As one of the first captives, Jia Qian and Zhao Ying learned a lot about the Grassy Continent coalition. After all, they were talented beast appraisers who had extensive knowledge and experience.
In the beginning, the sudden invasion baffled them.
After all, most of these countries were very far away from Jade Dragon Kingdom. Even if they wanted to acquire more land, why did they come to United Continent when they could have simply invaded neighboring territories?
Apart from that, the enemy boasted extraordinary combat ability when they banded together. Even ten Jade Dragon Kingdoms couldn’t stand against them, much less one.
The girls noticed that the enemy troops who were escorting them were elite soldiers. Even the beasts they mounted were more than a match for Jade Dragon’s army.
This was like a first-rate martial artist bullying a third-rate fighter. The enemy could fight one-handed and still emerge victorious.
Therein lies the question – was it necessary for the enemy to have amassed such a large army to invade Jade Dragon Kingdom?
Clearly, the answer was no. If they had to count, Jade Dragon Kingdom probably had only one Rank 5 beast while the rest were Rank 4. Forget a five-nation alliance, even a single country would have posed a great threat for Jade Dragon.
Something fishy must be going on.
Jia Qian and Zhao Ying did not resist when they were captured, especially when they knew the enemy possessed Rank 4 beasts. Instead, they hid their pet beasts away using Shang’er’s unique creation, ‘Conceal Beast Seal’.
Shang’er faced intense boredom after she returned from Heavenly Spiral Kingdom. Since she learned a lot from Lin Jin and Shu Xiaolou during her stay there, she created an amulet using Shu Xiaolou’s approach when she created her painting realm.
As the name suggests, this amulet was able to conceal beasts and summon them in times of need, making it an incredibly convenient tool. If Shang’er hadn’t researched this amulet, Zhao Ying and Jia Qian couldn’t have fooled the enemy into thinking they were civilians. After all, through their hard work and diligence, they managed to promote their pet beasts to Rank 3.
A commoner couldn’t possibly own a Rank 3 pet beast, so the enemy would easily see through their lie.
What confused Zhao Ying and Jia Qian was why the enemy decided to capture the citizens of Maple City.
Even if slavery was common practice in Grassy Continent, why did they have to capture people from so far away? There were countless small countries with large populations situated near these five nations. Why must they come to Jade Dragon Kingdom?
Something must be wrong here.
From her observation, Zhao Ying came up with an explanation.
The enemy’s target was Lin Jin.
Besides the fact that Lin Jin’s close acquaintances were all rounded up into cages and placed under tight surveillance, Zhao Ying had also heard the enemy soldiers mention Lin Jin’s name.
The Grassy Continent coalition had invaded their country because of Lin Jin.
No one knew what happened between them. For now, Zhao Ying and Jia Qian could only try their best to protect themselves.
They would await rescue.
Under such circumstances, the only person who could save them was Lin Jin.
Jia Qian had a slightly poorer constitution. After 24 hours of constant walking, she was so exhausted that she couldn’t bring herself to move anymore. Many others were worse off than her.
And yet, no mercy was shown by the enemy. Not only did they refuse to let their captives rest, but they also whipped them to keep them walking. Throughout the arduous journey, some lost their lives due to excessive whipping or over-exhaustion.
An old man up ahead finally collapsed from exhaustion. Seeing this, Jia Qian went over to support him but was berated by a Grassy Continent soldier. The man brandished a whip, and his stance told her that he was ready to strike.
The whip came down on Jia Qian, and she screamed in pain. The lash tore a hole on the back of her shirt, revealing a bloody wound that cut across her tender skin.
Such a sight invoked the lust of the enemy soldier. While he feared being court-martialed, they were at the far end of the line. This meant that it was okay if no one found out what he had done.
He just had to kill her after the deed.
With that in mind, the soldier felt blood rush into his groin. No longer able to suppress his savage desire, he went over and dragged Jia Qian out of the line.
“What are you doing?! Let me go!” Jia Qian’s face immediately paled with fright. Zhao Ying got anxious too. She wanted to drag her friend back, but when Jia Qian saw her, she shut up at once and gestured for Zhao Ying to step back in line.
Both of them had intentionally smeared mud over their faces to make themselves look less appealing. Unfortunately, that still failed to deter the enemy’s lust.
Although Jia Qian was afraid, she knew they couldn’t afford to fight the enemy. She couldn’t drag Zhao Ying into this either.
When she stopped Zhao Ying, she had already decided that she would endure the torment herself.
Jia Qian had thought it through. The enemy soldier would surely drag her to a private spot, and that would be her final resting place. Since that was the case, she would fight him to death.
If she died, that would be it. At the very least, she would still have her dignity. If she was lucky enough to kill the soldier and emerge victorious, she would find some way to save Zhao Ying later.
However, knowing that the enemy’s beasts were all at the peak of Rank 3, Jia Qian knew her chances of winning were slim.
Zhao Ying was going mad. Yet, her hands were bound tightly. Even if she summoned her pet beast right now, rescuing Jia Qian would be impossible.
“What do I do? What do I do?” Zhao Ying bit her lip hard, but she failed to notice that it had started to bleed. It didn’t take much to imagine what would happen to Jia Qian if she was taken away by the enemy soldier.
Still, she saw the determination in Jia Qian’s eyes as she was taken away.
“Let us die together,” muttered Zhao Ying when she finally decided that she would go all out against the enemy.
She knew she only had one chance. She would summon her pet beast, break free from the ropes, and attack the soldier who took Jia Qian away.
There wasn’t much time to think. She only knew that Jia Qian mustn’t be taken away.
“Let’s go for it!”
The soft and steadfast Zhao Ying finally exploded. She activated the Conceal Beast Seal and released her pet beast.
Jia Qian saw what Zhao Ying was doing and understood what to do next.
She was aware of the consequences, but she also knew she had to cooperate with Zhao Ying. Otherwise, the chances of them surviving would be absolutely zero.
Both women summoned their Rank 3 pet beasts in unison.
Using her pet beast, Zhao Ying freed herself from the ropes before she attacked the soldier that was seizing Jia Qian. Jia Qian’s pet beast also joined the attack immediately.
Their attack was so well-coordinated that the soldier failed to react in time. His shoulder was chomped down by Jia Qian’s Rank 3 white snake.
Venom was injected through the snake’s fangs and the soldier began to sway like a drunkard. In the end, he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
