Chapter 14: Caught in the midst of rough mountains

Sinketu was furious, wanting to devour and destroy everything.

Just moments ago, Si had made the decision to no longer care about Jiang Huaying abandoning her.

After all, she had already returned; the past no longer mattered, as long as she no longer deceived Xiu…

But reality dealt a brutal and fierce blow!

Sinklai’s head throbbed with pain, and his chest was tugged by an invisible force.

His mind refused to think about what that meant.

As long as… as long as Shufu was dead, that would be enough.

Yes, that was exactly it.

Jiang Huaying was completely unaware of what had happened.

Sinklai, seemingly provoked, wore an expression of madness, as if he were about to kill.

Meanwhile, the other little Xianmi inside the Zhu Ka bristled their backs, letting out threatening calls from their throats.

“An intruder!”

As the lord of the Zhaoguang Forest, Sinklai naturally sensed it immediately.

He shot a hateful glance at Jiang Huaying before vanishing from the spot.

His blood-stained, glaring eyes before leaving seemed as if they wanted to devour her flesh and blood alive.

Also disappearing were the other little Xianmi.

Soon, the Zhu Ka room was left with only Jiang Huaying alone.

After staring at the tangled forest for quite some time, the Upper City audience was exhausted from cursing.

Just as they planned to end this farce and shut down the livestream, suddenly a towering shadow appeared on the screen.

It was the Butcher!

The Divine Gate had entered the Zhaoguang Forest:

Upon seeing the pale, grim skull of the ram-headed figure, the Upper City audience couldn’t contain their screams.

“Si has arrived!”

“Shufu really appeared!”

They were like fanatic fans obsessed with a CP, excited beyond measure.

The previously declining livestream viewership surged once more.

On the livestream, the Zhaoguang Forest came alive again because of the intruder.

Thick, supple black branches spread across the sky like a sinister snake’s den, bringing a terrifying sense of oppression.

Viewers instinctively leaned back, afraid the disgusting branches might crawl out from the projection.

But Shufu, who faced the danger head-on, showed no hesitation and charged straight forward.

In the dim crimson view, a white light flashed repeatedly.

That was Jiang Huaying’s location.

Anyone who tried to block Shufu from reaching her would be ruthlessly defended against.

Shufu swung his massive axe, using his powerful body to carve a path through the Zhaoguang Forest!

The trees howled in pain, growing wilder and more violent, causing the entire ground to tremble.

The Upper City audience held their breath, clenched their fists, and for the first time hoped fiercely that Shufu would win!

Humans really were strange creatures.

Not long ago, the proud Upper City citizens thought the Butcher wasn’t worthy of their angel; now they all stood on the same side, united against evil.

Sadly, the stirring scene didn’t last long.

In the end, the last camera was shattered by the battle’s impact, broken into pieces.

The livestream plunged into darkness again.

Viewers who caught the critical moment were almost driven mad by curiosity.

When the livestream resumed, the forest was in ruins, plunged into heavy deathly silence—nothing could be seen.

Time jumped to shortly after the livestream cut off.

Sinklai arrived at the battlefield.

The battle escalated.

Dense, gloomy darkness engulfed the entire Zhaoguang Forest, filled with murderous intent, strangling Shufu.

Shufu stood in the black swamp, slightly lowering his head; cold red light seeped from his skull eye sockets, his taut muscles accumulating terrifying power.

In an instant, two top-tier alpha monsters entangled with each other.

If the camera were still working, it would capture the most primal violence and savage slaughter.

Inhuman terror spread…

The other cats who rushed over transformed back into their true forms, but the huge gap in their strength prevented them from approaching.

They had no choice but to retreat far away.

The earth-shattering battle seemed to last a long time, yet also only a short while.

When the lingering dust settled, they saw their leader and the Butcher standing on opposite sides.

The Butcher’s wounds were so deep that bones showed, blood dripping profusely, yet he still stood firm like an iron tower.

Their leader was unharmed but wore a very bad expression, as if deeply provoked.

“Game paused, everyone return.”

Sinklai’s voice echoed into the ears of every monster.

Sen Quan’s tone carried indescribable chaotic emotions—jealousy and obsession tangled with reluctant envy, sharp resentment intertwined with the defeat’s agony.

Jiang Huaying waited inside the Zhu Ka for a while.

The overly quiet environment, paired with the constant alarm tone of her increasing darkening value, gave her a bad feeling.

After much consideration, she decided to leave first.

The moment she opened the door, she felt the world darken as a hot, burning male body pressed down on her.

The heavy scent of blood mixed with a familiar shower gel fragrance pierced her nostrils.

Jiang Huaying felt like a big dog had suddenly charged at her, uncontrollably staggering backward several steps.

Just as she was about to fall, the Butcher’s strong arm circled her, pressing her back against his chest.

His battle-pumped chest muscles were even more magnificent and full than before, as if she were trapped inside a raging mountain wave.

