I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 21: Hot Springs and Cold Glares

"AHHHH! This is unacceptable! This water is positively arctic! Is this a hot spring or a puddle in a blizzard?"

The voice of Cāng Jì echoed across the tribal clearing, filled with irritation and twinge of disgust. The Golden Dragon Prince was currently submerged up to his shoulders in the village’s sacred mineral spring, but his face was twisted in a pout that suggested he was being tortured.

The Wolf Elder, Zhào Fēng, stood at the edge of the water, chuckling nervously while clutching his staff. It was clear he was trying to avoid angering the great dragon. "Is.....is it not to your liking, Your Radiance? We consider these waters to be quite restorative. Shall you try—"

"Restorative? I feel like a piece of meat being chilled for storage!" Cāng Jì snapped, his wet, sunset-colored hair clinging to his sculpted chest. He fastidiously flicked a droplet of water off his nose. "And the steam! It is far too thin. My pores are weeping from the lack of humidity. Is this how you people live? No wonder you all reek of disgusting smells!"

While the Dragon complained to the sky, the rest of the tribe had gathered for the evening meal. Usually, dinner was a boisterous affair, but tonight, a heavy blanket of unease hung over the fire pits. The beastmen sat in small circles, whispering and casting frequent, terrified glances in the direction ofthe golden man in the pool. It wasn’t every day a living legend descended from the clouds to critique their plumbing.

Bai Yue sat on a log near the central fire, nursing a wooden bowl of broth. Mo Xiao sat beside her, also eating. She had spent the last twenty minutes explaining, in a very edited fashion, how she had ended up as a target for a Dragon’s debt.

Mo Xiao let out a long, weary groan, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Bai Yue.....of all the things to steal. A Dragon’s stabilizer? You are even crazier than I thought."

"I know, I know!" she hissed, leaning closer to him. "But I told you, I am not that person anymore. If I could go back in time and slap that stone out of my own hands, I would. I will find it, Mo Xiao. I swear it."

The Panther Alpha sighed, his amber eyes softening as he looked at her. "For your own sake, I hope you find it. It’s not just the stone. It’s the danger you put yourself in. If Cāng Jì had decided to be less.....talkative... you wouldn’t have made it off that peak. He could have just burnt everyone to ashes, and seeing how haughty he has been so far, I don’t put that past him."

Bai Yue’s heart gave a little flutter at the genuine concern in his voice. She looked over at the children’s area, where the triplets were currently involved in a high-stakes game of tag with Ruì Xuě and Yòu Lín. Even from a distance, she could see Ruì Xuě laughing as A-Li tried to pounce on his tail.

How adorable.

Zhāo Yàn sat on her other side, his arms crossed and his red ears twitching with irritation. He wasn’t looking at Bai Yue, he was glaring a hole through the back of Cāng Jì’s head. Or at least imagining glaring a hole through the back of the Dragon’s head.

"He is insufferable," Zhāo Yàn muttered, his ears still twitching. "First Generation or not, I have half a mind to toss some actual ice into that spring to give him something real to complain about. Spoilt brat."

Further away, sitting in the deep shadows near the edge of the clearing, sat Han Shān. The Snow Leopard Alpha remained as motionless as a statue, his eyes fixed on Bai Yue. He didn’t eat nor stuff his face with food. He just watched her every move, trying to reconcile the ’Cursed Female’ who had once tried to poison his well with the woman who was currently blowing on a spoonful of soup for a hungry Yòu Lín. How was this possible? What sort of sorcery was she using?

Cāng Jì finally emerged from the water, shimmering back into his bronze silks with a flick of his wrist. He marched toward the fire, his nose wrinkled. "And this smell? What is this? Burnt food?"

"It is roasted boar, Your Radiance," the Elder whispered.

"It smells like failure," Cāng Jì declared, stopping in front of Zhāo Yàn. "You. Fox. Move. This log looks marginally less filthy than the others."

Zhāo Yàn didn’t move. He looked up, his red eyes narrowed. "The spring didn’t wash away your arrogance, I see. This is my tribe’s fire. You are a guest, lizard. Act like one."

The clearing went dead silent. The Elder looked like he was about to faint.

Cāng Jì blinked, looking amused. A slow, cat-like smirk spread across his face. "Oh? An insect with a backbone? How charming. Do you truly wish to challenge me, little predator? I could turn this entire clearing into a bonfire before you could blink those pretty red eyes."

"Try it," Zhāo Yàn challenged, standing up. His tails began to lash behind him, a sign of extreme aggression.

"Zhāo Yàn, stop!" the Elder pleaded. "Careful! The Dragon will burn us all to ash!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Ha! That’s right!" Cāng Jì laughed, tilting his head back haughtily. "Listen to the old one. I am the fire. I am the storm. I am—"

"—Acting like a little cub who didn’t get his favorite toy," Bai Yue muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she took another sip of her soup.

Cāng Jì’s head snapped toward her, his golden eyes glowing. "I heard that! Who said that? Who dared to compare a Prince of the First Generation to a......a cub?"

Bai Yue froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth. She slowly looked up, seeing the Dragon, the Fox, the Panther, and the Snow Leopard all staring at her.

"Oops," she whispered. "Did I say that out loud?"