1RomanceEB Chapter 293: I Know Where They Went
Chapter 293: I Know Where They Went
"Charge through them."
Jin Ling let out a furious roar, a sky-shattering cry that made the caravan’s beastmen turn pale and fall back in terror.
Qiao Xixi said to the patrol beastmen behind her, "Block them. Without my permission, no one from that caravan sets foot outside this tribe!"
The patrol beastmen surged forward and surrounded the caravan.
Having said that, Qiao Xixi had Jin Ling continue toward the main gate.
With a light leap, Jin Ling bounded over the beastmen’s heads.
"Xiya has already left the tribe."
Jin Ling carried Qiao Xixi as he charged straight out of the tribe’s gate.
"Clan Leader."
Seeing Qiao Xixi racing over, Ma Qing hurried to meet her.
"Ma Qing, did anyone just leave the tribe?"
Ma Qing shook his head. "No. Other than the Horse Beasts from the caravan, the ones used to carry goods, no beastmen have left."
Qiao Xixi’s brow furrowed. "The Horse Beasts carrying the goods... After them! Xiya is most likely hidden in the animal hide bundles on them."
Ma Qing’s expression changed instantly. He immediately led his beastmen in pursuit.
Jin Ling, carrying Qiao Xixi, led the chase.
"They’re just ahead."
The caravan’s Horse Beasts hadn’t gone far, and they soon caught up.
"Xiya."
’Location confirmed. Xiya is right ahead of us.’
Jin Ling charged directly in front of the Horse Beasts, unleashing his powerful aura.
Sensing the aura of a powerful being, the Horse Beasts stopped in fear, stamping their hooves anxiously.
Qiao Xixi leaped off Jin Ling and ran to the Horse Beasts, checking the hide bags on them. Just as she opened the last one, she saw Xiya, curled up and unconscious inside.
"Xiya!"
Qiao Xixi carefully lifted her out of the hide bag.
"Sprite, quick, check on Xiya! What’s wrong with her?"
"Host, don’t worry. The cub Xiya just fainted. It’s nothing serious."
"The Clan Leader is truly amazing. How did you find her here?"
Bulin emerged from the nearby woods. He was astonished; how had Qiao Xixi discovered Xiya’s whereabouts in such a short time?
Qiao Xixi glared at him coldly. "I don’t care who you are. If you dare lay a hand on my cub, I won’t let you off easy. Jin Ling, kill him."
Bulin’s expression changed. The animal hide clothes on his body suddenly burst apart, and his already large frame instantly transformed into a Black Bear Beast.
He wasn’t a Deer Beast at all, but a male Black Bear Beast.
With a tiger’s roar, Jin Ling pounced.
Ma Qing and his men also rushed over, shielding Qiao Xixi and the others.
"Xiya, Xiya." Qiao Xixi opened her waterskin and trickled some Spiritual Spring water to her.
The Spiritual Spring water flowed past Xiya’s lips and into her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered faintly.
"Xiya..."
Xiya’s eyes opened. The moment she saw the worried look on Qiao Xixi’s face, her eyes reddened and she burst into tears.
"Mother..."
Qiao Xixi hugged her tightly, her heart aching as she felt the girl’s tears soaking into her clothes.
"Mother, I’m sorry, I’m sorry... I made you worry... SOB..."
Qiao Xixi carried her to the base of a tree and sat down, kissing her forehead. "Mother knows you wanted to find your Father Beast..." She couldn’t bring herself to scold her, and only tried her best to soothe the cub’s emotions.
"I... I noticed the fish scale Father Beast gave me is getting dimmer and dimmer. Mother, I’m scared... I don’t want to be without him..."
Qiao Xixi’s expression grew grim.
’Sprite had said there were only two scenarios in which it would be unable to track Xijing’s location.’
’One: he was already dead. Two: he had been taken to a place that even it, the system, could not search.’
’Neither possibility was easy to accept.’
"ROAR!"
A tiger’s roar sent a tremor of fear through everyone’s hearts.
Qiao Xixi looked up to see Jin Ling bite down on Bulin’s arm and rip the entire limb off.
Bulin howled in agony, crashing heavily to the ground.
Jin Ling planted a cold tiger paw on his neck. "Who in the world are you?"
Bulin glared at Jin Ling with venom in his eyes. "So it’s true. Anyone who can stand against Tiger Beast City is no weakling. I... I came to make a deal with you."
Qiao Xixi came up behind Jin Ling, looking down at Bulin with cold eyes. "You can’t be thinking of trading those worthless trinkets of yours for your life, can you?"
"Of course not. I know you’re connected to the merfolk clan. I can tell you where they are!"
Jin Ling and Qiao Xixi exchanged a glance.
Before long, Bulin and all the beastmen in his caravan were captured and taken back to the tribe.
"Tell me who you are and everything you know. I might consider sparing your life."
Bulin coughed, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"We are a trade caravan, that much is true. But I did lie about one thing. I have, in fact, been to the coast recently."
As they were talking, Feiyan came in carrying several pieces of shell, similar to those of a turtle beast, engraved with various patterns.
"These are the tribe’s registration carvings, made when a caravan arrives. It proves they were here."
Bulin hadn’t been lying. That was his proof of being a legitimate trade caravan.
Qiao Xixi looked at him coldly. "Keep talking."
Bulin caught his breath and continued, "That was our first time heading to the coast. We were just hoping to see if there were any new goods to trade. We never expected to walk into a massacre."
By the time Bulin and his men arrived, the salt flats were already littered with corpses. There were merfolk, Land Beasts, and even quite a few Golden Eagle Beasts.
"I found it strange. After all, Land Beasts rarely settle by the sea, so there shouldn’t be any territorial disputes. That means they could only have been fighting over the salt flats. But it wasn’t just the salt flats; even the sea was full of floating bodies."
Bulin had traveled for many years and was considered worldly, but even he was shocked speechless at the sight of a sea stained red with blood.
"We didn’t leave right away. We’re all beastmen, after all. We wanted to see if we could save anyone."
Hearing this, Qiao Xixi let out a cold laugh.
’Merchants are profit-driven, no matter the world.’
’Bulin and his men hadn’t left immediately for one simple reason: they wanted to see if they could profit from the situation.’
"We found a merman in a nearby forest, one who wasn’t dead yet. He told me to come to the Black Panther Tribe for help, and he gave me something to pass on to the Black Panther Tribe’s Clan Leader."
"What was it?"
Bulin looked up at Qiao Xixi, a corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Clan Leader, I can’t give it to you now. What if I hand it over and you just kill us anyway?"
Qiao Xixi sneered and stood up. "Then you can all just die now. Feiyan, do it."
Feiyan’s fox-like eyes narrowed. His fingertips instantly morphed into sharp claws. He was in front of Bulin in a flash, thrusting toward the bear beastman’s throat without a second thought.
’Bulin was shocked. Qiao Xixi would kill at a moment’s notice. How could a female, meant only for bearing cubs, be so ruthless!’
"No, wait! I’ll talk! I’ll give you the item, just don’t kill me!"
Feiyan’s claws stopped just a palm’s width from his eyes.
"The item is hidden in a hide bag on that white Horse Beast!"