The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 8

Heavy, steady footsteps approached from afar, growing louder. Threads of light pierced the darkness inside the prison, and with the sound of the door creaking open, the damp air from outside wafted in.

“Did I not say that no one else was allowed in? Why is there a filthy human in here?”

“Please calm down, Lord Lu.”

The moment consciousness returned, a wave of intense pain surged through Yi Xian’s internal organs. She tried to open her eyes. After struggling for a long time, she vaguely saw a tall figure standing over her, looking down from above. A pair of pale gray eyes glinted with chilling cold.

“Apologies, Lord Lu. It was a mistake by our men.”

“Dispose of her.”

That emotionless voice jolted Yi Xian fully awake. She tried to move, but her entire body was limp and powerless. She clenched and unclenched her fists several times before some sensation returned to her wrists.

What had happened to her?

The patrol captain hesitated.

“Lord Lu, she is the slave belonging to Lord Lan.”

The woman stepped around Yi Xian, her cloak brushing lightly across her fingertips.

“So what? Is a mere slave worth causing a rift between Lan and me?”

Damn it.

Yi Xian had lost count of how many times she wanted to curse out loud. If she ever got the chance, she would make these beastmen kneel under her feet.

She pinched herself hard, straining to get a clear look at the woman who treated her like dirt. After exhausting her efforts, all she saw was a towering silhouette.

“Apologies.”

As she was carried away by two beastmen, she barely caught the furious voice that erupted from within the cell.

“How did this person die? Did I not order you to watch her closely?”

“Apologies, Lord Lu. She was still alive yesterday.”

…Dead?

That deranged woman who had groped her all over last night was dead?

Yi Xian felt no relief. She had been unconscious for some time and had no idea what bizarre things the woman might have done to her.

When a blinding light made her squeeze her eyes shut, her mind suddenly cleared. Never mind the lunatic woman. The beastmen clearly planned to follow orders and “dispose” of her.

She would not die such a pathetic death.

Yi Xian struggled desperately, but her feeble strength felt like nothing to the beastmen, like an itch that could be ignored.

“Hu San, are we really going to dispose of her?”

“What else can we do?”

“What if Lan Tong asks about her? How will we explain it?”

“Well…”

Yi Xian realized this might be her only chance at survival. She opened her mouth and tried to say,

“Lan… Lan—”

She had intended to invoke the child’s dependence on her mother, but the two beastmen misunderstood, thinking she was calling out to Lan Tong.

They hesitated.

“If Lan Tong finds out we touched her, we’re dead for sure.”

“Lan Tong even took her hunting last time.”

“Unusual behavior.”

“Exactly.”

After a brief discussion, the two decided to throw Yi Xian into Komo Forest and let her fend for herself. That way, they could still claim to have followed orders. If Lan Tong ever pursued the matter, they would have an excuse.

Most importantly, Komo Forest was so dangerous that even beastmen did not dare to enter it carelessly. As for a fragile human, she would likely die within a day or two. Once the situation was settled, their part would be done.

“Yi Xian, you can only blame your bad luck for running into Lord Lu.”

“We’re letting you off easy because of Lan Tong.”

“So… will she starve to death like this?”

“Let’s go.”

To make sure Yi Xian could not crawl back to Kus City, they dragged her to the forest’s central area. That point was already well past the boundary Lan Tong had previously marked as too dangerous.

Yi Xian did not waste a single second. She immediately looked for a fruit-bearing tree to climb. She tried several times, but her weak arms and legs failed her. She fell again and again, smashing her head and limbs.

This was not going to solve anything.

Bl00d loss made her think clearly. Her weakened body was spiraling into despair. Even if she managed to climb a tree, if a flying beast like Lan Tong’s form showed up, she might not even have time to jump.

Worse still, the scent of bl00d could rouse wild beasts into a frenzy.

If only… if only she had some kind of drug to stun them. Or a beast trap. Or a hunting snare. Or even a knife for self-defense.

But all of that was just wishful thinking.

While thinking, she forced herself up and searched for bleeding-stem vines. She had seen them at Lu Nan’s before, and they were not hard to find. The hard part was avoiding beasts and surviving the freezing nights.

It was said that many humans froze to death in Komo Forest. Their bodies were often found mutilated, covered in thick frost, looking as if they had been devoured by wild animals.

She would soon discover how accurate those rumors were.

Yi Xian stopped the bleeding and was lucky enough to find a few clusters of Ram’s Bane. Even sheep avoided this plant. It was said to be an ingredient in knockout drugs. She also ate a few sour fruits to fill her belly.

She had a strong sense of direction and spent most of the day making her way back. The two beastmen had brought her deep into the forest to avoid trouble, thinking she would not survive. By some fortune, Yi Xian also had no intention of returning just yet. She feared running into that cold-blooded “Lord Lu.” Next time, she might not be so lucky.

Piecing things together, from the patrol beastmen’s report of a powerful figure having arrived to the series of misfortunes that followed, she guessed that Lord Lu would not remain in Kus City for long. A day or two, at most. Her reasoning came down to the poisoned humans. If their condition were truly serious, they would have executed her immediately. But even the two beastmen just now seemed to forget about her so-called antidote.

Clearly, the lives of a few poisoned humans were nothing compared to Lord Lu’s authority.

So there was no way Yi Xian would go running back to Kus City to die. If she could endure a couple of days in Komo Forest and wait for Lord Lu to leave, she would survive.

She had to survive.

She absolutely would survive!