Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 153

153: Chapter 153: What Does “˜Heat”™ Mean?

153: Chapter 153: What Does “˜Heat”™ Mean?

Su Qinglan sat quietly for a while after Rong Ye’s screams faded away into the distance.

The cave was silent again.

She blinked, still not understanding what just happened.

Hu Yan and Han Jue were pretending to be very busy with their food, but their faces looked tense, as if they didn’t want to talk about what they had just witnessed.

Su Qinglan frowned.

“Um… can I ask something?” Both of them froze at once.

Hu Yan slowly lifted his head.

“…Yes?” She hesitated, glancing toward the cave entrance where Rong Ye had disappeared.

“Why was Rong Ye teasing Xuan Long like that?

What did he mean by that… ‘in heat’ thing?” There was a long silence.

“W”“What?” Hu Yan stammered, eyes wide.

“You…

you don’t know what that means?” Su Qinglan shook her head seriously.

“No.

I mean, I can guess a little…

but I’m not sure if I’m thinking right.” Han Jue’s face turned bright red.

“Ahem, well, it’s, uh…

it’s just a…

natural thing.

You know, for beastmen.” “That’s not helpful,” she said flatly.

“What kind of natural thing?” Hu Yan rubbed the back of his neck, his ears twitching nervously.

“It’s…

uh…

when…

it’s like a…

season.

Yeah, a season.” “A season?” she asked, frowning.

“Like?” “No!” both of them said at once, too quickly.

Su Qinglan tilted her head.

“Then what kind?” Hu Yan looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him.

Han Jue suddenly stood up.

“We, uh…

we have to go hunting!” Hu Yan jumped up right after him.

“Yes!

Hunting!

Very important.

We need meat!” Su Qinglan frowned.

“But…” Hu Yan said quickly.

“Lan Lan, take good care.

We’ll be back later!” Before she could say another word, both of them rushed toward the cave entrance, practically tripping over each other.

She stared after them, speechless, as their footsteps disappeared into the forest.

The cave went silent again.

Su Qinglan blinked, completely confused.

“Why are they all behaving so strangely…?” she muttered under her breath.

The fire popped softly in reply, as if it didn’t know either.

Su Qinglan sat alone in the quiet cave after Hu Yan and Han Jue ran off.

She still didn’t understand.

Everyone had acted so strangely, and now they had all left her alone.

She poked at the fire with a stick and muttered, “What’s so hard about explaining one simple word?” Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang in her mind.

“Host, are you serious right now?” Su Qinglan blinked in surprise.

“Xuyu?

You finally came online?” “Yes, and the first thing I hear is that you don’t even know what ‘heat’ means.

Honestly, I can’t believe you sometimes!” Su Qinglan frowned.

“Then tell me!

Everyone keeps running away whenever I ask!” Xuyu sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that sounded like he had lost all hope in her host.

“Fine.

Listen carefully.

‘Heat’ means the beastman is in his mating time.

They want to mate with females.” Su Qinglan froze.

“…What?” “Yes.

It’s not a joke.

Beastmen still follow beast instincts.

Most males go into heat at certain times of the year.

During that time, they become restless, their instincts take over, and they…

seek out females.” Su Qinglan’s eyes went wide, her mouth slightly open.

“Yes.” Xuyu’s voice turned more serious.

“It’s a painful period for them, both physically and mentally.

Their body temperature rises, they can’t focus, and if they resist it for too long, it becomes worse.

Some even lose reasoning completely.

It usually lasts for about a week.” Su Qinglan’s mind went blank for a moment.

She slowly turned her head toward the empty cave entrance, her thoughts spinning fast.

“Then…

that means…

Xuan Long is…” “Yes,” Xuyu said calmly.

“He’s probably in his mating period right now.” Su Qinglan’s heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes grew round as realization hit her.

Xuan Long had been tense lately…

quieter than usual…

and his eyes…

those deep and focused eyes always lingered on her longer than before.

Now it all made sense.

He wasn’t just being strange or distant.

He was enduring it.

And Rong Ye… that stupid fox… had made fun of him during such a time.

Her face turned red.

She covered her cheeks with both hands.

“Oh no… I thought they were just making dirty jokes!” “They weren’t,” Xuyu said bluntly.

“But that fox really knows how to poke at a sore point.” Su Qinglan swallowed hard.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

“So Xuan Long was… going through all that… and I didn’t even notice?” she whispered.

She remembered the way his eyes had darkened sometimes when she got too close, the way his voice dropped low, and the way his tail sometimes twitched sharply behind him.

Back then, she thought he was just annoyed or maybe being his usual cold self.

But now…

Her face grew even hotter.

She covered her head with both hands, groaning softly.

“Ah… I really am the stupid one here…” “Host, you’re really something, huh?

How can you be this clueless?” Su Qinglan blinked.

“I…I didn’t know!

You never told me these things!” Damn…it is her first time in the beast world; how was she supposed to know that something like this exists?

She had thought they were just joking.

“Because I thought it was obvious!” Xuyu huffed.

“When a beastman goes into heat, his instincts go wild.

He’ll crave a mate, can’t think properly, body temperature rises, mood swings, and the whole package!

And poor Xuan Long is just… holding it all in.” Her eyes widened.

“H”“Holding it in?” “Yeah,” Xuyu sighed dramatically.

“You think it’s easy for him?

He’s been suppressing it all this time while you keep sitting beside him all innocent and soft, asking him questions with those big eyes.

Poor guy probably wants to bite something.” Su Qinglan’s face went red to her ears.

“W”“What are you even saying!?” “Just facts, host~” Xuyu’s tone turned mischievous.

“If you want to help him, there are ways, you know…” Su Qinglan froze.

“…What ways?” “Oh, you know… giving him a nice cool bath, maybe?

Or… you could sleep beside him and let your scent calm him down.” “X”“Xuyu!” Su Qinglan’s mouth dropped open.

Her entire face burned.

“Y”“You’re unbelievable!

Absolutely unbelievable!” “Just saying, host~” Xuyu hummed.

“Don’t come crying to me if you wake up one morning and find yourself… pinned under a certain someone.” “XUYU!”