Yun Qingxue and the golden-eyed girl turned their heads simultaneously, only to see a massive white wolf swiftly chasing them across the night sky behind them.
“Cang Yan is coming, hurry!” Yun Qingxue urgently whispered to the golden-eyed girl beside her.
But the golden-eyed girl remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the approaching giant white wolf, her eyes burning with hatred.
“Can you defeat him now?” Yun Qingxue asked coolly, staring at the golden-eyed girl who held her tightly.
The golden-eyed girl still didn’t move, her teeth clenched in fury.
“You’re no match for Cang Yan. If you want to throw your life away and give him the perfect chance to eliminate you, then stay right here!” Yun Qingxue continued coldly.
Snapping out of her trance, the golden-eyed girl’s hatred remained, but she grabbed Yun Qingxue and dashed toward the barrier at the edge of the Beast Palace.
“Cang Yan, save me!” Yun Qingxue feigned panic and cried out.
The golden-eyed girl glared at her, but Yun Qingxue only smiled brilliantly, like a hundred flowers blooming at once.
“You’re using me as a scapegoat!” The golden-eyed girl finally understood why Yun Qingxue kept calling for help—she was trying to protect another group rescuing her!
“Fair trade,” Yun Qingxue replied without a trace of guilt, her expression calm. “If you weren’t unable to kill me, you wouldn’t have risked helping me escape. So, using you to cover for them doesn’t make me feel the slightest bit sorry!”
“You—” The golden-eyed girl seethed, but Yun Qingxue showed no fear, instead urging, “Run faster! Cang Yan is catching up!”
“Just you wait! I’ll make you pay for this!” the golden-eyed girl snarled.
Yun Qingxue chuckled. “Once we’re out of the Beast Palace, we’ll go our separate ways. As for who makes whom pay—if fate brings us together again, we’ll settle it then!”
“You used me and now you want to part ways?” The golden-eyed girl sneered. If Cang Yan could manipulate the Flower Queen to seize control of the Flora Tribe, why couldn’t she?
Hah! Part ways? What a naive thought!
Yun Qingxue lowered her eyes with a faint smile, fully aware of the golden-eyed girl’s intentions.
The White Tiger Clan sought to reclaim power over the Beast Tribe, and what they needed most was influence. Cang Yan wanted to use her to legitimize his takeover of the Flora Tribe—so why wouldn’t the orphaned daughter of the former Beast King also want to control her to command the Flora Tribe?
The golden-eyed girl easily broke through the Beast Palace’s defensive barrier with Yun Qingxue in tow, but Cang Yan was closing in fast. Behind him, numerous palace guards were rapidly approaching.
Among them, Yun Qingxue spotted Feng Zihuang and Jin Lin, trailing just behind Cang Yan…
Two shadowy figures rushed toward Cang Yan, and the sounds of fierce combat echoed faintly.
“This is all your doing!” the golden-eyed girl hissed through gritted teeth.
Yun Qingxue glanced back just as the two figures charging at Cang Yan plummeted to the ground like broken puppets, their forms reverting to beastly shapes in a blur.
They were the golden-eyed girl’s allies, sacrificed to cover her escape.
More clashes erupted behind them as the golden-eyed girl sprinted onward, teeth clenched. Yun Qingxue turned her head one last time, her gaze lingering on the two figures locked in battle.
This time, it wasn’t the golden-eyed girl’s people fighting Cang Yan—it was Jin Lin!!!
“Dragon King, why do you keep obstructing my rescue of the Flower Queen? What’s your game?” Cang Yan roared furiously as he watched Yun Qingxue being taken away by the White Tiger Clan.
“Hmph!” Jin Lin scoffed. “Rescue? Who knows if this isn’t some scheme between you and the Flower Queen? Your clansmen pretend to abduct her, you ‘rescue’ her, and voilà—you avoid our duel! No duel means no return of my Water Tribe’s Sacred Serpent!”
“You—absolutely ridiculous! Do you think our noble Beast Tribe would covet some measly snake of yours?”
“Oh?” Jin Lin smirked, fully aware he was being unreasonable. “Who’s to say what you covet or not…”
Cang Yan’s fury had reached its peak. He knew exactly who had taken Yun Qingxue. The White Tiger Clan—fine, very well! He hadn’t sought them out, yet they came to him. Perfect—he’d wipe them out once and for all!
But with the Dragon King deliberately obstructing him, Cang Yan decided he no longer cared for restraint.
“Men!” he bellowed. “Keep the Dragon King entertained!”
The swarm of guards behind him immediately surrounded Jin Lin.
Jin Lin smiled leisurely, his eyes filled with mocking amusement. “Oh? Is the Beast King finding it too hard to face me alone? Calling for backup now?”
Cang Yan didn’t even spare him a glance, riding the wind as he pursued Yun Qingxue’s captors.
“What’s this? The Beast King running away?” Jin Lin taunted with a wicked grin. Xuexue had long vanished from sight—by now, his people should have reached her.
Surveying the guards encircling him, Jin Lin played with them like a cat toying with mice, in no hurry to defeat them. “Since the Beast King wants you to delay me, I’ll gladly play along…”
P.S.: Thank you to Hua Zai Dang Xia for the safety charm reward (n_n)
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage