Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Visiting the Restless Bai Ling

Su Qinglan had barely finished packing her herbs when Hu Yan quietly wrapped a leaf raincoat over her shoulders.

"You really want to go to Bai Ling’s place?" Hu Yan asked, though his voice held no objection at all.

Su Qinglan nodded immediately. "She must be bored out of her mind. And she’s my friend. Let’s go."

Hu Yan didn’t stop her. He knew Bai Ling was one of the few females Su Qinglan trusted and felt close to. So the two of them walked together through the slippery path, careful not to step on the wet stones scattered around the tree houses.

Inside her tree house, Bai Ling was sprawled on a fur mat like a lifeless fox rug.

She had been trapped indoors for almost a full week. Her belly was already round and heavy, so big that squatting felt like a battle and sitting down required planning. Her husband refused to let her step outside because the rain made the ground too slippery.

What if she fell?

What if she hurt herself?

What if something happened to the cub?

So Bai Ling had obediently stayed home... eating... sleeping... staring at the ceiling... and eating again.

Basically, she was losing her mind.

So when she heard footsteps outside her door, she shot up like someone had lit a fire under her tail.

The moment Su Qinglan and Hu Yan stepped inside the entrance, Bai Ling practically flew toward them despite her round belly.

"Qinglan jie! You are finally here!" she cried out dramatically. "If you didn’t come today, I swear I would have died from boredom!"

Her eyes sparkled like she had seen the sun after seven days of darkness and then they sparkled even more when she spotted Su Qinglan and Hu Yan’s leaf raincoats.

"Qinglan jie, what is this! Did you go out and also make this? Teach me! I’m so bored these days, I have nothing to do!"

Su Qinglan patted her cheeks softly with both hands.

"Why are you so energetic? Calm down! Stop bouncing! Breathe!"

She was genuinely terrified the overly excited Bai Ling would throw herself into her arms and knock herself off balance.

Once they took off their raincoats, Bai Ling hurried to fetch a soft dried hide. She wiped Su Qinglan’s face and hands with gentle devotion, like a female pampering her elder sister for good food.

Su Qinglan smiled without shyness. Only Bai Ling could fuss over her like this.

They sat on the fur mats with crossed legs and Bai Ling immediately clasped Su Qinglan’s hand.

"How many days left?" Su Qinglan asked.

Bai Ling puffed her cheeks dramatically. "Three."

"Three?" Su Qinglan’s eyes widened until they looked like full moons. "Only three days? Then why were you running just now? Sit down! Don’t move! What if something happens!"

Su Qinglan could fight monsters and heal anyone... but childbirth was something she had never handled. And in their tribe the job always belonged to the older lady, who was Lin Muyu’s mother, who had seen more births than stars in the sky.

Bai Ling giggled. "I already went to her. She said probably three or four days the pain will start. Then poof... baby."

"Poof?" Su Qinglan gasped. "That’s not how birth works!"

"It will be fine, Qinglan jie." Bai Ling squeezed her hand. "When the pain starts, I will call you immediately, okay?"

Su Qinglan nodded firmly. "You must. Don’t give birth without me."

Su Qinglan was still talking softly with Bai Ling when both of them suddenly paused at the same time. It was strange... they had been chatting peacefully only moments ago, yet out of nowhere the air around them turned cold, almost heavy. A faint tension spread through the room, making both females instinctively straighten their backs. Before either of them could speak, someone came rushing toward the house.

It was Rong Ye.

His steps were fast, uneven, and the moment he reached them, his chest rose and fell sharply as if he had sprinted the entire distance without stopping. But what made Su Qinglan tense was not simply his sudden appearance, it was his expression.. His brows were drawn tightly together, his lips pressed into a hard line, and his eyes held a clear, unmistakable worry that he didn’t even bother trying to mask.

Hu Yan also stiffened beside her. Rong Ye didn’t greet them, didn’t even catch his breath. He simply exchanged a quick glance with Hu Yan, and for a brief second Su Qinglan saw something heavy pass between their eyes, like the two of them were silently sharing a burden she had not yet been told.

Her heart tightened.

What happened?

Did they finally find that missing female?

Did someone get hurt?

Was there danger nearby?

Both of their expressions were strained in a way she rarely saw. Even without a single word spoken, she could tell something had gone wrong. And because she knew these two males better than anyone, she could sense that their panic wasn’t imagined.

So she made her decision quickly. She had to find out what was happening first. She bid farewell to Bai Ling and promised she would return the next day to check on her and the baby.

Then she left with Hu Yan, Rong Ye trailing close behind them. But the entire way back, Rong Ye remained silent. Even Hu Yan, who usually offered at least a comforting word or two, was unusually quiet. When she finally asked what was going on, both of them gave the exact same answer...

"Wait... we will tell you at home."

Her uneasiness grew stronger with every step they took.