Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 322: The mysterious fourth rival

While everyone else was focused on the doorway, Shi Feng’s golden gaze was fixed entirely on Su Qinglan.

He was a predator of the highest order, and his keen senses were always working, even when he seemed relaxed.

He hadn’t missed the way she kept checking on something tucked deep in the pocket of her dress.

​Earlier, his sharp nose had picked up a faint, unfamiliar scent coming from her...something cool and feral, like wet earth and scales.

Since it felt small and harmless, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. But now, as Su Qinglan shifted and pulled the fabric of her pocket slightly to look inside, the light hit the interior just right. Shi Feng’s pupils dilated.

​Curled inside, resting against her warmth, was a small, green snake.

​A hatchling?

Suddenly, Shi Feng felt his heart tighten with a strange, heavy pressure that he couldn’t quite explain.

Since he had arrived at the Fox Tribe, he had always sensed a lingering, threatening aura around Su Qinglan. It was a cold, powerful presence that felt much stronger than the three husbands he had already met.

He had ignored it before, thinking it was perhaps a lingering scent from a hunt or a protective charm from her father. But seeing the snake cub changed everything.

​The cold, threatening aura he had sensed was the mark of another beast husband...a fourth one. And they clearly had a cub together.

​Shi Feng found himself breathing a little harder than usual. He looked at the tiny, coiled snake, and a realization hit him like a physical blow.

The father of this hatchling must be a formidable rival.

Shi Feng was a proud King; he had never considered Han Jue, Rong Ye, or Hu Yan to be real threats to his strength.

He had been taking his time, observing Su Qinglan from a distance to decide if his feelings for her were true and if she was a female fit to stand by his side as a Queen.

​The answer he always came to was "yes." He found himself lost in thoughts of her constantly.

It was the reason he had followed his brother Shi Kuang here today. When he heard that Shi Kuang’s new mate was going to visit Su Qinglan, he had used "tribal business" as an excuse to tag along.

The truth was simple: he just wanted to see her. Ever since she had given birth, she rarely left her home, and it was becoming impossible to even get a glimpse of her.

​But now, he had to face the reality that there was a hidden powerful beast in her life. If he ever chose to challenge her husbands for a place by her side, he could easily handle the three he knew.

But what about this mysterious snake? He could feel that even the tiny cub had a trace of powerful energy. The father would undoubtedly be much more dangerous.

​"Huh!" Shi Feng let out a quiet, sharp breath.

​"King Shi Feng... King Shi Feng!"

​"Hmm! What?" Shi Feng snapped out of his daze, his golden eyes refocusing.

​Su Qinglan was looking at him with a strange, questioning gaze.

She had been calling his name for quite some time, but he had been so lost in his deep, dark thoughts that he hadn’t heard her. When she finally had his full attention, she gestured toward the door.

​"My father has called everyone inside," she said, her voice curious. "Are you coming?"

​Before he could answer, Su Qinglan did something that made his heart stop beating for a full second.

She stepped into his personal space, coming so close that he could smell the sweet, milky scent of her skin and the faint forest aroma of her body. He stood frozen as she leaned toward him.

With a resolute movement, she reached up and lifted the chubby Xiao Yi right out of his arms.

​Xiao Yi, who had been quite happy in the Lion King’s warm embrace, let out an astonished "A-woo!" as he was suddenly hoisted into the air. He tried to cling to Shi Feng’s clothes, but Su Qinglan was firm.

​She glared at her eldest cub, her eyes full of motherly warning. "If you dare to cause more trouble today, you aren’t allowed to come out for a week! Do you understand?"

​Without waiting for the cub to protest, she turned and thrust him into the waiting arms of Rong Ye.

She didn’t stop there. "Rong Ye, take both of them back to Hu Yan. They’ve had enough excitement, and they must be hungry. Tell Hu Yan to feed them and keep them occupied so they don’t cause any more trouble."

​Rong Ye, who had been waiting for this exact moment, caught Xiao Yi with a triumphant look. He looked down at the naughty cub in his left arm and the sleepy Xiao Er in his right.

An evil, satisfied smile spread across his face.

​"Don’t worry, Lan Lan," Rong Ye said, his voice dripping with mock sweetness. "I’ll take them back right now. Let’s see what your father, Hu Yan, has to say about you taking gifts from outsiders."

​Xiao Yi suddenly stiffened. The delicious red fish in his paw suddenly didn’t taste so good anymore.

He looked at Rong Ye’s scary smile and then thought of his father, Hu Yan, who was much stricter and more serious than his mother.

Xiao Er, on the other hand, had no idea what was happening. He was just leaning lazily on Rong Ye’s other arm, his little eyes half-closed as he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from all the walking and showing off.

​Xiao Yi realized he was in big trouble. He didn’t want to go home; he wanted to stay in his mother’s pocket or even back with the "Fish Lion." He let out a pitiful cry, reaching his tiny paws toward Su Qinglan’s arms, but it was too late.

​Rong Ye immediately turned and began to run back toward their home, carrying both cubs like two bags of grain.

He was in a great mood. He was going to tattle on everything Xiao Yi had done. He wanted Hu Yan to teach the cub a serious lesson so he wouldn’t dare to be bribed by competitors in the future.

​Is this cub not afraid? Rong Ye thought as he jumped over a log. If he helps an outsider like Shi Feng, his own father will have one more rival to deal with! Hu Yan must teach him that taking benefits from the enemy is a dangerous game.

​On the entire path back, Xiao Yi put on his best performance. He made his eyes big and watery, he let out soft whimpers, and he even tried to offer Rong Ye a bite of his fish. But Rong Ye only smiled evilly and kept running.

Xiao Er occasionally opened one eye to look at his brother’s drama with a confused expression before falling back asleep.

​Meanwhile, back at the Tribe Leader’s house, Su Qinglan turned to the remaining group. "Now that the little troublemakers are gone, shall we go in? My father is waiting."

​Shi Feng watched Rong Ye disappear with the cubs, his mind still reeling from the discovery of the snake. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He followed Su Qinglan inside, his expression unreadable, but his heart was more determined than ever to find this mysterious husbands of hers.