Chapter 35: A Lucky guess?
Mei nodded. "Among others. They see you as a threat, not just to their chances with us, but to the tribe itself. If they get the opportunity..."
Lin Mu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So I'm walking into a trap then, that's what you're trying to say?."
"Not necessarily," Mei said. "But you need to be careful."
For a moment, Lin Mu considered staying behind. But the thought of sitting idle, waiting for the contest without any preparation, was unbearable. "I appreciate the warning," he said finally. "But I can't afford to back down now."
Lian stood before Lin Mu, her hands on her hips, her amber eyes flashing with frustration. "You're seriously still going?, Even after everything we just told you?"
Lin Mu folded his arms across his chest, meeting her glare with a calm expression. "I already said I need to prepare for the contest. Sitting around isn't going to help me."
"It's not just about the contest!" Lian snapped, her voice rising. "You're putting your life on the line for what?,Pride?, Some delusion that you can handle everything on your own?."
"It's not pride." Lin Mu replied, a confused look on his face as to why she'd even come to that conclusion. "I'm just doing what I have to. You think I'm just supposed to wait here while everyone plots against me?, How am I supposed to survive if I do that?."
Lian let out a bitter laugh, pointing a finger at Lin Mu. "You're unbelievable!, Any other male would have listened to reason by now, but not you. No, you're just too stubborn to even consider that maybe, just maybe you don't have to face everything alone!, At least let us help since this is partially our fault as well!."
"Maybe I wouldn't have to if everyone here wasn't so intent on making me their enemy!." Lin Mu shot back, his voice hardening.
"That's because you act like one!" Lian's frustration boiled over as she stepped closer. "You don't trust anyone, you refuse help, and now you're walking into danger just to prove something that no one even asked you to prove!"
"Enough, Lian!" Mei's soft voice broke through, her hand gently touching her sister's arm. "You're not helping."
Lian shook her off, her irritation flaring again. "Why should I care?, Let him do whatever he wants. Clearly, he knows better than everyone else!." She spun around and stormed off without uttering another word.
Mei watched her go, her expression torn before she turned back to Lin Mu. "I'm sorry. She didn't mean that."
Lin Mu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe she did. I must admit, I can be stubborn at times."
" Why don't you go check up on her Incase, I'm sure she'll need someone's help to calm down."
Mei hesitated, as if she wanted to say more, but instead, she simply gave him a small, apologetic bow. "Please be careful..."
With that, she hurried after Lian, leaving Lin Mu standing alone, the weight of their words lingering in the still air around him.
Lin Mu gave a faint smile. "I'll do my best."
---
As the hunting party gathered at the edge of the settlement, Lin Mu scanned the group. Sure enough, the two obnoxious suitors were among them, their glares burning into him like fire. Several other tribesmen stood nearby, their expressions ranging from indifferent to openly hostile.
One of the two suitors, a broad-shouldered adolescent looking Serinerian, with a scar running down his cheek, smirked as he caught Lin Mu's eye. "Ready for your last hunt, outsider?" he mouthed with a sneer.
Lin Mu ignored him, focusing instead on the terrain ahead. The blood-red desert stretched endlessly, its shifting sands promising both challenge and opportunity. He tightened his grip on the crude weapon he had been given, a spear fashioned from bone.
«[ Two Eight stage Body Refining Realm warriors]»
«[Three Seventh Stage Body Refining Realm warriors with the rest being at the Sixth stage]» The system's voice echoed in his mind, her tone almost playful.
«[This will be interesting.]»
"Glad you're entertained," Lin Mu muttered under his breath, not sure what to do when faced with such numbers.
As the hunting party set off, Lin Mu couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, not just by his escorts, but by the desert itself. Whatever lay ahead, he knew one thing for certain, non of these fools would ever get the pleasure of seeing him fall today.
Lin Mu adjusted himself on the back of the Serinerian mount, its muscular scaly frame moving smoothly beneath him as it trudged the dunes. The creature's gait was steady, a welcome relief from the strain of walking through the relentless blood-red sands of the desert.
Mei had insisted he take one of their mounts for the journey, a gesture he suspected was as much practicality as it was concern.
His eyes glanced into the distance as he recalled just what happened....
As Lin Mu prepared to step outside the settlement's gates, a familiar voice called out to him. He turned, surprised to see Mei approaching with a calm determination in her gait. The sight of her was a momentary reprieve from the tension that had weighed on him since the hunt was announced.
"Wait," Mei said, her tone soft but firm. She was leading a creature Lin Mu immediately recognized at first glance, a towering mount with sleek, dark scales that shimmered faintly under the blood-red sky, A hawk like head and scale covered limbs that resembled those of a predatorial bird.
Its muscular frame radiated power, and its sharp, intelligent eyes regarded him as though assessing his worth.
Lin Mu blinked. "That's….your mount, isn't it?"
Mei nodded her head gently, a faint smile on her lips. "Yeah, how'd you guess."
" I think it's pretty obvious...." Lin Mu felt at a loss of words when he glanced at the formidable beast Infront of him that radiated an impressive aura that left his throat dry.