Chapter 35 Reunion with Mink
Chapter 35 Reunion with Mink
On the second day, early in the morning, the Wolf God, my nineteen subordinates, and I left the Wole Mountain range. We hurried toward the Sasi Territory, where we planned to reunite with Mink.
Because Yin Jian personally led a troop of Wolf God Guard members to escort us, we encountered no trouble along the way. The Wolf God feared that his appearance would cause a public uproar, so he wore his large cloak again.
I did not tell my guards his identity. I only told them that he would become a member of our group in the future. The fact that he was the Wolf God was better kept secret. After all, I had already earned the respect of the temple guards by subduing Yuna Territory without bloodshed.
Since leaving the Wolf God Temple, the Wolf God had been extremely excited. He kept running beside me, saying things like, “Today’s sky is really blue… Look, the clouds in the sky are really beautiful…”
He kept chattering endlessly about meaningless things.
When the sun was high in the sky, we finally arrived at the hill on the border of Sasi Territory, the place where we had previously separated from Mink.
Yin Jian was reluctant to leave and repeatedly reminded me to take good care of his Lord Wolf God. Only after the Wolf God reassured him several times did he finally depart with the guards.
I let out a loud whistle. With the addition of qi, the sound carried far into the distance.
Where did that damned Mink run off to? If I have to rely on this method to call Black Dragon, it will take forever to find him.
A long neigh echoed from the distance. I immediately recognized it as Black Dragon, but there was something wrong. The sound carried clear fear.
My expression changed instantly.
Looking at the Wolf God, I said, “We must hurry. Black Dragon and Mink are in danger.”
I immediately rushed forward, taking the lead. My guards quickly followed behind me.
The Wolf God followed leisurely.
The golden wolf head asked, “What is Black Dragon? Do you even have a dragon?”
While rushing forward, I answered, “Not a dragon. It’s my mount—my horse.”
The silver wolf head snorted disdainfully. “With the heritage of a Beastman, you lower yourself to ride a horse and imitate humans. Hmph.”
Ever since I offended her that day, she had been cold and hostile toward me. Since I had no desire to deal with her temper, I remained silent.
As we followed the direction of Black Dragon’s cries, I whistled again to confirm his position.
Finally, after crossing a hill, I saw Black Dragon’s silhouette.
He was desperately trying to attract our attention, jumping and rearing as he fiercely fought against the snakemen surrounding him.
Mink was not far away. He was brandishing his twin axes against dozens of high-level snakemen. They surrounded him and attacked in waves, ignoring the corpses of their fallen companions scattered across the ground.
Didn’t I order him to avoid conflict with the snakemen? Why are they fighting? And how did he provoke so many powerful enemies?
If I had not arrived in time, both he and Black Dragon would have been in grave danger.
“Stop!”
I shouted loudly.
When Mink saw me, his fighting spirit immediately surged. Ignoring his previous disadvantage, he swept his axes in a wide arc, forcing his attackers back and creating a bit of distance.
“Young Master!” he shouted loudly.
The snakemen ignored my command and continued their attacks without hesitation.
Black Dragon suddenly let out a painful neigh as a snakeman slashed open his hip.
My rage exploded.
“Kill them all! Leave none alive!”
“Yes, sir!”
My escorts had long been suppressing their frustration from staying idle. Now they finally had an outlet. Every one of them charged forward with overwhelming momentum.
With a sweep of his spear, Wolf was the first to rush toward Mink.
I turned to the Wolf God. “You don’t need to participate. Leave this to us.”
The silver wolf head’s voice came from beneath the cloak.
“How can we not join? It looks so fun. It has been far too long since we last killed anyone. It’s my turn to play.”
Before I could stop her, she swayed slightly and slipped past me. All I saw was a flash of silver.
I hurriedly transmitted a message with qi, reminding her to keep her identity secret.
The Wolf God’s performance was impressive. Even though the golden head did not join the attack, silver qi surrounded the cloak completely.
The Wolf God dashed into the crowd of snakemen like an autumn gale sweeping fallen leaves.
The four snakemen surrounding Black Dragon were instantly knocked away and sprawled across the ground.
She was very different from me. If it had been me, I would have killed them immediately.
But she treated the fight like a cat playing with a mouse. She toyed with her prey before finishing them off, just as she had done when she fought me.
So this is what they call tormenting someone to death.
The four snakemen were shredded by her powerful qi, completely unable to fight back.
And Silvy still called herself a beauty? She was clearly sadistic.
I rushed to Black Dragon and examined his injuries.
