Chapter 124: Chapter 124: I will carry her. You are still hurt from the fight

Then he lifted one hand and signed slowly, his wet fingers moving in front of her.

Do not go near water alone.

Lin Huahua looked at him.

His blue eyes were still full of fear.

Her heart squeezed.

She nodded. "I will not."

Hu Baiyu signed again.

Promise.

Lin Huahua lowered her head and whispered, "I promise."

Only then did the huge lion’s shoulders loosen a little.

Mu Qingyi stood and took Lin Huahua from Hu Baiyu carefully. At first Hu Baiyu did not let go. His arms tightened for one instinctive second, and his lion ears flicked forward because everything in him rejected the idea of not holding her right now. Mu Qingyi did not force him. He only waited, then said softly, "I will carry her. You are still hurt from the fight."

Hu Baiyu looked down at his own shoulder, where thin red scratches marked his skin from Mo Chenyuan’s claws, and for the first time Lin Huahua noticed them.

Her eyes widened at once. "Baiyu, you are hurt."

Hu Baiyu shook his head immediately.

Nothing.

Not important.

But Lin Huahua’s little face turned serious, and she reached out from Mu Qingyi’s arms to touch the scratch near his shoulder. "It is important."

Hu Baiyu went still.

Then his lion ears slowly perked up, because even though he was worried and angry and still full of fear, hearing her worry about him made his heart soften so much that his expression almost melted.

Feng Yiren saw that and clicked his tongue. "You were almost dragged into the river, and you are worrying about his scratch?"

Lin Huahua turned in Mu Qingyi’s arms and stuck her tongue out at him.

It happened so suddenly that Feng Yiren froze.

Lin Huahua, now safe in Mu Qingyi’s arms and wrapped in a hide, looked like a soaked little white rat dumpling with red eyes and a tired face, but she still had the nerve to mock him. Her tongue slipped out, her eyes narrowed in childish triumph, and her wet tail gave one tiny spiteful flick.

It was so cute and so irritating that Feng Yiren nearly lost his mind.

"You..." he started.

Mu Qingyi looked at him.

Hu Baiyu looked at him.

Feng Yiren shut his mouth.

Lin Huahua immediately looked even more pleased, and because she was still shaken and weak, that little pleased expression looked absurdly adorable, like a soft creature who had survived danger and still found the strength to bully a fox.

Feng Yiren’s red tail lashed behind him. "Do not think I will forget this."

Lin Huahua, still carried in Mu Qingyi’s arms, tilted her chin with great effort and said, "What can you do?"

Feng Yiren stared at her.

Truly stared.

Because he could do many things.

So many things.

He could scold her, grab her, carry her, bite her, hide her in furs, watch her until she got annoyed, and make sure she never stepped near water again without him standing between her and the river like a red-haired wall.

But right now, he could do none of it, because she was exhausted, Mu Qingyi was holding her, Hu Baiyu looked ready to bite him if he made her cry again, and he himself was only two-striped while the other two were three-striped.

The injustice.

The absolute injustice.

So Feng Yiren could only follow behind them with a dark face while Lin Huahua rested against Mu Qingyi’s chest, occasionally peeking over the deer beastman’s shoulder to make sure the fox was still mad.

He was.

Very mad.

Which made her feel a little better.

Mu Qingyi carried her steadily away from the river, his arms firm beneath her knees and back, his bare chest warm against the hide wrapped around her. Every few steps, his gaze lowered to check her face. If her breathing changed, he noticed. If she shivered, his hold adjusted. If a branch brushed too close, he turned his body so it would hit his shoulder instead of her.

Hu Baiyu walked close enough to touch her foot now and then, as if he needed to confirm she was still there. His lion ears remained tense, and his eyes kept flicking toward every sound from the river behind them. He did not trust the water now. Maybe he would never trust it again.

Feng Yiren stayed behind, but not far behind. His sharp fox eyes scanned the tree line, the stones, the reeds, the water paths, everything. His mouth was quiet, but his body was not. His ears moved constantly. His tail lashed at every strange sound. His fingers flexed as if he still wanted to grab something and tear it apart.

For a while, no one spoke.

Only the forest did.

Leaves rustled above them. Insects buzzed in the grass. Somewhere far away, a bird cried out and then went silent. The river continued behind them, smooth and shining as if it had not nearly swallowed Lin Huahua whole.

That made her curl closer into Mu Qingyi’s arms.

Mu Qingyi felt it and lowered his voice. "You are safe now."

Lin Huahua nodded against his chest.

Then, after a long moment, she whispered, "Will he come back?"

The three males all went silent again.

That silence was answer enough.

Mu Qingyi held her closer. "He will try"

Lin Huahua’s fingers tightened in the hide.

Hu Baiyu’s growl rolled out softly.

Feng Yiren finally spoke from behind, and this time his voice was low, controlled, and without teasing. "And if he does he is dead"

Lin Huahua did not answer, but she looked once more over Mu Qingyi’s shoulder toward the river.

For one second, she thought she saw a flicker of blue beneath the water far away.

Maybe it was only light.

Maybe it was only memory.

Maybe it was Mo Chenyuan watching from the dark.

Her white rat ears flattened again, and she quickly turned her face back into Mu Qingyi’s chest.

Feng Yiren saw it.

Hu Baiyu saw it.

Mu Qingyi felt it.

And from that moment on, not one of them looked at the river like it was only water anymore.