Chapter 375: A Man in Front, a Man Behind
At the sound of the girl’s clear, ringing voice, the dreamscape suddenly froze.
Then, in an instant, it shattered with a deafening crash, like a pane of broken glass.
A piercing pain, like being pricked by needles, shot through her head.
When Jiang Qingli opened her eyes again, she was back in the cave.
A heavy weight pressed on her shoulder. Yi Nuo hadn’t woken up yet, but the eerie smile on his face was gone, replaced by a slight frown. He was still in a posture that protected her.
floated over, looking from side to side. ’Hm, looks like the little wolf dog has been saved.’
It puffed out its chest proudly. ’See? I told you! You’re a genius! The most amazing female in the world! This kid was just lucky to run into you. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve been...’
From a short distance away, an indignant cry interrupted it.
The Weaving Nightmare Beast was extremely weak, its eyes staring lifelessly at Jiang Qingli.
instantly flew into a rage, kicking the bird’s head and shouting, ’What are you looking at! You’re so ugly and prickly, you’d be a pain to even cook! You’re the one who was messing with our girl, huh?! You thought you were so tough, didn’t you?!’
The creatures of this world could neither see nor hear 030.
Therefore, the Weaving Nightmare Beast could only feel a force wildly slapping it across the face, with no idea where it was coming from. Assuming it was Jiang Qingli’s doing, it glared at her with even greater resentment. But then a sharp pain shot through its eyeball, and it shrieked, writhing and wailing on the ground.
Jiang Qingli helped Yi Nuo up and frowned. "So noisy."
’You got it!’
took out a thin cord and tied the Weaving Nightmare Beast’s beak shut. Then it pulled out a thicker rope to bind its wings, tying it in a rather girlish butterfly bow. It even left a loop, which it used to lift the beast into the air.
Jiang Qingli patted 030’s head. ’Not bad, 030. You’re pretty useful after all.’
’I’m a high-end product, you know!’ 030’s round, matchstick-like head puffed up with pride. If it had a tail, it would be wagging furiously.
Outside the cave, the sky was gradually lightening to the pale white of dawn.
Jiang Qingli estimated the time. It was probably around five or six in the morning. ’Have we really been in the dream for that long?’
She had to get Yi Nuo back quickly, before the others started to worry that they couldn’t be contacted.
Before they left, 030 poked its head out and glanced to the side.
’What’s wrong?’ Jiang Qingli asked.
’Those two subordinates of Ye Linyuan were watching from here all night yesterday, but they’re gone now.’ 030 didn’t think much of it. ’They probably went back to report.’
Jiang Qingli nodded.
’Ye Linyuan was quite thoughtful this time. I should praise him a little more later.’
The two of them were in a hurry to get back and settle Yi Nuo down. No one noticed that in the spot where the two peepers had been, the leaves were stained with specks of red blood.
-
After walking to a clearing, Jiang Qingli fired a signal flare.
Ten minutes later, Qin Shu arrived with her team.
A small aircraft landed nearby. Qin Shu strode forward, frowning slightly when she saw Yi Nuo’s condition. "He got hit?"
"Yeah, but it’s nothing serious." Jiang Qingli briefly explained what happened and handed Yi Nuo over to a nearby researcher.
Qin Shu grabbed the Weaving Nightmare Beast by the neck and lifted it, her brow furrowed with impatience. "Do we really have to extract the serum while it’s alive?"
"Marshal Qin, please be gentle." Lü Xin came over and carefully took the Weaving Nightmare Beast. "Our thinking is that it would be best to use it as a basis for further research on this species."
Qin Shu had no love for the creature. She clicked her tongue, had someone else find an isolation container to put it in, then wrapped an arm around Jiang Qingli and guided her inside the aircraft.
"Are you feeling unwell in any way?" Qin Shu looked her over from head to toe.
"I’m not unwell," Jiang Qingli said, taking a seat. "Just a little tired... I think I pulled an all-nighter in the Spiritual Domain."
