31: If you live, I will protect you. If you die, I will go down to earth to be with you.

At the same time, the Leopard Clan Tribe also received news from Hundred Beasts City: the Female who was being held hostage by the Wandering Beast Xuan Mo was none other than Bai Yao.

The Royal City meant that the Tribe should send Warriors to join the Royal City's rescue team.

The Chief summoned all the beastmen.

The atmosphere in the great hall was heavy.

After all, for a Tribe, Females are extremely precious, and as the Tribe, they had an obligation to rescue the Female who had been threatened.

Inside the main hall.

The beastmen were divided into two groups with differing opinions. "To provoke a Ninth-rank Wandering Beast King just for Bai Yao? Our highest Combat Power is only Peak Sixth-rank; this is simply sending our Warriors to their deaths."

The voices of opposition were sharp and realistic, gaining agreement from many beastmen.

In their view, risking the safety of the entire clan for a Female who was once notorious and contributed nothing to the Tribe was utterly foolish.

The other group felt that since Bai Yao was a member of the Tribe, the Tribe absolutely had a duty to save her.

Of course, this group consisted of beastmen who had either witnessed Bai Yao's changes or had received favors from her, such as Tana, Bai Xiang, and the Witch Doctor.

The Chief also knew he owed Bai Yao a favor, but he was the Chief, and he had to manage the overall situation.

Dora was the most vehemently opposed. "Bai Yao is just Useless Trash. Captured by such a brutal Wandering Beast, she's probably dead already."

"Besides, everyone knows Wandering Beasts are terrifying, especially the infamous Xuan Mo. If we do this for one Beastman, what happens if Xuan Mo comes back to retaliate against the entire Tribe?"

Several beastmen nodded in agreement. What Dora said was not unreasonable; the Leopard Clan Tribe was originally a Lower-Middle Rank Tribe. What if Xuan Mo retaliated later?

The Chief was also in a difficult position. What everyone said was true, but if they did nothing, the other Females would be disheartened. What would other Tribes think of them?

"But she is a Female of our Tribe."

Tana stood up excitedly, her face pale from her unhealed injuries. "If the one who suffered misfortune today was your mate, would you want the Tribe to abandon them just because the enemy is powerful?"

"What meaning is there in a Tribe that cannot even protect its Females?"

These words struck the hearts of many Males, and the whispering began to shift.

Just then, Lin strode in from outside, carrying dust and a faint, lingering scent of blood. His gray-blue Wolf Eyes swept across the room before settling on the Chief.

"I will go."

His voice was quiet but resolute. "Whether the Tribe agrees or not, I will enter the forest with the Royal City rescue team."

Dora immediately let out a mocking sneer: "You? A Sixth-rank piece of trash. Are you going to be an appetizer for Xuan Mo? Or are you trying to take this chance to become a Wandering Beast with your malicious mate?"

Lin did not look at her, but abruptly released his Aura.

The pressure of Middle Sixth-rank instantly spread throughout the hall!

"Sixth-rank? When did he..."

Exclamations arose everywhere. The beastmen looked at him in disbelief; even the scar running from his brow bone to his cheek appeared incredibly tough and fierce at that moment.

Dora's expression instantly froze, and Lie also cast a complicated gaze toward him.

At this moment, Lie, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "Tana is right. We cannot let the Females in the Tribe become disheartened. Our Tribe may not be very strong, but that doesn't mean we should let others bully us."

Lie's words were not false; he wanted to repay the life-saving favor Bai Yao had done for him previously.

He didn't want to owe that Female a favor; saving her this time would settle the score.

Seeing this, Dora was furious. "Lie, you..."

Lie soothed Dora, "I am just thinking for the Tribe. After all, if the Females in the Tribe truly become disheartened, who will dare to stay in the Tribe."

Hearing Lie's explanation, the expression on Dora's face softened slightly.

The Chief weighed the options repeatedly and finally made a decision: send a Small Team to cooperate with the Royal City's operation.

When the meeting ended, Lin ignored the comfort or scrutiny of others and left directly.

Bai Xiang and Hu Yan walked over to comfort Lin: "Bai Yao is so smart, she will definitely be fine."

The concern among beastmen was indeed straightforward; Bai Xiang still kept Bai Yao's life-saving grace from last time close to heart.

Lin nodded.

Tana chased after him, wanting to say something with a face full of guilt, but Lin merely gave her a cold glance. The chill in his eyes choked all her words in her throat.

Lin still harbored some resentment toward Tana, not because she had bullied him with Bai Yao before, but mostly because she took Bai Yao out and didn't bring her back.

Although it wasn't Tana's fault, he kept thinking, if she hadn't gone out, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

In truth, what he hated more was his own lack of strength, which prevented him from protecting her... He returned alone to the "home" that was now only silent. The faint scent of Bai Yao in the air was dissipating.

Lin's gaze swept across the interior—in the corner, the chili peppers and Tomato Seeds she had dried were still neatly placed.

On the stone slab, the wooden container she insisted he learn to use, called a "bowl," still bore her fingerprints.

And the bed resting quietly in the corner... That day he returned and saw she wasn't home, he was certain she had gone out to play with Tana.

It wasn't until a Beastman informed him that a Wandering Beast had appeared, a Female had been kidnapped, and everyone was needed for support, that he rushed over. When he arrived and saw the injured Tana and Kun, along with the blood and remnants scattered everywhere, he had a bad feeling.

He shook Tana, who was lying on the ground, awake. "Where is Bai Yao?"

Tana struggled to open her eyes and told him that Bai Yao had been captured... In that moment, he felt the sky had collapsed. He had indeed thought many times before that it would be better if she died or was taken by a Wandering Beast, but when this moment truly arrived, all he could think about was all the recent kindness she had shown him.

He returned disheartened to the home filled with her scent. He regretted it immensely, wondering if this wouldn't have happened if he had just stayed by her side.

An unprecedented panic seized his heart, suffocating him more than any beating or insult ever had.

He realized that, unknowingly, her clumsy but sincere care, and the sight of her standing in front of him against the whole world, had long ago silently wrapped around his frozen heart like a vine.

He made up his mind: he absolutely had to save her.

Recently, he had searched deep into the forest like a madman, but the forest was too vast, and his current strength was limited. Several times, he was targeted by High-rank Wild Beasts inside and nearly died from severe injuries.

That is why, upon hearing the news from the Royal City this time, he rushed over immediately. He wanted to use the power of the Royal City to find Bai Yao and bring her back.

Lin slowly clenched his fists, the loyalty and obsession of the Wolf Clan burning in his bloodline.

He swore an oath to the empty house and to the beast god:

"Bai Yao... wait for me. No matter where you are, whether alive or dead, I will find you."

"From now on, my life is yours. If you live, I will protect you completely for life. If you die, I will slaughter every enemy, and then I will follow you.