novelkee Chapter 2278 - 651: Hot-Blooded and Scheming_2
Chapter 2278 - 651: Hot-Blooded and Scheming_2
In the next hour, An Zhifeng and the others had quite a fruitful time, encountering giant pythons, strange bears, crocodiles, and even the legendary man-eating ants. As they made their way through, they eagerly collected snake gall and bear gall. An Zhifeng and his companions chuckled to themselves, thinking that these items could fetch a good price when sold.
As everyone was calculating in their minds, a scream pierced the sky, nearly causing them to slip and fall.
It wasn’t that they were timid, but the scream was extremely miserable, and with the eerie forest as a backdrop, it felt like a horror movie.
"What happened?" Just as An Yiqing finished her question, a flurry of frantic footsteps and wailing cries for help erupted in the distance. The sound grew closer and in the blink of an eye, its owners appeared not far in front of An Yiqing.
"Help! Help!" An elderly man with white hair, leading the group, caught sight of An Yiqing and friends and hope filled his eyes. He charged toward them with surprising speed, almost as if his old limbs were spring-loaded, making the sight almost teeth-gritting.
"Young lady! Please save me! Save us! There’s a monster!" The old man fled in panic, followed by a little girl with tears streaming down her face and several burly men.
An Yiqing raised an eyebrow, ready to speak, when a deafening roar thundered through the forest, causing the ground to tremble.
Thud—thud—thud—heavy and terrifying footsteps followed, as the trees around quivered and rustled with unease. An Yiqing stood still, frowning, staring into the distant ominously dark forest, watching as a massive creature slowly emerged.
The King of the Jungle—a lion!
Though An Yiqing wasn’t as experienced in field operations as Gu Yelin and Tan Yulin, she considered herself knowledgeable. But even she was taken aback by the lion in front of her.
It was huge!
Its two golden eyes looked authoritative, mane bristling like soldiers at attention. Its gigantic body resembled a small mountain. An Yiqing glanced at its forelimbs, then at her slim waist, and a few imaginary black lines slid downward silently.
"Tsk, this guy must have quite a few treasures, right?" An Zhifeng was obsessed with collecting treasures, and eyed the lion as if it were a mountain of gold.
The old man leading the group shot him a strange look, discreetly inching their way further away.
"Y-young lady, that lion has eaten three of our companions, please save us!" The white-haired elder wiped his tears and snot, his face pale, shaking all over as if he had caught a chill.
An Yiqing focused on the lion’s golden eyes, feeling a headache. The lion now thought of her as food, leaving her no choice but to take on the burden.
"Zixuan, Xiao Hei, you two go up."
Long Zixuan and Xiao Hei accepted the command, sauntering forward with grins. Long Zixuan charged in bare-handed, while Xiao Hei held a dagger, taking positions on either side of the lion, watching it intently.
Sensing the threatening aura from the Divine Dragon and Xuanwu, the lion uneasily scraped the ground with its enormous paw, snarling repeatedly.
Long Zixuan smirked devilishly, his black combat boots tapping the ground as he lunged forward first. Xiao Hei, not wanting to be outdone, his small frame filled with agility and nimbleness, darting onto the lion’s back, his sharp dagger stabbing into it repeatedly, making it increasingly restless.
Roar—!
The lion let out an earth-shattering roar, its paw— as big as an adult man’s head—flailing wildly. Long Zixuan and Xiao Hei narrowly avoided getting swatted several times, eliciting cold sweat from the onlookers.
"Young lady, call them back quickly. That lion is too terrifying; those two can’t handle it, young lady!" The white-haired elder prattled incessantly in An Yiqing’s ear, irritating her to no end.
She turned to glare at him coldly, her eyes brimming with killing intent, "Shut up."
The old man instantly fell silent, shrinking his chilled neck, wanting to speak but not daring to. The young girl who had been crying beside him saw her elder being wronged, raised her eyebrows, and glared at An Yiqing.
"Hey! How can you be like this? My grandfather was kindly advising you, why aren’t you reasonable?! "
An Yiqing glanced at the girl, her watery eyes narrowing slightly, her gaze filled with danger, "Is this how you speak to your savior?"
The girl choked, her face turning red.