Chapter 46: Very Effective

The towering sand dunes loomed in the night like an immovable colossal monolith, and the pitch darkness made it easier for the Beastfolk that hide and hunt in the dark.

The Iron Claw Gang, a notorious black force in Kuangsha City, is composed entirely of infamous male beasts.

The squad contains no docile Beastfolk; it is made up of hyenas, Fierce Cats, Flower Leopards and other powerful Beast Forms, making it the strongest raiding crew in the region.

The Iron Claw Gang's dozen or so leaders are all lying in ambush along this route, since the dry season is about to begin, the prime time for robbery business.

The Iron Claw Gang's boss Ada is a Fierce Cat, staring at the caravan of camels laden with countless goods, almost drooling.

Although the squad's banner appears to belong to the Luolai Merchant Guild, given the caravan's size it's only a small detachment, likely without any combat‑capable male beast guard unit.

—This caravan really has a ton of goods!

Ada glared viciously; if they dared to snatch this haul, it would be enough for him to revel in Kuangsha City for a month.

At that moment, a wave of oppressive pressure swept through the air, the aura of a top‑tier male beast spreading.

"Boss…"

The young blond‑haired Flower Leopard's pupils snapped shut, and the words he wanted to say to leader Ada got stuck in his throat.

A group of Beastfolk from the Iron Claw Gang lay low on the sand, faces down, limbs pressed to the ground sinking halfway into the yellow dunes; each towering, hulking man buried his head in the desert, looking absurdly comical.

Below the dunes, the caravan's camels quickened their pace; Sha Cheng, leading the guard squad, raised his forelegs alertly, everyone readying for combat and scanning the surroundings.

Lin Manzhi, shaken, pressed her hand to her head and instinctively leaned toward the nearby male beast in the darkness.

The space on the camel's back was cramped; the two were already seated close together, and when Lin Manzhi shifted a bit farther, she instantly felt Mo Lie's faintly cool breath beside her.

"It's fine." Mo Lie's voice was steady; his crimson vertical pupils flickered in the darkness, and his oppressive aura suddenly pressed outward in all directions.

The Iron Claw Gang lying in ambush behind caused a stir, scrambling up one after another, fleeing in panic toward the opposite direction.

As Ada fled, he saw his newly arrived, capable deputy leader, the Flower Leopard male beast, still standing foolishly; impressed by his strength, Ada reached out to pull him away,

"Damn it, Howl! The Luolai Merchant Guild has a powerful male beast stationed this time; we should retreat first."

The Luolai Merchant Guild below the dunes, trembling with fear, whispered: "……"

!!

Luckily, it's far away.

It scared them all away!!

Sensing the dunes' activity fade, Mo Lie silently reined in his aura, and the chaotic caravan also calmed down.

Sha Cheng urged the caravan to quicken their pace, leapt ahead himself, and whispered cautiously: "Sir, thanks to you, um… have they left?"

Mo Lie gave a faint "Hmm."

Sha Cheng then left relieved, returning to reorganize the patrols on the other side of the group.

Hearing their conversation, Lin Manzhi fumbled and grabbed Mo Lie's sleeve; the female was invisible in the dark, instinctively trying to see more clearly, her eyes widening as much as possible.

She whispered softly, as if fearing others might hear: "Are you okay?"

Seeing the worried female before him, the searing pain in Mo Lie's body seemed to be diverted by a sliver of attention.

He lowered his lashes and looked ahead.

In the darkness, the little female, unable to see, sat very close, her face speckled with brown spots as she looked over; she was seriously disguising herself, even painting brown spots on her exposed ears and neck.

The once delicate, beautiful little face was now unrecognizable, as if a masterpiece had been splattered with countless mud specks, ruining the visage into ugliness.

From the journey, the caravan's male beasts, after seeing the female's face, showed virtually no interest in her, not even bothering to look, only noting that her disguise was highly effective.

Mo Lie quietly met those black eyes.

Perhaps his taste was off, yet he still found the female before him beautiful, especially those deep black eyes.

The little female widened her eyes, concern shining in them.

Mo Lie's pallid, almost bloodless face lifted a silent smile at the corners, his ice‑blue eyes flashing with mirth; his voice was much lighter than before, sounding truly frail:

He said, "Hmm, it hurts."

Lin Manzhi: "!"

She furrowed her brows, her hand gripping Mo Lie's cuff moving frantically in the dark, trying to grasp something, "Did bandits just appear, and you used your pressure… what should we do now… to make you feel better?"

Halfway through speaking, suddenly Lin Manzhi felt a familiar, slightly cool aura approaching her.

Invisible in the dark, Lin Manzhi's heart fluttered—could it be that she had slipped into a deep sleep?!

She whispered, "Mo Lie?"

Mo Lie drew close, staring at the defenseless Lin Manzhi just inches away; the next moment he leaned forward, his hands loosely encircling her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

She was completely enveloped by a tall figure.

Lin Manzhi froze instantly.

The male beast pressed his chin on the little female's shoulder, inhaling her fresh scent, feeling the tight, trembling state of the female in his arms.

His voice was low, almost breathy, "Your body hurts, the Spirit Core hurts more; let me lean on you for a while."

Lin Manzhi, a bit flustered, replied, "It must be painful."

If only there were a Spirit Core restorative now.

She even forgot she was being held intimately by a man, lightly patting his back with her fingers, instinctively soothing, "Hmm, rest now; once you wake up, when we reach Kuangsha City we'll buy medicine, and you won't hurt like this."

Mo Lie's nose brushed her neck, his hands subtly tightening around her, making their embrace fit even tighter.

"Alright," Mo Lie murmured low.

Lin Manzhi shrank her shoulders; his breath on her neck was ticklish, but now was not the time to mind such trivialities.

His body was already unwell, yet he forced himself to scare off nearby foes; Mo Lie must be in great pain now.

To Mo Lie, she was now like a warm, big plush toy, making him feel a bit more comfortable in his arms—what does it matter?

As for being this intimately embraced by an adult male for the first time, the lingering embarrassment meant nothing in the face of pain.

Having finished her mental rationalization, Lin Manzhi had no other thoughts; she lifted her hand and gently ran it along Mo Lie's spine, soothing him softly, stroke by stroke.

After the night's chaos, the subsequent journey saw no more short‑sighted bandits appear near the caravan.

The Merchant Caravan had been traveling for two days and two nights, and when the sun had just risen over the horizon, Lin Manzhi finally saw a scene that made her happy.

A cluster of buildings amid the endless yellow sand appeared in her view.