Free Web NovelChapter 65: Chapter 65: Mu Tangfeng Embraced Her
The mere thought of this possibility made Mu Tangfeng want to tear the Insect Clan to shreds, to rip out their intestines and have a look.
Both members of the Insect Clan could fly, and their combat prowess was far from ordinary. As a Land Beastman, Guan Du and the few crew members from the Netherworld Ship were having some trouble dealing with them.
He was the only one among them with a Mecha. Mechas were expensive, and Guan Du normally treasured his, so he wasn’t willing to deploy it unless it was a critical moment.
However, the moment Mu Tangfeng arrived, the situation changed instantly.
As a 2S-rank spiritual power user and a fellow Flying Beastman, Mu Tangfeng was more than a match for these two members of the Insect Clan. What’s more, he was now so enraged he had nearly lost his mind. A faint crimson tinge appeared in his dark pupils, and the onslaught from his wings grew ever more vicious.
Afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, Guan Du and his men quietly retreated to the side. The two members of the Insect Clan had clearly realized that Mu Tangfeng was the greatest threat and began to focus all their attention on him.
They tilted their heads back to look at the sky. There wasn’t a single star in the celestial dome tonight, only a lone moon hanging high above. A thick mist also permeated the forest.
Everyone’s vision was blurry. All they could feel were gusts of cold wind whipping across their faces. In the sky, the Insect Clan and Mu Tangfeng traded blows. Specks of green blood splattered down, occasionally accompanied by one or two white feathers, tinged with a hint of orange-red, drifting from above. The battle was intense.
Shi Lan walked over from the side and looked at them curiously. "Why aren’t you going to help?"
Guan Du turned to look at the female before him. She was very beautiful. Even in the faint moonlight, her porcelain-white skin was clearly visible. Most Beastmen had excellent eyesight, and at such a close distance, he could even make out her bright, clear almond-shaped eyes and rosy lips.
He knew this was the female from the photo Yan Huoshui had sent them, the one they were supposed to find and protect.
In fact, when they saw the Insect Clan appear, they had lost hope and had even prepared themselves for a chewing out from Yan Huoshui. They never expected this female to be completely unharmed.
’She must have been lucky and wasn’t discovered by the Insect Clan.’
Guan Du snapped out of his reverie. He glanced at the other members of the Netherworld Ship, who had unobtrusively formed a protective circle around Shi Lan. Only then did he say, "We can’t fly. If we went up there, we’d only get in his way."
Shi Lan didn’t ask any more questions. Her brow furrowed slightly as she watched the feathers drifting down from the sky, and she unconsciously reached out a hand to catch one.
The feather was soft and smooth to the touch, but its beauty was marred by the frayed, split barbs.
Although she didn’t know much about the habits of a Bird of Paradise, she knew how much Mu Tangfeng cherished his feathers. On several occasions when she delivered his meals in prison, she had seen him carefully preening them and even collecting the shed ones to decorate his mirror.
But now, several of them lay scattered on the ground.
A flicker of worry crossed her mind. She looked up at the sky, but unfortunately, aside from a few fast-moving black shapes, she couldn’t make out anything clearly.
However, the tide of battle soon turned. One wing of an Insect Clan member was torn off and flung to the ground. Immediately after, the now-wingless, enormous creature crashed down like a collapsing hill, crushing a large swathe of trees.
Its head had been snapped, its body was covered in foul green blood, and a large hole had been torn in its abdomen. It was a gruesome sight.
Mu Tangfeng was now in a blood rage, completely oblivious to Shi Lan standing below. He had just ripped open the insect’s corpse and, after confirming there were no human remains inside, turned his gaze to the other one.
Transparent saliva had been dripping from the corners of this one’s mouth, its mind consumed with the scent of human flesh. The flesh and blood of Beastmen with higher spiritual power were especially fragrant. It had been coveting Mu Tangfeng’s for a long time. Only now, after seeing its companion’s gruesome death, did it finally feel a flicker of fear. It immediately used a Skill, opening a wormhole to escape.
"Damn insect, don’t you dare run!"
Seething with rage, Mu Tangfeng shot after it, but the creature’s escape was even faster. He only managed to bite off half its tail before it vanished in the blink of an eye.
He circled the spot where the wormhole had vanished, unable to accept its escape. He paid no mind to the corrosive insect blood burning his meticulously groomed feathers. His mind was consumed with a single thought: ’Shi Lan is dead. I failed to protect her. It’s all my fault.’
’I was too late...’
With a look of anguish, Mu Tangfeng continued to circle the sky. Just then, Shi Lan called out, "Mu Tangfeng."
He thought he was hearing things, still lost in a haze of self-blame and regret. A headache began to throb in his skull, and the crimson hue started to spread through his once-black pupils.
Again, Shi Lan’s voice rang out, louder this time. "Mu Tangfeng, get down here!"
She stepped out from the crew’s protective circle, used a handkerchief to gather the fallen feathers from the ground, and waved at the figure still flying in the sky. freёweɓnovel.com
This time, the voice was crystal clear. It slowly dawned on Mu Tangfeng that he wasn’t imagining it.
The frantic red in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a flicker of clarity. He looked down, and his gaze cleared instantly. He plummeted toward the ground.
In that moment, a few more feathers drifted down.
Shi Lan resignedly picked them up for him. The moment she straightened up, she was pulled into a tight embrace by Mu Tangfeng, now in his human form.
"Thank god, you’re not dead!"
He exclaimed in joyful relief, his embrace unconsciously tightening as if to convince himself that the person in his arms was still warm and vividly alive.
’He hadn’t lost her.’
The tall young man lowered his head, pressing close. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his orange hair brushing lightly against the shell of Shi Lan’s ear, sending a tingling, ticklish sensation through her.
Shi Lan instinctively tried to pull her head back, but he just pressed closer again.
"Thank god, you’re really okay."
He repeated himself, his muffled voice thick with a slight sob, full of the choked relief of one crying tears of joy.
The hand Shi Lan had been about to use to push him away froze for a moment. Then, it slowly came to rest on his head, gently patting his soft, yet somewhat coarse, hair. "Yes, I’m fine."
Behind her, Guan Du and his men exchanged glances at the scene. They all simultaneously looked away, whistling. "Let’s go, let’s go. No need to be a third wheel."
Number Four draped an arm over Number Three’s shoulder and whispered, "What’s the deal? You don’t think Boss Yan likes this female too, do you?"
They’d never seen him get close to any female before. Even when they’d accidentally kidnapped females who actively threw themselves at him, he had always scoffed and couldn’t wait to get them sent away.
This was the first time he’d ever had them protect a female.
"Who knows? Ai, this isn’t our business to worry about."
Number Three stroked his chin with an air of feigned maturity, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Tch, what a poser!"
Number Four shot him a scornful look. After all, on the way over, he had been the one asking the most questions about why Boss Yan wanted them to find a female.
As the men from the Netherworld Ship completed their task and leisurely departed, Shi Lan finally managed to push him away with a bit of force.
Mu Tangfeng let out a soft "oomph," his voice suddenly tinged with a hint of bashfulness. Shi Lan lowered her gaze to where her hands had landed, and immediately snatched them back, her face turning beet red.
