Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Su Qinglan and An Mo knelt side by side on soft cushions laid directly upon the stone path, facing the towering, ancient wooden gates of a secluded courtyard.

The heavy gates remained firmly closed, overgrown with moss and aged vines, yet the aura radiating from within was vast, ocean-like, and profoundly mysterious.

An Mo did all the talking, his deep voice carrying a rare, youthful warmth.

Beside him, Su Qinglan remained completely silent, offering her quiet, steadfast support. She did not know the true identity or full history of the person residing behind those closed doors...she only knew that he was An Mo’s grandfather.

Though she found it strange that the old elder chose not to open the gates to meet them directly, she deeply respected An Mo’s decision. She simply copied his posture, bending her body low and bowing with the utmost reverence to the elder of the man she loved.

Looking at the soft, earnest expression on An Mo’s face as he spoke toward the silent gates, Su Qinglan knew in her heart that the man behind those doors meant everything to him.

"Grandfather, I have finally brought my female to see you," An Mo spoke toward the wooden doors, his tone instantly shifting into that of a spoiled, affectionate child.

Even though no voice answered him from inside, he continued chatting with boundless energy.

"You have to bless her, Grandfather. She is such a breathtaking, miraculous female! She traveled all the way from a completely different domain just to be with me. You must give her your divine blessing!"

He paused, resting his hands on his knees, and added with an unashamed grin, "And don’t be stingy! Give us a good, heavy gift to mark our union!"

Su Qinglan’s mouth twitched, and her foot almost slipped on the cushion in sheer shock at his shamelessness. She leaned over slightly and whispered under her breath, "An Mo... stop it. We don’t need a gift..."

An Mo immediately hushed her with a light chuckle, leaning into her ear. "Don’t worry, Lanlan. Anything given by that old man is a divine treasure beyond our realm’s imagination. We’d be fools not to ask!"

Su Qinglan shook her head helplessly, a soft smile tugging at her lips. Following An Mo’s lead, both of them pressed their palms to the cool ground and bowed deeply three times toward the ancient gate.

As they rose from their third bow, a single, stray green leaf detached itself from a nearby tree. It drifted through the air in a slow, swirling arc, dancing delicately between them before gently coming to rest directly in front of An Mo’s knees.

An Mo looked down at the leaf, a triumphant yet playful smile blooming across his handsome face. "Tsk, so stingy! You actually just gave us a leaf?"

Even as he grumbled, An Mo picked up the leaf with great care and safely pocketed it inside his robes, clearly thrilled by the gesture. Yet, his greedy golden eyes still stared at the gate, hoping for more.

Su Qinglan looked at the closed doors in quiet confusion, wondering how anything else could possibly appear when the heavy wooden gates hadn’t even budged an inch.

Suddenly...

A thin, blinding thread of pure golden light slipped through the crack beneath the grand wooden doors. Before Su Qinglan could even blink, the golden light shot straight toward her, dissolving instantaneously between her brows!

Su Qinglan froze. Her body went rigid, her breath catching tightly in her throat.

For a fraction of a second, her vision blurred as a mysterious sensation swept through her soul. Her mouth hung open in absolute astonishment as her mind processed the fleeting vision that had flashed in her consciousness.

An Mo, sitting right beside her, was equally stunned by the sudden flash of divine light. He immediately turned to her, his golden eyes filled with worry and intense curiosity.

"Lanlan! What happened?" he guessed instantly, his breath hitching. "Did Grandfather make you see something? What was it?"

Su Qinglan remained quiet for a long moment, slowly digesting the immense imprint left inside her mind. She shook her head softly, her voice breathless. "No... it wasn’t a vision..."

An Mo frowned, thoroughly baffled. "Then what was that light? Check your spiritual energy! Do you feel any different?"

Su Qinglan closed her eyes, focusing her mind inward to examine her inner sea. The moment her consciousness swept over her power, she gasped out loud!

The bottleneck of her plant ability...which had just reached Level Fifteen in the Sacred Pond had surged once again! The pure energy was swirling vigorously through her veins, settling effortlessly at Legendary Level Sixteen!

Level Sixteen!

Su Qinglan opened her eyes, feeling as though she had fallen into a mythical paradise where simply breathing the air made a person exponentially stronger.

The sheer difficulty of jumping even a single level at the Legendary realm was practically astronomical, yet it had happened in a single second!

An Mo, sensing the sudden surge in her aura, grumbled under his breath, though his eyes sparkled with pride.

"That old man is still so stingy... how could he only increase your power by one single level? Is he really not going to give us a proper artifact?"

Su Qinglan smiled warmly, reaching over to pat his hand softly. "It is more than enough, An Mo. You have no idea how hard it is to jump levels at this stage. This is a grand, incredible gift."

Satisfied and overflowing with gratitude, both of them placed their hands together and bowed deeply toward the gate one final time before rising smoothly to their feet.

An Mo’s heart was bursting with pure, unadulterated happiness. Knowing that his grandfather had acknowledged and blessed his beloved female filled his soul with complete peace.

He took a few steps away, then suddenly turned back toward the quiet courtyard, placing his hands around his mouth like a horn.

"Grandfather!" An Mo shouted at the top of his lungs, giving the closed gates a bold, confident wink. "Just you wait! The next time we come back here to visit you, I’ll bring my cubs along!"

Su Qinglan’s face exploded into a bright crimson blush! She rushed over, playfully nudging his stomach with her elbow. "What utter nonsense are you screaming?! Have you no shame at all?!"

An Mo only laughed heartily, his chest rumbling with joy. Before she could scold him any further, he dipped his head down, his hand sweeping behind her neck to tilt her face upward.

Right there, on the sacred stone path outside his grandfather’s estate, he captured her lips in a deep, wildly possessive, and dominant kiss.

Breaking the kiss just enough to grin down at her flushed face, An Mo purred, "There is no such thing as shame in our Angel Race, my love. Grandfather must be immensely proud of his grandson’s efficiency!"

"An Mo!" she squeaked.

Without giving her a chance to protest, An Mo effortlessly scooped her up into a princess carry with a single hand. Su Qinglan let out a sudden, surprised scream, her arms instinctively wrapping tightly around his broad shoulders as he swung her around in the crisp morning air.

An Mo’s booming, joyful laughter echoed across the quiet mountain peak as he carried his radiant bride away, heading back toward the main estate.

Lost in their own beautiful world of laughter, innocence, and boundless love, neither of them noticed the ground beneath them.

As they walked away, dozens of vibrant green leaves began to swirl around their feet in a magical rhythm.

The leaves danced playfully in their wake, carrying the warmth of their love, before swirling high into the air and gracefully slipping back inside the closed wooden gates...returning to the quiet, ancient heart of the courtyard.