Chapter 2767 Then Go Killing
Despite some initial reluctance, Qiong Hao found himself unable to directly oppose the Crown Prince and Crown Prince Consort. With a hint of resignation, he reluctantly hurled the celestial fire mithril he held towards Qiao Mu.
Unfazed, the composed young woman gave the celestial fire mithril a frosty glance before calmly accepting the offering. Her voice remained steady as she remarked, "When someone saves my life, my response isn't to seize from others; rather, it's to reciprocate the kindness in due measure."
In essence, she found the suppressed and opportunistic behavior of those around her utterly repugnant. While she didn't anticipate others repaying her for her rescue, the act of repaying her with theft left her utterly disgusted.
Qiong Hao, meanwhile, was left momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, Zhongli Zhiwei had regained consciousness and couldn't resist interrupting with a resounding declaration, "I understand that your intent wasn't to deliberately save us. Your actions were merely an incidental rescue. Huh? Zhongli Zhiyi, why are you covering my mouth?"
"Apologies," Zhongli Zhiyi turned towards Qiao Mu's group and offered an apologetic nod. Then, she turned to Zhongli Zhiwei and instructed, "Could you please cease your noisy quarreling? Move behind the tree to clean yourself. I'll stand guard."
Appraising the mess of vomit on her attire, Zhongli Zhiwei let out a shriek and hurriedly retreated behind a tree to rectify the situation.
Qiao Mu felt little inclination to deal with them any further. She pulled Crown Prince Mo aside and signaled to Duan Yue and the rest, "Let's depart."
Approaching the ailing monstrous fish, she delivered a forceful kick and admonished, "Move it already."
/Were they waiting to become ready-made victims, blamed and thrown into a pot?/
The pitiful, crashing fish swayed weakly and shrank its form before promptly turning tail and fleeing.
As it retreated, its appearance seemed a tad disheveled.
/Rightly so, wasn't that the case?/
/The unfortunate result of her upheaval was a forfeiture of all the delectable ingredients she had savored over centuries!/
The monstrous fish, now ravenous, bore a conspicuously deflated belly.
"Hold on! Don't leave!" Zhongli Zhiwei emerged from her concealment behind the tree, hollering, "You there! How could you allow it to flee??"
"And what would you have preferred?"
"Destroy it!!" Zhongli Zhiwei bellowed, "This creature has been squatting here, feasting on who knows how many individuals. You, you! You're simply—"
/This unfeeling and ruthless individual actually permitted its escape?/
"What does it matter if it consumes people?" Qiao Mu's icy gaze held firm.
"What, what??" Zhongli Zhiwei's eyes widened in astonishment, regarding Qiao Mu as if she were some kind of aberration.
The unemotional young woman cast a chilly glance at her bewildered companion. "The creature in question is simply partaking in its natural behavior. Who gave you the authority to intrude upon its territory?"
/This absurd argument from the oddball was beyond belief!/
/The youthful crown prince consort appeared to be implying that the monstrous fishes were largely blameless?/
/Could it be that these dunderheads inadvertently invaded the creature's customary feeding ground and disrupted its regular repast?/
Zhongli Zhiwei's expression contorted in bafflement. She stared at Zhongli Zhiwei for a considerable time, before finally wrenching free and shrieking, "I—I can't just let it go!!"
"In that case, pursue it and exterminate it. Why are you preventing me from expressing my exasperation?" Qiao Mu dismissed the imbecilic woman with a curt glance.
However, when Zhongli Zhiwei turned to look, the monstrous fish was already nowhere in sight.
Naturally, the monstrous fish possessed an inherent knack for concealment. Otherwise, it couldn't have devoured them all in one fell swoop without detection.
Primarily, the standout characteristic of this monstrous fish lay in its adeptness at concealment.
Moreover, it had exploited its covert ability and harnessed powerful gusts to draw its prey in. How many individuals, in their confusion, had succumbed to its trap?
Regarding its combat capabilities, it was essentially restricted to an average standard.
If Qiao Mu's discernment was accurate, this monstrous fish likely belonged to the category of aquatic lifebound beasts.