The middle-aged leader and his companions stared at Lin Li, dumbfounded, their mouths hanging wide open as if they could fit an egg inside.
The exotic beast growled under its breath. It wanted to issue a threat, but did not dare make too much noise. Then it quickly turned around and sprinted into the distance, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye.
Terrified that the fearsome enemy behind it would catch up, it paid little attention to the path beneath its feet as it fled.
"Bang."
The exotic beast accidentally fell, its enormous body snapping several trees in half.
Even so, it did not dare look back. It hurriedly scrambled to its feet and continued fleeing deeper into the woods in utter disarray, as though being one second late would mean certain death.
Lin Li had only wanted to help these people escape their desperate predicament, so he had merely taught the exotic beast a small lesson. He had never intended to kill it.
Now that the exotic beast had fled without a trace, he turned around and looked at the people staring at him.
The middle-aged man, who had expended a great deal of strength, was the first to recover. He took a deep breath, then walked forward gratefully, clasped his fists in greeting, and thanked Lin Li.
"Thank you for saving our lives, little brother. If you hadn't intervened in time, we would certainly have been doomed today..."
The others also recovered and came forward one after another, their faces bright with grateful smiles as they thanked him for saving their lives.
Lin Li smiled. "There's no need to thank me. It was just a small effort."
Afterward, the middle-aged man had someone bring out some valuables as a token of gratitude, but Lin Li