Three shallow wounds about five inches long and half an inch deep cut across his hip. Purple blood was continuously flowing out. Black Dragon’s pupils were already slightly dilated as he whimpered weakly.
“Black Dragon, hold on. You’ll be fine.”
Because of the poison, I could not use the same healing method I had used earlier on Wolf. I could only use my qi to seal the blood vessels, slowing the spread of the poison and delaying its approach to the heart.
Meanwhile, Mink’s battle had turned into a massacre.
Once my escorts joined the fight, they showed no mercy. Snakemen corpses piled up one after another.
By the time I stopped Black Dragon’s bleeding, the battle had already ended.
Wolf ran over, supporting the exhausted Mink.
Mink’s face was pale, and his armor was soaked with sweat.
“Young Master… you’re finally back… If you had come any later… you might never have seen me again.”
“I’m sorry, Mink,” I said. “Some matters delayed me. Rest for now.”
I had no time to ask about the details. Black Dragon was already collapsing.
“Wolf God!” I shouted. “Finish quickly and help me with my horse. It’s dying!”
Hearing my call, the Wolf God’s silver qi suddenly shifted, mixing with golden qi.
The four snakemen were blasted away in a violent explosion.
Even without looking, I knew they were dead.
The Wolf God ran over.
The golden wolf head asked, “What happened?”
The silver wolf head complained, “I wasn’t even finished playing yet. Why did you call us?”
Ignoring her complaint, I spoke urgently to the golden head.
“Do you have any way to remove the poison? Black Dragon won’t last much longer.”
The golden wolf head lowered his head toward the wound and sniffed it carefully.
“He was poisoned with one of the deadliest snake venoms,” he said. “But fortunately it was only introduced through the wound and not injected directly by the fangs. Otherwise he would have died long ago.”
I felt a surge of hope.
“So there’s still a chance?”
The golden wolf head nodded.
“Watch him carefully. Use your qi to guard his heart.”
I quickly took out a turquoise gem and pressed it against Black Dragon’s chest while channeling Mad God qi to protect his heart.
Meanwhile, the Wolf God hopped toward the fallen snakemen.
After a short time, he returned holding something dripping with blood.
It was a dark green bead about the size of an egg.
I frowned.
“What is that?”
The golden wolf head said proudly, “You don’t recognize it? This is the gallbladder of the snakeman who wounded your horse. Only this can neutralize the venom inside Black Dragon’s body.”
“These high-level snakemen all possess different venoms. Only their own gallbladders can neutralize their poison.”
“The one who wounded Black Dragon was likely their leader. If he had bitten us directly, even we might have died.”
“Quickly—feed this to Black Dragon.”
Without hesitation, I forced the gallbladder into Black Dragon’s mouth and helped him swallow it using my qi.
Then I continuously circulated my qi to accelerate its effect.
Just as the Wolf God had said, black fluid began flowing from Black Dragon’s wound, carrying a foul stench.
Fortunately, my control over qi allowed me to hold my breath for long periods.
Everyone else had already retreated far away.
When the blood flowing from Black Dragon’s wound finally returned to its normal red color, I sighed in relief.
I sealed the wound again and applied medicine before collapsing to the ground.
Black Dragon’s pupils slowly refocused.
Although he still looked weak, I knew his life was no longer in danger.
I gently patted his head.
“Don’t scare me like that again. You’re my most important comrade-in-arms. You still have to accompany me for the rest of my life.”
Black Dragon responded with a soft neigh.
At that moment, the Wolf God came running back excitedly. My escorts followed him in high spirits.
The Wolf God was holding a large number of bloody objects.
The silver wolf head said cheerfully, “Lei Xiang, hurry and pick one. They’re still fresh!”
I looked at them suspiciously.
“You didn’t tear the gallbladders from every snakeman, did you?”
The golden wolf head glanced around cautiously.
“Don’t say it so loudly. If the snakemen hear this, their entire tribe will hunt us down.”
“These are excellent tonics. It would be a waste not to eat them.”
I frowned.
“We are all Beastmen. Even if we’re not friendly with each other, killing them is already bad enough. Why are you desecrating their corpses?”
“What did you promise me before we left?”
The golden wolf head looked wronged.
“They’re already dead. It would be a waste to let them rot.”
The silver wolf head added, “We were even kind enough to share them with you. Why are you complaining?”
She tossed a snake gall into her mouth.
I sighed.
“Our goal is to unite the Beastmen. We must set an example. If we start eating other tribes, how are we any different from bandits?”
“If others learned about this, what would they think of the Beast God religion?”
