So Many Fluffy Creatures (Continued)

This was the first time Tao Qiu had ever seen Red Fox suffer a setback but not dare to utter a sound. He was overjoyed; this feeling of "you can't stand me, but you can't kill me" was incredibly exciting!

However, Tao Qiu didn't go too far. It wouldn't be good if he pushed the Red Fox too far. After all, although the Red Fox had the weakness of the Fox Clan, he and the Green Python also had children. He couldn't risk his life to fight them.

He remembered clearly how the Fox Clan had obeyed the Red Fox's every word.

"Mmm?"

--So what do you mean?

Tao Qiu answered.

--I said I don't need prey, so you'll have to trade me something else. Don't ask me what I want. To be honest, I don't lack anything right now, unless you can give me something I haven't thought of but definitely need. Otherwise, forget it.

Tao Qiu thought that after he said those words, Red Fox would sulk again, but he wasn't deliberately provoking him; everything he said was the truth.

But Red Fox's reaction was different from what he expected. Red Fox was first stunned, then his eyes became fixed, as if he was thinking about something.

After a short while, he came to his senses, looked at Tao Qiu with a strange expression, and said, "Mmm."

--What's your relationship with humans? So-so.

The Snow Bird's man-eating nature is not only well-known among humans, but also among the mutated monsters in the vicinity.

However, even if the Snow Bird itself doesn't eat, it won't stop other mutated monsters from eating people, or people from eating mutated monsters.

He was like an outsider standing in the middle of a scale, neither favoring nor helping either side.

Previously, the mutated monsters only considered this a matter of taste and that it didn't harm their interests, so they didn't pay much attention to it.

After the Snow Bird fought with the Green Python, the Red Fox paid closer attention to the Green Python and naturally wouldn't let the Snow Bird off the hook either.

Red Fox knew that the Snow Bird was very close to a certain human, and also knew that a few days ago, many humans had come to the Snow Bird's territory to do some strange things, but in the end, they were all driven away by the Snow Bird.

All of this proves that the relationship between the Snow Bird and humans has changed. It is no longer just an observer, but has entered the game and is showing a tendency to move closer to humans.

This time it was Tao Qiu's turn to ask the Red Fox this question.

"Chirp chirp?"

--What do you mean?

The Red Fox didn't beat around the bush and simply said, "Mmm..."

--We Fox Clan have something that I guarantee humans will desperately need.

Tao Qiu remained silent; he had never anticipated that things would develop in this direction.

Seeing Tao Qiu's reaction, the Red Fox knew that its move had been correct. The old patriarch was indeed worthy of being called the old patriarch; its plan had truly reversed the situation at the crucial moment.

For years, the old clan chief had secluded himself in the mountains and forests, never stepping out, yet he would ask the Red Fox to tell him about every little change that had occurred in the outside world.

The Red Fox had previously told it why it hadn't gone all out to snatch the glowing fruit. The old patriarch said it was right; animals' innate ability to sense danger is almost never wrong. The old patriarch himself had relied on this instinct to escape many deadly crises.

This time, the Red Fox decided to make an exchange with the Snow Bird and went to discuss it with the old chieftain. The old chieftain had previously heard all the information the Red Fox had gathered about the Snow Bird, including its recent unusual closeness with humans.

The old clan chief thought for a moment and then brought up an incident from many years ago.

At that time, his mental illness was already showing early signs; he often experienced persistent stabbing pains, but it was still within a controllable range.

But so as not to worry the other foxes, the old chieftain would hide to the side whenever he sensed an attack was about to occur.

On what was perhaps the umpteenth time, it collapsed from exhaustion after an attack and lay on the ground. Suddenly, a group of well-equipped humans appeared silently nearby and walked toward it with a clear objective.

The old patriarch believed that although he was a bit weak at the time, he wasn't so frightened by the few humans he had treated as food. On the contrary, he saw these humans as snacks that he could eat to quickly restore his strength.

Just as the old patriarch was about to get up and attack, he saw a human at the back of the group open a white container he was holding. A dark shadow darted out of the container, but before the old patriarch could see it clearly, the shadow disappeared into the ground.

The next second, the old patriarch felt a strong sense of threat. It turned around at top speed to try to escape, but countless tree roots, some thin and some thick, suddenly emerged from the ground, binding its body tightly and preventing it from escaping. They also tightly wrapped around its mouth, preventing it from calling for help.

The toughness of the tree roots exceeded the old patriarch's expectations. His immense strength was completely ineffective against the roots' restraint, and he could only watch helplessly as the humans drew ever closer.

