Chapter 186: Let’s Run, Fox (II)

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Chapter 186: Let’s Run, Fox (II)

Relying on his agility, Shang Ke slipped through the Avani encirclement and rushed to Mutu’s side.

Seeing the beastfolk around him up close, Shang Ke finally understood how the original Yanu had managed to escape such a tight encirclement: he was the smallest person present. At 180 centimeters, Shang Ke would not have been short in most worlds, but among these burly beastfolk—most of whom stood at least 210 centimeters—he really did look comparatively petite. Mutu alone was broad enough to hide him completely from view, practically a living shield of muscle.

Even as those thoughts flashed through his mind, Shang Ke fought back. He could not match the Avani in raw strength, so he relied on technique and targeted their weak points. His agile figure twisted and leaped through the melee; blades flashed and blood sprayed. He lacked the lions’ overwhelming ferocity, but there was a dazzling elegance to the way he fought.

Both sides found themselves glancing at him, and his entrance into the fight gave the flagging lions an immediate boost in morale.

In their beast forms, the Avani had birdlike heads and canine bodies. They were naturally vicious and agile, with long, hooked tails whose venomous tips could be used as weapons. Any body part struck by that tail would immediately begin to stiffen and go numb.

Most of the lions had already been wounded by poisoned arrows before being surrounded by the Avani. Strong as they were, they could not hold out forever under those conditions. Shang Ke was the only person present who had not been poisoned, but even his stamina began to flag as the battle dragged on.

“Yanu, leave with the chief!” One of the lion tribesmen suddenly shouted.

Several young lions moved in front of Mutu to cover his retreat. Mutu had drawn more than half of the Avani’s attacks onto himself and was now drenched in blood, covered in wounds, and utterly exhausted.

Shang Ke had already surveyed the terrain from the trees. Not far behind them was a waterfall—their only possible escape route. Under cover from the remaining lions, he and Mutu edged toward it.

Just as they reached the edge of the waterfall, an Avani lunged at them from the side. Shang Ke threw himself into Mutu, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. The two rolled several times and went straight over the cliff into the raging water below.

When Mutu vanished over the edge, the remaining lions jumped into the water after him. The Avani venom, however, had made their movements painfully sluggish. Some drowned outright; others were overtaken and killed. Only one or two managed to escape alive. This was already a small deviation from the future Shang Ke had been shown.

Afterward, the two survivors made it back to the lion tribe and reported the Avani ambush. The entire tribe went on alert, ruining Xite’s original plan. On the surface he organized stronger defenses and pretended to search anxiously for Mutu. In secret, however, he contacted the Avani and ordered them to assassinate Mutu the moment they found him.

But that was a matter for later.

Shang Ke struggled to drag the half-conscious Mutu downstream. Only after turning into a tributary did he finally haul the man ashore.

Mutu’s face had turned bluish from the venom, and the muscles throughout his body were still swollen and rigid. The effects of the poison and the strain of battle had yet to subside.

Shang Ke searched the area and eventually found a fairly secluded cave. Unfortunately, it was already occupied by a family of spotted rats.

Shang Ke would have preferred to negotiate with them peacefully, but being mute left him no choice but to communicate in the most primitive language of all: force. He commandeered their cave while silently promising to compensate them as much as he could. After all, Mother Rat had a whole litter to raise.

After settling Mutu down, Shang Ke went back out in search of antidotal herbs and food. Avani venom was not fatal, but its paralytic effects could last for several days.

Through the haze of half-consciousness, Mutu caught the scent of medicinal herbs. Someone helped him sit up and fed him a bowl of bitter, steaming broth. Warmth spread through his body almost immediately, easing some of the stiffness in his muscles.

Shang Ke crouched nearby and stared at him without blinking. He had recognized Mutu as his man at first sight. The lion beastfolk stood around 220 centimeters tall, with curly golden hair and a heavily muscled body packed with explosive strength. The cock between his legs was also absurdly large.

Shang Ke silently compared it with his own and immediately felt aggrieved. Did the racial difference really have to be this ridiculous? This was blatant discrimination!

Feeling thoroughly aggrieved, Shang Ke decided he would eat the largest pheasant he had hunted himself!

After an unknown amount of time, Mutu slowly opened his eyes. A hazy firelight came into focus first, followed by a figure sitting beside it with his head lowered, quietly peeling chestnuts. Several spotted rats crowded around his feet, necks stretched eagerly toward the food. Long white hair hid almost his entire face, while a huge fluffy tail swayed gently behind him, giving the whole scene an indescribably soft, warm feeling.

That fox—Yanu?

Mutu had never paid much attention to this mute outsider before, regarding him only as another pair of hands the tribe had taken in. There were quite a few foreign beastfolk living among the lions, but none kept as low a profile as Yanu. The others all went out of their way to prove themselves in hopes of earning a place in the tribe.

Yanu had been the first to run when the ambush began. Mutu had taken him for a coward and felt nothing but anger and contempt. Yet Yanu had not truly fled. He had secretly eliminated the archers in the trees, buying the lions a chance to breathe, then returned to the fight and revealed startling agility and courage in the face of stronger opponents.

