Chapter 563: So Miserable I Could Die

As soon as Lei Lie’s voice faded, a dark shadow flashed quickly across the ground. He looked up and saw several Vulture Beasts already circling in the sky above them.

“They came following the scent.” Understanding Chi Yan’s intention, he sped up his movements and quickly threw the corpses of the Giant Crocodile Beasts into the water.

The flowing water would dilute the bloody stench to some extent. As the current washed the blood downstream, it would misdirect predators drawn by the smell.

As the night deepened, more and more Vulture Beasts circled above the stream. Some of the bolder ones landed directly on the riverbank to feast on the dead Giant Crocodile Beasts.

This sight made Lei Lie and his companions grimace. Whether they were Giant Crocodile Beasts or Vulture Beasts, they were all beastmen just like them. Unless absolutely desperate, beastmen would never consume the flesh and blood of their own kind. In their eyes, such behavior was no different from that of wild beasts. Yet, looking at how accustomed these Vulture Beasts were to it, it seemed they considered eating each other entirely natural.

“Let’s clean this up and leave.”

Chi Yan nodded and turned to head toward the shelter. Just as they turned around, Vulture Beasts continuously descended from the sky, almost completely filling the spot where they had just been standing. With their deep yellow eyes wide open, the Vulture Beasts stared greedily in the direction Lei Lie and the others were leaving.

“You’d better not provoke beastmen capable of killing so many Giant Crocodile Beasts,” a male Vulture Beast in human form said as he walked up behind one of them.

The Vulture Beast he spoke to glanced back at him and also shifted into his human form. His hand morphed into a claw as he grabbed a large chunk of flesh from the bloody body of a Giant Crocodile Beast and stuffed it into his mouth. “They aren’t beastmen from around here. They are invaders. Invaders all deserve to die.”

Hearing this, the other man did not reply. He was right; invaders deserved to die, no matter who they were!

Under the strict guard of Qiao Yi and the others, the night passed relatively peacefully.

When Qiao Xixi opened her eyes, the sky outside was already bright. She could hear the sounds of someone building a fire and cooking. She sat up and found that the cubs were still asleep. It made sense; after all, the cubs were still young, and the long journey had probably worn them out completely. Not having the heart to wake them, she carefully lifted the blanket, got up, changed into a lighter animal skin outfit, and walked out.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Sangze lying on the ground in his beast form. Seeing his eyes tightly closed, Qiao Xixi remembered how late they had returned yesterday and hurried forward in concern.

“Sangze, what’s wrong?”

Hearing the commotion, Feiyan walked over and explained, “Don’t worry, he’s just exhausted.”

Qiao Xixi noticed that although Sangze had a few superficial wounds, none were serious. She looked at Feiyan in confusion. “Exhausted? Did he overexert himself while picking the Cloud Mist Fruit yesterday?”

Feiyan gave a vague hum of agreement. “He’s fine. He just needs to sleep it off.”

Qiao Xixi studied Feiyan’s face. This guy couldn’t lie to save his life; whenever he tried to deceive her, he never dared to look her in the eyes! “Feiyan, who went to bring Sangze back yesterday?”

Without thinking, Feiyan blurted out, “It was Sunxiao and his father. They just scooped him up and…” He stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had let the truth slip. His furry fox ears twitched and drooped in defeat.

Jin Ling walked over, happening to catch their conversation. He looked at Qiao Xixi and said, “Sangze lost control again yesterday. Just as Sunxiao was about to bring him back, he almost ran away. Later, Sunxiao’s father went over to help and brought Sangze back.”

Seeing Jin Ling explain everything, Feiyan let out a massive sigh of relief. “They told me not to tell you, so you wouldn’t worry.”

Hearing this, Qiao Xixi looked at Sangze lying on the ground with an aching heart. “Did Sunxiao find the Cloud Mist Fruit?”

Jin Ling nodded and pulled out an animal skin pouch. “This is what Sunxiao brought back. He went to find a place to rest.”

Qiao Xixi took the pouch and opened it. Inside lay quite a few Cloud Mist Fruits. This amount was more than enough.

“I’ll go brew the antidote right now.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Okay.”

Following Qiao Xixi’s instructions, Jin Ling set up a small pot for her. Meanwhile, she placed all the herbs onto a stone slab with a slight depression in the center and used a stone to grind them into a fine powder.

“Xixi, the pot is hot.”

Qiao Xixi hummed in acknowledgment and poured water from a waterskin into it. Once the water was almost boiling, she added the mixed herbs and began to brew them. Before long, a thick, medicinal scent permeated the air.

Before the medicine was done brewing, the cubs woke up. In an instant, the quiet shelter became lively. Looking at the chattering cubs, Qiao Xixi felt her tense nerves relax slightly.

“Xixi, let me do this. Breakfast is ready; go eat first.” Xijing brought over a large bowl of meat soup and sat down beside Qiao Xixi.

Qiao Xixi naturally took the bowl and looked at him. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m not hungry yet. You eat first.”

Holding the bowl, Qiao Xixi took a sip of the soup, then scooped out a piece of meat, blew on it, and brought it to Xijing’s lips. “Open up.”

Xijing’s expression softened. He opened his mouth and ate the meat.

“Where are my father and the others? I haven’t seen them since I woke up this morning.”

Xijing’s expression remained unchanged, but his hand stirring the medicinal juice paused for a moment. “They went ahead to scout the situation. They should be back soon.”

Qiao Xixi didn’t suspect a thing. Looking at the map, this place wasn’t close to Elephant Beast City, but since they were flying, their speed would be much faster.

After finishing her meat soup, Qiao Xixi glanced at the pot and said, “That’s good, Xijing. This consistency is perfect.”

“Alright.” Xijing took the pot off the fire and poured out all the medicinal juice.

“I’ll take it to him.”

“Mhm.”

Qiao Xixi carried the medicinal juice over to Sangze. He was still lying on the ground, showing no signs of waking up.

“Sangze, Sangze?”

Qiao Xixi nudged him. Sangze’s eyelashes fluttered, and after a long moment, he lazily opened his eyes.

“Hmm? Little female, what’s wrong?”

“I’ve brewed the antidote. Hurry up and drink it.”

Sangze didn’t move. His heterochromic eyes stared straight into the depths of Qiao Xixi’s. “I can’t move. Feed me, little female.”

Qiao Xixi didn’t argue with him. She blew on the liquid and brought it to his mouth. However, Sangze still didn’t open his mouth. He even looked at her with a hint of grievance in his eyes.

Confused and somewhat worried, Qiao Xixi wondered if he had suffered internal injuries last night that she couldn’t see. “What’s the matter? Are you in pain?”

His large, pitch-black head smoothly slumped into her embrace. “Yeah, I’m hurting so much I could die.”

Qiao Xixi’s expression changed slightly. “Where does it hurt? Tell me quickly.”

“It was last night, when…”