Chapter 192: Let’s Run, Fox (VIII)

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Chapter 192: Let’s Run, Fox (VIII)

The weather grew colder by the day. Mountains of food had been piled in the lions’ storehouse, but given their appetites, the stockpile would probably last only half the cold season. They would still need to hunt and gather during the early part of the season; by the middle and later stages, going outside would become nearly impossible.

Shang Ke’s vegetable plots had already begun to flourish. Lush green leaves dusted with white frost looked especially fresh and tender, while tiny winter fruits hung from the branches like strings of pearls. Nearby, a patch of pink velvet flowers bloomed brilliantly into the cold wind, startlingly beautiful against the wintry landscape.

Shang Ke also relaid the stone path outside the house and planted vines along both sides. The greenery spread over the uneven ground and climbed the fence and walls, transforming the once-crude dwelling into something like a little forest cottage. It had become the prettiest corner of the entire settlement.

Under his influence, quite a few females began planting greenery around their own homes. Unfortunately, their lack of experience meant the plants either withered outright or barely clung to life. They soon came to Shang Ke for help, and he patiently demonstrated proper planting methods and taught them how to distinguish different species.

Unlike the other males, who tended to be rough and forceful, Shang Ke was attentive, mild-tempered, and unfailingly courteous toward females. After only a few interactions, he earned unanimous praise and was practically adopted as the tribe’s “friend of women.” At the same time, quite a few young females began casting interested glances his way.

Because of his disability, the original Yanu had rarely interacted with others and had not had a single friend in the tribe. To most people, he was merely quiet, withdrawn, honest, and easy to bully. Now that Shang Ke inhabited his body, that old inferiority had given way to calm self-possession, allowing the qualities that had always been there to shine through. Yanu himself had never been a bad person—he was hardworking, kind, and guileless. He had simply fixated so deeply on his own shortcomings that he had missed much of the beauty life offered.

At first, Shang Ke had believed he was traveling through different worlds and reviving inside different people. But ever since seeing that vision, he had begun to suspect something else: perhaps every world he entered was an experience from one of his previous lives, and every person he became had once been himself.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Every time he entered another body, he adapted with remarkable speed. In the previous world especially, when he had searched for a body while existing as a ghost, his first several attempts had failed. Those failures might have been explained by coincidence—but perhaps they had simply been the wrong bodies. It was as though some unseen force had ultimately guided him toward the body that truly belonged to him.

Shang Ke shook his head and set the speculation aside for the moment, turning his attention back to the work in front of him. As long as he kept completing his missions, the truth would come to light sooner or later.

“Yanu.” Suddenly someone called his name behind him. Shang Ke looked back and saw Xite coming toward him with a smile.

As Mutu’s brother, Xite held considerable status within the tribe. But Mutu had already seen through his ambitions and had begun deliberately distancing himself while assigning people to watch him in secret.

Xite quickly noticed the change in Mutu’s attitude, but he never suspected that his earlier plotting had been exposed. Judging Mutu by his own standards, he assumed the new chief was simply consolidating his position and guarding against potential rivals before they could become a threat.

The Avani’s opportunistic attack on the tribe had taught Xite just how treacherous they were, and afterward he no longer dared collude with them. He kept his head down for quite some time. Recently, however, Mutu had been thriving while Xite’s own standing steadily declined, and jealousy began eating at him again.

That day, Mutu had taken several people out to meet the hunting party. Apparently the hunters had discovered a herd of more than sixty mountain goats and needed extra hands to transport the catch.

For once, Mutu had not taken Yanu with him, so Xite decided to come looking for trouble. He had never paid much attention to the fox before, but now that he looked carefully, Yanu was undeniably beautiful. Whether in face or figure, he was no less attractive than the tribe’s females—and in some ways even surpassed them.

Standing beneath the green vines with long hair drifting around him and a white tail swaying lazily, Shang Ke turned his head. His peach-blossom eyes seemed naturally made to entice, bright and expressive without the slightest effort.

Xite swallowed hard, stepped closer, and reached directly for Shang Ke’s waist.

Shang Ke sidestepped and looked at him coldly.

“Don’t be afraid. I just want to get a little closer to you.” Xite leaned toward him again with an innocuous smile, trying to win his favor.

Shang Ke narrowed his eyes, picked up his shovel, and knocked a few times on the stone.

Xite had no idea what the gesture meant and was just about to speak when a black shadow charged in from the side. It planted itself in front of Shang Ke like a small hill and snorted angrily at him.

Xite stared and realized it was the mule ox Yanu had raised. It was no longer the undersized calf from before. Now it was powerfully built, packed with muscle beneath glossy black fur. After living among lions for so long, it had even picked up the scent of predators; it looked imposing and fearless, nothing like the timid animal it had once been.

Shang Ke stroked its head. The bull immediately withdrew its hostility, its eyes narrowing happily as it nuzzled affectionately against his hand.

Seeing that guardian planted in front of Shang Ke, Xite knew he would get nowhere today. While he was still hesitating, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded in the distance.

Enemy attack!

Shang Ke’s expression sharpened. He sprinted toward the center of the settlement, and before he even reached it, he heard the distinctive cries of the Avani.

