Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 429: The Tragic Fate of Xiao Yi

"The tribe is waiting for us," Su Qinglan said, looking down at the pile of mud and fur in her lap.

"We are invited to a grand feast to celebrate the first batch of salt, so we can’t go looking like a group of forest monsters. Let’s get you all bathed!"

She flashed a bright, beautiful smile at her cubs.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Er froze. Their little tiger ears flattened against their heads. Was it too late to run? They looked at the cave entrance, their muscles tensing for a quick escape.

They hated baths. Water was for drinking, not for soaking your beautiful fur!

But Su Qinglan was faster. She reached out and gripped both of them by their scruffs, not allowing them to sneak away.

She could hear their low, dissatisfied purrs...they were practically begging her to change her mind.

"Playing is good," Su Qinglan said firmly, ignoring their sad eyes.

"But bathing after playing is very important. Look at yourselves! You have more dirt on you than the ground does."

Hu Yan didn’t need to be told twice. He was more than happy to help. He immediately went to get the large wooden tub and filled it with warm water. He had a smug look on his face; these little devils were finally going to get a lesson in cleanliness.

The scene quickly turned into total chaos.

First up was Xiao Yi. As Su Qinglan tried to lower him into the water, he refused to let go of her. He clung to her arm with all his might, his claws snagging slightly on her animal skin.

"Let go, you little rascal," Hu Yan grunted. He stepped in, his large hand snapping out to grab Xiao Yi by the neck.

With one swift motion, he pulled the cub away from Su Qinglan and tossed him directly into the tub.

Splash!

Xiao Yi was stunned. He disappeared under the surface for a second before popping back up, looking like a drowned chick.

His fluffy fur was now plastered to his skinny body, making him look half his usual size. He stared at his father with an expression of pure betrayal.

He immediately raised a wet paw toward Su Qinglan, letting out a pitiful cry. "Meow-ow!" (Mother! Mother! I don’t want him! Call Father Shi Feng! He is more gentle!)

Hu Yan’s lips twitched in annoyance. "Oh? So I’m the bad guy now? You want the ’gentle’ one to scrub you?" He snickered, looking at the muddy ring already forming in the water. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Fine. Whatever. Whoever baths you, you are definitely leaving a thick layer of dirt behind today."

He turned his head and shouted toward the back of the cave. "Shi Feng! Get over here! Your ’gentle’ touch is requested for a very muddy tiger!"

Xiao Er, seeing his brother’s tragic fate, tried to hide behind Xuan Long’s legs, but the snake father just looked down and nudged him toward the tub.

Even Xiao San, who was already clean in his human form, sat in his father’s lap and clapped his chubby hands, enjoying the show of his brothers getting scrubbed.

Shi Feng arrived in an instant, looking more than happy to help. He had a calm smile on his face as he flexed his fingers to rub the cub; Xiao Yi shudders... Not You!

Su Qinglan looked at the soaking wet Xiao Yi and asked softly, "Baby, I was going to wash you myself, but do you really want Father Shi Feng instead?"

Xiao Yi froze. He looked at the "gentle" Shi Feng and then at his mother.

Of course he preferred his mother! Compared to these rough, large males, her hands were like soft petals. He immediately paddled through the water toward the edge of the tub, reaching his tiny paws out for her.

Su Qinglan smiled, her heart softening. "Oh, you do want Mommy. I thought you were tired of me."

Hu Yan stood by the side and snickered at his son’s shameless face. "Look at him," he muttered to Xuan Long.

"At such a young age, he already knows exactly how to act pitiful to get the female’s attention. He’s a natural."

Shi Feng reached into the water to hold the cub steady so he wouldn’t slip, and Su Qinglan picked up a piece of soft hide to start scrubbing.

At first, Xiao Yi closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. The warm water felt good, and his mother’s touch was nice. But suddenly, his little eyes snapped open. Something was very wrong.

His mother was not being "gentle" at all! Su Qinglan had realized just how much filth was trapped in that orange fur. She was scrubbing with serious strength, literally peeling a layer of grime off him.

Suddenly, in Xiao Yi’s mind, his mother didn’t look like a sweet fox anymore...she looked like a fierce warrior determined to find the skin under the mud!

He tried to scramble out of the tub, but Shi Feng’s grip was like iron.

"Stay still, Xiao Yi," Su Qinglan said, her voice determined as she scrubbed harder. "You naughty cub! Just where have you been playing?"

She was shocked to find that there were actually small stones and dried twigs trapped deep in his fur. Every time she applied soap, the lather immediately turned gray and disappeared.

She looked over at Hu Yan with a judging gaze. "Hu Yan! Don’t you bathe him daily? What have you two been doing?"

Hu Yan threw his hands up, looking completely innocent. "I do my duty! I wash them every evening!"

But the truth was, these cubs were becoming more unruly by the day. They had a special talent for finding the dirtiest, deepest muddy pits in the forest to roll in.

They would even sit in the sun to dry the mud onto their fur before coming home so it was harder to wash off.

"He’s becoming a little rebel," Hu Yan snickered, watching Xiao Yi struggle. "Maybe next time he’ll think twice before jumping into the swamp."

"A-wooo"

Xiao Yi let out a heartbroken cry, looking at the door as if hoping the Beast God would save him from this "torture."

Behind him, Xiao Er saw the "brutal" cleaning his brother was receiving and slowly began to back out of the cave, hoping no one would notice him.