Roadside Encounter with Bandits

As they drew closer, Lei Mo saw a motley group: Tauren, Dog-kin, Foxmen, and even two humans. Yes, humans—those without any beastfolk traits.

What kind of bizarre bunch was this? The human kingdoms were hundreds of thousands of miles from here. How had they gotten here? Even flying would not work; there were plenty of flying magical beasts along the way to teach them a lesson.

Unless they were exceptionally powerful. But would truly powerful people become bandits in such a godforsaken place?

Thomas and the others quickly approached. When they were only several dozen meters away,

"Who goes there?"

A Tauren with one and a half ferocious horns shouted at them!

A copper horn sheath covered the broken half-horn, and a thick nose ring hung from his nostrils. Calling him merely tall did not begin to describe him—he was definitely over five and a half meters tall.

What he held was not the Totem Pillar commonly used by Tauren, nor an imitation like Lei Mo's, but a massive axe capable of splitting mountains.

Its blade curved in an arc and gleamed with metallic luster, nearly half a meter across. That weapon was probably worth half their wealth. Lei Mo was not being prejudiced; he genuinely thought so.

The Tauren with the great axe swung at Thomas. Thomas casually shifted his Totem Pillar sideways, and with a loud clang, easily blocked the blow.

Only then did Lei Mo clearly see the situation. The Bloodhoof Tribe members had already been surrounded by the Tauren with the great axe and his group.

"Who are you people?" the Tauren with the great axe demanded angrily.

"You were planning to ambush us, yet you're asking who we are? We should be the angry ones."

The Tauren with the great axe seemed completely bewildered. He turned to look at the Foxman in his own group, who hurriedly said,

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! We really were preparing an ambush here, but it was not aimed at you, my lords!"

"We have a grudge against a force several hundred miles from here. We recently learned that they intend to absorb us. If we refuse, they will leave nothing alive on Raging Flame Mountain."

"So we set up an observation post here and stockpiled boulders and logs, planning to give them a vicious welcome and let them know that Raging Flame Mountain is not so easily bullied."

Not knowing whether the Foxman was telling the truth, Lei Mo cautiously looked to Thomas. Thomas gave no indication either way and continued looking at the Tauren with the great axe.

"My name is Raging Flame Great Axe. Several decades ago, our Great Axe Clan was destroyed, and our clansmen scattered in all directions. Since the Great Axe Clan had only our one tribe, and we did not wish to join another tribe, we settled down on the nearby Raging Flame Mountain. We did not know what the mountain had been called before, but after arriving, we renamed it Raging Flame Mountain."

"There is a small valley in the mountains, several thousand square kilometers in size. Though we occasionally rob passing supply convoys, we have never harmed any Tauren. My lords, please judge fairly—we mainly survive through gathering, fishing, and hunting."

Seeing his furious strike easily blocked by Thomas, he had no intention of attacking again. He looked as though he would accept whatever punishment came his way.

At this point, Lei Mo and the others were at a loss. They could only send someone back to report to the chieftain, while Thomas stayed here with Lei Mo and the other two.

That exchange had basically confirmed that Raging Flame Great Axe possessed peak Level Seven strength. The rest were mostly Level Six and could not cause much trouble.

Moreover, none of them were permitted to leave, so there was no fear that they would notify the others on Raging Flame Mountain.

Taking advantage of the moment, Thomas asked,

"What force wants to absorb you, and how strong are they?"

Thomas stared at the Foxman, but his question was directed at Nuyan. It could not be helped; Foxmen gave people the impression of being crafty. It was not racial discrimination.

"The leader who came to deliver the ultimatum to Raging Flame Mountain was a Level Seven Tiger-kin. I have fought him before."

"But three people came in total, and all were Level Seven. I think they must have a Level Eight expert, otherwise they would not be so arrogant."

"Their force's name? The people who came said it was called the Fang Tribe, but I do not think they are truly a tribe. An ordinary tribe would not want such a mixed group as us."

Nuyan said.