“Is sacrificing the greater cause for personal desires really acceptable?”
“If you insist on behaving like bandits, you might as well go back now.”
Facing these two tyrants, force would not work.
I could only appeal to their emotions.
The golden wolf head lowered his head.
“Sorry. We won’t do it again. Should we throw them away?”
I glared at him.
Then I cautiously checked the surroundings and lowered my voice.
“Just this once. Hurry and distribute them to everyone. Then we leave immediately.”
The golden wolf head brightened instantly.
He selected the largest gallbladder for me, ate two himself, gave one to Silvy, and distributed the rest to my subordinates.
I stared at the bright, crystal-clear snake gall in my hand.
Just as I was about to bite it, the golden wolf head’s voice transmitted directly into my mind.
“Whatever you do, don’t bite it. Swallow it whole.”
As he finished speaking, he lifted his cloak slightly and shot me a mischievous look.
Because he was facing me, my subordinates did not see his expression.
At first I was startled, but I swallowed the snake gall exactly as he instructed.
A refreshing sensation slid down my throat. When it reached my stomach, it transformed into a warm current that slowly spread through my entire body. My whole body felt comfortably warm and refreshed. The qi I had spent healing Black Dragon was completely replenished.
“Too bitter! It’s unbearable!” Mink’s voice suddenly rang out.
I turned toward him and saw that all of my escorts wore disgusted expressions. Each of them was trying desperately not to spit out what they had just eaten.
“You are not allowed to spit it out,” I shouted. “It’s good for your bodies.”
The Wolf God looked at their suffering faces and burst into laughter.
I quickly stopped him and said in a low voice, “Do you want them to discover your identity? Lower your voice. And why is the snake gall bitter for them?”
The golden wolf head struggled to suppress his laughter.
The silver wolf head replied, “You don’t know? Any gallbladder is extremely bitter, especially snake gall. You swallowed yours whole, so you didn’t taste anything. Look at them—everyone has a mouthful of bile. Of course they can’t endure it.”
She began laughing uncontrollably.
“This is too funny! I might die from laughing! I’ll go over there for a while to finish laughing. We’ll be back soon.”
With that, the Wolf God ran off toward the hillside carrying Black Dragon. Faint laughter drifted back toward us.
In truth, my concern had been unnecessary. Mink and the others were too busy struggling with the bitter taste in their mouths to notice anything else.
After quite some time, the bitterness finally faded.
I called Mink over.
“Didn’t I order you not to fight recklessly? Why did you start a battle with the snakemen anyway?”
Mink made a bitter expression.
“Young Master, it wasn’t that I wanted to fight. They provoked us first.”
“For the past few months we lived peacefully. I even used the money I had to buy food from the snakemen.”
“But a few days ago a group of snakemen suddenly appeared. They insisted on taking Black Dragon, saying they wanted to feed him to the Nine-Headed Saint as a dessert.”
“Of course I refused. I only argued with them a little, but it angered them. You know how snakemen are—once they start fighting, they fight to the death.”
“To save my life, I had no choice but to kill a few of them and escape with Black Dragon.”
“I don’t know how they found us again, but early this morning this group of high-level snakemen surrounded us and attacked.”
“In order to keep them from reaching us, I used both axes and tried to hold them off.”
“If you hadn’t arrived, I’m afraid Mink would have become snake food by now.”
He had done nothing wrong.
I patted his shoulder. “Are you injured anywhere?”
Mink seemed slightly overwhelmed by my concern.
“No, no. I’m just a little tired. But I ate two snake galls earlier. Even though they tasted awful, it feels like my strength has returned.”
I smiled. “I taught Wolf a few techniques earlier. When you have time, ask him to teach you as well.”
“Take everyone and clean the battlefield. Leave nothing behind. Do you understand?”
When Mink heard he could learn new skills, he jumped with excitement and ran toward Wolf.
Watching him leap away, I shook my head helplessly.
I walked toward the hillside.
The Wolf God was touching Black Dragon here and there with great curiosity. Black Dragon had no strength to resist and could only endure it.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I approached.
The golden wolf head looked up. “Your horse is quite robust. We’re examining it for you.”
I pulled them away.
“Examine yourselves instead. There’s nothing on Black Dragon worth eating.”
I crouched down and examined Black Dragon. Apart from still being weak, he seemed fine.
The silver wolf head snorted. “We were only curious. Do you have to guard him like a thief?”
“Where are we going next?”
I stood up.
“Black Dragon is my friend. I only hope you won’t harm him.”
