Chapter 482: I Dislike You Too
"Xixi!"
Qiao Xixi looked closely and saw that the person was, surprisingly, Xueche.
Qiao Xixi had Feiyan lift her down from the phoenix’s back.
Xueche came up to Qiao Xixi, panting heavily. "I... I just went to your stone house to find you. The beastman living next door said you were leaving, so I chased after you."
As he spoke, he stuffed a leather pouch into Qiao Xixi’s hands. "Here, this is... just some trinkets. Xixi, take them back for your children. C-consider it a small gift from me. I don’t have anything valuable, so I hope they won’t mind."
Qiao Xixi hadn’t expected him to have prepared gifts for her children. "Thank you, Xueche. That’s very thoughtful of you."
Actually, she also had something for Xueche, but she had left in such a hurry today that she didn’t think she would see him again and had given the item to Yun Ji.
Just then, Yun Ji walked over and handed a small leather pouch to Xueche. "This was originally what Xixi asked me to give to you."
Xueche’s eyes widened in surprise. He had thought that Qiao Xixi leaving without telling him meant she didn’t care about him at all. "This... this is for me?"
"Yes. I hope you’ll find it useful."
’It wasn’t anything particularly valuable, just some Crystal Stones,’ she thought. ’For Xueche, they would be the most practical gift.’
"Thank you, Xixi! You’re too kind. I won’t hold you up any longer. You should get going while it’s still light out."
Qiao Xixi nodded and returned to the back of the phoenix.
Once she was settled, the phoenix beat its wings and slowly ascended into the sky.
Qiao Xixi watched Yun Ji and the others shrink into the distance, only reluctantly pulling her gaze away.
Only after Qiao Xixi’s group had vanished from sight did Yun Ji turn his gaze to Xueche.
"Xueche."
"Priest?"
Yun Ji looked down at him. "Come with me."
Xueche looked puzzled but obediently followed Yun Ji and left.
Qiao Yi let out a heavy breath. He turned to leave and nearly collided head-on with someone.
Sunxuan steadied himself, his expression indescribably grim.
"Where is she? Gone?"
Qiao Yi shot him a glance and said nonchalantly, "Gone. Tsk, your cub left without telling you?"
Sunxuan’s expression grew even grimmer.
Qiao Yi tsked and shook his head. "Looks like some snake got snubbed by his cub."
Sunxuan turned and followed Qiao Yi. "When are you leaving?"
Qiao Yi was instantly on guard. "Leaving for where?"
"To find your cub."
Qiao Yi snorted. "What’s it to you?"
"I’m going with you."
Qiao Yi’s eye twitched. He quickened his pace. "Get lost. I’m sick of you, too."
...
Qiao Xixi leaned against Feiyan. When she looked back again, Beast King City had already disappeared into the forest.
After flying for an unknown amount of time, the phoenix carrying Jin Ling and his group drew near.
"Xixi, we’re heading for Tiger Beast City now."
Qiao Xixi watched them, reluctant to part. "You all have to be careful."
Jin Ling and Xijing nodded, feeling the same reluctance but not wanting to show it and make Xixi more upset.
"Don’t worry, we’ll be fine." After speaking, they looked at Feiyan and Sunxiao. "Protect Xixi."
The two men nodded. Then, the phoenix beneath Jin Ling and his group banked and flew off in another direction.
Qiao Xixi’s gaze remained locked on their departing figures, her brow tightly furrowed.
"Xixi, don’t worry. They’ll all be fine."
Qiao Xixi leaned closer against Feiyan, feeling the steady warmth emanating from him, which helped to calm her uneasy heart a little.
"Yes," she murmured. "We’ll all be fine."
The Phoenix Wing Clan flew at a very steady pace. As the sun began to set, they found a relatively safe place to land for the night.
Yun Ji had arranged for a total of ten Phoenix Wing Clan members to escort them. Five had already gone with Jin Ling’s group to Tiger Beast City, while the remaining five were responsible for Qiao Xixi’s party.
Once they had chosen a landing spot, a male phoenix who had been carrying supplies brought the food over to Qiao Xixi and the others.
"We’ve placed the food over there. If you feel it’s not enough, you can go get more at any time."
Feiyan took the food from him and nodded in thanks.
"Thank you. Please, all of you get some rest as well."
The male phoenixes had a strong sense of duty. After completing their tasks, they each went to their designated spots to survey the surroundings.
They had landed on a small earthen slope in a forest clearing. By the time Feiyan came over with the food, Sunxiao had already scouted the entire area and, confirming there were no safety threats, returned to Qiao Xixi’s side.
Qiao Xixi had gathered some firewood nearby and arranged it. When Feiyan arrived, he lit the fire.
For the night, a simple meal of roasted meat would suffice.
By the time they finished eating, the sky had completely darkened. After a full day of travel, Qiao Xixi was exhausted.
Seeing this, Feiyan carried her into a simple shelter made of branches.
Qiao Xixi took out a fur blanket from her spatial storage and laid it out in the shelter. After Feiyan lay down, he pulled her into his arms to keep her warm. Before falling asleep, she tugged on the fur blanket covering Sangze, checking that his temperature was normal before closing her eyes.
Sunxiao transformed into his beast form and coiled outside the shelter, deliberately releasing the aura of his beast soul to deter any wild beasts in the forest from approaching.
Of the five Phoenix Wing Clan members, one circled above on patrol, two stood watch in the trees, and the other two rested.
Only the low chirping of insects could be heard. Suddenly, the phoenix circling in the sky dove down, letting out a long, sharp cry of alarm.
Sunxiao’s eyes snapped open. His crimson snake pupils looked exceptionally cold in the darkness.
He raised his massive snake head high, quickly turning to look into the dark forest.
"There’s something unusual in the forest," the male phoenix said, landing behind Sunxiao.
Feiyan, also sensing the unusual aura, emerged from the shelter.
"What’s wrong?"
Sunxiao glanced back at him. "There’s something in the woods. You protect Xixi." With that, his massive serpentine body slithered away, quickly disappearing into the dark forest.
As soon as Sunxiao left, Feiyan’s gaze shot up to the sky.
By the faint moonlight, they could see several members of the Wing Clan circling above.
The male phoenix gave a command, and two other phoenixes flew up to investigate.
Feiyan didn’t dare return to the shelter, afraid it would obstruct his view.
In the sky, the two phoenixes suddenly descended, bringing the other members of the Wing Clan with them.
When they landed on the ground and Feiyan got a clear look at them, his brows furrowed.
"City Lord Huang Yue, what are you doing here?"
Huang Yue hadn’t expected to run into Feiyan’s group here either.
"My apologies if we startled you just now."
"What brings you here, City Lord Huang Yue?"
Hearing this, Huang Yue sighed. "We were planning to return to Wing Beast City today. After dark, we found a place to rest. Everything was fine, but just a moment ago, Kunlin suddenly disappeared."