Chapter 220: Wolves in Front, a Tiger Behind

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Wolves in Front, a Tiger Behind

"Please look after Wanwan for the rest of the way. I’ll clear the path."

Jin Yi had just been severely injured protecting Wanwan. Even with the ointment, he still needed time to recover, which was why Yan Lie made such a request.

Jin Yi looked up at Yan Lie’s sudden proposal, his brow furrowing slightly.

"That’s not necessary. I’m fine," Jin Yi’s voice was as steady as ever.

For once, Yan Lie didn’t back down.

He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over Jin Yi’s wound, which was still seeping blood. "We all need to get out of here alive. This is the most logical arrangement."

’Jin Yi is a powerful ally. If something happened to him, the chances of me getting Wanwan out of here safely would be incredibly low.’

’If he had a choice, he’d want to be the one looking after Wanwan himself.’

’But right now, Wanwan’s safety had to come first.’

Bai Wanwan agreed that Jin Yi needed to rest, so she turned to him. "I’m sorry to ask, but could you carry me for a while?"

’He should have refused.’ But when her clear eyes met his, the words on the tip of his tongue became a simple, "Mm."

Once she had his consent, Bai Wanwan didn’t waste any time and started climbing onto his beast form.

’She couldn’t expect Jin Yi to be as considerate as her own Beast Husband and crouch down to make it easier for her.’

Jin Yi’s muscles were tensed like iron. As Bai Wanwan’s fingers brushed against his sensitive fur, it felt as if something were constantly scratching at his heart.

After a struggle, Bai Wanwan finally managed to clamber onto his back.

’A female had never been on his back before. Even when he’d almost become mates with Zhuo Ling, they had never been this close.’

Bai Wanwan sensed the male’s tense muscles and deliberately tried to keep some distance.

"Are you settled, Wanwan?" Yan Lie called from the front, keeping watch as he glanced back at her.

"I’m ready."

She propped herself up on her arms, trying to maintain her distance from Jin Yi, unaware that this intermittent contact was even more of a torment.

"Hold tight," Jin Yi growled, suppressing the strange sensations surging within him. He sprang forward, nimbly keeping pace with Yan Lie.

The forest blurred past them.

As they sped through the forest, Jin Yi continuously guided Yan Lie on which direction to take.

Suddenly, a small pack of wild beasts appeared ahead, blocking their path.

Yan Lie was about to charge straight through them when Jin Yi called out from behind him, "Avoid them! To the left..."

Yan Lie veered away at once. Seeing their prey about to escape, the beasts immediately gave chase.

Yan Lie slowed, letting Jin Yi go ahead before following closely behind him.

The beasts were no match for the speed of a Yellow Rank Talent Beastman and were quickly left far behind.

After repeated jolting, Bai Wanwan could no longer hold herself up and finally fell forward, wrapping her arms around Jin Yi’s neck.

"Sorry."

Her soft chest pressed against his spine, her warm breath tickling the shell of his ear.

Jin Yi’s entire body went rigid. The sweet scent unique to a female, mixed with the smell of blood, flooded his senses, and an unprecedented heat instantly swept through him.

Jin Yi didn’t answer. He just suddenly accelerated, letting the night wind swallow his ragged breaths.

More and more packs of beasts appeared ahead. Simply avoiding them was no longer an option.

Yan Lie fought desperately at the front.

He did his utmost to block any beast that tried to get near Bai Wanwan.

"Yan Lie, see that mountain ahead? Head for it! There’s a cave there with an underground river. We can follow it to get away."

"Got it."

Hearing Jin Yi’s directions, Yan Lie charged forward desperately.

More and more wounds appeared on his body, dripping with blood. Bai Wanwan’s heart ached terribly as she watched.

But he fought on as if he couldn’t feel the pain, a warrior bathed in blood.

A massive horde of beasts blocked the path ahead, as if waiting for them to become exhausted before tearing them to pieces.

"Yan Lie, it’s no good! We can’t get up there! Fall back for now. We need to shake these beasts first."

Yan Lie immediately fell back.

After that, Jin Yi could no longer guide them, as every path he suggested was blocked by large packs of beasts.

Yan Lie was already struggling to fight alone. Several times, Jin Yi wanted to join the fray, but he was held back by the female on his back.

’The female was his greatest weakness. If he was the least bit careless, a predator could appear from behind and snatch her away.’

But Bai Wanwan couldn’t just stand by and watch something happen to Yan Lie. She nudged Jin Yi’s neck. "Don’t worry about me. Go help him."

Bai Wanwan took a watermelon knife she had previously acquired out of her System Space.

She held on to Jin Yi’s neck with one hand and brandished the knife with the other, trying to ward off the eager beasts closing in on them.

But the beasts were already frenzied. They ignored her threats, seeing only the delicious meal before them, and lunged forward to bite and tear.

Yan Lie saw Jin Yi charge over. Though covered in wounds, he roared, his eyes practically splitting with fury, "Get Wanwan out of here!"

"No!" Bai Wanwan shot back immediately. "We’ll face this together! I have a knife. If they try to bite me, I’ll stab them."

Just as she spoke, a beast lunged at her.

Jin Yi reacted instantly, swiping at it with his claws, but another beast lunged from the other side.

Staring into the beast’s massive, menacing maw, Bai Wanwan stabbed her knife straight into its eye.

YOWL!

The beast yelped in pain, falling to the ground and thrashing wildly.

Both Yan Lie and Jin Yi were stunned by Bai Wanwan’s move.

But they had no time for any further reaction before they were forced to dive back into the fight.

With the two males coordinating and Bai Wanwan constantly landing opportunistic strikes, they barely managed to break out of the encirclement.

"Which way now?" Yan Lie felt like a headless fly, lost in a forest that seemed too vast to ever escape.

"At this point, any direction is the same. Perhaps we should check the cliffs to the west. If there are no Eagle Beasts, we can rest there for a while."

The ceaseless fighting was rapidly draining their stamina. They had to eat and rest to be in any condition to face what came next.

Yan Lie immediately turned and headed west.

Before long, from her position on Jin Yi’s back, Bai Wanwan saw a bare stone ledge marking the end of the forest ahead.

"I’ll go check if it’s safe."

With that, Yan Lie sprinted to the cliff’s edge, peering down to survey the area.

"No Eagle Beasts here. We’re clear. Let’s go rest in the cave below."

The words had barely left his mouth when an ape’s cry echoed from above.

All three looked up to see a long-haired gray ape, larger than a full-grown lion, rapidly scrambling down the cliff face toward them.

"It’s a Mutant Beast!"

Jin Yi’s voice turned grim. "Back into the forest."

Yan Lie quickly fell back, but they hadn’t run ten meters before they were surrounded by the pursuing beasts.

For the first time, Bai Wanwan truly understood what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Despair and helplessness descended upon the three of them like a dark cloud.