Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 342: Love and Possession

As Han Jue walked, another thought slowly pierced his mind.

What right did he have to stop her?

Su Qinglan was such a good female.

No, "good" was not enough to describe her.

She was a highly fertile female, someone who had given birth to cubs so quickly. That alone made her precious beyond words. But that was not all.

She was also a witch doctor.

She knew herbs.

She knew medicine.

She knew how to treat injuries and illnesses that ordinary beastmen could not handle.

She even knew how to build things, strange and useful things no one else had ever thought of. She knew how to invent foods that tasted good and lasted long.

She was capable, intelligent and valuable. An extremely intelligent and precious female.

And what about him?

Han Jue laughed bitterly inside.

He was nothing more than a five star striped beastman.

In the past, he had been proud.

He had been confident.

He was once the strongest in their entire tribe, someone others looked up to. But now, he could not be sure of anything anymore.

Because after Shi Feng arrived, this title was quickly taken from him. As in the younger generation, this Lion King is powerful.

A seven strips beastman.

A beastman far stronger than him.

There was a clear gap between them of two whole stripes.

That gap felt like an unbreakable wall.

Han Jue clenched his fist tightly.

He hugged Su Qinglan a little closer, his arm tensing.

He wanted to become stronger. He really want...but couldn’t...

He had trained relentlessly for months, pushing his body to its limits again and again. His muscles burned, his bones ached, and his blood boiled during every training session.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not cross that threshold.

He was still stuck as a five star striped beastman.

No matter how much effort he put in, the sixth stripe refused to appear.

And now, the beast tide was coming.

That thought alone made his heart sink.

In their entire nest, there was only one truly powerful existence.

Xuan Long.

If the nest was attacked by all kinds of ferocious beastmen, could Han Jue really protect Su Qinglan?

Could he really guarantee her safety?

What about the cubs?

His gaze briefly flicked to the basket Hu Yan was carrying.

Those small, fragile lives.

Their entire family consisted of so few beastmen. Compared to other families, they were pitifully small.

Some families had more than ten beastmen guarding a single female.

But Su Qinglan had so few.

And none of them were at the peak of their strength.

They were only slightly better than average.

That realization made Han Jue’s chest tighten painfully.

Was he really doing the right thing?

Stopping her from having more beast husbands?

Was that truly for her sake?

Or was it just his possessiveness?

His jealousy?

If he set aside his anger and selfishness for a moment, if he forced himself to think calmly, he slowly came to a realization that made his heart feel heavy.

If Shi Feng actually joined their family, it would only make them stronger.

It would increase their chances of protecting her. It would increase their chances of survival.

And there was another danger.

That old, skinny witch doctor.

Han Jue had never trusted him. He refused to believe that such a man would simply let things go.

The man had gone to extreme lengths already. There was no way he would swallow his hatred quietly.

Sooner or later, he would find out that Su Qinglan was the root of everything.

That she was the one who destroyed his plans.

Would he let her live peacefully?

Han Jue did not believe that for a second.

If that man came back for revenge, could Han Jue stop him?

Could he protect her alone?

The answer was painfully clear.

No.

He stiffened slightly as these thoughts lined up in his mind, one after another.

The more he thought, the more useless he felt.

He was only a five star striped beastman...not strong enough.

A strange idea slowly formed in his mind.

What if Shi Feng really joined their family?

After all, Shi Feng was currently the strongest beastman in the entire tribe, aside from Xuan Long.

And even Xuan Long’s true strength was still unknown.

That man was too mysterious.

He had never revealed his full power. No one knew his limits.

But if Xuan Long was not around one day, if something happened to him, then what?

Who would protect her?

Who would protect the cubs?

Han Jue’s grip unconsciously tightened.

If there was another powerful beastman in their family, then at least Su Qinglan would be safer.

At least the cubs would have a better chance.

The beast tide targeted females and cubs.

That was a fact.

How could Han Jue guarantee safety when that disaster arrived?

He could not. Not with his current strength.

As these thoughts flooded his mind, Hu Yan walked quietly beside him.

His expression remained calm, but his silence was not meaningless.

In truth, Hu Yan had already thought of all of this long ago.

That was why he had not spoken much. That was why he had remained silent. He was considering every possibility.

Weighing every outcome. Thinking about what would truly benefit Su Qinglan.

And in the end, the conclusion he slowly arrived at was the same.

It would be good if Shi Feng joined their family.

More men meant more protection.

More strength meant a higher chance of survival.

Hu Yan understood something very clearly.

No matter how much they wanted to keep her to themselves, no matter how jealous they felt, none of that mattered if she was not safe.

If she was harmed.

If the cubs were harmed.

Everything else would be meaningless.

The forest continued to stretch endlessly before them.

And with every step forward, the weight on Han Jue’s heart grew heavier.

Because for the first time, he truly understood something painful.

Sometimes, love was not about possession.

It was about letting go.

And that realization frightened him more than any enemy ever could.