First Meeting with Jin Ling, the Beautiful Golden Eagle Youth

After Feng Rumeng left the Demon Cave, she appeared in a sea of flowers in a valley.

She was a little dazed. This...

Feng Rumeng quickly crouched down and discovered that the ground beneath her feet no longer looked as it had in the cave. It was just ordinary soil.

Could that barrier have been a teleportation array? Was it really meant to trap Xingye?

Could he see me from down there?

Feng Rumeng shouted at the ground, "Xingye, can you hear me?"

"Xingye, Xingye..."

Feng Rumeng dug into the ground with her stone knife. She dug a foot deep, but found nothing except more soil.

Forget it. She stood up and looked around the valley. That fellow was powerful; right now, she should be worried about herself.

Panic gradually rose in Feng Rumeng's heart. She didn't know where she was!

How was she supposed to find any trace of Jianyue? How was she supposed to find the tribe? She had no map, no landmarks...

She was like a lost young beast right now. Didn't beast-world novels always say that mates could sense each other through their mate marks?

Why was there no reaction from the mark she shared with Ling? And that fox's mate mark kept turning gray one moment, then darker the next...

What was she going to do? What could she do? Was she going back to surviving alone, like when she had first arrived in the beast world?

She was frustrated...

If only I had a pair of wings...

A moment later, Feng Rumeng took a compass out of her space. After getting her bearings, she headed east. The mountains were tallest in that direction; perhaps she could see where the tribe was from the summit.

She put on a mask and tied her pant legs tight. By sunset, she finally reached the foot of the mountain.

Feng Rumeng looked up at the peak, her heart quailing a little. The mountain had looked high from afar, but up close it was even higher and steeper.

The path was difficult enough, and there was no telling what fierce beasts lurked in the mountain forest.

In the Eagle Tribe, Hu Feng held Jianyue, his voice still shaken with fear. "Yue, I'm sorry. It was all our fault. We couldn't protect you."

Batu stood at the very back, his face bruised and swollen. One look was enough to tell that Hu Feng had beaten him up.

"I'm sorry, Jianyue. I was too weak. I couldn't protect you."

Jianyue didn't blame him. "Where's Rumeng? Have you found her?"

Batu and Hu Yun shook their heads. "We couldn't find the female Rumeng's scent."

Jianyue looked at the Eagle Tribe's chief, pleading in her eyes. "Chief Ji Feng, the flying beast who captured me must know where the female Rumeng is."

Ji Feng said gravely, "That flying beast was slapped to death by a snake beast."

"Was it Ling?" Jianyue looked at Hu Feng.

"It was Ling. He went back to search along the way," Hu Feng replied.

Beside them, Hu Chun said darkly, "If it weren't for her, how would you have been captured by evil beasts, Jianyue? A female like that deserves to be eaten by fierce beasts. Only Ling treats her like a treasure."

Jianyue rebuked Hu Chun angrily. "Chun, how can you say that about Rumeng? Who told you I was captured because of her? Rumeng disappeared trying to save me."

"Yue, don't be angry. Lina and Qingqing were the ones who said it. I only said those things because I was worried about you." Hu Chun's expression was restrained.

Jianyue looked at Hu Feng and the others, feeling a pang of hurt. She didn't understand why her mates were so hostile toward Rumeng. Was it just because she was black?

She raised her eyes to Ji Feng. "Chief Ji Feng, could you send some of your tribe's warriors to look for the female Rumeng?"

"She has no rank, and she's very timid. Alone in the forest, she must be terrified."

She paused and looked at Batu. "I'll pay you in Beast Crystals and hides."

Batu understood. He took a beast-hide bag out of his space and handed it to Jianyue.

Hu Feng frowned slightly. "Yue, I know you're worried about her, but don't trouble yourself with this. Leave it to us."

Jianyue nodded, but still handed the beast-hide bag to Ji Feng. "Chief, these are Beast Crystals."

Ji Feng didn't take it. "We'll talk about it after we find that female."

With that, he waved a hand. "Jichi, Jiyuan, you two follow Young Chief Hu Feng and go take a look."

The two youths accepted the order, transformed into eagles, and flew into the sky.

Hu Feng cast Batu a glance with his blue eyes. "Batu, you stay. If anything happens to Yue again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Batu lowered his head. "I'll make sure to protect Jianyue."

"Hu Feng, Hu Chun, be careful, both of you," Jianyue said.

In the forest, Ling moved like a gust of wind, searching every possible place.

"Little Meng'er, I can't sense you. I can't smell your scent. Where on earth were you taken?" His voice was urgent, his purple eyes scarlet.

Elsewhere, Feng Rumeng was curled up in a crevice between rocks, leaning against the stone wall with her eyes closed. She had intended to listen for movement around her, but accidentally discovered that she could see everything within three meters.

Her eyes were clearly closed, yet it was as though they were open.

She opened and closed her eyes three times and found that it was no illusion.

Could this be a skill I awakened after becoming mates with Xingye?

Thinking it over carefully, that didn't seem to be the whole story. It seemed what had happened with the colorful stone by the river that day was no accident.

She couldn't sleep that night. Finding the skill fun, she experimented with it over and over. By daybreak, everything within five zhang was clearly visible to her senses.

She looked at a leaf beside her and reached out, giving a slight thought at the same time. The leaf flew up and landed in her hand.

It seemed that by becoming mates with Xingye, she had gained a blessing in disguise. Legend said the Dragon Tribe had powerful spiritual power, and the Dragon Qi he had transferred to her had strengthened her originally feeble spiritual power.

She tried controlling more leaves, and hundreds upon thousands of fallen leaves spun around her.

This skill is far too heaven-defying! she thought joyfully.

When birdsong sounded from the woods, Feng Rumeng took food out of her space. As she ate, she thought of Long Xingye again. At the time, she had only been thinking about how to leave and hadn't left any for him.

Then she would leave the food in her space untouched and save it all for him. Smiling, she shook her head and walked out of the rock crevice. She didn't know whether she would be able to keep the bowl of water level between Ling and Xingye in the future.

"Little female, why are you alone in the mountain forest?"

Feng Rumeng raised her eyes and saw a beautiful youth wearing a feathered beast-hide skirt.

"Hello," Feng Rumeng greeted him. "Are you a beastman from a nearby tribe?"

The youth was momentarily dazed. His golden eyes filled with a smile, and he placed one hand over his chest. "My name is Jin Ling. I'm from the Golden Eagle Tribe in Beast King City. I'm chasing a sixth-rank fox beast."

A golden eagle? He's a flying beastman. If he can chase a sixth-rank fox beast, he must be at least sixth rank himself. He looks about the same age as Ling. Feng Rumeng took a step forward.

"Hello, Jin Ling. Do you know which direction the Fierce Tiger Tribe is in? I got separated from my tribemates."

She said she got separated from her tribe? This is the middle of fierce beast territory. What beastmen would come here to hunt? She was probably captured and brought here by evil beasts. Jin Ling's gaze never left her from beginning to end.

"I came from the west. I'm not very familiar with this place, and I didn't see any tribes in the mountain forests. I could take you east to look, though."

The corners of Feng Rumeng's lips curved up. "Really? Once I find my tribemates, I'll have him pay you in Beast Crystals and hides."

Feng Rumeng blinked. "Um, Jin Ling, go after the fox beast first. I won't cause you any trouble. I'll wait for you here by the rock crevice."

Jin Ling looked behind her and smiled gently. "All right. I'll be right back."