Chapter 134: Xu Fei Faints

Wang Xiaomeng was unharmed, but Xu Fei and the other girls were still nowhere to be found.

After handing the unconscious Wang Xiaomeng over to Heize, Lin Qiu prepared to turn back and search for Xu Fei’s whereabouts.

“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Xu Bancheng said, slipping into a spare set of clothes that Heize always carried. Usually clad in sharp suits, Xu Bancheng now looked somewhat out of place in Heize’s cheap casual wear.

But if there was any danger inside, Lin Qiu thought, Xu Bancheng was an ordinary man—he would need protection and effort to keep him safe. And with the disaster-prone Xu Fei inside, who knew what might happen again?

“I’ll go in first to scout the path. If there’s no danger, I’ll come back out and call you,” Lin Qiu said, heading toward the cave.

Xu Bancheng’s expression was subtle, his face practically saying: Are you telling me how to do things?

In all the years he had led the Xu family, no one had ever spoken to him in such a tone. No one had ever made him change his mind about what he wanted to do.

With that thought, Xu Bancheng took Heize, who was still carrying the wounded Wang Xiaomeng, and together they headed into the cave.

But how much fighting strength could Heize, injured and carrying Wang Xiaomeng, still have? Lin Qiu felt his “burden” was growing heavier by the moment. If anything happened, his current level of evolution points might not be enough to save them all.

“If you’re going in, remember not to stray too far from me,” Lin Qiu warned.

Before he could finish, Xu Bancheng had already led the way into the cave, completely ignoring Lin Qiu’s words.

There was no helping it; such a strong-willed man was impossible to make yield. Lin Qiu could only follow closely behind.

After rescuing Xu Bancheng, Lin Qiu had already sent a message to Liu Changfeng. Reinforcements from the Beast Management Bureau should arrive soon.

As long as Xu Bancheng waited outside a little longer, the rest would be risk-free.

“Wait, there’s movement ahead,” Lin Qiu said as they entered the cave, hearing strange sounds—footsteps mixed with sharp scraping noises.

Xu Bancheng, as if pointing out territories, had sent Lin Qiu to scout ahead.

Lin Qiu didn’t argue. There was no light in the deep sea; in the darkness, Lin Qiu felt as unimpeded as he did outside.

After circumventing two large stones blocking the path, Lin Qiu saw a trembling ape in the corner, its slender claws scratching at the pile of rocks.

Freed from the “toxins” of the ancient venomous vines, the ape had regained its true form, seemingly still retaining some rationality.

“What’s going on?” Lin Qiu approached, grabbing the ape’s shoulder.

“Can you hear me?” he asked.

The ape stiffened, surprised. Its golden eyes were filled with astonishment as it looked at Lin Qiu.

“Though I’m in human form now, I’m also a beast,” Lin Qiu said with some helplessness.

Clearly, the ape’s intelligence hadn’t fully evolved, and it was still confused by Lin Qiu’s words.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Qiu noted the ape was a second-tier bloodline, the same level he was disguised as, so it held no fear toward him.

“Where are those girls?” Lin Qiu asked.

The ape’s claws resumed scratching the rock pile with sharpened nails.

Lin Qiu’s heart sank. He had assumed Xu Fei and the others would be within reach of the ancient vines’ toxic tendrils, like Wang Xiaomeng.

But if they had already slipped behind the rock pile, it likely meant the ancient vines had drained their feminine energy.

“System, what happens after the energy is drained?” Lin Qiu asked.

His hand pressed against the stone trembled, sweat beading in his palm.

Though he disliked Xu Fei for her reckless nature, he never truly wished her dead.

“Energy is the body’s most vital substance. Losing more than thirty percent causes unconsciousness; losing over seventy percent results in instant death,” the system replied.

Lin Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.

Unconsciousness was one thing—but death was irreversible. No matter the technology, no one could truly resurrect a dead person.

“However, judging by the ancient vines just reviving, they can drain up to about twenty-five percent of an adult woman’s feminine energy, and to sustain themselves, they likely wouldn’t drain a person to the limit at once.”

Lin Qiu was startled by the system’s dramatic pause, which nearly frightened him.

As long as Xu Fei was alive, that was all that mattered.

“What’s happening?” Xu Bancheng asked, having heard no response or dialogue from Lin Qiu for some time.

The only sounds in the space were their breathing, heartbeats, and the ape’s harsh scratching.

“They should be right behind this rock pile,” Lin Qiu said, preparing to push the stones aside.

Before exerting force, he hesitated—what if the girls were leaning against the stones? His push might harm them.

Lin Qiu frowned. “I wonder if the sonar used to map the deep sea works on land.”

He slightly parted his lips, sending sonar waves beyond human hearing through the cracks at the rock pile’s edge.

The sound bounced off the hard surface and returned to his ears.

“Phew,” relief washed over him; they were not behind the rock pile.

Extracting the stones from the crevice would be far more troublesome than pushing them aside.

Lin Qiu exerted his strength, and the rock pile exploded apart.

The space behind was not as dark as expected but brightly lit.

At the center stood an altar-like stone structure, surrounded by pillars that held luminous pearls.

The value was immeasurable.

Xu Fei sat cross-legged in the center of the altar, her head bowed.

Around her, a circle of girls sat with eyes closed, each with a slender vine connecting to their mouths.

Unlike the dark, ancient vines, these were tender yellow-green.

This was definitely not a natural plant—someone must be manipulating the ancient vines!

At the sight of Xu Fei, Xu Bancheng hurried forward in three quick strides.

“What’s going on!” Rarely did panic show on Xu Bancheng’s face as he yanked the yellow-green vines from Xu Fei’s mouth.

“System, how much of her feminine energy has been drained?” Lin Qiu asked.

“Judging by her condition, at least sixty percent has been drained.”