Yet everyone understood that those present were clearly not the ones who had suffered most.
Li Chen vaguely remembered that Huang Yuan'an's party had numbered six. The other two probably had not even left intact corpses behind; they had already gone down the tigers' throats, dying without a place to be buried.
"You... ah, my condolences!"
The Rogue Cultivator who had brought them watered wine raised his hand as though to pat Old Huang on the shoulder, but after glancing at the bandages, he drew it back.
The others offered words of comfort as well, though their expressions showed that they had seen it all before.
Rogue Cultivators were people who drifted like duckweed to begin with. They made their living hunting demonic beasts, and some inevitably met their end in a beast's jaws.
After resting for a while, Huang Yuan'an and the others hired two Rogue Cultivators who had time to spare to buy a thin-walled coffin from a coffin shop in the city. They also pleaded with the innkeeper to let them leave their companion's body in the rear courtyard for the time being, then bury him in the wasteland outside the city the next day.
The innkeeper, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, sighed, glanced at the Rogue Cultivators gathered around, and agreed.
The next day, Li Chen got up and went to the main hall for meat and soup, where he still heard people discussing what had happened to Huang Yuan'an's party.
Rogue Cultivators from all walks of life sighed over it, as though they had suffered the same fate themselves.
Competition was common among Rogue Cultivators, too. After all, those in the same trade were natural enemies. If two parties learned the whereabouts of the same rare quarry, they might come to blows upon meeting in the wilderness. Yet when demons harmed people, they were remarkably united against their common foe.
Huang Yuan'an's experience had also sounded an alarm for them: the demon tide had indeed arrived.
Tigers living together in a group were not a common sight. This exceedingly strange phenomenon was precisely the result of the demon tide's arrival bringing more food.
At lunchtime, Li Chen suddenly saw Huang Yuan'an return with the two Rogue Cultivators who had helped him. He ordered some wine and dishes in the main hall and treated them to a meal.
They had probably gone to bury that companion. During the meal, the two Rogue Cultivators heard something Huang Yuan'an said, and their expressions changed sharply. "Old Huang, this is no small matter. You need to think it through."
"What's going on?" Listening nearby, Li Chen could not help wondering.
Then Huang Yuan'an rose and declared loudly, "My mind is made up. We're going to rally our forces and wipe out that pack of tigers!"
"This isn't for profit. It's to avenge our brothers and wash away this blood debt! Anyone willing to join can consider themselves hired by us. Besides a share of the proceeds, you'll receive wages as well. If you're unwilling, then we'll part ways!"
"What? Old Huang, you're planning to go after that pack again?"
"Think twice before you act."
Quite a few diners were present, most of them Rogue Cultivators who worked as Demon Hunters around the outskirts of the city. At his words, they began discussing the matter.
Huang Yuan'an took the opportunity to address everyone around him. "You've all heard, haven't you? We plan to rest and regroup, then set out again on the fifth. Would any of you be willing to come along?"
The two Rogue Cultivators finally relented. "Old Huang, it's not that we're unwilling, but you know this depends on the circumstances. How about this? If you can gather at least ten capable hands in the end, we'll go. If you can't, then we're sorry."
"We're going to take revenge, not throw our lives away," Huang Yuan'an said. "That works. Help me spread the word first. I want to invite capable hands from across the Commandery Seat. Keeping our numbers between ten and fifteen would be best."
At this, Li Chen felt a stir of interest. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked over. "Brother Huang, how about counting me in? I'll go hunt those tigers with you and help you settle that blood debt!"
"You?" Huang Yuan'an clearly still remembered Li Chen and seemed a little hesitant. But after his gaze lingered on the Puppet Master's Robe Li Chen wore, he agreed. "Then thank you, young brother. I'll count you in for now."
The Craftsman status conferred by the Creation Sect carried considerable weight, even in the rough-and-tumble world where heroes were not judged by their origins.
It meant that Li Chen's attainments as a Puppet Master surpassed those of many Puppeteers. Even if his Mechanism-Performance Method was not particularly impressive and he was not skilled at head-on combat, he would certainly not be useless.
"Now that's a fine young brother! I, You An, may be a rough fellow, but even I know that loyalty weighs a thousand pounds. If Brother Huang wants to kill those tigers and take revenge, count me in!" A Rogue Cultivator stood up.
"We'll go too! We'll go!"
Another three Rogue Cultivators chose to join on the spot.
Word that Huang Yuan'an wanted to avenge his companions soon spread through the Rogue Cultivator circles of the Commandery Seat.
These were all people who made their home in the rough-and-tumble world, so naturally they sought news from every quarter to keep their eyes and ears open.
Many came to ask about the details, but upon learning that they would have to venture deep into the old forest and travel hard for several days before reaching the hunting grounds, they began beating the drums of retreat.
With that much time, they would be better off hunting outside the city, working from sunrise to sunset. Both the returns and the safety were decent.
Others, however, were tempted by the news of the tiger pack. Huang Yuan'an and his companions now possessed firsthand information and could provide an exact route and hunting location. As long as the pack did not move in the near future, they had practically secured several beasts worth twenty or thirty thousand each, perhaps even more.
According to Huang Yuan'an and his companions, the pack contained a full nine Tiger Spirits, bringing their total value to over two hundred thousand Talisman Coins. Even divided among many people, that would still earn them a substantial sum.
There were also newcomers like Li Chen, who chose to follow along to enter the trade, or men like You An, who believed loyalty weighed a thousand pounds and, swept up in a moment of fervor, set gains and losses aside.
Of course, this venture carried considerable risk. Unless they had confidence in both their own skills and the puppets they controlled, ordinary people dared not join rashly. Huang Yuan'an did not dare grasp at any remedy in his desperation and recruit indiscriminately, either.
It took him two days to settle on ten people. Together with the three remaining members of his own party, that made thirteen.
On the third day of the fourth month, Huang Yuan'an gathered everyone who had signed up for the tiger hunt in a plain room at the back of the inn to discuss the operation.
Li Chen stood among them, perfectly composed, without the slightest nervousness of a novice entering this world for the first time.
After all, he had lived two lives, and his Craftsman status gave him confidence. Even the seasoned veterans who might otherwise have objected upon seeing his youthful face did not dare raise the issue after noticing his Puppet Master's Robe.
Everyone gathered here belonged to this rough-and-tumble world, earning their living hunting demons and braving death. Looking down on others with a dog's eyes was not their way. Each was responsible for his own life, and they could not be bothered to meddle in other people's affairs.
Huang Yuan'an said, "Then it's settled. Everyone here, please gather at the inn's entrance at sunrise on the morning of the fifth."
"As for the proceeds from the hunt, we'll follow the customary rules. Fifty percent will be split equally, with everyone receiving a share. Thirty percent will be awarded according to merit, based on how much each person contributes. The remaining twenty percent will be reserved for treating injuries and repairing Mechanism Puppets, to compensate those who suffer greater losses. Does anyone object?"
"No."
"Boss Huang, we'll follow your lead."
Everyone voiced their agreement.
Huang Yuan'an slapped the table. "Good. Then it's settled."