Chapter 140: Please Save the Cub Immediately
Outside the tribe’s main gate, Gu Man clutched Qiao Xixi’s hand, unwilling to let go. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"Xixi, are you all really leaving?"
Seeing her crying so hard made Qiao Xixi feel sad to leave too. "Yes. Don’t be sad. We’ll be back as soon as we’ve taken care of things."
Gu Man knew they were heading to the Hopeless Abyss and was very worried. "You must all be careful. I’ll be here in the tribe waiting for you to come back."
Tata was also hugging Qiao Ang and the others, crying his eyes out. "WAAAHH! Big brother Qiao Ang, I don’t want you to go! I want to keep playing with you all."
Qiao Ang patted Tata reassuringly with his small hands. "Don’t cry. We can go swimming together when I get back."
Feili took out a map drawn on sheepskin and handed it to Feiyan. "The Hopeless Abyss isn’t far from the Divine Leopard Tribe. You can go there first to gather information."
"I understand, Father."
Feili grasped Feiyan’s hand and patted it. "Protect Xixi and the cubs well. The Silver Tribe is waiting for your return."
Feiyan’s expression was more solemn than ever before. "I will."
All three beastmen mates transformed into their beast forms. Jin Ling carried Qiao Xixi, while Sunxiao and Feiyan each carried their own cubs, traveling farther and farther away from the Silver Tribe.
The cold season had passed and all life was stirring anew. The amount of prey in the forest had increased significantly.
According to the route planned by Little Yao, they had to cross a mountain range to reach the Divine Leopard Tribe.
"Father, is this Divine Leopard Tribe a large tribe?"
Feiyan’s fluffy, large tail nudged Qiao Qiao’s body upright. "Yes, it’s the largest tribe closest to Beast King City."
"How is it different from the Silver Tribe?"
"There are more beastmen, and more of them have awakened their beast souls. The houses are bigger, and they have a marketplace. It’s much livelier."
Qiao Xixi listened quietly. ’Based on what Feiyan is saying, a large tribe just means more people, a higher degree of civilization, and a tribal order closer to the world I used to live in.’ The thought gave her a flicker of anticipation.
After several days of travel, the initial excitement wore off for both the cubs and Qiao Xixi.
As they set off again, Qiao Xixi lay listlessly on Jin Ling’s back.
"Little Yao, how much longer until we get there?"
"Host, you haven’t even completed half the journey yet."
’If only I weren’t so slow, I would’ve gotten down to walk with Jin Ling and the others.’
"If you’re tired, we can find a place to rest for a couple of days." Noticing Qiao Xixi’s low spirits, Jin Ling couldn’t help but slow his pace.
The moment he spoke, Feiyan and Sunxiao also looked over at her.
Qiao Xixi shook her head; she didn’t want to slow them down because of her.
"I’m fine, just a little bored."
Feiyan quickly spoke up, "Come ride on my back and play with the cubs."
Qiao Lie, clinging to Sunxiao, gazed expectantly at Qiao Xixi with his crimson eyes. "Mother, Father is slippery. I can’t sit steady."
Sunxiao stopped, a flash of surprise in his eyes. ’This cub is clinging to me for dear life. How is he not steady?’
"You can’t sit steady? Then Mother will come hold you."
Seeing that his own father hadn’t caught on, Qiao Lie quickly said, "Father, Mother wants to ride on your back."
Sunxiao snapped back to reality. With a flick of his long tail, he immediately swept Qiao Xixi onto his back and settled her securely.
Beaten to the punch, Feiyan was so annoyed that his big, fluffy tail drooped.
A dark glint flashed through Jin Ling’s gilt eyes, but he quickly ran ahead to clear the path.
After the cold season came the rainy season. The closer they got to the Divine Leopard Tribe, the more it rained.
Qiao Xixi sat on Sunxiao’s back, holding the three cubs and using several large leaves to shield them from the rain.
"Why is there so much rain?"
"This is the time of year with the most rain. In a few more days, we should reach the Divine Leopard Tribe."
Rushing and taking their time in turns, they had been on the road for a whole month.
Just before nightfall, they arrived at the foot of a large mountain.
Qiao Xixi looked at the mountain before them, her brow slowly furrowing.
"Why does this mountain look so different from the others?"
The mountain forests they had traveled through were full of towering trees that blocked out the sun. But the mountain before them was made of black rock, without a single decent tree on it, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding mountains.
Sunxiao stared at the black mountain, his crimson eyes growing even redder.
"To the left of this mountain is the Hopeless Abyss. To the right is the Divine Leopard Tribe."
"It’s still early," Feiyan said, "so let’s hurry to the Divine Leopard Tribe to find a place to stay. The black mountain is very dangerous at night."
Hearing Feiyan’s warning, no one dared to dawdle, and they immediately headed to the right.
But the closer they got to the black mountain, the more uncomfortable they felt. It was as if their bodies were being suppressed by some mysterious force, and the cubs grew agitated and restless.
Jin Ling and the others couldn’t help but quicken their pace.
Even so, the sky darkened rapidly, and the surroundings grew so black they could barely see the path ahead.
"It’s about to pour again. We should find a place to stop for the night."
Sunxiao hadn’t even finished speaking when fat raindrops began to fall.
Jin Ling quickened his steps forward. "I’ll go scout ahead and see if there’s any shelter."
Soon, Jin Ling ran back.
"There’s an abandoned stone house up ahead. We can take shelter there."
The stone house Jin Ling mentioned was located not far from the foot of the black mountain. By the time they reached it, the downpour was so heavy they couldn’t see anything.
The beastmen mates shifted back into their human forms and entered the house first. Only after confirming there were no problems did Qiao Xixi enter with the cubs.
They were all soaked to the bone. Qiao Xixi quickly took out some firewood she had collected on the road from her spatial storage.
’It’s a good thing I figured it would rain a lot in this area. I made sure to gather some firewood whenever the weather was clear, just in case we needed it.’
Feiyan used his ability to light the firewood, and Qiao Xixi took out clean animal-skin clothes for everyone to change into.
What Qiao Xixi and her group didn’t know was that on the other side of the black mountain, a vicious battle for food was raging.
A black panther cub, covered in blood, was surrounded by several demonic beast cubs. The rain washed over his body, rinsing away streams of crimson blood.
His jet-black eyes glared warily at the demonic beast cubs as he fiercely protected the food behind him.
The leader of the demonic beast cubs laughed viciously at him. "Hmph, a useless beast thinks he can fight us for food? Kill him!"
Several demonic beast cubs pounced on the black panther cub.
The black panther cub’s pupils contracted. A low, desperate, and furious growl escaped his throat as he swung his forelimbs to fight back against their attacks.
But he was alone and no match for them. Soon, a chunk of flesh was torn from his shoulder.
"NGH!"
"HAHAHA! Useless beast, you can’t even scream when you’re dying! HAHAHA! Tear him to shreds!"
DING.
"Host, please rescue the cub immediately. Mission Difficulty: 3 stars."
Inside the stone house, Qiao Xixi, who was drinking meat broth, jolted, nearly spilling her soup.
She immediately looked at the three cubs sitting peacefully beside her and let out a breath of relief.
"Is there something wrong with you? My cubs are perfectly fine. Who needs rescuing?"