Is there really a god in this world? Just as Su Fei thought about Liu Zhenhuo and Helen, she saw a beautiful woman with pointed ears rushing toward her.
"Sister, save me!" The pointed-eared beauty clung to Su Fei's arm, tears streaming down her face. She kept glancing back, trembling all over, looking utterly terrified.
"Don't be afraid! I'm here! Who's chasing you?" Su Fei patted the girl's back reassuringly and looked in the direction the girl was staring at—only to see nothing but empty desert.
"It's the Lustful Wolves! They want to kidnap me and make me their bride!" The girl gazed at Su Fei pitifully. Meeting someone else in the middle of the desert—even a girl who didn't look particularly strong—felt like grabbing onto a lifeline!
Looking at the endless, empty desert, Su Fei doubted if anyone was really chasing this girl.
"Su Fei, what's going on?" Si Lei eyed the girl, who clearly had fox-like features. Her speed was unbelievable! In less than a minute, she had reached them—a feat no ordinary beastman could achieve.
"I don't know either!" Su Fei glanced back at Si Lei, who was following behind her. His presence calmed her racing heart. "Can I take her back to the caravan?" Su Fei asked cautiously, knowing that she owed her safety to Si Lei. Whether the caravan would accept this mysterious girl depended entirely on his decision.
"Hmm, yes, you can," Si Lei replied after a moment. He studied the still-shaking girl. Even if she had ulterior motives for approaching the caravan, they weren't afraid. Beastmen or not, there were few in the entire Kingdom of Chirisiya who could overpower their caravan members. The best way to deal with potential danger was to keep it close and observe. If she truly had no ill intentions, there was no reason to refuse. Besides, based on her speed, this girl wasn't an ordinary figure in the Beastman Nation.
"Great!" Su Fei gave Si Lei a grateful look before turning to comfort the girl clinging to her. "Don't be scared! Everyone in our caravan is strong! You'll be safe once we get there!" Taking the girl's hand, Su Fei led her toward her Moni Beast—the spoils of war from the bandit raid. Among all the captured beasts, hers was the strongest.
Si Lei, now relegated to the role of a silent follower, sighed bitterly. When did he become a sidekick? For Su Fei's safety, though, he reluctantly trailed behind them again. "It's for the caravan," he told himself. After all, thanks to the bandit incident, Su Fei had managed to claim a hefty compensation package. Nearly a tenth of the caravan's cargo now belonged to her as "emotional damages."
Far away from the caravan, several figures staggered forward, gasping for breath.
"Bertelam… puff… can we stop? Puff… I'm dying! Puff… What's so great about that brat anyway? Puff… Next time, I'll find you a better one! Puff…" Bob finally finished his sentence, collapsing flat on the ground. But just moments later, he leapt up, shouting, "Ow! Hot! Why's the ground so hot?!" Gone was his exhaustion!
"Forget it, Bob! We're not stopping!" Bertelam growled, his eyes glowing with determination. "She must've gotten lost in the desert—it's dangerous out here! If I save her, she'll definitely fall in love with me!"
"Bertelam, you're such an embarrassment to the Lustful Wolves! So what if she's a fox spirit? Look at you, drooling over her!" Byron sneered, unimpressed by Bertelam's obsession. Initially curious about the girl, they'd only caught a fleeting glimpse of her fiery red back before being dragged into this chase.
"Come on, Byron. You know Bertelam's just a lovesick puppy," Bowen teased, pushing Bertelam lightly. "Let's keep moving. It's our little brother's first crush, after all—even if she is a fox spirit."
"That fox spirit runs too fast! How are we, the elites of the Lustful Wolves, struggling to catch her?" Bob complained, spinning around lazily. If it weren't for Bertelam's future happiness, he wouldn't have bothered chasing some random girl through the desert. Especially when he could be charming ladies back in the city!
"Move it! Stop daydreaming!" Kelvin smacked Bertelam on the back of his head and chuckled, hurrying to catch up with Bowen ahead.
