The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 477: Last Chance

Chapter 477: Last Chance

"I’m sorry—" Xu Zeng was ready to apologize for his current state when one tear fell from Bai Mo’s eye.

Bai Mo brought a hand forward as if to touch the bloodied robes, but then thought better of it, before dropping his hands by his sides. "Does it hurt?" He finally whispered.

There was a moment of silence as Xu Zeng’s brain cleared from the lust and sickness-induced haze. Bai Mo’s tears had shocked him more than their actual situation. ’The transformation was bloody, but...’

But he really hadn’t expected to scare the other so much. It wasn’t like Bai Mo had felt the pain of the shift. Still, watching the fox’s face, Xu Zeng regretted their entire situation again, but it was already done. They were already here.

If given the chance, he would do it again to give them a better fighting chance at surviving this evening in one piece. It still hurt, but not as much as it had.

"I’m alright, it stopped hurting... I’m sorry—" He was about to apologize for scaring the other.

He was only thinking about maintaining himself and keeping the other from watching him shift, Xu Zeng hadn’t thought about the state he would be in. His inherited memories told him it would be painful, but he didn’t really understand it until he experienced it.

He wouldn’t force a shift in the future, it wasn’t worth it to scare Bai Mo like this. It was only to have a fighting chance against the bandits.

Xu Zeng may be bloody with a dull ache in his bones, but this body suited him best. The pain was still retreating, but he already felt immensely powerful! He should have eaten another power stone, but one should be enough to deal with the two bandits.

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[Xu Hu Zhe’s Perspective]

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The darkness of the night closed in around Xu Hu Zhe like a suffocating shroud, casting a shadow of foreboding over his already troubled mind.

Nighttime had always held a sinister air for him, carrying memories of loss and pain that seemed to resurface with every setting sun. Phantom pains always seemed to plague him, but it hadn’t been so vivid until this night.

His childhood on the unforgiving streets of Yilin had been plagued by the harsh realities of the night. It was when he lost his mother, her face now a distant memory but the image of her lifeless body etched into his mind like a scar.

Countless nights had been spent mourning the loss of his brothers, their lives snuffed out by the cold hand of fate in the darkness. There were one too many ’brothers’ he’d lost in the wintertime.

The nights were always cruel and with their own agendas. A human’s wrath could be doubled or even tripled under the cover of night. It was like the darkness released them from their inhibitions.

Even after finding refuge at the Nanshan estate, the night still held a sense of unease for Xu Hu Zhe. It was when Steward Wu’s special deeds with the women often unfolded.

It was when the chill of the air seemed to seep into his bones as he checked on the two girls younger than him— Xu Si and Xu San— to ensure they were safe and warm.

It was also the eve of the night when Xu Feng left them...

But it was also in the darkness of that night that he had experienced the arrival of Da Long and Xiao Long, two small treasures that brought light into his life.

Yet, much more swiftly than they had come, they were taken away from him, along with Bai Mo and Xu Zeng, leaving Xu Hu Zhe reeling from the sudden loss of his loved ones.

In a single night, he’d lost sight of all four treasures.

As he urged the bullock to move faster, desperation coursed through him, driving him forward with a sense of urgency bordering on madness. The nagging thought of losing all four of them indefinitely, in one night, was unbearable, and Xu Hu Zhe was determined to do whatever it took to find them and bring them back.

He couldn’t stop replaying the scene of his loss over and over again. The thoughts drove him to madness even as he followed the disappearing trail.

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Running out of the inn to only be greeted by an empty space was like his worst dreams had come to pass all in one second. Xu Hu Zhe regretted not keeping his loved ones closer to him.

His senses told him something wasn’t right about the town, but they’d previously stayed there, it should have been safe...

To make matters worse, after he’d searched the inn’s barn for their carriage, a few people had come out from wherever they’d been hiding and looked him up and down.

There was little to no emotion in their appraisals. Xu Hu Zhe couldn’t remember if the people of the town were so disinterested in life the last time they’d been here.

In truth, he hadn’t cared about them, their looks, or their feelings. He’d been on a journey to Sun Village, keeping those in his charge safe was his biggest concern.

Now it seemed like his biggest worry was realized. The only serious threat they’d come across— the bandits— had taken his carriage filled with treasures from right under his nose.

It had to be the bandits. The hopelessness on the faces of the townspeople had reinforced that thought. What could make an entire town become such a lifeless shelter?

Normally, Xu Hu Zhe might have felt for the town’s people, and desired to bring them justice, but the madness kept his mind focused on his own people.

As he surveyed the crowd, nearly lost. The attendant from the inn who had followed him out began to slowly retreat. Without even an apology or some sort of consolation, the man threw heartless words instead.

"Just pretend you didn’t know them," the attendant said, his voice dripping with malice. "They were some pampered masters, right?"

His words were chilling to the bone. Other than that, Xu Hu Zhe couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had thrown him over the edge.

"We’ve all experienced loss, losing some uncaring rich gers doesn’t matter. The wealthy can flee when the bandits swarm, and their guards will lay down their lives as they retreat, but us commoners, there is no one to protect us—"

Whatever else the bitter man had spewed was wasted, because Xu Hu Zhe had decided to give chase. Rushing back into the inn’s stables, he’d stolen the most able-bodied looking oxen.

Setting up the bullock cart had been something he’d done frequently before Xu Feng had come to Nanshan Estate. It was something he’d done for the aunties and Steward Wu. But this time, his hands moved like air itself, there was no resistance, only flow.

Xu Hu Zhe let his instincts pull him in his current direction. From the moment he’d made up his mind to take the ox, it was like he’d gone into autopilot, his brain moving his body of its own accord, his mind was almost completely removed from the situation.

He’d followed his senses—his sight and hearing honing in, to an extent he never knew was possible. Even in the fading light, the tracks couldn’t escape his pursuit.

Xu Hu Zhe pressed on, his senses sharp and alert as he followed the sound, praying that it would lead him to his missing companions.

The night threatened to swallow all indicators of the bandits, but his instincts carried him forward as he drove the ox relentlessly. It had now been hours, and he knew he was on the right track, but Xu Hu Zhe hadn’t caught up to the thieves.

He was pursuing them at full speed, and they were also moving up the mountain at full speed. The oxen seemed to be possessed by the hounds of hell. The urging of the beast at its heels gave it a strength not even a young bull would have as it competed with the pair of horses pulling the carriage up ahead.

Suddenly, the distance Xu Hu Zhe thought was insurmountable became much closer. The distance was halved many times over. Not only was he spurred on, the bullock seemed to draw energy from his excitement, and pushed forward boldly, the noises a beacon in the darkness.

*Crash!

*Bang, thump!

What was going on up ahead? The quiet of the night was fractured. The trees that previously stood ominously on his path seemed welcoming now. They cleared a pathway toward his objective, leading the way for the bullock.

Out of the darkness, a faint glimmer caught Xu Hu Zhe’s eye, drawing his attention. As he drew closer, the outline of their rented carriage emerged from the shadows, parked deliberately to the side of the path.

It was an eerie sight, the carriage standing silent and empty, as though waiting for its occupants to return. The horses stood nearby, their bodies tense and trembling, but they made no move to flee into the darkness of the forest beyond.