Zi Linling seized the opportunity to throw the skinny monkey in her hand out of the inn.
Then, she chuckled and said, "This Venerable has important matters to attend to, so I won't play with you any longer!"
With that, she unleashed her You Long Body Technique and You Long Steps to their fullest, disappearing from the Xianhe Inn.
As Zi Linling vanished, the overwhelming divine sense pressure also receded.
The fat man and Xu Feihu exchanged glances, then pursued her.
Zi Linling exited the Xianhe Inn, swiftly knocked out the dazed skinny monkey on the ground, and tossed him into the Goddess Hall.
She instructed that he be kept isolated, then confirmed her direction and sped towards the Misty Forest.
Without Xue Ying, and with pursuers at her heels, Zi Linling's travel speed instantly doubled.
What would have taken an hour, she covered in less than half an hour, arriving at the outskirts of the Misty Forest.
"Help! Help!"
Just as Zi Linling entered the Misty Forest and had not yet traveled a hundred meters, she heard a faint cry for help.
She located the sound and followed it.
After searching for a long time, she discovered a small boy covered in blood, trembling and curled up in a hidden tree hollow.
The boy was only about four years old, appearing soft and cute, but the strong smell of blood emanating from him made Zi Linling frown.
Sensing someone standing before him, the little boy timidly raised his head.
The moment he saw Zi Linling, a flicker of light appeared in his drooping eyes.
"Sister, save me!"
The boy's voice was sweet and incredibly soft.
This voice made Zi Linling's guard momentarily drop.
She crouched down and asked gently, "Little brother, tell me, what's your name?"
The boy's eyes brightened again, "My name is Long'er!"
Long'er?
The name made Zi Linling pause, a shadow flashing through her mind.
"Sister, isn't the name Long'er not good?"
Seeing Zi Linling's dazed expression, Long'er tilted his head and asked.
Zi Linling chuckled awkwardly, "No, the name Long'er is very good, very imposing!"
Long'er's eyes instantly became bright and sparkling.
"Really?"
Zi Linling nodded and asked, "Long'er, where are your parents?"
Long'er's gaze dimmed, his eyes welling up with tears, "Long'er doesn't know. Father said there were bad people trying to catch me, and he went to deal with them."
As soon as Long'er finished speaking, he started crying.
Zi Linling tenderly rubbed his small face and asked, "Why do the bad people want to catch you?"
Long'er sobbed and shook his head.
Zi Linling's brow furrowed, "And then what happened?"
"There were too many bad people. They all attacked Father, and Father was injured, bleeding a lot."
As he spoke, Long'er threw himself into Zi Linling's arms and cried loudly, "Long'er wants Daddy!"
Although Zi Linling was speechless, she held Long'er tightly and asked, "And then?"
Lying on Zi Linling's shoulder, Long'er cried, "Father told Mother to take me away first, and he would lead the bad guys away and then come find Mother and me." Su Dan Novel Network.
Long'er's voice choked with sobs, and his small body trembled.
Zi Linling gently patted his back and whispered, "Don't be afraid, Long'er! Don't be afraid!"
Under her comfort, Long'er gradually quieted down.
Zi Linling took the opportunity to examine him and found that he was only overly frightened and not physically injured, which put her at ease.
She gently asked, "Where is your mother?"
"Mother took Long'er and ran, crying, but a large group of bad people still caught up. To protect me, Mother fought with the bad people."
As he spoke of this, Long'er's recently calmed emotions sank again.
Zi Linling held him in her arms again and continued to ask, "Then how did you end up here?"
"Mother fought and fled with me, but Mother was severely injured and couldn't run any further when we got here. But the bad guys behind us were catching up again. Mother hid me here, told me not to make a sound, and then she left."
Zi Linling finally understood the whole story.
Looking at Long'er in her arms, she felt a pang of dilemma.
At this moment, any slip-up could lead to danger, so she couldn't possibly bring Long'er along.
But if she didn't take Long'er, she feared what would happen if those "bad guys" found him and captured him.
Seeing Zi Linling's furrowed brow, Long'er seemed to guess something.
He shook Zi Linling's arm, his eyes full of tears, "Sister, will you take Long'er to find Father and Mother? When Long'er finds them, I will repay you!"
Zi Linling looked at his pitiful expression, her dilemma deepening.
"Long'er, I have to do something very important and very dangerous. If I bring you, I'm afraid..."
"Long'er isn't afraid of danger. Sister, please take Long'er with you, I beg you!"
Zi Linling's words were interrupted by Long'er.
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Zi Linling nodded helplessly, "Alright! As long as Long'er is obedient, I'll take you to find your parents when I'm done, okay?"
Long'er nodded, "Long'er will definitely be obedient!"
"Then let's go now!"
Zi Linling was never one to dither. Once she made a decision, there was no room for hesitation.
She took Long'er to clean the bloodstains from his body nearby, then continued their journey into the Misty Forest.
The outskirts of the Misty Forest were populated by fierce beasts. They had not yet developed sentience, so their actions were purely instinctual.
Not long after Zi Linling and Long'er entered, they encountered a serpent-like fierce beast.
The snake was incredibly long, its head and tail unseen. Its body was covered in quills like a porcupine.
When it saw the two of them, a fierce light appeared in its eyes.
It let out a sharp hiss, a sound so loud it was like a drumbeat, making Zi Linling's eardrums buzz.
Fierce Beast Long Serpent!
A sharp glint flashed in Zi Linling's eyes.
The Long Serpent was notoriously violent and extremely combative, liking to devour all sorts of flying and ground creatures. Its combat power was not particularly high.
However, this "not particularly high" combat power was relative to other fierce beasts.
For Zi Linling at her current stage, even facing this less formidable Long Serpent would be difficult.
Furthermore, the physical constitution of fierce beasts was inherently superior to humans by more than a small margin.
Therefore, Zi Linling had to treat it with caution.
The Long Serpent hissed again and opened its cavernous maw towards Zi Linling.
A foul,腥臭 stench assailed her, nearly suffocating her.
Zi Linling pushed Long'er aside, her You Long Body Technique and You Long Steps constantly shifting, narrowly avoiding the serpent's gaping jaws.