Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off
Chapter 674: You Should Respect Your Elders!
Inside the warm house, the heavy blankets shifted slightly as Su Qinglan slowly woke up. She hadn’t actually slept for very long, but her body felt incredibly light after the short rest.
The moment her senses returned, a mouth-watering, deeply aromatic scent of rich soup washed over her. Her stomach let out a loud growl; she was so incredibly hungry that she felt as though her very soul could float out of her body just to get a taste of whatever was cooking.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she poked her head out from beneath the thick layer of animal fur blankets.
Across the room, bathed in the gentle glow of the fire, Shi Feng was standing by the table, carefully stirring a steaming pot.
The moment she stirred, Shi Feng’s lion ears twitched. He turned his head and caught her peeking at him like a sleepy little cub. A warm, incredibly tender smile broke across his handsome face.
"Are you awake, Lan Lan?" he asked, his voice a low, soothing rumble in the quiet room. "Are you hungry?"
Su Qinglan didn’t even try to hide it. She nodded her head frantically, her eyes fixed on the steaming pot.
Shi Feng chuckled softly at her eager expression. He set the wooden ladle down and walked over to the bedside with fluid, graceful steps.
Leaning over, he gently slid his strong arms behind her back to help her sit up comfortably against the headboard, making sure the heavy blankets remained securely wrapped around her shoulders to keep out coldness.
Instead of setting the food on the table, Shi Feng brought the stone bowl directly over and sat down right on the edge of the bed next to her.
The soup was thick, filled with tender shredded meat and fragrant mountain herbs, radiating a comforting heat.
"Here," Shi Feng murmured softly, scooping up a perfect spoonful. He brought it to his lips, gently blowing on it until the steam cleared, before guiding it toward her.
"Let me feed you."
Su Qinglan looked into his warm eyes, her heart swelling with a sweet, cozy affection.
A bright smile appeared on her face as she leaned forward and took the bite. The rich, savory flavors instantly burst across her tongue, making her hum in pure delight.
"Is it good?" Shi Feng asked, his thumb gently reaching out to wipe a tiny stray drop of broth from the corner of her lips.
"It’s amazing," she whispered happily, her eyes crinkling.
Shi Feng’s smile deepened, his golden eyes locked onto hers with absolute devotion.
Su Qinglan continued sitting comfortably propped up on the bed while Shi Feng fed her the savory soup spoon by spoon, treating her like a precious treasure.
Life could not have been more peaceful.
Then...
Bang!
The heavy wooden door suddenly flew open with a loud crash, and a gust of biting cold wind rushed inside.
Su Qinglan jumped in surprise, nearly spilling the blankets.
Shi Feng’s brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown, his hand tightening around the stone bowl. Both of them looked toward the doorway.
The next second, An Mo walked inside with a long, sweeping stride. He had an extremely smug, victorious smile plastered across his handsome face.
And dangling from his hand... was a person.
Su Qinglan blinked. Then she blinked again, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
A small old man was literally hanging completely upside down in An Mo’s firm grip.
The old man’s feet were kicking weakly in the air, his long white beard was a complete, tangled mess, his hair was entirely disheveled, and his face was flushed bright red from embarrassment.
He looked absolutely, utterly pitiful.
The old man looked barely five feet tall in his human form.
Meanwhile, An Mo towered over everyone at well over two meters tall.
The sheer size difference between them was simply tragic. It looked exactly like a massive, terrifying predator had casually caught a helpless little chicken in the woods.
Su Qinglan stared, her jaw dropping.
The upside-down old man stared right back at her. Their eyes met in mid-air. For a long moment, the entire bedroom became strangely, suffocatingly quiet.
Then, Su Qinglan slowly turned her head toward An Mo.
She completely lost it, almost choking on the mouthful of soup she had just taken.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Shi Feng immediately set the bowl down and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
"Careful, Lan Lan," he murmured, though his own eyes were fixed on the intruder.
Su Qinglan pointed a trembling finger at the dangling old man. "An Mo!"
"Hm?"
An Mo looked incredibly pleased with himself, puffing out his chest as if expecting a grand reward.
"Is this how you treat elderly people?!" Su Qinglan scolded, her voice rising.
The room instantly became dead silent.
An Mo froze. The old man froze. Even Shi Feng froze mid-pat.
"Elderly?"
An Mo repeated the word slowly. His smug expression looked completely blank, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous, nonsensical thing in his entire long life.
Su Qinglan looked at him in absolute disbelief.
"Of course he’s elderly! Just look at him! His beard is stark white, his hair is white, and his face is full of wrinkles! He looks even older than my tribe’s oldest grandpa!"
An Mo slowly lowered his head, turning his golden eyes toward the bundle in his hand.
The old man, catching onto the situation, immediately seized the opportunity.
He did his absolute best to appear weak, frail, and innocent. He even let out two fragile, raspy coughs.
"Cough... cough..."
He looked so incredibly pitiful, his little legs dangling limply.
Su Qinglan became even more horrified by An Mo’s apparent cruelty.
"Look! He’s coughing too! You’re going to freeze him to death!"
An Mo’s left eyelid twitched violently.
The old man’s eyelid twitched as well under An Mo’s glare.
Deep inside the old man’s magical bag, his hidden family members were practically suffocating, holding back their wild laughter so hard their leaves were vibrating.
Grandpa is actually pretending to be a weak, defenseless old grandfather!
Meanwhile, the old man secretly wanted to cry tears of blood.
Weak? Pitiful? Elderly? If the rival beasts of Green Spirit Mountain heard him being described this way, they would probably faint on the spot from sheer shock!
He was one of the strongest, most terrifying ancient spiritual plant in the entire region! But now... now he was being mistaken for a helpless, fragile old grandfather by a beast woman.
Su Qinglan glared fiercely at An Mo. "You should respect your elders, An Mo!"
An Mo looked at her furious face.
"An elder, you say?" he murmured.
"Yes!" Su Qinglan nodded firmly, crossing her arms.
An Mo suddenly laughed...a very low, dangerous, and dark rumble that echoed from the depths of his chest.
The old man’s entire body immediately tensed up, his roots practically crying out. He had a very, very bad feeling about that laugh.
An Mo stared at her for several long seconds, measuring her anger. Then, under her fierce, unyielding gaze, he reluctantly loosened his grip and dropped the old man.
The moment his feet touched the solid, warm wooden floor, the old man almost burst into tears of pure joy.
Freedom! Finally! He quickly adjusted his rumpled robes.