Volume 3: Rising Fame Chapter 94: Meeting an Old Acquaintance Again

Landing in a picturesque place with clear streams and lush mountains, Li Yu watched Wen Xiangxuan lead Wen Yongsi down to the creek to catch fish, while Xing Chengping took some people into the forest to gather dry branches.

He and Can Yishuang found an open spot by the stream.

"This place is nice, perfect for a picnic!" Li Yu nodded with satisfaction.

Looking around, a clear stream trickled on one side, and across it lay a lush, verdant forest. On this side, there was a grassy expanse of several hundred square meters, with dense yet short grass standing only about a foot high.

A few exotic beasts roamed this meadow. Resembling oxen, every single one of them was exceptionally robust, with muscles bulging like hard rocks, visible even beneath their thick, long coats.

"Wow, these look delicious!"

Spotting a beast that seemed to be the leader of the herd—taller than the rest by a full two heads and possessing muscles as tough as steel and iron—Li Yu murmured, "This one looks like it has a great chewy texture!"

At the thought, he flicked a finger, and a bloody hole instantly appeared on the head of the lead beast, from which a steady stream of mixed white and red fluid oozed out.

"Done!" Li Yu landed on the carcass of the alpha beast and nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was pondering which cut to select, he suddenly heard a burst of frantic bovine bellowing.

"Moo! Moo!"

The previously quiet herd let out deep roars.

While these grazing beasts hadn't reacted when their leader fell to the ground, once they saw a small creature land on top of their towering leader—who remained completely motionless—they understood that something was terribly wrong!

The first ox-beast broke into a trot, followed by the second, then the third, until finally, every single beast in the herd was charging forward.

Their hoofbeats converged, producing a dull, thunderous rumbling sound!

"Boom!"

With a lift of his hand, Li Yu blocked a beast that had lowered its head to charge at him, a slight frown forming on his face.

Scanning the area, he realized none of the ox-beasts had chosen to flee. Instead, following their leader's death, they had launched a fierce, retaliatory charge against him!

"That shouldn't happen. If a leader of such herbivorous beasts is decisively killed, shouldn't the herd scatter like birds and beasts?"

Muttering to himself, Li Yu raised a hand and flipped an ox-beast that had reared up to kick him straight onto its back. "Don't ruin my ingredients!"

Naturally, these beasts understood nothing of his words, so they intensified their coordinated attacks against him.

"Damn it, you guys asked for it!" Li Yu shouted angrily, expanding his spiritual domain to push the charging beasts away. He then turned, grabbed the dead alpha ox, and shot straight up into the sky.

"Taking a life is a sin, unless it ends up in the pot!"

Looking down at the herd still closely following below, Li Yu wore a helpless expression.

Slaughtering an entire herd just to eat a single ox was beyond what he was willing to do. Yet these oxen had locked onto him with single-minded obsession—even Wen Xiangxuan, who had come running over upon hearing the commotion, stood completely ignored right beside the herd.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The gathered herd stampeded forward, the sound of their hooves resembling rolling thunder.

Clutching the carcass of the alpha ox, Li Yu soared into the distance. Glancing back at Wen Xiangxuan, who was attempting to follow, he shouted, "Go back and grill the fish first! I'll be back as soon as I shake these guys off!"

"..."

Speechless, Wen Xiangxuan watched the departing figure and the trailing herd. With a resigned sigh, she turned back and descended. By the creek already lay a dozen fish she had caught. As for Wen Yongsi... his current score stood proudly at '0'!

"The young master certainly loves to eat," Wen Xiangxuan muttered helplessly.

Far above, Li Yu hovered high in the air. The bellowing ox-beasts below had already dwindled to less than half their original number; after all, one party was flying while the other ran, and many had lost their way in the dense forest maze...

"Looks like a little more running will shake them off completely!" Li Yu muttered, a flicker of realization suddenly dawning in his eyes.

He remembered!

His eyes, previously clouded by culinary obsession, had now regained their piercing clarity!

Transitioning from his initial assessment of "can I eat this?" to "what species is this?", Li Yu felt his intelligence return in full force.

"These brawny-armed oxen are just as the records describe: single-minded, fearless of death, and willing to stomp on anything that threatens them, even if it means dying a glorious death!"

Flying along, Li Yu observed the herd below.

These oxen were suffering purely due to their tier; had they been a flying species, he might never have shaken them off today!

The alpha brawny-armed ox possessed mid-stage tier-six strength, while the ordinary adult members of the herd were at early-stage tier-seven. However, thanks to their innate racial talents, these ordinary adults could rival many mid-stage tier-seven standard exotic beasts.

That explained why they could pursue him across such distances... They were simple-minded yet possessed genuine strength, making ordinary beasts far too lazy to bother with them.

Gradually, the thunderous roar of the stampeding herd faded into scattered, sporadic hoofbeats. Looking down, Li Yu flashed a cunning smile—only three brawny-armed oxen were still following him!

"Time to head back!"

Swiveling his body, Li Yu prepared to loop around and retrace his path, a maneuver that would shake off the final few trailers.

However, shortly after making the turn, his brow furrowed as he looked down.

Below, several people had raised their heads, blinking in surprise as they stared back up at him.

"Could this be fortune smiling after adversity?!"

Flashing a row of white teeth, Li Yu looked down at the people below and said softly, "My points, don't even think about running!"

The six people below, upon seeing someone flying overhead, had been silently praying for him to fly past quickly. Unfortunately, it seemed their prayers had backfired; instead, the figure had stopped mid-air and locked eyes with them...

"Run!"

One of them barked the order, and the others, as if they had rehearsed it dozens of times, scattered in all directions.

Anyone capable of flight was at least tier five—dealing with the likes of them would be effortless. Every single one of them harbored a single desperate prayer: chase someone else, not me!

Sadly, this prayer was answered only halfheartedly... Everyone suddenly felt as though an immense mountain had been pressed down upon their hearts, their bodies turning sluggish and refusing to obey their commands.

Li Yu descended slowly into their midst, withdrawing his spiritual pressure and domain with a calm demeanor. "No need to run, I'm not a cannibal. Come over here obediently!"

At these words, bitter smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Even without witnessing the terrifying display of power just moments ago, at this distance, not even two of them stood a chance of escaping. Since no one could guarantee they would be the lucky survivor, they had no choice but to comply honestly.

"It's you?" Li Yu paused in surprise as he spotted a familiar face among the group.

Tu Manxiang was equally startled. She had never expected the newcomer to be the very youth who had abandoned her back in the cave. Joy instantly flooded her face, though she maintained an expression of utmost respect as she said, "Young master."

A wave of relief washed over her. Out of anyone here, this youth, at least, was unlikely to slaughter them outright.

"How are you still at the mid-stage tier-six? You haven't made any progress at all!"