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Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 I Won't Take a Bath!_1

Xi Qing watched Si Yan, who had just dealt with Xiong Nai and the four little bear cubs. He asked Bei Ji, "Bei Ji, is that bad female crazy?"

Bei Ji nodded seriously. "I've heard there's a type of witchcraft that can bewitch people."

"So, that bad female is bewitched?" Xi Qing asked.

Bei Ji muttered, "If she's not bewitched, why would that bad female say we didn't steal anything? She even caught the real culprit and made those who slandered us apologize. She even... fought another female for us."

Still fuming about the earlier incidents, Si Yan snapped at the two muttering cubs, "Follow me back!"

Xi Qing and Bei Ji exchanged glances.

Going back means a beating, right?

A bad female is a bad female; her nature is hard to change!

Xi Qing and Bei Ji returned to the cave. They had rushed out that morning to avoid a beating, but now it seemed unavoidable.

The two cubs waited anxiously in the cave for Si Yan to beat them. Instead, they saw her bring in a newly woven grass mat and lay it under the beast fur. She tested it; it was much softer.

The two cubs huddled in a corner, watching her. They were resigned to being beaten—it was nothing new to them—and waited for her to strike.

Yet, they saw Si Yan poke the fire a couple of times, reigniting it. Then, she placed the remaining yellow earth fruits—potatoes—into the embers to roast.

Xi Qing whispered to Bei Ji, "When did that bad female learn to use Divine Fire?"

To the Beastmen, fire was a sacred thing. In the Yanxiang Tribe, only the village chief possessed a fire seed and knew how to start a fire. Most Beastmen in the tribe ate their food raw.

Xi Qing and Bei Ji had been puzzled by the fire the previous day, but they hadn't had the presence of mind to ponder it deeply then. Today, watching Si Yan handle the fire so effortlessly, the two cubs grew even more confused.

Bei Ji shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she really is bewitched."

Xi Qing frowned. "So, being bewitched lets you control Divine Fire?"

After Si Yan roasted the leftover meat and sprinkled it with salt and pepper, she called the two cubs, "Come here, let's eat together!"

Xi Qing gripped Bei Ji tightly, and Bei Ji, seeing this, didn't move either.

Winning over these villainous cubs won't happen overnight. Si Yan wasn't in a hurry. After eating a roasted potato and some meat, she left alone.

After Si Yan left, Xi Qing and Bei Ji looked at each other.

It was strange; that bad female... hadn't hit them.

Xi Qing and Bei Ji were starving. They quickly moved forward. The roasted potatoes and meat were a bit hot, but... so delicious!

Si Yan found a large log and dragged it back to the cave.

She wanted to make a container, one for bathing.

She couldn't transform into her beast form like the male Beastmen, who could dig out containers with their claws. Although she had a silver dagger, silver was quite soft; using it to carve wood would likely break it quickly.

How can I make a tub then?

For a moment, Si Yan was stumped.

The two cubs, having finished their food, were still staring at her in the cave.

Xi Qing suddenly asked, "Bad female, what are you doing?"

"I want to make a tub," Si Yan replied.

"What's a tub?" Bei Ji asked.

Si Yan gestured. "It's like this... and that... something wooden and hollow inside that can hold water. But right now, I can't carve out the inside of this log."

Bei Ji looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "Don't you have a snake scale?"

Si Yan turned. "Snake scale?"

Bei Ji nodded. "Probably... maybe... it's a snake scale left by our father beast."

Si Yan blinked. Now she remembered. While tidying the cave, she had seen a large, beautiful, purple, semi-transparent scale. She hadn't thought of a use for it then, but found it quite pretty, so she had casually placed it... yes, beside the bed.

Si Yan quickly went to the bedside and looked around, indeed finding the beautiful snake scale.

Looking at this snake scale, which was larger than her palm, Si Yan suddenly thought, If the scales of my four cubs' father are this big, how enormous must his true form be!

Si Yan turned her head and asked the two cubs, "How do I use this snake scale?"

Xi Qing shot her a mocking glance, while Bei Ji said, "Female, you can try using it to scrape the wood."

Hearing this, Si Yan used the snake scale to scrape at the log. To her amazement, it sliced through the hard wood as easily as if it were tofu.

Incredible!

This is so much more effective than my silver dagger!

"It's really handy," Si Yan couldn't help but remark.

Bei Ji said, "Our father beast is very formidable. It's a pity you don't want him."

Si Yan looked at the snake scale.

The father of these big villains, a major villain himself, is certainly formidable. But that has nothing to do with me; I have no intention of actually taking a Beastman as a mate.

Besides, he's a snake—the creature I fear most.

Better make use of this good thing quickly, Si Yan thought. She set to work on the large piece of wood, scraping and carving as if cutting tofu. Before long, she had fashioned two wooden buckets.

She made a smaller one for fetching water and a larger one for bathing.

After completing these, she carefully put away the valuable scale—more efficient than any blade. She then took the smaller bucket to the creek to draw water. Using a stone pot, she heated the water, making several trips back and forth until the large bathing bucket was more than half full.

The two cubs stared at her, not understanding what she was up to.

"Xi Qing, come here and take a bath," Si Yan said.

Xi Qing's face darkened. "I'm not bathing!"

Si Yan said, "If you don't bathe, you'll get bugs on you, and it will itch."

"I'm used to the itching," Xi Qing retorted.

Si Yan's expression darkened too. "No bath, no dinner tonight!"

Xi Qing huffed. That bad female will either hit me or starve me; it's always one of these few tricks, over and over. "Fine, I won't eat!"

Slightly angered, Si Yan looked towards Bei Ji. "Bei Ji, come here and bathe!"

Bei Ji hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.

Xi Qing felt betrayed as he watched Bei Ji. "Bei Ji!"

The little Beastman wore only a leather skirt, which was easy to remove.

Si Yan said, "I'll wash your hair first."

Si Yan had Bei Ji lower his head and washed his hair. Bei Ji was very well-behaved and stayed completely still.

After washing his hair, Si Yan had Bei Ji get into the tub and gave him a bath.

Once clean, the little fellow's skin was as white and tender as milk. Seeing him like this made Si Yan's heart nearly burst with fondness.

Xi Qing watched intently as Si Yan bathed Bei Ji, apparently deep in thought.

After Bei Ji was thoroughly washed, he tried to put his leather skirt back on, but Si Yan stopped him.

Xi Qing immediately rushed over, angry. "Bad female, how dare you bully Bei Ji! Are you trying to shame him?!"

Snake Beastmen have two... penises. Adult snake Beastmen weren't afraid of this trait; in fact, they often found it imposing and majestic. Young snake Beastmen, however, were often bullied because of it.

"What are you two thinking?!" Si Yan exclaimed. The earlier realization about snake Beastmen having two penises had indeed startled her when bathing Bei Ji. It was another stark reminder that these cubs, who looked so human, were actually snake Beastmen.

"I just plan to wash your little leather skirt."

Saying this, she slipped her hands under Bei Ji's armpits, lifted him, dried him with a small piece of fur, and then laid him on the fur bed.

A layer of dry grass had already been placed under the fur bed, making it fluffy and soft. Si Yan took another large piece of fur from the cave and used it as a blanket to cover Bei Ji.

Xi Qing, seeing Bei Ji lying on the bed, suddenly felt a pang of envy.

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