Forcing and Luring

Yuan Ming uprooted both long tusks of the wild boar Fierce Beast, then tied them securely with the prepared bark rope, intending to trade them for something in Toad Valley.

However, before that, the plump wild boar couldn't be wasted either; it was perfect for satisfying his hunger.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to skin the wild boar, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from all around. He immediately gripped the White Bone Dagger tightly and looked around vigilantly.

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

"Friends from the Green Wolf Gang, why are you suddenly rushing out like this?" Yuan Ming's brow furrowed slightly as he recognized them.

"What, kid, not planning to run this time?" the leader among them sneered. He was a short, stout man clad in a green wolf hide, with dark, ruddy skin, clearly of savage origin.

Yuan Ming had dealt with these people several times before. To be precise, these individuals had tried to ambush Yuan Ming multiple times, but Yuan Ming's vigilance was extremely high, and they had always failed to surround him before he escaped.

Now that they had finally cornered Yuan Ming, how could they let him go easily?

Yuan Ming already had a poor impression of these people and always avoided them when possible. But today, it seemed he couldn't escape so easily.

"Enough talk, hand over those two wild boar tusks and the Blood Food in your blood pouch, or else this time next year will be your death anniversary," the stout leader said.

They had a clear advantage in numbers and strength and didn't take Yuan Ming seriously at all.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, realizing he wouldn't be able to eat the wild boar meat today, and felt a great sense of regret.

However, he wasn't afraid at all. The stout leader among them was barely at the first level of Qi Refining, and the other three were not even at the first level. Even if they joined forces, they wouldn't be his match.

He casually slung the tied wild boar tusks diagonally across his back and lightly rubbed the White Bone Dagger with his fingers.

This action clearly signaled to the Green Wolf Gang members that he refused to hand over the tusks. They immediately donned their Furred Beast Hides, preparing to use the Furring Technique to transform.

But just then, Yuan Ming, who had just finished tying the tusks, suddenly erupted without warning. He gathered strength in the White Bone Dagger and hurled it again at the savage leader directly in front of him.

The man was greatly alarmed, seemingly not expecting Yuan Ming to attack him. By the time he wanted to use the Fur Transformation Technique, it was too late. The White Bone Dagger flew through the air with a "swoosh" and struck his chest.

With a dull "thud!"

The man was hit hard, his body flying backward violently, smashing against a thick ancient tree. He spat blood from his mouth and fell heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, the others quickly used the Furring Technique.

But by the time they were ready, Yuan Ming had already leaped forward and landed in front of the stout man.

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

"If I wanted to kill you, the tip of the dagger would have hit you just now, not the handle. I'm sparing your miserable life this time to let you go back and tell your gang leader that I just want to hunt peacefully, so don't provoke me!"

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

The man nodded frantically, trying to respond, but his throat was full of blood, and he couldn't utter a clear sound.

"Looks like I hit a bit too hard," Yuan Ming thought to himself, and walked away carrying the White Bone Dagger.

After Yuan Ming was long gone, the stout man forcefully spat out the blood from his mouth, and then said hoarsely, filled with hatred, "You brat dared to sneak attack me when I wasn't prepared... I will definitely kill you sooner or later."

The three followers beside him dared not speak.

"You three useless fools are no good at all! Your Blood Food quota for the gang this month is doubled. Within three days, you will deliver it, no matter what method you use." After uttering the threat, the stout man looked at the three, his anger flaring up even more.

"Zaha, please show mercy!"

"We're already struggling to meet the quotas demanded by the sect and the gang each month!"

"Yeah, it's almost time to hand over to the sect in a few days. Collecting it again within three days is impossible! If we can't pay the sect on time, it's a death sentence."

Hearing this, the three men's faces turned pale, and they quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic, begging for mercy.

With their strength, it was already very difficult to hunt beasts themselves and hand over five portions of Blood Food to the sect each month. Moreover, they were occasionally robbed by others. They had no choice but to join the Green Wolf Gang, partly for protection, and partly to use their numbers to bully others and rob them in turn.

Of course, the Green Wolf Gang didn't support useless members and also required its members to hand over a certain amount of Blood Food monthly, which invisibly increased the pressure on the members.

"Just three days! If you don't deliver, you know the consequences!"

The stout man showed no mercy to their pleas. He had to vent his anger somewhere.

Seeing that they had even bloodied their foreheads from kowtowing, the stout man remained unmoved. The three kneeling knew it was useless and stood up.

The expressions on their faces gradually changed from fear and unease to calmness, and finally to indifference. The three exchanged glances, then surrounded the stout man together.

