Qiao Xixi clung to Sangze like a koala.

Sangze swiftly leaped among the trees in the forest, popping out every now and then.

Fenglin and the others could only pursue them. Several times, just as Fenglin lunged forward to attack, Sangze would swiftly leap back down to the ground. After several such exchanges, Fenglin was already covered in wounds.

"Don’t go after him! Can’t you see he’s toying with us? Just burn all these trees down!"

Brimming with rage, Fenglin unleashed a fireball at them the next time Sangze appeared.

Sangze dropped back to the forest floor, dodging the fireball.

The island may have been damp, but it couldn’t withstand their constant fiery onslaught.

"Xixi."

Continuing his evasive maneuvers, Sangze led Qiao Xixi to their planned destination.

Sunxiao and the others were already waiting at the entrance of the reef cave.

As Qiao Xixi drew near, the other males caught Sangze’s strong scent on her. Sunxiao immediately reached out and lifted Qiao Xixi from Sangze’s back.

Sangze had just started to frown when he heard Sunxiao’s cold voice. "Dawn is breaking."

Only then did Sangze reluctantly withdraw his hand.

"I hear the cries of the Sea Turtle Beasts," Xiya said.

"They’re here. Sunxiao, you take good care of Xixi and the cubs."

Sunxiao nodded.

After saying this, Jin Ling and the others turned and left the reef cave, heading for the beach.

Qiao Xixi slid down from Sunxiao’s arms, looking back over her shoulder with every step.

Sunxiao held her hand. "Don’t worry, they know what to do."

Qiao Xixi nodded, took the tiger cub from Sangqi’s hands, and followed Sunxiao deep into the cave. This was the place where Xijing and the others had stayed before.

At dawn, Jin Che’s forces finally arrived on the shore.

The beastmen jumped down from the Sea Turtle Beasts one after another.

"Split up. We want them alive."

"Yes."

The beastmen transformed into their beast forms one after another and charged inland.

Meanwhile, Jin Ling and his group stood in the forest. Before them charged the beastmen of Tiger Beast City. Behind them, a raging inferno blazed.

Fenglin and Huang Ying landed in front of Jin Che and his men.

Jin Che glanced at the two pathetic figures and sneered. "So this is the might of the Wing Clan’s high-level warriors. Nothing much."

"That’s right, we’re not up to the task. I guess that means capturing them is all up to you now."

Huang Ying pulled Fenglin back behind them. She was starting to regret her impulsive attack on Sangze. ’My primary mission is to capture those cubs,’ she thought. ’I shouldn’t have wasted time on a single male.’

"Come on. Let’s go find their cubs."

Jin Che ignored them, let out a roar, and charged in.

But he was out of luck. He had only taken a few steps when the ground erupted in a series of explosions. BOOM! BOOM!

The males, who had been excitedly preparing to charge in, were all stunned by the blasts.

Even with their quick reactions, quite a few beastmen were still seriously injured.

Jin Che collapsed to the ground, one of his legs covered in blood.

"Damn it! It’s these things again! Tell everyone to be careful! There are traps in the sand!"

Sangze watched the charging beastmen. "That should be most of them ashore now," he said. "I’ll take care of business before dawn."

Jin Ling and Feiyan nodded. "Go on."

Sangze spun around, his dark figure melting into the night.

Inside the reef cave, Sunxiao spread a beast-hide blanket on the ground, letting Qiao Xixi and the cubs sit down to rest.

Sunxiao stood guard at the entrance, listening to the sounds from outside.

Qiao Xixi held the little tiger cub, trying to lull her to sleep. The cub was so tired her eyelids were drooping, but she stubbornly refused to sleep.

"An’an, how about Mama holds you while you sleep?"

The tiger cub whimpered, turning her little head to look around, as if searching for something.

Qiao Xixi coaxed her for a while longer. When she saw the cub still looking around, she realized. "Are you looking for your papa?"

The little tiger cub’s ears twitched, seeming to confirm Qiao Xixi’s words.

Qiao Xixi stroked her gently. "Papa will be back soon. Why don’t we get some sleep first, okay?"

The little tiger cub huffed through her nose and rested her little head on Qiao Xixi’s shoulder. But she still didn’t sleep, forcing her eyes to stay open as she stared toward the cave entrance.

"Lie down and get some rest, all of you. If anything happens, Mama will wake you."

Qiao Lie glanced at Sunxiao and said in a low voice, "Mama, I’ll go stand guard with Papa." With that, he trotted over to Sunxiao’s side on his short little legs.

Sunxiao heard the movement behind him. He looked at the cub’s stubborn expression and said nothing, simply patting him on the shoulder. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Qiao Lie’s tense little face relaxed slightly, revealing a faint smile.

’Papa doesn’t see me as just a little cub anymore. He’s starting to let me learn how to protect my siblings and Mama.’

"Mama, I’m not tired either. I’ll go wait in the water. That way, I can tell you as soon as the merfolk arrive."

"That’s not necessary..."

Before Qiao Xixi could finish, Xiya had already gotten up and leaped into the sea.

Sangqi stood up and was about to speak, but Qiao Xixi quickly reached out and stopped him.

"Alright, you’re all still young. You need plenty of rest to be able to fight well. Your sister and brother are on watch now, so I need the three of you to be good and get some sleep."

The three cubs looked at one another, but in the end, they obediently lay down and snuggled up to Qiao Xixi.

Qiao Xixi covered the cubs with a blanket, leaned against the stone wall, and closed her eyes. ’Every day, just before dawn, a southwesterly wind blows across this island...’

On the beach, Jin Che and his beastmen managed to avoid the Bubble Fruits buried in the sand. He glared furiously at Jin Ling and Feiyan, who were concealed in the woods.

"Capture them!"

A ray of golden light pierced the dark clouds, driving back the last vestiges of night.

A dark figure in the sky scattered a handful of white powder. Carried by the sea breeze, it quickly drifted down onto Jin Che and his men.

"W-what is this?"

The beastmen felt a strange powder blowing into their faces.

"It’s so hot! I’m burning up! I can’t take it! It’s so hot!"

A beastman shouted, tearing at his beast-hide clothes from the heat.

Jin Che glanced over and saw several other beastmen with the same symptoms. His expression changed drastically. Suddenly, an intense heat washed over his own body. It felt as if he were being scorched from the inside out, creating a desperate urge to plunge himself into the water.

"So hot! It’s so hot!"

"I can’t stand it!"

One, two, then three... more and more beastmen frantically charged into the sea, desperate to douse their bodies in the cool water and lower their temperature.

But they failed to notice that as soon as they entered the water, the merfolk hiding beneath the waves began to close in.

"AARGH!"

"What? What was that sound—" GURGLE GURGLE...

Jin Che submerged himself in the seawater, and the burning sensation finally began to subside. But just as he gasped for air, he felt a pair of hands grab his legs.

Startled, Jin Che kicked out, trying to shake off the hands, but his attacker was incredibly strong and dragged him completely under the water in a single motion...

"MMF!"

Jin Che struggled, forcing his eyes open. When he saw what was in the water with him, his pupils contracted violently.