin?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do you have TWO bite marks on your neck?"
Xin Yi tripped over absolutely nothing.
Qing Lin caught her, his hand steady on her elbow, but she could feel him trying not to laugh.
"That’s.....that’s hard to explain, Xiao Long."
"Is it because you did adult stuff with TWO people?" The boy’s voice was far too innocent. "Papa said some females have multiple mates. Is that what you’re doing?"
"I—it’s not—I didn’t mean to—"
"Because if you’re collecting mates, you should get a Tiger next! Or a Lion!" Xiao Long continued cheerfully. "Then you would have one of everything! Like a set! Papa collects shells, you could collect pretty beast-men!"
[DING! (≧▽≦)]
[COLLECTING PRETTY BEAST-MEN!]
[That’s the BEST description of your life I’ve ever heard!]
[Xiao Long is a GENIUS! ☆]
"I am NOT collecting—" Xin Yi caught Qing Lin’s amused expression. "Stop looking at me like that!"
"Like what?"
"Like you’re enjoying this!"
"I am enjoying this." He leaned down, his breath cool against her ear. "I like the way your face goes red when you are flustered."
"I hate you."
"No you don’t."
"Uncle Qing?" Xiao Long piped up from where he was now walking between them, holding both their hands.
"Yes?"
"When we get to your territory, can we make the purple soap again? The one I made?"
"The one that smelled like fermented fruit and sadness?"
"That’s not fair! It was a MASTERPIECE!"
Qing Lin snickered at the younger boy. "Of course. We’ll make an entire batch."
"YES!" The boy pumped his fist in the air. Then he looked up at Xin Yi with his huge black eyes. "And Pink Skin? When the angry cat tries to eat Uncle Qing, can I help fight him off? I’ve been practicing my battle hiss!"
He demonstrated.
It sounded like a kitten sneezing.
"Very intimidating," Xin Yi said, trying not to laugh. "But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
"It will definitely come to that," Qing Lin said calmly. "The Panther is going to try to rip my throat out the moment he smells me on you."
"THAT’S NOT HELPFUL!"
"I’m simply being realistic."
[DING! (◕‿◕)]
[Distance to Azure Scale Territory: 4 hours]
[Distance to Inevitable Confrontation with Jealous Panther: 4 hours, 1 minute]
[Xiao Long’s Battle Hiss Effectiveness: 0%]
[Qing Lin’s Smugness Level: MAXIMUM]
[Xin Yi’s Anxiety: ALSO MAXIMUM]
[This is going to be AMAZING! ☆]
~
[DING! ☆]
[Chapter COMPLETE!]
[Hello dear reader! Greetings from the system!]
[Which Beastman are you rooting for]
[System would like to know....to cough cough steer host in the right direction (≧▽≦)]
[Host’s Chances of Surviving the Next Chapter......We’ll see! (◕‿◕) Thank you for reading!]
