The group never expected that their tactics would fail time after time. Now, not only did the beasts not injure each other gravely in a fight to the death where the winner stays and the loser leaves, they actually stopped attacking. They merely suffered some light wounds, nothing but a few bloodstains on their fur, and evidently, they were preparing to enjoy their meal first.
Their complexions suddenly changing, the group all stood up, now forced to fight head-on. It seemed that to lighten the tense atmosphere, the always off-beat Zhao Qing still cracked a joke, "Damn it, they've become too clever. Aren't animals supposed to not share their food with others? This place is already bizarre, could it be that they've all turned into spirits or something?"
Clearly lacking the energy to play along with him, the group glanced at him, irritated. What, were they food? Well, in the eyes of those two beasts, they were indeed food.
Hehe, these people are quite interesting. These people were still useful to her, after all. Rendering them half-dead wouldn't do her plans any good. Qinghe dispersed the Spiritual Energy she had been using to hide her presence.
Alas, she felt sorry for the little leopard. She had actually wanted to leave it with two of them as prey. The rule of the jungle was the survival of the fittest, and Qinghe thought it was only natural for the weaker to be eaten. It wouldn't be right for her to break that rule, would it?
But these folks seemed not too shabby; it would be a pity to watch them die like this. Therefore, she decided to be less scrupulous just this once and intervene again.
The two animals that were just about to pounce forward immediately halted their actions and looked in Qinghe's direction. Animal senses were very acute, which is why Qinghe had stayed hidden; otherwise, those people wouldn't have noticed her at all.
Everyone was astonished to see the two wild animals that were baring their fangs and looked so ferocious, ready to pounce on them, suddenly stop in their tracks, look at each other in an almost human-like manner, and then, to everyone's surprise, turn tail and run. The cheetah even cast a somewhat resentful look towards Qinghe before reluctantly fleeing the scene.
Qinghe felt a rare hint of embarrassment as she touched her nose. Even from a distance of several meters, it seemed she could feel the cheetah's resentful gaze. Having too keen a perception wasn't always a good thing, it seemed.
The sudden change left the group dumbfounded, unable to grasp the fact they had braced themselves for a fight to the death, but their predators had instead fled. It was like being on the brink of a fervent battle, blood boiling with the desire to defeat one's enemy, when suddenly, the opponent surrenders, rendering all the preparations pointless. How could they not feel frustrated?
Struggling to react, Fang Xiaoyang's shrill scream snapped them back to reality, "Ah, Brother Yu, they're gone, they're gone; we're not going to be eaten!"
However, Cui Guangyu was not relieved. Unlike the brainless Fang Xiaoyang, she kept a close watch on the direction the animals had looked before leaving.
If something made the animals give up on their meal that was right in front of their snouts, it had to be something more formidable arriving. Animals had an acute sense of danger, and perhaps they were now faced with an even greater threat. There was nothing to rejoice over.
Clearly, there was only one person without a brain in the group. Seeing Cui Guangyu's reaction, the other three also cautiously guarded in one direction, alert to the "rustling" sound of something stepping on the grass, which made them even more tense.
Even Fang Xiaoyang, upon hearing this noise, finally realized something was amiss. Though she didn't know what was happening, she knew that their expressions spelled nothing good.
Qinghe, witnessing their reactions, was pleased. Thankfully, she hadn't allowed the animals to eat any of them earlier.
What an interesting combination they were, three men and two women, some cool-headed and wise, some humorous and fearless, others sunny and warm. The most interesting were the two women, one utterly brainless, and another with such a gentle and graceful name as Wanwan, yet she turned out to be someone who didn't fit the profile of being frail at all.
Hehe, how did such a group of people end up together? However, there is one thing they all have in common, they are all handsome men and beautiful women. Unknown to Qinghe, as she was silently judging them, they were likewise sizing her up.
The group tightened their hold on their daggers, hands slick with sweat, cautiously watching the figure that was slowly revealing itself, and staring in shock at the scene unfolding before them.
Oh, no, not a person, to be precise, it was one human and one wolf. The first thing to appear was a huge, snow-white wolf's head, and as its entire body came into view, it completely dazzled the beholders' eyes and sent shockwaves through their hearts.
Before them was a giant wave almost two meters wide, upon which sat a delicate and charming young girl. Her smooth forehead, willow-like eyebrows, large eyes with clear, distinct black and white, a small and perky nose, diamond-shaped lips flushed with a tender pink, and fair skin with a faint rosy glow. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back, blowing in the wind, unadorned and freely spread out.
Sporting an untouched and tranquil aura that seemed distant and serene, the person was clad in animal skins, with a leopard-skin shoulder cape revealing a delicate collarbone and a Wolf Tooth Necklace, and a leopard-print skirt that reached her knees, showcasing her pale, flawless arms and legs.
If you said she was demurely charming, then this attire added a wild beauty to her. This pure and unaffected temperament hinted at a wildness that didn't seem at odds but created a peculiar paradox.
"Won't you thank me for rescuing you?" A crisp voice, with eyes glinting with humor, snapped the group back to reality, causing them to cough awkwardly.
They were accustomed to seeing beauties and handsome faces; how could they lose their composure like this? Yet, they had never seen someone like her.
Captured by the vision of this captivating individual, it was only then that they abruptly remembered, and all at once turned to look at the creature upon which the beauty was seated – a wolf, a massive two meters tall, with pure and flawless white fur faintly shimmering with silver, and a pair of emerald green eyes unlike the usual wolf's, full of mystery. This must be a Snow Wolf.
The beauty was leaning on her arms, half-propped upon the wolf, the sight of the beauty and the beast utterly dazzling their eyes.
Qinghe had seen her reflection in the water before and, by the standards of the world she used to live in, she was indeed a rare beauty. It seemed that hadn't changed.
With playful sarcasm, Qinghe repeated her question, "Won't you thank me for rescuing you?"
Only then did the group remember the prior event. Looking at the wolf the beauty was riding, their expressions turned odd. It was this very wolf that had scared away those two animals, wasn't it? But such a beautiful, noble, and mighty Snow Wolf allowing a person to ride on its back – could it be that even wolves have a penchant for beauties?
Xiaoliu seemed dissatisfied with their response. His beloved sprite was talking to them, and they dared not react? "Ow-wooo," Xiaoliu menacingly advanced a little closer to them.
Confronted by the enormous Snow Wolf, nothing could have been more effective. The group instantly snapped out of their trance, at last remembering the beauty's words.
Zhao Qing immediately took a step back, smiling cheekily at the beauty, "Miss, you really should keep a closer eye on your wolf. We wouldn't want the lives we barely saved to end up in its belly."
Before Qinghe could respond, the Snow Wolf retorted, "Who wants to eat them? They stink."