CHAPTER 446: BE CAREFUL, IT'S HOT

"Grr..." The great tiger growled as it approached the Giant Spirit Boss.

Confirming that the tiger's mouth was empty, the Giant Spirit Boss scratched its neck. "Looks like you didn't eat anything you weren't supposed to. Was there something over there?"

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The great tiger shook its head as if annoyed at being misunderstood.

The Giant Spirit Boss grinned. He was a ruthless tyrant to his subordinates, but generous to the pets he raised.

Unlike humans, animals will never betray me.

His father, who had received the Blood Cult's demonic art and beast-taming methods in exchange for betraying the Bandit King, constantly drilled this into him since he was young.

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

Having become a leader of the Viridian Forest through betrayal, his father did not trust any of his subordinates and kept only animals by his side. His children were no exception. He taught them martial arts and beast-taming little by little, but he fundamentally distrusted even them and strove to maintain his monopoly on power until he died of old age.

For this reason, the Giant Spirit Boss committed the crime of patricide. He snuck into his sleeping father's chambers, strangled and threatened him, then found the hidden secret manuals.

Afterward, he gagged his father and threw him into the beast cage, where the starving creatures devoured the old man who had been their master, chewing him down to the bone.

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

When morning came, the Giant Spirit Keep had a new boss.

"Thanks to that old man, I learned a valuable lesson. No matter how bothersome it is, you should never let someone else do the feeding." The Giant Spirit Boss chuckled, took a large chunk of meat from his robes, and placed it in the great tiger's mouth.

The tiger greedily chewed and swallowed it, then begged for more. "Grooowl..."

However, the Giant Spirit Boss pushed its snout aside and threw pieces of food to the other animals one by one. "Here, you all eat too."

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

Watching the beasts gorge themselves, he grinned to himself.

Yes, these friends will never betray me.

Still, there were prerequisites. The animals had to be fed on time, and they had to be constantly reminded that their master was stronger than them. As long as he adhered to these two rules, not even the most savage beast would betray him.

"Wanna have a go? It's been a while."

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CHWAAAK!

He took out a whip and cracked it on the ground.

"Whine..." The beasts slowly backed away in fear.

The Giant Spirit Boss beamed, satisfied with their reaction. Turning around, he said, "Follow me when you're done eating."

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During this entire time, he hadn't used inner arts, seeing no reason to do so. Consequently, he failed to realize that his demonic qi had vanished from the beasts' bodies. They no longer regarded him as their master.

"Nyaa...?"

He also didn't notice the tiny creature hidden in the great tiger's fur and observing him disapprovingly.

Stopping in front of the tent, he commanded, "Don't let anyone approach this area. If anyone dares come near, tear off an arm."

"Growl!" The great tiger nodded and blocked the entrance to the tent, while the other beasts stood guard around the area.

Confident that he would be undisturbed, the Giant Spirit Boss entered the tent.

Inside, the Tiger Pass Boss tossed him a liquor gourd. "Aren't you raising those beasts a bit too freely? Your subordinates are terrified of them."

"Fufufu! I let them loose precisely to scare my men. The only type of beast I don't trust is the kind that walks on two legs and has black hair," the Giant Spirit Boss replied, chugging the liquor.

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

Shaking his head, the Tiger Pass Boss took a more serious tone. "Now, let's finish our previous conversation. When are you going to take care of the Viridian Scholar?"

"After the assembly. I've already set up an ambush with my men on his planned route back. We'll strike all at once and finish him."

The Tiger Pass Boss narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue in distaste. "That plan was supposed to guarantee an easy victory for us, but now a new variable has appeared."

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

"What variable?"

"That bastard named Maeng Ryonghwi."

CRACK!

The gourd in the Giant Spirit Boss's hand shattered. Liquor flowed down his palm, but his rock-hard hands were unharmed. "I'll kill that bastard with my own hands," he growled, a menacing killing intent filling his eyes. "I'll tear him limb from limb, feed him to my pets, and watch him crawl on the ground trying to escape."

"Don't run your mouth so carelessly again. Only one person in the Viridian Forest is allowed to call me a brat."

