Chapter 15

"Leader Tigerhead, are you down there?" The voice of Dafeng echoed, causing Lu Qi, who was standing in the Bear Power Stance to recover his strength, to curl his lips slightly, thinking to himself, "This Dafeng still has some discernment; it’s not in vain that I spared his life and saved him!"

Lu Qi raised his head and called out, "I’m here, be careful not to fall, it’s over ten zhang high here!"

"That’s great, Leader Tigerhead, are you hurt?" Dasun’s voice was somewhat urgent, after all, a fall from over ten zhang high would surely cause injury.

Just as Lu Qi was about to answer, he had a sudden thought, "My hands and legs are injured, but not seriously. The big brown bear, however, fell to its death. Lower the rope first, and get it up here."

"That big guy fell to its death? That’s great!" Dafeng’s voice came down, "Quick, everyone tie the ropes together, make two, and make them sturdy..."

Soon, two firmly connected ropes were lowered. Lu Qi quickly tied the bear’s body, knowing that there were ten people above, all the strongest hunters, and although a two-thousand-pound object was a bit strenuous, it wasn’t a big problem.

After the bear’s body was successfully dragged out, there was a long silence above, making Lu Qi’s eyebrows twitch: "Are these guys planning to leave me behind? It’s not impossible, after all, at least five out of the ten people could have this motive, and they are all relatively influential!"

Lu Qi wasn’t worried about this situation. As long as his hands recovered a bit, with so many tree roots, a ten-zhang distance was just a child’s play.

However, it seemed Lu Qi had misjudged. After a while, the two ropes were thrown down again, and Dafeng’s voice echoed, "Leader Tigerhead, you’re injured, right? Tie yourself up carefully, and we’ll pull you up!"

Lu Qi lightly pinched his nose, then tied the two ropes to the two handles of the bronze furnace, securing them tightly. He stood on the edge of the furnace, holding the ropes with both hands, and then notified them to pull.

The ropes tightened, and with the bronze furnace humming, the clearly disheveled Lu Qi slowly rose, but he was always prepared. If anything went wrong, he could act immediately, as there were several tree roots nearby, so he wouldn’t fall to his death.

It seemed Lu Qi had misjudged again. He was successfully pulled to the ground and, with Dafeng’s support, walked to the side. Yes, since Lu Qi said his legs were injured, he had to act the part.

But just as Dafeng was helping Lu Qi out of the willow tree cave, danger arose. A knife wind whistled, and Lu Qi pushed Dafeng away, rolling to avoid a knife strike from behind.

Dafeng, who was pushed away, picked up a spear and stood in front of the fallen Lu Qi, glaring at Dalin, who held a decapitation knife, "Are you crazy? You almost killed Leader Tigerhead!"

"I’m killing this kid!" Dalin’s eyes were bloodshot, "When Anze was the head, he was always polite to me. Who does he think he is, ordering me around and planning to settle accounts with us in the fall?"

"Dalin, what are you doing!" Dasun’s voice rose sharply, and he also sprang up, ready to snatch the decapitation knife from Dalin.

Dalin was very alert, dodged, and pointed at Dasun, "Dasun, don’t forget, we still have charges on our heads. Once we return to the village, he will settle accounts with us."

"Settling accounts, that’s our own fault!" As Dasun spoke angrily, he noticed that the other two squad leaders had also joined Dalin, and he was stunned, "You too..."

"Dasun, I don’t want to go back and get whipped or beaten to death!" One squad leader replied, and the other added, "Dalin is right, let’s kill him while he’s injured!"

Dalin grinned viciously, "Exactly, killing him now is effortless, and we can just say the bear killed him. We can discuss it among the five of us and choose one as the new head. As long as this person can guarantee first-class rations and extra rewards for the other nine of us, it’s fine."

Dalin’s words made the other five hunters, who were of lower status, look at each other and then at the powerless Lu Qi, and they wisely stood behind Dalin and the two squad leaders.

