"Roar!"
A mournful roar echoed through the forest.
After the sound of metal clashing, the roar finally stopped, and the heavy breathing gradually calmed down.
Shao Xuan pulled a leaf from the side and wiped the blood off his sword.
The soldiers next to him went over to deal with the beast that had just been killed. They opened the kettle and poured the blood into it.
If it was in the past, they would try their best to keep the animal skin intact after killing the prey. But now, they no longer needed that, and the animal skin would not be hoarded for trade. All they needed was food, and this ferocious beast had become the warriors' lunch.
Seven or eight people dealt with the beast at the same time. They removed the organs, cut off the meat, and left the skin and bones where they were.
Duo Kang passed over a kettle filled with beast blood. "Drink some?"
Shao Xuan waved his hand. "No, I didn't use much. Give it to the other soldiers."
Duo Kang grinned and didn't say much. He took a gulp and passed it to the others.
The slightly viscous liquid with a strong smell of blood flowed down his esophagus and into his stomach. The energy that he had spent in the morning was gradually replenished, and he felt a little warm.
Sweat seeped out of his pores. Duo Kang pulled a few tender leaves from the side and rubbed his hands to get rid of the coagulated blood clots on his hands.
"It's been two days, and we haven't met anyone chasing after us." Duo Kang looked at Shao Xuan and waited for Shao Xuan to give him some information. He saw Shao Xuan playing with a straw rope in the morning. Shao Xuan wouldn't be so bored as to play with a straw rope at a time like this. He must be doing some divination. Duo Kang had been leading the team to guard their surroundings, so he didn't have time to ask. Now that he finally had the chance, he came over to ask.
"We'll meet them soon. Not everyone thinks we'll go back the way we came, and not everyone will choose to ambush us. Some will take the initiative to attack. Maybe someone can predict our route," Shao Xuan said.
"They can even predict our route?!" Duo Kang was shocked. He didn't believe it, but thinking about the Yi family, it was possible. Although the Yi family had a lot of useless people, there were still some capable people.
"What are your plans?" Duo Kang asked again.
"Let's just continue on our way. By the way, have you guys finished the things I asked you to do?" Shao Xuan asked.
Before they set off, Shao Xuan assigned some tasks to the warriors who were a little more relaxed. With the elderly and children in tow, the journey would definitely not be as fast as when they were hunting, so naturally, some of them would be free. Shao Xuan gave them some time to help with some small tasks.
"I made a lot. They are all over there." Duo Kang pointed to a rattan basket not far away.
"That's good. You guys can leave first. I'll stay behind to set up this place." Shao Xuan walked over and opened the lid of the rattan basket. He was very satisfied with the items inside.
Duo Kang thought of what Shao Xuan had done when they went to Anba City to trade and encountered the Young Master of Anba City who had sent people to kill them. He didn't ask any more questions. He called the other warriors who had finished dealing with the beasts to quickly pack up and continue on their way.
Xiang Chen saw that Shao Xuan was alone at the back and asked Duo Kang curiously, "Elder, you're not leaving?"
"Our elder has something to do." Duo Kang gestured for Xiang Chen to quickly return to the group.
Xiang Chen's head was full of questions. He didn't go with Duo Kang to trade, so he didn't know what happened. Even if he heard about it from others, he didn't have a deep impression of it.
He returned to the group and picked up his younger daughter, carried his wife on his back, and hung the other things around his neck or waist. Then, Xiang Chen, like the others, continued on their way.
Soon, the place that was filled with the smell of blood quieted down.
The humid and warm air carried the smell of blood. In the distance, the roars of beasts could be heard. Shao Xuan looked up at the sky. Through the cover of the leaves, he could see some flying figures flying back and forth.
The scavenger birds couldn't wait any longer. The first one swooped down, broke through the leaves, and headed straight for the remains of the beast on the ground. Shao Xuan slashed it to the ground with his sword. After a few twitches, it died.
The other scavenger birds saw this and turned in the air. They rested on the branches not far away and stared at Shao Xuan.
More than 20 scavenger birds flew down and rested not far away, staring at Shao Xuan. There were even more in the sky.
Shao Xuan was the only one in the area. If it had been someone less brave, they would have been scared. Shao Xuan ignored them. He busied himself around the remains of the beast for a while, slapping a few of the scavenger birds that wanted to attack him to the ground. When he was done, he left and continued to set up traps around the area.
Shao Xuan planned to set up another trap. He had asked the soldiers to help him set up traps. There would definitely be pursuers behind him. Even if he couldn't rely on these traps to block all of them, he could at least cause them some damage and delay them. This would also slow down the pursuers.
Seeing Shao Xuan leave the beast's corpse, the scavenger birds waiting on the branches rushed up. Many feathers fell as they fought. Because the Yanjiao team had just arrived, the large beasts had already left the area. For the time being, there wouldn't be anything to fight with these scavenger birds for food.