By contrast… Mutu closed his eyes, hiding the killing intent in his gaze. Someone had clearly leaked their route before the ambush. At the thought of the lion warriors who had died because of that betrayal, fury and hatred surged through him.

Just then, the aroma of roasted meat drifted toward him.

Mutu opened his eyes and saw Yanu squatting beside him with a roasted pheasant in hand.

A few strands of long hair hung like a curtain over Yanu’s brows and eyes, revealing only a delicate nose and two full, moist lips.

Mutu wanted to brush his hair aside to take a good look at his face, but the hunger in his belly made him give up the idea for the time being.

He sat up, took the roasted pheasant from Yanu, and tore into it hungrily. His gaze happened to fall on the nest of spotted rats in the corner, and he could not help feeling puzzled. Didn’t foxes like eating rodents? Why did they seem to get along so well? Had Yanu simply set them aside as emergency rations?

“Yanu, don’t reveal my whereabouts yet. We’ll return after I recover,” Mutu reminded him.

Shang Ke nodded. Even without the warning, he had no intention of exposing Mutu’s whereabouts. Xite was still lurking inside the tribe with malicious intentions, and going back rashly would only invite another scheme. Shang Ke had not yet earned Mutu’s complete trust either. If he accused Xite now, Mutu probably would not believe him—and might even become suspicious of Shang Ke instead.

Even so, he had to help Mutu recover as quickly as possible. Once the Avani launched their massacre of the lion tribe, it would be too late.

The next day, Shang Ke went out early to gather medicinal herbs and hunt, keeping watch for any sign of Avani along the way. The primeval forest was rich in resources; for someone with his skills, finding food was easy enough. The cold season would be another matter, when prey and edible plants became much scarcer.

By the time Shang Ke returned to the cave, dawn was just beginning to break. He cleaned the pheasant, added a few natural seasonings, wrapped it tightly in leaves, sealed it beneath a layer of packed clay, and buried it in the fire to roast.

Considering Mutu’s injuries, Shang Ke had also gathered several coconut-like fruits. They tasted terrible, but once hollowed out, their shells made serviceable little pots—good enough for boiling broth.

Lions did not care much for vegetables, so Shang Ke made a three-delicacy soup instead. Naturally, the ingredients for “three delicacies” changed from world to world depending on what was available, and so did the flavor.

As Shang Ke cooked, the little spotted rats gathered nearby and watched curiously. Mother Rat had originally intended to flee with her litter—foxes were their natural predators, after all, and could eat them at any moment. Unfortunately, she had been injured shortly before Shang Ke arrived and lacked the strength to escape. She had resigned herself to death, only to discover that this particular fox had no interest in rat meat. Not only were they spared, they even received free medical care and a generous supply of food.

The young spotted rats were too inexperienced to know fear. A few chestnuts were enough to make them treat Shang Ke like one of their own siblings.

Mutu had awakened shortly after Shang Ke left the cave and spent the time resting with his eyes closed. Only when Shang Ke returned did the vague unease in his chest finally settle.

From the sounds outside, he guessed Shang Ke was cooking. Remembering the roast meat from the night before, Mutu suddenly became acutely aware of how delicious food could be. His mouth watered, and his stomach growled with hunger.

Lion beastfolk had enormous appetites. The small pheasant from the night before had vanished in only a few bites. (Shang Ke: Mm. I ate the big one. You’re welcome.)

After waiting impatiently for what felt like forever, Mutu finally saw Shang Ke enter carrying half a fruit shell. It was not for him. Shang Ke set it in front of the injured Mother Rat instead.

Mutu shot the fat rat a sharp look, then stared at Shang Ke in displeasure. The Chief of an entire tribe was right here, yet the fox had served the emergency rations first? That rat was already fat enough. Stop feeding it and roast it instead!

After a few minutes, Shang Ke finally came up to him with food.

A few minutes later, Shang Ke finally approached with Mutu’s food. The moment Mutu saw what he was carrying, however, he fell silent. No matter how he looked at it, that thing was nothing more than a lump of mud! The fat rat got soup, while the Chief was expected to eat dirt?

Oblivious to the grievance in Mutu’s eyes, Shang Ke set the clay-covered bundle on the ground and struck it several times with a stone. With a series of crisp cracks, the hardened shell split open, and a rich fragrance instantly flooded the cramped cave.

Shang Ke carefully peeled away the leaves wrapped around the bundle, revealing tender, steaming pheasant meat inside.

Mutu forcibly swallowed and tried to preserve his dignity, staring expressionlessly at the feast on the ground. As Shang Ke sliced the meat piece by piece, he had the overwhelming urge to roar: Stop cutting it—give me the whole bird!

Shang Ke arranged the sliced pheasant on a broad leaf and held it out to Mutu.

Mutu accepted it with feigned composure and took one slow bite. The instant the meat touched his tongue, indescribable satisfaction exploded through him: How. Could. This. Be. So. Good?!

Shang Ke watched Mutu’s brows relax as he ate with obvious delight. Even the lion’s curly golden hair seemed to ripple with happiness.

Majestic and domineering though he might be, even a lion could not entirely escape the secretly needy nature of a cat…

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