Chapter 530 - 531: We Want Revenge

Chapter 530: Chapter 531: We Want Revenge

Xijing approached Qiao Xixi. "I found these people in the other tunnels. Some of them have been locked away for a very long time."

Qiao Xixi did a quick count. Including the females, there were nearly three hundred people.

Getting this many people back to Tiger Beast City without being discovered wouldn’t be easy. They had to leave immediately, before Fengxuan and his men had a chance to realize what had happened.

After confirming the route with Jin Ling, Qiao Xixi had him take the lead. She stayed in the middle of the group, and Xijing brought up the rear.

Meanwhile, Fengxuan was also rushing back to Tiger Beast City with Jin Wei.

He had woken up not long after Kunlin, Jin Ling, and the others had escaped the tunnels. The first thing he did was go back for the still-unconscious Jin Wei and carry him back to Tiger Beast City.

Back in the inner city, Fengxuan quickly checked Jin Wei’s condition. As expected, the dark power in his body was completely gone.

Jin Wei was still alive, but Fengxuan had previously made him drink numerous potions designed to fuse the dark power with his very flesh and blood. Now that the power had been stripped away, his body was severely damaged, even though he had survived.

Fengxuan returned to his own palace, found a bottle of medicine, and went back to feed it to Jin Wei.

After drinking the potion, Jin Wei slowly stirred awake. In just half a day, he had grown so thin that his cheeks were sunken, and his lips were chapped and bloodless.

Jin Wei opened his eyes. They moved slowly, his gaze sluggish. But when he recognized his surroundings, he snapped fully awake, the memories of what had happened flooding back.

"City Lord, you’re awake."

Jin Wei’s gaze snapped to Fengxuan, unable to hide the fury in his eyes. "It failed?"

Fengxuan’s expression was just as dark. ’Gods know how long I’ve waited for this day, only for Qiao Xixi and her group to ruin it at the last second!’

’And that Black Phoenix who absorbed Jin Wei’s dark power... I will find him!’

But there were more important matters at hand.

"City Lord, that place has been discovered. The beastmen inside must be... disposed of as soon as possible. If they’re found, it will only bring you trouble."

Jin Wei’s expression was terrifyingly grim. "I passed out. Tell me exactly what happened after that."

Fengxuan told Jin Wei how he’d been taken hostage and how Kunlin and Jin Ling had fought their way out.

"By the time I came to, they were already gone. They probably ran off, afraid of retaliation from Tiger Beast City."

Jin Wei clenched his fists. "They dare to ruin my plans again and again... I’ll make them pay! You’re right. Those beastmen need to be dealt with immediately. Send men right now. Burn the place to the ground. We can’t let a single one of them escape."

"Yes."

「In the mountain forest, the sun was gradually setting.」

The light in the dense forest began to fade.

Just as Qiao Xixi was about to move forward, a female behind her staggered and fell. Fortunately, the person next to her had quick reflexes and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing the commotion, Qiao Xixi turned back. "What happened?"

The female who had been caught glanced fearfully at Qiao Xixi, forcing herself to shake her head. "I’m fine. I can keep walking."

Qiao Xixi understood immediately. ’She’s worried she’s too weak to go on, afraid she’ll be left behind.’

Qiao Xixi’s gaze swept over the other females, cubs, and males in the group. Prolonged starvation had left them emaciated. Several who had fallen couldn’t get back up, relying on their companions to hold them steady.

Qiao Xixi thought for a moment. The mountain path would be difficult to travel at night. She went to Jin Ling to ask if they could find a place to rest.

Jin Ling nodded. He told Qiao Xixi and the others to wait there while he headed deeper into the forest.

He didn’t keep her waiting long, returning by the time the moon was high in the sky.

"There’s a fairly hidden clearing up ahead. We can rest there for the night."

"Good."

Once they reached the clearing and sat down, Qiao Xixi turned her back to the others and pulled two waterskins from her space, handing them to Jin Ling and Xijing.

"Their stamina is low," she said. "We still have to cross half a mountain."

Jin Ling took a long drink of water, catching his breath before he spoke. "I’ll go hunt. I saw some animal tracks earlier."

Qiao Xixi nodded. "Alright."

After telling Xijing to protect Qiao Xixi, Jin Ling’s figure vanished into the forest.

Qiao Xixi had everyone sit in a circle and stay close, so that any danger could be spotted immediately.

Once everyone was settled, she walked into the center of the circle. Looking at the beastmen, whose eyes were dull and lifeless, she spoke with a determined expression.

"I understand that many of you here are from Tiger Beast City."

As soon as Qiao Xixi finished speaking, a beastman spoke up in a low voice. "I... I’m not. I’m from the Long-horned Deer Tribe."

"Me... me neither. I’m from the Bai Guo Tribe."

"A-and me..."

As more people spoke up, the group seemed to grow a little bolder.

Qiao Xixi listened quietly, mentally noting each tribe they mentioned.

When everyone had fallen silent, Qiao Xixi spoke again. "Do you know who captured you and locked you in that place?"

"It was beastmen from Tiger Beast City. They were the ones who kidnapped me."

"Yes, it was them."

Qiao Xixi nodded. "That’s right. The City Lord and Priest of Tiger Beast City are vicious. They captured all of you to test their forbidden medicines. We cannot let this go."

"We want revenge."

"People like that don’t deserve to be a City Lord and a Priest."

Qiao Xixi then said, "If you trust me, I can help you get your revenge."

"You’re the one who saved us. We trust you."

"That’s right."

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Qiao Xixi laid out her plan.

The beastmen who understood all agreed. After all, if they didn’t eliminate Jin Wei and Fengxuan, would they ever be safe?

Not long after Qiao Xixi finished speaking, Jin Ling returned, shouldering a Wild Bull Beast.

The beastmen had been starving for who knows how long. At the scent of fresh meat, their eyes lit up.

Jin Ling laid the butchered Wild Bull Beast on the ground and took out a bone knife. "Come forward in groups of ten to get your food. Cubs first, then females, and adult males last."

No one had any objection to this order.

The emaciated cubs came forward one by one to receive their share of meat. They couldn’t wait to start eating, tearing into the flesh before they had even sat back down.

Qiao Xixi didn’t eat raw meat, but they couldn’t risk starting a fire and attracting attention from Tiger Beast City’s beastmen.

After Jin Ling finished distributing the food, she found a private spot, turned her back to the group, and pulled some jerky and a few fruits from her space to eat.

Just as Qiao Xixi was biting into her jerky, she looked up to see a male from the Phoenix Wing Clan flying down toward them.

"A flock of Golden Eagle Beasts is headed this way."