The Wager

The sun had barely climbed above the mountains, and Stone Village's morning mist had yet to clear, but the open ground at the village entrance was already as hot as a steamer.

A golden mass on the ground was radiating heat.

It was the dead Suanni. Even the faintest wisp of radiance leaking from its body scorched the surrounding stone slabs.

Shi Hou crouched before the mountain of meat, a stone knife in hand, his brows tightly knitted.

"What a pain."

He tapped the Suanni's thigh with the back of the knife, producing a metallic clang.

"Skinny Monkey, aren't you done yet?"

Shi Hao crouched nearby, holding a pottery bowl larger than his face. Clear drool glistened at the corner of his mouth, and his wide eyes never strayed from the knife in Shi Hou's hand.

Beside the pottery bowl, the little black pig Kang also squatted like a person, its two huge nostrils flaring as it greedily inhaled the meaty aroma filling the air.

"What's the rush?"

Shi Hou rolled his eyes at him. "Who knows how many treasures of heaven and earth this old lion ate while it was alive? Its hide is thicker than a city wall. If we want the flavor to soak in, we have to skin it first, then follow the grain and sever the connective tissue."

He stood and circled the Suanni.

"Can't we just chop it into chunks?" Shi Hao suggested.

"If we chop it up, its vital essence will disperse!" Shi Hou refused without a second thought. "A primordial remnant of this caliber has to be stewed whole. We need to create an internal circulation inside its body. That's how-"

Rumble!

Before he could finish, the ground suddenly shook violently.

Flocks of startled birds burst from the previously quiet mountain forest in the distance.

"Someone's coming."

Shi Yunfeng emerged from his stone house, leaning on his walking stick, and his expression instantly darkened.

The men of the Hunting Team reacted swiftly. Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao exchanged a glance, snatched up the Broadsword and Giant Bow beside them, and formed a line at the village entrance in the blink of an eye.

Shi Hou quickly put the Suanni into the pot, but its earlier radiance had already given it away.

"No hiding it now."

Shi Hou curled his lips.

Dust billowed at the mountain pass.

Several enormous mounts crashed through the trees and came into view.

On the left was a Unicorn covered entirely in scales, flames beneath all four hooves. A richly distinguished middle-aged man in purple sat on its back, a member of the Purple Mountain Marquis's line.

On the right was a winged Flying Python. Several people in robes patterned with lightning stood atop it-members of the Thunder Clan who had suffered a setback in the mountains earlier.

The most brazen group occupied the center, riding a Golden Wolf five meters tall. They belonged to the Golden Wolf Tribe, and every one of them had sinister eyes.

A full four or five major powers had crowded the narrow village entrance until not even water could trickle through.

Their mounts were no ordinary beasts either. White vapor streamed from their nostrils as they bared their fangs at Stone Village, their savage auras crashing over it.

But the moment they stepped within a hundred meters of the village entrance-

Every mount froze in perfect unison.

The Golden Wolf, which had been roaring a moment earlier, suddenly tucked its tail between its legs and let out a whimper. Its forelegs buckled, nearly throwing its rider off.

The Golden Wolf was not the only one. The Flying Python went even further, curling into a heap and burying its head in its coils, refusing to move another half step no matter what.

They had seen the tree.

The Willow Tree with only a single green branch, its remaining half-trunk charred black as coal.

"This..."

The middle-aged man from the Purple Mountain Marquis's line reined in his Unicorn, his expression shifting.

His gaze passed over the villagers standing ready for battle and landed on the willow. His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

They had come bristling with aggression, intending to demand an accounting and seize the Suanni while they were at it.

But news that Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit had been killed in a single blow had spread like wildfire among the surrounding major tribes over the past few days.

That had been a Sacrificial Spirit.

Though it was only an Old Vulture, it had still protected its territory for hundreds of years.

And just like that, it was gone.

It had not even stirred a ripple.

"What brings our honored guests here?"

Shi Yunfeng took a step forward and planted his walking stick on the ground. Though elderly, his voice was strong and full.

"Hmph."

An elder with a hooked nose snorted from the Thunder Clan's ranks and jumped off the Flying Python's back.

His gaze passed over Shi Yunfeng and fixed on the boy sitting atop the lid of the enormous black pot, his eyes greedy and venomous.

"Let's not mince words."

The hook-nosed elder pointed at the black pot. "That Suanni was an unclaimed creature of the Great Wilderness. Our clans suffered heavy casualties fighting over it, yet two little brats from your Stone Village ended up reaping the rewards."

"That hardly seems reasonable, does it?"

Shi Hou sat on the pot lid, digging in his ear with his little finger.

At those words, he flicked the dirt from beneath his nail, then held it to his lips and blew on it.

"Unclaimed?"

Shi Hou grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "Well, now it's in my pot, so it has an owner."

"Since it has an owner, what are you doing here yapping?"

"You!"

The hook-nosed elder flew into a rage. Lightning crackled around him, and he was just about to attack.

But the middle-aged man from the Purple Mountain Marquis's line reached out to stop him.

The middle-aged man glanced at the unnervingly quiet Willow Tree, drew a deep breath, and put on a smile.

"You certainly have a sense of humor, little brother."

He smiled at Shi Hou. "Since we've come, naturally, we aren't here to bully anyone. After all..."

He pointed at the Willow Tree. "We people of the Great Wilderness respect the rules."

"If this is a stroke of fortune, then we must see whether you have the ability to claim it."

He clapped his hands.

Four boys stepped out from behind the various groups.

They were all young, around ten years old, dressed in splendid clothes. Considerable Runes light flowed around them, and arrogance shone in every pair of eyes.

They were the prodigies these great clans had painstakingly raised.

"We won't pit adults against children."

The middle-aged man pointed at Shi Hou and Shi Hao. "Let the children exchange a few moves."

"If you win, you keep the Suanni. We'll turn around and leave without another word."

"But if you lose..."

His greedy gaze swept over the enormous black pot.

"We'll divide the meat in that pot equally among our groups."

Shi Linhu exploded at once. "Bullshit! This belongs to us! Why should we wager it against you?"

"Because no little village in this wilderness can swallow a treasure like this all by itself."

A burly man from the Golden Wolf Tribe spoke with sinister menace. "Unless you want your village to never know peace again."

It was a naked threat.

Shi Yunfeng's expression turned ugly.

The Willow Deity was powerful, but could hardly be expected to intervene constantly over such minor matters.

Once these great clans set their sights on them, the village's Hunting Team would likely face endless harassment whenever it entered the mountains.

Just as the atmosphere reached a deadlock-

"Let's wager. Why wouldn't we?"

Shi Hou, who had been sitting on the pot lid all this time, suddenly jumped down.

He brushed the dust from his hands and swept his gaze over those so-called "prodigies."

Finally, his eyes settled on the adults' waists.

They bulged conspicuously; clearly, all of them carried Treasure Bags.

"But..."

Shi Hou rubbed his hands together, a smile spreading across his face.

"You can't snare a white wolf with empty hands."

"If you want to eat my meat, let's see whether you have the stakes to take a seat at the table."