Back to Su Fei…
"So, can you tell me what happened?" Su Fei stared at the girl across from her, curiosity bubbling over. She tried to act mature, but it felt awkward.
"I'm a fox spirit," the girl whispered, stealing a glance at Su Fei. To her relief, Su Fei didn't look disgusted—just shocked. Unbeknownst to her, Si Lei frowned behind Su Fei's back.
"Oh, so what?" Su Fei squirmed under the girl's gaze. Should she pretend to be happy?
"You… you don't hate me?" the girl hesitated before blurting out the question.
"Nope! Being a fox spirit seems fine to me—as long as you're not stealing husbands or anything!" Su Fei shrugged, assuming fox spirits were just another type of beastman, like Helen.
Not fully understanding Su Fei's reference to husbands, the girl quickly reassured her, "I'd never steal anything!"
"That's good! By the way, what's your name? I'm Su Fei, and this is Si Lei." Su Fei gestured to Si Lei behind her, waiting for the girl's response.
"My name's Sally," the girl murmured shyly.
"What's this about someone trying to kidnap you as a bride? Doesn't the Beastman Nation have laws? What about your parents?" Su Fei pressed gently.
"Fox spirits are considered unlucky. We don't have parents. Once we turn eighteen, anyone can claim us as their wife. All fox spirits are beautiful, so no one cares what happens to us. Even if we're beaten to death, no one bats an eye." Si Lei explained calmly, recalling witnessing a fox spirit being murdered by her husband while passersby ignored it. As outsiders, they had no right to intervene.
Sally lowered her head upon hearing Si Lei's words, pain flickering in her eyes.
"This is outrageous! How can they treat fox spirits like this? Aren't they people too? If others won't protect you, I will! No one's going to hurt Sally!" Su Fei hugged Sally tightly, resolve burning in her eyes. Every girl deserved love and protection, not to be sacrificed to superstition.
"Sally, do you know who's chasing you?" Su Fei asked carefully. Knowing your enemy was key to winning any battle.
"They're Lustful Wolves, probably from the Gold Wolf clan," Sally replied thoughtfully.
"Lustful Wolves?" Before Su Fei could ask more, Si Lei exclaimed in surprise. This was unbelievable!
"Why does everyone seem so shocked? Are Lustful Wolves special or something?" Su Fei turned to Si Lei, realizing how much he knew. So this world viewed Lustful Wolves differently? No wonder they wanted to kidnap Sally—they lived up to their reputation!
"In the Beastman Nation, Lustful Wolves are nobility. The Gold Wolves, especially, are elite among elites—the most desirable bachelors in the kingdom. Beastmen practice monogamy, so marrying into the Gold Wolves guarantees status and power." Si Lei paused meaningfully before continuing, "There are seven clans within the Lustful Wolves: Gold, Silver, Purple, Red, Blue, Green, and White. The Gold Wolves have always been favored by the king. Marrying one means joining the upper echelons of society."
"But if Lustful Wolves are so great, why is Sally running? Doesn't she know their status?" Su Fei pondered aloud before asking Sally softly, "Why are you so scared of them? They sound pretty good to me!"
Sally hesitated, then whispered, "Everyone says Lustful Wolves are cruel—they kill without mercy and eat people every night…"
"Wait, you actually believe that?" Su Fei couldn't help laughing. "If that were true, how could Lustful Wolves even exist in the Beastman Nation? Who told you these lies?"
"Other girls… When I saw him coming this morning, I panicked and ran. Then I got lost in the desert," Sally admitted quietly, her voice trailing off.
"Poor thing! Those jealous girls probably made up those stories to scare you," Su Fei muttered, hugging Sally tighter. How had this sweet, naive girl survived this long? She was curious to meet the Lustful Wolf who had sent Sally fleeing.
Speak of the devil! In the distance, several wobbly figures approached the caravan.
"It's them!" Sally gasped, hiding behind Su Fei in fear.
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Will Sally find safety with Su Fei, or will the Lustful Wolves tear her away?