Chapter 522 - 523: A Fit of Jealousy

Chapter 522: Chapter 523: A Fit of Jealousy

Qiao Xixi followed the sound of the voice and saw a female short-tailed rabbit beastman.

Her eyes were red and she was so overcome with grief that she could barely stand, supported by her beastman mate.

She looked at the beastman guard with a resolute gaze. "After our female went into the inner city, we waited for her outside the walls. We never saw her come back out. We waited until the inner city gates closed, but we still didn’t see her."

The guard frowned. "We are aware of the situation. We will investigate it thoroughly."

"Please, you have to bring our daughter back."

The guard offered a few words of comfort to the beastmen, and after hearing them out, sent them on their way.

Qiao Xixi, hidden in the shadows, had overheard their entire conversation. She couldn’t help but think of Shuangrong’s tragic death, and an image of Jin Wei’s face, wreathed in a black and red mist, suddenly flashed through her mind.

’The disappearance of those females must have something to do with him.’

’But now that he’s left the city, this is an opportunity for me.’

With this in mind, Qiao Xixi stopped dwelling on it and turned toward the city gate.

Just as she was about to exit the city, she suddenly heard someone shout, "He’s a merman! The evil merman beast is here!"

Startled, Qiao Xixi whipped her head around toward the crowd and saw a male beastman, his face contorted with rage, grabbing a familiar figure.

It was Xijing.

At the male’s shout, the guards who hadn’t fully dispersed yet ran over and surrounded Xijing.

Seeing this, Qiao Xixi immediately formed a hand seal. "Wind."

A gust of wind swept past the guards.

The powerful blast of wind forced the guards to a halt.

Xijing felt the sudden gust and quickly scanned the crowd, his eyes immediately locking onto Qiao Xixi hidden among the people.

Qiao Xixi pointed in a certain direction. Xijing understood at once. In a flash, he darted that way.

Seeing him go, Qiao Xixi immediately followed.

The guards recovered and immediately gave chase.

The moment Qiao Xixi ran behind a stone house, she was pulled into a tight embrace. As a familiar scent enveloped her, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Xijing."

"Xixi, let’s get out of here."

"Okay."

Xijing had been in Tiger Beast City for several days and was already quite familiar with the terrain. Carrying Qiao Xixi, he weaved quickly through the city, and in the blink of an eye, they reached a district bustling with beastmen.

It was market day in Tiger Beast City, and the streets had been filled with beastmen since early morning.

Xijing, still holding Qiao Xixi, quickly vanished into the crowd. By the time the guards arrived, they were long gone.

A short while later, Xijing carried Qiao Xixi back to the stone house where she had stayed the previous night.

After closing the door, Qiao Xixi tried to get down, but Xijing only held her tighter.

Qiao Xixi understood and stopped struggling, letting him hold her.

"Xixi, I’ve missed you so much."

Xijing buried his face in the crook of her neck. Inhaling her sweet scent finally soothed the longing that had plagued him for days.

Qiao Xixi affectionately nuzzled his face. "Are you all okay?"

Xijing grunted in affirmation. "We followed the strand of hair you gave us to a stone mountain outside the city and have been staking it out ever since. We only discovered something strange about the mountain last night. But when I checked your location during the night and saw you were in Tiger Beast City, I came looking for you immediately. Xixi, how did you end up in Tiger Beast City? Where are Sunxiao and Feiyan?"

Qiao Xixi let out a soft sigh. "There was an unexpected situation with Sangze. He woke up, but he’s somewhat out of control. Sunxiao left the tribe to find him and hasn’t returned yet."

She then told Xijing about what happened with Kunlin.

When Xijing heard that Kunlin had captured Qiao Xixi and that she had only made it to Tiger Beast City by seizing a chance to escape, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and his arms around her tightened instinctively.

"I’m sorry, Xixi. We failed to protect you."

"It’s not your fault. I was trying to test him, too. I just didn’t expect he’d actually be a problem. I saw Jin Wei leaving the city earlier. That sliver of dark power stolen from Beast King City must be on him. I’m planning to find a chance to purify it."

"Alright. We’ll leave the city in a little while."

"Okay."

After speaking, Qiao Xixi let go of him and took two sets of clean beast-hide clothes out of her storage space. Too many people had seen them as they were. They would definitely be recognized if they went out like this.

"Let’s change our clothes first, then use a different powder to change our scent."

"Okay."

The two of them finished changing. Just as they were about to use the powder, they heard footsteps outside the door.

Xijing froze, his expression turning wary as he moved to the door.

"Miss, are you awake?"

’It’s Langzhu. What is he doing here?’

Xijing shot Qiao Xixi an unreadable glance. His eyes were still gentle, but for some reason, it made her scalp tingle.

Qiao Xixi gave a strained smile and pointed to herself, indicating that she could handle it.

Seeing this, Xijing moved to stand behind her.

"I’m not up yet. Is there something you need?"

Langzhu’s slightly bashful voice came from outside. "Oh, it’s nothing. I just got some fruit this morning and thought I’d bring it over for you. I’ve noticed a lot of the females in the city enjoy fruit."

Before Qiao Xixi could reply, she felt warmth at her back as Xijing wrapped his arms around her from behind. His cool lips brushed against her neck, so faint it was almost imaginary, yet it tickled enough to make her flinch and let out a soft hum.

The wooden door was thin and didn’t seal well, and a beastman’s hearing is exceptionally sharp. He quickly heard the unusual noise from within.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Qiao Xixi tried to push Xijing away—she could barely speak properly—but he gently caught her hand as soon as she raised it.

When he received no response for a long moment, Langzhu’s voice grew anxious.

"Miss, are you unwell? If you don’t answer, I’m coming in."

Qiao Xixi quickly steadied her breathing and said, "I’m fine. I’m just still a little sleepy, I didn’t get enough rest. Thank you for your kind thought, but I don’t care for fruit. You don’t need to bring me anything in the future."

Though rejected again and somewhat dejected, the light in Langzhu’s eyes didn’t fade.

"Then what do you like? I’ll bring it to you."

A warm, sharp sting suddenly pricked her ear. She let out a soft cry and shot Xijing an accusing glare.

Xijing was bent over, his face pressed against her shoulder. He tilted his head, gazing up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

All the fight went out of Qiao Xixi at the sight.

"I really don’t need anything. Please leave."

Langzhu clenched his fists, then said in a disappointed tone, "Alright. But if you do need anything, just let me know."

"Mhm."

Once the footsteps outside had faded into the distance, Xijing could no longer control himself. He turned Qiao Xixi toward him and captured her lips in a kiss.

He had already teased her to her limit. As his fervent kiss descended, she rose onto her tiptoes to meet him.

’She knew she had to soothe a male’s jealousy right away,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, she would be the one paying the price later!’

Xijing didn’t reluctantly release her until both of them were breathless.

Qiao Xixi squeezed his hand, her voice slightly hoarse and soft. "Let’s use the powder quickly and get going."

"Okay."

After they’d applied the powder, Qiao Xixi opened the door. The moment she did, she froze.