I Transmigrated as a Villainess to Raise Babies, and My Beast Husbands Are Fighting Madly Over Me!

Chapter 268: Can’t Bear to Let You Go

"Qiao Lie is coming hunting with me tonight."

Qiao Lie nodded, set down his bowl and chopsticks, and stood up. "Mm."

Qiao Xixi felt a pang of worry. ’They were already so tired from the day’s work. How could they go hunting again at night? Even if beastmen were physically strong, they couldn’t just keep pushing themselves like this, could they?’

"Why don’t you get a good night’s rest first and go tomorrow during the day?"

Sunxiao shook his head. "The scorching season is here. It’s too hot during the day, so it’s more suitable to go at night."

"Mother, I’ll go with Father."

"Don’t be afraid, little female. I will definitely protect the big snake and the little snake tonight."

"Father, I’ll go with you too." Sangqi stood up as well. ’His little brother is going to help, so how could he, the older brother, not go?’

Seeing Qiao Ang about to stand up too, Qiao Xixi quickly pulled him back down.

"Alright then. You can all take turns. Tonight, Qiao Lie and Sangqi will go first."

"Okay."

When Mo Yan heard Qiao Xixi say this, he swallowed the words of help he’d been about to offer.

Sunxiao and the others quickly disappeared into the night.

After Feiyan cleared the table, she carried hot water to the stone bathhouse for them.

"Everyone get to bed early tonight. If you rest well, you’ll have the energy to work tomorrow."

"Okay."

After a busy day, Qiao Xixi was exhausted too. Once her bath was done, she took her Tiger Cub back to their stone house.

Meanwhile, Feiyan took Qiao Qiao and the other children to sleep in the children’s room they had prepared earlier.

The Tiger Cub had a wonderful time today, too. During dinner, she was already struggling to keep her eyes open. By the time Qiao Xixi finished washing up and came in, she found the little one already lying on the bed, fast asleep.

Wearing only a thin Jue Sha Skirt, Qiao Xixi lay down beside the Tiger Cub.

She had just closed her eyes when Jin Ling pushed open the door and walked in.

Qiao Xixi opened her eyes halfway. "Is Feiyan on watch tonight?"

"Mm."

The next moment, she felt Jin Ling’s presence behind her.

Qiao Xixi shifted, leaning her whole body into his embrace. Smelling the faint, woody scent on him, her heart felt incredibly at peace.

What Qiao Xixi didn’t know was that the moment she drifted into sleep, the seed in the Spiritual Spring sprouted a tiny, tender shoot. A fresh scent began to emanate from her body.

Jin Ling’s eyes snapped open. He sniffed at Qiao Xixi, and his surprise was immense when he caught that faint, barely-there scent.

’This scent is amazing.’ It soothed his entire body, relaxing his mind and soul at an incredible speed. He greedily pulled Qiao Xixi tighter, sniffing her scent as if addicted.

Even the Tiger Cub turned over and snuggled into Qiao Xixi’s arms.

’Smells so good. Cub wants more.’

Qiao Xixi, dead to the world, was sandwiched between the father and daughter. It was hard to even move, and she broke out in a sweat from the warmth.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright.

But to her surprise, not only was the cub still asleep, but even Jin Ling hadn’t woken up.

Normally, Jin Ling was always an early riser. To Qiao Xixi, this could only mean he was utterly exhausted.

Thinking of Sunxiao and Qiao Lie, who had gone hunting despite being so tired, made her heart ache for them. She decided to get up and see if they were back yet.

She shifted, moving Jin Ling’s hand from her waist, then detangled the cub, who was clinging to her like an octopus, and settled her on the bed.

But as she was about to get out of bed, she glanced back at the father and daughter, feeling something was odd.

’Something’s not right. The cub, fine, but no matter how tired Jin Ling was, all the racket I just made should have woken him up.’

Qiao Xixi scrambled back onto the bed, checking Jin Ling’s breathing and feeling his body.

Aside from a few minor scrapes, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him.

But she was still uneasy. As she continued her inspection, a large hand seized both of hers.

Qiao Xixi’s world spun, and the next moment, the male had pinned her underneath him.

He didn’t make any further moves, though. He just buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice husky and lazy, as it only was in the morning.

"Xixi, don’t fidget."

Seeing he was awake, Qiao Xixi mentally laughed at herself for worrying over nothing.

"Were you exhausted yesterday?"

"I’m not tired. I just didn’t want to let go of you."

He shifted his hips, and Qiao Xixi immediately felt his body’s reaction.

’A male who’s been resting and storing up energy all night is a terrifying thing!’

She gave him a gentle push. "The cub isn’t awake yet."

Jin Ling grunted softly and took a deep breath, trying to suppress his arousal. But he couldn’t bear to get up. His kisses fell upon her like rain, through the thin layer of Jue Sha.

It wasn’t until the cub rolled over and opened her big, innocent eyes that the two, on the brink of passion, were forced to separate.

After changing her clothes, Qiao Xixi shot him a playful, reproachful glare. ’He starts a fire in her and then provides no way to put it out!’

Heaven knew, Jin Ling was probably feeling even more frustrated than she was.

However, a noise from outside quickly drew their attention.

The moment Qiao Xixi stepped outside, she saw Feiyan in the courtyard processing their catch, with the children all helping out.

"Feiyan, where are Sunxiao and the others?"

"I sent them off to rest. They’ll get up when it’s time to eat."

Sunxiao’s party had brought back one Black-haired Long-toothed Beast, two Deer Beasts, and one Wild Bull Beast.

"That’s quite a haul for one night."

"If it weren’t for the fact that Sunxiao and Sangze’s auras are so strong, many beasts wouldn’t have dared to approach, and they could have caught even more."

The lands outside the Black Panther Tribe were already rich in resources. Now that the other beastmen have migrated away, the animals in the mountains are no longer being hunted, so their populations have naturally increased.

"Mother, what’s the plan for today?"

"I was thinking of taking a look around the tribe’s territory."

Qiao Xixi thought about the crops they had planted earlier, wondering how they were doing. And the animals they had penned up, too.

’The animals are most likely gone, but the crops might still be there.’

With the weather turning hot, food was difficult to store. Qiao Xixi cleared out her dimensional space and put the surplus meat inside for now.

After they had eaten their fill, Jin Ling took Qiao Ang and the others to continue working on the inner city, while Qiao Xixi went with Feiyan and Qiao Qiao to check on the outer tribal area.

Feiyan had a large, leaf-wrapped bundle on her back, filled with fresh meat.

Leaving the inner city, Qiao Xixi walked through the tribal lands and saw a few scrawny cubs huddled together in the distance.

Their animal-hide clothes were filthy, and each cub was so thin their chins were pointed. Their eyes were dull and lifeless.

When they saw Qiao Xixi and her group approaching, the young cubs got scared and looked like they were about to flee. But Qiao Qiao quickly ran over and called out, "Don’t be afraid! We won’t hurt you!"

The cubs were still afraid, but they stopped in their tracks, staring at the newcomers in terror.

As Qiao Xixi drew closer, she realized these cubs had all been born weak, and some even had physical deformities. ’No wonder their parents abandoned them,’ she thought sadly.

Qiao Xixi crouched down. "Don’t be afraid. We’re not going to hurt you."

One of the cubs recognized Qiao Xixi. "Are... are you the new Clan Leader?"