Stove blinked, completely confused, then shook his body, indicating that they didn’t come back. He has been here the whole time, but no one came back!
Rong Ye’s grip tightened for a second before he let go, his tails lashing behind him in frustration. Han Jue’s expression darkened too.
"They didn’t return... and their scent disappeared in the forest."
Rong Ye looked toward Han Jue, his eyes filled with rising panic. "Then that means..."
Han Jue nodded grimly. "They’re in danger."
Rong Ye didn’t waste a moment. He turned to Stove. "You’re coming with us!"
"Huh?"
"Now!" Han Jue barked, already leaping toward the forest entrance again.
Stove hesitated only for a moment before wrapping himself around Rong Ye’s leg.
Rong Ye, Han Jue, and Stove ran side by side, their breaths harsh, their bodies tense as they followed the faint trail left behind by Su Qinglan and Hu Yan.
The ground was uneven, and the night wind carried only broken scents... faint traces of Hu Yan’s fur and Su Qinglan’s soft fragrance, but after a while, even that began to fade.
Rong Ye slowed down first, his tails twitching with frustration. "No... the scent is gone," he said in a low voice, scanning the area. "It disappeared here."
Han Jue sniffed the air again, moving in a circle. "Nothing... not even a trace of blood anymore." His blue eyes darkened. "It’s like they vanished into the air."
Stove also looked here and there and then suddenly lifted his leafy vine and pointed in one direction, catching the eyes of Han Jue and Rong Ye.
Han Jue immediately guessed. "Do you know where she is?" he asked.
And Stove bobbed his head up and down and pointed repeatedly in one direction.
Han Jue and Rong Ye’s eyes widened immediately. They immediately put their trust in Stove. They knew it always followed Su Qinglan, and it might have some way to find her.
Stove nearly flew off Rong Ye’s back the moment they dashed forward. His little leafy body whipped backward with the wind, vines flailing helplessly in the air as the world blurred past.
For a second, he was completely horizontal like some terrified, leafy kite.
Rong Ye didn’t even notice, sprinting faster, while Han Jue kept pace beside him, his white fur cutting through the dark.
Stove’s eyes went wide in pure horror as he bounced once, twice...then barely managed to latch his vines back around Rong Ye’s fur before he could become forest decoration.
One of his leaves smacked Rong Ye’s ear on accident. The fox twitched. "Tch...don’t mess up my fur," he muttered, completely oblivious to how close his passenger had been to flying into the next tree.
Han Jue cast a sidelong glance and gave a quiet snort, amused at the sight of the trembling green creature now glued flat against Rong Ye’s back.
Stove’s vines puffed up indignantly, his leaves rustling in offended silence as if he was sulking.
Rong Ye sighed. "You’re still there, are you?"
A single leaf flopped up weakly in answer.
***
The dark sky was filled with the sound of beating wings.
Luo Chen moved silently through the air, his sharp yellow eyes scanning the forest below. His feathers gleamed faintly in the moonlight, but his face was cold and full of irritation.

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