Chapter 74

Each grass shrimp was as long as Su Jin’s palm.

Su Jin needed both tiny hands to hold one, but grilled grass shrimp were delicious.

Brushed with oil, coated with spices—utterly fragrant.

Su Jin was small, but her teeth were excellent—crunch, crunch, crunch—she devoured one in seconds.

Su Hanlin and Su Yu nearly dropped their jaws watching.

“You’ve got guts, Xiao Jin—you know how to eat! Next time I need a dining partner, it’s you.” Su Hanlin said cheerfully.

Su Jin felt a little shy, but that didn’t stop her from crunching into her second shrimp.

Everyone was full after lunch.

After cleaning up, they all stood to digest.

Unaware, just three or five li away in the neighboring forest, a young couple with jet-black eyes was chasing a young woman.

“Don’t run! Merge with us!”

“Xiao Qian, don’t go! Didn’t you say you were closest to your sister-in-law? Stay—stay, and you’ll be with her forever.”

The young woman, disheveled and with her magic robe torn, sprinted ahead like a madwoman.

The closest pursuer wasn’t the couple, but a swarm of tiny black tails.

They leapt swiftly through the trees.

Almost clinging to the young woman’s heels.

Behind them, far back, followed the young couple.

Though still human in shape, their mouths had split wide open.

Their faces had twisted into grotesque triangles.

Each time they opened their mouths, five or six tiny black tails shot out, leaping to join their companions.

The young woman glanced back, then ran even faster.

The three of them had come to this forest to extract wood essence.

For some reason, soon after, her two close friends changed.

Each became a monstrous thing capable of spitting out little monsters.

Thinking of the rumors sweeping Xiancheng about shadow monsters, she knew at once—her friends had been corrupted.

Completely turned into monsters.

Now it was her turn.

No—she would never become one.

She had to run!!

The young woman fled for her life through the mountains.

Unknowingly, she reached the area where Su Jian and the others were.

“Xiao Qian, Xiao Qian, don’t run!”

“Xiao Qian, merge with us completely!”

An Qian didn’t want to hear the cries of her monster-transformed friends.

But she hadn’t expected to stumble upon another group extracting wood essence.

And they had a little girl with them.

They were on the mountaintop—An Qian was nearly upon them.

The dense, towering trees had hidden them from view.

“Run! Run! There are monsters!” An Qian spotted them, immediately changed direction, abandoned the climb, and dashed into the side ravine.

Su Jian saw from afar the monsters chasing the young woman—and soon confirmed they were the infamous shadow monsters.

He’d seen the two giants spitting out little ones.

The little monsters split—half kept chasing the woman.

Half leapt toward them.

He snatched up Su Jin without hesitation and sprinted for the forest entrance. “Run!”

“Su Jian, we can save her—the monsters chasing her are only two.” Su Yu said.

He’d seen the young woman—so beautiful, so resolute, turning and fleeing without a second thought.

She truly didn’t want to bring danger to them—what a kind soul.

In an instant, he was smitten.

“Then go.” Su Jian had already run several meters—he was decisive, swift, abandoning tools and pack. He only needed to keep Su Jin safe.

Su Hanlin also dropped his pack and grabbed Su Yu’s arm to follow Su Jian.

“You’re heartless! How can you just watch a weak woman suffer? I’m going to help her.” Su Yu suddenly broke free, turned, and ran to save her.

Su Hanlin froze.

He looked at Su Jian, who didn’t hesitate or look back, then at Su Yu racing away—then gritted his teeth and chased after Su Yu.

“Big brother, they’re going to save her. If you don’t go with them this time, you’ll lose them as friends.”

“It’s fine—I only need to keep you safe.” Su Jian’s expression didn’t change; his speed increased.

“Big brother, why didn’t you save that girl?” Su Jin asked, curious. Since she was being carried, asking wouldn’t disrupt his escape plan.

“Because you matter more than anything.” Su Jian replied.

Su Jian moved like a wild leopard, leaping swiftly through the forest.

Gradually, he regained the old feeling of fleeing through the wilds.

He accelerated further.

The tiny black tails behind them, unable to keep up, halted their pursuit.

But now that they stopped, Su Jian was safe—and they became dangerous.

Because Xue Chiluo had spotted the dozen or so tiny black tails.

They’d been too fast to catch before.

Now that they’d all stopped.

Xue Chiluo seized the chance—in one suck, the dozen tiny tails became dried tadpoles.

Plop, plop—they fell from the trees.

Xue Chiluo had planned to eat their shells too.

But Zu Zu was almost at the gate—if they boarded the flying vehicle before she caught up, what would happen to her?

Would she be left alone in this forest?

“Xue Chiluo, come back! Xue Chiluo, come back!” Su Jin called with her spiritual sense.

Xue Chiluo’s tiny body paused, then darted into the earth, racing toward Zu Zu.

Fine—leave some leftovers.

Su Jian reached the forest gate just as the two forest wardens were on duty. “Two my lords, monsters are chasing a young woman inside the forest. My two companions went to save her. I had to flee with the child—I came for help.” Su Jian panted.

“Where exactly did you see the monsters chasing her? Are you certain they were monsters?” The warden who had registered Su Jian and the others immediately grew serious.

Su Jian plainly described where he’d seen the monsters, and how the young woman, upon spotting them, turned away to avoid dragging them into danger and fled into the neighboring valley.

“Those two looked human, but their mouths split wide as washbasins—and from them spewed tiny black creatures like newly hatched tadpoles. Each could spit out ten or more at once—they’re no longer human.”

Su Jian spoke calmly.