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The Giant Spirit Boss hadn't forgotten how Maeng Ryonghwi had humiliated him that day. He should have charged in and shredded the bastard to pieces right then and there, but the Viridian Scholar and the Tiger Pass Boss had stopped him.

"I will definitely kill that son of a bitch!"

"Do as you please." The Tiger Pass Boss smirked and nodded. "I don't care as long as the Viridian Scholar dies."

Although he also wanted to kill Maeng Ryonghwi, he had no intention of fighting the Giant Spirit Boss over it. Rather, he was actually grateful that the Giant Spirit Keep was taking care of a top expert from the Yama Keep.

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He lowered his voice suggestively. "By the way... the Phantom King proposed that we join forces."

"The Phantom King?" The Giant Spirit Boss's eyes widened.

At the same time, the Silver Tiger's little ears, hidden in the great tiger's fur, twitched with curiosity.

The Tiger Pass Boss nodded. "He suggested we join hands with the Blood Cult. If you agree, he'll also help us capture the Viridian Scholar."

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

"Hmm..."

The Phantom King was the Sect Leader of the Mount Mo Sect, a mysterious, unorthodox sect about which little was known, including where it was located. The sect was known for its expertise in forbidden evil sorcery, talismans, and the art of jiangshi, to the point where it was always mentioned whenever rumors about jiangshi appeared in the jianghu.

The Tiger Pass Boss grinned, revealing his fangs slightly. "Let's be frank. I don't think there's anything wrong with us joining forces with the Blood Cult."

Both he and the Giant Spirit Boss were sons of the two disciples who had betrayed the Bandit King in exchange for the Blood Cult's favor, so they knew better than anyone how sweet that bribe was.

The Giant Spirit Boss, however, hesitated. "Joining hands with the Blood Cult, huh...? Do you think those arrogant assholes would even consider forming an alliance with us? We'd be lucky if they didn't just try to crush us into submission."

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As opposed to his accomplice, he saw no reason for the overwhelmingly powerful Blood Cult to forge an alliance with the Viridian Forest instead of subjugating them.

Nevertheless, the Tiger Pass Boss saw things differently. "That might be true if we were separate factions, but if four unorthodox factions form an alliance and make the proposal, the Blood Cult won't be able to ignore it."

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

The Giant Spirit Boss fell into deep thought. If the Black Snake Alliance, Viridian Forest, Mount Mo Sect, and the Valley of Evil—arguably the largest and strongest of the unorthodox sects—formed an alliance, they would certainly be able to negotiate on strong terms with the Blood Cult.

"The two of us and the Mount Mo Sect make up half of the unorthodox sect conference. If we can win over just one more faction, we can lead the assembly in any direction we want."

"An alliance, huh..." Finally, the Giant Spirit Boss was intrigued. "Putting the Phantom King aside, what do you think about the Blue Eyed Freak?"

"The new lord of the Valley of Evil is an inscrutable bastard. We'll have to sound him out at tomorrow's assembly, but I think he'll probably just follow the prevailing trend."

Even though the Valley of Evil initiated this assembly, they were thought to be the weakest of the four invited factions. Things might have been different if the Bloody Ripper were still alive, but everyone assumed the ragtag group that the Blue Eyed Freak cobbled together after the Azure Dragon Hero's assault could only be a shadow of its former self.

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"The Blue-Eyed Freak has almost no influence on the overall direction of our talks. The Black Snake Alliance Chairman is the real linchpin."

The Giant Spirit Boss's expression darkened. "That monster... I thought he had died. He was in seclusion training for so damn long."

"Everyone thought so."

The Black Snake Alliance was by far the most powerful faction at the conference. In this era where the orthodox sects dominated the murim, the Black Snake Alliance was virtually the only faction that had protected all of its territory and pride.

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Worse, the current chairman of the Black Snake Alliance was the Blade Demon, a member of the Ten Supremes and one of the unorthodox sects' Three Blights.

