Chapter Twenty-Four: Foxes in Monk's Clothing

  It's been a rare sunny day since winter began, the sky is blue and transparent, although it's noon but the bright sun is still hanging in the air at an angle.

  The dazzling sunlight did not bring warmth to the extremely cold and desolate gravel plain, but instead became even colder due to the melting of snow.

  "Hum..." Near the Saiya tribe's small hill, two gleams of gold and silver fiercely collided, the explosive impact of their auras colliding sent layers of snowflakes scattering in all directions.

  The golden figure was shaken and flew out, taking seven or eight consecutive steps on the snowy ground before barely standing firm. Xia Zuo's face didn't have a hint of frustration from being shaken off, instead he let out a hearty laugh "Ah, refreshing..."

  "Leader, it won't be long before you surpass me!" Walden's face was full of admiration as he gazed at Xia Zuo, who had just unleashed a powerful aura that made his body tremble slightly. From Xia Zuo's previous attack, one could see the progress he had made in mastering his aura, which was still in its infancy just over a month ago.

  Beastmen revere the strong, and although Xia Zuo's current strength has not yet surpassed his, with Xia Zuo's terrifying talent, it won't be long before he surpasses him. Walden's title also changed unknowingly as a result.

  "Walden, stop flattering me, I know you only used 50% of your strength!" Xia Zuo rubbed his sore fist, he was still clear about Walden's abilities.

  To earn the title of high-ranking warrior, one must simultaneously defeat fifty mid-ranking warriors. These mid-ranking warriors are not like Biku and Tala who have just grasped their aura, but rather seasoned veterans like Guele and Grimore.

  Although Walden is not a true high-level warrior, he is close. Shaso wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that he could take him on after training for such a short time. This was just the opponent intentionally suppressing his strength to train himself.

  Walden smiled slightly and didn't speak, Xia Zuo was right, he indeed hadn't used his full strength, but had already used seven-tenths of it instead of five-tenths. Xia Zuo's actual strength was far more powerful than what he himself imagined.

  "Huh!" Walden suddenly perked up his ears, looking puzzled at the vast expanse of snow, and a moment later Shaya also heard a faint sound of footsteps.

  Looking in the direction of the sound, a swift black dot was rapidly running over from the distant horizon.

  "Tara, what's wrong?" Although they were still far apart, Xia Zuo recognized the identity of the approaching person at a glance and sent his voice far away with his aura.

  "Boss, Labby and them are back!" Taraq didn't have Xia Zuo's control over his aura, so he could only shout at the top of his lungs.

  "How come you're back so early?" Xia Zuo furrowed his brow in puzzlement, as the tribe had more than enough food. In order to make use of everything, Xia Zuo had dispatched the tribe's warriors to recruit smaller tribes that couldn't survive this winter.

  In the past month, two small tribes with more than 50 people have become members of the Saiya tribe. Xia Zuo has increased his efforts to annex surrounding small tribes by taking advantage of the power of the cold winter, and has successfully absorbed them into his own strength.

  "And brought back a fox!!" Tara ran to the two men, took two deep breaths, and stabilized her rapid breathing before explaining.

  "Fox? You mean Foxes?" Xia Zuo was stunned for a moment before he understood what Tara meant, and it seemed that Rabi wouldn't make such a big fuss over just one real fox.

  "Hmm, a scrawny little fox!" Tara nodded vigorously, her eyes full of disdain. That scrawny little body would snap in two with just a bit of force.

  "What are the Foxes doing here?" Walden furrowed his brow in puzzlement, he who had once lived near the Campas Highlands and knew better than Shazo the nature of those Foxes, how could those greedy, cunning, pleasure-seeking Foxes have come to this desolate land?

  "Let's go back and take a look first!" Unlike Walden's suspicion, Xia Zuo was full of curiosity, and he couldn't wait to lead the way.

  He heard that the Fox tribe, whether male or female, were all slender and beautiful. In the tribe, they faced fluffy muscles every day, now they finally have a good-looking one.