“As for our next destination—I plan to travel around Yuna Territory and eliminate the bandits in the surrounding territories.”
“After that, the people of Yuna Territory can teach neighboring populations how to farm and provide them with seeds. Yuna will become the center of development.”
“What do you think?”
The golden wolf head nodded.
“That’s a good idea. But I suggest we deal with Sasi Territory first.”
“The snakemen there will definitely hinder future development. Their venom is too dangerous.”
I looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
After thinking for a moment, he said, “There are only two solutions.”
“The first is to exterminate them all.”
“The second is to completely subdue them.”
I shook my head immediately.
“Exterminate them all? Are you planning genocide?”
“There are more than ten million snakemen in Sasi Territory alone. Who knows how many exist throughout the entire Beastmen Kingdom?”
“Even if the Beastmen army helped us, it would provoke massive resentment among the tribes.”
“And subdue them? Do you really think the snakemen would obey us willingly?”
The golden wolf head chuckled.
“There is a way. But are you brave enough to try it?”
I snorted. “You don’t need to provoke me. Just say it.”
He lowered his voice.
“How did you deal with Yuna Territory? Use the same method.”
“You should know that the Nine-Headed Worm of Sasi Territory holds the same position there that we once held in Yuna.”
I stared at him in shock.
“Wasn’t that creature raised by the tribal chief? How could it have the same position as you?”
The silver wolf head laughed disdainfully.
“Where did you hear that nonsense? That story was created to deceive outsiders.”
“In reality, the Nine-Headed Worm holds an even higher position than we once did in Yuna.”
“If you subdue him, no snakeman will dare resist you. The entire Sasi Territory will fall under your control.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Do you have a grudge against that Nine-Headed Worm?”
The Wolf God laughed awkwardly.
The golden wolf head answered, “Just a small one.”
“You’re going to deal with him sooner or later anyway, so you might as well take revenge for us.”
“If we combine our strength, defeating him will be easy.”
“How do I make him obey me?” I asked.
“Is he as playful as you two? If I simply kill him, Sasi Territory won’t submit—it will revolt instead.”
The silver wolf head replied, “He’s curious about the outside world too.”
“But he’s extremely lazy and loves eating, which is why he has remained in the snakemen tribe.”
“He never helps them develop.”
“To be honest, he’s like us—a creature from ancient myths.”
“We fought him once. The result was nearly a draw, though we were slightly disadvantaged.”
So they couldn’t defeat the Lernaean Worm.
If they could, they would have done it already.
I frowned.
“What exactly do you expect me to feed him? Myself?”
“I can’t feed him a fresh Beastman every day.”
The Wolf God leaned closer.
The golden wolf head spoke again.
“If I’m not mistaken, you carry minerals filled with abundant energy.”
“They’re useless to us, but they would be extremely valuable to the Nine-Headed Worm.”
“He requires enormous amounts of energy every day. That’s why he constantly eats.”
“If you give him even one of those minerals, it will sustain him for an entire year.”
“With something like that, do you still think he would refuse to obey you?”
I stepped back cautiously.
“So you’ve been eyeing my treasures.”
“And is the Lernaean Worm really as easy to deal with as you claim?”
“How did you even know I carried valuable minerals?”
Why do I suddenly feel like I’m being tricked?
The Wolf God quickly nodded.
The silver wolf head said, “Relax. He’s no match for the combined strength of the three of us.”
“We’ll beat him first, then offer him the minerals.”
“As for the minerals—we can sense the energy they emit.”
Their suggestion was undeniably tempting.
If I gained the support of Sasi Territory, uniting the Beastmen would become far easier.
After thinking for a moment, I said coldly, “Don’t try to trick me.”
“Without my guidance, you’ll never enter the Dragon God Empire looking like that.”
The golden wolf head nodded rapidly.
“Of course not. You’re our lifeline. Why would we deceive you?”
“I can’t stand the arrogant look of that Nine-Headed Worm.”
“If you subdue him, let us bully him once. That will be enough.”
Despite their strange behavior, I could tell their nature was not malicious.
I nodded.
“Fine. Then let’s go now.”
“Take us to the Lernaean Worm.”
“You know the way, right?”
The golden wolf head nodded.
“We’ll lead the way.”
“But your escorts cannot come with us. Too many people will only cause trouble.”
“I know.”
“I’ll have them wait here. How long will we be gone?”
The Wolf God thought briefly.
The silver wolf head answered, “If everything goes smoothly, about two days.”
…
“Wolf. Mink.”
“I’m leaving things here to you. I’ll return soon.”
