Lin Bai and Zhou Xi struggled to force their way through the crowd, shoving and squeezing until they reached the East City Gate. There, they saw Sun Yao and Liu Jiangxue standing together, with Liu An'an protected in Liu Jiangxue's arms. Both women's expressions were unusually tense and grave as they looked around in panic at the martial artists, listening to their shouts and roars.
Standing before Sun Yao and Liu Jiangxue were dozens of male martial artists, shielding the women behind them. Among them, one particularly eye-catching young man had a sturdy build and a resolute face. He had also begun calling on the surrounding martial artists to blast open the city gate and leave.
"Miss Sun Yao, Miss Sun Yao..." Zhou Xi called out when he spotted Sun Yao from afar.
"Qing Luo..." Sun Yao looked toward the voice and saw Lin Bai, his face dark, and Zhou Xi forcing their way through the crowd toward them. Sun Yao and Liu Jiangxue cried out in delight as well.
Before long, Lin Bai and Zhou Xi pushed through the crowd and reached Sun Yao and Liu Jiangxue, only to be stopped by a group of men. One of them shouted coldly, "Can't you see there are already people here? Why are you still pushing forward? Get lost!"
Sun Yao and Liu Jiangxue hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Brother Su Kong, they're our friends."
"Friends of Little Sister Sun Yao?" The young man immediately understood. After sizing up Lin Bai and Zhou Xi, he smiled and said, "So they're Little Sister Sun Yao's friends. Then come in. As it happens, we're discussing how to break through the city-protecting formation and fight our way out of Arid Dragon City. If you join us, you can contribute as well."
Zhou Xi stood