Chapter 49: Only Trust You

So, Lin Manzhi is now very calm, standing behind Mo Lie, a smile on her lips.

Look, in Hua Zheng's eyes there is only the Young Master; even someone as big as her standing behind the Young Master can't be seen.

"Hua Zheng?" Mo Lie's voice was soft, but a hint of complexity flashed in his eyes: "Rise."

Hua Zheng, excited, stood up, staring eagerly at Mo Lie, as if afraid of dreaming, and shouted again: "Young Master."

He didn't even dare blink, speaking at a rapid pace: "The last time I smelled a scent like the Young Master's in the desert, I thought I was dreaming! I've been trailing the Merchant Caravan these days, never expecting to actually find you, Young Master!"

"Since I was driven out from your side, I've been trying to get news of you, but unfortunately I couldn't learn anything. How is your health? How did you suddenly appear in this wasteland?"

Mo Lie slightly narrowed his eyes, scanning the front guard before him thoughtfully, and said in a calm voice: "Why are you looking for me? You should have seen my condition with your own eyes."

No luck.

Hua Zheng's clenched fists made a clack, his face ashen, his eyes sorrowfully fixed on his sole master, grinding his teeth and swallowing the grief and pain.

The Young Master has resolved countless crises for the Ansen City lord! Now the Spirit Core has problems, and he was even driven out of Ansen territory?

That's too much! So unfair!

Under the master's calm gaze, Hua Zheng forced a smile and said: "You have been Hua Zheng's master all this life…"

Mo Lie's emotionless voice interrupted: "Master? I'm no longer the Young Master of Ansen City; you should leave."

Hua Zheng jerked his head up, never having thought of betraying his master, standing stubbornly in place: "I've finally found you, Young Master; I will stay by your side from now on."

Mo Lie's gaze on Hua Zheng turned cold.

If he were alone now, he would gladly have another capable subordinate follow him, but the secret ability of the Little Female beside him is too astonishing.

When his strength was still present, he could ensure subordinates wouldn't be swayed upon seeing a female; given his current state, he is unsure whether he can suppress the Flower Leopard before him.

Even the slightest possibility, he does not want to put Lin Manzhi in danger.

The black‑haired Beastfolk, his face covered with a thin layer of ice, said coldly and gently: "What if I say, either leave this place or die here?"

Hua Zheng looked shocked, standing dumbfounded in the room, looking like a pitiful little one whose world had collapsed after being abandoned by the Young Master.

He doesn't want to die, but he also doesn't want to leave the Young Master's side.

Lin Manzhi, listening nearby, said: "……"

As one of only three people in the room, unnoticed, Lin Manzhi tugged Mo Lie's hand, stepped forward, and came to the side of the cold‑faced Beastfolk.

Mo Lie turned his head to look.

Lin Manzhi lifted her gaze to the severely battered, pallid‑faced blond youth, pinched the Beastfolk's long, cold hand, and said:

"It would be fine if he follows you; later he can bring goods from Kuangsha City, so you won't have to leave, and I'll be left alone in the tribe."

Mo Lie's barely perceptible brow twitched: "He cannot be fully trusted."

"Of course!" Lin Manzhi nodded, her black eyes glittering: "In this world I only trust you, but when my business expands I'll need help; he's just like anyone else—does that mean everyone you find is different?"

Mo Lie was slightly startled.

Indeed.

His control over Hua Zheng is more familiar than over other Beastfolk; back in Ansen City, Hua Zheng was his death‑guard captain, so rather than recruiting a new stranger, his former subordinate is more capable.

Seen from another angle, Hua Zheng is easier to guard against than others; once I regain strength later, the opponent will no longer be feared.

Mo Lie lifted his gaze again toward the subordinate before him.

Hearing the spotted female beside him praising him, Hua Zheng gave Lin Manzhi a grateful glance, then turned back to Mo Lie, his face full of the grievance of being about to be abandoned.

"Young… Master, I can prove my loyalty with my life, but after I die your current situation worries me; please keep me, I will never betray you."

Lin Manzhi lowered her head, idly playing with the black‑haired Beastfolk's fingers, her ears perked as she listened to the sounds nearby.

Mo Lie said: "Fine. If you betray me, I will fight to the death and deal with you myself."

Hua Zheng's face swept away the earlier pallor, his cheeks flushing with renewed excitement: "Yes!"

Lin Manzhi blinked lightly, pleased that Mo Lie now had a Beastfolk who truly cared for him.

Having read the original work, she knows the Hua Zheng before her is certainly an ally, so she is less wary than others, yet she will not place complete trust.

Lin Manzhi smiled, pointed at the water jar and said: "Shall we go out now?"

Mo Lie would not refuse the Little Female's request; he nodded lightly, "Alright, where would you like to go?"

The newly arrived Hua Zheng, reading the situation, stepped forward, easily lifting the three water jars with both hands: "Master, I'm familiar with this place; wherever you wish to go or whatever you need, I can take you there."

Lin Manzhi thought for a moment and said: "I want to conceal my identity and go sell some items, preferably to Shamaness's apothecary."

They are the wealthiest; she trusts Mo Lie's sense of Lettuce's effect, so why not take a gamble.

Hua Zheng asked nothing, pulled a small bottle from his chest and handed it over, replying plainly: "I have some scent‑erasing powder; just sprinkle a bit on yourself and other Beastfolk will find it hard to detect your original scent."

Mo Lie reached out, took the bottle, removed its cork, and gently inhaled at the tip of his nose.

A sharp pine scent mixed with a faint musk drifted from the bottle's mouth; the poured powder was a pale gray, potent, able to retain scent for three to five days.

"If you don't want this scent on you, wash it off with leaves from a soap‑tree branch," Hua Zheng explained beside him, "I got it from the Iron Claw Gang."

"By the way, Master, I'm now the deputy leader of the Iron Claw Gang. I originally planned to challenge for the gang leader during the rainy season, but now that I've met you, I'll leave the Iron Claw Gang soon…"

"No need," Mo Lie raised an eyebrow, his eyes cold as ice, "Proceed as you intended. I already plan to rebuild my forces in Kuangsha City, so since you're here, start with the Iron Claw Gang."

The handsome black‑haired Beastfolk, while speaking, gently sprinkled the pale gray powder from the bottle onto the female's waist.

As if handling something fragile, he also raised another slender white hand to shield the bottle's opening, fearing to choke the Little Female.

Lin Manzhi: "……"

Heaven, I'm just sitting here listening quietly—does the main villain's rise to power start in the original book?