It wasn’t because she had adapted, but because when she stepped outside the manor, she saw an even more shocking scene.
Everywhere were beast-eared girls wielding blades.
One side wore guards’ uniforms, the other was dressed entirely in black.
The two sides were locked in fierce combat.
Screams of agony, cries of despair, and the sounds of hacking and killing filled the air without end.
The atmosphere was thick with the pungent smell of blood.
Xing Lian trembled violently at the sight.
My god, had she been dropped onto a battlefield?
Xing Lian’s face was full of confusion.
Yue Li, however, did not freeze.
She didn’t understand the situation either, didn’t know what was happening now, but that wasn’t important.
She only wanted to take Xing Lian to a safe place.
“Don’t look around.”
Worried Xing Lian would be frightened, Yue Li whispered and, holding her close, turned and ran.
Xing Lian obediently averted her gaze.
She buried her face in Yue Li’s chest, refusing to look at the bloody scene.
But even if her eyes couldn’t see, her ears could still hear.
They ran and ran, yet the screams followed them like shadows.
Fighting seemed to be happening almost everywhere.
Xing Lian didn’t want to look, but she was too curious.
Yue Li had been carrying her and running for so long.
Where were they now?
Was there any danger around them?
Thinking this, she couldn’t help but activate the Gemstone Necklace.
The moment the necklace activated, she saw a person in black stabbing another with a blade.
Blood splattered, and screams rose one after another, scaring her into trembling.
“I told you not to look.”
Yue Li gently patted her bottom as she ran.
Xing Lian’s cheeks flushed slightly.
She stopped looking at the fight between the black-clad figures and the guards, turning her observation to the surroundings instead.
Familiar streets, familiar buildings, but the usual gentle atmosphere was gone, replaced everywhere by the aura of death.
Xing Lian saw with her own eyes that the black-clad figures not only fought the guards but also slaughtered civilians.
Many black-clad beast-girls, having no opponents, seemed to go berserk.
They cut down anyone they saw, acting like complete lunatics.
Xing Lian was scared to death.
Although she had long known this world was dangerous, she never imagined it would be this dangerous, that even inside the city wouldn’t be safe.
If not for Yue Li, she would surely have been cut down by a blade as well.
Fortunately, with Yue Li protecting her, her life was safe for now.
Xing Lian secretly watched Yue Li, seeing the blood splattered on her face from killing enemies.
Her heart began to pound wildly, and a strange feeling spread within her.
‘What was this feeling?’
Xing Lian felt bewildered, but soon she had no mind to dwell on it.
Yue Li had now run to the city gate.
This was a side gate of the city, and many people had already fled through it.
Holding Xing Lian, Yue Li sprinted out of the city, running a great distance before finally having the mind to turn and look back.
Inside the city, flames shot toward the sky.
The clamor could be heard from far away.
It was clear at a glance that chaos reigned.
“It seems we can’t rest tonight. We must run even farther.”
Yue Li didn’t want to attract trouble.
She had absolutely no intention of figuring out the situation, only wanting to get away from here as quickly as possible.
Holding Xing Lian, she began running wildly again.
Along the way, she saw many fleeing carriages and panicked civilians.
Yue Li had originally thought about seizing a carriage, but before she could act, another unexpected event occurred.
“Ah!”
A scream suddenly came from ahead.
Yue Li’s expression changed, and she stopped in her tracks.
The fleeing crowd also gradually stopped, looking ahead with terrified expressions.
The moon was very full tonight.
Even though it was late at night, there was still a decent distance of visibility.
Yue Li gazed into the distance.
Ahead, shadowy figures were moving, countless silhouettes walking slowly forward.
It was the black-clad figures who had attacked the city!
Yue Li frowned deeply.
She glanced left and right.
Her first thought was to flee.
As a Transcendental Beast Girl, her strength was extraordinary.
If she were alone, she wouldn’t fear these people at all and wouldn’t even give them a second thought.
But Xing Lian was with her.
Her body was so delicate.
If she got hurt, Yue Li would regret it for the rest of her life.
Hesitant because of this, Yue Li didn’t want to clash with these people.
Yue Li turned and ran toward the forest on either side of the road, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
The forest path was rugged, but Yue Li moved with swift, sure steps.
They ran and ran in the darkness.
The surroundings were very quiet, with only faint insect chirps.
Having not encountered any enemies for a while, Xing Lian’s mind gradually relaxed.
She had been awakened suddenly in the middle of sleep.
Now, with her heart settling down, she felt her eyelids grow extremely heavy.
So sleepy… so want to sleep…
Xing Lian opened her little mouth in a yawn.
She really wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t.
They were fleeing for their lives right now.
Xing Lian told herself this in her heart.
But the surroundings were just too quiet.
Nestled in Yue Li’s arms, smelling her faint, clean scent, she finally couldn’t resist the drowsiness.
She gently closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
A night without dreams.
When Xing Lian opened her eyes again, it was already the next day.
She pushed herself up from the ground, rubbed her sore, tired eyes, and activated the Gemstone Necklace.
Behind her was a rock wall.
Not far away, a campfire burned.
Warm sunlight shone on her body, making her feel very comfortable.
‘Wait!’
How did she end up in the wilderness?
Xing Lian blinked.
Memories from last night flooded her mind, and she immediately remembered.
Last night, she had been awakened in the middle of sleep by sudden chaos in the city.
Yue Li had taken her and fled.
She had fallen asleep halfway through the escape.
‘Where was this? Where was Yue Li?’ Xing Lian stood up and looked around.
Not here, not there either.
Could she have been abandoned in the forest?
‘No, definitely not!’
She must have had something to do and left temporarily.
Xing Lian remembered the first time she met Yue Li and what happened after she was abducted.
Back then, when she woke up, it was also a scene like this.
The situation repeating now gave her a feeling of things being the same yet people different.
Back then, she had been abducted by Yue Li, feeling utterly heartbroken.
Coupled with being blind, she wallowed in self-pity and developed a severe self-loathing.
But now the situation was completely different.
She could see.
She could do many things.
And she sincerely prayed for Yue Li to appear.
Yue Li cared for her so much.
‘She definitely wouldn’t have gone far.’ Xing Lian thought to herself.
Sure enough, she wasn’t disappointed.
Yue Li soon hurried back.
Seeing Xing Lian standing by the campfire, she jogged over to her side.
“Lian’er, you’re awake. Last night we left in too much of a hurry, didn’t bring anything. I was worried you’d be hungry, so I went hunting just now.”
As she spoke, she shook the rabbit in her hand.
Hearing this, Xing Lian felt both happy and heartbroken.
Happy that they had escaped.
Heartbroken that they had brought nothing, that all the money they had saved was wasted.
“Really? Not a single coin was brought?”
Hearing this, Yue Li’s face stiffened for a moment before she forced a smile.
“Money and possessions are external things. As long as people are safe, that’s what matters.”
Yue Li comforted Xing Lian, but though she said this, her heart ached, ‘The saved money was gone. The plan to nurse Xing Lian’s health back was now a distant prospect, let alone buying her protective treasures.’
Her heart felt bitter, but she didn’t show it.
Yue Li walked aside to prepare the rabbit.
After cleaning it, she skewered it and walked back to the campfire to roast it.