  Three people burst out with a strong aura, and the powerful wind generated by their swift speed rolled up thousands of snowdrifts. This revealed the gap between them. Tara only kept up for a while before being left far behind, while Xia Zuo ran like the wind, but Volken still calmly followed him, clearly not using his full strength.

  A pointed face with a multitude of wrinkles, disheveled white hair with two red fox ears protruding from it, and a pair of dim eyes anxiously gazing towards the door.

  The originally exquisite black dress was wrinkled and wrapped around her body, her thin figure slightly hunched over, holding a hot water bottle that she couldn't stop shaking with cold tremors.

  When Xia Zhe and Walden came in, they saw this scene, and the beautiful dream in their hearts suddenly collapsed. Xia Zhe originally thought that even if it wasn't a beauty, it would be a handsome young man, but he didn't expect it to be a dry old fox.

  "Mori, Woods, Foxes, I've seen the great leader!" As soon as Xia Zuo and Walden entered, the old fox hastily stood up, tidied up his disheveled clothes, and walked quickly to Xia Zuo's front, slightly bowing in a standard salute. Although he was disheveled, it couldn't hide the elegant aura that emanated from his bones.

  Xia Sha's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and the slight disdain in his heart also dissipated. He and Walden walked in shoulder to shoulder at the same time, but Mu Li did not choose Walden, who was stronger in both identity and strength, but instead recognized himself as the leader of the tribe. This insight fully explained that this old fox was not simple.

  "Are you a member of the Woods family?" Walden's eyebrows furrowed even more, though it was phrased as a question, in reality he was reminding Xia Zha.

  This Woods family, spoken of by Walden and others, one of the five great families of Foxes, controllers of the Kampas economy, absolutely belongs to the category of wealthy giant families.

  Reminded by Walden, Xia Zuo's gaze towards this old fox also changed. Although Mu Li was dressed as an unassuming butler, no matter who he followed, the identity of someone who could afford a butler was absolutely extraordinary. This old fox was definitely a big shot in Kampas.

  "I didn't expect anyone in this wilderness to know the humble name of the Woods family!" Mu Li said with a modest smile, his eyes flashing with surprise.

  Although he had guessed that Xia Zuo was the leader at first glance, this was just his years of accumulated instincts. The proud centaur actually treated a Munk with such a respectful attitude, it seemed that this young Saiyan leader was indeed not ordinary. Although he was only the leader of a small marginal tribe, Mu Li's attitude became even more respectful.

  "Please, please, the great name of Woods tribe, even in our remote village, it's like thunder! Haha!" Xia Zuo sat down with a smile and asked politely at the same time "I don't know why Mr. Mu Li came to Shishi Huangyuan?"

  Xia Zuo asked himself if he didn't have the brains to play with this cunning old fox, so he simply opened his mouth and asked directly.

  "Your Excellency, please dispatch troops quickly and rescue the master of my household!" Mori's face was full of unfeigned urgency, almost to the point of tears.

  "Superior?" Xia Zuo secretly clicked his tongue, this origin was indeed big enough, those who could become superiors were all direct descendants of the Wu family, absolute power holders!

  "Slow down, don't rush, what's going on with the boss?" Xia Zuo hastily calmed Mu Li's emotions, and judging from his anxious appearance, this old fox shouldn't be pretending, otherwise his acting skills would be too good!

  "It was humans, those greedy mercenaries, those damned bastards attacked our squad, killed our guards, and took away Master and a few maids. I was the one who pretended to be dead to escape their clutches!" Under the disdainful gaze of the surrounding warriors, Muri's two rows of old teeth clicked with a crisp sound, and he didn't have the slightest bit of shame for his act of playing dead, but instead had some pride.

  "What makes you think a human mercenary would dare to enter the Kampa Highlands?" Walden asked in puzzlement, although in recent years there were not a few human mercenaries who made a living by capturing beastman slaves, but they only dared to act on the edge of the Kampa Empire.

  How could anyone be so bold as to enter the Kampa Highlands, and the natural defense network formed by various tribes around Kampa would never allow them to get in.

