Free Web NovelChapter 374: Chapter 374: This Is What I Owe Qiao Yi
Watching Qiao Xixi close her eyes and collapse into his arms, Qiao Yi’s gaze was filled with sorrow.
He carried her back to the small cave. After placing her inside, he carefully concealed the entrance with stones and branches.
"Xixi, your father promised he would always protect you, no matter what. This time is no different."
Qiao Yi’s expression hardened. He unleashed his aura and sprinted in the direction opposite from Qiao Xixi.
He had barely left when the ghostly figures appeared.
The leading shadow stared at the lingering blue aura ahead, its voice turning cold.
"Qiao Yi, you cannot escape."
The shadows dissipated once more, reappearing on another mountain to surround Qiao Yi.
A great battle was imminent.
Huang Yue flapped his wings, sensing the commotion in the forest below. He began a swift descent, but as he drew nearer, a powerful aura blasted toward him, making it almost impossible to get any closer.
Kunlin and the others were also stunned. They had never encountered such powerful beast soul energy before.
"All of you, stay back."
Kunlin immediately found a spot to land at a safer distance.
The distance was too great. All they could see were strange flashes of light from the battle, and occasionally, immense tremors would cause the ground beneath their feet to tremble.
Suddenly, a tremendous BOOM echoed, so loud that Kunlin and the others thought the mountain itself might be splitting apart.
Huang Yue’s expression turned grim. He shot into the air and saw two dark figures restraining Qiao Yi, dragging him away in a specific direction.
Startled, Huang Yue tried to get closer, but another dark figure materialized in mid-air, blocking his path.
Huang Yue looked up, his pupils contracting at the sight of the figure completely shrouded in black feathers.
Its jet-black eyes were devoid of emotion, landing coldly on Huang Yue.
"Huang Yue. Thinking of meddling in affairs that don’t concern you?"
Huang Yue’s expression darkened further. "What do you want with him?!"
"That is none of your concern."
Huang Yue watched Qiao Yi’s form recede into the distance. Anxious, he tried to move forward, but with a single flap of its wings, his opponent unleashed a tremendous gust of wind that nearly sent him tumbling from the sky.
Seeing this, Kunlin and the others flew forward to help, but the gale was simply too powerful. They couldn’t face it head-on and were forced to dodge.
By the time the gale subsided, Qiao Yi was nowhere in sight.
The dark figure shot him a contemptuous glance before turning to leave.
Huang Yue wanted to give chase, but he realized he couldn’t match its speed at all.
Kunlin caught up to him, but the dark figure had vanished completely. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes.
He was considered one of the elites of the Wing Clan. In the past, going all out, he could even catch a beastman with a tenth-tier beast soul. But just now, despite moving as fast as he could, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the figure before it vanished.
"City Lord, who in the world was that? They were too... terrifying."
Huang Yue gazed in the direction Qiao Yi had disappeared, his expression grave. "That was one of the Ten Beast Guards of the Watchtower."
Upon hearing this, even Kunlin’s normally cold expression revealed his shock.
"The Ten Beast Guards of the Watchtower..."
Back in the forest, Jin Ling and the others had followed Qiao Xixi’s scent to her location.
Feiyan sniffed the air and quickly located the cave where Qiao Xixi was hidden. After using his claws to clear away the concealing stones and branches, he saw Qiao Xixi lying quietly inside.
"Xixi."
Hearing the commotion, Jin Ling and the others hurried over.
Feiyan had already shifted into his human form and was carrying Qiao Xixi out of the cave.
"Xixi! Xixi, wake up."
Qiao Xixi slowly opened her eyes. Without even getting a clear look at Feiyan, she threw her arms around him and sobbed, "My father... My father is gone! He went to lure those beastmen away..."
"Your father? Xixi, what’s going on?"
Xijing’s voice was low. "Langqi is Xixi’s father."
Feiyan was stunned. "What? *He’s* Xixi’s father?"
The roguish look in Sangze’s eyes froze.
Jin Ling and Sunxiao, however, didn’t look very surprised. Perhaps they had long suspected the truth but had never voiced it.
"Xixi, don’t be upset. I’ll take you back to the tribe first. We’ll have Sunxiao and the others give chase."
Sunxiao had been tracking Qiao Yi’s scent. Because Qiao Yi had deliberately released his beast soul energy earlier, his aura was still strong in the area.
He glanced at Qiao Xixi’s tear-reddened eyes and said in a low voice, "Feiyan, Xijing, you two take Xixi back first. The rest of us will give chase."
"Okay."
Qiao Xixi scrambled to her feet.
"I’m going with you."
"Xixi, those beastmen are strange and dangerous. We can’t let you put yourself at risk. Go back first. We promise we’ll find your father as quickly as we can."
"Don’t bother. You won’t be able to catch them."
Hearing the voice, Qiao Xixi and the others looked up to see Huang Yue descending from the sky to land before them.
"You know who they are?"
Huang Yue looked at Qiao Xixi. "They’re the Beast Guards from the Watchtower. They came for your father."
The moment he said the word "Watchtower," the expressions of both Jin Ling and Sunxiao grew impossibly dark.
"The Watchtower... what kind of place is it, exactly?"
Huang Yue subconsciously patted himself down. Finding his pockets empty, his expression grew even more agitated.
"It’s a prison for the most savage and brutal beasts. Any beastman deemed a ’savage beast’ by Beast King City gets locked up there."
Qiao Xixi clenched her fists. "What did my father do to deserve being locked up there?"
Huang Yue raised his head, his gaze deep as he looked at Qiao Xixi. "Years ago, he nearly killed the Beast King."
Qiao Xixi frowned. "The Beast King of Beast King City?"
Huang Yue nodded. "Correct. I don’t know the specific reasons. All of you should go back. Don’t get involved in this matter any further. You can’t fight against Beast King City."
"He’s my father! How can I not get involved?"
Huang Yue frowned. "You can’t rescue Qiao Yi. He allowed himself to be captured today precisely because he didn’t want to involve you. Qiao Xixi, don’t let his sacrifice be for nothing."
Qiao Xixi clenched her fists. "City Lord Huang Yue, you know where the Watchtower is."
Huang Yue’s brow furrowed even deeper as he frantically patted his clothes again. He finally pulled out a small fruit and clutched it in his hand, and only then did the agitation in his eyes finally begin to subside.
"It’s in Beast King City, but I don’t know its exact location."
"Thank you for telling me, City Lord Huang Yue."
Huang Yue looked at Qiao Xixi’s face, seeing an almost perfect echo of a face from his memories. He sighed. "Forget it. You really are his kid, stubborn to a fault, just like him. If you’re willing, I’ll have Kunlin stay behind to help you."
Qiao Xixi was surprised. "Why do you want to help me, City Lord Huang Yue?"
Huang Yue lowered his gaze to the fruit in his hand. "Because it’s a debt I owe Qiao Yi."
Qiao Xixi glanced at Kunlin and nodded. She had already witnessed the power of those Beast Guards; an extra ally would not be a bad thing.
"Alright. In that case, thank you, City Lord Huang Yue."
