Chapter 139: The Price of Capturing My Female

Rongdi already knew Nan Qinghuan would care about Youchao Xuan, so he swaggered forward, looking down at her from a height, "This person was sabotaged and left in the woods; my tribe members found him, I picked him up and treated his wounds. Nan Qinghuan, I'll ask you again: will you stay?"

Nan Qinghuan squeezed her fist, "Is that really so?"

Wasn't he the one who captured Youchao Xuan? Rongdi knew she doubted him, and he had to admit his impression in her mind was poor, "Think whatever you like, but I ask you again: will you stay?"

Nan Qinghuan looked up, glaring at him fiercely, anger blazing in her eyes, "You want to use him to threaten me?"

Rongdi bent down, bringing his breath to her fair face; his mouth exuded a metallic scent that made Nan Qinghuan want to step back and flee.

Rongdi's words sounded like a curse, "If you don't agree, I'll toss him to my tiger cubs; they've been starving for days, and Youchao Xuan will be reduced to nothing but bones."

Nan Qinghuan bit her lip; she hated being threatened more than anything!

"Rongdi"

Rongdi saw her anger and couldn't help finding it amusing, "Nan Qinghuan, think it over carefully; I'll be waiting for you."

Night fell low, and the sky gradually darkened.

Inside the Tribe, a roaring Bonfire had already been lit; the tribe members gathered to prepare a meal. The Tribe had no notion of separate families, and the food was distributed uniformly by those under Rongdi.

When it was time to eat, the empty plain was filled with gathered tribe members, giving a feeling like workers after moving bricks, all sitting together to eat.

It was lively and warm.

Nan Qinghuan and Rongdi argued on the cliff; Youchao Xuan's appearance forced her to compromise temporarily. She asked Rongdi to move her to a grass hut on flat ground, but Rongdi, fearing she would flee, kept her in a high Treehouse.

Moreover, he sent several tribe members to guard her outside.

Even if she now had a pair of wings like Rongdi, she still couldn't escape the Rongdi Tribe, and the worst part was that Rongdi had shown her Beastman Courtship.

Indeed, courtship—Beastman Courtship meant flapping one's wings three times toward the beloved. Hearing the tribe members tell her this, she became even more determined not to stay.

Inside the Treehouse, the Bonfire blazed; beside it, Yezi placed a lump of roasted raccoon meat. The tribe ate everything, but she had no appetite at all.

The blazing Bonfire reddened her face; she sat on the dirty, chaotic ground, her mind racing with plans to escape and to bring Youchao Xuan out safely. She couldn't stay here long—not to mention Rongdi's relentless pursuit. If Rongdi's father woke up to find his teeth pulled out by her, that old monster would surely come after her.

She must get out.

The tribe members outside were all eating; she couldn't run away now. It must be said, the Rongdi Tribe was indeed richer than the Ying Tribe; even though they failed to attack the Wolf Tribe, they still had meat for tonight.

By Rongdi's own account, within a hundred‑mile radius, no Tribe was as populous and robust as his.

Nan Qinghuan stood up and, through a cat's eye, saw the tribe members guarding the entrance; she couldn't get out.

What to do? *Pfft*… Suddenly, the Bonfire crackled, and she saw sparks leap up, instantly forming a plan.

If she set the house on fire, they'd rush to extinguish it, giving her a chance to flee amid the chaos.

She decided to act; she was about to grab a log to set the Treehouse ablaze, when suddenly the outside became noisy, "It's bad, the storage is on fire, hurry and put it out."

"It's on fire?"

She saw the tribe members outside sprint toward a nearby blaze; her heart leapt with joy. Good heavens, who started the fire? It was a huge help.

Just as she tried to run amid the chaos, before she could move, someone from behind swept her up and held her tightly.

She had no time to struggle before she fell into a broad, warm embrace.

"Who?"

"Don't be afraid, Qinghuan, it's me."

A clear voice rang from above; Nan Qinghuan looked up and saw Ying, a head taller than her, standing behind her.

In that instant, she burst into tears of joy.

"Ying"

That call shattered Ying's heart.

"Here, I'm here."

She immediately threw herself back into his arms, burying her head against his chest. Hearing his strong heartbeat, she finally felt at ease; Ying's scent was a pleasant grass fragrance, unlike Rongdi's foul odor that made her nauseous.

"Qinghuan, finally found you."

Ying held her tightly, as if to merge her into his blood, so she would never be lost again.

The fear of losing Nan Qinghuan again made him feel worse than death.

Nan Qinghuan kept sobbing, then lifted her eyes, "I finally waited for you, finally waited!"

Ying couldn't stand to see her cry; Nan Qinghuan's tears were his greatest weapon—whenever she cried, he would surrender immediately.

He reached out and gently brushed the tears from her eyes; his hands were rough from years of hunting, yet Nan Qinghuan didn't mind at all—in fact she was happy, because it felt genuine.

She wasn't dreaming; her Ying had come to save her.

Ying's eyes were gentle as water, "Qinghuan, don't be afraid, I'll take you back."

Nan Qinghuan then realized, "The outside is on fire."

Ying nodded, seeming to know everything happening outside. He scanned every inch of her body, found no injuries, and smiled with satisfaction.

They had been apart only a day, yet he felt his heart was lost.

When he discovered he had been taken by Rongdi, he wished he could bring people to wipe this place out.

Thinking of Rongdi's harm made him restless and worried; his gaze grew a bit sinister, "Qinghuan, I'll take you away."

Nan Qinghuan was about to leave when she suddenly thought of Youchao Xuan, "No, we can't go yet."

Ying was provoked by her words, his eyes looking at her in disbelief; she was still so beautiful, so delicate. But she said they couldn't leave? "What are you saying? You won't leave—could it be that you and Rongdi…"

"It's not like that; don't jump to conclusions. Youchao Xuan is in his hands, I need to rescue him."

"Youchao Xuan?"

When she mentioned Youchao Xuan, Ying was a bit puzzled, "How did Youchao Xuan end up in the Na Shan Tribe?"

"I don't know why he's here; he's injured, and Rongdi forced me to stay and help him, otherwise he'd feed Youchao Xuan to the tigers. Ying, save him—he can't die; he's my friend, he's also our Tribe's hope for building houses, save him."

Nan Qinghuan was very worried that Ying wouldn't rescue Youchao Xuan. She knew Ying wouldn't care about his life or death, but she did; he was her friend, and she couldn't abandon him.

Ying saw her anxious expression, fell silent for a moment, then nodded heavily, "Don't worry, I'll go rescue him. Come, let's get out first."

"Go out, then…"

"Don't worry, I'll have someone go rescue him; let's leave here first, get onto my back."

When Ying Qian said that, she instantly understood; he had brought people, so they could all leave here.

With his assurance, Nan Qinghuan clung to his back; the man's broad, sturdy back felt very safe. Soon, they escaped amid the turmoil, and as they were leaving, Ying lit a fire that burned the Treehouse where Nan Qinghuan had been held.

The food stored in the Tribe was reduced to ash by a blaze; when the Rongdi arrived, the tribe members kept beating the flames with branches, but the fire was too great to be extinguished.

In the end, the helpless tribe members could only watch helplessly as the warehouse they had built with hard work was consumed by the fire, turning to ash.

"Chief, it's Ying Qian's."