QT: Against My Will-Chapter 659 - 13.24 - Feathered Bird Brain
Xuan Mu leaned against the trunk, idly sharpening a knife with a whetstone. "We should start preparing for the winter," he told Bing Shi, watching Ziek teach Stinky Bun how to skip stones across the lake near the sheep village.
Each attempt sank with a pathetic plop, followed by Bing Shi’s booming laughter and Stinky Bun’s cute squeals.
"Mommy!" He tugged at her pants. "You try!"
"Alright," Bing Shi knelt, selecting a flat stone. She flicked her wrist, and the stone skipped four times, dancing across the surface before disappearing.
Stinky Bun copied her, but his stone plopped again.
"Is the winter season that bad?" Bing Shi asked, glancing at Xuan Mu.
"Worse," Xuan Mu said. "I asked around, and apparently, lots of beastmen die when the frost hits. Most huts get destroyed by the snow storms."
"Isn’t this a great opportunity for the female lead to shine? She can create special blankets, or build a new type of hut with better insulation. So many possibilities!" Bing Shi’s eyes sparkled at the thought.
"She is being held captive," Xuan Mu reminded her.
"Oh, that’s right," Bing Shi snapped her fingers. "We will rescue her so the beast world can benefit from her amazing ideas. The more people we help under the female lead’s name, the more followers we gain."
"Rescue!" Stinky Bun shot up his hands in the air, ready to play hero.
"Aren’t you making it too easy for her?" Xuan Mu challenged. "A true heroine should be able to overcome obstacles on her own, not have them handed to her on a silver platter."
"She won’t have it easy. Not with the rivalry."
"Rivalry?"
"Kurus and Windrick used to be Meiyiang’s mates in their past life. What will happen if they remember their past with her, and choose to be with her again?" Bing Shi asked, "I don’t want to cross out this possibility. If it happens, Meiyiang (female lead) will need all the cheats she can get to compete with Hikari (succubus transmigrator)."
Xuan Mu didn’t argue further, "Let’s do it then."
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Bing Shi knew that sooner or later, Paxter would come to her to seek help with rescuing the female lead.
Moyu, the proud eagle beastman accompanied him as well.
He looked Bing Shi, Xuan Mu and Ziek up and down, raising a question at Paxter, "You think you can save Meiyiang with this motley crew? They will get killed by those carnivores in an instant."
Stinky Bun was sleeping in Xuan Mu’s arms, but if he heard the insult, he would’ve been the first one to defend his Daddy and Mommy.
Ziek’s antlers gleamed dangerously, "Let’s see who gets killed, feathered bird brain."
"Enough," Paxter stood between them. "I don’t know about these two, but that sheep beastman is stronger than he looks."
"He is still a prey," Moyu scoffed.
Most taken males were already busy with protecting their own females, and wouldn’t risk their lives for a female that wasn’t theirs.
Any single male, who rescued a female had a chance to win her over. Paxter and Moyu wanted Meiyiang for themselves, not to share her with others, so they didn’t ask any single males for help.
Their only hope was this sheep beastman, who had connections to other powerful individuals (according to Paxter). Moyu wasn’t convinced but had no other choice.
Moyu’s sharp eyes searched for Xuan Mu’s animal traits, but couldn’t find any. "What bird species do you belong to?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Swans," Xuan Mu answered calmly, not the least bit ashamed.
Moyu’s face twisted into a bigger scowl. Swans used to be the most useless bird in the beast world, similar to peacocks. They only cared about their looks.
Moyu couldn’t help but feel superior, but he kept it to himself this time, turning to the Sleeping Stinky Bun, whose bunny ears peeked out from the blanket, "A... rabbit? Is this a joke?"
"It’s not, I swear." Paxter walked over to Bing Shi, pleading with his eyes, "They have my female, I cannot leave her in their hands. Please, help me out."
"Lead the way." Bing Shi started walking ahead, followed by Ziek and Xuan Mu.
Paxter shifted into his leopard form and darted through the forest.
Moyu rolled his eyes, transforming into an eagle and soaring into the sky to scout ahead.
What he didn’t expect was for Xuan Mu to hand the small rabbit cub to the sheep beastman. He then grew in size until he became a towering black swan.
Latching onto Xuan Mu’s back, Ziek covered Bing Shi and Stinky Bun with his body as the shockwave from Xuan Mu’s takeoff blew everything away.
They were in the air in a flash. Xuan Mu’s wingspan was impressive, and with a few powerful flaps, he was soaring above Moyu.
Moyu’s beak was wide open, and he forgot how to flap his wings for a second. He quickly regained his composure and tried to catch up with the black swan.
It didn’t make any sense. He was supposed to be the king of the skies. How could a swan be faster than him?
Stinky Bun woke up from all the shaking, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was no longer in Daddy’s Xuan Mu’s arms but Mommy’s. He adapted to the situation quickly and began to enjoy the flight.
Moyu tried to pass Xuan Mu but was blocked by his powerful wind current. He tried to go around him, but Xuan Mu mirrored his every move.
After a few minutes, Moyu finally admitted defeat and flew behind them, feeling humiliated.
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The destination was near the ocean, where a camp had been set up.
Bing Shi could see the female lead through Kuro’s eyes. She was tied up to a tree, looking disoriented.
Her underlings were having fun, drinking, and eating. The only one who was still on duty was Henry, who stood guard.
There were a few other beastmen hidden nearby, watching from the shadows, unable to make a move due to the strength of her underlings.
Douglas’s sixth sense felt her arrival way before she was visible to the naked eye, and signaled the others, who quickly put on a serious face, acting as if they were guarding the camp with all their might.
