Coercion and Recruitment

Yuan Ming pulled the two long tusks from the vicious boar beast out by the roots, then bound them with prepared bark rope, intending to take them to Toad Valley to trade for a few things.

But before that, this fat, sturdy boar could not go to waste either. It would be perfect for offering a sacrifice to his five internal organs.

Just as Yuan Ming prepared to skin the boar, footsteps suddenly sounded all around him. He immediately tightened his grip on the White Bone Dagger and warily looked around.

The next moment, four figures sprang out from the surrounding forest, encircling Yuan Ming in the middle.

"Friends from the Green Wolf Gang, what are you trying to do, suddenly rushing out like this?" Yuan Ming's brows furrowed slightly when he recognized them.

"What, brat? Not planning to run this time?" The leader among them sneered. He was a short, stocky man draped in wolf hide, his dark skin reddish-black. One look was enough to tell that he was of Wildling stock.

Yuan Ming had dealt with these people several times before. More accurately, they had repeatedly tried to surround and kill him, but Yuan Ming had been extremely vigilant. Every time, before they could complete their encirclement, he had already slipped away.

Now that they had finally managed to corner Yuan Ming, how could they possibly let him go so easily?

Yuan Ming had never thought highly of these people and had always avoided them whenever he could. But today, it seemed he would not be able to get away unscathed.

"Cut the nonsense. Hand over those two boar tusks and the Blood Food in your blood-storage pouch. Otherwise, this day next year will be your death anniversary," the short, stocky leader said.

In both numbers and strength, they held an absolute advantage. They simply did not take Yuan Ming seriously.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, knowing that he would probably not get to eat this boar meat after all. He could not help feeling deeply regretful.

Still, he was not the least bit afraid. The short, stocky leader barely counted as a first-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, while the other three had not even reached the first layer. Even joining forces, they were no match for him.

Unhurriedly, he slung the bound boar tusks diagonally across his back and lightly stroked the White Bone Dagger with his fingers.

To the Green Wolf Gang members, that gesture clearly meant he refused to hand over the tusks. At once, they all donned Furred Beast Hide, preparing to use the Furring Technique to transform into beasts.

But at that very moment, Yuan Ming, who had just tied up the tusks, suddenly erupted without warning. The White Bone Dagger in his hand struck again with stored force as he hurled it at the Wildling leader directly ahead of him.

The man was horrified. He had apparently never expected Yuan Ming to dare attack him. It was already too late to use the Fur Transformation Technique, and with a sharp whoosh, the White Bone Dagger shot straight toward his chest.

Bang!

The man took the heavy blow and flew backward, smashing viciously into a thick ancient tree. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed heavily to the ground.

The others hurriedly used the Furring Technique when they saw this.

But by the time they had made their preparations, Yuan Ming had already leaped up and landed before the short, stocky man.

He picked up the White Bone Dagger, pressed it against the man's throat, and said:

"If I wanted to kill you, the part that struck you just now would have been the spearhead, not the butt. I'm sparing your dog life this time so you can crawl back and tell your gang leader this: I only want to hunt beasts in peace. Don't come provoking me!"

As he spoke the last sentence, Yuan Ming's voice suddenly rose, laden with warning.

The man nodded repeatedly in terror. He wanted to answer, but his throat was full of blood, and he could not make a single word clear.

Looks like I hit him a little too hard. Yuan Ming thought to himself, then left with the White Bone Dagger in hand.

After Yuan Ming had gone far away, the short, stocky man forcefully spat out the blood in his mouth. Only then did he rasp hatefully, "That brat actually dared launch a sneak attack while I was unprepared... Sooner or later, I'll kill you."

The three men beside him did not dare say a word.

"You three pieces of trash, completely useless! This month, double the Blood Food you owe the gang. Within three days, no matter what methods you use, hand it over to me." After venting his threats, the short, stocky man looked at the three of them, his anger rising anew.

"Boss Zaha, have mercy!"

"Just meeting the portions demanded by the sect and gang every month is already enough to leave us gasping for breath!"

"That's right. In just a few days, it'll be time to pay tribute to the sect. There's no way we can gather more within three days! If we can't pay the sect in full, it's a dead end!"

At those words, the three men turned pale. They hurriedly dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, knocking their heads against the ground like pounding garlic.

With their strength, hunting beasts on their own to pay the sect five portions of Blood Food every month was already extremely difficult. They were also occasionally robbed by others. Left with no alternative, they had joined the Green Wolf Gang. On one hand, they could seek protection; on the other, they could gang up on the few and rob others in turn.

Of course, the Green Wolf Gang did not keep useless people. It also required its members to submit a certain amount of Blood Food each month, invisibly adding to their burdens.

"Three days, and no more! If you can't hand it over, you know the consequences!"

The short, stocky man showed not the slightest pity for their pleas. The fire in his belly had to be vented somewhere.

Seeing that they had knocked their heads bloody and the short, stocky man remained unmoved, the three kneeling men knew it was useless in the end and rose to their feet.

