Gnolls by the River

Seeing this inexplicable new skill, Li Shaolin was rather surprised. It seemed Skeleton Mastery could actually raise the rank of summoned creatures. Of the three Skeleton Warriors he currently had, the two rank-two ones had only leveled up after fierce battles with Murlocs. If he maxed out Skeleton Mastery, would their names turn gold like that Golem in the mine?

Still, it was daytime, so it was inconvenient to summon the Skeleton Warriors and study them properly. He would have to wait until night.

With a horse for transportation, Stonefield Farm soon came into view ahead.

Only then did he realize that when he had fled Fargodeep Mine in a mad dash last time, he had somehow failed to notice such a broad road. He had even nearly been injured by a bear in the forest. He could not help but laugh at himself.

The moment he stepped into the farm, a sharp-eyed servant spotted him. It was the young man who had guided him last time. The youth immediately came over and bowed. "Lord Li, you've finally arrived. The family head has been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Shaolin was somewhat surprised. "Bonis was waiting for me? Is something wrong?"

The young man conscientiously took hold of the black horse and called for another servant to lead it to the stables, then guided Li Shaolin inside.

Once through the wooden door, Li Shaolin saw Bonis curled up in a chair, reading beneath the blazing fireplace. She wore a sky-blue long dress, and under the faint red glow of the fire, her graceful figure was vaguely visible, utterly captivating.

"Ahem." Li Shaolin coughed twice to announce himself. He treated this woman like a venomous snake and dared not entertain any improper thoughts about her.

Bonis looked up. When she saw him, delight immediately appeared on her face. She quickly rose to greet him, natural charm flowing from her expression. Combined with her slender willow-like waist, she left Li Shaolin feeling utterly refreshed.

Forcing down the impulse in his heart, Li Shaolin dared not meet Bonis's eyes. This woman was far too formidable; any casual gesture from her could enchant a man to death. After steadying himself, he said, "Bonis, I came to tell you about the Makrolen Family."

"Oh? Did they go to Fargodeep Mine to cause trouble for you? Damn them. Don't worry, our two families have been bitter enemies for generations. We're used to fighting back and forth. It won't be too serious." Anger flashed across Bonis's face, but she quickly suppressed it.

"That's not the reason. Well, let me start from the beginning." He took a seat by the fireplace and recounted everything exactly as it had happened.

After hearing him out, Bonis wore a strange expression. She stared at him for a long while, making Li Shaolin's scalp prickle, before smiling. "That old man hasn't taken a liking to you, has he? Does he want you as a live-in son-in-law? Our families' feud has been passed down for generations, yet he's willing to settle it with you so easily?"

Li Shaolin looked embarrassed. I wish that were the case, but his daughter already has someone in her heart. Still, he said aloud, "Bonis, don't joke around. Do you think this can work?"

Bonis frowned and pondered for a moment, then nodded. "If it can truly resolve the conflict between our families, then we can help them with this. I have more than ten guards at the farm. I can send half of them with you."

After discussing things for a while longer, Li Shaolin suddenly remembered what Maybell had asked him to do. He asked, "By the way, Bonis, is there a young man in your family named Tommy Joe?"

"Hm?" Bonis was instantly surprised. She looked Li Shaolin up and down several times, then smiled. "Say, Lin, you're not some spy here to gather dirt on our family, are you?"

"How could I be?" Li Shaolin hurriedly waved his hands, feeling puzzled. Could there be something wrong with this Tommy Joe?

"That kid loves fishing. He should be by the river west of the farm right now. But he has a bad temper, so you'd best not provoke him, unless you want to be snubbed." Bonis said.

Li Shaolin nodded, bade Bonis farewell, and hurried off to deliver the letter to Tommy. Then he could deal with Jerod's Dock and head for Westfall as soon as possible, so that old man from Azshara's Tower would stop watching him. If he accidentally exposed the secret of the Skeleton Warriors, who knew what those people would think?

Following the direction Bonis had given him, he found a small path extending along the edge of the farm toward the river.

As he walked forward, he heard the gentle ripple of water. A small river soon appeared before him.

A powerfully built young man sat on a wooden chair with a fishing rod in hand. Water occasionally splashed in the wooden bucket beside him, suggesting he had caught quite a lot. Most notably, a two-handed greatsword was stuck into the ground beside him, its blade reflecting sunlight with a chilling sharpness.

"Hey, are you Tommy Joe?" Instinctively feeling that this man was dangerous, Li Shaolin did not dare approach too closely and called out from a distance.

The young man turned around, revealing a resolute face. He nodded, then asked, "Did Aunt send you to call me back? Tell her I'm not fighting for land, and I don't want anything. Tell her to stop bothering me."

So there really was some inside story in their family! Li Shaolin thought, then quickly explained, "I think you've misunderstood. I'm here to deliver a letter from Maybell."

"Maybell?" The moment Tommy heard the name, he threw down his fishing rod and turned around. His hands reached for Li Shaolin's shoulders as he shouted, "Where's the letter? Give it to me, now." This guy was really impatient.