The Butcher held Jiang Huaying tightly, inhaling her scent deeply, yet still feeling it was insufficient.

Si didn’t know how to express his current emotions—like a restless wild beast.

Endless experiments had long destroyed Si’s humanity; human emotions were complex and foreign to him.

Only by continuously pressing the soft body in his arms closer could he dissipate these unrelenting emotions.

Or embed her completely into his body, becoming one forever, never separated again.

“I… I… Cai… let me go…” Jiang Huaying’s voice struggled out from the mountain of muscle.

Shufu eased the increasing pressure.

Jiang Huaying immediately pushed him away, freeing herself from the scorching embrace.

“Whew… Why did you come?”

She barely caught her breath before being held again.

Fortunately, this time Shufu bent his waist.

But soon Jiang Huaying realized it wasn’t a comfortable posture either.

The Butcher, like a dog long separated from his master, buried his head in her neck.

She could clearly feel the cold, stern touch of his ram skull against her skin.

Though this was their most tender moment, beneath the warmth hid sharp reefs, making her clearly aware that the one embracing her wasn’t truly a good dog.

Jiang Huaying hugged Shufu back, her hands gripping his broad back.

“Imeng, I waited at home for you, but you never came back. Then the purple-red bug mist appeared…”

“I’m here now.”

Shufu interrupted her explanation, his muffled voice coming from the skull.

[Heilei Concentration -10]

Truly a good dog, inside and out.

Jiang Huaying relaxed her body and pressed her cheek against his neck.

“I missed you so much, I almost… you almost didn’t see me.”

She cautiously observed the Butcher’s reaction, wanting to know if he had seen Sinketu or knew about his relationship with her.

After a few seconds of silence, Shufu spoke, “Can’t blame me. Won’t happen next time.”

Jiang Huaying realized that being so taciturn might have drawbacks—she was unsure how to interpret Shufu’s attitude.

But he looked calm, so he probably didn’t know.

Her mind was in chaos, silent.

Her silence made the fierce beast before her restless and anxious.

Shufu moved his arm; his large palm lifted and fell gently, like comforting a child as he patted her back.

“Don’t worry.”

The scattered thoughts in Jiang Huaying’s mind suddenly fell with those two words.

“Thud,” they struck heavily in her heart.

“You… let me see your wounds. They smell of blood; you should treat them.”

She hurriedly pushed Shufu away.

The Butcher let out an embarrassed grumble, quickly stepping back and apologizing again, “Sorry.”

Jiang Huaying’s eyes wandered; her peripheral vision caught the black leather collar on Shufu’s neck—the one she had put on him for Xiu earlier.

But soon, her attention was completely seized by the gaping, flesh-tearing wounds on his body.

Those wounds were clearly from Sinklai.

“How did you get hurt so badly…?” In Jiang Huaying’s impression, Shufu was an indestructible fortress.

For ordinary humans, such wounds would be fatal; for Si, it would be like being lightly scratched by a knife.

She still remembered when she signed the pet contract with Shufu in the game—the card had a label: extremely difficult to kill.

But now, these bloody wounds shattered her understanding and certainty.

Even Shufu could die.

The Butcher stepped back quickly again, grabbing a curtain in the Zhu Ka and roughly wiping himself. “It’s nothing.”

The rough action made the wounds bleed even more, and the curtain got stained everywhere.

His movement halted; for a moment he didn’t know whether to put down the curtain or continue.

He looked awkwardly at Jiang Huaying.

She still stared at the wounds, her brows tightly furrowed as if frightened by the ugly sight, a faint mist rising in her eyes.

This time, the Butcher retreated outside the Zhu Ka.

“… Wait, how can it be nothing?” Jiang Huaying reached out to pull him but was subtly pushed away.

She widened her eyes, temper flaring, pointing at the ground before her, “Come here and stand properly!”

Shufu lowered his head and stood still.

Jiang Huaying counted down, “Three, two…”

Before she could say the last number, Shufu silently came before her.

The shadow cast by the light stretched huge, completely covering the small human girl, but soon the monstrous shadow shrank and bowed fully before her feet.

Shufu knelt on one knee, making it very convenient for whatever Jiang Huaying wanted to do.

She couldn’t find proper bandage materials and could only tear another curtain to use as gauze.

In a dark corner unseen, a pair of sharp, vicious eyes fixed tightly on everything unfolding.

Shufu was doing it on purpose!

This disgusting, stinky dog deliberately avoided counterattacking Si, leaving wounds to garner sympathy.

Sinklai silently screamed in the darkness.

The same old play!

A cheap, insincere trick!

Such a method had long been used before!

Sinklai desperately wanted to charge out and tear the Butcher’s face apart to let Jiang Huaying see his ugly true face.

But he couldn’t.

Sinklai clawed wildly at the darkness again and again.

No, right now he was nothing but a nameless, unrecognized feral cat without a collar or master.