A beast, though it looked like a fox, it wasn't a fox. Its eyes matched that of a cat. Its ears were drooping like a dog. Quite fierce, they would stop at nothing if given the chance. Humans were its favorite food.
These were the beasts that surrounded Yang Zhai and the others right now. Not just hundreds, but thousands of them, ready to pounce at any moment.
However, they weren't growling and just stood there. Elder Jin and his qafila also didn't attack these beasts. Yang Zhai, slowly but subtly, inch by inch, trying to move to the middle.
Not just him, but also his Shadow Leopard. What was even more shameful was that he was doing it like no one noticed him, but,
"How shameless can he be? Does he seriously think that we can't see him…"
"Not just him, even his Shadow Leopard is doing the same."
"Like seriously, even in this serious situation, they are trying to save themselves."
People who saw them were whispering among themselves.
Their whispers were loud enough to reach Yang Zhai's ears, but he ignored them and continued what he was doing like nobody could see him.
In this world, it's not respect or honor that is going to keep me alive, but what I decide: Yang Zhai contemplated.
As long as nobody pointed out, he wasn't going to stop.
"Hey, what are you doing, are you that afraid?"
Someone finally couldn't take it and asked.
"I am trying to get close to the palanquins so that I can protect the children of the higher-ups," said Yang Zhai.
That someone who just asked: "..."
The ones beside him: "..."
The man's eyes twitched after hearing this and asked with annoyance.
"So… why are you doing it slowly, inch by inch? Why don't you just move straight to the middle to protect the palanquins?"
"Isn't that obvious? It's so that the vulpias don't notice me." He replied.
The one who asked: "..."
Yang Zhai quickly took a few steps toward knowing that he was going to be stopped, and it came true.
"Stop, that's enough!" Someone said seriously after grabbing his arm.
And, he stopped.
This much should be good enough: he thought.
He was nearly in the middle of this qafila.
"What do you mean?"
Elder Jin asked.
In front of him was standing a vulpia.
"The fight, heavy losses, both of us. Avoid it, play. I mean." Said a vulpia who seemed to be leading this group of vulpias.
"That's what I am asking, why play? Let's fight, you send 5 from your side and we will send five from mine."
Elder Jin asked.
It seemed like this negotiation had been going on for an hour already.
It would not be good if we agreed to their conditions, they might suggest something that would benefit them more. It's better to just go for a fight, which is a cultivator's forte: Elder Jin thought.
They were surrounded from all directions, leaving no side for them to run. However, this didn't mean that they had become weak.
Vulpias were said to be extremely intelligent, though not as much as humans.
However, they were intelligent enough to understand, though not scheme like humans.
They were weak in terms of strength, though not as much as mortals.
But they could fight against cultivators who had mastered the art of fighting.
Humans could use techniques, but they? They were using their bodies for a battle. Even though a normal vulpia was stronger than a normal human, its strength was lower compared to the other beasts of the same rank.
In exchange for a little bit of intelligence, nature took half of their strength away.
This was what was happening here.
Humans wanted to fight: Vulpias wanted something else but not fight.
This was the reason the negotiation had been at a deadlock for nearly an hour.
"Fine, Let's hear what you have to say," Elder Jin shook his head and finally decided to listen to them.
"We know, though surround you we do, we incur heavy losses if fight we do. We know, we avoid. So, we fight. The winner, half the opposition they take. You win, I hand half my group, I win, you hand half your group."
The leading vulpia said.
"No, that's impossible. I can't agree with that. How about this: I will send ten of my men to compete against ten of you. If you win, you can kill that opponent; however, if we win, you will help us cross this forest so that we don't encounter any problems along the way,"
Elder Jin wasn't at all willing to bet half of his men.
A cultivator's life matters more than a hundred vulpias or even five hundred, but they want me to risk it for only a mere ten of them? Are they serious? But if I say it out loud, they will get angry, and the situation will become more complex, Elder Jin thought.
"Fine, we do just that. But, we choose what to do."
"Okay, let's listen to it."
"For ten rounds, we choose different things. You choose three, we choose seven." Said the leading Vulpia.
"Hmm, but it must be fair,"
"Of course, let's begin. For the first round, a race we do. You choose any beast, we also choose any beast. Now, choose," said the leading Vulpia.
Elder Jin was silent for a while. What was this vulpia thinking? Wasn't a race too easy?
Even if it was a battle of beasts, the cultivators could just buff the beast they chose.
However, Elder Jin didn't say anything. He looked back at his group, trying to find who to send.
He looked around, seemingly trying to find someone.
"Where is he?" He muttered.
"There he is. Hey, Tzu Yu, come here!" He said loudly.
It's the first round; it's good to see what he is capable of, he thought.
Yang Zhai, who had been trying to hide from the gaze of Elder Jin by hiding behind others, was caught.
He shook his head and went forward. Who would have thought that this group of vulpias would do something like this.
Whatever, I didn't expect it to be easy anyway: he thought and went to Elder Jin.
!|!*****!*****!|!