Chapter 445: They’re All Gone
Reason told Yu Ye not to go down. This would very likely anger the Father Beast.
But curiosity compelled him to step forward.
Seeing that he had already walked in, Yu Ling followed without hesitation.
The moment they entered, the stone door behind them slowly closed.
As they walked through the long, narrow, dark passage, they felt a damp chill emanating from within. Yu Ye took every step with great care, but after a while, they still hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary.
The path inside was winding. After who knows how many turns, the way ahead suddenly opened up.
Yu Ye held up a luminous pearl and scanned the surroundings.
After checking again and again and finding nothing of note, Yu Ye grew angry.
"There’s nothing here! Yu Ling, you tricked me!"
Yu Ling looked at the cave’s stone walls, his brow furrowing at the strange patterns carved on them.
"Who told you to be so stupid? I just said it offhandedly, and you actually believed me. Still, why would the Father Beast make such a secret place? There’s clearly nothing here."
Yu Ye was also very curious, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He took out a leather pouch and sprinkled a black powder from it into a corner.
This powder could mask the scent of their presence. Otherwise, if the Father Beast found out they had snuck in here, he would surely punish them.
The two turned to leave, but they failed to notice a wisp of black mist slowly rising from the ground as they did, silently creeping up behind them.
Yu Ye sensed that something was wrong behind him and whipped his head around vigilantly. But before he could get a clear look, he was engulfed by a dense black fog.
"AH!"
Yu Ling froze in terror, and just as his cry of alarm sounded, he too was enveloped by the black fog.
The black fog swirled around their entire bodies. When it finally dissipated, the two of them were gone.
「The sky was showing the first light of dawn.」
Qiao Xixi was woken by the heat.
She opened her eyes to find herself completely encircled in Jin Ling’s arms. His body was much warmer than hers, so much so that her own skin felt cool where it pressed against him.
She carefully tried to inch away, but the moment she moved, Jin Ling’s long arm unconsciously scooped her back into his embrace.
Qiao Xixi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She realized that all of them had this habit. Even in their sleep, they could unerringly keep her from leaving their side by even a hair’s breadth.
Qiao Xixi fell back into his arms, lying on his chest and gazing at his peaceful, sleeping face.
She couldn’t help but reach out and gently trace the contours of his deep-set eyes and brows. As she thought back to when she first met him, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Back then, on the snow plains, who knows what hardships she and her three sons would have faced if Jin Ling hadn’t appeared.
The more she thought about it, the warmer her heart felt, and she couldn’t resist planting two kisses on his face.
Just as she was about to linger in Jin Ling’s arms a little longer, she heard a knock at the courtyard gate.
She glanced at the sky outside. ’The sun is just coming up. Who would be here at this hour?’
By the time Qiao Yi came out of his room, Sunxiao was already on his way to open the gate.
A squad of beast soldiers was outside.
Sunxiao watched them with a frosty gaze. "What do you want?"
The beast soldier said, "Did you see any other beastmen come this way last night?"
Qiao Yi walked over. Hearing this, he asked, "Who are you looking for?"
The beast soldier didn’t elaborate, only saying, "Wing Clan beastmen."
"No."
The beast soldier craned his neck to peek into the courtyard.
Qiao Yi asked, "What happened at the royal palace?"
The beast soldier frowned. "A monster might have snuck in. You should be careful."
After speaking, the lead beast soldier turned to the men behind him. "You guys go search over there."
"Alright."
As Sunxiao was closing the gate, Qiao Xixi walked up behind the two of them.
"Father, what is it?"
Qiao Yi shook his head. "I don’t know, but something must have happened. You stay in the Feather Palace today. Don’t go running around."
Qiao Xixi nodded obediently.
"I’ll go make breakfast."
Qiao Yi said, heading for the backyard.
Qiao Xixi wanted to help but was stopped by Sunxiao.
Qiao Xixi turned her head and met his crimson snake-like pupils. At this moment, his eyes held a clear glimmer of desire.
She couldn’t help but recall how their intimate moment yesterday was interrupted by her father. ’The big snake is probably still frustrated about it,’ she thought.
At this thought, she was no longer in a hurry to leave. She leaned against Sunxiao with a grin and hugged his arm.
"Why are your eyes a little dark? Didn’t you sleep well last night?"
Sunxiao’s gaze darkened a fraction as he just stared at her and said, "No, not very well."
His room was right next to Jin Ling’s. Even though they had tried to keep quiet last night, he could still hear everything clearly.
Qiao Xixi pulled him back into the stone house. The moment they were inside, she shut the door behind her, stood on her tiptoes, and pecked him on the lips.
"Then you should take a quick nap now while it’s still early."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Sunxiao wrapped a large hand around her, pulled her into his arms, and deepened the fleeting kiss.
Sunxiao’s kiss was dominant and fiery. Qiao Xixi’s temperature shot up, and in moments, her once-clear eyes were glazed with a light mist.
Sunxiao didn’t let her go until the air in her lungs grew thin.
Qiao Xixi leaned against his shoulder, panting softly. His large, cool hand was pressed firmly against her waist. She reached up and gave him a gentle push.
"Wait until tonight..."
His large hand traveled up from her waist. The cool touch made Qiao Xixi gasp. Just as both of their breathing grew ragged, another knock came from the courtyard gate.
Her mind clearing instantly, Qiao Xixi took the opportunity to gently push Sunxiao away.
"It might really be something important. Let’s go see."
Sunxiao took a deep breath, his eyes turning toward the door with a flash of coldness in their depths. Still, he restrained himself, set Qiao Xixi down, and lowered his gaze to smooth her slightly messy hair.
When they came out of the stone house, Feiyan had already beaten them to it and opened the gate.
"Aunt Yaoxi, what are you doing here? Come in, quick."
The visitor was Yaoxi.
Yaoxi shook her head and whispered to Qiao Xixi, "Xixi, I have other things to attend to, so I won’t come in. I just came to tell you that it seems Yu Ling and Yu Ye have disappeared. The Beast King has sent soldiers to search for them throughout the palace. You absolutely must not wander off."
Qiao Xixi was taken aback. "They’re missing? Since when?"
Yaoxi said, "They say they weren’t found this morning. They couldn’t find them no matter where they looked."
"Okay, I understand. Aunt Yaoxi, you be careful too."
Yaoxi nodded and left quickly.
After closing the gate and returning to the living room, Qiao Xixi frowned slightly.
Seeing her silent, Sunxiao asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I’m just wondering what’s going on."
’I don’t really care if those two live or die, but I’m worried this will interfere with my search for the source of the Dark Primordial Stones. After all, with something like this happening, the Beast King won’t have the mind for anything else.’
As they were talking, another sound came from the courtyard gate.