Behind the bushes, Li Zhong listened to their brazen laughter and curses. The moment he heard them insult Old Dad, his eyes went red.
Breathing hard, he gripped his carrying pole until it creaked and started to charge out.
"You sons of bitches! I'll fight you to the death!"
A steady, powerful hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.
It was Li Xuan.
He shook his head at his elder brother, his gaze unusually calm in the dim light-cold, even.
Lowering his voice, he spoke almost directly into Li Zhong's ear.
"Don't be rash, Big Brother. There are three of them, and..." His gaze swept over the three men beside the campfire.
Aside from Wang Kui's outstanding attributes, the other two hunters were weaker, but the values floating above their heads still showed Physique between 1.4 and 1.5, with Dexterity around 1.3.
They were clearly fierce, strong men who had spent years roaming the mountains and forests.
No wonder they were so fearless. Rather than fleeing after stealing the meat, they had stayed right there to cut it up, utterly unafraid of its owners coming after them.
They were clearly certain that even if the owners came, the three of them together could easily have their way with them in this mountain wilderness.
Held back by his younger brother, Li Zhong grew so anxious that the veins on his forehead throbbed.
"Then... are we just letting this go? That's our meat! And they cursed Dad like that!"
"Of course not." Li Xuan's voice was soft, but as decisive as a blade cutting through iron.
"If we swallow it once, they'll only get worse next time. They'll think we're easy prey."
Li Zhong had calmed down considerably by now.
"Third Brother, tell me what to do!"
Though blunt and straightforward, he understood what was at stake.
There were three of them, and none looked easy to handle-Wang Kui least of all.
Li Xuan knew his elder brother's temperament. He was honest and straightforward, but not much of a planner.
And this truly was no time for a head-on fight.
His mind raced, and a plan gradually took shape.
"Big Brother, listen to me." Li Xuan drew Li Zhong farther back, making sure their voices would not carry.
"Go home right now and tell Dad exactly what happened. First, it'll give the family time to prepare. Second..." He paused. "If anything happens on my end, you'll know what's going on."
Li Zhong grew even more anxious. "What about you? What are you staying here for? Come back with me!"
"I'll stay and work around them."
Li Xuan looked toward the campfire, his gaze sharp.
"I'll see if I can find a way to get at least some of our things back, or... sound them out. Don't worry. I won't take them head-on. It's pitch-black and raining, and I know this stretch of forest better than they do."
"No! It's too dangerous!" Li Zhong shook his head like a rattle drum.
"That Wang Kui is no harmless fellow! You, all alone..."
"Big Brother!" Li Xuan cut him off, his tone firmer now, carrying a resolve that allowed no argument.
"We worked hard to hunt that meat. We can't just lose it for nothing. And we can't swallow this insult, either. I know my limits. Trust me. Hurry home, don't waste time, and be careful on the way."
Looking into his younger brother's eyes, startlingly bright in the night, and remembering his recent changes and his skill at killing wild boars, Li Zhong felt heaven and man battling within him.
He worried for his brother's safety, yet anger and humiliation still choked him.
In the end, his inexplicable trust in his younger brother, along with the thought of Old Dad waiting at home for news, made him grit his teeth.
"...Then be careful! Run the moment anything looks wrong! Do you hear me? Forget the meat if you have to, but you must come back!"
Li Zhong seized Li Xuan's arm and squeezed it hard, his eyes full of worry.
"Yes, I know. Go on." Li Xuan patted his elder brother's arm.
Li Zhong cast another furious glare toward the campfire before ducking low.
Sheltered by the trees and darkness, he hurried back the way they had come, soon disappearing into the curtain of rain and night.
Once his elder brother was out of sight, Li Xuan turned his gaze back to the campfire.
The fire lit the greedy faces of Wang Kui and his companions as they carved up the pork. Their laughter and chatter sounded particularly grating in the still, rainy night.
Let them bully you once, and they would bully you every time.
Li Xuan had understood that truth in his previous life.
In this world, especially in these forests where the weak were meat for the strong, giving ground only made others think you were soft and easy to bully.
Since Wang Kui and his gang had set their sights on him and done something like this, they had to pay the price.
He would not only reclaim what belonged to him, but hit them hard enough to hurt, hard enough to frighten them, so they would never dare provoke him again.
He was no bloodthirsty man, but when ruthlessness was called for, he would never stay his hand.
"Strike one punch to clear the way!"
"So a hundred punches never come!"
He drew a deep breath of cold air tinged with rain and the earthy tang of mud.
Li Xuan slowly lowered his body like a leopard preparing to hunt, then slipped soundlessly into the shadows of the dense woods to one side.
He did not rush straight toward the campfire. Instead, he began circling the small clearing.
Using the trees and terrain for cover, he moved slowly, searching for the best position and the right moment.
The rustling night rain masked his faint footsteps.
Beside the campfire, the butchering was nearly finished.
Most of the side of wild boar had been chopped into several large pieces and bound with tough vines. Only scattered bones and entrails remained on the ground.
The stocky hunter wiped away his sweat, looked at the piled meat, then glanced at the relentless rain and frowned.
"Brother Wang, the meat's all cut up. Let's hurry back."
The tall, skinny Monkey agreed. "That's right, Brother Wang. It's the middle of the night. These woods aren't safe, are they?"
Wang Kui was stuffing the last choice piece of meat into his leather sack. At their words, he snorted and pointed toward the dark mountain wall nearby.
"What's the rush? I know this area. A little farther up, there's a shack some old hunter left behind. It's a bit rundown, but it'll keep out the wind and rain just fine. I can't be bothered walking through the rain at night. I'll make do there tonight and head back nice and easy after daybreak."
He nudged his own bundle of the fattest meat with his foot, then glanced at the remaining pieces on the ground.
"If you two are in a hurry to get home and hold your wives, leave now. Carry the meat properly, and watch yourselves on the way."
Monkey's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a glance with the stocky hunter. Neither wanted to spend the night in these wet, cold mountains when a warm bed awaited them at home.
They hurriedly said, "That'd be great! You rest here, Brother Wang. As for the meat... shall the two of us carry it back for you and leave it at your place?"
Wang Kui waved a hand, looking quite generous.
"Sure, take it back. Just leave it in my courtyard. I'll divide it up when I get home tomorrow."
In truth, he had his own little calculations. Making these two brave the rain
and transport most of the meat first would lighten his burden and spread the risk.
If Li Xuan's family really came looking for trouble, too foolish to know they were courting death, he would be alone in that hidden shack, free to advance or retreat.
"Got it! Just leave it to us, Brother Wang!"
Monkey beamed with delight and joined the stocky hunter.
They used thick vines to lash Wang Kui's share and their own large cuts of pork onto a carrying frame and pole, making a heavy load.
Each also tucked a few smaller choice pieces of meat into his clothes.
"Brother Wang, we're off! Get some rest!"
The two shouldered the heavy bundles, called their farewell to Wang Kui, and plunged into the curtain of rain. Following the Beast Trail they had come along, they trudged downhill, their feet sinking deep with one step and shallow with the next.
Their figures were soon swallowed by darkness and trees. Only the faint sounds of heavy breathing and feet splashing through mud and water drifted back, growing ever more distant.
Wang Kui watched them disappear into the rain, then warily surveyed the pitch-black surroundings. Apart from the rain, nothing seemed amiss.
He snorted, feeling he had been a little too nervous.
That brat from Li Shan's family? Would he really dare enter the mountains in rain this heavy?
Before you continue