"I haven't even seen the thing, so how would I know you'd give it to me? City Lord Meng, you publicly promised all the hunters that you'd give me the Crescent Moon Stone. Then you said it'd have to wait until next month. Fine, even if you give it to me next month, one thing is one thing and another is another. How am I supposed to trust you now?" I stopped walking. I couldn't just let this matter go.
"Of course I acknowledge that I lost to you in the previous contest. How about this? Join me in taking down this City-Pushing Beast. Once I enter the city, come with me to collect the Crescent Moon Stone. That way, I won't be able to welch on you. What do you think, Legendary Xia?" Old Meng's hide was indeed thick enough to be rare even in this savage world.
I thought it over. It wasn't certain that Old Meng would give me next month's Crescent Moon Stone, but he couldn't escape giving me the one he owed me now. And if I killed this City-Pushing Beast, he definitely wouldn't be able to wriggle out of it. The entire city's hunters were watching. Besides, if I entered the city with him, I could simply drag him along to get the Crescent Moon Stone. Surely he couldn't still refuse to pay up?
With that thought, I couldn't really refuse to save him, so I said, "I can help, and I want this month's Crescent Moon Stone. But don't mix the two matters together. What about next month's Crescent Moon Stone?"
"That too! That too!" Old Meng couldn't bring down the City-Pushing Beast. Instead, he had been dragged into the middle of the beast horde. A pack of ferocious beasts surrounded him and