Chapter 67: Escape

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Escape

The moment he touched the black stone, the Talent Power inside Zhu Xiu’s body rapidly dissipated like sand through a funnel.

He couldn’t afford to waste a single second!

Zhu Xiu gritted his teeth and forcefully uprooted the black Crystal Stone from the bottom of the pool. The pool water churned wildly, seemingly determined to crush him beneath it forever.

The King Cobra’s eyes grew increasingly crimson. His Talent Power surged out of his body, forming a protective barrier around him to resist the whirlpool’s immense force as he shot upward.

Finally, he broke free from the water’s restraints, but only a fraction of his Talent Power remained—barely a tenth or two. If Yin Da were to appear right now, the City Lord could take his life with effortless ease.

Hiding the black Crystal Stone securely, he didn’t linger. He transformed into a small snake and slithered along the base of the walls, heading straight for Yin Da’s residence. Zhu Xiu was in a great mood. Thanks to the foreign Beastmen causing trouble, he had managed to obtain this Energy Stone. Otherwise, it would have taken considerably more effort.

Having lurked in Wandering Beast City for three years, he had made numerous attempts. During the first two years, his Talent Power would completely drain away before he even reached the bottom of the pool. This time, he was at his fastest, managing to leave with nearly a fifth of his Talent Power still intact.

Meanwhile, Bai Wanwan was waiting quietly in her room, praying for Chou Rong’s safety. Only if he was safe could she and her cubs be safe.

A slight noise came from the window. Hearing it, Bai Wanwan immediately got up, walked over, and swiftly pulled it open. She expected to see Chou Rong, but instead, she found a King Cobra coiled by the windowsill. However, his body had visibly shrunk, making him look no bigger than a cub.

"You... are you Zhu Xiu?"

She recognized his beautiful eyes. The irises were black, but they were ringed with a faint crimson glow.

The small King Cobra nodded at her. "Let’s go. I’m taking you away."

"Taking me away?" She wondered why he was taking her away now, neither earlier nor later.

If it had been two days ago, she would have left with Zhu Xiu without a moment’s hesitation. But now... Chou Rong was in Wandering Beast City. If she left with Zhu Xiu, wouldn’t all of Chou Rong’s efforts be in vain?

Zhu Xiu had already turned around, but noticing she hadn’t moved, he immediately looked back. "If you want to escape, come with me right now. Keep delaying, and you can forget about leaving at all."

Bai Wanwan hesitated for a moment before quickly making her decision. "How about you go on your own? I’ll... wait a bit longer."

"Wait for what?" Sensing that something was wrong, Zhu Xiu turned fully around and stared at her with his crimson eyes.

Bai Wanwan had no choice but to lie to him. "Zhu Xiu, I really appreciate you wanting to help me, but my Beast Husband is in the city. He’ll come to rescue me. If I leave with you now, he won’t be able to find me."

"Beast Husband? That Silver Wolf from last time?" Zhu Xiu scoffed. "He can’t save you. Even with Wandering Beast City in utter chaos, it’s impossible for him to successfully take you away."

Even Zhu Xiu himself couldn’t pull it off right now, but he had a backup plan.

"It’s not him..."

The moment those words left her mouth, Bai Wanwan clearly felt Zhu Xiu’s swaying body freeze.

"You told me you only had one Beast Husband..."

An awkward silence fell. "How could I forget about that?" she thought. She had only said it casually back then to dismiss Zhu Xiu’s intentions.

"Strictly speaking, he hasn’t agreed to be my Beast Husband yet," she added quickly.

If Zhu Xiu hadn’t been in his beast form, his face would have turned green with anger. How many males had she said those exact same words to?!

"Are you leaving Wandering Beast City too? You should go quickly then..." She urged him, wanting to avoid the trouble of them bumping into each other later.

Just as she finished speaking, over a dozen Wandering Beastmen suddenly came running in their direction. They were about to rush straight into the stone house when they saw the miniature King Cobra by the window and froze.

