I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 54: The Dragon Princess and The New Pet

"EHHH?!!!"

The combined scream of Bai Yue and the cubs was completely drowned out by the deafening roar of the hurricane-force winds.

The sky above the Thousand Fang Tribe darkened ominously. Dust, loose leaves, and an unfortunate wooden bucket whipped through the air like shrapnel.

Bai Yue threw her arms over Ruì Xuě and Yòu Lín, shielding them from the flying debris. The panther triplets wailed, pressing themselves flat against the dirt floor of the hut.

With a thunderous BOOM, the massive creature landed directly in the center of the village clearing.

Through the swirling dust, a blinding flash of crimson and gold light erupted.

The terrifying dragon shrank, shifting rapidly until a humanoid figure stepped out of the crater.

The wind instantly died down.

As the dust cleared, Bai Yue peeked over her arms. Her jaw completely unhinged. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Stepping out of the crater was, without a single doubt, the most breathtakingly gorgeous female Bai Yue had ever seen in her two lifetimes.

She was tall, with long, flowing hair the color of spun gold. But it was her attire that was truly blinding.

The female was adorned from head to toe in heavy, exquisite jewelry that chimed like a melody of war-bells with every step she took.

Thick gold bangles stacked from her wrists all the way up to her elbows. A jeweled chain connected a ruby nose-ring to her pointed ear. A heavy, glittering headpiece rested perfectly against her forehead, and her waist was wrapped in a belt of pure, chiming gold coins over layers of crimson silk.

"CĀNG JÌ!" the woman’s voice rang out. "Where are you?! Did these filthy mud-dwellers kill you?!"

Inside the hut, the mighty, arrogant Dragon Prince, the terror of the skies, the male who had threatened to incinerate a teenager just yesterday, let out a terrified, high-pitched squeak.

"Sister!" Cāng Jì tripped over his own robes as he scrambled out of the hut, waving his arms frantically. "Sister Cāng Yáo, I am here! I am perfectly intact!"

The dragon princess, Cāng Yáo, spun around. Her fierce, glowing golden eyes scanned her brother from top to bottom.

"You did not return to the peaks! The elders said your soul-stone pulse was erratic! I assumed you had been captured and eaten by savages!"

"I.....I was conducting a very important ecological survey!" Cāng Jì chuckled nervously, sweating bullets as he bowed his head in complete submission. "There was absolutely no danger! Just....a minor detour involving some monkeys."

"Monkeys?!" Cāng Yáo scoffed, the gold chains on her headpiece jingling sharply.

She narrowed her eyes, peering past her brother and into the hut where Bai Yue was clutching the cubs. "What is going on here? Who is that muddy little creature?"

Before Cāng Jì could attempt to explain the disaster of his last few days, a chorus of angry roars echoed from the edge of the clearing.

"Bai Yue!"

Zhāo Yàn and Mo Xiao burst through the treeline, having sprinted all the way back from the elders’ meeting the second the wind had shifted.

"Papa!" Miao Miao, A-Li, and Xiao Hei immediately scrambled out of the hut and tackled Mo Xiao’s legs, sobbing into his dark trousers. The Panther Alpha scooped them up, his amber eyes locked onto the new dragon.

Zhāo Yàn didn’t even look at Cāng Yáo. The Fox Lord crossed the clearing in a fraction of a second to slide directly in front of Bai Yue. He immediately dropped to one knee, his hands quickly checking Ruì Xuě, Yòu Lín, and finally resting on Bai Yue’s shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Zhāo Yàn asked, his crimson eyes flashing with anxiety. "Did she hurt you?"

"I’m fine," Bai Yue breathed out, her racing heart finally slowing down at the sight of him. "Just a little dusty."

"Sssssss. Stay away from Mama!"

Two small, scaly bodies suddenly dropped from the roof of the hut. The snake twins, Shé Yì and Shé Èr, slithered directly in front of Bai Yue and Zhāo Yàn, rearing their little heads up and baring their fangs at the glittering dragon princess.

Cāng Yáo blinked. She looked at the hissing snake twins, the glaring Panther Alpha, and the completely flustered Cāng Jì.

And then, her golden eyes landed on Zhāo Yàn.

The dragon princess froze. The angry, haughty expression completely melted off her flawless face.

Her golden pupils dilated, locking onto the Fox Lord as he stood up, his crimson eyes glowing.

"Well, well..." Cāng Yáo whispered, her voice suddenly dropping into a mesmerized purr.

