Caravan from the South

Chen Jinyang watched the crocodile-headed fish monster thrashing and struggling on the ground, his heart filled with lingering fear. Had he reacted even a second or two slower, a tragedy he would have regretted for the rest of his life would surely have occurred.

However, the two little ones he had just tossed onto the bank were now deathly still. Sensing something was wrong, he looked back to see Alos and Mishaer either sprawled or kneeling on the ground, their eyes fixed blankly on the monster, paralyzed by absolute terror.

Chen Jinyang's heart tightened. Damn it! The two children had been traumatized. If he didn't find a way to resolve this, these poor kids would likely be left with severe psychological scars. He couldn't help but slap his own forehead: What a nuisance! Guess it's just my rotten luck!

There might be many ways to dispel the fear in the little ones' hearts, but unfortunately, Chen Jinyang was no psychologist. He chose the simplest, most direct, and equally the most crude and hot-blooded method.

Chen Jinyang let out a long roar toward the sky, ripped off his shirt to reveal his incredibly robust upper body, and pounded his chest with both fists like an enraged silverback gorilla. You really have to give it to him—this "Gorilla Man" act actually worked, instantly snapping the two little ones out of their terrified stupor and bringing their souls back to their bodies.

Under the fearful gazes of Alos and Mishaer, Chen Jinyang transformed into a hot-blooded, violent brute. He charged toward the fish monster with heavy, deliberate thuds, slamming into it and grappling. With a series of wrestling maneuvers—the Rotten Tree Fall, Mountain Mover, Mountain Lean, Storm Mountain Cut, Back-Carry Throw, Shoulder Throw, and the Great Tablet Smash—the monster, having no leverage on land, was tossed about like a ragdoll. Chen Jinyang grabbed it by the tail, slamming it repeatedly until it let out miserable "croaks." Finally, Chen Jinyang stepped on the monster's dazed lower jaw, gripped its upper jaw with both hands, and exerted his full strength to pry it open. The unfortunate creature's already wide mouth tore open, turning into two bloody, hanging flaps of meat. With one final "croak," it thrashed a few times on the ground and went still. Covered in fishy blood and slime, Chen Jinyang stood atop the monster's carcass and roared, as if declaring his victory.

This scene would later become one of the most embarrassing moments of Chen Jinyang's life, but for now, the effect was superb. Completely captivated by the fierce and savage battle, the two little ones had long forgotten their fear. They watched with alternating tension and worry as Chen Jinyang pummeled the terrifying monster, and when he finally tore the beast's mouth open and roared atop its corpse, they were both uncontrollably excited.

The little girl let out a "waa" and threw herself into Chen Jinyang's arms, sobbing loudly. As for little Alos, he ran to the monster's carcass, poking and prodding it while grinning foolishly with his mouth wide open. Chen Jinyang, feeling slightly exhausted, held the weeping Mishaer and finally let out a sigh of relief: Crying is good! Good heavens! At least my efforts weren't in vain; this shirtless performance wasn't half bad.

Gutted and cleaned! Of course, not the fish monster—Chen Jinyang processed the fish he had speared earlier, started a campfire, and roasted them. The three siblings, having been through such an emotional rollercoaster, were starving, and they devoured over a dozen river fish in no time. Chen Jinyang washed the fishy blood and slime off his body with cold river water. Seeing that it was getting late, he packed up his things, called over the two little ones who were still arguing around the monster fish, and dragged the four-to-five-hundred-pound creature back home.

Along the way, Alos and Mishaer kept chattering about exactly how many times William had flipped the fish monster.

In truth, Chen Jinyang wasn't worried about their long-term food supply, as a grain caravan from Longsaddle in the south would arrive in a few days. However, he couldn't be certain of the exact date, so he had to fret about their food source until then. This fish monster was enough to feed their family of four for three or four days, and perhaps the Habel Family caravan would arrive within that window.

As they walked, the exhausted Mishaer eventually ran out of energy. Chen Jinyang had to drag the monster fish with one hand while carrying the dozing little girl with the other. Alos looked enviously at his sister sleeping in their big brother's arms, could only pout helplessly, and continued to drag his tired legs to keep up.

Sigh! Why did I have to be the middle child?

As they neared home, Chen Jinyang noticed several heavy cargo wagons parked at the village entrance, with a few strangers tending to the caravan. A caravan shouldn't have so few people; it seemed most of them had entered the village. As he approached the entrance, he heard the shouts of a female giant and the clashing of weapons from behind the walls. Damn it! Phinia is fighting someone. Chen Jinyang's heart skipped a beat; he dropped the fish carcass and ran inside, carrying the little girl.

The guards watching the wagons at the gate spotted the siblings and stepped forward to block their path, shouting, "Who are you people?"

Chen Jinyang didn't answer. He raised his leg and delivered a kick to the chest, sending the guard flying backward. The man rolled on the ground and passed out cold. Seeing their companion downed, the four remaining guards drew their short swords and surrounded him. Chen Jinyang set down the now-awake little girl, lunged forward, and with a few quick movements, knocked all four of them out. Aside from the swords in their hands, their combat skills were no different from those of ordinary people.

From the initial contact to Chen Jinyang knocking out the five guards, barely ten seconds had passed. Alos hadn't even had a chance to speak until the fight was over, at which point he said in shock:

"William! You hit the wrong people! You hit the wrong people! These are from the grain caravan, they aren't bad guys!"

