A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 354 The Fox's Deep Love

……

When Shen Tang woke up, she was already back home.

She looked at the familiar furnishings in the bedroom, yet felt a sense of unreality.

A sharp pain shot through my mind, and fragmented memories flooded back like a tide.

Late at night... a promise... a volcano... the earth's core... an assassination... a final farewell from an arrow wound...

Was she pulled back from the brink of death, or was it just a nightmare?

"Tangtang, you're awake! That's wonderful!"

Xiao Jin sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for several nights.

He was so excited that he wanted to hold her in his arms, but he was also afraid of making her uncomfortable. So he just held her hand tightly and asked anxiously, "How are you feeling now? Are you feeling unwell? I've only been gone for a short time, how did you get yourself into this state? You almost lost your life! What happened?!"

Jialan brought over a bowl of herbal medicine and scolded, "You deadbeat, why are you in such a hurry? Tangtang just woke up, how can she answer so many questions?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Shen Tang, a rare gentleness appearing on his usually cool and refined face. "Drink your medicine first."

Lu Xiao sat down on the edge of the bed, touched her forehead, and said in a low voice, "Mistress, you can tell us if you feel unwell."

Xue Yinzhou hugged her tightly, feeling guilty and remorseful. "I'm sorry, I failed in my duty and couldn't protect you."

After receiving the message from Lu Xiao, he, like Xiao Jin, traveled a long way back.

I never expected something like this to happen while I was away.

If he had known in advance that something bad would happen to her, he would never have left.

Shen Tang stared blankly at the beastly men who were showing concern for her, her nose tingled, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

Lu Xiao knelt down beside the bed, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and gently comforted her, "It's alright, it's all over. Your safe return is the best thing."

Shen Tang grabbed his arm, choking back tears as she shook her head, "No, and Shen Li too, have you seen him? He... didn't he come back with me?"

Lu Xiao and Jia Lan looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

In the end, Jialan spoke up, unable to bear it, "Tangtang, when we went there, we only found you, not Shen Li."

Lu Xiao handed her a letter. "This is a letter Shen Li left three nights ago. After learning you were missing, Princess Jialan and I immediately set off with people to search for you..."

He told Shen Tang the whole story, "We originally wanted to go into the heart of the volcano to find someone, but we encountered a volcanic eruption and had to retreat first. Sorry."

As he finished speaking, Lu Xiao's tone became noticeably somber. Having spent so much time together, they had come to regard Shen Li as family. They would occasionally bicker and fight, but the thought of either of them leaving was always painful.

The atmosphere at the scene was indescribably quiet and deathly still; time seemed to stand still.

Shen Tang clutched the envelope in her hand, wrinkling it, and felt a chill run through her body.

Is it possible for someone to survive in an erupting volcano?
Shen Li is a high-level fire-type beastman, but he is still just a mortal.

Xiao Jin held her hand, his grip chillingly cold, "Tangtang..."

He was extremely worried, but at this moment he was at a loss for words and didn't know how to comfort her, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making her feel even worse.

Now that things have come to this, what good are the nicest words of comfort?
No one present is a fool.

Even Lu Xiao remained silent. What Shen Tang needed now was not comfort, but to accept the facts and calm down.

"...I understand." Shen Tang closed her eyes and asked the system, "Is Shen Li still alive?"

The system's low-volume voice said, "[The system cannot detect Shen Li's vital signs, and the information about him on the system interface can no longer be updated. Host... do you want to unbind?]"

"..." The system's words were quite tactful.

Shen Tang felt an unbearable pain in her heart, her nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes again. She could save Xiao Jin back then, but she couldn't save Shen Li.

"Do not unbind."

[Okay, host. Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you.]

Normally, the system would have been crowing with excitement, but now, infected by the host's grief, it spoke softly, [The moment Shen Li shielded the host from an arrow, the favorability rating broke through to deep love. A reward is now being issued to the host.] […Congratulations, host, on receiving the reward: Ability Awakening Book. After using this item, the host can awaken a new ability.]

[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the Magical Puppet Creation Technique. After learning this skill, you can learn to create puppets. Please explore its specific uses on your own.]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Scissors of Fate. These scissors can sever your ties with anyone. Please use them with caution, as once severed, they cannot be reversed! The reward has been automatically sent to your system inventory. Please check it yourself!]

The rewards this time were very generous. Normally, Shen Tang would have been overjoyed and excitedly studying the uses of the props. But at this moment, she was in no mood for it. Her heart ached as if it were being stabbed with a knife, and her mind was a complete mess.

Shen Tang tried to clear her head and reviewed the whole process, feeling that something was off about everything.

She opened the envelope and found it even stranger when she saw what Shen Li had written in his own hand.

It was as if a thread was connecting her memories in her mind, but something was always missing, and she couldn't figure out why.

……

During the three days that Shen Tang was unconscious, the volcano that erupted in Wind Howl City fell into slumber once again.

Within a dozen miles of the volcano, wherever lava and volcanic ash had covered the land, nothing grew; it was barren and desolate, and all living things had died.

It will take at least several decades to recover.

Once the environment around the volcano was safe for normal people to enter, Lu Xiao led a team deep into the heart of the volcano to begin search and rescue operations.

Everyone present knew perfectly well that no one could possibly survive a volcanic eruption that lasted for several days, but the missing man was His Majesty the Emperor's beastly husband, so at least something had to be found, even just remains.

Shen Tang also returned to the volcano, clinging to a sliver of hope, and joined the troops in the search.

She even went to the crater herself and had Lu Xiao take her to the deepest part of it.

The base of the volcano, illuminated by the faint glow of the fire, was nothing but ruins and rubble.

She carried the stones out one by one.

Her fingers were cut and bleeding from the stones, but she didn't stop. Shen Tang silently cleared the ruins below, following the route she remembered.

Seeing Shen Tang like this, Lu Xiao couldn't bear to stop her. He silently walked to her side and helped her clear away the collapsed rocks.

Xiao Jin, Jia Lan, and Xue Yinzhou remained silent as they led their teams over to clear away the rubble.

Hey!
Live to see people, die to see corpses.

If we can find the body and bury it, at least we'll have something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, they dug for three days and three nights but found nothing.

Nothing was left after being swallowed by the high-temperature lava.

Their remains were destined to be lost forever.

"Look here, there seems to be a road down there!" someone in the group shouted.

How could there be a passage under a volcano?

Lu Xiao and the others also put down their work and went to investigate. Amidst the collapsed rubble, a passage could indeed be faintly seen!

Shen Tang gave the order, "Keep digging!"

The beastmen dug and moved the stones even more diligently.

After another half day of digging, the ruins near the passage were finally cleared away.

This is the entrance to the underground secret realm.

Shen Tang had the troops stationed outside and led Lu Xiao and the others into the passage.

There were also many ruins in the passage. Xiao Jin and his group cleared them as they walked, and it took them half a day to finally find the secret room.

This secret room was built with some kind of stone, and although the outside was completely destroyed into ruins, it remained intact.

The altar from my memory is still there, but the core of the earth's source has disappeared!