She took a step forward, her anklets chiming musically. She completely ignored the hissing snakes. She completely ignored her brother.

Her gaze was fixed hungrily, entirely, on Zhāo Yàn.

"What an exquisite creature," Cāng Yáo breathed, licking her glossy, ruby-red lips.

Zhāo Yàn frowned, his tails swishing in deep annoyance. "Do you mind? You are kicking dust onto my boots."

Cāng Yáo didn’t seem to hear the insult.

She glided closer, her hips swaying smoothly. She reached out one hand, adorned with heavy gold rings, attempting to trace the sharp line of Zhāo Yàn’s jaw.

"A nine-tailed fox," Cāng Yáo cooed. "I have never seen one with such striking, venomous eyes. You are far too beautiful to be living in the dirt."

Zhāo Yàn slapped her hand away with a resounding smack.

"Do not touch me, lizard," Zhāo Yàn spat, his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp fangs. The shameless flirt who constantly teased Bai Yue was entirely gone. He looked at the gorgeous dragon princess with disgust. "I do not care how many shiny rocks you wear. Keep your hands to yourself."

Instead of being offended, Cāng Yáo’s smile only widened. "Oh. He has a temper, too. How delightful."

Uh? Is she flirting with him??

Bai Yue marched right past the snake twins, planted her hands on her hips, and stepped squarely between Zhāo Yàn and the dragon princess.

"Excuse me," Bai Yue snapped, tilting her chin up to glare at the much taller woman. "That is my mate. Back off."

Cāng Yáo paused. She slowly lowered her gaze, blinking at Bai Yue as if she were a loud, annoying mosquito.

The dragon princess let out a scoff. "You?" Cāng Yáo looked Bai Yue up and down, taking in her simple woven skirt and messy hair. "A muddy, fragile little thing like you is mated to this masterpiece? Please. Get lost, little girl. The adults are speaking."

Cāng Yáo completely dismissed Bai Yue, looking right over her head to smile seductively at Zhāo Yàn.

"Come with me, fox. I know how to treat a male of your caliber. My palace in the peaks has pools of warm milk and beds of pure silk. I will crown you in gold."

"I would rather bathe in the Forbidden Swamp," Zhāo Yàn sneered, wrapping his arm firmly around Bai Yue’s waist and pulling her flush against his side.

"My mate is standing right here. And she is worth more than every piece of cheap metal hanging off your neck."

Bai Yue’s heart skipped a beat, a massive butterfly erupting in her stomach at his words.

"Sister, please!" Cāng Jì finally panicked, rushing forward and waving his hands wildly. "You must stop this! I am perfectly fine! You have seen I am alive! You can go back to the peaks now!"

"Return to the peaks?" Cāng Yáo chuckled, an obsessive gleam flashing in her golden eyes. She didn’t look at her brother. Her gaze remained entirely fixed on Zhāo Yàn. "Absolutely not, Cāng Jì. I just got here. And I have found a new pet that I like very, very much."

Bai Yue groaned loudly, dragging a hand down her face.

Are you kidding me?! First, she had to tame a Swamp Hydra, then she had to deal with an actively fleeing Snow Leopard, and now she had to engage in a turf war with a gorgeous, overpowered, jewelry-obsessed dragon for her own husband?!

"Hold him," Bai Yue muttered, shoving Yòu Lín into Zhāo Yàn’s arms.

Before anyone could react, Bai Yue grabbed Cāng Jì by his silk collar and physically dragged the towering, terrifying Dragon Prince into the corner of the hut.

"Listen to me, sparkles," Bai Yue hissed in a furious whisper, glaring up at him. "How do I fight her? What is her weakness? Does she hate water? Does she have a severe allergy to peanuts? Tell me!"

Cāng Jì looked down at Bai Yue, his golden eyes wide with despair. He slowly shook his head, looking as if he were attending a funeral.

"No," Cāng Jì whispered bleakly. "Not really."

"What do you mean, ’not really’?!" Bai Yue demanded. "She’s a dragon! Hit her on the nose! Throw a rock at her!"

"You do not understand, star-thief," Cāng Jì whimpered, clutching his own head. He looked over his shoulder at his sister, who was currently ignoring Mo Xiao’s furious growls to continue winking at a deeply repulsed Zhāo Yàn.

"My sister is not like me," Cāng Jì whispered, his voice trembling. "When she finds a shiny treasure she wants.....she does not stop. She does not negotiate. Once Cāng Yáo focuses on something..." The Dragon Prince swallowed hard. "...She absolutely cannot let go."