Dongfang Minghui stared, dumbstruck, and only after a long moment did she react. Her lead on the Elf Clan had fallen into the river. To her, Nangong Yuntian's value equaled the Elf Clan.
"Little Lecher, y-you-you have to hold on tight to me from the bank."
She jumped in after him with a splash. The suffocating sensation nearly overwhelmed her as she thrashed in the river. Only after struggling for a while did she realize something had clamped tightly around her ankle. The icy touch made her shudder.
Qian Wanyu had split her attention, effortlessly dealing with the Beastfolk while keeping an eye on Dongfang Minghui and Nangong Yuntian. In the time it took her to turn around, she heard two splashes.
"Ninth Sister."
"Cough-Toothless."
Chubby jumped off the bank first, paddled over with a great splashing, and dove beneath the water to keep pushing Dongfang Minghui upward. "Pfft."
The water was cold enough to freeze someone to death. Dongfang Minghui clung to Chubby's big belly.
Toothless dove into the water and swam freely, paddling with all four paws. Whenever a water monster came into sight, Toothless swiped at it, occasionally releasing tiny bursts of flame. The little flames floated like river lanterns, instantly lighting up the surface.
Several more water monsters, blind to danger, surged toward them. Chubby kicked two away, sharp claws flashing coldly underwater. Dongfang Minghui stared in surprise. "Chubby, let's get out of here."
Nangong Yuntian had already fainted from fright. Had Toothless not arrived so quickly, four or five water monsters would have torn him apart. Toothless gripped his clothes and dragged him up. Standing on Little Lecher's vines, Dongfang Minghui hauled him onto them, but the rope woven from vines could not possibly hold a grown man lying down. Thus, Toothless and Chubby swam