Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 354: News about the beast tide

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Su Qinglan said sharply. "Who gave you such an idea?"

Rong Ye immediately hiccupped.

His eyes darted instinctively straight toward Han Jue.

Han Jue glared back so hard it felt like daggers were flying through the air.

Rong Ye nearly swallowed his tongue.

"N-No one!" he blurted out quickly. "No one at all!"

Hu Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Rong Ye," he said calmly, but with a dangerous edge, "are you asking for a beating? Why do all kinds of bad thoughts always come from your mind?"

Rong Ye’s face crumpled.

He really wanted to cry.

But he felt like he had already cried too much today...there were no tears left.

At that moment, the three cubs immediately nodded in agreement, their small heads bobbing seriously as they supported their father.

Even Xiao San leaned forward slightly and hissed softly at Rong Ye, his tiny tongue flicking out in warning.

Rong Ye’s face turned green.

Then purple.

"You little bullies!" he complained weakly. "I feed you five times a day! And now you’re taking someone else’s side?!"

The cubs paused.

Then calmly smacked their lips around their milk bottles and continued drinking.

Their expressions clearly said...

That’s your job.

Rong Ye stared at them in disbelief.

"...Heartless."

No one paid any attention to Rong Ye’s pitiful, wronged expression as he sulked in the corner, hugging his bowl like a tragic hero who had been betrayed by the world.

On the other hand...Shi Feng was eating calmly. And with every bite, he felt something swelling in his chest.

His sharp eyes lifted unconsciously, drifting toward Su Qinglan. The light reflected softly in his golden pupils, making them shimmer even brighter than usual.

She had defended him. That single thought echoed again and again in his mind.

Was she... openly supporting him?

Shi Feng’s lips curved slightly as realization dawned on him, confidence blooming uncontrollably. She had even scolded her own beast husband for him. In front of everyone.

What did that mean?

His heart pounded faster.

Does that mean she has already accepted me?

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. His chances were incredibly high. After all, she had spoken up for him so naturally without the slightest hesitation.

Clearly, she cared about him.

Completely unaware of Shi Feng’s rapidly spiraling thoughts, Su Qinglan was already focused on the next matter. She hadn’t defended him because of favoritism, nor because she wanted to embarrass Rong Ye.

She simply didn’t want things to escalate.

Su Qinglan was never like other females who would stand by and watch their partners bully someone else...especially not someone as dangerous as a tribe leader.

If Rong Ye truly provoked Shi Feng, wouldn’t that just be asking to get beaten senseless?

So she had intervened immediately. Not to protect Shi Feng. But to protect Rong Ye.

Unfortunately...

Shi Feng had misunderstood everything.

In his mind, this scene had already transformed into undeniable proof that Su Qinglan favored him. That she was different from other females. That she was brave enough to openly support him...even against her own beast husband.

His pride swelled.

He took another bite of food, savoring it far more than before. Somehow, it tasted even better now.

Meanwhile, Rong Ye sniffed quietly, glaring at his bowl.

"...Unfair," he muttered.

Han Jue kept his head down, eating in silence, refusing to acknowledge anything happening around him. This disaster had nothing to do with him.

Xuan Long watched the scene calmly, eyes deep and unreadable.

His gaze slowly swept across everyone in the treehouse. After a brief pause, he cleared his throat.

"Lan Lan," he said calmly, "I’ve received news about the beast tide."

The moment those words fell, everyone who had been eating peacefully froze.

Spoons paused midair. Chewing stopped. Eyes lifted instantly and locked onto Xuan Long, shock flashing across their faces.

News?

What news?

Han Jue frowned slightly. Rong Ye straightened unconsciously. Even Shi Feng’s relaxed posture stiffened.

Su Qinglan, who still had food stuffed in her mouth, widened her eyes and leaned closer, lowering her voice as she whispered, "Did... did that snake get back?"

Xuan Long nodded immediately.

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

The other beast husbands stared at him in disbelief.

"What happened?"

"What news?"

"What do you mean?"

Su Qinglan swallowed quickly and spoke up before Xuan Long could continue.

"When we were scouting the entire mountain," she said seriously, "we didn’t find anything unusual... no suspicious signs, no abnormal movements."

Everyone leaned in.

"But," Su Qinglan continued, her tone sharpening, "we did find a snake birdman circling our mountain for a very long time. His behavior was very strange."

Hu Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So I asked Xuan Long to force him down and interrogate him," she went on. "We couldn’t find anything obvious from his answers, but his reactions were off. Definitely suspicious."

"That’s why," she added, glancing at Xuan Long, "I asked him to send someone to secretly track the birdman and investigate his identity. Today... the news came back." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

All eyes returned to Xuan Long.

He inclined his head slightly toward Su Qinglan.

"Lan Lan," he said slowly, his voice low and firm, "you were right."

Her fingers tightened slightly around her bowl.

"The man wasn’t just suspicious," Xuan Long continued. "He is the reason behind the beast tide."

Silence slammed into the treehouse—so heavy it felt suffocating.

A spoon slipped from Shi Feng’s hand and clattered onto the wooden floor, the sound painfully loud in the stillness. His eyes were wide, staring straight ahead, his face drained of color.

"The reason...?" someone whispered hoarsely.

Hu Yan’s pupils shrank slightly.

Han Jue’s grip tightened on the edge of his bowl.

Rong Ye’s earlier sulking vanished completely, replaced by shock.

All eyes slowly turned toward Su Qinglan.

Just what kind of ability was this?

She had sensed danger before anyone else. She had doubted before proof existed. And now...

Her judgment had been proven completely right.