About a decade ago, in a formal duel against the Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Clan, the Blade Demon had broken his opponent's blade and won in just over five hundred exchanges. The martial artists who witnessed the earth-shattering fight had named the Black Snake Alliance Chairman the world's strongest bladesman.

As a member of the orthodox sects, the Peng Clan Master's defeat is vexing, but it's an undeniable fact that the world's number one blade is the Black Snake Alliance Chairman.

The Black Snake Alliance Chairman has reached the ultimate realm a bladesman can achieve.

If that man's not one of the Ten Supremes, then who would dare call themselves one!

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

Back then, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's shocking blade arts stirred the murim. Even the most esteemed masters of the orthodox sects were concerned that an era of dominance by the unorthodox sects might return. For a time, the Blade Demon reigned supreme among the unorthodox sects.

Therefore, when he suddenly entered seclusion training, the jianghu was thrown into confusion.

All sorts of rumors abounded. Some said he fell into qi deviation from reckless training. Others claimed he was recuperating from a potent poison administered by a subordinate aiming for his position. Some even said he had lost interest in the world and turned his back on it after reaching the pinnacle of blade arts.

From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.

He was so well known that if the Night Emperor hadn't appeared during his absence, he would still be thought of as the unorthodox's strongest.

"Even if he's one of the Ten Supremes, he's still just one man. He can't do anything to all of us by himself," the Tiger Pass Boss said optimistically.

"Of course," the Giant Spirit Boss concurred. He believed his body, forged to its extreme with his demonic art, was equal to the Vajra Body. As long as he could engage an opponent at close range, victory was his.

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

Of course, bringing the Black Snake Alliance Chairman to their side would be best.

"So, is there a way to entice the Black Snake Alliance Chairman?"

"I've thought of a few methods. If all else fails... we could try to aim for murder by proxy with that blade of his."

"Fufu. You may look like a monkey, but you're as cunning as a raccoon dog."

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The two Bosses' plotting continued late into the night.

A large paw gently nudged the dozing Silver Tiger, waking it up.

"Nyaaa...?" Silver Tiger slipped out of the great tiger's embrace, opened its mouth wide, and yawned.

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

Looking around, he saw that he was in the forest. After the meeting ended, the beasts had brought him to a safe place.

PRESS. SQUEEZE.

He pressed his small paws against each of the beasts' bodies, saying goodbye and promising to see them again. They responded with nods or low growls.

"Nyan!"

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

With a cheerful cry, he disappeared into the forest like a streak of wind.

"Grr..."

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

The beasts held their position until their new leader was out of sight.

"Nya nyaaa nyan nyah, nyaah nyan!"

The Silver Tiger stood on its hind legs and used gestures and movements to explain what it had seen and heard.

"What the hell is it saying?" Baek Suryong mumbled, bewildered.

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He couldn't understand its words, but communication wasn't a problem. He had a miraculous tool that could converse with spirit beasts.

[...It seems you just had a wicked thought,] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword complained.

"I was just thinking how desperately I need the help of a brilliant sorcerer right now."

[Damn your silver tongue...]

Thanks to the Divine Azure Dragon Sword's translation, everything became clear.

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"Good boy! Well done figuring out how tomorrow's assembly will go." Baek Suryong smiled and stroked the head of the Silver Tiger, which stared up at him expectantly. "Did you become friends with the animals there? You little rascal. I honestly didn't expect you to do this well."

"Nyaa! Nyah!"

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

"Okay, okay. I'll give it to you in a moment, so just wait."

Goaded by the Silver Tiger, Baek Suryong approached the dying bonfire and prodded the embers with a poker. An hour later, he pulled out a large sweet potato, gently peeled off the blackened skin, and cut it in half, revealing its yellow flesh.

"Hoo, hoo... Be careful, it's hot."

White steam billowed out of the freshly roasted sweet potato. This was one of the Silver Tiger's favorite snacks and the reward Baek Suryong had promised him.

"Nyaaaah!"

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The Silver Tiger pounced on the sweet potato as big as its own head and began to eat frantically, not caring that it was covered in soot.

"Nyaa! Nyaan!"

The baby tiger's happy cries echoed across the mountainside for a long time.