The stout man was still cursing incessantly, but when the three men grabbed his shoulders, he finally realized something was wrong. His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "You... what are you doing? Are you tired of living!"

"It's all your fault, don't blame us..."

Soon, a shrill scream was heard, then quickly muffled, turning into low moans.

In the jungle, a communal camp.

Wooden houses made of brown-green planks were built with the branches of giant trees as foundations, spanning across them. They were arranged at various heights and in considerable numbers.

On the ground below, there were only a few simple hearths enclosed by stones. Under the thick layer of grass and ash, embers glowed, with faint heat waves rising.

In one of the fire pits, a campfire was burning, with a large stone pot placed over it. Thick, white meat soup was bubbling inside, emitting a rich aroma.

Around the campfire, more than a dozen burly, dark-skinned men were gathered.

Almost all of them were half-naked, with half-body beast hides worn around their waists, primarily those of green wolves and black panthers. The heads of the beast hides hung down their backs, clearly indicating they were all Furred Beast Slaves.

At this moment, three figures from outside the camp ran back in haste and knelt down directly beside the campfire, facing the person sitting in the center.

The three men had their heads pressed to the ground, not daring to look up at all.

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

The man sitting in the center had his black hair spread out, his eyes sharp as knives, his nose bridge high and the tip slightly curved like an eagle's beak. Three long scars ran across almost his entire cheeks, giving his face a sinister and fierce appearance.

"Who dared to kill someone from our Green Wolf Gang? What faction are they from?" Wubao asked, stopping his meat-eating.

"He's not from any faction. That kid seems to be from the Central Plains and always travels alone. Zaha had been watching him for a long time, and he slipped away during several previous ambushes. We finally cornered him this time, but he killed Zaha instead," the man said, steadying his emotions and reciting the prepared explanation.

Upon hearing this, Wubao frowned. He stood up from the ground, threw the meat bone in his hand back into the stone pot, and asked:

"Four of you against one, and Zaha was killed? What's that person's strength?"

"We... we don't know. The opponent only used one move, and Zaha died..."

"A lone wolf who travels by himself now dares to kill our Green Wolf Gang members so casually? It seems we've been acting too leniently lately, making people think we're easy to bully," Wubao said slowly, sweeping his gaze over the people around him.

The few who had just returned were so scared they quickly lowered their heads, not daring to reply.

"Boss, it's unforgivable that someone dared to kill our Green Wolf Gang member. I volunteer to lead men to pursue him and I guarantee he won't escape again. If I can't bring back his head, I'll bring my own to you," a bald, burly man said, patting his chest and speaking in a deep voice.

"Boss, I have a different opinion, may I voice it?" At this moment, someone stepped out from the crowd and spoke.

The bald, burly man turned to look at him, and a flash of disgust immediately appeared in his eyes.

"Wulu, how many days have you been with the Green Wolf Gang? What right do you have to speak here?" the bald man rebuked.

Wulu, upon hearing this, simply stared intently at Wubao, not refuting him.

"Bayin, don't be hasty, let's hear what he has to say," Wubao said at this moment.

Bayin, the bald, burly man, suppressed his dissatisfaction and looked at Wulu.

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

"You know him?" Wubao frowned.

"This person became a Furred Beast Slave with me, and he's quite skilled. If he can kill Zaha, who is at the first level of Qi Refining, I think his strength is probably close to the second level. Instead of wasting time and effort chasing him, it would be better to win him over and make him one of us." Wulu nodded and said.

Upon hearing Wulu's words, everyone's expression changed slightly.

Someone who had only recently become a Furred Beast Slave was already close to the second level of Qi Refining? Most of them had been cultivating for several years and still hadn't reached the first level of Qi Refining.

In the entire Green Wolf Gang, only the boss Wubao and the deputy boss Bayin, both at the third level of Qi Refining, could be said to be steadily superior to him.

In comparison, Yuan Ming could be considered an extremely outstanding individual.

"No, he killed our people, we can't let him go. Otherwise, if word gets out, how can our Green Wolf Gang establish itself in the Hundred Thousand Mountains!" Bayin immediately objected.

"Deputy Boss Bayin, I'm sure you can also imagine that ten Zahas are not as valuable as one Yuan Ming. If we can subdue him, the benefits will surely be much greater than killing him," Wulu said, looking at the bald, burly man.

Wubao pondered for a moment and then said, "I'll give him one chance. The rest will be up to you, Wulu."

"I'll go and do it now," Wulu immediately cupped his fists and said.