Beauty and the Beasts

“Err…” Bai Qingqing swung her legs as she was held in Cortis’s arms, causing more mud to come off. “Parker, can you help me get my shoes off? They’re completely wet now. It feels terrible wearing them.”

 The two males lowered their heads and stared at her feet immediately. You could no longer see the original shape of the shoes, which were now completely covered in mud.

 Cortis shifted Bai Qingqing higher, then reached out to touch the shoes. His face dimmed instantly.

 “They’re all drenched. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Cortis said as he pulled the shoes off.

 “Tsk. Ouch ouch ouch.” Bai Qingqing gasped in pain as Cortis removed her shoes.

 Her feet, which had been submerged in water, appeared even fairer and more fragile now. An abnormal shade of red quickly appeared on them.

 Cortis halted in his actions and gazed at her face. “Does it hurt very badly?”

 Bai Qingqing twisted her unbound feet and said dismissively, “It’s alright. But for shoes that come with shoelaces, it’s easier to remove them after undoing the laces.”

 She then bent over and untied her shoelaces. There was mud on her hands now. She stared at her hands and hesitated for a while, then directly wiped them on her calves, leaving a smudge of mud on her snow-white skin.

 Parker quickly held her shoe and helped her remove it. Cortis also tossed the shoe he was holding to Parker, not at all standing on ceremony with him. He then grabbed Bai Qingqing’s reddened feet and gently stroked it.

 Bai Qingqing’s feet were chilled, and Cortis’s hands also felt icy-cold. However, his touch actually made her feel less cold now. Seated on Cortis’s arm, she now had more time to admire the scenery before her.

 After the heavy rain, the place felt refreshed, and the colors appeared more vibrant—the tree leaves were more green, and the brown hues of the tree trunks were more intense; even the fallen tree leaves now gave off a rustic vibe.

 But the wet mountain roads really weren’t suited for walking for ordinary humans. Merely looking at the roads made Bai Qingqing feel a sense of danger. However, Cortis and Parker had no problem walking on it at all.

 Many eagles hovered in the skies above, and it looked like one of them was following Bai Qingqing and company.

 “Why are those eagle beastmen following from such a far distance? Shouldn’t they be with their females?” Bai Qingqing asked as she gazed up at the skies.

 With one shoe in each hand, Parker looked up at the sky and replied, “Those are eagle beastman that don’t have females. There are too many females out today. After rain, many wild beasts will come out to hunt for food, which makes the forest very dangerous. These eagle beastmen are here to protect the females.”

 “Oh.” Bai Qingqing nodded. She looked up at one eagle beastman hovering above them. “That eagle beastman seems to be following us. Is he protecting me?”

 Perhaps because the eagle right above was the nearest to her, it gave her the impression that this eagle was stronger than the other eagle beastmen. Could it be Moore?

 Speaking of which, why did Moore never appear again? She felt she owed him a word of thanks. After all, he had done so much for her and was even nearly poisoned to death by Cortis.

 Cortis looked up at the skies and narrowed his eyes, and something red could be seen flickering out of his mouth. “Ssss—”

 All of a sudden, Bai Qingqing felt that the eagle’s gaze had become incredibly sharp. She was startled momentarily, but then she quickly relaxed.

 Perhaps eagles’ eyes all looked like that. It was probably an illusion.

 But as she lowered her head, she realized that Cortis’s mood seemed to have changed. It was then that she understood that this wasn’t a mere coincidence.

 Could that really be Moore?

 “It’s good that there’s an eagle protecting you. They can see distances far away, so if there’s a wild beast the eagle can inform us timely.” Parker then asked as he looked at the small plants around, “Qingqing, what kind of grass do you wish to eat?”

 His voice snapped Bai Qingqing out of her trance. She lowered her head and looked at the plants around her, then her vision fixed upon a rotten piece of wood.