Chapter 18: Her Words Carry That Much Weight?
Those words weren’t just unpleasant for Hu Bai and Fox Qi to hear; even Nan Zishi found them grating.
Nan Zishi muttered under her breath, "The Beast Quality of the Beastmen in your village really isn’t all that great."
Fox Qi was both furious and anxious. He broke free from Nan Zishi, rushed out, and started spewing threats. "Who said you could come here and bully my father? You’re just bullying us because our family doesn’t have a female master! Just wait until I grow up! I’ll teach you a lesson!"
Nan Zishi watched the little guy trying so hard to protect his father. ’He’s kind of adorable.’
She smiled, the corners of her lips curling up.
’Hu Bai has a strange personality, but the cub he’s raising is wonderful.’
"A little cub like you dares to act tough with me?!" The Beast Patterns on the young Fox Beastman’s face stood out—he was a Two-striped Fox Beastman. A vicious look flashed across his face. "Are you not afraid to die?"
"You dare hit me? I’m a cub from Stone Village! If you hit me, the village rules will punish you!" Fox Qi roared.
The male fox found this amusing. "Oho, trying to use the village rules against me? Hu Bai, is this how you teach your cub?"
"Aqi." Hu Bai pulled Fox Qi behind him. He lowered his gaze, his eyes turning cold. "I’m not giving you the Beast Skins. Leave."
"Hu Bai, you’re so stingy. Your family doesn’t even have a female, so what do you need all this stuff for? Let me see what other good things you’ve got." With that, the young Fox Clan male tried to force his way into Hu Bai’s home.
’This is insane.’
"Don’t even think about stealing our things!" Seeing the male trying to barge in, Fox Qi opened his mouth and bit down on his arm. "You bad Beastman!"
The young Fox Clan male cried out in pain. He’d had enough. He violently shook his arm, and his fist flew up, ready to strike. "You asked for this, little cub!"
Hu Bai’s expression hardened, and a faint killing intent began to emanate from him.
However, Nan Zishi didn’t notice the subtle, murderous undercurrent.
She just saw that the male fox was about to hit Fox Qi.
Her opponent was a strong, adult Two-striped Fox Beastman.
On their side, there was a sickly invalid on the verge of death and a little cub who was only five years old, a long way from growing up and awakening his powers.
’This is a classic case of the strong bullying the weak!’
Even if Nan Zishi wasn’t the type to show off or play the hero. But she’d been a guest at Little Aqi’s home for the past few days, eating their food and living under their roof. Of course she had to take their side.
’Being alone in someone else’s village, I don’t want to stick my neck out and cause a scene,’ Nan Zishi thought. ’But it shouldn’t be a problem to use a few hidden projectiles from the shadows.’
So, she quickly pulled a slingshot out of her dimensional space, scooped up a stone from the ground, drew back the band, and fired.
She was surprisingly strong, so the force of the slingshot was considerable. The stone shot out with a WHOOSH.
"Take that, you nasty male who bullies Fox Qi and his father!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Hu Bai glanced in Nan Zishi’s direction. His senses returned to him, and he reined in his killing intent.
Nan Zishi could be vicious too. She knew perfectly well that a Beastman’s combat strength and defenses were far greater than that of an ordinary person from Earth.
So, she didn’t bother aiming anywhere else—she aimed exclusively for his eyes.
And her aim was good. Every single little stone found its mark, hitting him right in the eyes.
"OW, OW!" The young Beastman clutched his eyes. "Who did that?!"
His vision was blurry, and attacks were still coming from some unknown assailant in the shadows. The young Beastman decided to retreat.
"Hu Bai, you actually let your cub bite me and had someone attack my eyes! I’ll remember this. You just wait!"
After spitting out his threat, the young male stumbled away, clutching his eyes.
As Nan Zishi walked out with the slingshot in hand, Little Fox Qi took a couple of running steps and threw himself into her arms. "Pretty sister!"
The corner of Hu Bai’s mouth twitched.
’Male cubs are so fickle,’ he thought. He had fed and raised the boy for so many years, all for him to be won over by a single act from her.
"Pretty sister, thank you! You helped me again," Fox Qi said, looking up at Nan Zishi with his big, teary eyes.
’Wow, he’s so cute!’
Nan Zishi couldn’t resist. She bent down, picked up Little Fox Qi, and gave his cheeks a little squeeze as she held him.
"How old are you? You don’t even consider your own strength, trying to play the hero at your age. If I were your mother, I’d punish you."
Hu Bai’s gaze fell upon her, then shifted to Fox Qi in her arms.
"He should be punished," Hu Bai agreed, letting out a couple of coughs as he looked at Nan Zishi.
His stare made Nan Zishi’s skin crawl.
’Why is he looking at me? What does he want?’
’Does he want me to decide Fox Qi’s punishment?’
Fox Qi looked at Nan Zishi with pitiful, teary eyes, as if begging for mercy. "Pretty sister, am I going to be punished?"
’You’ve got to be kidding me... I’m just a guest here. Why are this father and son both asking me how to discipline the kid?’
’Besides, Little Fox Qi is so adorable.’
Nan Zishi gave in. She stammered, "I think... um... although Little Fox Qi was a bit impulsive, his heart was in the right place, trying to protect his father. His courage is commendable! So... so I think, as punishment, Little Aqi can be in charge of cleaning up. All the dishes tonight will be washed by Little Aqi!"
Hu Bai glanced at Fox Qi. The boy immediately jumped down from Nan Zishi’s arms, picked up the heavy, bulky pot, and went to wash it.
Seeing Little Aqi actually do it, Nan Zishi felt a pang of guilt.
The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was constant. ’Won’t he catch a cold if he gets soaked like that?’
Hu Bai didn’t miss the look of pity in Nan Zishi’s eyes.
She said softly, "To keep him from getting sick, it would be best to give him a hot bath."
She was only making an offhand comment, but she watched as Hu Bai picked up a nearby hollowed-out wooden bucket, took it to the river to scoop up water, then placed it over the simple firewood stove to heat.
Nan Zishi: "..."
’That’s strange. Do my words, as a guest, really carry that much weight?’
When Fox Qi returned from washing the dishes, his Beast Skin Skirt was, as expected, soaked through.
Hu Bai poured the hot water into the wooden bucket, tested the temperature, then moved the bucket into the cave and began to wash Fox Qi.
Fox Qi’s baths had always just been a quick dip in the river; he’d never had a hot bath before.
He never thought that with the pretty sister around, he would actually get the chance to take a hot bath!
"Pretty sister, don’t look, okay?" Fox Qi reminded her.
"Okay, okay, I’m not looking." Nan Zishi propped her chin on her hand and gazed out at the curtain of rain.
To be fair, even though she didn’t look back, she could still hear the splashing of water and the low murmurs of the father and son behind her.
’That Hu Bai... even though he usually sounds so cold and distant, he’s actually a warm person on the inside.’
’He’s very thoughtful, taking care of all the little details. He’s also very warm and incredibly patient with his son.’
’He really is a top-tier male, total husband material.’
’For a male this good to be sold off by his female master for just three Beast Skins... How could she have the heart to degrade him like that?’
’It’s just incomprehensible.’