"You’ll need a simple check-up when we get back. You can write the mission report after Yi Nuo wakes up." Qin Shu took a few Repair Gemstones from her pocket and gave them to Jiang Qingli. "I only brought a few with me. Use these for now. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thank you, Sister Shu."
The girl’s voice was soft, her expression a little weary, but she curved her lips into a smile, not wanting to make anyone worry.
Qin Shu felt her heart melt. She ruffled her hair. "I should be the one thanking you. Chairman Jiang, you’re our true heroine."
...
The aircraft went full throttle, landing at the military base twenty minutes later.
Qin Shu first took the Weaving Nightmare Beast and a few other researchers to find Yuan Liang. The medical staff wheeled Yi Nuo to the infirmary, and Jiang Qingli went with Lü Xin to the hospital for a check-up.
On the way, Lü Xin asked curiously, "Miss Jiang, how did you find the Weaving Nightmare Beast? We scoured that entire area all night... Could it be that your appeal to male Beastmen also works on Mutant Beasts?"
His eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Jiang Qingli couldn’t very well say that Ye Linyuan had given her the coordinates, so she answered vaguely, "I’m not sure, I guess we just stumbled upon it... Ah, we’re here."
The two of them entered the examination room one after the other.
After it was over, Jiang Qingli returned to her quarters.
She was extremely sleepy now.
The elevator doors opened. She had only taken a few steps when she felt a gaze following her like a shadow.
As if sensing it, Jiang Qingli looked to her left.
A young man stood in the shadows, tall and elegant.
Meeting her gaze, Xie Youchen reached a hand out to her. "Ah Li."
Jiang Qingli looked around before slowly walking forward and asking in a small voice, "What are you doing here?"
The smile on Xie Youchen’s face vanished. He reached up and rubbed her earlobe, his voice low and heavy. "I came to see what was so important that it was worth Ah Li lying to her brother."
Jiang Qingli choked, lowering her head guiltily, not daring to meet his eyes.
A few hours ago, she had spoken with Xie Youchen.
When talking about the mission, she had been afraid of worrying him, so she claimed that only Yi Nuo had gone.
At the time, Xie Youchen had just given a calm "Mm," and she thought she had gotten away with it.
’Who knew he would come all the way here...’
Caught in her lie, Jiang Qingli was mortified, her face so hot she didn’t dare look at him.
’But the East District and the West District are so far apart, and you need to file a report just to travel between military zones. As a high-ranking official, how did he avoid everyone and get here so quickly?’
Just as the question popped into Jiang Qingli’s mind, she heard a displeased young man’s voice from behind her—
"Hey, old man, my sister was just concerned about a servant in the house. Aren’t your words a little too harsh?"
Before Jiang Qingli could turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, enveloping her in a familiar sweet fragrance.
Gu Nian hugged the girl in a powerfully possessive embrace, pinning her in his arms without a sound. His voice, however, was still sweet and seemingly harmless. "My sister is just a kind person. What’s wrong with that?"
As he spoke, he sighed softly next to Jiang Qingli’s ear. "Sigh... If I were in the military district, I would only blame myself for not being skilled enough to protect my sister. I wouldn’t fly into a powerless rage..."
Xie Youchen: "..."
The young man narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Do you have any right to speak here?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" Gu Nian smiled as he looked back at him. "I’m standing here as my sister’s Beast Husband. And you are?"
Xie Youchen’s hand, which had been hanging at his side, rose to gently caress her cheek. He said softly, "Ah Li, what status do you think your brother has here?"
Her back was pressed against Gu Nian, while Xie Youchen stood before her.
The gazes of the two males were fixed squarely on her.
Jiang Qingli opened her mouth, racking her brain for a way to appease them both, when another strange voice sounded from behind her:
"Brother-in-law?"
Qin Muye’s voice drew closer with his footsteps. He stared at them with wide eyes. "You... you all..."