Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Stove, The Provider
Hu Yan stepped out from the shelter of the treehouse, the cool rain misting against his skin.

He hadn’t gone three steps before a mass of moving greenery blocked his path.

He looked down, expecting a fallen branch, but his eyes lit up when he saw the familiar, leafy vines. It was Stove, the spirit plant that had run away from the home after rain had started.

“So, you finally decided to come back,” Hu Yan teased, crouching down to be at eye level with the plant. He reached out and gently patted the top leaves. “I thought you might have run off to start your own forest.”

Stove shivered with delight, rubbing his broad leaves against Hu Yan’s large palm.

In Stove’s mind, Hu Yan was the best of the husbands. Unlike that flashy, annoying fox Rong Ye who always made fun of him, Hu Yan was a steady, considerate beastman. Stove felt a wave of affection; he definitely loved Hu Yan the most.

“It’s good you’re home,” Hu Yan said with a warm chuckle. “Lan Lan was worried sick about you. If you hadn’t shown up soon, she was probably going to drag herself out into the rain just to find you.”

Hearing this, Stove’s leaves perked up instantly. If he had eyes, they would be sparkling. He mentally wiped away some non-existent tears of joy.

He knew it! His master would never forget him. That rotten fox had tried to tell him that Su Qinglan had forgotten his name because she was too busy with them, but Stove knew better now. His master loved him!

Feeling a surge of energy and hunger, Stove wrapped a vine around Hu Yan’s wrist and tugged him toward the outdoor fire pit.

He pointed one of his smaller tendrils at a pile of fresh prey…large mountain deer…that Han Jue and Hu Yan had brought back earlier.

Then, he pointed at himself and did a little shimmy.

Hu Yan laughed, immediately understanding the silent request. “Ah, I see. You’re starving. You want me to cook for you?”

Stove nodded his entire body vigorously. Hu Yan didn’t waste any time. He knew the appetite of the stove and all of the beast husband was massive.

While they spent hours preparing delicate, seasoned dishes for Su Qinglan…soft buns, vegetable soups, and finely minced meats…the men themselves usually stuck to roasted meat.

Those tiny, elegant portions Su Qinglan ate wouldn’t even fill the corner of their stomachs. They preferred the raw strength of a massive roast, and they always made sure to save the “fancy” food for their precious female.

Hu Yan grabbed a massive leg of deer, seasoned it simply with some salt, and held it over the roaring fire.

Stove sat nearby, his leaves rustling with greed as he watched the flames lick the meat.

The smell was heavenly. For weeks, Stove had been surviving on small forest rodents and raw meat while he was enjoying the rain. Finally, he was going to get a real, hot meal.

As the meat sizzled and the fat dripped into the fire, Stove’s excitement grew.

When the leg was finally perfectly browned and dripping with juice, Hu Yan handed it over. Stove caught it expertly with his vines.

But then, Stove did something unexpected. He reached out and grabbed another raw leg from the pile, pushing it toward Hu Yan and gesturing for him to cook that one too.

Hu Yan was stunned. He nudged the plant with his hand, a confused smile on his face.

“Hey, did your appetite suddenly double? You’ve been wandering in the rain, not fighting a giant bear! One of these is usually enough to keep you satisfied for an entire day.”

He looked down at Stove and noticed that the plant seemed a bit taller, his vines thicker and more vibrant.

What Hu Yan didn’t realize was that as Su Qinglan’s plant-type ability had leveled up by leaps and bounds and Stove as her bonded spirit plant, was also evolving and growing.

Stove puffed out his main stem, acting very smug. Of course he had grown up! He was a high-level guardian now. He didn’t bother explaining; he just waited for the second leg to be finished.

Once the second massive leg was roasted to perfection, Stove didn’t even wait for it to cool. He clenched both giant legs in his vines…each one was actually bigger than the plant itself, and he turned to run.

“Hey! Where are you going with all that?” Hu Yan called out, dumbfounded. “Don’t go out in the rain again! The meat will get cold and lose its taste!”

But Stove didn’t listen. He was on a mission. He scurried across the muddy ground, and with a powerful spring in his vines, he jumped straight through the second-story window of the treehouse where Lan Yue was staying.

Inside the quiet room, Lan Yue was startled by a heavy thud on the floorboards. She looked over, expecting someone, but instead saw a bundle of wet vines hanging two steaming, giant legs of meat just outside her window.

She was dumbfounded and even had to rub her eyes. Was she dreaming? She thought, and when she opened her eyes, it had already disappeared.

Stove didn’t know that he had made someone dumbfounded; all he focused on was to pull the faint leg from the window after getting inside first and scurried toward the corner of the room.

There, huddled in a small pot, was his “flower wife”…the delicate spirit flower that had been his companion in the rain. The little flower plant looked small and weak compared to the upgraded Stove.

Stove dropped the biggest, juiciest leg of meat right in front of her. He let out a rustle of leaves that sounded very much like a proud husband saying, “Eat up, I brought you a feast!”

The little flower plant stared at the meat, then at Stove, then back at the meat. The roasted leg was at least five times larger than her entire body.

She looked completely overwhelmed, her petals trembling at the sheer size of the “snack” her over-enthusiastic husband had brought her.

Stove didn’t see the problem. He started munching on his own leg, looking very satisfied with himself.

He was a provider now, and he was going to make sure his flower stayed well-fed, even if she had to eat for a month to finish it.