Xiya suddenly spun around, her wide, azure eyes glaring angrily, filled with accusation.

"I. Don’t. Have. A. Mother!"

Qiao Xixi froze. Just as her expression began to soften, Xiya tilted her chin up arrogantly. "We merfolk cubs are all born from our fathers."

Qiao Xixi froze again. "You were born from your father?"

’Host, allow me to explain. After a male merman mates with a female, the female lays eggs, which the male then incubates. So, in a way, the cubs are indeed brought forth by the male mermen.’

’But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a mother, does it?’

’Er... about that... Host, you should ask her yourself.’

"Let me go! You can have this stuff back."

Xiya threw the bamboo basket at Qiao Xixi’s feet, and the shellfish and fish-beasts inside scattered across the sand.

Qiao Xixi might not have been skilled in many things, but she certainly had a knack for dealing with brats.

She swung the tiger cub onto her back, scooped Xiya up, and gave her two light smacks on the bottom.

"You do something wrong and you’re still this defiant? You’re asking for it. Time for a spanking."

This time, it was Xiya’s turn to be stunned. She struggled, staring at Qiao Xixi with wide, astonished eyes as her little face instantly flushed crimson.

"Y-you, why did you spank my bottom?"

Qiao Xixi set her down and said sternly, "When you do something wrong, you have to be punished. You set a trap that almost hurt me, and you tried to steal my food. Of course I had to punish you."

Xiya’s little cheeks puffed out and she huffed. "Don’t you Land Beasts always love to steal from our Sea Clan? I’m not the one who’s wrong."

Qiao Xixi was about to scold her harshly, but then she remembered Qiao Lie and the others. They had also turned into brats because they hadn’t been taught properly and were facing a crisis of survival. With that in mind, she remained patient.

"But not all Land Beasts are bad, you know. Take me, for example. Look, you did something wrong, but since you’re just a little cub, I won’t hold it against you. If you help me gather some dry branches and bring them over there, I’ll treat you to something delicious."

Xiya looked at Qiao Xixi with suspicion, but she was ultimately tempted by the promise of "something delicious."

When Xiya arrived at the large rock with an armful of branches, she saw Qiao Xixi sitting on a beast-skin mat, intently slicing a fish-beast she held.

Her long, silver hair was woven into a single long braid that draped casually over her chest. Xiya had seen many, many beautiful female merfolk, but for some reason, she felt that the Land Beast female before her was more beautiful than any of them.

’Beside her, there seemed to be a newborn cub. The cub was so tiny! Its little belly was round and chubby—it looked so cute. Was that this female’s cub?’

’While she was cutting the meat, she kept glancing at the little cub. Her eyes were so gentle, and her smile was so warm... This must be what they meant by the look of a mother, right?’

"Are you afraid of fire?"

Xiya snapped out of her daze. "Fire?" For some reason, the color drained from her face. "Fire! What are you going to do!"

’That’s what those Land Beasts used to attack her father! They used fire to gravely injure him!’

"Don’t be afraid. Fire isn’t scary if you use it properly. If you’re worried, just stand back a bit. I’ll show you."

Qiao Xixi put down the bone knife, stacked the firewood, then took out a fire starter and lit the branches.

The instant Xiya saw the flame, she quickly backed away. But when she saw Qiao Xixi skewer the cut pieces of meat on branches and start roasting them over the fire, she suddenly felt that the thing she feared and loathed wasn’t so terrible after all.

Qiao Xixi arranged the oysters and other shellfish by the edge of the fire, letting the ambient heat cook them through.

Ever since most of the wasteland in her dimension was "lit up," her storage space had grown considerably. In her free time, she liked to stock up on daily necessities, just in case.

Qiao Xixi took some fruit jam from her space and brushed it onto the fish-beast meat.

The aroma of roasted meat, mingled with the sweet fragrance of the jam, immediately captured Xiya’s attention.

"Want to try some?"

The little cub was proud, but she’d never say no to a treat.

"You... you really want me to try it, don’t you?"

Qiao Xixi couldn’t help but laugh. This personality... it gave her a familiar sense of exasperation.

"Yes. I’m inviting you to try some."

Xiya eagerly went forward, took the roasted fish, and bit down, only to be scalded so badly she nearly leaped into the air.

Her cry startled the sleeping tiger cub, whose little paws twitched. Qiao Xixi quickly soothed it.

"It’s hot right off the fire. You have to let it cool down before you eat it."

Qiao Xixi blew on the piece of fish-beast meat in her hand until it was cool, then handed it to her.

Xiya devoured more than half the fish in one go, but she still wanted more.

Qiao Xixi blew on a cooked oyster, drizzled some sauce over it, and popped it into her mouth. There wasn’t a hint of fishiness—only an endless, fresh sweetness. It was so good!

After finishing nearly all the oysters and shellfish, Qiao Xixi lay back contentedly on the beast-skin blanket. She picked up the tiger cub and placed it on her chest.

Feeling its mother’s heartbeat, the cub whimpered softly and rolled over to expose its belly.

Qiao Xixi couldn’t resist giving its chubby little belly a scratch.

"You’re... different from the other Land Beasts."

Qiao Xixi tilted her head. "Oh? How so?"

Xiya’s little cheeks puffed out. "They’re all bad beasts. You’re... not as bad."

"Oh, I have to go back now, or my father will go hungry."

Xiya scrambled to her feet, flustered and ready to leave. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Qiao Xixi quickly sat up as well.

"There’s still quite a bit of grilled fish left. Why don’t you take it back for your father to eat?"

Xiya was surprised. "You’re giving it all to me?"

"That’s right. There’s plenty more in the sea, anyway. You can have it all."

She took a large leaf, wrapped up the rest of the grilled fish, and handed it to her.

Xiya looked at her with wide, pleading eyes. "You... do you want to come back with me?"

Qiao Xixi blinked, feigning hesitation. "Would that be alright?"

"It’s fine. If you’re willing, that is."

"Then I’ll have to trouble you."

Qiao Xixi put the cub on her back, packed up the beast-skin mat, and followed Xiya.

Xiya led her across the beach to the shore. After passing through a small grove of trees, a massive reef came into view.

"My home is just over there."

’Qiao Xixi glanced around. It seemed there were no other beastmen besides them. She had wanted to follow Xiya because she thought there might be a community of Sea Clan beastmen here. Did this mean the little merfolk cub and her father lived alone?’

"Are there no other beastmen around here besides you and your father?"

"They live on the other side. It’s just my father and I here."

Xiya leaped nimbly onto the reef and into a cave in its center, then turned and waved to Qiao Xixi.

"Come on over!"

Puzzled, Qiao Xixi walked over, only to find that the center of the reef was hollow. This was merely an entrance. The inside of the reef seemed to be a single, long cavern. As she walked deeper, the darkness before her suddenly gave way.

A wide beam of light shone into the cave. In the center was a pool of seawater, and leaning against a large rock was a merman. He had a full head of long, aqua-blue hair, and his eyes were covered by a strip of white gauze.

His blue fishtail trailed into the seawater, glinting in the golden light—a scene as beautiful as a painting.

Hearing the commotion, he tilted his head slightly in their direction. "Xiya, have you brought your mother home?"