I was terrified! Raising a colossal star beast in the Beast Taming World

Chapter 174 Lei Ying's Changes

The pounce was swift and fierce; Xue Youyou had no time to react before Lei Ying clung to her like an octopus. Warm body heat seeped through her clothes, and Lei Ying's chin rested on Xue Youyou's shoulder, bouncing excitedly, completely unlike her earlier, difficult demeanor.

"You—let go!"

Xue Youyou's face flushed red instantly. She reached out and gently pushed him away, but found that he was holding her tightly and she couldn't break free at all.

Lei Ying hugged him for a while longer before finally letting go, satisfied. She took a step back, picked up the cup of black tea, took a big gulp, and then gave a thumbs up: "It's so delicious! I wish I could drink your tea for the rest of my life!"

She dropped her joking expression, her gaze becoming serious and sharp: "Don't worry, leave finding her to me. As long as she's still in Yuelan Prefecture, even if she's hiding in a rat hole, I'll find her for you."

Xue Youyou looked away, her voice muffled: "...Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

Lei Ying patted her shoulder with a grin.

Actually, when Xue Youyou went missing, her mother, Evil Thunder Marquis Lei Ying, specifically asked her to look for Xue Youyou.

Unfortunately, Xue Youyou had fallen into another dimension, and Lei Ying searched for her for a long time without success, causing her great distress.

That evens things out.

After calming herself down, Xue spoke softly, turning the subject to business: "Let's go to Lanzhi Courtyard first. I want to see if the Dean's luggage is still there."

Lei Ying understood Xue Youyou's meaning almost instantly.

If Lu Yuan set off with luggage, the search area can be greatly narrowed down. Just pay special attention to people who carry luggage with them, and the search will be much faster.

On the other hand, choosing to go directly to Lanzhi Courtyard was also to help Lei Ying avoid being noticed by others. After all, the fact that she was Princess Shanlei was still a secret that could not be revealed.

Lei Ying was surprised to find that Xue Youyou was such a thoughtful person, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

The two walked out of the lounge and side by side into the empty corridor.

Lei Ying stopped, turned around, and generously extended one hand: "Give me your hand."

Xue Youyou glanced at Lei Ying, her eyes flashing slightly. Then, as if she understood something, a faint smile appeared on her lips: "As expected... you've become stronger."

Lei Ying's gesture was perfectly clear: she wanted to take Xue Youyou with her on a high-speed journey.

If it were Princess Lightning in her complete form, let alone carrying someone while moving at high speed, it would be impossible for her to even maintain the integrity of her own clothing. At that extreme speed, all fabrics would be torn and destroyed instantly, leaving her completely naked.

For example, when Lei Ying fought Xue Youyou last time, Lei Ying could only achieve that kind of extreme speed after her body was completely elementalized.

The fact that she could calmly bring someone along at this moment shows that her control and understanding of speed has clearly reached a whole new level.

It seems Bao Yunxing was right; Lei Ying has indeed become stronger.

Unexpectedly, Xue Youyou saw through it at a glance. Lei Ying couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth with a smug smile and let out a soft chuckle: "Hmph—, ever since I lost to you last time, I've been working really hard."

As she spoke, a glint of eager anticipation flashed in her eyes: "Tomorrow, you're going to face your doom!"

Xue Youyou smiled noncommittally, ignoring Lei Ying's challenge, and simply placed her hand gently in Lei Ying's palm: "Do you know where Lanzhi Courtyard is?"

Lei Ying proudly raised her chin, her eyes brimming with undisguised confidence: "There wasn't a single place in Lanzhou that I hadn't been to this month."

As soon as they finished speaking, purple light burst forth from their clasped hands, rippling outwards like water, gently and swiftly enveloping their figures.

The next second, time flowed by. There was no gust of air, no sonic boom, everything was as quiet as if it were just a fleeting dream.

The two of them appeared at the entrance of Lanzhi Courtyard almost instantly, directly from the corridor of the competition venue.

Xue Youyou stared wide-eyed in surprise, the light and shadow that had just flowed in her pupils still lingering.

Despite her incredible speed, she could clearly see everything that passed by during the entire movement—the patterns on the pillars, the wind chimes under the eaves, the dappled light and shadow on the courtyard walls—every frame was vivid in her mind.

This extreme speed and extreme clarity intertwined to create a wonderful and contradictory sense of asymmetry, something Xue Youyou had never experienced before in her two lifetimes.

