The Wolf and the Lamb

“Your appetite is too grand; beware, you might choke trying to swallow it all!” Steve's tone was chilling. This was the ‘Flaying’ side of him—as always, unpleasant to hear, yet as ever, utterly rational!

Du Chen leveled the ice sword in his hand, inspecting its blade. “I’m rather fond of a saying by Andy,” he remarked, “Only with an appetite can one harbor dreams! The grander the appetite, the grander the dream shall be!”

Steve furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment. “If you truly intend to lead all the innocent residents of the City of Penance out, then three formidable problems loom: First, how will you secure their cooperation and ensure their steadfast obedience? Second, how will you depart from this City of Penance? And third, after their liberation, how shall these Fiendkind ‘criminals’ be resettled? The first of these, I daresay, is the most pivotal!”

Slowly, Du Chen began to sculpt the ice sword, shaping it into the form of the Vanishing Snow Sword, and remarked with an unruffled demeanor: “Porter once showed me a book, ‘Treatise on the Populace,’ penned by Saint Bovin. Within it lies a phrase that has etched itself into my memory: ‘The bedrock of cooperation lies in the other party’s profound need for what you possess the power to provide!’ Within the City of Penance, the Brockman family desperately requires our absolute, overwhelming martial might! Once beyond the City of Penance, they will be shunned by humanity and reviled by the Fiendkind, thus necessitating an even more formidable figure to align with them. Tell me, aside from Du Chen, the Divine, who else could possibly fit that role? The matriarch of the Brockman family is a sagacious woman; once freed, she will know precisely what choice to make!”

Steve replied, “In that case, I have nothing further to say. When you’re ready to proceed, simply give me the word!”

Du Chen channeled battle qi into the newly formed ice sword. Then, he drew forth earth to encase the ice blade, compressing it with forceful intent. Swiftly, the ice block, shaped like the Vanishing Snow Sword, transformed into a man-sized boulder.

Steve, observing with curiosity, extended his senses briefly. “Conjuring a Ninth-rank ice sword into solid rock... it truly resembles a treasure! What exactly are you forging this for?”

Du Chen smiled faintly. “To deceive!”

He tossed the ‘boulder’ into the Precious Lotus Scripture.

...

The two brothers settled comfortably into the Brockman family’s underground stronghold. Steve spent his days chatting with Heidi about her reconstructive surgery, while discreetly flirting with several attractive maidservants. Du Chen, meanwhile, remained engrossed in his detailed investigation of the City of Penance.

Thanks to his status as a guest consultant and the Matriarch’s extensive library, Du Chen took less than ten days to thoroughly discern who were worthy of his aid and who were utterly needless scoundrels. For instance, the Kursk family, currently negotiating with the Brockman family to form a joint resistance against the allied army. They were criminals banished to the City of Penance thirty years prior, their crimes: “massacring civilians and plundering wealth!”

In other words, the Kursk family had been infamous bandits even in the Fiendkind’s stronghold, the Subterranean Abyss. And after their banishment, they retained their old ways within the City of Penance. The extent of their villainy was evident in Heidi’s preference to castrate her groom on her wedding night rather than marry a Kursk family’s eldest son.

The allied forces, advancing to seize the sacred artifact, drew ever closer. Yet Du Chen made no move; he was biding his time. A chance to gradually reveal his true strength to the Matriarch! For if two wolves amidst a flock were to suddenly shed their sheep’s clothing and declare to the pathetic little lambs, ‘Alas! We are, in fact, big bad wolves!’... what would be the flock’s reaction!?

The wolf’s hide, one must shed it slowly...

It was the eleventh day since arriving in the City of Penance.

Within a dimly lit mine shaft in the underground stronghold, “Hee-gack-gack, hee-gack-gack!” Cries resembling those of Green Gourd Beasts echoed incessantly. Yet there were no Green Gourd Beasts here; only Huhuhu Beasts, with heads remarkably similar to their counterparts, numbering perhaps eight thousand. This was the Brockman family’s lifeblood: a Huhuhu Beast breeding base!

Du Chen and Xue Ji walked shoulder-to-shoulder, touring the underground mine shaft, which bore a striking resemblance to a human chicken farm. Over nine thousand Huhuhu Beasts stared with wide eyes, their previously listless, death-awaiting gazes instantly sparking with intense excitement as the two approached!

One of the most excitable and robust Huhuhu Beasts cried out from its cage, “Hey! I’m the best at bearing young! Don’t pick me! I can give you a dozen delicious Huhuhu Beasts every year!”

Xue Ji sighed sadly. Her face, already pale from subsisting on dried mushrooms for so long, became even whiter. Unable to bear the sight, she said, “Rest assured, we are merely observing, not selecting food.” She knelt, patted the strong Huhuhu Beast’s head, and sighed once more.