The old patriarch thought he was going to die, but those humans only took a little of his blood and hair; they didn't harm him.

He was a little confused because he saw a human in the group giving him a look of obvious hatred. After all, quite a few humans had died at the hands of the old chieftain, and perhaps that human's friends and relatives were among them.

But in the end, the human only glared fiercely at the old chieftain and didn't take any drastic action, even though they were holding weapons.

After the humans had retreated some distance, the countless tree roots that had bound the old patriarch were finally retracted into the soil. Immediately afterwards, the dark shadow sprang out of the ground again and jumped into the white container.

Those humans walked away in a hurry, but the old patriarch dared not go forward to chase after them.

The threat posed by those tree roots was too intense for it.

The reason the old chieftain dared to say that his blood and hair were so important to humans that he could exchange them for such precious fruit with the Snow Bird was because those humans came again later.

They trapped the old patriarch using the same methods, without harming him, and still extracted his blood and hair.

However, the difference this time was that a large amount of blood was taken, and the expressions of several humans changed from indifference or resentment last time to the same excitement and exhilaration.

The human who glared at the old patriarch last time was among them, but this time, his gaze towards the old patriarch held something more than just resentment.

How to put it? It's a kind of smug satisfaction at the impending success of something, like a hunter certain that the prey before him will be his dinner. It's the contempt and arrogance of a superior over an inferior.

The old patriarch had a strange sense of unease; it thought that the human would return to take revenge, and it was prepared to fight to the death.

But a month, half a year, a year, many years passed, and the old patriarch never saw that group of humans again, not a single one.

The old patriarch didn't know why those humans had suddenly disappeared, but their excited expressions were deeply etched in his mind, so he was certain that humans desperately needed his blood and hair.

Tao Qiu knew that the Red Fox wouldn't make such a condition out of the blue; he must possess something. Whether it was truly important to humans was another matter entirely.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--I'm not human. If you have something that humans want, then go talk to humans.

The Red Fox wasn't annoyed by his words; her tone remained calm as she murmured, "Mmm..."

Even if this thing concerns whether humanity can defeat the mutated monsters and return to its former glory, aren't you tempted?

This statement was the old patriarch's conjecture. Leaving aside the fact that the old patriarch had personally witnessed humanity's decline and understood their resentment at being subservient to mutated monsters, this statement was merely a guess.

The only thing that could make that human look at him with such a beastly gaze was defeating a mutated monster.

Tao Qiu was indeed tempted, but revealing his bottom line at the negotiating table was a major taboo, so he stuck to his old rhetoric.

Whether humans want to or not is irrelevant to him; the important thing is what he wants.

The negotiations reached a stalemate, with neither side willing to back down.

The Green Python and White Fox in the distance also noticed the tense atmosphere, and instantly released their pressure on each other. Although they didn't actually fight, they were already secretly competing.

However, since the Fox Clan desperately needed Tao Qiu's fruit, after a few minutes of standoff, it was the Red Fox who finally gave in first.

He showed weakness again.

--To be honest, our Fox Clan's offspring are almost gone. Tonight, we must take the fruit back. If negotiations fail, we'll have no choice but to take it by force.

--Of course, we won't hurt you. The foxes who came with me tonight are all prepared to die. Even if you and the Green Python fight together, it will take some time to kill so many foxes.

--At my speed, the time they buy me is enough for me to take away lots and lots of fruit.

--Our Fox Clan has a large number of foxes, so the same thing happening a few more times wouldn't be a problem. A few more raids should be enough for the little fox cubs to eat.

"Mmm..." Red Fox looked into Tao Qiu's eyes and uttered the last sentence.

So, I think making an exchange is the only win-win situation and a good outcome. What do you think?

Tao Qiu said indifferently, "Chirp, chirp."

--You've threatened me like this, what else can I possibly think?

Red Fox said, "Uh-huh."

This isn't a threat; it's just informing you of the consequences of different choices.

Tao Qiu sneered, "Chirp chirp."

--You say no? Then no, right?

Red Fox understood that Snow Bird had compromised, but he didn't push his luck. Instead, he patiently explained his own thoughts.

--Tonight we'll only borrow a few fruits, and tomorrow we'll bring the corresponding prey. As for the thing I mentioned that humans need, if you can communicate with humans, you can ask them if they remember the White Fox on the mountain fifteen years ago.

--You don't need to lie and say you don't care about this thing? From the moment I said it, and you didn't immediately refute it, I already knew you wanted it.