QT: Against My Will-Chapter 644 - 13.09 - Bingship - Pawprints of Passion
Bing Shi took care of all Meiyiang’s needs and made sure she had enough to eat and drink. She didn’t try to touch or kiss Meiyiang, keeping a respectable distance.
Paxter, on the other hand, was much more aggressive in his pursuit of Meiyiang’s affections. He was constantly trying to touch her, even when she was clearly uncomfortable with it.
This caused Meiyiang to shy away from him even more. She was just sixteen and was never in a relationship before, making her prefer the company of the sheep beastman instead.
"Let’s stop here," Bing Shi said. Setting down her bag, she already took on the role of Meiyiang’s head male. "Paxter, get some firewood. I’ll keep Meiyiang company."
As a spectator, it was surely frustrating to watch female leads being so submissive and passive toward the male leads, but as a person who had to deal with them, it was a blessing not to have to argue and fight over every little thing (and easier to take advantage of them).
Paxter growled in annoyance but went off to do what he was told. He had learned the hard way that punny sheep wasn’t someone he could mess with, especially the two big dots below each of the sheep’s eyes.
He had only ever met five beastmen who had four stripes, and three of them were the current kings of the beast City, the other one was Windric (The Tiger King’s brother), and Kurus (The Snake Feral), and! And all of them were carnivores!
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Meiyiang tried to stroke the bunny that hopped around Bing Shi before it disappeared into the woords. "The bunny is so cute," she said, "What’s its name?"
"Hubby." Bing Shi replied, "And it’s a he."
The bunny soon brought them a dead bird that looked like an oversized chicken and placed it at Bing Shi’s feet.
Meiyiang’s eyes widened in surprise, not from the name but from the fact that it just hunted food for them. "So strong and smart." She reached out to stroke its head, but Hubby dodged her and jumped onto Bingship’s arms instead, "..."
Bing Shi had no idea how to prepare the bird, so she simply plucked its feathers off according to Ru Quan’s instructions. Then, she used a sharp stone to gut the bird and remove its organs, according to his instructions again.
Meiyiang covered her mouth and nose, looking away from the gory sight. "Aren’t you a herbivore? How can you eat meat?"
"I’m not eating the meat, I’m just preparing it for you," Bing Shi said, as she started to roast the bird over the fire that Paxter had made in the meantime. To cook the rice, she steamed it with the help of a bamboo basket and a clay pot.
Meiyiang’s eyes lit up when she saw the rice cooking. "I love rice!" she exclaimed, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
Paxter grunted and sat down next to her, "If you want rice, I can get it for you too."
"I know you can," Meiyiang said, giving him a small smile.
Paxter’s heart skipped a beat. He loved it when she smiled at him. It made him feel special and loved. But the fact that the sheep beastman had made her happier made him feel a bit jealous.
"Here," Bing Shi said, handing her a leafed plate of rice and roasted bird, "Be careful, it’s hot."
Meiyiang took the plate and eagerly started to eat, "This is delicious! Where did you learn to cook like this?"
Bing Shi smiled and shrugged, "I just follow my instincts," she said, as she took a small piece of the meat and fed it to Hubby, who nibbled on it happily.
Paxter watched as Meiyiang ate the food that the sheep had prepared, his jealousy growing with each bite she took. He was the best cook in his tribe, and he had been preparing her food for weeks now. But the sheep had only been here for a day, and she was already eating his food and enjoying it more than his!
Bing Shi observed Paxter’s behavior. Most would view his jealousy as a strange and immature behavior. In this polygamous society, males needed to cooperate to provide for the females, and jealousy could disrupt the harmony within the group. She found him quite pitiful, to be forced to share a female and adapt to the beastmen’s lifestyle, so she handed him a few jerky sticks.
"You’re a leopard, and you need meat. Eat," she ordered, and he stared at her in surprise. "As a head male, it is my responsibility to ensure the survival of the pack. You need to have enough energy to protect our female from danger."
Speechless, Paxter took the jerky and bit into it, tearing up a little. No one had ever told him that his needs mattered too, that he was an important part of the pack. He was still wary of Bingship, but he couldn’t deny that the sheep was a good leader and provider.
Then, out of nowhere, some dirt was thrown in his direction. His head snapped to the side and saw that Hubby was digging a hole nearby, throwing dirt at him with his back paws, not even looking at him, "Hey! Watch it!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
The cute bunny stopped for a moment, turned his head, and gave Paxter a dismissive glance, as if saying, ’Oh, it’s just you. Whatever.’ before going back to digging.
Paxter felt a wave of anger rise inside him, and he growled, ready to pounce on the little furball. But before he could do anything, Meiyiang reached out and touched his arm, her voice gentle. "Please, don’t hurt him," she pleaded.
He looked down at her, and his heart melted at her soft touch and the worry in her eyes. "Fine, I won’t do anything," he grumbled, still glaring at the rabbit.
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The path to the sheep village was peaceful and uneventful (except for the annoying bugs). Nobody attacked them, which was surprising, especially for Paxter. He looked around, "This area is usually infested with Titan beasts, but they are not around."
"Titan beasts?" Meiyiang asked. "What are they?"
"Beasts of colossal size and strength (dinosaurs). They contain precious crystals that can enhance a beastman’s strength," Paxter explained, as Bing Shi led the way through the forest. "They are usually very aggressive and dangerous, but for some reason, we haven’t encountered any of them yet."
Bing Shi pulled out a pouch from her backpack, opening it to show Meiyiang, revealing couple of crystal shards, "I hunted a few down before I arrived."
There were more, but Bing Shi sent them all into her space for research. The crystal shards were not only a source of power, but also a currency among the beastmen. The higher quality of the crystal, the more valuable it was.
Paxter’s eyes widened when he saw the crystals, "How strong are you?"
"Stronger than you," she replied, "For sure."
"Not for long!" he growled, his eyes shining with determination. "I’ll become the strongest beastman in the world!"
"Good." Bing Shi nodded, "You can start with that," she pointed to the heavy log on the ground, "You want to be strong, right? So, start carrying heavy things. And our female too. She’s tired from walking."
Paxter did as he was told. He hoisted the log onto his shoulders and then scooped Meiyang up, carrying her on the other shoulder. She let out a surprised squeak, but didn’t protest, wanting to help him train and become stronger too.
Bing Shi nodded in approval. Maintaining a balance of power among the male leads shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish, but having Meiyang build a harem for herself would be a different story. She was too passive and dependent on others to make decisions for her, and the stronger Paxter became, the more domineering and less willing to share his woman he would be.
The world’s males’ simple and easy-to-manipulate minds however, made it much easier to control the situation. Bing Shi couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. The downside was that it was easy for the other woman to do the same thing.
She didn’t know what her classmate’s goal was in this world. Whether she was here to escape or to cause trouble, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be peaceful.
’But first, I need to get some vessels for my team.’
Getting other beastmen to follow her would take too much effort, which she could use to focus on her main task.
Turning Meiyang into a Beast City’s Queen in name only was the plan, and her team would help her do that.
