“Lu Ai!”

The scene before Qiao Sang nearly moved her to tears.

Although she had no doubt that Lubao’s Healing Light could treat Yuan Jiewen and the Shellblade Behemoth, whether they could give Lubao enough time to heal properly was another matter.

After all, Little Treasure had tried twice to perform Spatial Shift earlier, and both times had failed.

Lubao’s Ice Field Domain was nothing short of incredible, it not only blocked the Explosive Flame Bomb, but also froze the Weak Boar King and even the Water Carapace Warrior in place.

That gave Little Treasure the chance to use Spatial Shift without interference, making her the MVP of this battle!

This was the moment. A fleeting chance not to be wasted.

“Go!” Qiao Sang shouted.

“Xun!”

Little Treasure grabbed the Slobber Frog’s claw, his eyes glowing blue.

At the same time, a faint sound of ice cracking came from the Water Carapace Warrior’s body.

In the next instant, the group vanished from the spot.

The temperature returned to normal, and the ice shell shattered completely.

“Armor!!”

The Water Carapace Warrior roared in fury as the intruders disappeared. A powerful aura spread outward, and the water-type beasts in the pool all broke the surface.

“Bo… bo…”

The Weak Boar King, who had been sneering moments ago, now trembled uncontrollably, sweat pouring down its body.

---

Elsewhere, deep in the forest.

Looking up at the canopy overhead and the occasional low-level wild beast emerging, Qiao Sang let out a long breath of relief.

She turned to Lubao with genuine gratitude.

“Lubao, it’s all thanks to you this time.”

“Lu Ai.”

Lubao flicked her tail, indicating that this was simply what she should do.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure tossed the Slobber Frog onto the ground, removed his Ghost Ring, and pulled out a bottle of B-rank energy recovery potion, kindly offering it.

“Lu Ai.”

Lubao reached out with her paw, took it, and gulped it down. That Ice Field Domain had indeed consumed more than half of her energy.

“Yap…”

Yabao remembered the earlier fight, his mood sour. He felt like he hadn’t been of any use at all. He couldn’t beat the water-dwelling enemy, and when breaking a barrier, he had nearly ended up harming humans instead…

“Gangbao, scout the surroundings. If any powerful wild beasts approach, report to me immediately.” Qiao Sang ordered cautiously.

“Gang Zhan.”

Gangbao nodded, shrank her size, and flew up into the skies.

“Are you alright?” Qiao Sang turned to ask Mikayla.

Mikayla suppressed her complicated expression and replied, “I’m fine.”

Truthfully, she was surprised. She hadn’t thought Qiao Sang could resolve that crisis and escape with everyone intact. Not a single injury among them.

That Water Carapace Warrior was clearly not a beginner King-level. Yet Lubao’s Ice Field Domain had held it for over three whole seconds.

Could it be that her Ice Field Domain had already reached a higher mastery than just beginner-level?

Seeing that Mikayla was fine, Qiao Sang relaxed and focused back on the task at hand. She turned to Little Treasure: “Wake them up.”

“Xun~”

Little Treasure stuck out his tongue and licked Yuan Jiewen, the Shellblade Behemoth, and the Slobber Frog across their faces.

The man and two beasts shivered, then gradually woke.

Yuan Jiewen sat up, blinking. When he realized the situation, his head instantly cleared. He checked his arms and legs, then looked at the Shellblade Behemoth in delight.

“Boss, I knew trusting you was the right choice! You brought us out safe and sound!”

“Shellblade.”

The Shellblade Behemoth nodded in agreement.

No… you nearly got severely injured, by Yabao’s flames no less… Qiao Sang felt a pang of guilt. She was about to speak when she caught, out of the corner of her eye, a sneaky figure tiptoeing away.

“Little Treasure, don’t let that frog escape.”

“Quu quu!”

The Slobber Frog shivered, water surging around its body as it prepared to flee.

But then a shadow surged across the ground, binding its legs in an instant.

“Qu!!”

The frog fell face-first to the ground.

Qiao Sang crouched beside it, pulling out her phone and opening a picture. She held the screen before the frog.

“Do you remember this person?”

The frog shut its mouth tight and turned its head away stubbornly.

“Boss, let me pry open its mouth.” Yuan Jiewen formed a hand sign.

“No need.” Qiao Sang waved him off and turned to Little Treasure.

“Use Hypnosis.”

Hypnosis, once mastered, could be applied in many ways, not only to induce sleep or affect dreams, but also to compel targets to speak the truth unconsciously.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure twitched his paw.

The shadow binding the frog’s legs extended upward, forcibly twisting its head toward Qiao Sang.

“Quu quu…”

The frog struggled desperately, but the shadow’s grip was absolute.

Soon, its gaze met a pair of glowing purple eyes.

Its pupils lost focus, becoming empty and dull.

“Do you remember this person?” Qiao Sang asked again, showing the phone screen.

“Quu.”

The frog stared blankly for two seconds, then nodded.

It remembered.

“Yap!”

Yabao acted as interpreter.

“Where did you take him?” Qiao Sang pressed.

“Quu.”

The frog croaked hollowly.

In the water.

Water? Not the forest? Could there be another water source hidden here? Qiao Sang frowned.

“Is he dead?”

“Quu.”

The frog shook its head.

Didn’t know.

If it didn’t know, that meant Liu Bo hadn’t been killed on the spot… though it seemed impossible that someone dragged into a secret realm by wild beasts could survive a whole week. Still, Qiao Sang held onto a sliver of hope.

“What did you take him there for?”

“Quu.”

The frog croaked again.

To solve the sewage.

Solve sewage? Qiao Sang froze at the strange answer.

It had kidnapped someone to solve sewage? How? Did Liu Bo have a beast that specialized in purification? But that didn’t add up, her impression was that his beasts were all flying-types, with nothing to do with water.

Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts and gave a direct order: “Take us to where you brought Liu Bo.”

“Quu…?”

The frog hesitated, silent for several seconds, before croaking again: Who is Liu Bo?

Qiao Sang stared, then silently raised the phone again.

“This man.”

“Quu.”

The frog nodded blankly, then started leading the way.

Qiao Sang followed closely behind.

Lubao tossed aside the empty potion bottle and hopped into her beast master’s backpack.

Mikayla walked quietly at her side. Yuan Jiewen hurried to catch up.

After the group left, a trickle of water seeped from the ground beneath the discarded bottle, wrapping around it before sinking back into the earth.

When the flow subsided, the bottle was gone without a trace.