Following the method used to find the Hellhounds, Tang Xian also located the lair of the bone jackals in the afternoon.
More averse to water than the Hellhounds, the bone jackals also belong to the canine family, but are completely hostile to the Hellhounds. In the Red Soil Forest, they are at the top of the food chain.
However, bone jackals are not boss-level creatures. In terms of combat ability, six bone jackals might not be able to take down an adult Hellhound. It's just that their numbers far exceed the Hellhounds.
Tang Xian wasn't in a rush to do anything.
It was only at dusk that he began to carefully spread the collected red soil, slowly placing it near some of the red-tailed trees.
Dong Ran seemed to understand a bit.
She just found the process somewhat disgusting; Tang Xian, to ensure that the scent was covered, even went so far as to sniff closely against the soil.
Tang Xian caught a glimpse of Dong Ran's expression and said:
"Without strong combat abilities, one has to learn various skills—survival isn't a dance. Although humans are smarter than other creatures, there are many things in other creatures worth learning from. Take stink bugs, for example, because they give off a foul smell when they die, people are reluctant to squish them. Similarly, if you don't want to attract ruffians, don't wear provocative clothing."
Dong Ran's face flushed. How could he... seem to see right through people's hearts?
Tang Xian couldn't really see through people's hearts, but Dong Ran's current needs showed signs of nausea, and he could guess the girl's thoughts at a glance.
The overall job was almost done; the bone jackals would be leaving their cave in less than an hour, and the red soil tainted with Hellhound urine would take at least two to three days for the smell to dissipate completely, so he wasn't worried it would lose its effect.
However, there were some uncertainties waiting to occur, and he had to ensure everything was completed before they arose.
Tang Xian glanced at the sky. Although he had started trying to observe the sky in the mining district newbie village and had gradually summed up a lot of experience over six years,
Being accurate to the second still put some pressure on him.
"It's going to rain tonight. We need to hurry up."
"Rain?"
Dong Ran was somewhat skeptical. Understanding meteorological observations in the mining area, too?
Tang Xian quickened his pace.
Their destination for the return was the Hellhound's den.
Along the way, Tang Xian was constantly shaking and sprinkling; with every hundred or so meters advanced, he would spread some soil at the base of some red-tailed trees.
Dong Ran carefully followed Tang Xian, actually looking forward to what was going to happen next.
Hellhounds or bone jackals, such creatures are insurmountable foes for humans.
This world has everything humans need, but acquiring these resources always comes at a price.
However, Tang Xian's idea seemed somewhat crazy; he appeared to be using the world itself to calculate the world.
...
...
As dusk fell, the temperature in the Red Soil Forest began to drop slowly, and the golden sunlight, like a thin layer of mist, evenly coated everything in sight.
It made Tang Xian think of a cooking method called barbecuing, also involving a heap of seasonings, constantly being applied on the lightly charred food.
Tang Xian felt hungry, looking forward to dog meat at night.
The scent of the red line grass made it easy for the beasts attracted by Tang Xian and Dong Ran to detect them, but the pair remained motionless, hidden behind a giant rock, only a hundred meters away from the Hellhound's den, actually within the olfactory detection radius of both the Hellhounds and the bone jackals.
Eleven bone jackals had arrived. They didn't get along with the Hellhounds; one marked territory under the red-tailed trees, the other under the Tuji trees. Although hostile to each other, they rarely met.
The act of lifting a leg and urinating to proclaim sovereignty is not exclusive to canines; big cats like tigers do the same.
Tang Xian had read about it in a book once: in ancient zoos from many years past, tigers would also lift their legs to urinate, even occasionally spraying it onto visitors' faces.
This was essentially an act of provocation.
Under Tang Xian's arrangement, the bone jackals felt provoked. Normally, five or six bone jackals in a den would be enough. But clearly, these bone jackals were somewhat familiar with their old rivals' scent and began to call for companions.
Dong Ran's heart had risen to her throat.
She remembered Tang Xian's caution that if they encountered creatures in the mining district after being smeared with red line grass, staying low-key would prevent being attacked, similar to how humans would swat mosquitoes but not stink bugs.
For beings like the bone jackals and Hellhounds, Tang Xian and Dong Ran were indeed just two little stink bugs.
The Hellhound was huge, the size of an elephant, differing from the myths that described them as covered with hellfire.
What Tang Xian saw now from afar, whether the three-headed appearance or their enormous bodies, was not the unapproachable flame, but genuine robust muscles like those of a strong steed.
Dog meat.
That was Tang Xian's target for the evening; as for the bone jackals, he wasn't concerned.
The flesh on bone jackal's bones was like crystal, and Tang Xian had yet to learn any culinary techniques to deal with such materials.
The battle began.
The massive adult Hellhound and a dozen or so bone jackals instantly began tearing at each other.
When both canine species roared, the entire den vicinity trembled slightly.
This was the greatest obstacle for humanity in the mining area. These magical and powerful creatures possess strength that is completely beyond any Earthly organism!
Speed, power, destructiveness. All of them on a whole different level.
Even with the use of weapons, it would still be hard to inflict serious damage on a Hellhound; of course, there are those with talents who could awaken powerful abilities in the mining district, but how rare were such talents?