Hu Qinglu scratched his head sheepishly, “They’re all back at the tribe; I actually snuck out here on my own.”

His older brothers and father took turns with the hunting duties, and today his youngest brother was at home caring for their parents. But he couldn’t just sit around when he could be avenging his little sister, so he slipped away from home to join the fight.

Relieved by his words, Hu Jiao Jiao’s tense expression softened. She examined him quickly, realizing the blood on him must belong to other beastmen and wolves, not from his own injuries.

“Little sister, you absolutely can’t tell our parents, okay? If they find out, I’m done for!” Hu Qinglu whispered to her, leaning close as if he could hide his mischief.

Hu Jiao Jiao rolled her eyes. “Worry about making it back alive first.”

He might be bold enough to sneak out but clearly not brave enough to face their parents-a true impulse-driven brother, she thought.

Nearby, Long Mo let out a low, disapproving growl, exhaling a breath of dragon’s steam directly onto Hu Qinglu’s face. Hu Qinglu stumbled back, flaring in anger, but before he could say a word, Long Mo’s cold voice cut him off:

“Ying Yuan is still inside.”

“Yes, let’s hurry to save Ying Yuan,” Hu Jiao Jiao said, snapping back to the present. She looked at the wolf leader.

With reluctant obedience, the wolf leader dug its claws into the ground, then let out a loud howl. Wolves began streaming out from the dense woods, emerging continuously until they had filled the clearing.

Hu Qinglu sighed and swallowed his frustration, casting an annoyed look at Long Mo while following closely behind Hu Jiaojiao.

But as Long Mo watched her look of concern for Ying Yuan, his expression darkened further. Did she truly care that much for Ying Yuan’s safety?

Meanwhile, Beyond the Forest

Ying Yuan had been pushed to his last defenses by the Scorpion Beast. Surrounded by the mutilated remains of his comrades, blood covered his face, mixing fury and despair. Falling into the stray beastmen’ trap wasn’t part of the plan, and now, it seemed he might not survive to see Mian’er again.

Of the ten warriors he had brought, only three remained alive behind him, their bodies in tatters, surrounded by the taunting, sneering stray beastmen. The creatures seemed to relish ripping into flesh piece by piece, savoring it with dark glee.

“Aargh!” Ying Yuan shouted, enraged and determined to save the three surviving warriors. But just as he steeled himself, countless grey wolves emerged from the dense woods, surrounding them in an instant.

“What’s going on?”

The Scorpion Beast halted its attack, looking back at the one-eared tiger in displeasure.

Seeing this, one-eared tiger was equally confused but quickly improvised, smirking as he explained, “Boss, they must’ve finished off the others outside and come here for cleanup. I’ll go take care of them.”

Bowling over in flattery, he padded towards the wolf leader, who was standing proudly with its back straight and eyes glowing with murderous intent. But the arrogant tiger didn’t realize anything was amiss and continued barking orders.

“Nicely done! Per our deal, I’ll make sure you get your own territory… only it’ll be in the afterlife!”

One-Eared Tiger sneered and lunged, jaws wide, intending to bite down on the wolf leader.

Before he could reach it, sharp pains shot through his legs. Several wolves had clamped down hard, holding him in place. With a swift leap, the wolf leader latched onto one-eared tiger’s throat, and with a sickening crunch, it
was over.

As the wolf leader tore the life from the tiger, the surrounding wolves dove in, devouring his corpse piece by piece. One-Eared Tiger, who had thought he was manipulating the wolves, was in fact their prey all along.

“What is going on here? Tiger!”

The Scorpion Beast noticed something wrong and turned back, just in time to see the one-eared tiger reduced to bones under the wolves’ fangs. Emerging from the dense forest were two black dragons, a white fox, and a slender, dauntless female.

More warriors streamed out from behind them. The wandering beastmen who had been toying with Ying Yuan and the other surviving warriors finally realized they were now the ones surrounded- the wolves had chosen to side with their enemies!

Seeing the tables turn, disbelief shone in Ying Yuan’s eyes. He let out a fierce call, charging into the remaining stray beasts, overturning them to retrieve the three wounded warriors.

The three were gravely injured, their bodies shredded. Ying Yuan could only hook his talons around their legs, pulling them toward Hu Jiao Jiao. Transforming back into his human form, he urgently pleaded with her, “Hu Jiao Jiao, you know medicine, right? They’re dying-please, save them!”

If she could heal him when he was on death’s doorstep, surely she could do the same for them.

Irritated by Ying Yuan’s demanding tone, Hu Qinglu shoved him aside. “Show some respect when you speak to my sister, Ying Yuan.”

Hu Jiao Jiao frowned, glancing down at the three warriors. Bloodied and torn open with intestines spilling out, their condition was grim. Her face tightened.

“I can’t save them. They’re already in agony-keeping them alive would only prolong their suffering.”

At her words, Ying Yuan’s eyes widened, gripping her shoulders in desperation.

“What are you saying? No! You just don’t want to help them!”

Ying Yuan couldn’t accept it-he had led ten warriors into battle, and now not a single one would survive?

Long Mo stepped forward, his tail sweeping Ying Yuan aside with a force that brooked no argument. Before anyone could react, his dragon claws pierced the skulls of the three warriors, ending their suffering. In their final moments, each one offered him a look of relief and gratitude.

“Long Mo, what are you doing!” Ying Yuan’s voice rose in a furious outcry, but Hu Qinglu blocked him from rushing forward.

Eyes blazing, he bellowed at Long Mo, “Those were my men! How dare you kill them!”

“They died because of you,” Long Mo said coldly, unfazed.

The truth struck Ying Yuan like a blow. His anger and energy drained away, leaving him motionless.

Yes… it was his fault. If he hadn’t insisted on pushing ahead, or if he’d heeded Long Mo’s warning, they wouldn’t have fallen into the wandering beastmen’ ambush.

“Enough arguing!” Hu Jiao Jiao’s sharp voice cut through the tension. “The ones responsible for their deaths are the wandering beastmen. If you want justice, stop bickering and go fight them.”

Her eyes swept over them, finally landing on Long Wu, who had been lurking at the edge. If her dream had been right, it was he who had first egged on Ying Yuan to charge in.