Lost Forest 01: Qi Qi, Do You Want to Save Him?

A corpse turning pale and decaying was normal, but this unnatural shriveling was not. Even severe blood loss should not have left a body like this. It was as though every drop of blood had drained away, taking the moisture from its cells with it.

The examination confirmed it: these young women had lost all their blood in a very short time, leaving their bodies shriveled. The wounds used to drain their blood also showed that they had still been alive when it happened.

Their bodies remained at the Town Office for several more days while the cause of death was investigated. In the end, the investigators found nothing more and notified the families to collect them.

But looking at Xiya's face, Ye Chuqi had the feeling she knew something. She just did not know how to ask.

"Don't worry about me." Xiya's face was pale, but her eyes were steady. "It just reminded me of something unpleasant."

When the Red Wind Mercenary Group was first formed, it had only a dozen or so members, all young people Red Beard had taken in around the Imperial Capital. Xiya was one of them. Red Beard had rescued her from people who had tried to kidnap her.

Only later had she learned that some nobles in the Imperial Capital had strange and cruel tastes. Lacking the talent to extend their lives by growing stronger, they had turned to all manner of bizarre methods. Some firmly believed that the blood of young women could keep them forever young.

She had nearly been abducted and made into one of the nobles' living blood supplies.

Seeing those shriveled bodies now, she could not help wondering whether she would have ended up like them if Red Beard had not saved her. And since the girls' disappearances were connected to the Imperial Capital, could they also be connected to those living blood supplies?

Duke Fulton fell silent when he saw the state of his daughter's body. As a noble himself, he knew about the filthy dealings among the Imperial Capital's aristocracy. Without a word, he took his people and left Kru Town.

Kru Town had a Teleportation Array, and a massive one at that. It could carry people across the entire Lost Forest, transporting them from Kru Town to Monte City on the other side in an instant. There was no need to struggle through the danger-filled forest. Of course, using the Teleportation Array was extremely expensive, far beyond what ordinary people could afford. An array of this size consumed even more resources, making it costlier still. Almost no one used it.

Money was no concern for Duke Fulton, so he used the Teleportation Array without hesitation.

No one had suspected the culprits had left by Teleportation Array. For one thing, it cost too much. For another, its use was recorded by both the Mage Guild and the Town Office. They could not have vanished from everyone's sight without leaving a trace.

Ye Chuqi had specifically asked about the price. Activating Kru Town's Teleportation Array cost a hundred thousand gold coins, and it could carry at most a hundred people. Even with a full load, that came to a thousand gold coins per person. By Kru Town's prices, ten silver coins could support an ordinary family of three for a month. Duke Fulton's party numbered more than a hundred, so the array had been activated three times. He had spent three hundred thousand gold coins.

The world of the wealthy.

"Are we taking the Teleportation Array too?" Ye Chuqi knew it was expensive, but she was still curious about it. Besides, the Red Wind Mercenary Group was carrying something as valuable as the Red Sun Fruit, and someone had their eye on Red Beard. Crossing the Lost Forest now seemed unwise. Using the Teleportation Array made more sense.

"We could." Red Beard turned toward Jun Ruofeng, who controlled the money. They needed his approval. This mission had cost Red Beard too much. The Red Sun Fruit would bring in a substantial sum once delivered, but as far as Jun Ruofeng was concerned, Red Beard was still deep in debt.

Jun Ruofeng did not mind. He had always demanded comfort. He usually stayed in the Imperial Capital and could hardly be bothered to leave unless something required his personal attention or he needed to inspect one of his businesses. Even when he did travel, he either stayed tucked inside a carriage or took a Teleportation Array. What was the point of earning so much money if he could not enjoy it?

But no one expected the Teleportation Array, which had always worked smoothly, to go wrong today.

The instant its white light flared, San San's urgent voice rang out in Ye Chuqi's mind. "Qi Qi! Watch out!"

Space was twisting. This was not what a normal teleportation should look like. Ye Chuqi knew the sight all too well: she had seen the same thing when she encountered Space-Time Turbulence not long ago.

"Qi Qi, the third line from the left. Cut it!"

After years of working together, San San's voice was as immediate to Ye Chuqi as her own thoughts. She acted on the instruction without hesitation. The teleportation had already begun. If she did not want them thrown into turbulent Astral Wind, she had to force it to stop.

Every Formation had its own distinct lines. This massive Teleportation Array was no exception.

It all happened in an instant. By the time Red Beard and the others sensed that something was wrong, Ye Chuqi had already struck and shoved Red Beard, who happened to be standing near that line, out of the way.

The light blazed, then abruptly vanished. Its shifting glare left only an afterimage in their eyes, and they found themselves somewhere else.

Everyone in the Red Wind Mercenary Group was there. Ye Chuqi was gone.

Chapter 17: Lost Forest 01—Qi Qi, Do You Want to Save Him?

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Ye Chuqi spat hard several times before she managed to clear the dirt from her mouth. She had landed face-first without a chance to react. She was grateful she had not broken any teeth.

"San San?"

"I'm here."

Ye Chuqi breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing San San was still with her, she was no longer afraid of anything.

Sensing what Ye Chuqi was thinking, San San laughed. "The Teleportation Array was interrupted so suddenly that there's no telling where everyone ended up. Judging by our surroundings, we should be somewhere in the Lost Forest."

"Tch." They had chosen the Teleportation Array precisely to avoid wasting time in the Lost Forest. Then disaster had struck from nowhere, and she still had to make her way through it, separated from the Red Wind Mercenary Group. "What exactly happened?"