"I know! Mishaer! You and Alos wait outside!" Chen Jinyang glanced at the wagons. There were no large burlap sacks of grain, only a few neatly arranged, exquisite small bags. Suspicious and with a face like frost, he said, "I'm going in to take a look!"

The little girl, just woken up and not understanding the situation, yawned. Looking at the unconscious men on the ground, she silently waved her little fist at her brother, nearly shouting, "Brother is mighty!"

Ignoring his anxious younger brother, Chen Jinyang rushed into the village. He saw over a dozen people standing in a large circle in the open space in front of the stables, keeping watch. In the center, four men armed with swords, shields, and spears were taking turns attacking, goading the overwhelmed female giant. No one noticed the commotion outside.

Phinia had several arrowheads embedded in her legs, which severely hampered her agility. Unable to keep up with the attackers' rhythm, she could only roar while swinging her massive battle-axe to block and parry.

"To think we'd run into an underage Frost Giant here. Her bad luck."

"Giant wench! You cruelly killed the idiot siblings here! We must kill you today!"

"Yeah, yeah! This wench is actually quite a looker, too bad she's a giant."

"Gosa! Haven't you eaten? You can't even take down a giant cub! Do you need us brothers to help?"

The caravan leader stood by, smiling as he watched his subordinates fight the female giant. Being able to use skilled coordination to trap a Frost Giant—known for their combat prowess—without a single injury, even if the giant wasn't fully grown, was a testament to his men's strength. Once they exhausted her stamina and captured her to send back to Longsaddle, it would surely cause quite a stir. After all, a female Frost Giant captive was a rare commodity.

Chen Jinyang didn't charge in blindly. These men were equipped with swords, shields, bows, and crossbows—a complete setup for both melee and ranged combat. He wasn't an idiot; rushing in empty-handed would likely lead to trouble, and using javelins to slaughter them from afar wasn't appropriate either. He quickly ran to the training equipment storage and grabbed his homemade, ultra-giant wooden pole. The onlookers initially thought Chen Jinyang was just another guard from the wagons and didn't pay him any mind. It wasn't until he walked up close, gripping the massive log, that they realized something was wrong and finally saw that the newcomer wasn't one of their own.

"Hey—! Who are you?"

"The idiot William? How are you not dead?"

Phinia, who was struggling to fend off the attacks, spotted Chen Jinyang. Her face lit up with joy as she shouted, "William! Come help me! You bastards are dead!"

Chen Jinyang didn't answer. He gripped the giant pole as if it were a mere reed, swung his waist and hips, and the pole whistled through the air toward the crowd. The group scattered with a "whoosh," but those closest to Chen Jinyang couldn't dodge in time. Smack! Bang! Argh—! They all suffered broken bones and fractured limbs, screaming as they vomited blood and flew backward, knocking over many of their companions behind them. Chen Jinyang didn't stop, moving forward rapidly, his pole lashing and smashing. Aside from the few who ran fast, almost the entire circle was laid out on the ground, especially those with bows and crossbows, who lay there wailing miserably. The caravan leader, who had intended to step forward to speak with Chen Jinyang, was knocked over like a bowling pin by his own men. Though uninjured, seeing William's ferocious expression, he didn't dare stand back up.

Phinia, who had been filled with pent-up rage from the siege, limped forward, wanting to swing her axe and kill a few, but Chen Jinyang quickly stopped her. Although he had beaten them severely, he had controlled his strength to avoid fatalities. If this reckless girl killed a few, the grudge would be impossible to resolve.

Hearing the screams from inside the village, Alos and Mishaer couldn't help but run in to see what was happening, only to find a scene of misery. Seeing Chen Jinyang flirting with the female half-giant amidst a pile of wailing, rolling wounded, the two oblivious little ones crowded around, acting like total third wheels.

Alos pointed a trembling finger at the wounded on the ground and asked, "William? Is this all—?"

Before Chen Jinyang could answer, one of the wounded men on the ground suddenly rose and lunged at little Alos. Chen Jinyang, quick as a flash, flew a kick that sent this "treacherous pretender" flying several meters away. However, as he made contact, Chen Jinyang noticed an inexplicable force within the man that neutralized his kick; otherwise, a kick with nearly his full strength would have turned the pretender's upper body into mush.

Chen Jinyang intended to pursue, but the man just lay on the ground and started sobbing. Chen Jinyang froze. No way! He started crying from one kick? Did I hit a legendary pressure point for tears? Is my footwork really that good?

Alos recognized the man who had been kicked into tears; it was the leader of the grain caravan. He quickly stepped forward to help the poor man up and asked, "Mr. Elrago, are you alright?"

"The Crying Man," Mr. Elrago, wiped his tears and hugged Alos, saying excitedly, "Little Alos! It's little Alos! Thank goodness! I thought you had been killed by the giant." He then turned to the little girl, "Mishaer! Haha! It's Mishaer! Where is your big brother? Where is William?"

The little girl pointed a small finger behind him. Elrago turned his head mechanically, looking in terror at the ferocious-looking Chen Jinyang, and asked with a tremble, "That is William? The idiot William?"

The little girl wasn't having it: "You're the idiot! Your whole family are idiots!"