Scheming

Chu Danqing realized he had truly underestimated Da Bao. With a fierce lunge, Da Bao seized the Giant Salamander by the neck and dragged it straight down from the eaves.

He forcibly snapped its neck, clean and decisive from start to finish, killing it with a single blow.

"Hehe. I get to eat the bad thing's son's meat again." Da Bao grinned foolishly as he dragged the Giant Salamander inside.

Only then did Chu Danqing get a proper look at the Giant Salamander. Its head resembled that of an ordinary salamander, but its neck was exceptionally long, slender, and flexible.

As for its body, it was still a salamander's body, except it was at least as large as a grown man.

Its four limbs bore sharp claws, while its body was covered in scales somewhere between crocodile hide and fish scales.

Chu Danqing leaned over and examined it carefully. The scales were extremely hard.

If those two wolves from before had been replaced with this Giant Salamander, even with a pitchfork, Chu Danqing would not have been able to kill it.

"It's the bad thing's son? Then how big is the bad thing?" From Da Bao's words, Chu Danqing learned that it was one of the White Dragon Fish Spawn, one of the Xianghua Three Scenes.

Though Giant Salamanders were also called baby fish, they were amphibians.

"A little bigger than me." Da Bao clumsily used both hands and feet to describe it to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing, meanwhile, was considering something.

The White Dragon Fish Spawn seemed especially suitable as summoned creatures.

Amphibious, nimble, powerful, and with sufficient defensive ability—they looked remarkably well-rounded.

They were far more reliable than the dogs or cattle he had originally considered finding in the village.

As for directly using the White Dragon Fish, that was unrealistic. As one of the Three Scenes, the White Dragon Fish was at least on par with Da Bao in strength.

Besides, the White Dragon Fish was a monster. Favorability would not work on it, and he was at a disadvantage in terms of attributes as well.

Since it had offspring, whether it gave live birth or laid eggs, it must have had a younger stage. He only needed a cub.

"Compared to you, which one is stronger—the bad thing or you?" Chu Danqing continued asking.

At those words, Da Bao's tone turned dejected. "The bad thing is a little stronger, unless it stays on land for a long time."

"But it's very cunning. Every time, it has sons and makes its sons come ashore."

Chu Danqing immediately committed that to memory. Its weakness was that it could not remain out of water for too long.

He wondered whether he could find a way to get rid of this White Dragon Fish.

Its evaluation would certainly improve, and there was a good chance he would obtain a treasure chest.

"In other words, if we want to get rid of that bad thing, we first have to kill all its sons, then lure it ashore. Is that right?" Chu Danqing summed up.

Before Da Bao could answer, the village chief hurried over.

The commotion had been so great that he had not gone to sleep yet, so he arrived quickly.

"This vile beast still has such a keen nose. It actually followed the trail and sent one of its little wretches crawling over." The village chief saw the White Dragon Fish Offspring as soon as he arrived.

He turned to Chu Danqing with an apologetic expression. "Brother Chu, I'm truly sorry. It's a long story."

The village chief quickly explained the matter of the White Dragon Fish to Chu Danqing.

The White Dragon Fish liked to eat people, but with Da Bao around, it did not dare harm the villagers of Xianghua Village too brazenly.

But Chu Danqing was an unfamiliar outsider who had come from elsewhere, which suited it perfectly.

"Village Chief, you mean I've been targeted now?" Chu Danqing felt there was plenty of room to maneuver here.

"Yes. How about this? Let Da Bao protect you for the next few days, so that vile beast does not act recklessly." The village chief settled the matter on the spot.

Yet Chu Danqing refused. "Village Chief, isn't this perfect?"

"I'll act as bait and rid our Xianghua Village of this vile beast."

It was not that Chu Danqing was sacrificing himself for others. Rather, he understood the principle that no pain, no gain.

With the village chief's word, and Da Bao protecting him over the next few days, the meaning of Easy difficulty would truly be displayed in full.

As long as he was shameless enough, passing the reserve assessment would not be a problem.

Yet with such an excellent foundation and opening, how could he possibly be willing to stop there?

"No, no, absolutely not. That White Dragon Fish is cunning beyond measure. Brother Chu is my family's benefactor—how could I let you risk yourself?" The village chief looked astonished, but repeatedly shook his head in refusal.

Chu Danqing's tone, however, was firm. His own hard power was insufficient; borrowing momentum was the only course that suited his circumstances.

"Village Chief, don't rush to refuse. Hear me out—" Chu Danqing would not give up so easily.

He then briefly laid out his plan. It was actually very simple: bait combined with traps, along with a setup that made use of the environment.

Every old hunter knew how to do that. The problem was that the White Dragon Fish was cunning and would not take the bait.

Chu Danqing's arrival happened to make up for the shortage of bait.

There would certainly be danger, but with his Five-Dimensional Attributes and the consumable item Wolf Blood, his life would still be safeguarded.

If he was unwilling to take even a little risk yet wanted benefits, wasn't that far too wishful?

"Th-this..." The village chief was conflicted as well. Outsiders had come to their village before, but Chu Danqing was the only one truly willing to cooperate.

"Village Chief, enough with that. Block the upstream, then divert the water away and force it out."

"Kill that vile beast's children and grandchildren, starve it until its eyes turn red, then I'll provoke it and lure it ashore, where it will lack water."

"Then we'll rush it together and smash that vile beast straight into pulp."

"Once we remove this scourge, we won't have to worry about anyone being dragged into the water and eaten in the future. What's more, the bounty of this river will enrich our Xianghua Village."

Hearing Chu Danqing say this, the village chief was truly tempted.

Before the White Dragon Fish had arrived, the river in Xianghua Village had indeed been one of their sources of income.

"Good. Then this old man will shamelessly accept."

"Brother Chu's goodwill will be remembered by all of Xianghua Village. Once this vile beast is removed, there will surely be a generous reward!"

Seeing Chu Danqing's tone and attitude, the village chief understood that he was not merely paying lip service.

Still, he had no intention of letting Chu Danqing face danger alone. Naturally, preparations had to be made for him.

Chu Danqing had originally intended to rely on Da Bao's strength, but he quickly realized that the true greater force was likely Xianghua Village itself.

The individual villagers might not be as strong as Da Bao, but their resources, practical skills, and everything else combined would certainly amount to no small force.

Perfect. He had ties with the village chief, so wasn't that exactly what this matched?

"Village Chief, you're being too polite. This vile beast is the one that wants my life. If anything, I should thank everyone in Xianghua Village for helping me vent my anger." Chu Danqing understood the art of speaking.

He would contribute, and the villagers would contribute too. Put pleasantly, everyone would feel comfortable hearing it.

The village chief was left somewhat at a loss by Chu Danqing's words.

He could only secretly sigh that scholars really were different.

"Still, Brother Da Bao will have to stay with me for a while." Chu Danqing glanced at the energetic Da Bao, who was clearly thinking about how to eat this White Dragon Fish Offspring.

"That is only proper. Brother Chu is taking a risk as well." The village chief made the decision for Da Bao directly.