Chapter 66: On the Way

"Later." Mo Lie hung his dagger at his waist, lifted his foot and walked back: "They're scouting more than one; leaving her alone, I feel uneasy."

Hua Zheng followed, "So what do you want?"

Mo Lie gave no answer, his figure darted back swiftly.

Soon, they returned to the front of the temporary house.

The alley in front of the house was empty; the lightless night turned the lane into dead silence.

It was clearly hot, but Hua Zheng felt the temperature drop several degrees standing beside Mo Lie, making him rub his clasped hands together.

He recalled the information from Hui Laoshu, that they wanted to eat black and had long been eyeing the three of them buying Meat Jerky, his eyes flashing sharply.

"No way? They just left not long ago; no one would dare act so quickly, right?"

"If we didn't smell the blood inside, could they have been kidnapped?"

He glanced to the side; that Wooden Female was very important to the master and must not get into trouble.

Mo Lie's expression remained unchanged as he stepped to the doorway, lowered his gaze, opened the intact lock on the stone door, pushed it open and entered.

He lifted his eyes to the bedroom, his expression barely discernible, and raised a hand to block Hua Zheng, who was about to enter.

Hua Zheng, recognizing the cue, stood outside the door waiting.

Mo Lie called softly, "Zhi Zhi."

Inside, Lin Manzhi's hand wiping her hair paused; hearing the lock click, Mo Lie's voice came. She had just finished bathing, and the spots on her body hadn't been painted yet.

She hastily grabbed a Headscarf and placed it on her head, walked outward, saw only Mo Lie's figure at the doorway, lifted her hand to pull the scarf aside and tilted her head: "Huh, why did you all return so quickly?"

Mo Lie, hearing the voice, raised his eyes and looked inside.

Lin Manzhi stood in the soft light, wearing a linen waist‑exposing long dress; her figure, framed by thick black long curls, was very graceful, lake‑blue, and her pure white, beautiful little face showed a hint of surprise.

Mo Lie stood at the doorway: "I'm here to fetch you."

Lin Manzhi was even more surprised: "Fetch me where?"

Mo Lie moved beside Lin Manzhi, lifted his hand to pull down her light‑blue Headscarf, covering most of her face, then wrapped the cloth over her shoulders and behind, the lake‑blue fabric hanging down to her heels.

As a result, at a glance Lin Manzhi's features were almost entirely hidden beneath the lake‑blue linen, vaguely concealing her face that hadn't yet been painted with disguise.

Her whole figure was tightly wrapped by the wide lake‑blue veil, making her shape indistinguishable.

Seeing this, Mo Lie's expression remained blank as he stepped back, his blue eyes cold, but his voice carried a hint of warmth: "I was ambushed halfway; now the people from Witch Maiden Hall are after us, and the Meat Jerky Shop also has us in mind. I don't want to leave you in this dangerous place; let's set out for home now."

Lin Manzhi: "…"

"I guess I'm now wanted by everyone in Kuangsha City."

Outside, hearing Mo Lie's reason for returning, Hua Zheng was visibly stunned; his expression was even more shocked than Lin Manzhi's, then his whole face grew even more serious as he thought of Lettuce.

He saw Mo Lie had no intention to block at the doorway, so he entered the house and said in a deep voice: "The master has thought this through thoroughly; the chaos in Kuangsha City is unchecked, but we're only afraid that the little rats outside lurking might attract other forces' attention. Five hundred and one Lettuce plants are… precious. There's no guarantee the Witch Maiden Hall people will notice this place and find it."

Hua Zheng looked at the overly tightly wrapped Lin Manzhi inside, understood the master's regard for this money‑making Little Female, and said: "You should leave here with us now."

Their reasoning made sense, but…

Behind the lake‑blue linen, Lin Manzhi glanced at Hua Zheng, then at Mo Lie: "Aren't you going to subdue the Iron Claw Gang?"

Hua Zheng fell silent instantly, looking toward Mo Lie, who could decide inside.

He also wanted to know.

Mo Lie gave Hua Zheng a casual glance and said, "No problem, it's right on the way."

Lin Manzhi, hearing this, offered no further objection, nodded, "Alright, we set out now; you first gather the luggage in the living room."

She looked at Mo Lie: "Then I'll go inside to tidy up."

After speaking, she turned and walked into the house; everything was cleaned, and she intended to re‑disguise herself inside.

"Mm." Mo Lie gave a slight nod.

He immediately got to work; the items bought this time were placed unopened on the first‑floor hall because they were to return right away.

Six burlap sacks of Meat Jerky, other fragile tableware packed into a water jar emptied after selling the Lettuce, Lin Manzhi also stuffed clothes to wrap the fragile tableware, and the other two water jars were filled with water and sealed; all their belongings were here.

Nearby, Hua Zheng also helped Mo Lie haul the luggage out, finding a long tendon from a butchered beast to tie everything together so nothing would fall.

After confirming no luggage was left behind, Hua Zheng, holding the long beast tendon, reverted to Beast Form, with the pile of luggage on his back.

Time was tight; Lin Manzhi only had time to hastily apply spots on her face, hearing Mo Lie's tall figure appear at the doorway.

Lin Manzhi scanned the house, ensured nothing was left, then followed Mo Lie out, locked the door, took the key Sha Cheng had given them, and threw it back through the bedroom window as agreed.

Sha Cheng had a spare key; she had said she would only stay a few days, but didn't expect the Lettuce to sell so well, so after finishing today she would return.

Although she didn't inform Sha Cheng again, in a few days Sand City would return here.

Having arranged everything, Lin Manzhi turned, startled by the Flower Leopard the size of a double‑deck bus parked inside the house.

Its leopard pattern occasionally flashed golden light in the dark night, appearing full of wild beauty.

Lin Manzhi's eyes expressed amazement!

"I'll lift you up," Mo Lie raised his hand calmly.

A strong, muscular arm encircled her waist, fingers tightening, firmly holding her slender waist in his embrace, and he easily leapt over four meters high onto the Flower Leopard's back.

Mo Lie, with Lin Manzhi leaning against the pile of Meat Jerky, sat down; even after sitting, he kept his hand around the Little Female's waist, and his other hand patted the Hua Zheng beneath him.

Receiving the signal, Hua Zheng briskly ran forward; in Beast Form, navigating the narrow alley was inconvenient, so this time he took the main road.

The group of male beasts collecting protection fees at the crossroads saw the Beastfolk leaving the city, gave a casual glance, lost interest, and let Hua Zheng easily leap over the ten‑meter‑high barbed‑wire barrier.

Once outside the city, countless stars twinkled in the sky; the Flower Leopard prowled in the night toward the desert depths, its massive Plum Blossom Mark left behind was blown by the wind and quickly vanished on the sand.

Back in the darkness, Lin Manzhi blinked, feeling the hand around her waist was tighter than usual, pressing against her thin clothing, giving a hot, prickling sensation.