Chapter 156: A Formidable Monster

The monster broke free from its restraints and let out a crisp cry, preparing to lunge at him. Yu Mu was startled, roaring as he transformed into his bear form, wielding his staff in hand to ready himself for battle.

Right at that moment, the effect of the Spring Rejuvenation technique manifested. The injuries on the monster's body were rapidly healing, and the technique's effect on her was astonishingly potent, completely erasing all wounds within moments.

The monster wore a look of utter shock. Then, gazing at Yu Mu's transformed state, all hostility vanished instantly. She stepped forward, hoisted him up by the collar in one go, and inspected him up and down as if checking where he might be wounded.

Yu Mu, however, could only manage a wry smile. The defensive precautions he had taken were utterly useless against this freak of nature. He was treated like a mere child, effortlessly hoisted into the air by someone else.

Realizing the creature had lost all hostility, Yu Mu naturally did not fight back with his full strength.

The monster scrutinized Yu Mu for a long time without making any sense of it, then set him back down on the ground, sticking close to him like a shadow.

Yu Mu immediately developed a massive headache. Escaping on his own would be no problem at all, but dragging a creature like this along with him was beyond his current capabilities.

Forgetting about his own injuries for the moment, he immediately began searching the cell thoroughly. After a careful inspection, apart from the one-way teleportation array, there was no other way in or out.

What should he do now?

Yu Mu approached the ventilation shaft. It was only about the size of a fist, making it completely impossible to crawl out through there. However, since it was a ventilation shaft, it surely led to the surface.

Turning back to the monster, Yu Mu said, "Wait here. I'll go up and check if there's a way to get you out."

Without waiting to see if she understood him, he transformed into a tunneling rodent and burrowed upwards along the air vent.

To his surprise, shortly after he began digging, a muffled rumble echoed from behind him, followed by the sensation of the earth beneath him loosening as soil cascaded down around him.

Yu Mu was alarmed. What on earth was she doing?!

Sensing something rapidly approaching from behind, Yu Mu had no time to ponder and immediately increased his speed, drilling upward.

Just as Yu Mu broke through the soil, with a loud *bang*, a large hole opened up beneath him, and the monster leaped out from it.

*This creature actually used a pair of sharp claws to violently carve out a tunnel! Isn't that a bit too overpowered?!* Yu Mu was left completely dumbfounded.

Fortunately, the spot where the two of them emerged was deserted, so Yu Mu immediately grabbed her and started running.

Reaching the courtyard wall, Yu Mu leaped over it and was about to turn back to help the monster across. To his astonishment, the monster acted as if the wall wasn't even there, charging straight ahead. With a loud crash, a human-shaped hole appeared in the wall as the monster burst right through it.

The wall was a good two feet thick, yet it seemed no sturdier than paper before her. With a gentle shake of her body, the monster brushed off every speck of dust.

"Holy crap~" Yu Mu couldn't help but curse under his breath.

At that exact moment, a woman's angry shout rang out: "Intruders in the estate! How utterly audacious!"

Amidst the shout, a graceful matron burst through a door. Upon laying eyes on the pair, the matron turned pale with shock and lunged at them like a madwoman.

Yu Mu felt an even greater sense of urgency. If the expert from earlier was alerted, it would undoubtedly be extremely difficult for them to escape. Who would have thought that the moment the monster saw the matron, she let out an angry roar and turned back to fight her.

Yu Mu quickly yanked her back, thinking to himself: *This creature is far too ferocious; she really is a handful.*

Driven by panic, he grabbed the monster and bolted through the air. Once they were out of the estate grounds, Yu Mu discovered that while the monster was immensely fierce, her movement speed was shockingly slow.

With no other choice, he summoned a pair of foot rings and slipped them onto her legs. He had originally wanted to equip her with shoes as well, but the monster possessed sharp claws on her feet, making shoes utterly impractical.

Once equipped with the foot rings, the monster's speed increased noticeably. When he was healing her earlier, Yu Mu had already discovered that her attributes matched his own, which was why the Spring Rejuvenation technique had such an extraordinary effect on her.

Receiving these additional attribute bonuses, the foot rings also doubled in effectiveness on her, allowing her to basically keep pace with Yu Mu.

However, neither of them excelled in speed, especially with an expert in hot pursuit from behind. As a result, they hadn't run far before the enemy caught up to them.

Reaching a bridge, the two of them could run no further.

By this time, the matron had closed in right behind them, poised to strike. The strength displayed by the matron was on par with the likes of Jiang Yidao; even if the two of them fought to the death, they were no match for her.