The Avani again? Shang Ke instinctively glanced back at Xite, then dismissed the thought. Xite had been under Mutu’s surveillance this entire time and had had no opportunity to contact them. Besides, after the lesson he had learned last time, he should not dare cooperate with the Avani again unless he truly wanted to destroy himself.

By the time Shang Ke reached the center of the settlement, the lion warriors were already mobilizing. Weapons in hand, they charged toward the invaders beyond the fence.

This time, however, the Avani did not immediately assault the lions’ defensive fence. Instead, they hurled numerous waterskins into the settlement. The skins burst on impact, splashing a pungent black liquid across the ground.

The other beastfolk did not recognize it, but Shang Ke did at once. It was petroleum—raw, unrefined crude oil!

Shang Ke opened his mouth to warn them, but nothing came out. Only a sharp pain tore through his throat.

Don’t go over there!

Many of the lions were splashed with crude oil, yet they paid it no mind and kept charging the enemy. They had no idea that what awaited them was death.

Shang Ke had never imagined the Avani would discover petroleum, much less turn it into a weapon against the lions. Caught completely unprepared for fire fueled by crude oil, the tribe was about to pay a terrible price.

Shang Ke’s thoughts raced. What could he do? What could he do?!

As torch after torch arced high through the air, Shang Ke realized there was no time left for any other solution. Only one option remained—kill!

He drew the dagger at his waist and charged toward the fence beneath the rain of fire. Using his light, agile body, he vaulted across in several bounds and landed directly among the Avani.

The instant he landed, several muffled explosions boomed behind him. Scarlet flames surged into the sky like a phoenix spreading its wings.

Shang Ke raised his head, twin flames of fury burning in his eyes. Amid screams and cries of pain, the dagger in his hand swept out with lethal precision.

The raging fire, choking smoke, and lions engulfed in flames drew everyone’s attention.

Hearing the lions’ agonized screams, the Avani howled in excitement. Waving their weapons, they surged into the settlement.

For the moment, the lions had nearly lost their ability to resist. The uncontrollable blaze had thrown them into terror, allowing the Avani to break through the outer defenses with ease.

Their purpose could not have been clearer—burn, kill, loot, and plunder!

What they failed to notice was how quickly their numbers were shrinking. A ghostlike white figure moved silently behind them, harvesting life after life and leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. White fur, quiet slaughter, flying blood, scarlet firelight, and a flashing blade wove together into a strangely dazzling tableau amid the surrounding chaos.

As more and more Avani fell, they finally noticed Shang Ke. The corpses littering the ground filled them with shock and fury, and they abandoned their other targets to close in on him from all sides.

Shang Ke did not retreat. He met blades and axes head-on, his dagger flashing again and again as he steadily cut down their numbers.

The lions soon noticed what was happening and saw the slender fox fighting alone beneath the siege of dozens of Avani. Blood spattered his white hair and tail, staining the pristine fur a vivid crimson.

A long saber slashed across Shang Ke’s back, opening a wound deep enough to expose bone. He staggered, twisted aside from another potentially fatal strike, and several severed locks of hair drifted through the air.

Everyone could see that his stamina was nearing its limit and his movements had lost their earlier agility. Even so, his gaze remained cold and fierce, without the slightest hint of retreat.

A slender fox could fight the enemy to the death with such courage, while they—powerful lion beastfolk—had panicked like cowards!

Anger and shame flashed through the lions’ eyes. One after another, they seized their weapons and charged back into the fight with furious roars.

Shang Ke’s composure and courage infected them without a word, helping them overcome their fear of the flames. They reclaimed the dignity of warriors and threw themselves wholeheartedly against the invaders.

At that moment, they needed no speech to rally them—only a weapon in hand and the courage to use it.

As the battle continued, the lions realized there were not nearly as many Avani as they had feared—certainly not enough to hold an overwhelming numerical advantage. Only when they noticed the line of Avani corpses stretching all the way beyond the settlement did they understand: before the enemy had even breached the tribe, that fox had already begun killing them in silence.

That decisiveness and resolve filled everyone with genuine admiration.

The fire still raged, but under the lions’ fierce counterattack the Avani gradually collapsed. In the end, they abandoned nearly a hundred corpses and fled in disarray.

They had barely escaped the settlement when they ran headlong into Mutu and the others hurrying back. At the sight of the devastation behind them, the returning lion warriors erupted in fury and hacked the fleeing Avani apart without mercy.

Mutu strode into the settlement. Corpses littered the ground, houses burned, and injured tribesmen wailed in pain. A terrifying murderous aura erupted from him.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted. His gaze swept frantically through the crowd until it locked onto a familiar figure.

Shang Ke stood before a house swallowed by flames, both arms hanging loosely at his sides. A dagger remained clenched in one hand, blood sliding down its edge to drip onto the ground. His white hair and tail were soaked with blood, and the deep wound across his back was horrifying to behold.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Shang Ke slowly turned around and looked at Mutu with concern.

Mutu—the food storehouse… it burned down.

Then Shang Ke closed his eyes. The dagger slipped from his hand with a clatter, and his body went limp in Mutu’s arms.

【Main Mission complete—Protect the lion tribe’s territory from invasion.】

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