Chapter 00184: Negotiating Terms
# Negotiating Terms
Chapter 184
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 184: Negotiating Terms
At that time, double the enemies, double the pain.
Ke Jihai shouted angrily, "Dare you!" as he released his spear, which shot forth and pierced through the heart of the person charging at the front.
But just then, a sound of flapping wings came from above, as if a great bird was approaching.
Ke Jihai suddenly felt a warning in his heart and rolled to the side without a moment's hesitation.
Immediately after, a large fireball fell from the sky, crashing down where he had just stood.
The black stone slab was shattered, and the plants buried under the snow were instantly charred.
Ke Jihai looked up and saw a large bird in the sky, its form strange, with a crow's head, bat-like wings, and a snake-like neck, but no tail.
On the bird's back was a passenger wearing a bronze mask, with only two eye holes visible.
Ke Jihai clenched his fists in anger.
If he had his longbow in hand, would this thing dare to screech above his head?
Yes, its cry sounded like a crow.
"Father!" He Yue exclaimed in shock, rushing in front of He Chunhua to block, raising his hand to shoot an ice arrow.
The ice arrow split in mid-air into three, shooting out in a triangular formation, hitting one person directly.
However, the remaining enemies rushed forward, and currently, there was only one left: He Chunhua.
He Lingchuan was unable to provide support in time and was about to draw his knife to throw, when several shadows shot out from the forest like arrows, taking down three enemies.
Everyone focused their eyes and was shocked again: these were actually several gray-skinned giant wolves.
Their size was comparable to that of calves, and their limbs were far sturdier than ordinary gray wolves.
After knocking down an enemy, they viciously bit down, and the person was gone.
The leading gray wolf bit down on an enemy's head and shook it twice, directly severing it at the neck, blood splattering everywhere.
Out of the eight attackers, five were instantly taken down, leaving the remaining three stunned, who suddenly turned to flee.
The giant wolves did not pursue.
In just a few breaths, He Lingchuan finally reached his family, pointing his knife at the pack of wolves: "Stop! One more step and you will be killed without mercy!"
Although the wolf pack had temporarily helped them out of a tight spot, the Wolf Demons trapped in the Tangle Silk Heavenly Net were also their enemies.
Were they not in cahoots?
From the dense forest, six or seven more giant wolves emerged, surrounding the Tangle Silk Heavenly Net and the Wolf Demon.
He Lingchuan's palms were slightly sweaty, and He Chunhua's gaze flickered.
"We mean no harm."
The leading giant wolf suddenly spoke human words, "Our target is that madman in the sky!"
He Lingchuan also saw the giant bird circling above, along with the passenger on its back.
At first glance, he determined that this fellow was related to the Giant Ape and the Wolf Demon, as that large bird was equally strange, seemingly pieced together from various parts.
At this moment, the giant bird was spitting fireballs down, continuously smashing into the Walnut Boat.
Ke Jihai, lacking long-range weapons, picked up a few branches to throw, but they were all dodged.
"My boat!" He Lingchuan looked at the Walnut Boat, feeling a pain in his heart that made it hard to breathe.
This beautifully crafted wooden boat had been struck by several fireballs spat out by the strange bird, creating multiple black pits, and flames began to lick at the wood.
From the moment it was made, it was intended as a means of transportation, and although it had undergone some fireproofing, moisture-proofing, and anti-corrosion treatments, it was certainly not as durable as a combat weapon.
The strange bird was of an unknown species, and the fireballs it spat were red to the point of being purple, capable of burning even the snow-covered stone ground.
The boatman on top was using a pole to extinguish the fire, putting out one cluster at a time, but unfortunately, the flames spread faster than he could extinguish them, and soon they reached the hull.
This boat had just consumed one of his Xuanjing! He Lingchuan was furious, completely forgetting that this boat actually belonged to He Chunhua.
He took out a bow and arrows from his storage ring, ran forward a few steps, and tossed one to Ke Jihai.
His archery skills were still lacking, and with his left shoulder injured, he couldn't draw the bow, but his right arm still had plenty of strength, and the bow and arrow flew seven or eight zhang into the air.
The giant bird swooped down, attempting to intercept the arrow mid-flight.
Heh, come on then.
He Lingchuan sneered coldly, grabbing the broken knife and throwing it out.
This throw was also quite accurate, but the strange bird was more agile than a hawk, flipping to dodge.
The broken knife missed and fell into the darkness.
"Uh?" Was it not a guaranteed hit?
But in that brief moment, Ke Jihai had already taken the bow in hand, his spirit lifted.
He casually picked an arrow, not needing to aim much, raised his hand, and pulled the bowstring, sending a glint of cold light flying away, fast and accurate.
The passenger on the giant bird waved a bell outward, producing a crisp ringing sound, and a fierce wind began to whip up in mid-air.
His first reaction was quick, but unfortunately, this arrow was also imbued with Yuan Power, specifically designed to break divine abilities.
No matter how strong the wind blew, the arrow was only slightly deflected, originally aimed at the belly of the giant bird, but ultimately pierced through its wing root.
The giant bird let out a mournful cry, flapping its wings in an attempt to glide to the opposite mountain peak.
At this moment, the sound of hooves echoed, and more than ten riders charged up the mountain road, which were indeed Ke Jihai's subordinates arriving.
Ke Jihai was overjoyed: "Don't let it escape!" He said, bending his bow once more.
Just then, the Walnut Boat could no longer withstand the scorching flames, and with a "pop," it shrank back into its original small ball form.