With no other alternative, Yu Mu could only muse: *I can only take a gamble. If the creature can't swim, she'll either be captured again or we'll both die in the water together. There's no other way out right now.*

With that thought, Yu Mu gritted his teeth and dragged the monster into the water with him.

To his surprise, the moment the monster entered the water, it was like a dragon returning to the ocean. She let out a joyful, clear cry, grabbed Yu Mu with her claws, and twisted her body to submerge beneath the surface.

Immediately afterward, like a swift arrow, she swam at incredible speed, outpacing even the silver carp, and shot a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye. Yu Mu was pleasantly surprised; in the water, this creature was even more free and unrestrained than a fish.

Yu Mu almost began to doubt whether he had misjudged the creature's attributes altogether.

*Splash—*

A large swimming fish was swallowed whole by the monster in a single gulp. She didn't even seem to chew before swallowing it down. Heaven knows how long this creature had been starving; along the way, not a single aquatic creature capable of fitting in her mouth managed to escape her belly.

After darting through several river forks, they successfully shook off the matron. The two of them quietly crept ashore in a deserted area. The monster was still somewhat reluctant to leave the water and had to be forcibly dragged ashore by Yu Mu.

It was currently dinnertime, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street. Yu Mu dressed the monster in the garments he had custom-made in Emerald City, and placed a bamboo conical hat on her head to conceal her earth-shattering facial features, finally managing to blend into the crowd.

Approaching a peddler's stall, Yu Mu feigned interest in picking up some fruit while casually asking, "Brother, do you happen to know where the Shi family residence is?"

"Which Shi family?"

"The Shi family of Dragonfall."

"Of course I know. The very place you're standing on right now is Shi family territory."

*Ah!* Yu Mu was startled inwardly: *So the place where I was imprisoned was actually on the Shi family's turf. Could the people who captured me be connected to the Shi family? But what could be the reason for that?*

"Look over there~ Do you see that brilliantly lit restaurant?"

"That one?" Yu Mu followed the peddler's pointing finger. Amidst the glimmering lights stood a luxurious, brilliantly lit restaurant.

"Right, the tallest one. That's the Shi family's largest business in the city, and their main residence is right on the back street behind it."

"Got it~ Thanks!" Tossing a spirit crystal to the peddler, Yu Mu led the monster toward the restaurant.

Regardless of the circumstances, he decided to investigate the place first. An Shu was still in the hands of the Shi family, and even if it meant stepping into a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, he could not back down.

......

Although the banquet had already been served, none of the occupants in the dining hall had any appetite to eat. Only Little Strawberry remained oblivious, busily stuffing its face.

Suddenly, its nose twitched slightly, and it immediately stopped eating, dropping the food from its small paws all over the floor. Pointing forward with a tiny paw, it let out whiny cries toward An Shu.

"What's wrong with you, Little Strawberry? Are you still not satisfied with so much good food?" Xiao Min curiously patted Little Strawberry's small head.

An Shu, however, wore a look of pleasant surprise as she said, "He's back!"

Without pausing to explain, she scooped up Little Strawberry and ran outside. The others, unaware of what had happened, closely followed behind her.

The group hurried all the way through the estate, passing out through the front entrance, which led directly to the back door of the Shi family restaurant. An Shu rushed straight into the restaurant and entered the main hall, where she spotted a disguised Yu Mu inquiring about something with a waiter.

Filled with overwhelming excitement, An Shu immediately cried out, "Yu... Hey~ Big Brother, I'm over here."

Hearing An Shu's voice amidst his entanglement with the waiter felt like a thunderclap to Yu Mu. He jerked his head up and saw An Shu holding Little Strawberry behind the staircase, waving at him. Behind her, Xiao Min and the others were also following along.

Seeing that An Shu was safe and sound, Yu Mu was overjoyed, while An Shu wept tears of happiness. As Yu Mu stepped forward to speak, Fourth Master Shi said in a deep voice, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go home and discuss it."

Yu Mu followed the group back to the Shi family residence, where he met Elder Shi, and both sides introduced themselves. Elder Shi's given name was Shi Zhen; much like Jiang Zhu, he was the person in charge of the Shi family in Dragonfall City, possessing Union Fusion stage cultivation.

Fourth Master Shi was named Shi Xiong, at the late Avatar stage. Xiao Min's lineage of the clan descended directly from his branch. Therefore, despite being a collateral branch, their blood ties were not too distant, which was why they enjoyed the protection of the main family.

In particular, Xiao Min possessed exceptional natural talent and was deeply favored by Shi Xiong, having learned most of her skills directly from him. Thus, despite her young age, she already possessed her current level of cultivation.

When everyone finally got a clear look at the monster's appearance, they were all struck dumb with astonishment.