Zhi Yao frowned deeply as she opened her phone, but when she glanced at it, she was completely stunned.
The person who sent this text message was none other than Xie Qinzhou!
The content of his message was simple, just a single photo. In the picture... was a fox, a beautiful nine-tailed red fox.
Zhi Yao recognized it immediately. It was her Mother... her most beloved and beautiful Mother.
Zhi Yao's eyes suddenly widened as she examined the fox in the photo carefully, confirming that her Mother seemed to have no injuries. Only then did Zhi Yao breathe a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, she frantically dialed that number.
But as soon as it rang for a second, it was disconnected. When she tried again, the phone was turned off.
Zhi Yao angrily threw her phone on the ground.
"What on earth does Xie Qinzhou want to do!"
She and her Mother had clearly escaped from the Fox Clan, so why... why wouldn't Xie Qinzhou leave them alone?!
What was he thinking in that head of his?!
Pei Chiyao placed a hand on Zhi Yao's shoulder, gesturing for the young girl to calm down. "Yao Yao, don't panic."
Too intense emotional fluctuations were bad for the body. Pei Chiyao wasn't particularly worried about the fetus, but he was concerned about Zhi Yao's own health.
The child in her womb was a very strong and powerful being, but in his eyes, Zhi Yao was an incredibly fragile little thing.
"I'll have someone investigate. Since Xie Qinzhou sent a message telling you that your Mother is in his hands, he must have some plan. Let's wait and see what his next move is. He won't rashly harm your Mother before achieving his goal."
Pei Chiyao could almost guess Xie Qinzhou's thoughts and motives.
"I hope so."
If Xie Qinzhou were to harm her Mother because of her, Zhi Yao would feel incredibly guilty.
"So what do we do now? Just wait?" Zhi Yao couldn't bear to just sit and wait idly.
Before Pei Chiyao could speak, Ling Si jumped in: "We can't! We must find Mother as quickly as possible. Right now, Father is preoccupied with Zhi Yao's situation and hasn't noticed yet, but it won't be long before he definitely will!"
There was no help for it; Ling Jue was completely devoted to his wife. He couldn't stand being away from Zhi Yi for even a moment.
If Ling Jue found out that the Fox Clan had kidnapped Zhi Yi again, he might, in a fit of rage, even wipe out the entire Fox Clan...
After all, once he lost his temper, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
"We must act quickly. Zhi Yao, you used to live in the Fox Clan. Do you know where they're living now?"
Zhi Yao shook her head, "Over the years, our Fox Clan has been constantly changing locations. We were afraid of being discovered by humans and also feared the Wolf Tribe. We were practically nomadic."
She was also pondering and guessing where Xie Qinzhou might have taken her Mother.
She had a vague intuition that Xie Qinzhou was probably after her.
Zhi Yao was lost in thought, unconsciously forming an idea in her mind.
If she could rescue her Mother, she wasn't afraid of taking any risk, no matter how great!
Just as everyone had fallen into silence, Yan Mu, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up, "I think... maybe... possibly... I might know where he is, but I'm not sure."
"This is no time to be wishy-washy, just say it quickly. We can't afford to miss any possible location!" Ling Si was as anxious as if his eyebrows were on fire. He grabbed Yan Mu from the hospital bed and lifted her up. "Speak up!"
His actions were a bit rough, making Yan Mu quite uncomfortable, but at this moment, Yan Mu couldn't care about herself. This time, Xie Qinzhou had gone too far, actually kidnapping Zhi Yao's Mother!
If her own mother had been kidnapped, she would surely be just as anxious!
"It's in..."
She named a place, and the next second, she was thrown back onto the bed by Ling Si. Before Yan Mu could react, a shadow flashed before her eyes, and then Ling Si had rushed out.
"I'll go check it out too."
After saying this to Zhi Yao, Pei Chiyao also quickly walked out.
Zhi Yao watched their departing figures without saying a word.
She had a feeling in her heart that they wouldn't be able to find Xie Qinzhou unless... unless Xie Qinzhou appeared voluntarily.
Zhi Yao lay on the hospital bed, eyes closed, her hand gently caressing her still flat abdomen.
It should... be possible, right?
She looked at Yan Mu lying beside her and said, "Can you not turn into a human now?"
Yan Mu shook her head. She had just given her spiritual power to Zhi Yao, and although Zhi Yao had returned it, she wasn't quite adjusted to it yet, so she couldn't transform back for the time being.
Zhi Yao sighed, raised her hand, and lightly tapped Yan Mu's forehead. Now she could.
"Yan Mu, I need you to do me a favor."
Yan Mu felt spiritual power filling her entire body. Before she could come to her senses, she heard Zhi Yao say this.
She quickly looked up at Zhi Yao and said, "What do you need me to help with?"
Zhi Yao leaned over and whispered in Yan Mu's ear.
...
About three hours later, Ling Si returned.
Just as Zhi Yao had anticipated, they had found nothing.
Ling Si was at the peak of anxiety, "What should we do, what should we do! Father should be back soon, and if he doesn't see Mother when he returns, he'll definitely become suspicious, and then..."
Just thinking about Ling Jue's crazed state made Ling Si feel awful all over.
Seeing Ling Si in this state, Zhi Yao sighed and said, "You can hide it for a while, but not forever."
Hearing this, Ling Si became even more agitated. He vigorously scratched his head, "No, it's not like that! Zhi Yao! You have no idea how terrifying Father is when he goes berserk! Of course, I hope you never have to see it."
Zhi Yao wanted to ask if it was as terrifying as when Pei Chiyao went berserk, but considering that Pei Chiyao still had his pride, the young girl swallowed her words.
Before she could speak, Ling Si seemed to think of something. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently at Zhi Yao. He pounced to Zhi Yao's side and grabbed her arm, "Zhi Yao, could you please deceive Father? Just say... just say that Mother went out to find someone to check on the baby in your belly?"
Seeing Zhi Yao not responding, Ling Si continued, "Zhi Yao, Father loves you so much. He'll definitely believe whatever you say."
In their Ling family, women held the highest status. Originally, Mother's word was law, and except for her desire to leave, which Father would not grant, almost all her other wishes were fulfilled without question.
Of course, now there was another person who enjoyed such treatment - Zhi Yao.
The brothers had always been raised with a hands-off approach. Apart from Ling Er, who closely resembled Mother and was previously more favored, the others were like weeds in Ling Jue's eyes, left to grow freely on their own.
