Chapter 98: Throwing Out a Bonfire

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Rustling noises came again from the Danmu fruit forest, followed by the distinctive “jing-jing, jing-jing” cries.

No fewer than thirty Jingjing Beasts poked their heads out from among the trees, their blood-red, bull-like eyes glaring at them as if staring down mortal enemies.

“Whoa!”

The group, still riding high on excitement, was startled out of their wits. Why were these Jingjing Beasts so quiet? They were nothing like Meng Ji, who’d started bellowing as soon as he’d crested the hill.

Yun Qimu narrowed her eyes. “Careful. Jingjings are pack animals, like wolves. If one dies, the others will catch the scent and come seeking revenge.”

“Damn, that dangerous?”

The Tengu Hunting Squad immediately snapped to attention, bracing themselves for a fight.

“Jing-jing—”

The cries echoed from all directions. The once-empty clearing was now swarming with Jingjing Beasts, packed so densely it made one’s skin crawl.

Ge Miao’s scalp tingled at the sight. He couldn’t help but turn, wanting to retreat, only to realize that at some point, a ring of Jingjing Beasts had appeared behind them as well.

Without even noticing, they’d been completely surrounded.

Shit, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly. How did these Jingjing Beasts move so stealthily? When had they circled around behind them? Now, unless they sprouted wings, there was no way out.

But flying was out of the question—they had no flying tools, and none of them could fly on their own.

“Yun—Yun Village Chief, what do we do?” Ge Miao gripped his machete tightly, swallowing hard, cold sweat trickling down his back.

Yun Qimu frowned. She hadn’t expected such a massive pack of Jingjing Beasts—there had to be at least a hundred of them.

She pressed her lips together, a sharp glint flashing in her dark, lustrous eyes, black as precious pearls. “We fight. I’ll supply you with red potions. Watch your HP—once it drops to a tenth, drink the potion. It’ll heal you fast. You saw how it worked on Agu Lai before. As long as your HP isn’t zero, you’ll survive. I promise you won’t die.”

“And from now on, forget about the ‘working for me’ rule. Any monsters you kill are yours, and anything you get from treasure chests is yours too. But you’ll have to pay me back for the red potions.”

“Got it, Village Chief Yun.”

“Thank you, Village Chief Yun! You’re so generous!”

The ten, who had been wavering, suddenly brightened, their spirits soaring. In their minds, they’d shifted from prey to hunters.

Treasure chests! Just thinking about all the good stuff inside made their hearts race.

“Jing-jing—!”

An angry beast roar rang out, and the surrounding Jingjing Beasts charged all at once.

Their massive, chaotic footsteps made the ground tremble.

Yun Qimu gripped her hands, and the little golden axe lying in the grass instantly returned to her. It transformed into a large golden axe, and with a sweeping arc, she slashed at the oncoming Jingjing Beasts, forming a perfect crescent.

“Jing-jing, jing-jing!”

Angry roars erupted as countless horns were sliced off. Health bars lit up densely all around, shrinking rapidly.

Strike while the iron’s hot—Yun Qimu hefted the axe, which was bigger than she was, and kept swinging. Her petite frame radiated a fierce, unyielding aura, like a lone warrior holding a pass against thousands. Ge Miao and the others were stunned by the sight.

This Yun Village Chief was even more formidable than when she’d killed the Meng Ji Beast earlier—her moves were sharper and more decisive.

Awa and the other clansmen exchanged glances, then charged off in different directions.

Their faces were grim, their actions tinged with a wild killing intent.

Block, strike, mental control—then finish them off in one last sweep.

With each round, Yun Qimu could take down seven or eight Jingjing Beasts.

After five rounds, though, her mental energy was pushed to the limit of her body.

“Pfft—” Yun Qimu clutched her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Village Chief Yun!” As a ranged attacker, Ge Miao had stayed in the safest spot at the center, so he was the first to notice Yun Qimu coughing up blood.

His face turned anxious as he shot a water arrow at the Jingjing Beast in front of Yun Qimu, hurrying over to support her.

“I’m fine,” Yun Qimu said, wiping the blood from her lips. Though her face was pale, her expression was relaxed.

But in the chaos, Ge Miao didn’t notice. “How can you be fine if you’re coughing up blood? No, there are still too many Jingjing Beasts—we need to break out!”

“Right.” The blood-soaked Tengu clansmen gathered around as they fought, their faces grim and exhausted.

This pack of Jingjing Beasts was even tougher than the berserk beasts. Even though they’d figured out the Jingjings’ weak points, the beasts were tall and numerous—hitting those weak spots was hard, and they were losing ground.

Seeing them battered but determined to fight their way out, Yun Qimu—feeling much better after spitting out some blood—decided to kindly accept their suggestion and offered an idea.

“I don’t want to run, but we can take a break.”

Ge Miao looked at her in surprise, only to see Yun Qimu curve her lips into a smile and toss a bonfire onto the ground.

A bonfire as big as Awa’s upper body quickly blazed up, its flames glowing red, yet the snow and ice beneath it didn’t melt.

It looked a bit magical.

“Jing-jing, jing-jing.”

The frenzied Jingjing Beasts around them halted, backing away in fear.

Ge Miao stared, dumbfounded. “What’s that?”

“It’s a bonfire I got from a treasure chest. It can repel beasts—looks like it works pretty well!” Yun Qimu smiled, her eyes crinkling.

She gently pulled her hand from Ge Miao’s support. “Let’s move closer. We can even grill some meat. After all that fighting, I’m starving.”

“Ah—oh, right.”

The ten of them stayed on guard as they edged toward the bonfire.

But unexpectedly, the Jingjing Beasts, after stomping irritably in place for a while, started following them over again.

“W-what’s going on? They’re coming after us again!” Ge Miao gripped his weapon tightly.

Already by the bonfire, Yun Qimu glanced back. “Maybe the bonfire has a set range. Try coming a bit closer.”

“Okay.” The ten nodded solemnly, carefully edging in closer.

Three minutes later.

The eleven of them sat in a tight circle around the bonfire—so close the flames nearly singed their leg hair.

Behind them stood a ring of Jingjing Beasts, heads lowered, close enough to lick the backs of their heads.

The Tengu clansmen wore blank, hopeless expressions.

Yun Qimu, on the other hand, sat back with her legs crossed, smiling as she took out some Jingjing Beast meat she’d gotten earlier, ready to start grilling.

The Jingjing Beast behind her stuck out its tongue, trying to lick her, but seemed to hit an invisible barrier—its tongue stopped ten centimeters from the back of Yun Qimu’s head, unable to get any closer.

The Jingjing Beast looked utterly confused: What’s going on? Why can’t I lick this two-legged creature?"