Knowing how to use logical language to escape the fate of being chosen and cooked... these Huhuhu Beasts, while perhaps not as intelligent as humans, were certainly no mere wild beasts!

To truly comprehend the City of Penance, one must first grasp its very lifeblood—the Huhuhu Beasts. Hence, Du Chen came today to observe the Huhuhu Beasts, and Xue Ji, out of curiosity, followed along.

A servant, walking beside Du Chen, pointed to a feeding trough in front of a row of cages and chuckled. “Mr. Alex, Huhuhu Beasts are incredibly easy to raise. You see, they simply consume the soft earth sifted from this grey soil. Thanks to these soft-earth-eating creatures, we would have starved long ago!”

Du Chen pinched a clump of the ‘soft earth’ the servant mentioned. Its texture was remarkably fine, like flour, though black in color. “Is this soft earth particularly easy to refine?”

“Indeed, but not all soft earth is the same. The closer one gets to the Central Atrium, the finer the soil quality. Among us breeders, there’s a saying: ‘Good earth begets good beasts,’ meaning Huhuhu Beasts become even stronger when fed superior soil!”

At the mention of the Atrium, Du Chen perked up his ears, listening intently. That Central Atrium was the sole clue to escaping the City of Penance!

As he explained, the servant simultaneously instructed someone to bring a handful of earth. “Please observe, sir. Each year, we collect this superior soil from near the Atrium. It is exclusively used to raise breeding stock and the premium Huhuhu Beasts consumed by the family’s Eminence Project. The Huhuhu Beasts that first greeted you and your wife were fed this very earth.”

Du Chen took the finest soft earth, examined it, and felt his eyes suddenly brighten!

Prime Earth Raw Ore!?

“Ha! How truly fascinating!” Du Chen thought. “Prime Earth Raw Ore, a substance whose price has soared to tens of thousands of Gold Coins per small pouch on the alchemy black market, is actually being used here to feed Huhuhu Beasts!? One must understand, once refined, this material becomes a treasure coveted by every Earth-elemental Battle God!”

However, unrefined Prime Earth Raw Ore appeared little different from common soil. Du Chen mused, ‘The City of Penance lacks alchemical raw materials; they cannot refine this raw ore. Perhaps that is why it is so disregarded here! Indeed, no matter how precious a treasure, if it cannot be refined, even if recognized, it is but waste!’

But the Central Atrium’s abundant production of Prime Earth Raw Ore greatly piqued Du Chen’s interest. He said, “Do you have anything else from near the Atrium? Bring it all for me to see.”

The servant swiftly brought more items.

A bowl of water from the Atrium—Du Chen immediately recognized it as Corrosive Water. Once refined into Dead Water, it became a treasure for Undead Battle Gods! “But how could water-elemental treasures coexist and grow in the same place as earth-elemental treasures? They are clearly mutually restrictive!”

There was also a fiery red stone and some very fine black powder. Du Chen exclaimed in his heart, “Heavens! It’s Firefall Stone and Stannic Gold Dust! These... these items from near the Central Atrium, how can they all be unrefined treasures!?”

Something was amiss! So many treasures of disparate elements could absolutely not originate from the same location at the same time!

What a peculiar Central Atrium! Yet, it remained the sole clue to their escape!

Du Chen urgently asked, “Are there any other peculiar characteristics of this Central Atrium?”

The servant gave a wry smile. “If you speak of peculiarities, then it must be the Atrium’s geyser eruptions. After every eruption, ill fortune inevitably befalls the City of Penance. Look!” He pointed to the Huhuhu Beasts. “Especially that massive eruption a little over ten days ago—heavens! After it, a strange odor permeated the air, and the Huhuhu Beasts died instantly upon smelling it. In just those few days, over two thousand three hundred of my Huhuhu Beasts perished!”

The servant shook his head, muttering, “If not for this, the Matriarch would never have married her own granddaughter to that Kursk bastard just to acquire Huhuhu Beasts! The outcome was... alas!”

“An odor can kill Huhuhu Beasts?”

“We don’t understand it either! The domesticated Huhuhu Beasts underground fared somewhat better! But we heard that the wild Huhuhu Beasts, many of them not only died but, being on the surface, rapidly decomposed, leaving no remains!” The servant spoke mournfully, ‘no remains’ meaning they couldn’t even be salvaged as ‘food’...

...

At this moment, Xue Ji walked reluctantly to Du Chen’s side, sighing repeatedly. “These little creatures are just too pitiful, alas!”

Du Chen consoled her, “There’s nothing for it. If they don’t eat Huhuhu Beasts, the residents here won’t survive...” After a moment, seeing Xue Ji’s expression remain bleak, Du Chen teased softly, “Perhaps we should secretly release all these Huhuhu Beasts?”

