67: Chapter 67 Escape

The moment he touched the black stone, the Innate Ability within Zhu Xiu's body began to dissipate rapidly like a funnel.

Not a single second could be wasted!

With a forceful bite, Zhu Xiu yanked the black crystal from the bottom of the pool.

The pool water churned frantically, as if trying to pin him underneath forever.

The King Cobra's eyes grew increasingly crimson as his Innate Ability surged from his body, forming a protective barrier around him. Resisting the vortex's pull, he shot upward.

Finally, he broke free from the pool's constraints, though only about ten or twenty percent of his Innate Ability remained.

If Yin Da were to appear now, he could easily take his life.

After hiding the black crystal, he didn't linger. Transforming into a small snake, he slithered along the base of the walls toward Yin Da's residence.

Zhu Xiu was in a good mood. It was thanks to the outside beastmen causing trouble; otherwise, obtaining this energy stone would have required much more effort.

During his three years lurking in Wandering Beast City, he had attempted this many times.

In the first two years, his Innate Ability would be exhausted before he even reached the bottom of the pool.

This time he was at his fastest, leaving with nearly one-fifth of his Innate Ability remaining.

Bai Wanwan was waiting quietly in the room, while also praying for Qiu Rong's safety.

Only if he was safe could she and the Cubs be safe as well.

There was a slight movement at the window. Upon hearing it, Bai Wanwan immediately got up, walked over, and quickly pulled the window open.

She expected to see Qiu Rong, but instead, she saw the King Cobra coiled by the window.

However, his body had clearly shrunk significantly, being almost the same size as a Cub.

“You... you are Zhu Xiu?”

She recognized those beautiful eyes; the pupils were black, but the edges had a faint red glow.

The little King Cobra nodded to her. “Come, I'm taking you away.”

“Taking me away?”

He didn't take her away earlier or later, but he wanted to take her away now?

If it had been two days ago, she would have followed Zhu Xiu without hesitation.

But now... Qiu Rong was in Wandering Beast City.

If she left with Zhu Xiu, wouldn't Qiu Rong's efforts be in vain?

Zhu Xiu had already turned around, but seeing she hadn't moved, he immediately looked back at her. “If you want to escape, follow me now. If you delay any longer, don't even think about leaving.”

Bai Wanwan hesitated for a moment before quickly making a decision. “How about you go on your own? I... I'll wait a bit longer.”

“Wait for what?”

Zhu Xiu sensed something was wrong and turned back, staring at her with his crimson eyes.

Bai Wanwan had no choice but to lie to him. “Zhu Xiu, I'm very grateful that you're willing to help me, but my Beast Husband is in the city. He'll come to save me. If I leave with you now, he won't be able to find me.”

“Beast Husband? That Silver Wolf from last time?”

Zhu Xiu snorted. “He can't save you. Even if Wandering Beast City is in chaos, it's impossible for him to successfully take you away.”

Even he couldn't do it right now, but he had a backup plan.

“It's not him...”

After saying this, Bai Wanwan clearly felt Zhu Xiu's swaying body freeze.

“You told me you only had one Beast Husband...”

Cough... how could she have forgotten about that?

She had originally just said it offhandedly to discourage Zhu Xiu's ideas.

“Strictly speaking, he hasn't agreed to be my Beast Husband yet.”

If Zhu Xiu wasn't in his beast form, his face would have turned blue by now. How many Males had she said those words to that she told him that day?

“Aren't you also leaving Wandering Beast City? Then you should hurry and go...”

She urged him, wanting to avoid the trouble of them running into each other later.

Just as she finished speaking, a dozen or so Wandering Beastmen suddenly ran toward them.

They were about to enter the Stone House directly when they saw the small King Cobra by the window and were momentarily stunned.

Then they said respectfully, “Second Leader, the City Lord wants us to bring the Sacred Female over.”

Zhu Xiu nodded. “Mm, I happen to be heading that way. I'll take her myself.”

The Wandering Beastmen weren't very suspicious, and given the chaos in the city, they immediately turned and left.

“Aren't you coming out? If you keep waiting here, you won't wait for your Beast Husband; you'll only wait for Yin Da.”

Bai Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then leaned over to pick up her basket and stepped outside.

She would leave Wandering Beast City first and worry about the rest later.

As soon as she walked out, Zhu Xiu, who had grown a size larger, coiled around her.

This time, her entire person was wrapped within his snake tail.

She didn't even feel the bumps of the surrounding terrain.

Bai Wanwan was almost jolted to sleep when the tail wrapped around her suddenly loosened, and she rolled onto the ground clutching her basket.

“We've left?”

That was a bit too fast...

After Bai Wanwan spoke, she realized they were surrounded by stone walls. The sounds hadn't seemed to disappear; they were clearly still inside the city.

“Zhu Xiu, what are you doing?”

Zhu Xiu had already sat down beside her. “My Innate Ability is severely depleted right now. Even if I take you away, I wouldn't be able to protect you.”

“Then why did you take me away?” Bai Wanwan gnashed her teeth.

Zhu Xiu looked up at her. “Don't overthink it. It's safe here. I said I would take you out, and I definitely will.”

“We're clearly still inside the city. What if Yin Da sends people to look for me?”

“When he finds you're gone, he'll first suspect your Beast Husband and will only search for you outside the city. There's nowhere to hide within a hundred miles of Wandering Beast City. As long as Yin Da leads his men out to search, it'll be easy to find you.”

“So, this is a place you prepared long ago. Once Yin Da finishes searching outside and returns, you'll take me away?”

Zhu Xiu nodded. “Correct. Stay here peacefully for a day. Once Yin Da returns, I'll take you away.”

A day... would also be enough for him to fully recover.

Zhu Xiu seemed very weak; after transforming into his human form, his entire face was pale.

He closed his eyes before saying more than two sentences.

Bai Wanwan didn't know if he was reliable or not. From time to time, she would get up and run to the door of the Stone House to peer out through the cracks.

This place seemed relatively remote. She could hear noisy sounds from various directions, but they were all very faint.

Furthermore, she had stood there for a long time without seeing a single Wandering Beastman pass by.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

Seeing that Zhu Xiu still had his eyes closed as if asleep, Bai Wanwan didn't disturb him. She took out some jerky from the system space and began to chew, while also feeding the Cubs.

During the first half of the night, Bai Wanwan was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she couldn't sleep at all, fearing Yin Da would burst in with the Wandering Beastmen.

It wasn't until the second half of the night that she drifted into an uneasy, hazy sleep.

But she didn't sleep for long before being woken up by Zhu Xiu.

“Get up, bring the Cubs. I'm taking you all away.”

Upon hearing they were leaving, Bai Wanwan immediately perked up.

Outside, the sky wasn't fully bright yet and remained dim and hazy. Wrapped in his long tail, Bai Wanwan was slowly carried along the outskirts of Wandering Beast City.

“Who's there?”

Suddenly, a squad of Wandering Beastmen approached.

Bai Wanwan immediately tucked her head in to hide.

“Second Leader, why are you here?”

“Mm, the city is in chaos, so I'm looking around. You guys go over there.”

The Wandering Beastmen were completely off guard. Just as they turned to leave according to his instructions, they were swiftly killed by Zhu Xiu the moment their backs were turned.

Zhu Xiu proceeded brazenly all the way, taking her out through the city gates.

After successfully passing through the city gates, Bai Wanwan still found it hard to believe and turned her head back to look.

The desolate and bleak city was gradually growing smaller.

Without her as a burden, it should be easier for Qiu Rong to escape on his own, right?