âThatâs the only thing we can do for now.â Bai Qingqing sat down next to Curtis. Leaning against him, she said, âIf the village isnât too bad, letâs settle down there.â
Curtis neither agreed nor disagreed. He held up her arm and saw that scabs had formed on the four bloody wounds and had turned into a blackish-red color.
âItâs not completely healed.â A hint of frustration was heard in Curtisâs voice as he flicked out his tongue to graze the bloody scabs.
âMy injury is quite minor.â Bai Qingqing then looked at Parkerâs waist, only to see that the scabs had fallen off, leaving only a pink scar.
âBluepool, how are you feeling?â Bai Qingqing turned her gaze towards Bluepool in the water.
With his upper body sprawled face-down on the shore, Bluepool slapped his tail in the water, forming large patches of ripples. âIâll be fine so long as thereâs water.â
Bai Qingqing smiled and said wistfully, âIâm afraid this wonât do. Weâd better hurry up and find a village. We canât very well keep walking along the river.â
Bluepoolâs countenance instantly changed. He gazed at the ground and felt like he should just drown in this small lake.
âSince thereâs water on the ground, once you dry up, just roll around in the mud.â
Bai Qingqing said jokingly. She didnât expect Bluepool to ponder over her words for a moment, then nod his head in agreement. âIâll give it a try later.â
She was rendered speechless.
Bai Qingqing quickly finished up the rest of her meal, and, after filling up her tummy and that of her little cubs, she walked into the stone cave to call the female.
âCome out, weâll send you somewhere safe.â
The femaleâs curled up body slightly quivered. After a while, she raised her head and gazed at Bai Qingqing, the glow of hope sparkling in her tiny eyes.
âWhatâs your name? What tribe do you belong to?â Bai Qingqing asked.
The female didnât answer her for a good while.
As Curtisâstanding at the entranceâhad already gotten impatient, Bai Qingqing called Parker over to carry her.
The female shrieked and put up a violent resistance for a good while before she slowly quieted down.
They left the river and walked in a random direction. Bluepool had transformed into a human and put on his animal skin skirt with an annoyed expression as he trailed along.
Bai Qingqing sat on Curtisâs arm. Seeing that Bluepool was about to die, she looked up at the skies and asked, âWhereâs Alva?â
Curtis gazed coldly at her, and Bai Qingqing instantly corrected herself. âI meant that peacock beastman.â
âCoo cooââ
The cooing of a peacock sounded from not far behind. Bai Qingqing turned her head but didnât see it. Only after a while did she spot a green birdâs head behind a large tree trunk.
âAlva, if youâre not leaving, come over and give Bluepool a hand!â
Bluepool immediately spoke up, âI donât need his help.â
Alva also shrunk behind the tree firmly and refused to come out.
Bai Qingqing glanced at Bluepool and said, âYouâre too slow. If you disagree, you can stay here by yourself. Weâll leave first.â
Bluepool instantly shouted, âYou want to abandon me? Donât even think about it.â
With that, he walked towards Alva.
Bai Qingqingâs heart was put to ease. She guessed that Alva didnât dare to reveal his full form because he had lost too many feathers, so she deliberately chose not to look behind.
Only after they walked far away did Alva fly down the tree, carried the merman on his back, and followed them at a distance.
They continued the journey this way for another three days before Parker finally sniffed the scent of a villageâa tiger village.
As they didnât make deliberate attempts to cover their tracks, they were discovered the instant they entered the village.
âRoar!â
Tiger roars reverberated throughout the forest. Shortly after, more than ten tigers appeared in front of them.
Bai Qingqing realized that the female whom Parker was carrying showed a slight reaction, so she hurriedly reassured her. âDonât be scared. Weâre here, no beastman will dare to harm you.â
The instant they stopped, Bluepool caught up to them from behind.