âI will.â
Curtis planted a kiss on Bai Qingqingâs forehead, then steeled his heart before letting go of her and turning to leave.
Parker followed him out and took a look, but ran back quickly and turned into his human form, hugging Bai Qingqing.
âItâs good that we can be alone together.â
Bai Qingqingâs tense heart after so many days relaxed, and she poked Parkerâs forehead to push him away, feeling amused. She then helplessly said, âYes, quickly go and get some rest. Iâll call you if I hear anything.â
âEn, Iâll sleep at the entrance.â
Parker licked Bai Qingqingâs face before turning back into a leopard. He had his butt facing her and his head facing the turn, then lay down to sleep.
After feeding Anâan, Bai Qingqing felt that her identity as a female was like a bomb. She felt uneasy, so she grabbed a handful of sand and carefully rubbed it onto her face and neck. She didnât miss out on any spot of exposed skin.
...
Not far away from Bai Qingqingâs residence, a few beastmen hid in a corner and murmured amongst themselves.
âTheyâve settled down here?â The four-striped lion beastman asked.
âItâs true!â The beastmen who had been sent out said with certainty.
The four-striped lion beastman then asked, âThereâs definitely something strange about these two males. Did you guys hear why they are staying?â
âTheyâre very wary. We didnât dare to get too close.â
The four-striped beastman waved his hand. âForget it, I wasnât expecting you guys to be of much help.â
âBut that snake beastman has left. Thereâs only the leopard beastman left in the cave. Shall we...â
The lion beastman snorted and said, âIâm afraid of that snake beastman who doesnât have any animal stripes? Do I have to avoid him if I want to deal with the leopard beastman? Those who can enter through the quicksand are all beastmen with high statuses in Flame City. The Scorpion King set a regulation that we arenât allowed to attack them. Otherwise, weâll die.â
These pitiful beastmen didnât know the secret of the quicksand, nor could they sense that Flame City was moving. All of them thought that the quicksand had flowed in from a certain spot.
âYes, yes, yes.â The beastman minion quickly replied, âI was too arrogant. Itâs because your strength far surpasses that of the leopard beastman.â
The lion beastman looked at the cave and squinted his eyes. âI only want to see if they have brought a female with them. Weâll go and take a look after the leopard beastman comes out.â
...
Although Winston was very famous underground, the world here was too big, filled with passageways everywhere. It was like a maze. Winston also moved around elusively. Curtis asked a few beastmen but didnât manage to find leads on Winston.
Curtis had rested a lot for the past two days and didnât feel sleepy. Therefore, he continued his search outside.
After Parker woke up, Curtis still hadnât returned.
He went to the entrance to relieve himself, then returned to the deepest part of the cave. He took a whiff and knew that Anâan had done something bad.
âWhy didnât you wake me when Anâan pooped?â Parker took a look at the bulging sand pile in a corner and sat down next to Bai Qingqing. He grabbed her hand and saw that the gaps between her fair fingers were stuffed with sand.
Bai Qingqing didnât raise her head. She continued to cradle the sleepy Anâan.
âI saw that you were deep asleep and couldnât bear to wake you up. Itâs fine. The sand is soft.â
The earth here had a natural illuminating glow that was very light. After staying here for a couple of hours, Bai Qingqing was able to see blurry shadows as well. Otherwise, she wouldnât have been able to do something like that.
She had brought along a luminous ball, but she was afraid that the light was too strong and would attract attention.
Parker grabbed Bai Qingqingâs fingers and licked them, his heart aching as he asked, âDo your fingers hurt?â
Bai Qingqing couldnât help but smile, then finally looked up at him. âDo you think Iâm made of tofu?â
Parker threw her an unconscious glance, then his expression cracked.