"Alright, that concludes the free trial."

Before Xue Youyou could recover from that mysterious feeling, Lei Ying decisively let go of her hand.

She turned around casually, her back to Xue Youyou, and secretly took a few breaths, her chest rising and falling slightly.

Actually, this was her first time leading someone on a journey, and she hadn't expected it to be so physically demanding. Just carrying Xue Youyou for such a short distance had left her feeling as exhausted as if she had been running alone at top speed for a full hour.

Xue Youyou blinked with a hint of regret, the warmth of the other person's palm still lingering on her fingertips. She actually wanted to experience that feeling of traveling through time again, but then she thought—if Lei Ying asked for a fee, then she'd better forget it.

Xue Youyou took a deep breath, suppressing the subtle regret in her heart, and stepped into Lanzhi Courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, and the afternoon sun slanted across the bluestone slabs, casting long, dappled shadows of the trees.

Lu Yuan's room was located at the deepest part of the courtyard, and the door was unlocked.

Xue Youyou gently pushed the door open, and it creaked open.

The room was small and simply furnished. There was a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a few pots of blue irises on the windowsill, and a half-open copy of "The Legend of the God of Gamblers" on the bedside table.

The only thing missing was the blue and gold-trimmed suitcase that Lu Yuan had taken with her when she left.

She stood up, quickly opened the wardrobe, and found all her clothes were gone. Her toothbrush, towel, and skincare products on the sink had also vanished completely.

"It's tidied up quite well," Xue Youyou muttered softly.

She casually activated the communication bracelet on her wrist, logged into the internal website of Lanzhi Academy, and found Lu Yuan's ID photo on the dean's personal information page. In the photo, Lu Yuan was wearing a smart academy uniform, her eyes smiling, looking spirited and confident.

Xue Youyou saved the photo, left the room, and returned to the entrance of the courtyard.

Lei Ying was leaning against the wall, looking bored, when she saw Xue Youyou come out. She immediately straightened up and raised an eyebrow: "How was it?"

"My suitcase is gone, and I took most of my clothes and personal belongings with me."

Xue Youyou succinctly summarized, while turning the bracelet screen towards Lei Ying, displaying a photo of Lu Yuan: "She is the person we are looking for—the Dean of Lanzhi Academy, Lu Yuan."

Lei Ying leaned closer for a look, then blinked: "A middle-aged woman, but still retains her charm!"

Of course, this isn't exactly a compliment in the world of beast taming. After all, truly powerful beast tamers can generally maintain their youthful appearance until their death.

"...Let's get down to business."

Xue Youyou resisted the urge to roll her eyes, put away the photo, and said seriously, "The last time the Dean appeared in everyone's sight was about two hours ago. But considering that she came back here to pack her luggage, the actual time she spent running away was probably only about an hour and a half."

She paused, then continued her analysis: "In an hour and a half, if she travels by land with her luggage, the Dean's strength should be insufficient to leave the City of Ten Thousand Beasts."

Lei Ying listened attentively, but then tilted her head, keenly noticing a detail: "Wait, did you just say 'run away'?"

Xue Youyou paused for a moment, then nodded without changing her expression: "Yes, run away."

"Not missing? Not kidnapped? Not anything else?"

Lei Ying pressed on, her eyes filled with curiosity: "How can you be so sure she ran away on her own?"

Xue Youyou was silent for a moment. Should she reveal the embezzlement? She quickly weighed her options—she felt that this matter concerned Lu Yuan's reputation, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

"I cannot go into details."

Xue Youyou ultimately chose to gloss over the matter, speaking frankly: "In short, she's run away on her own now, and will most likely try to leave Yuelan Prefecture as soon as possible. So time is of the essence."

Lei Ying stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly waved her hand, too lazy to ask any more questions: "Fine, fine, I'm only responsible for finding the person. After you find them, you Lanzhi Courtyard can handle your own messes."

"Oh, right!"

Xue Youyou seemed to remember something else and immediately added, "If you find Lu Yuan, don't alert him. Come back and tell me first."

"Okay, wait here."

Before she finished speaking, Lei Ying's figure transformed into a dazzling purple lightning bolt. There was no sound of air being torn apart, no shockwave, not even a wisp of wind was disturbed. The air merely distorted slightly for a moment, and then the purple light vanished from its spot like an ink droplet dissolving into water.