Chapter 171: Playful Antics

Mu Qing and Yun Li were left at home to watch the four pups, but as soon as the pups saw their father leave, they quickly became restless.

"Come back, it's already dark, you are not allowed to go out!"

The four pups truly get more energetic as they grow; they think about going out to play during the day, and they think about going out at night as well.

But the problem is, how could they dare let them run around all night? It's not like during the day, when Beastmen often move about the Tribe, and even if someone at home momentarily looks away, as long as they don't run far, they can be found within a dozen seconds.

After all, no matter how fast the pups run, they can't outrun the two Qing Rank Beastmen watching them, and sometimes a Blue Rank Beastman is the one watching.

Therefore, as long as someone follows them during the day, Yun Li doesn't restrict them from going out, but at night she does, because the chance of something happening if they run out is too great.

She would rather be cautious and not wait to regret it after her own pups get into trouble.

"Awo~"

The second pup, whose tail she had grabbed, whined at Yun Li in grievance, while the other three pups were stopped by Mu Qing.

The eldest and the third pup circled Mu Qing, trying to slip past him to run out, while the fourth pup lay on the ground whining "Awo" and pretended to be pitiful to Mu Qing.

Mu Qing helplessly looked at the three pups wanting to go out, crouched down, and said, "Good pups, shall I make you something tasty?"

"Awo"

The eldest and the third pup, whose heads he patted, both simultaneously wagged their tails at Mu Qing, but their eyes immediately shifted toward the door.

Mu Qing slightly raised an eyebrow, as if sensing something, but said nothing.

Suddenly, Yun Li's voice became harsh, "Fourth!"

Before the words finished, the courtyard gate slammed shut with a "Bang".

The fourth pup, who was about to seize the chance to dash out, almost collided with the gate, but a thick snake tail blocked him.

"Awo!"

Although the rushing fourth pup didn't hit the gate, the snake tail wasn't any softer than the wooden door; had Mu Qing not used a flexible snake belly, the fourth pup would have probably fainted.

Seeing this, Yun Li sighed, patted the second pup's head, released him, and walked toward the dazed fourth pup who was getting up.

She lifted the fourth pup, checked his pupils, saw no loss of focus, and confirmed he was indeed fine.

However, she still held the pup, pinched the fourth pup's wolf paw, patted and rubbed his head and ears, causing him to thrash violently in her arms before she finally set him down.

"No going out; Mother will turn into beast form to play with you, okay?"

To soothe the pups' emotions, Yun Li had to change into beast form to coax them, but to prevent them from trying to go out again, she still instructed Mu Qing, "A Qing, don't open the gate, lest they sneak out."

Mu Qing nodded; he didn't retract his snake tail, and it roamed around the courtyard, causing the three pups other than the fourth to chase after him.

Meanwhile, Yun Li's beast form played with the fourth pup for a while; the other three pups never came over. Looking up, she saw Mu Qing's snake tail acting like a wolf teasing stick, prompting the three pups to constantly pounce on it.

Yun Li, after seeing this, lowered her head to nuzzle the fourth pup, and emitted from her throat a signal of a sneak attack that only wolf Beastmen can understand.

"Awo~"

The fourth pup, receiving Mother's signal, excitedly raised his tail, darted to his older brothers and sisters; the pups bumped heads, and after a short while two returned, staying close to the Snow Wolf's steps, they pursued Mu Qing from behind and followed him into the kitchen.

The kitchen was not a place to act, so Yun Li told the pups to wait, and to act only after Mu Qing came out.

The pups were not doing this with Mother for the first time, so they behaved obediently: two followed, two stayed by Mother's side, and they crouched, waiting for Mu Qing to emerge.

However, as soon as Mu Qing stepped out of the kitchen, the two pups that had been following him could no longer hold back and pounced.

The eldest and the third pup let out an "Awo" and clearly targeted Mu Qing's snake tail; seeing this, the second and fourth pups beside Yun Li also became restless.

If Yun Li hadn't growled low, telling them not to charge, they would have also been swept aside by Mu Qing's snake tail.

But Yun Li couldn't stop them for long; especially the second pup, who, after the eldest and third got up, immediately joined them.

The fourth pup, however, patiently waited for Mother's signal to charge, then followed Mother's steps and lunged toward Mu Qing's snake tail.

Uh... In the end, neither Yun Li nor the four pups managed to pounce on Mu Qing's snake tail; instead, when Leng Xiu and Leng Xiao returned with the prepared meat, what they saw was the Snow Wolf and the four pups panting heavily on the ground, resting.

"What's this, what happened?"

When Leng Xiao saw his own female beast form, a smile instantly appeared on his face; after surveying the courtyard, he couldn't help raising an eyebrow, his gaze landing on Mu Qing, who was calmly tidying up the aftermath.

"What are you doing, playing with them? Making A Li and the pups so exhausted?"

Beside him, Leng Xiu scanned the area with his eyes, quickly tallying the spots that needed cleaning; their courtyard wasn't very large, even smaller than the combined area of several rooms.

Fortunately, there weren't many items piled in the courtyard—mostly toys for the pups and the wooden racks, bamboo baskets, bamboo plaques the family commonly used during meals, plus some firewood casually placed in a corner.

"Any words can wait later; first, clean up the courtyard."

"Otherwise, if we wait for the pups to recover before cleaning the courtyard, we won't know when tonight's dinner will be ready."

Leng Xiao clicked his tongue and, together with his brother, moved the meat into the kitchen.

Then the two returned, helping Mu Qing clean the courtyard while also making sure to light a bonfire in the yard.

Midway, the pups recovered; leaving Mother's side, they became little tails beside the three males.

"A Li, stop messing around!"

Mu Qing helplessly looked at the Snow Wolf trailing behind him, unsure whether he had just teased her too harshly; A Li had just recovered and then brought the pups over to cause mischief.

Of course, Yun Li didn't intentionally disrupt his work; she simply being behind him could become a nuisance to his tasks.

Because the third and fourth pups would frequently come over, and occasionally the eldest and second would also step in, Mu Qing's work efficiency slowed considerably.

When Mu Qing spoke, the Snow Wolf tilted its head, raised its paw, meaning—'Sure, a pat as compensation.'

Mu Qing was both amused and exasperated by the female's gesture, but he pinched the Snow Wolf's paw and patted its head, feeling much more at ease.

After that, he let the Snow Wolf follow, said nothing else, and whenever convenient, gave his female beast form extra pats.

Yun Li knew she had disturbed him, but she didn't mind.

The pups, even more so, didn't need to say anything; at home they either got petted by adults or had their necks grabbed and tails pulled, and a father's pat was just a pat, which was better than being hauled by their own father, tossed aside, and having their tails grabbed to keep them still.

Until Leng Xiu and Leng Xiao raised the Stone Pot Rack, waves of meat aroma began wafting from the courtyard's center, and the pups finally directed their attention uniformly toward their father.

As for Yun Li, she reverted to human form at this moment, embraced him from behind, and bit his neck, saying, "I told you not to play with me like that just now."

Mu Qing's throat rolled violently twice, and he realized the female's supple body quickly withdrew.

He lowered his head, thought helplessly, who was actually playing whom today?