  "It's not on the plateau, but in the gravel wilderness!" The old face with many wrinkles turned slightly red, "We were originally going to Darasman, but took a wrong turn along the way..."

  Mù lǐ's reason made Xià Zuǒ's eyeballs almost fall out, and the surrounding warriors were all filled with incredulous faces. If it weren't for Lǎo Mù lǐ's genuine blush, Xià Zuǒ would have thought he was playing a trick on himself.

  Dallas Man is the only beast tribe in the gravel wasteland, located on the periphery of the Kampa Highlands and the intersection with the gravel wasteland. If they really wanted to go to Dallas Man but ended up in the gravel wasteland, it's not just a wrong turn, but completely walking in the opposite direction.

  "Also, please hurry up and send troops, those damned mercenaries have been gone for more than a day. If we drag our feet any longer and let them return to Sarnia, it will be too late!" Old Muri urged anxiously. Beastman slaves had always been the favorite of human nobles, among which the beautiful Fox tribe was the most expensive and popular.

  Every human noble takes pride in owning a Fox slave, and being able to afford one is a symbol of status.

  And this is what Muri worries about the most, if the great steward of the Woods family were to be captured by humans and made into a slave, then the Woods family would never again be able to hold their heads high in front of the various tribes of the Kampa Empire.

  "Mr. Muri, don't rush for now, we still have time, how many human mercenaries are there?" Xia Zuo asked while comforting, not enough time in a day to chase if you want to catch up completely, but first need to figure out the opponent's strength.

  Moreover, the Fox family was a wealthy family that didn't lack money. Looking at Mu Li's anxious expression, Xia Zuo began to slowly calculate in his heart how much compensation he should ask from the Woods family as their steward.

  Xia Suo would not treat the Fox tribe in the same way as the Centaur tribe, these greedy foxes who completely lacked the loyalty and integrity of the beastmen, even if you had just saved them a moment before, they might still sell you out for money the next moment.

  As for talking about emotional debt? In the hearts of the Fox tribe, there is no such concept at all. These greedy foxes only have gold coins in their minds, gold coins, and still gold coins.

  "There are not many of them, only seventy-three people, twenty horses, and two cargo carts." Mu Li clearly had prior knowledge, accurately reporting the opponent's numbers.

  "The number is not many, but what about their strength?" Xia Zuo slightly put down his heart upon hearing the number. A team of over 70 people was already considered a relatively powerful mercenary group, no wonder they dared to venture into the wilderness in the harsh winter.

  "It's just 43 intermediate warriors, that's all!" Mu Ri said with a gloomy face, "If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, I wouldn't have brought only a few guards from my own clan, and this wouldn't have happened."

  "How much?" Xia Sha suddenly jumped up from his seat, his eyes wide with shock. Mu Li's tone was as if he had said 43 shrimp, but this kind of power was not something that even the current Saiya tribe could underestimate.

  "Leader Xia Zuo, don't worry, they're just some intermediate warriors who have only recently grasped the concept of Dou Qi. With the mighty power of the Saiya tribe, we can easily crush them. I implore you, Leader Xia Zuo, to consider our shared heritage as Kampas' subjects and send troops to rescue my lord. We won't take a single piece of spoils, leaving everything for the Saiya tribe to handle. The Uz family can also collect their due at market price. Your noble deed will surely be illuminated by the radiant light of Kampas!" Mu Li bowed deeply, his face filled with humility and flattery, yet somehow managing to speak these words without a hint of embarrassment or nervousness.

  Muri grasped the character of the Kampas beastmen perfectly, and with these words, the warlike and honor-conscious beastmen would surely be stirred to action by the glory of Kampas God.

  As for compensation? As fellow children of the great god Kampas, it is only natural that we would not be concerned with such trivial worldly things.

  Whether this small tribe can take down that mercenary group is no longer his concern, he has already notified the guards to come, now it's just a matter of someone holding back those damn humans.

  Looking at that sharp face full of wrinkles, Xia Zuo suddenly had an urge to take off his shoes and cover it up. According to Mu Li's words, he had offended more than 40 intermediate warriors for nothing, and rescued the butler of the Wu Ze family, only to get a useless blessing and spoils of war that originally belonged to him.

