After speaking, they gave the women a warning glance, then ignored them and continued standing outside the cave.
Shen Qi pulled her inside the house. Ai Chu had been tense the entire time, and when she felt the hand gripping hers loosen, she took a few steps back.
Staring at this unfamiliar Male Beast, she felt a bit panicked. However, his actions weren’t as rough as those of the two Male Beasts outside. Who was he?
Just as Ai Chu was wondering, Shen Qi reverted to her previous voice. “Ai Chu, it’s me.”
Hearing that pleasant and familiar voice, Ai Chu felt both delighted and surprised. “Shen Qi?! What are you doing here too?”
“After your mate woke up, he said you’d been taken by an Evil Beast. By the time I caught up, you were already unconscious. There were too many of them… I was captured too.”
“E… Evil Beast!” At those words, Ai Chu trembled with fear from the depths of her heart.
If she had been captured by Evil Beasts, then this must be the Dark Forest. What… what should she do!
Ai Chu felt a wave of despair, and tears unconsciously welled up in her eyes.
Seeing this, Shen Qi comfortingly patted her head. “Don’t be afraid. There will always be a chance to escape.”
Was there really a chance to escape? Hearing this, Ai Chu wiped her tears anyway. She felt that Shen Qi’s words carried a strange sense of security.
Besides, she had so easily cured her cub’s illness… She must have a way to leave this place too!
Looking at Shen Qi’s somewhat unfamiliar face, Ai Chu frowned slightly. “Shen Qi, what happened to your face?”
Shen Qi touched her cheek. “My face ended up like this… I accidentally got disfigured.”
“What?!” Ai Chu looked at her dark complexion and frowned with heartache. Her face hadn’t been particularly pretty to begin with, but now… the disfigurement made her look almost like a Male Beast.
Ai Chu sighed again, unsure how to comfort her.
Still fearful and thinking of the Evil Beasts outside, Ai Chu whispered, “Shen Qi, you weren’t bullied by the Evil Beasts just now, were you?”
When she had woken up earlier and tried to leave, she was stopped by two strange Beastfolk. She was about to fight back, but thankfully Shen Qi intervened and stopped her. Otherwise, if she had attacked an Evil Beast, how could she possibly survive to leave?
Ai Chu patted her chest, feeling a sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
Shen Qi also lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t bullied.”
After a moment’s thought, she continued, “For now, let’s stay in this house. It’s the safest place at the moment.”
Ai Chu nodded, agreeing with her suggestion.
She lowered her voice even further. “Then how do we get out of here?”
Shen Qi thought for a moment. “I still have a chance to leave this house. Let me observe the terrain around here first, then we can decide what to do.”
“Alright.”
Hearing sounds from outside the house, both of them fell silent and looked toward the entrance.
An Evil Beast entered, carrying roasted meat and bright red fruits, and handed them to the women.
Shen Qi raised an eyebrow. Captured Beastfolk actually receiving such good treatment? In the real-world news reports, captured people usually only got leftovers.
Whether they were given food or not didn’t matter much—she still had some fruits and wild game stored in her spatial storage.
Ai Chu handed a skewer of meat to her, her eyes slightly amazed. “The Evil Beasts actually brought us food! I thought they’d at least starve us for a day!”
Shen Qi smiled without replying, accepting the roasted meat and beginning to eat.After the two finished eating, the sky was growing dark.
Shen Qi suddenly remembered what the Evil Beast King had said—tomorrow she would have to work for him, so she should get a good night’s sleep first…
This Evil Beast King truly was as unfathomable as Yan Di had described, his emotions shifting like the changing masks in Peking opera.
Shen Qi looked at the beast hides spread over the stone bed. There were several of them, and the stone bed was large enough to comfortably accommodate both of them.
Ai Chu finished arranging the hides and waved to her, “Qiqi, you can come over to sleep now!”
Shen Qi went over and sat on the stone bed.
“Can I call you Qiqi from now on? Is that okay?” Ai Chu blinked as she looked at her.
Shen Qi nodded. Aside from Bai Yuwei, this was the second person to call her Qiqi.
“Qiqi, you smell so nice.” Ai Chu leaned in close, catching a faint, elusive fragrance from her.
“No wonder the clan leader loves sticking to you so much!” She felt like clinging to her herself.
Shen Qi pulled a beast hide over her. “Let’s sleep first.”
“Oh, okay.” Ai Chu tucked herself in and closed her eyes to rest.
Shen Qi also lay down, pushing other thoughts aside, and soon fell asleep.
The next day, as dawn broke and the night began to fade.
The two were still deep in sleep when a voice woke them.
“Male Beast inside, get up! Time to work!”
Shen Qi’s eyes snapped open, bloodshot and clearly showing she hadn’t slept well.
She looked at the Evil Beast who had disturbed her sleep, her gaze cold and tinged with a hint of killing intent.
The Evil Beast at the door saw this, his pupils contracting slightly. Remembering Yan Di’s instructions, he steadied himself.
“Hurry up and get up. Do you want to defy the King’s orders?”
Ai Chu drowsily rubbed her eyes, seeing Shen Qi get up and then noticing the Evil Beast at the cave entrance. “What’s wrong, Qiqi?”
“You stay here. I’ll go out with this Evil Beast for a bit.”
Since the Evil Beast had only mentioned the Male Beast, it seemed she alone was needed. It was better for Ai Chu to remain here.
“Then… be careful.” Ai Chu gripped the beast hide tightly, looking worried.
“Okay.”
Shen Qi followed the Evil Beast back to the stone city from yesterday.
However, the Evil Beast King was nowhere to be seen—only Yan Di, wearing a sly expression.
Seeing her punchable face, Shen Qi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth. “What is it?”
Thinking about the wonderful dream she had been having before being woken up, Shen Qi’s voice turned cold. “Was it you who had someone wake me up so early?”
“Hey? You’re blaming the wrong person. I’m just the messenger. Ze told me to have you work, so I found a Beastfolk to pass the message to you. That’s not too much, is it?”
Shen Qi sneered twice. “Just tell me what it is.”
Yan Di gave her a teasing look. “Ze acknowledges your medical skills. Our Evil Beast City has many Evil Beasts in need of treatment, including Females. With a Shaman like you, of course Ze wouldn’t let you go.”
Shen Qi felt a twitch in her temple. “How many need treatment?” And they had to wake her up this early for it?
“Hehe.” Yan Di flashed a mischievous grin. “You’ll find out when I take you there.”
Shen Qi finally understood where that inexplicable sense of foreboding had come from.
She looked at the long line of people gathered before her and raised a hand to her forehead.
At the front were all Females—it seemed they had priority. Behind them were Male Beasts, whose conditions appeared more severe.
Some Beastfolk were even howling in pain.
Seeing her, they seemed to gaze upon a savior.
“He’s the new Shaman!”
“Is he trustworthy? He doesn’t look the part at all.””They say the King personally tested it, so you have to believe it!”
“Who cares, as long as it cures this illness that’s been tormenting me for half a year!”
“Exactly! It’s rare for a Shaman to come to Evil Beast City and not be driven away by the Beast King.”