The fear and unease on their faces gradually calmed, then finally turned cold. The three exchanged glances before closing in around the short, stocky man together.

The short, stocky man had still been cursing without end, but when those three grabbed his shoulders, he finally realized something was wrong. His voice trembled faintly as he asked, "You... What are you trying to do? Have you lost your lives?"

"You forced us to this. Don't blame us..."

Very soon, a shrill scream rang out, only to be swiftly muffled, turning into low, agonized moans.

Within the jungle lay a communal camp.

Wooden houses made of greenish-brown planks had been built upon the branches of enormous trees, rising and falling at different heights. There were quite a few of them.

On the ground below stood only several simple stone-ringed hearths. Dark-red embers were buried beneath thick layers of grass ash, and waves of heat faintly rose from them.

A bonfire burned in one of the fire pits, with an enormous stone pot set above it. Thick, milky-white meat soup bubbled within, giving off a rich aroma of meat.

More than a dozen burly, dark-skinned men sat around the bonfire.

Almost all of them were bare-chested, with half-body beast hides wrapped around their waists, mostly those of green wolves and black panthers. Beast heads hung behind each of their waists. They were clearly all Furred Beast Slaves.

At this moment, three figures hurried back from outside the camp. They went straight to the bonfire and knelt before the man seated in the center.

The three pressed their heads to the ground, not daring to raise them.

"Wubao... Gang Leader, Zaha... Zaha is dead," one of them reported, his voice trembling with nervousness.

The man seated in the center had loose black hair, eyes sharp as blades, and a high nose bridge whose tip hooked down slightly like an eagle's beak. Three long scars stretched across nearly his entire cheek, making his face appear gloomy and vicious.

"Who killed a member of our Green Wolf Gang? Which faction was it?" Wubao asked, pausing in the middle of eating meat.

"It wasn't any faction. That kid seemed to be from the Central Plains and had always acted alone. Zaha had been watching him for a long time. Their previous attempts to encircle him all let him slip away. This time, they finally cornered him, only to be killed by him instead." The man steadied himself and delivered the explanation he had prepared long ago.

Wubao frowned upon hearing this. He rose from the ground, tossed the meat bone in his hand directly back into the stone pot, and asked:

"The four of you fought one man, and Zaha was still killed instead? What was that man's strength?"

"I... I don't know. He killed Zaha with just one move..."

"A lone drifter now dares to kill members of our Green Wolf Gang at will. It seems the Green Wolf Gang has been acting too gently of late, making people think we are easy to bully." Wubao's gaze swept over the people around him as he spoke slowly.

The men who had just returned hurriedly lowered their heads in fright, not daring to respond.

"Gang Leader, anyone who dares kill members of our Green Wolf Gang cannot be forgiven. I am willing to lead men after him. I certainly won't let him escape again. If I cannot rip off his head, I will bring my own head to see you." At that moment, Bald Man stepped out from beside Wubao, slapped his chest, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Gang Leader, I have a different view. I wonder if I should speak?" Suddenly, someone stepped out from the crowd and said.

When Bald Man heard this, he turned to look at the man, and a flash of disgust immediately crossed his eyes.

"Wulu, how many days have you even been in the Green Wolf Gang? Since when was it your place to speak?" Bald Man rebuked.

Wulu merely kept his eyes fixed on Wubao and did not argue back.

"Bayin, don't be hasty. Let's hear what he has to say," Wubao said.

Though Bald Man, Bayin, was dissatisfied, he could only force it down and look at Wulu.

"Gang Leader, if I'm not mistaken, that man from the Central Plains should be Yuan Ming," Wulu said.

"You know him?" Wubao asked with a frown.

"He became a furred beast slave alongside me. He's capable. Since he could kill first-layer Qi Refinement Zaha, I suspect his strength is already close to the second layer. Rather than waste time and effort hunting him down, we should recruit him and make him one of us," Wulu nodded and said.

At Wulu's words, everyone's expressions shifted slightly.

A fellow who had only recently become a furred beast slave was already nearly at the second layer of Qi Refinement? Most of them had cultivated for years and still had not reached even the first layer.

In the entire Green Wolf Gang, the only people who could firmly suppress him were likely Gang Leader Wubao and Deputy Gang Leader Bayin, both third-layer Qi Refinement cultivators.

Compared to them, Yuan Ming could be considered an exceptionally outstanding fellow.

"No. He killed one of our people, so he cannot be kept alive. Otherwise, if word gets out, how will the Green Wolf Gang keep its footing in the Hundred Thousand Mountains?" Bayin immediately objected.

"Deputy Gang Leader Bayin, surely you can see it too. Ten Zahas cannot compare to one Yuan Ming. If we can subdue him, the gains will certainly be far greater than killing him," Wulu said, looking at Bald Man.

After pondering for a moment, Wubao said, "I'll give him one chance. I'll leave the rest to you, Wulu."

"I'll handle it immediately." Wulu promptly cupped his fist and said.