Chapter 32

Warm liquid startled Ye Xi'an, but she was tightly wrapped in Bao Jing's wings and could see nothing outside.

She could only feel Bao Jing's thin body trembling constantly, hearing the frenzied roars of the males outside, and a bad guess immediately formed in her heart.

In the darkness, Ye Xi'an's voice trembled slightly as she reached up to touch Bao Jing's face: "Bao Jing, are you bleeding?"

Bao Jing's forehead beaded with cold sweat; the tearing pain almost made him faint, yet he still drew a deep breath, steadied his voice, worried that Ye Xi'an would learn his condition: "I'm fine, don't be afraid."

Then he tightened his arms, holding Ye Xi'an securely in his embrace.

Ye Xi'an wanted to see how Bao Jing was, but he held her too tightly for her to see anything.

Gradually light seeped in; Ye Xi'an looked toward it, only to see Bao Jing's wings torn to shreds. She dazedly wiped her face, coming away bloody.

In an instant, tears welled in Ye Xi'an's eyes; she shoved and pushed at Bao Jing while crying, wanting to see his condition.

"Bao Jing, let me go first. Let me see you."

Bao Jing's consciousness was already fuzzy, but he instinctively clung to the person in his arms: "Don't be afraid."

Outside the crowd, Yi Yang was drenched in sweat from anxiety; his ability was low and his stamina average, so he could only turn to Ji Jiangci for help.

"Jiangci-brother, please save Bao Jing! He's about to die!"

Ji Jiangci's face showed confusion; he didn't understand why Bao Jing was fighting so desperately. Ye Xi'an had been abducted, but gaining a few more husbands wouldn't cause her lethal harm.

Bao Jing charging in heedlessly like that would only get himself killed.

He never disadvantages himself: "You saw what happened when Bao Jing rushed in; my ability is only level three, so going in would end the same way."

"Jiangci-brother!"

Yi Yang had already burst into tears; he had never hated himself so much for being so weak.

The world seemed to slip into slow motion as he watched the frenzied beastmen, the aloof Ji Jiangci, and Ye Ling in the distance waiting for the show—yet he could do nothing.

"Free Zone South Station has arrived; please disembark in an orderly fashion, no crowding."

Hearing the train-stop announcement, Yi Yang instantly saw hope; he gathered his strength and shoved hard into the carriage.

Once he was packed in the middle and could go no further, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted: "Bao Jing! The train doors are open! The doors are open! Run!"

Bao Jing's gaze was unfocused, the whites of his eyes mostly rolled back; his wings behind him had been completely torn away, and those people began grabbing his back.

Faintly he seemed to hear Yi Yang say the doors were open, but just keeping his eyes open was a miracle, let alone dashing out while holding Ye Xi'an.

Ye Xi'an was already sobbing uncontrollably in Bao Jing's arms, her tears soaking the fabric of his chest.

"Bao Jing, don't die— the doors are open, we can get out."

Ye Xi'an placed her hand on Bao Jing's chest, wanting to push him away but afraid that using too much strength would hurt him.

But unexpectedly, this time she only gave a light push and he slipped free; she quickly reached out to cradle the unconscious Bao Jing.

Bao Jing's narrow eyes were shut tight; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth down his slender neck to his chest. Behind him, what had been beautiful wings were now mere bony skeletons, some parts violently snapped and the bones tossed aside.

Downy feathers floated everywhere, blood nearly flooding the entire carriage.

Even the skin on Bao Jing's back and shoulders had been ripped away, leaving Ye Xi'an able to see his internal organs.

Seeing Bao Jing's gruesome state, Ye Xi'an's pupils constricted; for the first time she felt the true cruelty of this world.

How inhuman must one be to beat a living person into this?

But these people weren't ready to quit; today they absolutely had to seize a female and have their fun.

At the moment a male reached out, Ye Xi'an threw herself desperately onto Bao Jing, her heart bursting with a fierce urge to take him away.

The next second, Ye Xi'an and Bao Jing, who had been surrounded in the middle, vanished instantly, leaving only scattered flesh and feathers on the ground.

The surrounding males saw the two disappear, first stunned, then realizing something was up, they assumed foul play and angrily began searching.

Ji Jiangci was the first to notice the change, while Yi Yang was still crying and shoving his way in.

He quickly grabbed Yi Yang's collar from behind: "Ye Xi'an and the others are gone; let's leave first."

Yi Yang's eyes were bloodshot; he hadn't yet grasped what Ji Jiangci meant by "suddenly disappeared," assuming Ji Jiangci just didn't want to save anyone: "I'm not leaving; I have to save my wife!"

"I said Ye Xi'an isn't here right now—hurry up and go!"

Ji Jiangci repeated it softly: those males won't find Ye Xi'an, so they'll surely turn their sights on us; if we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave later.

But Yi Yang was dead stubborn, so Ji Jiangci could only bluff: "Ye Xi'an is already back in the Slum; if you don't believe me, I'll go back alone."

Having said that, he stopped paying attention to Yi Yang, hurried toward the train door, and as he passed Ye Ling his gaze turned icy—this time he had truly crossed a line.

Ye Ling returned the look without weakness, his face showing the disappointment of having failed, but his eyes were unrestrained, for he knew that though he had lost this time, he still had other chances.

Seeing Ji Jiangci truly leave and the beastmen disperse, the spot where Ye Xi'an had lain was now empty—could his wife really have gone back?

Yi Yang decided to go back and check; he retreated carefully, felt the doorframe, then turned and ran.

Inside the carriage, Ye Ling stood with arms crossed, leaning against a pole, staring at the marks on the floor, wondering what he was thinking; afterward he also stepped out.

On the other side, Ye Xi'an surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings; as far as the eye could see lay barren yellow earth, not a tree in sight.

She herself didn't know how she'd gotten here; all she knew was that at that moment she had desperately wanted to leave, and her ability seemed to have triggered some kind of reaction.

But now wasn't the time to ponder that; Ye Xi'an lifted the blood-soaked Bao Jing and walked aimlessly forward.

She needed to find someone, preferably a doctor, to save Bao Jing.

Though the distance should have been endless at a glance, she blinked and found herself there.

Ye Xi'an herself hadn't realized she'd been teleporting; finally, in the distance she spotted a camp.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Xi'an appeared within the camp, still holding Bao Jing.

The armed soldiers inside were startled and immediately raised their weapons, aiming at them.

Ye Xi'an had found people; seeing their uniforms, they looked like soldiers, and a surge of injustice welled up in her heart as she cried out desperately: "Please, please save my husband!"

The soldiers looked at the weeping female; even her blood‑streaked face couldn't hide her stunning looks. They exchanged a glance, quickly lowered their guns, went to take her in, and sent her to the military doctor.

Ye Xi'an followed behind the crowd, her eyes never leaving Bao Jing.

A crowd rushed into the medical room in a flurry.

"Doctor Lin! Quickly save him!"

The male called Doctor Lin furrowed his brow, turned his head, and coldly stared at the shouting soldiers.