In the end, the original owner refused to send anyone to rescue Cangming and Gu Si.
As a result, although Cangming was lucky enough to escape,
poor Gu Si was left behind forever.
After that incident, Cangming's hatred for the original owner reached its peak.
He eventually defected to Rong Kai's side.
As for Jiang Ji, faced with such a massive turn of events, he too unsurprisingly joined the same camp.
When he saw Chu Jing remain silent, he thought she disagreed with his proposal.
He was just about to tell her that he planned to go alone.
He was willing to face punishment upon his return.
But just then, Chu Jing spoke. "Don't be rash. The most important thing right now is to stabilize your injuries and ensure your safety. Then, we can figure out a way to rescue Cangming and the others together."
If Chu Jing remembered correctly, in the original novel, it was precisely because Xuyue didn't receive timely medical treatment that his pair of wings were damaged.
From then on, he could never soar through the blue sky again.
For an Eagle Beast born to fly, losing the ability to do so was undoubtedly the greatest of ironies.
"You'll save him? How can you—"
Jiang Ji abruptly stopped his chiding.
Because he saw a faint green light glowing in the center of Chu Jing's palm.
Then, her hand slowly swept over Xuyue's wounds.
Before long, the injuries began to heal rapidly.
Their once gruesome and terrifying appearance gradually became smooth and even.
However, the deepest gash on his waist didn't recover as noticeably. The bleeding had only just stopped, with a tiny bit of new flesh budding forth.
Chu Jing's brows furrowed. 'I know this power alone isn't nearly enough,' she thought. 'I have to use medicinal herbs.'
She withdrew her hand and looked at Xuyue calmly.
"You stay here and don't move. I'll go find Cangming and the others and bring them back."
'How dare they lay a hand on someone I care about. They really have a death wish.'
She might not have any other particularly outstanding qualities,
but when it came to protecting those she cared for, she was definitely the bravest of all.
Sensing that Chu Jing might be walking into danger, Jiang Ji immediately stood up, deciding without hesitation to go with her.
"Xuyue, your wounds have mostly recovered, right? In that case, I'll go ahead and help the Female Master."
Rong Kai, who was standing to the side, seemed completely uninterested in any of this.
He turned his head and walked straight away.
Only Xuyue was left at the cave entrance, sitting alone and dazed, one hand covering his wound.
'Chu Jing agreed to help him?'
'Something's not right. Doesn't she usually only care about outsiders?'
'Why the sudden change in attitude?'
'Could she be under someone's control?'
...
"Hey, Wolf Beast, hurry up and bite its neck. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance~"
Du Nan sat lazily in a chair, a contemptuous and smug smile playing on her lips.
At this moment, in the vast, empty clearing, a Wolf Beast stood panting heavily.
Not far from him was a Tiger Beast, clearly exhausted and barely able to stand.
Hoping to stall for time until rescue arrived, Cangming deliberately held his ground, secretly praying that Xuyue would hurry back with Jiang Ji and Rong Kai.
Time ticked by, second by second, but there was still no sign of his companions.
Du Nan saw that they were stalling, and her expression immediately turned cold.
"What are you just standing there for? Are you trying to buy time?"
"Let me tell you something. That Eagle Beast is long dead. The two of you can stop dreaming about leaving. Only one of you is walking out of here today."
Du Nan let out a mocking laugh, her tone laced with schadenfreude. "And don't forget, even if that idiot Chu Jing knew you were trapped here with me, she wouldn't lift a finger to help."
As if he had long since foreseen this outcome, Gu Si slowly closed his eyes.
"Cangming, do it."
'End it all.'
Tears welled in Cangming's eyes.
Although he and Gu Si often argued, sometimes even bickering fiercely,
he knew in his heart that Gu Si was actually far stronger than him.
Every time they fought, Gu Si had intentionally held back.
"Gu Si, just wait a little longer."
A sliver of hope still lingered in Cangming's heart.
He believed their Female Master wouldn't be so heartless as to abandon them.
Gu Si, however, felt nothing but bitterness.
He had known Chu Jing longer than Cangming and understood what kind of person she was much better.
He had guessed long ago that Chu Jing would never come to rescue them.
This was one of the reasons why he always went easy on Cangming.
If, in the end, only one Beastman could leave this place safely, he truly hoped it would be Cangming.
By now, Du Nan had grown impatient from the long wait and issued a final warning.
"If you two don't make a move soon, then neither of you will get out of here alive!"
Hearing this, Gu Si slowly opened his eyes again.
His tiger eyes were filled with resolve.
"Do it."
'End this painful life.'
Cangming seemed to have made up his mind, yet he didn't take a single step forward.
A cruel glint flashed in Du Nan's eyes.
She sneered and turned to the Beast Husband beside her, giving an order.
"You, go break that Wolf Beast's legs right now."
She wanted to see if their bond was really so strong.
The Beast Husband who received the order strode toward Cangming without hesitation.
The very instant he was about to pounce and attack, the loud CRACK of a whip echoed through the air.
The Beast Husband was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground and groaning in pain.
Seeing this, Du Nan's expression instantly turned hideous.
She shrieked in fury, "Who was that?! Who dares to hurt my man? Aren't you afraid of my revenge?!"
"Who has such nerve?"
Chu Jing walked out slowly from the side, a long whip made of woodbine in her hand.
"Me, of course. Your daddy."
Hearing that familiar voice, the endless despair in Cangming's heart began to dissipate.
'The Female Master finally came!'
'At a moment of life and death like this, she really didn't abandon them.'
When Chu Jing's figure appeared before Gu Si, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
She...
'Did she... really come to save me?'
Seeing Chu Jing's sudden appearance, Du Nan was briefly stunned.
Then she broke into a series of cold sneers, clearly not taking her seriously.
"Well, well, if it isn't Chu Jing. What ill wind blew you in here?"
"If you get on your knees, kowtow to me three times, and admit you're wrong, I'll consider forgiving you. On top of that, have those Beastmen of yours fight to the death, and then give me three Humming Beasts as compensation. Maybe then I'll consider sparing your life. How about it? Isn't that a great offer?"
"Talk about a toad lusting after a swan. Not only are you delusional, you're conceited too."
Jiang Ji had already walked over to Cangming's side.