I Transmigrated as a Villainess to Raise Babies, and My Beast Husbands Are Fighting Madly Over Me!

Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Cold, Hold Me Tight

When she returned to the shelter, Qiao Xixi subconsciously glanced toward the wooden cabin, wanting to see if Yun Ji had returned.

The cabin door was slightly ajar, offering a clear view of the interior, but there was no sign of Yun Ji. He hadn’t come back yet.

Qiao Xixi furrowed her brow. ’Tomorrow is the night of the full moon. Will he show up on time?’

Sunxiao took in the change in Qiao Xixi’s expression and glanced coolly at the shelter beside the wooden cabin.

"Xixi, where are you staying?"

Qiao Xixi snapped back to reality and pointed at the shelter. "The wooden cabin is for the Holy Priest to stay in. Xijing and I are staying in the shelter."

Sunxiao grunted in acknowledgment. His long tail uncoiled, setting her gently on the ground, and he shifted back into his human form.

Jin Ling and Xijing finished preparing the fish-beast and started a fire. Meanwhile, Feiyan had gone into the woods behind them to gather firewood, and Sangze followed him, planning to patrol the area.

Qiao Xixi and Sunxiao returned to the shelter. The moment they stepped inside, she took out the Recovery Glue to treat his wounds.

When she lifted his beast-hide tunic and saw the long gash across his abdomen, the rims of Qiao Xixi’s eyes reddened as she looked up at him.

His cool, snake-like pupils met her tear-filled eyes. He gently cupped her face. "It’s just a scratch."

’The gash cut across his entire abdomen. How could that be just a scratch? He must not have treated it properly when he first got hurt; it looks red, swollen, and inflamed.’

Her heart ached for him. She gently batted his hands away and cleaned the wound with water from the Spiritual Spring before carefully applying the medicine.

As she tended to him, Sunxiao kept his gaze lowered, watching her as if he could never see enough of her.

After bandaging the wound with gauze, she looked up at him, her gaze clear and earnest.

"What is it?"

Sunxiao grabbed her by the waist and pulled her forcefully into his arms. His cool lips pressed down on hers, unleashing all his pent-up longing in that single moment.

Qiao Xixi no longer suppressed her own longing for him, gently returning his kiss. Their breathing grew ragged, and finally, Qiao Xixi gently pushed him away to catch her breath.

But she had barely taken a breath before his domineering kiss descended on her once more.

’I really want to just let go for once,’ Qiao Xixi thought, ’but it’s the middle of the day. I have to be restrained!’

"Wait, wait! Everyone is waiting outside."

Sunxiao didn’t release her. Instead, he pulled her tighter, his lips leaving hers to trail kisses along her ear. Qiao Xixi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she instinctively shrank deeper into his embrace.

Just when Qiao Xixi thought Sunxiao wouldn’t let her go so easily, he placed a restrained kiss on her forehead and lifted her into his arms. "Before Xijing found you, were you with the Holy Priest the entire time?"

Qiao Xixi looked up, her misty eyes staring dazedly at him, the passion within them not yet faded. Her gaze made his crimson, snake-like pupils darken a shade.

"Yes. The monster possessed Kunlin and attacked me. The Holy Priest appeared just in time to save me."

"The Holy Priest?" Feiyan poked his head in through the doorway. "After he escaped from the monster, why didn’t he just leave the forest?"

Qiao Xixi frowned and shook her head. "I don’t know. Maybe he wants to completely eliminate the monsters in the forest. What happened when you guys crossed the river? Tell me."

After Sunxiao and Feiyan finished their story, the aroma of roasted fish-beast meat wafted in.

"Xixi, come out and eat."

"Okay."

As night fell, Qiao Xixi, Jin Ling, and the others sat gathered around the campfire.

Jin Ling placed a piece of deboned fish-beast meat in front of her.

As they ate, Qiao Xixi told them everything that had happened over the past few days, including what Yun Ji had taught her and his request for her to purify the water sources.

