Married by Paper, Loved by Fate 41

41: This Snake Beast is Mentally Unsound!

Xue Yinzhou also saw the message from the City Lord. A trace of disbelief appeared on his cold and indifferent face, leaving him stunned.

He had personally thrown that female off the cliff. How could she possibly be alive?

The man’s thin lips were tightly shut, his expression grim as he thought about something.

Shen Li noticed Xue Yinzhou’s momentary change in expression. A deep meaning flickered in his charming peach blossom eyes. He smiled and leaned closer, saying, “Yinzhou, are you hiding something from us? You wouldn’t have met her that night, would you?”

Xue Yinzhou shot him a cold glance and ignored him, turning to leave.

Xiao Jin, Jia Lan, and the others were already accustomed to the snake beast’s reclusive and aloof personality, so they didn’t pay much attention to his unusual behavior.

Shen Li looked at him for a few more seconds before withdrawing his gaze and heading towards the temporary square. He said cheerfully, “Shen Tang really is lucky to be alive. Let’s go, as her beast husbands, we should go and see her—”

“And also ask who harmed her.”

Xue Yinzhou’s steps halted abruptly upon hearing the fox’s last sentence. He clenched and then released his hands hanging at his sides.

In the end, he turned and went to the square with the other three.

Lu Xiao led the team back to the main force.

From afar, Shen Tang saw the dense crowd below. Almost all the beastmen had gathered.

The beastmen were cheering for the return of the advance team.

Many females looked at Shen Tang, who had returned intact, with varied expressions: some were happy, some jealous, and some were waiting to see a spectacle… In the past, these people would have disdained the original host, not caring if she lived or died.

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow and smiled inwardly. It seemed the commotion after her disappearance had been quite significant.

In the crowd, Shen Li, Jia Lan, and Xiao Jin also arrived. The three were tall and handsome, with distinct features that easily captured everyone’s attention.

However, Shen Tang’s smile froze when she saw Xue Yinzhou following behind them.

Xue Yinzhou also saw Shen Tang.

The moment their eyes met, Shen Tang’s heart skipped a beat, and she averted her gaze, pretending not to see him.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Xue Yinzhou’s brows furrowed slightly, his lips tightened, and a hint of unnaturalness flashed across his face.

He had thought of many possibilities on his way here.

Perhaps this fat female would reveal the truth in front of everyone, identifying him as the murderer.

If everything went as expected, he would be imprisoned or even executed upon his return to the city.

Or perhaps she would scream hysterically, asking him why he did it? But she did none of that.

She coldly ignored him.

Slow slicing wasn’t as terrifying as the process of waiting for it.

Xue Yinzhou, weary of the world and reclusive, no longer wished to live. Rather than be a muzzled dog, it was better to bite his master to death before dying.

He would much rather this fat woman pronounce his death sentence now than deliberately keep him hanging.

What did she want to do?

Was she thinking of how to get revenge? To torture him?

Xue Yinzhou’s gaze was complex, filled with confusion and inquiry.

For the first time in his beastly life, he couldn’t figure out this shallow and foolish female.

Xue Yinzhou stared intently at the plump figure, and even he didn’t realize that he had developed a never-before-felt interest in Shen Tang.

And when a man becomes interested in a woman, it often marks the beginning of a fatal encounter.

[Beep! Congratulations to the host, Xue Yinzhou’s favorability has increased by 20, currently at -80! Please continue to work hard!]

Shen Tang heard the system’s voice in her mind and her forehead broke out in black lines. She couldn’t help but complain inwardly: Is this snake really mentally unwell?

She had lowered herself to appease him, her favorability had plummeted, and he even wanted to kill her. Now that she ignored him, his favorability was increasing!

Seeing this snake beast’s abysmal favorability, Shen Tang couldn’t help but sigh with melancholy. It was back to square one!

“Lu Xiao, come here,” the City Lord called Lu Xiao over for questioning.

Lu Xiao nodded in response, glanced down at Shen Tang, and said faintly, “You didn’t rest well last night either, go back and rest first.”

“Okay.”

Shen Tang had been anxious for the past two days and hadn’t slept well. Once she returned to a safe environment, exhaustion washed over her.

She yawned and walked into the tent, intending to get some good sleep.

Lu Xiao followed the City Lord to a separate tent. He recounted the experiences of the past half month to the City Lord, not hiding the fact that Shen Tang had brought supplies to help them break through the encirclement.

“Oh? You actually stumbled upon the wandering Shen Tang, and she had so many supplies?” The City Lord was also incredulous.

Where did that useless female get those supplies? Did she save them from before?

Thinking about it, it was possible. After all, she was a banished Imperial Princess, and her assets should have been confiscated. But who could guarantee she didn’t keep some private savings on the sly?

The City Lord only questioned for a moment before believing this explanation and didn’t ask further.

What concerned him was something else.

Shi Lun’s voice was deep and authoritative, making him seem less urgent. “What about the Energy Core? Did you find it?”

Lu Xiao looked directly into his eyes and shook his head regretfully. “Below the abandoned factory, there’s an underground honeycomb laboratory. I found out that the Energy Core is hidden in the lowest level of the laboratory, but unfortunately, there is also an Experiment Subject with Level 10 abilities there. We were no match for it, so we could only escape… I did not obtain the Energy Core.”

Although the beastmen followed the City Lord’s orders, they were fundamentally driven by profit and had no loyalty.

Lu Xiao came from a military family and would never engage in deception or lies.

What he said was the truth.

The Energy Core was not in his possession, but had been collected by Shen Tang into her Light Brain space.

Lu Xiao also believed that Shen Tang had obtained the Energy Core, and it did not belong to him. Therefore, the ownership of the Energy Core was with Shen Tang, and he had no intention of telling the City Lord.

“Is that so.” The City Lord’s face showed disappointment. After asking a few more casual questions, he waved Lu Xiao away to rest.

After Lu Xiao left, the City Lord sat in his seat and pondered for a long time. He then waved for another beastman to come over.

This person was his spy in Lu Xiao’s patrol team, loyal to him and monitoring Lu Xiao’s every move.

The City Lord was well aware that the arrogant young talents in the city were not loyal to him, especially Xiao Jin and his group who arrived at the shelter a year ago. The five of them were powerful, particularly Xue Yinzhou, the snake beast who was already at Level 8 despite his young age, making him feel threatened! He had to be cautious! He had spies in the teams led by each of them.

“Tell me everything that happened after Lu Xiao took you to the abandoned factory, without omitting any details,” the City Lord’s voice was deep and sinister.

The Tiger Tribe Beastman respectfully replied, “Yes.”

The sequence of events he described largely matched Lu Xiao’s account.

It seemed Lu Xiao had told the truth.

Perhaps he was overthinking things?

The City Lord’s eyes were deep.

The Tiger Tribe Beastman remembered something and respectfully said to the City Lord, “Oh, and one more thing. I saw Lu Xiao return to the factory before retreating. He only came out after about ten minutes, and then the factory exploded. Everything inside should be gone.”

He said this with regret.

The City Lord’s eyes darkened. Lu Xiao returned to the factory before retreating and deliberately blew up the laboratory?!

Dylan