Chapter 48: Unexpected Visitor

The merchant caravan walked forward for a long time, finally stopping in front of a three‑room house built of sand, where Lin Manzhi was lifted down by Mo Lie, who also took a glance.

Of the six‑hundred‑person party, only Sha Cheng and a few others remained here; the rest of the caravan split midway and headed to the Luo Lai Caravan's branch in Kuangsha City.

Sha Cheng took out a key, unlocked the house before them, and led the two inside.

This was a private lodging that Sha Cheng, on behalf of the Luo Lai Caravan, arranged for the two, separate from the main caravan, which suited Lin Manzhi's wishes perfectly.

Their agreement with the Luo Lai Caravan was only a one‑way escort of the caravan to Kuangsha City; now that they have entered the city, the transaction is considered finished, and thereafter neither side has any obligations.

The house Sha Cheng gave them was the rest area assigned by the caravan to their Sand Rat Tribe squad.

In previous years, when extreme weather arrived and bandits increased, requiring hired guard squads, they would be assigned to sleep on the same large communal bunks as the main force.

This time, because the hired guard squad was different and there was a special female like Lin Manzhi, he gave up his own lodging.

Sha Cheng saw that Mo Lie said nothing about the house, handed over the 60,000 Beast Coin payment for this trip, gave the key to Lin Manzhi, and then took his leave, departing from the two.

Lin Manzhi entered the house to survey it, while Mo Lie moved the luggage he had brought with him inside.

The two of them, being only two people, occupied a single room on the first floor; the layout was fairly typical, with a thick carpet in the center, colorful patterns painted on the walls, and the rest empty of furniture.

Lin Manzhi quickly tidied the room, took out a feather duster, and upon seeing Mo Lie had already moved all the luggage into the living room, she stepped toward the three sealed large water vats placed in the room.

Since they had arrived at their destination, there was no need to waste effort on preserving Lettuce, so Lin Manzhi touched the vat and covertly moved the two Lettuce plants from the Space Warehouse into it.

Two thousand Lettuce instantly filled the three large vats in an unseen space; Lin Manzhi, wanting to go out while the greens were at their best, looked up and asked Mo Lie beside her, "Are you tired now?"

Mo Lie: "Not tired."

He glanced at the vat beside the female, his eyebrows slightly raised, and said, "Zhi Zhi, what did you put in the vat?"

Lin Manzhi set down the feather duster, her eyes sparkling as she laughed, "You're only asking now? Then guess what's inside."

Mo Lie: "……"

When he moved it, he could be sure of the vat's weight, and also knew that Lettuce was now inside.

He wondered about the female's purpose in asking, and whether he should proactively expose the female's secret ability.

Yet this place isn't very safe; the walls are thick but not sound‑proof, and if other sharp‑eared male Beastfolk on the street heard, could he, in his current state, protect the female?

Mo Lie's cold, ethereal blue eyes visibly paused for a moment.

Seeing the usually cold‑faced handsome male Beastfolk, his expression finally gained a hint of liveliness; Lin Manzhi stopped teasing him, laughed, and patted the vat, the evidence light‑hearted:

"Didn't I say I'd buy you a Spiritual Repair Agent? Now it all depends on the precious Lettuce in this vat!"

Mo Lie lifted his gaze to the Lin Manzhi who had steered the conversation, feeling a bit teased, and a complex flicker passed through his eyes: "Did you just think of going out now to find a shop and sell them?"

Lin Manzhi brushed nonexistent dust from her hand, looked at Mo Lie, and said, "Exactly. I brought two thousand of them; I want to buy two Spiritual Repair Agents, keep one at home as a spare, so I plan to sell each for at least 200 Beast Coins."

Mo Lie felt a warmth in his heart.

He walked toward Lin Manzhi, his lowered blue eyes showing no aggression, his voice carrying a gentle smile: "Your Lettuce is indeed precious, it's just …"

——Beastfolk here might not recognize its value, yet are willing to pay such a high price for it.

Before he could finish the sentence, Mo Lie's expression suddenly turned cold, the tenderness in his blue eyes vanishing completely, and he turned his head toward the doorway, his gaze so icy it seemed able to freeze a person.

Lin Manzhi, puzzled, stepped closer: "What is it …"

As she approached, Mo Lie reached out, grasped Lin Manzhi's hand and pulled her close, positioning his body in front of hers, facing the doorway, the chilling cold in his eyes spreading infinitely.

Lin Manzhi, seeing this, withdrew the smile from her face and also looked toward the doorway.

What's wrong? What's wrong!

Someone outside?

Before she could ask again, a soft knocking sounded at the door, followed by a trembling low male voice from outside:

"Young Master …"

Lin Manzhi: "??"

What?

Young Master?

Before she could think deeply, the male Beastfolk in front of her tightened his grip on her hand slightly, then released it; she couldn't see his expression, only hearing Mo Lie's cold voice say, "Come in."

Immediately, the door was pushed open, and a tall, blond figure stood in the doorway against the light, his gaze fixed on Mo Lie, breathing heavily.

Lin Manzhi stood behind Mo Lie, her head tilted slightly as she looked toward the doorway.

The blond male Beastfolk entered, closed the door, took a few steps to Mo Lie's front, and knelt on one knee to perform a respectful warrior's salute.

He lifted his head again, his face full of excitement, golden‑brown eyes brimming with tears: "Young Master! Your subordinate Hua Zheng finally found you!"

Hua Zheng??

The spacious room, bathed in dim light, still held a tense, burning atmosphere, all emanating from the blond male Beastfolk kneeling before the two.

He was tall, his muscles neither bulky nor thin, his handsome face marked by a slash‑through scar across the bridge of his nose, the wound like a veil that turned the young male Beastfolk's originally handsome visage into a grim one.

He tilted his head back, his face flushed, his eyes dazzlingly bright, as if he had seen his idol and seemed eager to rush forward.

Hearing the name and seeing the young man's face, Lin Manzhi's fluttering heart instantly settled.

She knew who the excited blond youth before her was.

Hua Zheng, the most loyal left‑hand man beside the antagonist.

He had been the guard squad leader who grew up alongside Mo Lie, a powerful warrior selected by Ansen City for the Young Master; his Beast Form was immensely strong, but amid the chaos of Ansen City, his Young Master fell, and he, severely wounded, was expelled from the territory, his fate unknown.

Hua Zheng had been deeply ingrained from childhood with loyalty to the Young Master; once the collar around his neck was removed, he was like a beast that had lost its humanity.

His Beast Form remained extremely powerful, his temperament ferocious; at that time he had taken over the Iron Claw Gang and led its members to clash throughout Kuangsha City, becoming a considerable force there.

Until, when Mo Lie killed Lin Ling's entire family and fled to Kuangsha City, he met Hua Zheng, and has followed Mo Lie to the death ever since.

Lin Manzhi, having learned who the visitor was, could no longer be worried.

This fiercely loyal beast, willing to die for the Young Master, has no sense of morality, only obeys Mo Lie, and could never betray him.