The Illusion Monkeys behind them were in hot pursuit.
An entire forest’s worth of Illusion Monkeys was chasing them.
Xie Heng ran with her on his back, yet his speed didn’t falter in the slightest, nor did his breathing become ragged.
"Little Pig!" a panicked voice shouted from behind.
Jiang You, draped over Xie Heng’s back, heard the commotion and instinctively turned to look.
She saw Li Xiang’s black pig accidentally lock eyes with a purple Illusion Monkey that had gotten right in its face.
The black pig immediately began attacking indiscriminately, sending Li Xiang flying with a single shove.
Countless purple Illusion Monkeys swarmed the hallucinating black pig, clinging to its body like a swarm of parasites.
Seeing this, both Xu Wen and Lin Zhi wanted to rush over and help.
"Everyone, get back," Xie Heng said coldly.
The two of them instantly moved aside.
The jet-black Black Eagle beside Xie Heng shot through the space between them. It spread its wings and flapped powerfully, kicking up a violent gust of wind that blew the Illusion Monkeys right off the black pig.
The black pig tumbled over several times as well.
Li Xiang had been sent tumbling by the wind. Seeing his Beast Soul get up to charge at someone again, he immediately rushed over and grabbed it. He slapped the black pig hard on the head with a loud SMACK, knocking it unconscious, then hoisted it onto his shoulders and broke into a run.
"Run." Xie Heng hoisted Jiang You higher on his back by her legs and turned to sprint forward.
These things weren’t something they could afford to fight in a battle of attrition.
The group continued to charge ahead.
Soon, they burst out of the Purple Leaf Forest, and the Illusion Monkeys stopped their pursuit.
"Holy crap, those things don’t have much killing power, but there are so damn many of them," Xu Wen cursed. "And they’re a real pain to pull off once they stick to you."
Their clothes were all more or less disheveled from the Illusion Monkeys’ claws.
Just as Xu Wen was about to recall his soul beast, Xie Heng cut in. "First, check if your soul beasts are injured. If they are, have the Healer take a look. Otherwise, if you recall an injured soul beast, their injuries will affect you."
"Oh, right. I always forget. Let me see." Xu Wen grabbed his monkey and looked it over, then shook his head. "It’s fine."
"Old Xiang, how’s Little Pig?" Lin Zhi’s soul beast was also fine, so he turned to look at Li Xiang.
Li Xiang carried the black pig over to Jiang You, speaking with an honest, bashful expression. "Sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law."
Jiang You tossed a pink Healing Light Group at the black pig with a look of disgust, then threw another one at Li Xiang before waving them away. "Take it away, take it away."
Li Xiang awkwardly carried his black pig away. He knew that Healers generally didn’t like his Beast Soul.
Xie Heng frowned slightly at the scene. "A Healer shouldn’t discriminate against a Beast Soul. Didn’t you learn that in class?"
"Well, I just don’t like pigs. What about it?" Jiang You retorted defiantly.
Hearing this, Xie Heng’s brow furrowed even more deeply. He dropped his hands from under Jiang You’s legs, no longer wanting to carry her, and tugged at her arm. "Get down. Walk on your own."
"I won’t! I won’t!" Jiang You clamped her legs tightly around his waist and wrapped her arms firmly around his neck.
Suddenly being choked made Xie Heng’s breath catch. He pulled at her arms, his face dark. "Get down. It’s not dangerous anymore."
But Jiang You simply refused to get down.
Li Xiang saw this and hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Captain, it’s alright. Sister-in-law not only healed my soul beast just now, but she healed me too. I feel much better. Please don’t fight because of me."
Just now, Jiang You had tossed a Healing Light Group not only to the black pig but to him as well. His own scrapes weren’t serious enough to need healing, but she had healed him anyway. Because of this, he felt that while Jiang You had a sharp tongue, she was actually a good person.
Moreover, when he saw his black pig wake up, looking full of energy, any annoyance he might have felt toward Jiang You vanished completely.
Xie Heng suppressed his temper and looked at Li Xiang. "This has nothing to do with you," he said.
Li Xiang saw the young woman clinging tightly to their captain’s neck, her fingers even tangled in his hair.
Even though the captain’s expression was grim, he didn’t throw her off.
So he didn’t say anything more.
"Jiang You, are you a child? Do you always need to be carried?" Xie Heng asked, seemingly through gritted teeth.
"I don’t care, you have to carry me!" Jiang You argued unreasonably.
Xie Heng seemed to give up.
"Do you guys need to rest?" Xie Heng stopped trying to pull Jiang You off. With her still on his back, he looked at his teammates, his expression cold. "If not, we’ll keep moving."
"Let’s go, let’s go!" Xu Wen agreed.
The group resumed their journey, following the route.
Although Xie Heng urged them to press on, he set a slow pace, taking into account that everyone had just been through the Illusion Monkey attack.
Lying on Xie Heng’s back, Jiang You had actually noticed the scratch on his neck a while ago. Only now did she speak up lazily. "Oh, Xie Heng, your neck is injured? If you beg me, I’ll heal it for you."
Her breath ghosted over the wound on his neck, making it feel both itchy and painful.
Xie Heng’s breathing hitched for a moment. His fingertips tensed, and his eyes darkened, though it was unclear if it was from anger or something else.
"Hey, did you hear me or not!" Jiang You’s dissatisfied voice called out.
Xie Heng was silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice cold and clipped. "I beg you."
Jiang You froze. ’He actually did it?’ she thought, surprised. When she recovered, she immediately complained, "Is that any way to beg someone? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were ordering me!"
Xie Heng’s eyelid twitched again, and he stopped talking.
It was unclear why.
"Hey, why aren’t you talking anymore!" Jiang You tugged at his hair.
"Keep causing trouble and I’ll throw you off," Xie Heng said, his tone icy.
The group was currently crossing a log bridge. Below them was a turbulent river. They couldn’t tell its depth, but judging from the rushing current, it seemed very deep.
Jiang You hurriedly hugged Xie Heng tighter and said defiantly, "If you dare throw me off, you’re finished."
Every time she hugged him tighter, her soft body pressed against his hard back.
He had never been this close to a girl before, nor had he had much contact with any. Since childhood, his life had been a regimented progression of studying, arranged marriage, and inheriting the family business.
The girl he’d had the most contact with was Jiang You.
And he had never met a girl as troublesome as her.
Xie Heng’s expression turned somber. He said nothing, his steps steady as he walked forward.
Though it was just a bridge made of a single log, he walked with extreme stability.
Jiang You didn’t know what he was thinking. ’If I knew, I’d definitely have a snarky comment ready. That’s a given,’ she thought.
’I have to be bratty and troublesome to serve as a foil for the independent and sensible female lead.’
’Otherwise, how would he end up falling for her?’
The moment Jiang You thought about how he would eventually fall for the female lead, she felt even more justified in her troublemaking.
’I just wonder if the plot will go off the rails in the future.’
’Can’t worry about that now. For now, all that matters is completing the mission.’