Chapter 548: Elephant Beast City

Qiao Xixi felt there was no reason for Qingluan to lie to them.

Zhenzhen’s older brother hadn’t expected his sister to have gone off to find a male, so he quickly asked for more details.

Qiao Xixi told him everything she knew.

He was very surprised to hear that the male Zhenzhen liked was Qingluan, but he quickly accepted it.

“Qingluan probably isn’t lying. He’s a good male. We’re sorry to have bothered you, Qiao Xixi. We’ll go look for her somewhere else.”

With that, he quickly turned and left.

After closing the courtyard gate, Xijing saw Qiao Xixi’s brow was tightly furrowed. He reached out and gently smoothed the lines between her eyes, easing her frown.

“Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t want this to happen.”

Xijing was very perceptive and could tell what she was thinking at a glance.

She grabbed his hand and shook her head.

“I should have stayed until I saw her meet up with Qingluan before I left.”

“It’s not your fault. I’ll go out and help look for her in a bit.”

Qiao Xixi nodded.

“Little Demon, can you help me find Zhenzhen’s location?”

“I can, Host.”

Qiao Xixi let out a quiet sigh of relief when it agreed. ‘I remember Little Demon saying before that it can’t locate someone if they’ve lost their vital signs.’

‘Since it can find her, that means Zhenzhen isn’t in any life-threatening danger right now.’

“Host, I found her.”

Qiao Xixi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately had Little Demon send her the location.

She opened the map and was stunned. “This… she’s already outside of Tiger Beast City?”

“Yes, and the location is still moving. Based on the direction, it seems to be heading toward Elephant Beast City.”

Qiao Xixi didn’t understand why Zhenzhen’s kidnappers were taking her toward Elephant Beast City.

“Okay, I got it.”

“Xixi, have some fruit first.”

Qiao Xixi snapped out of her thoughts and said to Xijing, “Xijing, I had my system confirm Zhenzhen’s location. It says she’s being taken in the direction of Elephant Beast City.”

“Elephant Beast City?”

Jin Ling walked in, happening to overhear what Qiao Xixi said.

Qiao Xixi looked at him. “Yes. Jin Ling, do you know anything about the situation in Elephant Beast City?”

Jin Ling’s gentle expression remained unchanged. “Compared to Tiger Beast City and Wing Beast City, Elephant Beast City is quite remote. The hot season there is very long. Our Tiger Clan and many other groups don’t care for it, so we rarely ever go there.”

“However, the clans living in that area are all quite aggressive. I’ve heard that Elephant Beast City’s control over the subordinate tribes is rather strict, which has caused a lot of discontent. As a result, things are more chaotic over there.”

‘Chaotic means more fighting and killing.’

But Jin Ling saw Qiao Xixi’s worry and held some things back.

‘If Zhenzhen was really taken there, her chances of survival are slim.’

Thinking of that shy, timid young female, Qiao Xixi felt a tightness in her chest.

“Xixi, try not to worry. I’ll go to the inner city right now and explain the situation to Jin Yao. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”

Qiao Xixi nodded, “Okay.”

After he finished speaking, Jin Ling left the courtyard.

Worried that Qiao Xixi would let her thoughts run wild, Xijing pulled her into the kitchen, trying to distract her.

Qiao Xixi saw the worried look her mate was trying to hide, so she forced herself to perk up and talk with Xijing.

But the occasional shouts of people searching from outside the courtyard kept her on edge.

Meanwhile, after Jin Ling left, he went straight to the inner city.

Jin Yao had just finished a discussion with the elders when a beastman guard announced Jin Ling’s arrival. He immediately rose from his chair to greet him.

“Brother, what brings you back?”

Jin Ling briefly told Jin Yao about Zhenzhen’s disappearance.

Qingluan, who had just arrived in the outer hall, overheard Jin Ling. A look of alarm flashed in his eyes as he hurried forward.

“City Lord, Lord Jin Ling, did I just hear you say that the female, Zhenzhen, is missing?”

Jin Ling nodded. “Yes. She reportedly didn’t come home last night. Her family came to Xixi today to ask about her, which is how we learned she was missing. By tracking Zhenzhen’s presence, Xixi discovered that her kidnappers are taking her in the direction of Elephant Beast City.”

Jin Yao frowned. “Could the other missing females be related to this?”

“What?”

Jin Yao said, “A guard just reported to me that several females went missing yesterday. The number is still rising. I’ve already sent men to search the city.”

Jin Ling’s expression darkened. He didn’t believe in such coincidences. It was highly likely that someone was taking advantage of the chaos to commit evil.

“Secure the city gates.”

“Yes, I’ve already ordered the gates closed. People can enter, but no one can leave.”

Jin Ling nodded. “We should send people to search the road toward Elephant Beast City.”

Jin Yao grunted in agreement and looked at Qingluan. “Qingluan, take a detachment of Wing Clan guards and investigate immediately.”

“Yes.”

Qingluan acknowledged the order and hurried away. His slightly unsteady gait revealed his anxiety.

In the rear of the Beast City, a heavy, sealed gate slowly swung open.

Yun Ji, Qiao Yi, and Sunxuan slowly walked out.

“To think that the forbidden drugs and Forbidden Techniques he had all came from Elephant Beast City.”

They had interrogated Fengxuan today and learned from him where those things had come from.

Qiao Yi looked at Yun Ji. “Holy Priest, what do you intend to do?”

‘If these things aren’t completely eradicated, they will surely become a scourge in the future.’

“I will return to Beast King City first and have Chi Lie and the others personally make a trip to Elephant Beast City.”

Qiao Yi nodded. Because of its location, Elephant Beast City was quite far from all of them. Even during his years of wandering the Beast World Continent, Qiao Yi had rarely ventured there.

This was also because the hot season there was too long and the temperature too high, making it unsuitable for a Silver Frost White Wolf to live there year-round.

When the three of them returned to the inner city, they learned that Qiao Xixi’s group had already left.

“Holy Priest, a guard just reported that many females in the city have gone missing. It’s highly likely they were captured by wicked beasts and are being taken toward Elephant Beast City.”

Yun Ji’s cool expression hardened. “How are you certain they’re heading toward Elephant Beast City?”

“The lead came from the female, Qiao Xixi. I’ve already sent Qingluan to investigate.”

Yun Ji and the others knew that Qiao Xixi wouldn’t make baseless claims.

“Good. Report to me immediately if there’s any news.”

“Mhm.”

At that moment, on a forest path leading toward Elephant Beast City, a small group was moving at a rapid pace.

Up close, one could see that several of them were carrying large animal-hide sacks over their shoulders.

“Hurry up! Let’s get these females back while Tiger Beast City is still in chaos and hasn’t recovered its wits.”

“Boss, the people from Tiger Beast City won’t come after us, will they?”

The male addressed as “Boss” shot him a glare. “That’s why I’m telling you to hurry.”

‘If it weren’t for the internal strife in Tiger Beast City, we wouldn’t have pulled this off so smoothly. After all, it’s not easy to get so many females out at once.’

“Once we cross that big river and reach our territory, they’ll just be coming to their deaths even if they do catch up. Faster, move out!”