Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: The Miserable Journey of the Fox Tribe Following One Terrifying Snake
The moment Xuan Long left the fox tribe, the entire entourage of fox beastmen scurried behind him like a long, miserable, trembling tail. His face was so dark, so gloomy, so utterly terrifying that none of them even dared to breathe too loudly.

His aura was so chilling that even the wind didn’t dare blow too loudly.

And the fox tribe beastmen?

They trailed behind him in a perfectly straight line like a clutch of terrified baby chicks following a murderous chicken mother.

If Xuan Long went north… they went north.

If Xuan Long turned east… they immediately skidded east.

If Xuan Long paused for even half a heartbeat …thirty foxmen nearly tripped over each other trying not to bump into him.

Not because they respected him.

But because they were terrified that if they made him angry, he’d shed his beastman form right there and devour them whole.

And honestly, looking at the icy, stormy expression on his face… it didn’t even feel like an exaggeration.

One young fox whispered, voice trembling, “I-Is he always like this?”

Another smacked him on the head. “Shut up! Don’t talk about him! He’ll hear you.”

“He’s in front!”

“He’s a snake! They hear everything!”

Instant silence.

Nobody argued. They just swallowed and looked at Xuan Long’s stiff back, shoulders tense, jaw tight, eyes forward … all signs of a beastman who was dangerously beyond irritated.

But the reason… ah, the reason made it all worse.

Xuan Long wasn’t angry at them.

He was angry because this was his first time being away from his female for so long.

If it were up to him, he’d have slithered back home immediately, but he doesn’t want to disappoint his female. He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the chatter of beastmen behind them.

A normal man might have called it “escorting.”

Xuan Long called it “torture.”

By the second hour, his left eye twitched.

By the fourth hour, his patience was fraying.

By the sixth hour, the foxmen noticed that Xuan Long’s aura was thickening to the point that even the air felt heavy.

“B-Brother… His expression darkened again…”

“Did he look even scarier just now? I swear just now his eyes flashed like he wanted to murder someone.”

“Stop talking! He’ll kill you first!”

They would have cried if they weren’t so dehydrated from sweating in terror.

At one point Xuan Long abruptly slowed and stepped off from the path.

The fox tribe froze. As they found him suddenly leaving towards a dense bush.

Every foxman immediately panicked.

“He’s leaving! H-He’s going to abandon us!!”

“He’s escaping!!”

“Nooo…!”

They rushed after him like desperate chicks, forming a circle around him at a respectful six-meter distance, all staring with terrified, wide eyes.

Xuan Long’s motion stopped.

Slowly… very slowly… He turned his head back toward them.

His eye twitched.

His murderous aura burst like a tidal wave when he realized he couldn’t even relieve himself freely.

“…”

The fox tribe scrambled backward so fast dust clouds exploded behind them. When they saw what he was doing.

“W-We didn’t see anything!”

“We don’t know anything!”

“We’re just passing by…!”

Xuan Long hissed at them.

All of them fell flat on their faces.

What pitiful creatures, Xuan Long thought coldly. Pitiful and extremely, profoundly annoying.

He relieved himself in peace, though “peace” was perhaps too strong a word when thirty foxmen sat behind bushes trembling like soaked rabbits and then returned to the path.

By the time they reached the Fat Bull Tribe, the old bull tribe leader didn’t even wait for greetings.

He took one look at Xuan Long’s cold, thundercloud expression… and handed them every sack of rice they’d come for.

No negotiations.

No questions.

Not even a grunt of resistance.

He even threw in two extra sacks, muttering, “Take everything you want. Take it all. Please just leave before that snake kills us.”

Thus, the exchange was the smoothest their tribe had ever seen.

The foxmen cheered internally, but externally they remained stiff and silent, too scared to show joy in front of Xuan Long.

The rice was divided and loaded onto their backs.

One impulsive fox beastman grabbed up a handful of raw rice and tossed it into his mouth.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Then his entire face twisted into horror.

“AHH!! WHAT—WHAT IS THIS?! ROCKS?! DID WE GET CHEATED?!”

A slap landed on the back of his head.

“You idiot! It must be cooked! Didn’t female Su Qinglan teach us this?!”

The others sniffed.

It did smell strange. But they all knew one thing: the female liked it. That was enough.

If their female liked it, then even if it was rocks, even if it was poisonous, even if it made their teeth fall out…they would carry it home proudly.

Two foxmen whispered to each other:

“Do you think the female will be happy?”

“Absolutely! My female always chats about it.

…saying how delicious it is!”

“We’re bringing back treasure!”

“Yes!”

They were so moved and earnest they nearly cried.

Xuan Long did not share their enthusiasm.

He stood there, arms crossed, muscles tense, jaw ticking, his entire body vibrating with a quiet fury.

He was already missing his mate so painfully that his chest hurt.

If these foxlings weren’t so pathetically slow, he would have slithered back in half a night. But he had to drag them, guide them, push them, and make sure they didn’t get eaten or lose all the rice.

Without stopping even at midnight, all of them left the fat bull tribe. Even though they were tired because Xuan Long did not show any intention of taking rest at all.

The foxmen were too scared to ask him.

“…His face is getting darker.”

“Brother, why do I feel like he’ll kill us before we reach home?”

“I feel like even the weather is scared of him.”

“Shh! Don’t let him hear!”

But Xuan Long did hear.

He just ignored it.

His eyes kept drifting to the sky, then toward the distant direction of his tribe.

Something was wrong.

A pulse of foreboding rolled through him, sharp and cold. His instincts stirred with unease.

Something wrong was going to happen. Something he didn’t like.

His eyes narrowed, fangs pressing lightly against his lower lip.

They needed to move now.

He turned sharply on his heel, and every foxman stiffened.

“Carry the rice properly,” Xuan Long ordered, voice low and cutting. “Do not drop a single grain.”

They straightened instantly.

“Yes!!”

“And increase your pace. We are leaving.”

Without any argument. They practically sprinted after him.

But even as they began their return journey, a soft sound whispered across the land.

Plip.

A drop landed on one foxman’s nose.

He froze.

Stared up.

Another drop.

Then another.

A fox whispered, voice trembling, “I-Is… is this… rain?”

“But the priest said four more days are remaining!”

“H-How could it be raining now?!”

Before panic could spread, Xuan Long’s voice sliced through the air.

“Protect the rice.”

They nodded so hard their necks nearly snapped.

“And move faster.”

This time, thirty foxmen shouted in unison, “YES!!”

They sprinted in the forest without waiting for anything. Behind them, the rain slowly thickened.

Ahead of them, Xuan Long’s pace became a blur.