Xue Ji was startled for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. “No, that would be even crueler, even more abhorrent. My teacher was right... The Huhuhu Beasts’ place in the hierarchy of survival is to consume soft earth, and in turn, fill the Violet-Bloods’ bellies. As Battle Gods, we ought to be guardians and facilitators of natural order, not its disruptors!”

“Natural order? Hierarchy of survival?” Has someone in the Battle God World already conceptualized the food chain!? “And that person is the Old Hag Margaret!?” Du Chen’s heart stirred, and he asked curiously, “What precisely did your esteemed teacher say? Might you tell me?”

Xue Ji, her heart heavy, still forced a smile. “It is an insight into the Battle God’s Path. In truth, it wasn’t originally my teacher’s own words, but rather what His Majesty Eternal Divine Emperor Prince proclaimed during the Holy Alliance meeting in the Celestial Capital, as he exchanged experiences on the Battle God’s Path with the various deities. However, my teacher revered it as the ultimate truth of the Battle God’s Path and imparted it to me. It was precisely by comprehending the Divine Emperor’s legacy that I, Xue Ji, was able to comprehend my unique Secret Technique, ‘Moon Wheel Dance,’ at the tender age of thirteen...”

Du Chen suddenly realized that this girl, casually blurting out secrets, was adorably foolish!

And frankly, seeing the foolish girl speak with her head bowed, her bitter, unbearable expression made one want to take a bite out of her.

Just as Xue Ji was about to continue, Chek rushed over urgently, several of his subordinates behind him wearing grave expressions.

“Mr. Alex, please proceed immediately to my mother’s underground stronghold! The Kursk family has discovered that Heidi is still alive and has instantly caused trouble; your Eldest Brother is already engaging them!”

Du Chen touched his nose. “Xue Ji, we’ll discuss that ‘natural order’ later. For now, come with me to see what’s happening!” He turned and walked away, a cold sneer playing in his heart. The opportunity to shed their wolf’s hide had arrived, and the perfect moment to cooperate with the Brockman family was now upon them!

Chek led the way, with Du Chen and Xue Ji following him to the Brockman family’s main base. Along the way, Chek hastily recounted the course of events.

It turned out that Steve had just completed the final step of Heidi’s reconstructive surgery. Steve had claimed that everything went smoothly, but the grafted skin would integrate better and match the original facial complexion faster if exposed to more wind and frost. So, he had taken Heidi out of the underground stronghold, strolling around a secluded spot on the surface to ‘catch some sun.’

As luck, or rather ill-luck, would have it, the two were just wandering about, and Steve was congratulating himself on having drawn a few smiles from Heidi, when they were spotted by the Kursk family, who were at the Brockman family’s base for negotiations.

Du Chen, however, chuckled inwardly. ‘With Eldest Brother’s strength, would it truly be difficult to evade a few Seventh or Eighth-rank Battle Gods? It appears he deliberately allowed them to be discovered...’

‘Eldest Brother is creating an opportunity for me!’

On the ground level of the Brockman family’s main base, a dozen or so individuals were encircled. Their attire, naturally, consisted of purple or white Huhuhu Beast fur-spun robes. One of them was currently fighting Steve. Heidi stood with the Matriarch, and together with over a hundred Brockman family elites, they formed a tight cordon around the dozen individuals.

Du Chen glanced at Steve and his opponent, his earlier suspicion confirmed: Eldest Brother truly was doing this on purpose! Steve’s adversary was a burly man in his forties, with a cultivation around mid-Eighth-rank. Despite being someone Steve could easily swat aside, he was entangled in a seemingly even struggle.

Though few in number, the Kursk family members were utterly fearless. Their leader roared, “Madam Elizabeth, I shall repeat: Surrender Heidi, and we might still have a basis for negotiation!”

Elizabeth, the Matriarch, smiled benignly. “I may be old, but I am far from muddled. The allied forces of the nine southeastern families are already at our gates, totaling thirteen thousand strong! Yet, our two families combined can muster only two thousand one hundred combatants. At such a time, you require this old woman, and you *must* continue negotiations with me!”

Chek pointed to the Kursk leader. “His name is Hook, the Kursk family’s second-ranking Master, a fire-elemental Battle God at the peak of Eighth-rank! The young man Heidi castrated is his direct nephew!” He lowered his voice. “He is always domineering; be careful. Only my mother here can reliably defeat him. Whatever you do, don’t let him know that it was you who interrupted Saint Tru’s Dark Execution!”

Du Chen nodded in gratitude.

Chek then pointed to the man fighting Steve. “His name is...”

Du Chen smiled. “I don’t need to know his name!” He quickly walked to the Matriarch’s side, nodding with a faint smile. Xue Ji quietly followed behind Du Chen.