Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 431: The Blushing Lion

However, because he was a "human" baby now, Su Qinglan was much gentler. She did not use the heavy scrubber. Instead, she used her own soft hands to wash his chubby arms and legs.

Xiao San, who had been prepared for the worst, suddenly relaxed. He splashed his hands in the water, giggling as the bubbles tickled his chin.

The two tiger cubs, now dry and fluffy again, sat by the cave entrance and watched their brother’s "luxury" bath with burning jealousy.

"Meow gruu!" (Why does he get the soft hands? Why did we get the ’War Scrubber’ treatment?) Xiao Yi grumbled, licking a paw and trying to flatten his messy fur.

Xiao Er just huffed and turned his back on them. He was officially on strike. He decided he would not talk to anyone, especially that "snitch" Xiao San, for at least a whole day.

"Alright, everyone is clean!" Su Qinglan announced, standing up and lifting a dripping, happy Xiao San out of the water.

"Hu Yan, get the clothes ready. Xuan Long, help Xiao San wear clothes! We have a feast to attend, and we are going to be the best-looking family in the Merman tribe!"

The males immediately jumped into action. Even the grumpy tiger cubs eventually perked up when they heard the word "feast."

After all, a little bath trauma was worth it if there were giant grilled fish and sweet sea fruits waiting for them.

"Okay... everyone go out! Mommy has to bathe too!" Su Qinglan declared, wiping a stray drop of soapy water from her forehead.

The house was a mess of wet fur and damp sand. Hu Yan quickly gathered the two fluffy tiger cubs under his arms, and Xuan Long tucked the giggling Xiao San against his chest. They marched out of the cave toward the sun-drenched clearing, leaving Su Qinglan behind.

Only Shi Feng remained. Because he was the one who had helped with the tub, Su Qinglan hadn’t even thought to ask him to leave.

"Shi Feng, help me pour in some fresh warm water," she said, stretching her tired back. "Then I can finally get this mud off myself."

Shi Feng nodded quickly, his heart suddenly hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.

She didn’t ask me to go, he thought, his palms getting a bit sweaty. Does she want me to stay? He immediately went to work, carrying heavy stone bucket of steaming water and pouring them into the large stone tub.

When he turned around after the final bucket, his brain practically short-circuited. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Su Qinglan had already unfastened her thick outer animal skins. She was now wearing only the tiniest undergarments made of soft, thin, unknown material that barely covered her chest and... other parts. Her pale, smooth skin glowed in the dim light of the cave.

Poof!

Suddenly, two soft, fluffy lion ears popped out from the top of Shi Feng’s head.

They were twitching uncontrollably, turning a deep shade of crimson as the blood rushed to his face. He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even control his transformation properly.

Su Qinglan didn’t seem to notice his internal crisis. She stepped into the warm water with a sigh of relief. Then, reaching down, she unhooked the small garment she was wearing and tossed it over her shoulder to get it out of the way.

Flap.

Coincidentally, the small, warm piece flew through the air and landed directly on Shi Feng’s face, covering his eyes.

"Ack!" Shi Feng let out a choked sound. The scent of her skin hit him all at once. His knees turned to jelly, and he literally tumbled backward, hitting the ground with a loud thud while still clutching the garment to his face in a panic.

Su Qinglan was stunned. She peeked over the edge of the tub, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. "Shi Feng? What happened? Are you alright?"

She saw him sprawled on the floor, looking like he’d been struck by lightning. "I’m so sorry! Did I throw that too hard?"

She looked at her own arm and actually flexed her bicep in the water. To her surprise, a small, firm muscle popped up.

Wow, I’ve really gotten stronger, she thought. Did I actually knock a lion beastman down with a piece of underwear? Impressive.

Shi Feng scrambled to his feet, his ears flat against his head. "N-no! Lan Lan! I just... I slipped on the water! The floor is very wet!"

He stammered, his eyes darting everywhere except the tub. But as he stood up, he accidentally caught a glimpse. Su Qinglan was floating in the warm water, and from his high vantage point, he could see the water rippling.

As she moved, the round, pink peaks of her chest were just barely breaking the surface of the bubbles.

If she stood up just one inch higher, he was going to see everything.

"Lan... Lan Lan..." he stuttered, his face so red it looked like it might explode. "Should I... should I go outside now? It’s not... it’s not right for me to stay."

But Su Qinglan just turned her back to him, her long, elegant neck and smooth shoulders exposed. She held out a piece of the hide scrubber.

"Don’t go yet," she said casually, oblivious to the fact that he was about to faint. "My arms are tired from scrubbing those two tigers. Help me rub my back? I can’t reach the middle."

Shi Feng stood there, frozen. His lion tail was twitching so hard it was hitting the stone wall. He felt like a lamb being asked to walk into a lion’s den...even though he was the lion!

With trembling hands, he stepped closer to the tub, praying to the Beast God that his heart wouldn’t stop beating right then and there.

His hands were trembling so much that the scrubber looked like it was vibrating. He was patting her back so softly it felt like a butterfly was sneezing on her.

"Shi Feng, not like that!" Su Qinglan complained, leaning her head back against the edge of the tub.

"Rub it clean! Use some strength like how I rubbed the cubs. My skin isn’t fragile, it’s tougher than a cub’s."

"I... I’m trying, Lan Lan," he squeaked. His speed didn’t increase at all. His heart was thumping so loud he was worried she could hear it through her back.