Chapter 217: Escape

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Escape

The roar of the black bear echoed behind them...

Facing the beasts blocking their path, they charged straight through, not daring to slow down in the slightest.

Jin Yi was like a sharp knife, carving a path at the front and taking the brunt of the attacks.

Yan Lie, meanwhile, protected Bai Wanwan tightly. With Jin Yi shouldering the pressure, his own burden was significantly lightened.

In an instant, the two males had carried Bai Wanwan a hundred meters away.

Although that Red Rank black bear possessed immense strength, it ultimately lacked agility.

After chasing them for some distance, it stopped in anger, randomly smashing the ground with a series of THUDS.

Bai Wanwan lay on Yan Lie’s back and glanced behind them. Seeing the enraged black bear gradually recede into the distance, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She raised her voice and shouted to Jin Yi ahead, "The black bear isn’t chasing us anymore!"

Hearing her voice, Jin Yi’s taut nerves relaxed slightly.

He stopped focusing solely on defense and began to take the offensive, his sharp claws precisely reaping the lives of the beasts in their way.

Jin Yi led them as they dodged and weaved through the horde. An unknown amount of time passed.

Bai Wanwan’s arms, wrapped around Yan Lie’s neck, were starting to ache, yet they still hadn’t found a safe hiding place.

Just then, Jin Yi stopped and turned his head. "There’s a cave on the cliff face ahead. Beasts can’t get to it easily. We’ll be safe once we’re there."

"Alright, we’ll follow you," Yan Lie responded.

The two males once again broke through the swarm of beasts. Bai Wanwan noticed that Jin Yi’s golden fur was stained with specks of blood.

This time, she was indebted to Jin Yi—indebted to their Golden Lion Tribe.

As the afterglow of the sunset dyed the sky red, they finally reached their destination.

Jin Yi remained in the lead. He went into the cave to investigate and only came back out to wave them in after confirming it was safe.

Just then, a wild wolf lunged at Bai Wanwan, who was on Yan Lie’s back.

Jin Yi’s eyes caught the movement, his expression changing drastically. "Careful!"

Yan Lie had already reacted, leaping up on all fours and landing steadily in front of Jin Yi.

The crazed wolf missed its target and plunged straight down the cliff.

They all took only a single glance before turning and quickly entering the cave.

The cave was surprisingly spacious, more than enough to accommodate the three of them.

Even more surprisingly, the inside was clean and tidy, with no beast fur or droppings.

"Your injuries are severe. Go rest for a bit," Jin Yi said to Yan Lie.

Bai Wanwan glanced at him. "Your injuries aren’t light, either."

Even after shifting back to his human form, Jin Yi’s body was spattered with bloodstains.

Jin Yi looked down at the wounds covering his body. "They’re just minor injuries, it’s nothing."

After speaking, Jin Yi walked back to the cave entrance and silently looked down at the situation at the foot of the mountain.

Bai Wanwan watched his back, her heart filled with gratitude.

’If these Golden Lion males hadn’t appeared, never mind that ferocious black bear, just the swarms of beasts along the way would have made it nearly impossible for Yan Lie to get me out of here unscathed.’

"Young Clan Leader, thank you," she said sincerely.

Jin Yi turned around upon hearing her. His golden eyes were calm and unflustered. "You don’t need to thank me. It was the Clan Leader’s order. Besides, protecting females is a male’s duty."

For a Beastman, perhaps this was a natural responsibility.

But Bai Wanwan, who came from the modern world, knew full well that no one’s sacrifice should be taken for granted.

’I will remember this kindness. If the Golden Lion Tribe ever needs my help, I will do everything in my power to assist them.’

While Bai Wanwan and Jin Yi were speaking, Yan Lie had already shifted into his human form and was leaning against the rock wall, panting slightly.

His face was as pale as paper, and his body was covered in wounds.

Yet, he didn’t look frail. His eyes were still bright. "Young Clan Leader, how many males did you bring? It’s getting dark, and they’re probably still in the forest. It could be very dangerous..."

"Don’t worry." Jin Yi turned his head to look at him. "The ones I brought are all Yellow Rank Males. They’re more than capable of protecting themselves."

It’s just that, like them, they couldn’t return to the tribe for now. They would have to wait until the beast tide subsided...

Jin Yi stood at the entrance for a moment before speaking. "You two rest first. I’m going to hunt for some food."

With that, his figure flickered and disappeared from the cave entrance.

Bai Wanwan didn’t even have time to call out to him.

’I wanted to tell him I have food, that he didn’t need to take the risk.’

’But since Jin Yi was willing to risk his life to save us, I should trust him in return. Besides, the taciturn male doesn’t seem like the type to gossip anyway.’

’He’s already gone now, so there’s no point in overthinking it.’

She pulled her thoughts back and began to check Yan Lie’s injuries.

One look, and her heart immediately clenched.

To protect her, Yan Lie had been holding back whenever he fought the beasts, and as a result, he had sustained many injuries.

His body was covered in dozens of wounds, large and small. Some had already scabbed over, while others were still oozing blood.

The most severe one was so deep the bone was visible. No wonder his face was so pale—he had been losing blood this whole time.

Seeing the worry all over her face, Yan Lie grinned and said, "Wanwan, it doesn’t hurt. They’re just minor injuries. They’ll heal in a day or two."

"You call this a minor injury?" Bai Wanwan pointed to the ghastly wound, her lips tightening.

Yan Lie instinctively tried to pull his leg back, afraid of scaring her, but she pressed it down firmly.

"Don’t move. I’m going to apply medicine."

This was no time to be frugal. She quickly opened her system panel.

She tapped on the medicine tab, scrolled down quickly, and found the golden sore medicine.

Her finger hovered between the Ordinary Golden Sore Medicine and the Extreme Effect Golden Sore Medicine, then she unhesitatingly spent two thousand Points to redeem the Extreme Effect Golden Sore Medicine.

’We’re in danger right now; we could run into anything at any moment. The better the males’ condition, the greater our chances of surviving this beast tide.’

Bai Wanwan lifted his leg and placed it on her own lap.

He was wrapped in animal skins, but there was nothing else covering his long legs, allowing her to see his wounds clearly.

She dipped her finger into the Extreme Effect Golden Sore Medicine and applied it. Her movements were gentle and careful, as if afraid of hurting him.

Yan Lie didn’t even frown. Instead, his entire body relaxed, and he stared unblinkingly at his little female.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the cave entrance, casting a soft, golden glow on her focused profile.

Yan Lie gazed intently at his little female, an infinite tenderness welling up in his heart.

The pain of his injuries was nothing to him, but the way she treasured him so made him want to tear out his own heart and give it to her.

"What are you looking at?" Bai Wanwan looked up, meeting his deep, amber-like, affectionate eyes.

Under the effects of the medicine, Yan Lie’s face was no longer as deathly pale as before.

He grasped her slender wrist, caressing it gently. "You’re beautiful."

Seeing him starting to act foolish again, Bai Wanwan tried to pull her hand away. "Let go first. I need to finish treating all your wounds."

Though she said that, she didn’t use much force, and her gaze was softer than usual.

She knew very well how much this male loved her.

If faced with a life-or-death situation, he probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at sacrificing himself to save her.

"The rest are just minor injuries. Don’t waste the medicine."

"Even minor injuries need to be treated quickly..."

Bai Wanwan shot him a look that warned him not to move, and slowly applied the ointment.

When Jin Yi returned carrying his hunt, the first thing he saw was Bai Wanwan gently blowing on Yan Lie’s wounds, while the male wore a blissful and satisfied smile...