There should not be a clan called the Fang Tribe. Its name did not reveal its race either. Better let our chieftain decide what to do, Thomas thought silently.

After listening to the report from the clansman, Chieftain Leland pondered as well. Although they had plenty of time for this Ancestral Court Pilgrimage, they could not waste too much of it here. Besides, they knew little about this so-called Fang Tribe.

"Go inform Captain Thomas. Have him bring along those who laid the ambush and continue on the pilgrimage. Their leader is a Tauren too, right?"

The Tauren delivering the report was a man of few words. After answering yes, he accepted the order and turned to head back up the mountain.

After Thomas relayed the chieftain's order word for word, Raging Flame Great Axe did not dare say much. He stammered,

"We are already the strongest force on the mountain. If we leave, our brothers will die without even a place to be buried."

"Then bring them all. Otherwise, if you give us another surprise attack on our way back, that would not be funny. What else did you expect? Did you think we would believe everything you said?"

He had Lei Mo lead the way while he guarded the rear. The twenty-some people in the middle were all from Raging Flame Mountain. Apart from the Foxman, they all looked dejected.

Lei Mo did not care much about any of that. Instead, he was curious about the two humans. Though they wore beast-hide armor and carried crude bone weapons, Lei Mo recognized them at once.

However, Lei Mo had no desire to get close to them. In his previous life, he had been a true descendant of Yan and Huang. Even after becoming a Tauren in this life, he had not forgotten his roots. He was merely curious about those two men with obvious white features.

On the way down the mountain, Lei Mo did not ask about such trivial matters. They were heading all the way to the Tauren Ancestral Court anyway, so there would be plenty of time to ask later.

Other than that, Lei Mo was somewhat astonished by Raging Flame Great Axe's size. Tauren were tall, but there was usually a limit. The shorter ones were around four meters tall, and even the shortest were not much below that.

The taller ones were generally around five meters, yet this Raging Flame Great Axe was nearly six meters tall. Lei Mo only came up to his knee, so he did not go near him to avoid embarrassment. Other Tauren had to crane their necks just to speak with him.

After they returned, Chieftain Leland did not receive the group. Nuyan and the others were considered prisoners, but since he himself was a Tauren and exceptionally tall—fitting Tauren mainstream standards of beauty—his treatment was nearly the same as that of their own people. They were merely watched and forbidden from leaving the main camp.

The next day, the scouts were sent out again, and then the main force quickly passed through the gorge ahead. With those towering cliffs and dense trees, if rolling stones and logs truly came crashing down, anyone below Level Eight would have to rely on luck to survive.

After passing through the gorge Lei Mo had named Thread of Sky, they traveled over a hundred kilometers. Nuyan said they were nearing his Raging Flame Mountain. After turning southwest, they arrived at a small valley surrounded by dense forests. Thomas had Nuyan send someone to notify everyone on Raging Flame Mountain to come out.

Then the people from the valley emerged, dragging crude carts and bringing their families with them.

There were roughly several hundred people. Though their numbers were not small, they were all elderly or weak, with very few women and children. Raging Flame Mountain was truly poor, and its inhabitants were a mixed lot. Most of those with wives and children were Tauren.

There was also a Foxman girl, with fox ears and a fox tail, slender long legs, and a height close to one meter eighty. By Lei Mo's standards, she was more seductive than beautiful—though she was certainly stunningly beautiful as well. Her fur was a perfect platinum white.

Unfortunately, apart from Lei Mo sneaking a couple more glances, no one from the Bloodhoof Tribe even bothered to look. Though those blockheads were full of youthful vigor, they still preferred large curved horns and furry hooves.

And, of course, a bovine back with a mane was the mark of true sexiness. Lei Mo felt deeply melancholic.

He did not dare stare too much, instead putting on the look of someone whose tastes matched everyone else's, someone deeply wounded because no young cow liked him.

Then he turned and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. Earlier, atop the cliffs of Thread of Sky, Lei Mo had moved as swiftly as the wind and seen as sharply as lightning. Now, within the tribal procession, he was merely an insignificant little nobody.