Chapter 98: Qin Yao

Not only that, but the young beast cubs have plenty of time to bond with their handlers. As long as the training methods are correct, these wild beasts can become powerful and fiercely loyal servants.

Back to the matter at hand: after this person stole the beast cub, he didn’t tell anyone. Instead, he hid it in one of the caravan’s cargo crates, planning to wait until they returned to the city before secretly taking it out to sell.

Because the caravan had no idea about the cub’s presence, they took no precautions. So when the cub’s parents tracked them down by scent, everyone in the caravan was still fast asleep.

And it wasn’t just the cub’s parents—apparently, they’d called for their kin as well. Otherwise, if it had only been two beasts, the caravan, with its dozens of people, wouldn’t have been thrown into such a panic.

But there were more than twenty ferocious beasts at the time. With that many, even if another caravan had joined them, it would have been a death sentence.

So the caravan was left with only one option—to run.

What followed was the caravan members being chased and scattered by the beasts, Dory included.

During the chase, Dory was actually running with several others. But one of them twisted his ankle while fleeing and was about to be caught by the beasts. Hearing his desperate cries for help, Dory’s heart softened.

She wanted to help him, but her kindness nearly cost her own life.

The man, knowing he’d twisted his ankle and that the only person reaching out to help was a weak woman who couldn’t possibly carry him, had a simple thought—if he couldn’t escape, he’d drag someone down with him!

So when Dory came back to help, he grabbed her, trying to make her die with him.

……

Hearing this, Su You felt she could already guess what happened next.

First, since Dory was standing here safe and sound, she must have escaped. But given the situation, with the beasts around, she couldn’t have gotten away on her own.

Which meant someone had saved her—and whoever saved her paid a heavy price, most likely their life.

And the reason Dory was so heartbroken was probably because the person who saved her was very close to her… If it had just been an acquaintance, they wouldn’t have risked their life, and Dory wouldn’t be this devastated.

After all, even if the person was a benefactor, if they were a stranger, Dory would feel guilt, self-blame, gratitude, regret… but not this kind of grief.

Sure enough, Dory’s next words confirmed Su You’s guess.

“Sister Qin… She rushed up alone to fight that beast to save me…”

The “Sister Qin” Dory spoke of was Qin Yao, a gentle older girl who lived next door. The two of them had grown up playing together. Qin Yao always looked after her, and Dory was very fond of her.

Unlike Dory, who had no fighting skills, Qin Yao had shown exceptional talent for combat since childhood and later entered the best local combat academy with outstanding grades.

The only reason she was with the caravan was because she didn’t feel comfortable letting Dory travel alone, but also didn’t want to go against Dory’s wishes by telling her parents. As it happened, Qin Yao’s academy was on break, so she was at home and decided to join the caravan with Dory.

Although Qin Yao claimed she wanted to experience caravan life, Dory always knew she really just wanted to protect her.

Dory never imagined that, despite her confident promises that nothing would go wrong, in the end… she herself was fine, sitting here safe and sound, but someone else had paid with their life for her stubbornness.

……

That’s where the story ended.

As for why Dory didn’t want to go home, Su You now understood.

Maybe this answer made Dory seem cowardly, but anyone faced with such a situation would want to avoid going home and facing reality, choosing instead to run away. Whether that choice is right or wrong, it’s understandable.

But…

After hearing the story, Su You still had some questions.

“So how did you escape in the end? Did you just watch her fight the beast and then run away by yourself?” Su You didn’t believe Dory would do something like that.

At most, she might have stayed there, frozen, but she would never have run away.

Su You even thought that, if Dory had a choice, she might have chosen to die with Qin Yao.

But if Dory hadn’t run, and Qin Yao hadn’t defeated the beast, then Dory wouldn’t be standing here now.

Faced with Su You’s question, Dory fell silent.

No one knew how long passed—long enough that Su You began to wonder if Dory really had abandoned Qin Yao and was too ashamed to admit it—before Dory finally answered.

“No… I wanted to help, but I was too scared… and then I fainted.” Dory hadn’t answered before not because she was ashamed, but because recalling that scene was just too painful for her.

At the time, Qin Yao was covered in blood, just like Duoya that night…

In fact, to be precise, Qin Yao’s situation was even worse than Duoya’s!

After all, Duoya fought at range—though she was injured, she could still move quickly and run. But Qin Yao was a close-combat fighter, and she had to protect Dory, so she couldn’t run, and her injuries were even more severe.

Before Dory reached the territory, there were actually two reasons she didn’t dare rest.

One was fear of the beasts. The other was that every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was a vivid red.

This nightmare kept her from resting until she reached the territory, where things finally got a little better.

But tonight, she’d dreamed of that day again, which was why she came here—to cry and let out her emotions.

“Did you faint from fear?” If Dory had said yes, Su You wouldn’t have been surprised, since one of Dory’s traits was being timid, and fainting from fear was entirely possible.

But Su You didn’t get a clear yes or no.

Because at the time, Dory’s whole mind was on Qin Yao, so she herself wasn’t sure how she’d fainted.

“I might have fainted from fear, but I also feel like maybe I didn’t… I’m not really sure.”

Normally, anyone in that situation would assume they fainted from fear—Dory thought so at first too. But she always felt like it wasn’t just fear, but that some other force had made her pass out, though she had no proof.

(End of chapter)"

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