The scavenger birds pecked at the remains of the beast's flesh and blood. They blinked their grey eyelids and bit on the bloody meat strands. They were on guard against Shao Xuan. From time to time, they would spread their wings and extend their necks at Shao Xuan. They were trying to drive away Shao Xuan and prevent him from stealing their food. However, Shao Xuan didn't plan to pay any attention to them. He continued with his work.
A greenish-grey vine that was thinner than a pinky finger was entwined in the inconspicuous grass. If someone familiar with the forest saw it, they would definitely be on guard. This was because this vine was not found in the vicinity. It was a vine that lived in the swamps. It was thin and tough.
Sharp wooden thorns and polished stone needles were hidden by leaves. In less than half an hour, a basket of vines had been hidden nearby.
By the time he was done, only skin and bones were left of the beast's corpse. Most of the meat had been cleaned up. The huge beast was now only a pile of skin, bones, and hard teeth.
Shao Xuan stood up, glanced around the place, and then left.
Taihe tribe.
A group of Taihe warriors chased away the sneaky people in the forest. They even killed two of them.
"How many waves has it been?"
"Is it the third wave or the fourth?" a warrior asked.
"Good thing the Yanjiao people left quickly. Otherwise, it would be so annoying."
In the past two days, they often encountered people loitering in the nearby forest, especially around the Yanjiao tribe. They had taken over Yanjiao's territory, so they naturally had to send people to guard it and chase away anyone who wanted to get close.
Those people seemed to be small groups. They didn't dare to offend the Taihe people. When they saw that the Yanjiao tribe was almost empty, they gave up and went to look for traces of the Yanjiao people in the forest. Some people even wanted to threaten the Taihe people, but this was Taihe territory. They didn't manage to threaten anyone. Instead, they were dragged up the mountain to be used as fertilizer.
The sun was setting. At dusk, a group of about a hundred people followed the trail. After all, there were so many Yanjiao people. It was impossible for them to not leave any traces behind. For those who were familiar with the area, it was easy to distinguish them.
They were the first group of people to catch up. After going to the vicinity of the Flaming Horns tribe to inquire, they didn't stop to follow the trail. They wanted to get some benefits before others.
Although there were only about a hundred people, they didn't plan to fight head-on. Instead, they planned to kidnap some people and use them as hostages. Then they could threaten the Yanjiao people with fire crystals and salt. They had used this method many times on other people. Compared to fighting head-on, it was much smarter. This time, they were full of confidence.
"Beast carcasses! They passed by here not long ago, "said one of them.
They approached the carcasses. They wanted to judge the strength of the people who killed them from the carcasses. They also wanted to know the approximate time since the carcasses were killed. This would allow them to estimate the opponent's strength and the time it would take to catch up.
However, when the people who went to check on the beast's carcass poked at the beast's bones, which had been pecked clean, a strange change occurred.
Buzz —
With a rapid trembling sound, as if a chaotic switch had been pressed, the tranquil forest was suddenly filled with murderous intent.
The large area of effect stone needles were like rain. Those who tried to dodge would accidentally trigger another round of traps. Every time they thought that they had finally dodged, they would be greeted with another round of attacks, round after round. The noose was like a big hand that suddenly emerged from the ground and tied up those who couldn't escape in time. Those who moved slowly were accidentally pierced by wood and stone needles.
When all the chaos finally stopped, those who were still alive didn't dare to move. They looked around vigilantly. Their nerves were tense with every step they took. Some people on the ground were groaning. They were poisoned and trapped. Even if they survived, they couldn't continue to chase for the time being.
Although there were only about twenty people who lost their ability to move, eight of them were dead. The remaining seventy or so were only slightly injured. However, they didn't dare to chase at full speed like before. Fortunately, they were alert enough to dodge quickly. Otherwise, at least half of them would be lying here.
"Boss, should we … should we continue to chase?" A man's face was twisted as he pulled out a wooden thorn from his arm. It was obviously made of wood, but it was such a big threat. The poison on the thorn made his entire arm numb. He applied some medicine and felt better, but he didn't know if it would continue to work. If the poison was too strong, he didn't know if his arm would be crippled.
The leader was also alarmed. They hadn't received any information before, so their understanding of the Yanjiao people was limited to "strength" and "arrogance." They didn't expect to suffer such a big loss just as they were about to catch up.
"Take the injured people away first. We won't chase for now," the leader said.
"What if the fire crystals and salt are taken by others?"
"Then let them take it first! I'd like to see what other methods the Yanjiao people will use to deal with those behind us! "
They were at a disadvantage this time because they didn't understand the Yanjiao people. They couldn't blindly chase after them. If they fell into the enemy's trap, only death would await them. After all, they had so few people. They wouldn't be able to get anything, but their own side would be wiped out.
If they wanted to experiment, they should let others do it.
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