“If the snakemen come again, retreat to Yuna Territory’s border. Avoid direct conflict whenever possible.”
The silver wolf head tossed a token toward me.
“Give that to your subordinates. With it, no one in Yuna Territory will trouble them.”
I looked down.
It was a dark iron hexagonal token. The back was engraved with characters of the wolf tribe. On the front were two wolf heads almost identical to the Wolf God, with gem eyes.
In the Beastmen Kingdom, where minerals were rare, this token was a treasure.
I tossed it to Wolf.
“Keep it safe. Don’t reveal it unless absolutely necessary.”
“Yes, Young Master. Are we truly not allowed to accompany you?”
I shook my head.
“You stay here. If I fail, your presence won’t change anything.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve survived worse than this.”
“Mink, release a carrier pigeon and report home.”
“Tell them Yuna Territory has been successfully recovered.”
“Ask them to send people to assist Yuna and the surrounding territories in development.”
“But do not send one of the Twelve Beast God Oracles. I have already chosen Yuna’s oracle.”
“At the same time, ask about the situation back home.”
“If this mission succeeds, we will return home briefly.”
“The expansion has been too rapid. I must discuss the next stage with the Pope.”
When Mink heard we would return home, he did not seem as happy as I expected.
“Yes, Young Master. I will do it immediately.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to go back?”
He shook his head.
“Following you has shown me what real life is like. The same goes for all the brothers.”
“They don’t want to return either.”
I smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry. We won’t stay long.”
“We still have many things to do.”
“Take good care of Black Dragon. He should recover in two days.”
I put on my Lion Man mask and rushed toward Sasi Territory with the Wolf God.
Along the way I asked, “How strong is the Nine-Headed Worm?”
The golden wolf head replied, “He’s decent. About the same level as us.”
“But he constantly uses strange tricks. That makes him troublesome.”
Stubborn as ever. They clearly couldn’t defeat him but still refused to admit it.
“It has nine heads,” I said. “Don’t tell me it also has nine brains.”
“That would be unbearable.”
The golden wolf head shook his head.
“No. Only one brain.”
“The main head controls the other eight.”
“The brain can shift between heads. Normally you can’t tell which head holds it.”
“That’s why it’s difficult to deal fatal damage.”
“The five heads in the center are the most dangerous. Each can use four types of magic and venom attacks.”
“The outer four heads rely on physical attacks.”
“You’ll understand once you see it.”
All nine heads attack… and I’m supposed to fight that?
“Then how do we defeat it?” I asked uneasily.
The silver wolf head replied, “We suppress it with brute force.”
“You and I transform into our original forms.”
“You use your Fallen Angel transformation.”
“If that still isn’t enough, you can become that red one again.”
As if transforming into the Crimson Angel were that easy.
After seeing the prosperity of Yuna Territory, the poverty of Sasi Territory shocked me.
After half a day of rapid travel, we arrived at a small village in Sasi Territory.
The land was barren. There was barely any farmland. Autumn winds swept through desolate wilderness.
The snakemen living there were poor commoners. None of them were powerful.
They were not surprised to see us arrive.
As long as you had money and didn’t disturb them, they ignored you.
We found a restaurant and entered.
The place was empty.
The golden wolf head shouted, “Anyone here?”
A young snakeman emerged from a door near the counter. His clothes were filthy, covered in grease and dirt. A dirty towel hung over his shoulder.
He approached with a tired expression.
“Why are you shouting?”
The moment I saw his face, irritation and disgust surged through me. A cold aura leaked out of my body.
The golden wolf head nudged me.
“Relax. You’re already a mid-level expert. Why are you so easily angered?”
I suppressed my temper and snorted.
Perhaps intimidated by my presence, the waiter quickly became polite.
“What would you like to order?”
The golden wolf head spoke immediately.
“One serving of every dish.”
The waiter’s eyes lit up.
He quickly wiped the table with his towel.
“Please sit. I’ll prepare the dishes immediately.”
Then he ran toward the kitchen.
I glared at the Wolf God.
“There’s only that one person here?”
The golden wolf head replied mockingly, “Yes. He’s the owner, cook, and waiter all in one.”
“Cheapskate.”
“We ate here once last time. It wasn’t bad.”
“We’ll see.”
I remained unconvinced but waited.
At that moment, eight Beastmen entered.
Three leopardmen, two bearmen, and three foxmen.
Their clothes were simple but clean.
They sat down quietly at a table.
Judging by their demeanor, they possessed some skill—but they didn’t look like bandits.