Chapter 170: Stab People, Not Butts

Although Hu Yan appeared gentle and easy to talk to, very few people actually caught his attention. He’d had many admirers over the years, but the number of people he truly considered friends could be counted on one hand.

Hu Yan had always been intelligent and rational. He knew exactly what he wanted with unwavering clarity and determination, and refused to be swayed by anything else.

Even he, Zelda, had only been accepted because he had stood steadfastly by Hu Yan’s side since they were children.

At first, he’d thought Hu Yan was only after the Blue Soul Stone and the design schematics. He assumed that once Hu Yan had them, he would leave without a second thought.

But he never expected Hu Yan to bring Bai Zhi back to the Main Star. While it was part of a ploy against Hu Ao, a part of him must have done it for Bai Zhi’s sake. Otherwise, he could have shown up anywhere else, or chosen a much better way to reveal himself.

Yet, he chose to make his appearance at that exact moment, causing Bai Zhi’s mall to become a massive success. The recent surge in traffic at Doris Mall was a clear testament to Hu Yan’s influence.

Hu Yan had even given Bai Zhi the mark a Nine-tailed Fox reserves exclusively for their mate.

He might have been able to explain it away at first, thinking Hu Yan was just worried that if something happened to her, it would implicate him. But as Hu Yan’s behavior grew more and more uncharacteristic, Zelda realized he might actually be serious.

Initially, Zelda hadn’t really liked Bai Zhi. After all, who would approve of a female who seemed to be mistreating his friend?

Plus, their statuses were worlds apart. Compared to the other female socialites on the Main Star, Bai Zhi had no advantages whatsoever.

She was pretty enough, but there were plenty of females on the Main Star more beautiful than her. She might have been wealthy, but females on the Main Star who were both wealthier and more powerful were a dime a dozen.

Most importantly, Bai Zhi didn’t just have Hu Yan as a Beast Husband, which made him view their relationship even more unfavorably.

But as he spent more time around her, he discovered things weren’t quite as he had first assumed.

Bai Zhi was an excellent cook, and her wealth was beyond his imagination. Crucially, she seemed to treat Hu Yan quite well. In fact, she was very generous not only to Hu Yan but to her other Beast Husbands, too.

But the subtle details still revealed that she treated Hu Yan differently.

Hu Yan seemed to be changing as well. On several occasions, Zelda noticed a soft, gentle look in Hu Yan’s eyes whenever he mentioned Bai Zhi—a look he’d never seen from him before.

All those other females tried every trick in the book to make Hu Yan their Beast Husband, but he would reject them without batting an eye, speaking the cruelest words in the gentlest of tones.

He was clearly different with Bai Zhi.

Take right now, for instance. Zelda watched Hu Yan, who, despite appearing calm, was acting in a manner completely contrary to his usual self.

Zelda took a deep breath and tried to reason with him. "Have you considered that if you go now, you’ll be exposing your relationship with Bai Zhi to him? Wouldn’t that put her in an even worse position?"

But Hu Yan replied, "You think he doesn’t know? If I’m not mistaken, he’s probably known about my relationship with Bai Zhi for a while now. Even if he wasn’t certain, he must have had his suspicions. When I led the team to the Insect Mother’s nest, I happened to overhear her speaking with some bigwig from the Main Star. The Illusion Insects and Enchanting Heart Worms appeared on the Main Star at this time because that person demanded it. Their primary goal was to get a hold of my weakness."

As he spoke, he turned to Zelda. "And who do you think would be so desperate to gain leverage over me? Who is most threatened by my return?"

Hearing this, Zelda was stunned. "Is he insane? He, the Federal Crown Prince, is actually in league with the Insect Clan!"

Hu Yan lowered his gaze and said nonchalantly, "I’m also going on this trip to test whether the person speaking with the Insect Mother was actually him."

Zelda studied Hu Yan, trying to discern his true intentions, but if Hu Yan truly wanted to hide something, there was no way Zelda could easily see through him.

Whether it was to find Bai Zhi or to test Hu Ao, it seemed Hu Yan was determined to go.

Zelda sighed. "You’ve thought this through?"

"I have," Hu Yan confirmed.

After a few seconds of silence, Zelda looked up at him and said, "Then I’ll go with you."

’If I can’t talk him out of it, I might as well go with him.’

Hu Yan shook his head. "You stay here and keep watch. If they escape, you can contact me immediately."

"I’ll have Kan Qi come over," Zelda insisted. "He’ll notify me the second anything happens. I’m not comfortable with you going alone. You may be stronger than me, but I’m not weak. I won’t hold you back."

Zelda added with a sly grin, "Besides, I have a way to find out if he’s harboring the Insect Clan without even going inside!"

Seeing how insistent he was, Hu Yan didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t have time to argue anyway. The sooner he found Bai Zhi, the less she would suffer.

Just as Hu Yan and Zelda were heading for Hu Ao’s location, Yue Junxiao failed to dodge in time and took a hit.

Yue Junxiao clutched his butt, whirling around to point an angry finger at Sang Mo. "OW! Sang Mo! Where do you think you’re stabbing?! You don’t hit a man in the butt! That’s a dirty move!"

Yan Yichen, flying just ahead of Yue Junxiao, couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight. A beautiful, brightly-colored bird was cackling with laughter while a man next to him ran for his life, clutching his rear, pursued by a giant python several meters tall. The scene was utterly ridiculous.

As the victim of the butt-stabbing, Yue Junxiao clutched his rear and snapped, "You’re still laughing? Get down here and switch with me!"

Sang Mo watched them flee, taking leisurely potshots now and then. He found their frantic scrambling rather amusing and provoked them deliberately. "How long are you planning to run? Don’t you dare face me head-on?"

"Duh!" Yue Junxiao retorted. "You’re attacking me! I’d have to be an idiot not to run!"

A flicker of impatience crossed Sang Mo’s eyes. "So timid in a fight. In your hands, the Black Domain will only fall into swift decline."

Yue Junxiao’s speed running boots were practically smoking. "I don’t give a damn about your Black Domain or White Domain!" he yelled. "All I know is, if I stop, are you going to let me live?!"

If he weren’t so fast, Sang Mo would have beaten him to a pulp by now.

Just then, a sudden sandstorm swept through the area.

Even with the dense forest as a barrier, many trees on the outskirts were still sucked into the swirling vortex.

The wind blew a mouthful of sand and dirt right into Yue Junxiao’s open mouth. He spat it out. "Ptooey! COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. Why didn’t you warn me a sandstorm was coming? I got a mouthful of sand because of you."

He wiped the sand from his face, his expression sour.

At some point, Yan Yichen had already transformed back into his human form. He grabbed Yue Junxiao and started pulling him in another direction.

Just as Yue Junxiao was about to call out to Sang Mo, he noticed that the python had already smashed a huge crater in the ground and buried himself inside, with only the tip of his head sticking out.