Beast World: From Villainess to Cub-Raising Chef novel Chapter 299

Chapter 299: Chapter 296: Discovering the Truth

She released her spiritual power, probing into the soldiers’ bodies.

Strangely, their bodies had no internal injuries, but their organs seemed to be slowly failing.

It hadn’t manifested as a specific disease, so medical equipment couldn’t detect anything, yet the decline was undeniably real.

It was like natural aging.

But at their age, it was impossible for them to be experiencing such a clear decline.

Bai Su turned to Yodel and asked, "You mean only the soldiers who patrol outside the city are showing these symptoms?"

Yodel nodded.

Lu Tingyan said, "I had people investigate their living quarters and daily routines. Nothing out of the ordinary has been found so far."

"Mommy..." A soft, sweet voice suddenly called out from nearby.

Bai Su turned to see Wen Xiaobao standing a short distance away, watching her with an adorable, well-behaved expression.

Lu Tingyan was stunned for a moment. "Little Treasure, how did you get in?"

He shot a stern glance at Yodel.

Bai Su was also taken aback. "Little Treasure, why are you here?"

A subordinate beside Yodel trotted forward, his face pale. "Reporting to the Chief, Your Grace the Duke! The young miss came in, but... but we couldn’t stop her!"

He pointed to the Cat Beastman on a nearby rooftop. "He’s protecting the young miss. He wouldn’t let us get within ten meters of her."

Lu Tingyan’s brow furrowed slightly as he saw the cat-eared youth in the distance.

’He recalled that there were no Cat Beastmen in the city.’

’Besides,’ he thought, ’for such a conspicuous Cat Beastman to appear in the Imperial City, there’s no way the sentinels would have missed him.’

’Unless...’

’This Cat Beastman’s power is on par with my own, allowing him to easily evade the city’s sentinels.’

Wen Xiaobao waved at the Cat Beastman, beckoning him over.

The guards outside, who had been knocked askew by him, instantly tensed up as if facing a formidable foe. "Young Miss, be careful! That person is dangerous!"

Little Bu placed a foot on the windowsill and launched himself into a light leap. He gracefully and nimbly crossed the dozen-meter distance, landing as softly as a feather beside Wen Xiaobao.

Wen Xiaobao pointed at him and said to Bai Su, "Mommy, he says he might know what’s happening with the soldier uncles."

Bai Su paused, then looked at the cat-eared youth. "You know?"

Little Bu’s gaze had been fixed on Bai Su since he arrived, his beautiful golden cat eyes filled with a trace of confusion.

He glanced at Bai Su, then at Wen Xiaobao beside him.

After a moment, he leaned in curiously toward Bai Su and sniffed.

Lu Tingyan’s face darkened as he stepped in front of Bai Su. "Get lost."

’Does he think I’m dead or something?’

’Sniffing his rabbit so brazenly.’

The confusion on the youth’s face deepened. "Why... two masters..."

Wen Xiaobao walked over and tugged on his finger. "Little Bu, hurry and tell Mommy what’s going on!"

At these words, Bai Su turned her gaze to the youth beside her daughter.

Little Bu glanced calmly at Bai Su. "Yesterday we... went out of city. Beasts on ground... burying trash."

"Burying trash?" Bai Su repeated, taken aback.

Yodel asked from the side, "Can you be more specific?"

Little Bu shot him a look. "Just... burying trash. At foot of city wall."

Wen Xiaobao tilted her head up at Yodel and said, "Uncle Yodel, he’s not very fluent yet. He only learned to speak a little while ago."

Bai Su and Lu Tingyan exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them as they came to the same conclusion.

Lu Tingyan ordered Yodel, "Take a team outside the city immediately. Focus your investigation on what’s underground. The area near the wall requires an especially thorough inspection."

Yodel nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir!"

Only then did Bai Su pull Wen Xiaobao aside and ask curiously, "How did you meet this friend of yours?"

She had seen Wen Xiaobao with him before, but he had slipped away so quickly that she hadn’t gotten a clear look at whether he was male or female, old or young.

’His skills are clearly excellent,’ she thought, ’and...’

’He doesn’t seem very bright.’

The schools weren’t what they used to be.

Not many people remained in the city, so the students were mostly the children of staff, and the teachers didn’t cover much material.

Her classes were now one day on, one day off, leaving her with a lot of free time.

Bai Su sent a message to Wen Lan and Wen Dabao, asking them to come and keep an eye on things.

Only after confirming that Wen Xiaobao was safe did Bai Su go outside the city with Lu Tingyan.

Outside the city, an endless black mist swirled, carrying a foul stench.

Ferocious beasts lurked in the darkness, their crimson eyes fixed on the people emerging from the city, but they did not approach rashly.

Bai Su followed the others to the spot where the earth had been dug up.

The hole wasn’t deep, and the grass around it was sparse and patchy.

Bai Su surveyed her surroundings for a moment before turning to Lu Tingyan. "Don’t you think something is off?"

Lu Tingyan said, "There’s a lot less grass here than there used to be."

Bai Su nodded. "Exactly. It’s the middle of summer; there should be more grass than this."

Although the black miasma from the Abyss corrodes flowers and trees,

the Imperial City is protected by Bai Su’s Purification Power barrier. The miasma from outside can’t get near, so the grass at the foot of the wall shouldn’t be withering this easily.

Bai Su had the men dig deeper into the soil.

They discovered that there were traces of buried scorched earth all along the perimeter of the city wall.

When it was all excavated, it wasn’t a large amount.

The Dark Power on it was quickly cleansed by Bai Su’s Purification Power.

Yodel said, "I just reviewed the surveillance footage. No ferocious beasts have been seen approaching during this time."

Lu Tingyan replied, "That’s not surprising. It was likely a creature that’s good at burrowing, like a rat beast."

Bai Su suddenly recalled how many of the city’s women had recently fallen ill, and how the leaves of many vegetable seedlings in the fields were turning yellow and withered...

She understood!