The weight that had pressed down was gone, and the Giant Ape was suddenly freed, leaping high like a fire arrow!
This leap was four or five zhang high, soaring over everyone's heads, and in mid-air, it caught the person and the bird, plummeting into the valley like a weight.
Ke Jihai's arrow was also shot out, hitting the Giant Ape's back, causing it to let out a loud roar, but it did not let go.
Everyone rushed to the edge of the cliff to look down; the valley bottom was pitch black, but several pine trees had been knocked down, and the tops of the remaining trees were shaking continuously.
It seemed the Giant Ape was not dead and was fleeing outward.
Ke Jihai pointed to two of his subordinates: "You two go chase and see."
The two complied and rode down the mountain.
Meanwhile, the wolf pack was in a standoff with He Chunhua and the others.
The latter, seeing Ke Jihai's men arrive, felt their own strength increase and immediately felt more at ease.
The previous commotion had also alarmed the guards of the Deer Call Garden, and the sound of hooves could be heard coming from the mountain path, not far away.
The wounds on He Lingchuan's body were becoming more painful, and his smile turned into a grimace.
He touched his waist, and the knife had returned.
The injured boatman had already fainted from pain, and the civilian youth had also gotten up, repeatedly thanking Madam Ying.
The youth waved his hand: "N-no, it's fine, as long as Madam is safe."
He Yue looked at his back and said, "The blood is black; the arrow is poisoned."
One of Ke Jihai's subordinates was a military doctor, who stepped forward at this moment, handing over a pill: "Take this Detoxification Pill first."
This Detoxification Pill was effective against ordinary toxins, but after the youth took it, his forehead darkened even more, and his hands and feet began to twitch, groaning softly.
At this rate, he would soon faint.
Madam Ying exclaimed, "What should we do!" If not for the youth saving her, she would be the one suffering from the poison now.
Ke Jihai pondered for a moment and said, "Take my token and hurry down to Jinghe Hall. The famous doctor from the Old Fu family is stationed there; I remember there is one skilled in detoxification!"
His subordinate agreed and took the youth and the unconscious boatman down the mountain.
At this moment, more than ten guards from the Deer Call Garden also arrived, and upon seeing the wolf pack, they were taken aback, drawing their weapons with a clank.
It was scandalous for monsters to roam in the royal villa; if this got out, it would be seen as dereliction of duty.
Surrounded by aggressive humans, the wolf pack also seemed uneasy, with several showing their sharp teeth.
"Everyone, hold your fire."
Ke Jihai spoke at the right moment, "The culprit who ambushed me and Lord He has already left."
Saying this, he walked over to negotiate with the leader of the guards.
The leading gray wolf emphasized again, "We mean no harm; we followed Dong Rui here only to rescue our young master."
"Youth master?" He Chunhua's gaze fell on the Wolf Demon on the ground.
After the masked monster left, it was no longer frantic, merely growling softly.
"This is our young master, Lu Ze. He was severely injured and was taken by Dong Rui, transformed into this state."
The gray wolf's voice was tinged with sadness, "I am Lu Xin, and we are the Rock Wolf Clan of the North Star Tundra. Please return our young master to us!"
They had not rushed to seize him earlier because they were wary of Dong Rui's presence; even if the Wolf Demon escaped the Tangle Silk Heavenly Net, it would still obey him.
He Chunhua understood this very well and said, "This monster is my trophy; it nearly put me to death earlier."
He Lingchuan removed his upper garment for the military doctor to treat his wounds while addressing the wolf pack: "If we were to seize your trophy, would you be willing?"
"We can offer compensation."
The gray wolf Lu Xin replied, "There are several special herbs on the North Star Tundra, and using our clan's secret recipe, we can create a spirit medicine that enhances agility and stamina. Not only do you martial artists need it, but even your horses would benefit from increased endurance."
This condition even made Ke Jihai somewhat tempted.
If the horses could run faster and farther, even if only a scouting team used it, the mobility of the entire group would see a more direct improvement.
He Chunhua shook his head: "A mere herb cannot compare to the status of your young master."
He then asked the Wolf Demons: "Are all your clan members here?"
"Most of our clan members remain in the North Star Tundra, guarding our territory."
He Chunhua pointed at the Wolf Demon on the ground: "If I return him to you, can you restore his sanity?"
Lu Xin immediately replied, "It may be worth a try; no need to trouble yourself, sir."
He Chunhua looked towards Ke Jihai, wanting to consult his opinion, and the latter immediately said, "Lord He's captive should be handled by Lord He himself."
"I need to head north to Xiazhou to recruit soldiers; I am in urgent need of manpower."
He Chunhua had already made up his mind, "Please send a small team from the Rock Wolf Clan to serve under me, at least fifteen healthy adult Wolf Demons; is that too much to ask?"
These Wolf Demons had just shown impressive combat strength upon their appearance, and the wolf pack was renowned for its endurance, discipline, and obedience.
He Chunhua also knew that many armies had demon soldiers in their ranks, which could effectively compensate for the shortage of human troops.
Lu Xin was taken aback, not expecting him to make such a shameless request, which exceeded their expectations.
The pack of wolves gathered together to whisper, and others could not understand their mode of communication, only seeing their tails wagging vigorously, indicating a heated debate.
After a while, Lu Xin turned back to He Chunhua and said, "There are many threats on the North Star Tundra; our strong ones must guard the territory and cannot be away from our clan for long."
He Chunhua frowned.
Fortunately, Lu Xin soon offered a compromise: "Then how about this? Lu Jin and I will sign a pact with you now to fight together."
(End of Chapter)