"I promised Yun Ji I would purify the polluted water sources. In return, he’ll help me rescue my father-beast from inside the Watchtower."

After she finished, Jin Ling looked up and asked, "So you’re saying that tomorrow night, during the full moon, the monsters in the forest will be at their strongest. At that time, at least half of the beast-guards from the Watchtower will come to the forest to deal with them."

Qiao Xixi nodded. "Yes."

"Should we wait for the Holy Priest to return before we make our move?"

Qiao Xixi frowned slightly and thought for a moment. "I don’t know if he’ll be back in time. If he isn’t, we’ll go to the Watchtower and play it by ear."

"Right."

As the night deepened, Qiao Xixi washed up quickly before returning to the shelter and lying down on a beast-hide mat.

’It’s strange,’ she thought. ’Maybe it’s because Sunxiao and the others are here that I feel so safe. I was wide awake around this time before, but now I’m so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open.’

When Qiao Xixi went into the shelter, Jin Ling and the others were still sitting by the fire, studying the topographical map of the Watchtower that Qiao Xixi had gotten from the little demon.

"It’s a long journey by land and water from here to the Watchtower."

Among the five of them, Xijing was the best swimmer, followed by Sunxiao. While Jin Ling and the others could manage in the water, their combat effectiveness would drop if they had to fight underwater.

Xijing said, "When the time comes, I’ll take the lead. Sunxiao will carry Xixi, with Sangze guarding the rear. Jin Ling and Feiyan will flank them on the left and right. The waterway is long, but if everything goes smoothly, we should be able to reach the Watchtower before dawn."

None of the males had any objections to Xijing’s plan.

Sunxiao’s snake-like pupils shifted, his cool gaze landing on Xijing.

"Do you think the Holy Priest will show up?"

Xijing frowned, thinking of the strange feelings the Holy Priest seemed to have for Qiao Xixi. "I don’t know. It’d be better if he didn’t."

Jin Ling raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the meaning behind Xijing’s words. "The Holy Priest is the most powerful Priest in the entire beast world. He can’t bond with any female, or else he’ll lose..."

"Jin Ling, what are you all talking about? Why aren’t you resting yet?"

Jin Ling turned to look at Qiao Xixi, who had poked her head out of the shelter. Her eyes were heavy with sleep; she was clearly exhausted.

The males all stood up and walked toward her at once, but the shelter was too small to accommodate all of them.

Jin Ling looked at Qiao Xixi. "Xixi, who do you want to stay with you tonight?"

Qiao Xixi had been on the verge of sleep, but his question jolted her fully awake. Her eyes darted across the males’ faces before she quickly ducked her head back into the shelter. "Whoever is tired can come in," she mumbled. "I can’t... I’m going to bed."

A dangerous glint flickered in the males’ eyes. If they were back in the tribe, it wouldn’t be so easy for anyone to just walk through that entrance. But now...

Jin Ling was the first to act. He turned, walked to the fire, and picked up a burning branch. "I’ll go check the perimeter."

Sunxiao’s snake-like pupils shifted, and he walked around to the back of the shelter. "I’ll keep watch from behind."

In the end, it was Sangze who entered the shelter.

Qiao Xixi was already half-asleep. When Sangze wrapped his arms around her from behind, she subconsciously leaned back into his embrace.

Sangze’s body tensed. Qiao Xixi felt the subtle shift and knew who it was. She took his hands and pulled them to her chest.

"Cold," she murmured.

Hearing this, Sangze forgot all about his shyness and immediately pressed closer to her. "Xixi, are you still cold?"

"Still cold. Hold me tighter."

Qiao Xixi turned and burrowed into his arms. She wasn’t lying; ever since her energy had been depleted, her body temperature ran a little low. Sangze felt it too and reached for a beast-hide blanket to cover her, but his hand froze in mid-air.