Chapter 67: Where Are They?

Lin Manzhi felt that the proximity was too close, too hot.

Her ears flushed slightly, and she felt, unnaturally, that her face was very hot.

Lin Manzhi saw that, although the Flower Leopard trotted swiftly across the desert, sitting on its back was very steady, and the headscarf blocked the wind that stung the face, while luggage pressed against her back, so there was no worry of falling off.

The hand that the other kept at his waist was so conspicuous that Lin Manzhi could not ignore how intimate the embrace felt.

She pursed her slightly reddened lips, as usual, unwilling to be held, and lifted her hand to push the arm looped around her waist, steadying herself, and said in her normal voice, "Alright, I'm settled."

"Hmm." In the unseen darkness, Mo Lie's faintly colored lips curled faintly, his hand holding Lin Manzhi unmoving, "Too high."

His voice lowered, mixed with an unmasked concern, "You still can't see; I'm worried, Lin Manzhi, that you'll fall off."

Mo Lie seemed unwilling to let the frail female go in the night.

He turned his head, eyes slightly lowered, and calmly said, "Tired? Rest your head on my shoulder; at Hua Zheng's speed, it takes three hours to get from here."

Lin Manzhi: "... oh."

His words were indeed without flaw, causing the uneasy warmth that had risen in her heart to be scattered by the night wind.

Am I being overly sentimental?

Sitting on a Beastfolk's back without a harness is already very dangerous.

Hearing Mo Lie's reminder, Lin Manzhi stopped fidgeting, sat upright for a while, and then, lulled by the gentle sway of the Flower Leopard's gallop, she unknowingly closed her eyes from fatigue.

Mo Lie turned his head, his blue eyes flashing a red reflection in the darkness.

Lin Manzhi's full-body robe lay beneath a pale blue cloak, the pale blue linen covering her head piece by piece; her long black lashes fluttered like tiny fans, clearly exhausted, yet she fought sleep while hurrying along.

He naturally raised his other hand, the palm pressing through the pale blue cloth onto the side of Lin Manzhi's head, and pressed down toward his shoulder, "Sleep, I'm here."

"Hmm~" Lin Manzhi mumbled groggily, the elongated sigh carrying a sleepy, affectionate, unguarded tone, as if she were being coquettish.

Mo Lie lowered his hand, his blue eyes dimming amid the starry sky.

Lin Manzhi rested her head on his familiar chest, his scent like the natural aroma of deep forest, and she unwittingly relaxed and fell asleep.

In the deep night, the starry sky was blocked by dark clouds.

Hua Zheng arrived at the place arranged with the Iron Claw Gang, the surroundings empty, he lay on the sand as if afraid to disturb anything, his voice pressed extremely low, "Master, we've arrived."

Mo Lie, with both hands, princess‑carried the sleeping Lin Manzhi, setting her down silently in the adjacent desert; Hua Zheng, seeing the two descend, quickly reverted to Human Form.

When he returned to Human Form, he wore a light‑gold Beast Skin Skirt around his waist; because a female was present, he also conjured a matching vest, took the gray cloak he had removed before shifting to Beast Form from the luggage, and became a handsome young man with a scar on his face.

The night temperature was a dozen degrees colder than daytime, and Mo Lie had Hua Zheng pull a blanket from the luggage and lay it on the ground,

the smooth leather blanket spread flat on the sand, soft and comfortable, and the luggage formed a circle that blocked the wind‑blown sand, like a male bird‑beast building a nest during courtship, careful and reliable.

Mo Lie finished arranging it, then finally leaned down and gently placed Lin Manzhi onto it.

After lying down, Lin Manzhi turned over, and under a steady gaze, she slept soundly.

Hua Zheng walked to Mo Lie's side; the darkness did not affect their vision, and because of the return and carrying Lin Manzhi, the Flower Leopard slowed, arriving about an hour and a half later than expected.

Obviously, the Iron Claw Gang members were not here waiting for this deputy leader; they had vanished somewhere.

While Mo Lie guarded the Wooden Female, Hua Zheng glanced aside, frowned, and said, "They're not here... have they gone to find the target?"

Mo Lie straightened his torso and looked toward the distance.

A gust of wind passed, sand rustling; the endless black undulating desert hills resembled the silent gaze of ancient dragon‑god skeletons, and the scent of death and blood drifted from a remote place.

Mo Lie lifted his hand; the slender, fair hand rose slowly from beneath the black cloak, pointing to a spot, then he slightly lowered his brows, his eyes as cold as snow atop a mountain peak, "There."

"My perception truly falls short of my master," Hua Zheng focused his energy and looked where Mo Lie pointed; in the silent desert, he faintly heard some sounds.

Mo Lie withdrew his gaze and looked at him, "Go, resolve it quickly."

He paused; the sleeping Little Female in his peripheral view deepened the shadows in his eyes, "If you need, I can use intimidation to subdue."

Hua Zheng's eyes sparked with battle intent, he grinned excitedly without sound, "Yes, I'm fully recovered; I don't need you to intervene."

After speaking, he sprinted toward the source of the sound, like a figure adept at lightness skill, vanishing in an instant into the desert darkness.

"Help! Help!"

The cries for help grew clearer, mixed with chaotic footsteps; Hua Zheng let out a cold snort, his nose detecting the direction of a strange scent.

In the darkness, he ran forward, a pair of golden‑brown eyes faintly glowing.

He hadn't been with the Iron Claw Gang long, and had never joined them in a robbery.

Running toward the source, he entered among several dunes where scattered fire pits flickered, and a group of vague figures fled in terror.

A few white Sand Rabbits hopped ahead, several camels shouted "Help!" while panicking and following the Sand Rabbits, and a few Sand Mice scrambled with heads covered.

Behind them, a dozen foxes bit into several cargo boxes, and a dozen pythons slithered low beside the Sand Rabbits, further frightening the rabbits.

One gray‑yellow Fierce Cat, its mouth stained with the blood of a guard cat it had just killed from the small merchant caravan, cruelly drove the weak caravan away.

The fleeing ones were relatively weak Beastfolk, while the Iron Claw Gang thugs pursued them, toying with their prey.

The Iron Claw Gang, accustomed to a life of blood‑licking robbery, was led by a Fierce Cat named Ning Tie, and the gang comprised a hundred Beastfolk.

This ragtag black evil force, in front of the great powers of Kuangsha City, amounted to nothing, not even capable of holding a checkpoint to collect protection fees.

They had long relied on the terrain, robbing weak merchant caravans across the desert, killing and looting.

The last time they tried to seize a top‑tier large merchant caravan and failed; this time, Ning Tie set his sights on a small caravan coming from the west.