Li Shaolin sidestepped to avoid him. What a joke—if this clumsy brute grabbed him, that would be bad. He quickly took the letter from his Storage Space and handed it over.

Tommy received the letter and held it like a priceless treasure. He carefully opened it with extraordinary gentleness. Li Shaolin had never expected such a tiger-like man to have such a tender side. It truly opened his eyes.

Just then, cries of "Ooh-heh-heh" rang out. On the open ground along the opposite bank, two creatures charged out. They had black manes, long tails, fluffy gray-green fur, yellow teeth, and blood-red eyes. Looking closely, they were Gnolls. When the two Gnolls saw living people on this side, they howled twice and began wading across the river.

Tommy had been reading the letter. When he saw the Gnolls approaching, he snorted, tucked the letter into his clothes, pulled the two-handed greatsword from the ground, and charged toward them. Judging by the look of it, he had dealt with these creatures plenty of times before.

Only then did Li Shaolin remember that, in the game, there seemed to be a Westfall Fortress nearby that specialized in dealing with Gnolls. There was apparently a Gnoll camp as well. Right, wasn't Hogger the leader there? Remembering how formidable Hogger had been in the mine last time, Li Shaolin shivered.

One Gnoll had already crossed the river. With a grunt, it pounced at Tommy, its sharp claws flashing beneath the sunlight as they swiped at his chest.

Tommy raised his greatsword and blocked the claws. He then swept it forcefully sideways, leaving a wound on the Gnoll's body in an instant. At that moment, the other Gnoll also came ashore, spreading its claws as it lunged at him.

This Tommy really had some skill. Perhaps the reason he fished here was to keep watch for lone Gnolls. After all, ordinary farmers could not handle such creatures, and the farm was so close that any accident would be troublesome.

Just as Li Shaolin was considering whether to help, more "Ooh-heh-heh" cries sounded from behind a large rock downstream. Two Gnolls that had apparently crossed earlier heard their companions' calls and rushed out as well.

Tommy gave a muffled grunt, kicked one Gnoll to the ground, then brought his two-handed greatsword down in a fierce chop, cutting down another. He roared at Li Shaolin, "Go! Call the other guards over to help!" Ignoring the Gnoll he had kicked down, he hurried to meet the two newcomers.

Seeing this, Li Shaolin understood that three Gnolls were already Tommy's limit. It looked like he had to step in.

With a wave of his hand, the Book of the Dead appeared in his grasp. Black mist rose as he summoned the Clay Golem. Since Tommy was dealing with the two behind him, these ones were Old Li's problem, even if one was already injured.

The Gnoll Tommy had cut down bled heavily from its shoulder, and one arm could no longer be raised. Yet its ferocity had not diminished. It still roared and clawed at the Golem. The other Gnoll that had been kicked down also rolled up and followed close behind.

Bone Fang gathered around Li Shaolin's finger. Though he could not summon Skeleton Warriors to help, Old Li was no pushover either. Under the Golem's slowing effect, the Gnolls' movements became much slower. Li Shaolin seized the moment, locked his magic onto the Gnoll with the injured shoulder, and flicked his index finger. Two Bone Fangs shot out.

"Pshh, pshh!" They struck the Gnoll squarely in the chest. The Golem turned, ignoring the other Gnoll's attack. Its fists came together like a pair of pounding bowls before smashing down fiercely!

With a loud bang, the Gnoll's head shattered and it collapsed to the ground. Since the Golem had not defended itself, however, mud splattered from its body as the other Gnoll had slashed several wounds into it. Yet the soft mud on the ground flowed over them, and the wounds healed in the blink of an eye.

Tommy had been worried about Li Shaolin's safety. In the midst of battle, he glanced back and discovered that this man was actually a mage, leaving him stunned. Just as he was about to speak, that moment of distraction let Sharp Claw rake across his waist. He cried out in pain and hurriedly swung his greatsword, no longer daring to lose focus.

Bone Fang gathered once more and shot out again!

This kind of magical attack was overbearing. Once the target was locked, the opponent could only take it head-on. The Gnoll had no weapon and was slowed by the Golem, so how could it dodge such bullet-fast fangs? With another two sharp pshhs, Li Shaolin struck it in the waist.

"Heh heh heh heh." Li Shaolin gave a lecherous laugh as Bone Fang gathered again!

The Gnoll howled repeatedly, but the Golem held it in check, leaving it utterly unable to do anything to Li Shaolin. Its claws flew wildly, seemingly fierce as they sent mud spraying from the Golem, but they could not damage its foundation. Then the Gnoll let out a loud cry, kicked off with both legs, and actually tried to flee!

But slowed by the Golem, it was much slower than before. Naturally, Li Shaolin's Bone Fangs quickly struck its back, punching two more bloody holes into it. Yet it finally broke free of the Golem's slowing effect and fled into the river.

"Ugh, fighting without Skeleton Warriors is way too ridiculous." Li Shaolin could only watch helplessly as the Gnoll escaped. His magic did not have much range, and the Golem could not keep up, so he had no choice but to let it go.

He turned and fixed his gaze on the two Gnolls fighting Tommy.