With Me Here, They Won't Take You Away!

Luckily, the men in black weren't especially strong, and they hadn't reacted in time.

In that brief moment, Zhu Zhuqing seized her chance and successfully broke through.

"Hurry, after her!"

Though they'd only caught sight of a blur, the men in black still recognized Zhu Zhuqing and immediately ordered the others to pursue her.

Zhu Zhuyun, not far away, chased after her as well.

The group then raced back and forth through the outskirts.

Their commotion startled many Soul Beasts, but fortunately, there were enough of them that the Soul Beasts didn't react right away and chose to flee.

"How interesting!"

Watching them chase one another, Luo Yan smiled faintly.

When Zhu Zhuqing was about to leave the range of his spiritual sense, he appeared and followed after them. However, he trailed slowly behind without moving ahead.

At first, the men in black relied on their numbers to gradually close the distance between themselves and Zhu Zhuqing.

But as night fell, Zhu Zhuqing used her nimble movements to widen the gap once more.

However, during her escape, Zhu Zhuqing's injuries kept worsening. After all, the men in black were armed.

By midnight, Zhu Zhuqing was struggling to keep going.

This escape had drained not only Zhu Zhuqing's spirit, but also the Soul Power within her.

The fact that she'd held on this long already showed how strong her will was.

She had no choice but to stop again and find somewhere to hide.

In a large tree not far from Zhu Zhuqing, Luo Yan quietly watched her.

Zhu Zhuyun also noticed that Zhu Zhuqing had stopped and ordered the men in black to search for her.

At her words, the men in black scattered.

Phew~

Zhu Zhuqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was lying in a patch of grass.

There happened to be a small hollow in the ground beneath the grass. Curled up inside it, she couldn't be seen even if the men in black parted the grass above her.

But whenever she heard footsteps, she didn't dare breathe, afraid they would discover her.

Fortunately, the men in black hadn't brought any hunting dogs, and no one's Martial Soul was good at tracking scents.

Although the men in black hadn't found Zhu Zhuqing's hiding place yet, she was in a terrible state.

During her escape, one of the men in black had hit her in the waist with a Soul Skill, leaving a large wound.

The hollow where she was hiding was tiny, just large enough to fit her body. She couldn't move at all, so she couldn't stop the bleeding.

As she continued to lose blood, Zhu Zhuqing's head began to feel heavy.

She kept forcing herself to stay conscious, holding on through sheer will.

"Am I going to die here?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the dense grass, despair showing in her eyes.

If she went out, they would take her back, which was no different from dying. But if she kept hiding, she didn't think she could last much longer.

A little over twenty meters from Zhu Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuyun looked at the men in black before her, her expression grim.

Despite the searches of dozens of men in black, they hadn't found Zhu Zhuqing anywhere in the area.

Judging by the commotion Zhu Zhuqing had made earlier, Zhu Zhuyun was certain she was still nearby, but the men in black just couldn't find her.

"Damn it! What are you all good for?"

"Keep looking! I want to see her alive or dead!"

Zhu Zhuyun was furious. She hadn't expected that so many of them would be unable to catch a single Soul Grandmaster like Zhu Zhuqing.

Yet after searching for another hour, they still hadn't found Zhu Zhuqing.

Hidden in the grass, where no one noticed her, Zhu Zhuqing was in agony. Her face had turned deathly pale from blood loss.

She felt she couldn't hold on any longer.

"Hang on. With me here, no one will dare take you!"

Just as she was about to give up, a deep voice suddenly rang out.

Unable to see anyone nearby, Zhu Zhuqing thought she was hallucinating because of her poor condition.

Just as she began to think she'd imagined it, a pair of long, graceful arms parted the grass, pushing it aside all the way until she was exposed.

"Who are you...?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked wary, but her weakened state made her voice sound feeble.

"Don't worry. With me here, they won't take you away!"

Luo Yan didn't answer Zhu Zhuqing's question. He reached out and lifted her into his arms.

Zhu Zhuqing was so weak she couldn't fight back, and could only let Luo Yan carry her.

After gathering Zhu Zhuqing in his arms, Luo Yan circulated his spiritual energy to stop the bleeding, keeping the wound from bleeding any further.

Zhu Zhuyun, who had already searched three times without finding Zhu Zhuqing, was about to withdraw.

But the commotion Luo Yan caused caught the attention of Zhu Zhuyun and the men in black. They hurried toward him.

As they moved, they formed a circle around him.

Luo Yan paid them no attention. In his eyes, they were no more than ants and couldn't cause any trouble.

He focused on channeling his spiritual energy to heal Zhu Zhuqing's wound.

Zhu Zhuqing could clearly feel waves of warmth coming from the hand pressed against her wound. The warmth spread throughout her body.

When she looked at Luo Yan's focused expression, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt her nose sting.

This was the first time she had truly felt someone's concern for her.

For a moment, Zhu Zhuqing gave up on the idea of breaking free from his embrace. She only wished time would stop right there.

"Uh..."

Noticing Zhu Zhuqing's heated gaze, Luo Yan was a little bewildered.

He'd only meant to rescue Zhu Zhuqing in her moment of danger and leave an unforgettable impression on her.

He hadn't expected that one basic attack would make Zhu Zhuqing's feelings explode...

Just then, Zhu Zhuyun and her people surrounded them.

Noticing the men in black around them from the corner of her eye, Zhu Zhuqing looked flustered.

She wasn't afraid of being captured. She was worried that Zhu Zhuyun and the others would attack Luo Yan. She didn't want to drag him into this.

"Go first. They won't make things difficult for you..."

Before Zhu Zhuyun could approach, Zhu Zhuqing mustered all her strength to wrap her arms around Luo Yan's neck and whispered.

Feeling the softness against his chest, Luo Yan ignored Zhu Zhuqing's words. He wrapped his other arm around her and patted her back reassuringly.

"Don't worry. Didn't I tell you? With me here, they won't take you away!"

Luo Yan didn't take the men in black seriously at all.

By then, the men in black had completely surrounded them, leaving not a single gap.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing felt a hint of despair.

To her, Luo Yan was only in his teens. There was no way he could escape this encirclement, especially while carrying a burden like her.

Her kind heart told her she couldn't drag Luo Yan down with her.

Zhu Zhuqing thought about climbing down from Luo Yan's arms and holding off Zhu Zhuyun and the others alone, giving Luo Yan time to escape.

"Don't move, or your wound will get worse!"

Feeling Zhu Zhuqing struggle, Luo Yan held her a little tighter.

"Put me down. I'm their target. As long as I go back with them, they won't make things difficult for you!"

Realizing she couldn't break free, Zhu Zhuqing could only plead in a low voice.