Chapter 517: Are You Concerned About Me?
Qiao Xixi quickly stepped aside, avoiding physical contact with Kunlin.
Kunlin quickly steadied himself, taking in Qiao Xixi’s reaction.
The black and red glow at the back of his eyes crept over them once more.
Kunlin clenched his fists, his eyes red as he looked at her. "I won’t hurt you."
Qiao Xixi frowned, her gaze icy as she asked, "A few days ago, you killed a female outside the tribe. You took her to your nest and drained her of blood. Yesterday, Feili Father Beast and the others were attacked, and you were behind that too."
A frosty chill covered Kunlin’s face, and the black and red glow in his eyes intensified. "I don’t know."
’Even if he won’t admit it, this definitely has something to do with him,’ Qiao Xixi thought, noting his reaction.
"Why did you bring me here?"
What did he want?
Kunlin hadn’t really thought about that question. He just had a frantic urge in his heart to take Qiao Xixi away and make her stay with him.
"Yaya misses you. She hopes you’ll go see her."
"And if I don’t?"
The corners of Kunlin’s eyes tightened, his gaze leaving no room for argument. "You will."
As he spoke, Qiao Xixi’s hand, hidden behind her back, was already gripping the bone knife she had taken from her space.
In fact, she had been wary of Kunlin ever since his first appearance, when he had an abnormal reaction to the purifying Sacrificial Dance she performed in the tribe.
Although Xiao Yao had said that the small amount of dark energy remaining in Kunlin’s body shouldn’t affect him much, she still wanted to test him again.
She had found it strange when Kunlin proactively suggested the cubs go catch fish-beasts by the river.
Based on her understanding of the old Kunlin, he had a rather cold personality. When he lived in the main city, although he had some contact with the cubs, he was mostly passive and rarely initiated any interaction with them.
So, she felt something was off about him. Since she needed a chance to test him anyway, she agreed.
’At the time, I thought that if Kunlin was being controlled by the monster, I would use my wind power to restrain him and then perform a purification.’
But she never expected that Kunlin *was* being controlled by the monster, just not completely.
Now, she wasn’t sure if he was in his monstrous state when he hurt Feili and the others and killed Shuangrong, or if he had done it of his own volition.
To prevent him from doing anything to harm her, Qiao Xixi decided to strike first.
"Sangze... he still hasn’t returned to normal, has he?"
Qiao Xixi’s expression froze, and her face paled slightly. "Sangze losing control... was that your doing, too?!"
Kunlin lowered his gaze, his fingertips casually toying with the black feathered garment he wore. "It wouldn’t be difficult to make him return to normal."
Qiao Xixi discreetly returned the bone knife to her space.
"What do you really want?"
Kunlin’s lips curved, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes. "First, come with me to Wing Beast City. Yaya really misses you."
’Not many people knew about Sangze losing control, and Kunlin wasn’t even around back then,’ Qiao Xixi thought, her lips pressed together. ’Yet he can speak of it so accurately. It’s highly likely he’s involved.’
Thinking of Sangze’s condition, Qiao Xixi frowned.
"Just come with me to Wing Beast City to see Yaya, and I’ll tell you how to solve Sangze’s loss of control."
Qiao Xixi didn’t respond.
Kunlin continued, "In his condition, things could get dangerous if it goes on like this."
After speaking, he didn’t press Qiao Xixi for a decision. Instead, he turned, picked up a large stone from the ground, and placed it at her feet.
"You’re tired. Sit for a while."
Qiao Xixi looked at him, her eyes cold. "Fine, I’ll go with you."
Kunlin’s lips curved up again. This time, a smile touched his eyes, and even the black and red glow in his pupils faded.
"Good. Wait for me here. I’ll go find you some food." After saying that, Kunlin turned, left the cave, and flew away.
Qiao Xixi went to the mouth of the cave and confirmed he had flown far away.
She stood at the edge of the entrance, surveying the outside. The cliff was very high, shrouded in layers of white mist, making it impossible to see the specifics of the surrounding area at a glance.
’I could use my wind power to get myself up, but if I leave now, there’s no telling what Kunlin might do. It’s better to follow him for a while and see what he’s really up to.’
With that in mind, Qiao Xixi turned back into the cave, sat down on the large stone, and mentally opened her space to check the cubs’ locations.
The cubs’ locators showed they had moved, but they were still within the tribe’s territory. Feiyan, on the other hand, had already left the tribe.
’He probably came looking for me after finding out Kunlin took me.’
Thinking about Kunlin’s condition, Qiao Xixi didn’t want Feiyan and the others to risk coming after her.
"Xiao Yao, how do I use points to buy a chance to send a message to Feiyan and the others?"
"Host, you can open the space mall and purchase a Message Transmission Card. Then, speak your message to the card and place it on the locator of the person you want to contact. They will then automatically receive your message."
Qiao Xixi frowned as she listened. "One thousand points to send a message to just one person? Can’t it be sent so everyone else can hear it too?"
"This is such a rip-off!"
"Host, you can’t blame me for this. We have our own rules."
Qiao Xixi huffed, thinking about what she could say to Feiyan to put his mind at ease.
After exchanging her points for a Message Transmission Card, she spoke to it: "Feiyan, don’t worry about me. I might have to make a trip toward Wing Beast City, and if I get a chance, I might go to Tiger Beast City. I’m safe right now. Kunlin’s situation is a bit complicated; I’ll explain it to you all later. I’ll protect myself. You take care of the cubs in the tribe and wait for me to come back."
After she finished, Qiao Xixi added a few more words to comfort the cubs.
After all, Kunlin had snatched her away right in front of them, and she was worried it might have left them traumatized.
Once she had said everything, Qiao Xixi placed the Message Transmission Card onto Feiyan’s locator.
The locator quickly absorbed the card.
After doing all this, Qiao Xixi didn’t stay idle. The Beast World Continent was actually quite large, with tribes and Beast Cities scattered across different mountain ranges. She was trying to figure out which direction they would have to travel next.
Qiao Xixi was lost in thought when the aroma of roasted meat reached her. She looked up and saw Kunlin returning, holding a large leaf-wrapped bundle.
"Here, eat. I know you don’t eat raw meat. This is all cooked."
Qiao Xixi glanced outside, a little surprised to see that the sky had unknowingly grown dark.
She wasn’t one to be polite about food offered to her, and she didn’t think Kunlin would tamper with it.
She reached out and took the leaf bundle. ’Since I need to get information out of Kunlin, there’s no need to be so confrontational.’
"Thanks. Have you eaten?"
Qiao Xixi’s words brought a flicker of pleased amusement to Kunlin’s eyes. "Are you worried about me?"