Then, they said respectfully, "Second Chief, the City Lord ordered us to bring the Holy Female to him."

Zhu Xiu nodded. "Mm, I happen to be heading there anyway. I will take her myself."

The Wandering Beastmen were rather simple-minded, and given the absolute chaos in the city, they didn’t question it. They immediately turned and left.

"Aren’t you coming out? If you keep waiting here, you won’t get your Beast Husband—you’ll only get Yin Da," Zhu Xiu warned.

Bai Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then bent down, picked up her basket, and stepped outside. She decided it was best to leave Wandering Beast City first and worry about the rest later.

As soon as she walked out, Zhu Xiu, who had grown a size larger, wrapped himself around her. This time, her entire body was cocooned within his Snake Tail. She didn’t even feel the bumps of the journey.

Bai Wanwan was almost lulled to sleep when the tail wrapped around her suddenly loosened. Clutching her basket, she tumbled onto the ground.

"Have we left?" "That was a bit too fast..." she thought.

As soon as she spoke, she noticed she was surrounded by stone walls. The distant sounds of the city hadn’t faded either. They were clearly still inside Wandering Beast City.

"Zhu Xiu, what are you doing?"

Zhu Xiu had already sat down beside her. "My Talent Power is severely depleted right now. Even if I took you away, I wouldn’t be able to protect you."

"Then why did you take me away?" Bai Wanwan gritted her teeth.

Zhu Xiu looked up at her. "Don’t overthink it. It’s very safe here. I told you I’d take you out, and I meant it."

"We’re clearly still in the city! What if Yin Da sends people to look for us?"

"When he discovers you’re gone, his first suspect will be your Beast Husband. He’ll only search for you outside the city. There’s nowhere to hide within a hundred miles of Wandering Beast City. As long as Yin Da takes his people out to search, he will easily find you."

"So, this is a place you prepared in advance? You’re waiting for Yin Da to search outside and come back empty-handed before taking me away?"

Zhu Xiu nodded. "Correct. Rest easy and stay here for a day. Once Yin Da returns, I’ll take you away."

One day... that would also be enough for him to fully recover.

Zhu Xiu seemed extremely weak. After shifting into his human form, his face was deathly pale. He closed his eyes after just a few words.

Unsure if she could rely on him, Bai Wanwan occasionally got up and crept to the stone door, peering outside through the cracks. This place must be quite remote. She could hear the clamor from various parts of the city, but the sounds were very faint. Furthermore, she stood there for a long time without seeing a single Wandering Beastman pass by.

Time slowly ticked by, and the sky gradually darkened.

Seeing that Zhu Xiu still had his eyes closed as if asleep, Bai Wanwan didn’t disturb him. She took out some dried meat from her System Space and began chewing on it while feeding her cubs.

During the first half of the night, she was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she couldn’t sleep at all, terrified that Yin Da might storm in with his Wandering Beastmen. Only in the latter half of the night did she drift into a fitful, uneasy slumber.

However, she hadn’t slept long before Zhu Xiu woke her up.

"Get up. Grab your cubs. I’m taking you all out of here."

Hearing that they were leaving, Bai Wanwan instantly perked up.

The sky outside wasn’t fully bright yet, covered in a dusky haze. Wrapped securely in his long tail, Bai Wanwan was slowly carried along the outskirts of Wandering Beast City.

"Who’s there?"

Suddenly, a patrol of Wandering Beastmen approached. Bai Wanwan immediately ducked her head and hid.

"Second Chief, what are you doing here?"

"Mm. The city is in chaos, so I’m looking around. You all, go check over there."

Completely off guard, the Wandering Beastmen turned to follow his orders, only to be swiftly slaughtered by Zhu Xiu the moment they turned their backs.

Zhu Xiu swaggered the rest of the way, safely taking her out through the city gates.

After passing through the gates without a hitch, Bai Wanwan still found it somewhat unbelievable and turned her head to look back. The desolate, barren city was slowly shrinking in the distance.

"Without me dragging him down, it should be much easier for Chou Rong to escape on his own, right?" she thought.