  "Come on..." Xia Zhao shouted loudly, and Bei Gu and Ta La immediately lined up.

  A faint smile appeared on Muri's face, and indeed these foolish Mongols, at least slightly raised them up, said a few good words, in the name of Kampas God, let them do whatever they want.

  "Let's send Mori-sama back to the wilderness..." Hana said with a smile, waiting for Mori. This kind of thing is still being played here, no wonder it's not popular among various tribes.

  Walden couldn't help but smile as he quietly observed from the side. He didn't have a good impression of the cunning Fox either.

  "This...this...this...Leader-sama, Shiasa-sama..." Suddenly turning around and saying something completely opposite of what was expected made Mokuri involuntarily pause for a moment, his mouth quickly preparing to explain.

  It was clear that Gu Ye wasn't going to give him any more explanations, and with a rough palm as big as a chicken coop, he picked up the frail Mu Li and carried him out.

  "Mr. Muri, the Saiya tribe is just a small border tribe of the Mongol Empire, we can't afford to provoke more than 40 intermediate warriors, please find someone else!" Xia Zao explained with a helpless expression, I'm just a small tribe, it's not that I don't want to help, but I don't have the strength to help!

  Of course, Xia Zuo would never let this wealthy man off so easily. Negotiations always require a strategy, and this cunning old fox couldn't just be expected to make concessions without getting anything in return. The previous words had completely treated him like an idiot, and if Xia Zuo didn't teach him a lesson, he wouldn't be able to calm the frustration in his heart.

  "Ten sets of battle armor, ten long spears, the human empire's finely crafted steel weapons. If the leader is willing to send troops, I'll use them as revenge!" Bigu exclaimed excitedly in Mori's hands, his painful expression seeming like he had paid a heart-wrenching price.

  Because they were only training, the warriors who cherished their weapons did not wear armor and weapons, but only wore the most ordinary leather armor, which led to Moriguchi's incorrect estimation.

  In the Saiya tribe, a small and remote tribe with a stuffy nose, a steel-made weapon is already priceless, let alone ten sets of armor and ten steel spears, this "big price"!!

  Xia Sha couldn't help but laugh in surprise, and subconsciously touched his smooth chin. Did he really look like a beggar?

  "Fifty sets of armor equipped with weapons, Xia Zuo, if you have these things, the Saiya tribe will surely prosper in your hands. You must seize this opportunity!" Mori shouted anxiously as he was pushed out of the door by Bi Gu. Xia Zuo's attitude made him feel helpless and also full of wonder. The price he offered was not low, even some small tribes in the Kampas region had already been moved, why did that young tribe leader still have no reaction.

  "You two, take this Muri out!" Bigo called out to the two Mongke warriors guarding the entrance, and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed Muri out. As he turned around and walked back, he muttered under his breath, "A few sets of armor and they think we'll fight? I'm not that easily fooled, Bigo!"

  Although his voice was small, he spoke with a wooden face and wide eyes. When did the Mongolians become so arrogant? Fifty sets of armor were not even in their eyes.

  "Shacheng leader, what reward do you need? Just name it, I represent the Woods family and we will definitely satisfy you!" Seeing that he was about to be dragged out, Muri, who knew he couldn't reason with him normally, finally shouted in desperation, forced to rely on the power of the Saiya tribe.

  Natsusa, who had been waiting for this moment, came out of the room with a smile and hastily stopped the two Mongol warriors' rough movements. "Mr. Mokuri is our honored guest, how can you treat him so roughly!"

  Xia Sha smiled and walked forward, intimately brushing off the snowflakes on Mu Li's ears. "The reward I want is not high, 300 sets of armor, 300 fine steel long spears, 100 fine steel battle axes, 100 sets of semi-human horse quality war armor, potatoes, corn each want 100 bags, and also want 10 bags of high-quality seeds, plus another 3,000 gold coins!"

  In Muri's stunned expression, Xia Su casually mentioned his price, that smiling face made Muri want to tear off the outer skin and see if there was a greedy fox inside.

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