Something Was Off with My Xiao Qing (After Thinking It Over, I'll Still Do Two Updates

Something Was Off with My Xiao Qing

At that moment, Xiao Qing stepped in front of him.

"Xiao Qing, what are you doing?"

"Does this mean you don't want Xiao Qing anymore, my lord?"

"What are you talking about? I have something to do outside. I'll be back soon."

But Xiao Qing seemed not to have heard him and continued on her own.

"Is it because I'm a snake and she's a Rabbit? I was obviously here first. I was the first one to live with you, my lord, and I can even turn into the human form you like most. So childhood sweethearts really can't compare to girls who fall from the sky..."

"Girls who fall from the sky? Where did you learn that term? Did you sneak a look at Falling From the Sky Story in my room?"

"The prince used an excuse to leave home. The princess believed her prince would definitely return, so she waited bitterly at the Castle gates. But it was all in vain, because the prince had never liked the princess. The newly appeared maid made the prince fall in love with her in just one night. The princess had never imagined that their brief meeting that day would be their final farewell..."

"This is... Diary of a Distressed Princess Pursuing Love? Didn't I seal this book away? How did you find it?" Ye Qing could now be certain that Xiao Qing had gone through the forbidden books sealed inside his study. The system required him to read every day, so several new books appeared in his study daily.

Those books could come from any universe or era and could be random works of any genre. Naturally, there were bound to be some strange ones, such as From Daughter-in-law to Mother-in-law and She and Her Eighteen CEOs. Of course, Ye Qing had sealed those books away. They might have been used to prop up a table leg somewhere in the Castle.

He had taught Xiao Qing how to read, and what she had just said clearly resembled the nonsense in those idiotic books. She had obviously not only read them, but also learned some bizarre things from them.

Ye Qing even imagined a horrifying scene: Xiao Qing turning into a lovesick lunatic, giving herself some ridiculously melodramatic name, shouting pastoral feminist slogans, and coming at him with a cleaver. She would not be able to hurt him, but the image alone was terrifying.

"No, I need to teach Xiao Qing properly from now on. If those books twist her personality, that would be a disaster. Still, it's better to keep things simple in a situation like this."

So he gave Xiao Qing's leg an ordinary chop with the side of his hand. Why not hit her head? Because he did not want to jump.

"Forget all that messy nonsense you've stuffed into your head. Just what the hell have you been reading?"

"A lot. There was also Large-Scale Rabbit Farming. It said rabbits all have mating seasons, but why have you never made a move on me, my lord? Are you so concerned about this Rabbit because it's her mating season... Ah!"

This time, Ye Qing jumped up and gave Xiao Qing a chop on the head.

"I'll say this important thing one more time: I'm a Hou, not a Rabbit. And what creature has its mating season in winter? Can't you finish reading a book properly?"

"Yes, my lord. Yesterday, I found a book called Virtues for Women. It should be for women to read..."

"No, throw it away. That sort of thing should have been discarded long ago." Ye Qing would not be happy if Xiao Qing were influenced by a book like that. He was not made of wood; he understood what Xiao Qing meant. But until he could escape his beast form, he chose to play dumb.

"All right. If you're afraid I won't come back, then come with me. Doesn't that solve it?"

"Can I?!"

"Why not? Do you have any requests?"

"I don't want to wake up at four tomorrow morning..."

"No negotiation." After all, dragging the people around him into becoming self-disciplined people earned him Self-Discipline Points. Although those points did not seem particularly useful right now, that did not stop Ye Qing from saving them up.

"Let's go, Ah Rou. The problem's solved. Your daughter probably hasn't eaten yet, so lead the way."

In the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest, beneath a withered tree beside three stones near a certain lake, a pink-and-white Rabbit poked out her tiny head. A gust of cold wind blew past, and the little Rabbit shrank back inside.

A cunning rabbit had three burrows. The saying described how rabbit burrows had many passages. To prevent themselves from being trapped and starved to death, rabbit burrows usually had several exits. But more exits also meant that freezing air from outside could seep into the burrow from every direction.

The little Rabbit curled up amid a pile of weeds, clutching her last carrot. It was the final bit of food she had stored away. If she did not find more food, she would have to eat the dry grass meant to keep her warm.

Her shrunken belly showed that she had not eaten anything. She was worried about her mother. The sun had already set, and in the past, whether or not her mother found food, she would always return by now. But something unexpected had happened today, leaving the little Rabbit deeply worried and utterly listless.

After some more time passed, just as she was about to go out and search for her mother, a sound came from the entrance. Her drooping ears immediately perked up. Soon, she saw a familiar figure at the entrance—her mother. But compared to usual, Ah Rou looked much more exhausted this time.

"Mom, don't go out anymore. Look, I'm full after just one little bite." The little Rabbit held up a carrot with only one bite taken out of it. Unable to bear the hunger earlier, she had taken a bite from the carrot in her arms.

"It's all right, Xiao Wu. Mom found food. Look at this." As she spoke, she took out the carrot from behind her back. Unlike the somewhat dried-out carrot in Xiao Wu's paws, Ah Rou's carrot was plump and fresh. It was transparent like crystal, giving off a unique glow within the dim burrow.

A specialty of the Gourmet World, the Hundred-Fruit Crystal Carrot was said to taste like a different fruit with every bite. It was tender and juicy, and like crystal, it could be preserved for a long time. Ye Qing had an entire storeroom piled full of them for everyday fruit.

Xiao Wu had never seen such a carrot before. Its fragrance unconsciously drew her in. With one bite, she felt that it was the most delicious carrot she had ever eaten in her life. Sweet juice flooded her mouth, constantly changing in flavor. Some of the tastes Xiao Wu could recognize, but many more were things she had never eaten before.

"Mom, you should eat too."

"Mom already ate. You eat." Ah Rou had tasted the carrot on the way here. The world of Spirit Beasts was actually very simple. Aside from a few Evil Spirit Beasts, everything was about survival. If you treated me well, I would treat you well too. Thus, she easily trusted Ye Qing. Besides, a Seven-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had no need to play tricks if he wanted something. Strength was everything. The world of Spirit Beasts had always been one where the strong ruled.

"Mom, where did you find this kind of carrot?"

"This? Your... your Uncle gave it to me."

"Uncle? I have an Uncle?"

"You didn't before, but you do now. Your Uncle is outside. Come on, Mom will take you to meet your new Uncle."

"Does Uncle have more carrots?"

"He probably does, but he might not give them to you. So you need to behave well in front of your Uncle."

Outside the burrow, Xiao Qing watched Ye Qing, who was brimming with excitement, and began pondering a new question.

"It seems my lord isn't interested in this mother Rabbit, but he seems interested in her daughter. Emmmm, I was raised by my lord too. Could it be that my lord likes the raising-a-girl type?!* In that instant, Xiao Qing felt that she had discovered a blind spot.

Hmm, I'll keep doing two updates today, but any extra update will be tomorrow.

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