Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 54: Toddler Tantrums: Beast World Edition

Xin Yi marched straight into the middle of the fight, grabbed Hei Yan by his muddy, blood-soaked hair, and yanked.

"OW—"

"SHUT UP!" She whirled on Qing Lin next, jabbing a finger at his chest. "And YOU! Both of you are GROWN MEN acting like TODDLERS!"

"Xin Yi—" Qing Lin started, his voice strained.

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

Both Alphas froze.

Probably because Xin Yi had never yelled at them like this before. Or maybe because her face had gone that special shade of red that meant someone was about to die.

She pointed at Xiao Long, who was sitting up now, rubbing his head with a confused expression.

"You just hit a CHILD!" Her voice cracked. "A seven-year-old! What is WRONG with you?!"

Hei Yan’s face went pale. He looked at Xiao Long, then back at Xin Yi, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I—I didn’t mean—"

"I don’t CARE what you meant!" Xin Yi’s hands were shaking now. From anger or fear or exhaustion, she couldn’t tell. "You could have seriously hurt him!"

"Pink Skin?" Xiao Long called out weakly. "I’m okay! My head is very hard!"

"That’s not the POINT!"

She turned back to the two Alphas, who were still on the ground, still bleeding, still looking at her like she’d grown a second head.

"Get. Up." Her voice was cold now. "Both of you. NOW."

They did.

Slowly. Warily. Like they weren’t sure if she was about to hit them.

(She was considering it.)

Hei Yan stood first, his legs shaky. Whether from starvation or Qing Lin’s venom, Xin Yi didn’t know.

He looked awful.

Mud caked in his hair. His ribs visible through his skin. Dark circles under those purple eyes. Blood dripping from a dozen wounds.

But it was his face that made her heart clench. Because he wasn’t looking at her with anger anymore.

He was looking at her like she had ripped out his heart and stomped on it.

"You’re theirs now," he said quietly.

"Hei Yan—"

"Aren’t you?" He spat the words out like poison, his eyes locked on Qing Lin. "The Snake King’s little pet. His marked female."

Qing Lin’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.

Smart snake.

"I waited for you," Hei Yan continued, his voice getting louder. "SEVEN DAYS. I didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep. Didn’t MOVE. Because you PROMISED you would come back!"

"I did come back—"

"You came back RUINED!" His hand shot out, pointing at the mark on her neck.

"I can smell him all over you." Hei Yan’s lip curled, revealing bloody fangs. "You smell like them. Like the Azure Scale Tribe. Like..." His purple eyes locked onto her neck. Both marks. "...like you belong to him."

"She belongs to herself, you territorial furball—" Qing Lin hissed.

"SHUT UP!" Xin Yi whirled on him. "You’re not helping!"

Qing Lin’s mouth snapped shut, looking mildly offended.

She turned to face the panther again.

"Hei Yan, I’m sorry—"

"No, little Xin Yi." Hei Yan’s laugh sounded deranged. "I do not want to hear it. You made your choice."

He turned to Qing Lin, and the rage came flooding back into his eyes.

"You." His voice dropped to a growl. "That was your plan. To get her away from me and—"

"I did no such thing, you brainless cat," Qing Lin said evenly, though his hand had moved protectively to Xin Yi’s waist.

"NO SUCH THING?!" Hei Yan’s claws extended. "You manipulated her! You used your—your snake tricks—"

"I used nothing." Qing Lin’s eyes flashed green. "She stayed willingly in my territory. She submitted—"

Hei Yan lunged.

Xin Yi threw herself between them again. "STOP THIS NOW!"

Both Alphas froze, their chests heaving.

"No more," she said firmly, her hands pressed against Hei Yan’s chest. "No. More. Fighting."

"Get out of the way, Xin Yi." Hei Yan’s voice was raspy now. "This is between me and the snake king."

"Between you and—" Xin Yi started.

"YES! Between ME and HIM!" Hei Yan’s purple eyes were wild and feral. "So MOVE aside before I accidentally tear you down!"

"Oh, I’ll move you straight into the—" Qing Lin hissed.

"NO!" Xin Yi shoved both hands against Hei Yan’s bloody chest. "I said NO MORE FIGHTING!"

"Xin Yi, get out of the way—"

"I DON’T CARE WHAT YOUR STUPID INSTINCTS SAY! YOU’RE DONE!"

Hei Yan’s eyes briefly widened before his jaw clenched. There were warring emotions in his eyes. "He. Marked. You."

"SO?!"

"SO?!" His voice cracked. "You were MY female! MINE! I marked you FIRST!"

"Hei Yan, I am not a HUNTING TROPHY!"

"You PROMISED you would come back!" Hei Yan was shouting now, his whole body shaking. "SEVEN DAYS! I didn’t eat! I didn’t sleep! Didn’t MOVE! And you—you—"

His hand shot out, pointing at her neck where two marks sat side by side.

"You let HIM—that SNAKE—" He couldn’t even finish.

[DING! (⊙_⊙)]

[Uh oh! Panther is reaching critical meltdown!]

[Rage Level: 99%]

[Coherent Thought: 1%]

[Host should probably duck! ☆]

"Did you mate with him already? You reek of it, but my senses might be fooling me." Hei Yan’s said quietly.

[He’s in denial! Panthers have excellent senses!]

Xin Yi’s face went red, turning away from his gaze. "That’s—I don’t—you can’t just ASK that!"

"DID YOU?!"

The whole clearing went silent. Even the birds stopped chirping.

Qing Lin’s hand tightened on her waist. One wrong word and they would be trying to kill each other again. Qing Lin already had enough reason to want to kill Hei Yan because of his sister’s death, and Xin Yi could tell he was just holding himself back for her sake.

"Yes." Xin Yi’s voice came out tiny. "I did."

Hei Yan made a sound like he had been gutted.

"But it’s not—Hei Yan, listen—"

"No." The big panther laughed out loud. His eyes were wide and he looked like he was tethering on the edge of madness. "No. I understand, Xin Yi. Hmm. You found someone better than me, than Feng Huang."

"That’s not—"

"Someone who didn’t just bite you and run! Someone ’CIVILIZED’!" He spat the last word like poison. "With his fancy territory and his stupid green hair and his—his—"

His voice cracked again.

"Fine. FINE! Keep him! Keep your snake! Keep your—your baths and your soap and your—your—"

He couldn’t even finish his sentence. He stared at them, bleeding and shaking and looking at her like she had just killed him.

Then his face went cold. The emotion vanished like it was never there in the first place.

"Stay away from Shadow Claw territory."