When Dasun looked over helplessly, Dafeng gritted his teeth, "Dalin, wake up, this will expose us, and Dakan will suspect us!"

"Then kill him too!" Dalin said fiercely, "Dafeng, you need to wake up. Do you really think Tigerhead will let you go? You suggested his mother become a birth mother. Anze and Dagu are dead, and you are Anze’s confidant. Do you think he will let you off? He just hasn’t found a good reason yet..."

Dafeng was speechless. He looked back at Lu Qi and saw that he was looking at him with bright eyes. Dafeng suddenly bit his teeth and made a decision that he would always consider the right one: "No... If he wanted to kill me, he could have let the bear kill me earlier. Dalin, I can’t let you kill him!"

Feeling Dafeng’s seeking gaze, Dasun hesitated for a moment but then mustered the courage to stand beside Dafeng, looking at Dalin, "Dalin, you’re wrong. Leader Tigerhead is a capable person. He killed Anze at a young age and knows how to get water in the forest. I heard from Old Xitu that the spear was also his idea... With him, our lives in the Northwest Household will be much better..."

"Shut up!" Dalin’s eyes glinted more fiercely, "There’s no turning back once the arrow is released. Will he let us go?"

Licking his lips, Dafeng quickly looked at Lu Qi, as if wanting him to speak. Lu Qi also spoke at the right moment, "Dalin, if you put down your weapons now and calm down, I guarantee no past grievances!"

"Bullshit!" Dalin sneered, "Tigerhead, you’re just afraid of dying. Once you recover, we won’t stand a chance."

The squad leader beside him added, "Exactly, Dalin, why so much talk? Kill him, and good times will come. If Dakan brings people over, it will be trouble!"

"Am I afraid of dying? Dafeng, Dasun, stand back, I want to see who can kill me!" As Lu Qi spoke, he sat up slightly, looking somewhat forced.

Dafeng and Dasun almost simultaneously licked their dry lips, looking anxiously at Lu Qi, "Leader Tigerhead, this..."

"I have a plan, stand back. They are determined to kill me, and you will only die if you block them!" Lu Qi narrowed his eyes. Facing eight people, relying on just Dafeng and Dasun was suicidal.

"This is your own death wish!" Dalin’s smile grew wider. In fact, he was a bit worried about fighting Dafeng and Dasun, as if he didn’t kill them here, his plot would be exposed, and Xitu would likely kill him first.

Lu Qi suddenly stood up, his aura like a lion or a tiger, "I’m seeking death?"

Not only were Dalin and the others startled, but even Dafeng and Dasun were shocked. Lu Qi’s presence was almost as formidable as the bear’s.

"Your legs..." Dalin’s body trembled, staring at Lu Qi’s legs. Sitting up from a seated position without a limp was not something a seriously injured leg could do.

Ignoring Dalin, Lu Qi coldly looked at the others, "Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. Drop your weapons now, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise..."

"Don’t be scared, he’s faking it. If his legs were fine, he would have attacked already!" Dalin knew there was no turning back and roared, "Kill him, and good times will come!"

Spurred by Dalin’s roar, the two squad leaders, confident in their strength, also grew bold, thrusting their spears at Lu Qi. With their assistance, Dalin’s decapitation knife aimed at Lu Qi’s face.

Lu Qi moved, lightly stepping, and spinning to the right. His left arm was injured but not useless. He grabbed the spear of the squad leader on Dalin’s right, raised it, and blocked Dalin’s redirected strike. As he continued to spin, he thrust his right hand, piercing the squad leader’s neck.

Then, pressing the convulsing body of the squad leader, Lu Qi leaped, and the blood-soaked spear stabbed into Dalin’s back. He spun again, kicking the neck of the other squad leader who had just turned his head.

In the blink of an eye, Dalin and the two squad leaders each managed only one attack before being killed by Lu Qi, cleanly and decisively. Even the squad leader who was only kicked once died from a broken neck.

Dalin struggled slightly but was impaled by the three-edged wooden spear for three inches, leaving no chance of survival. This scene shocked Dafeng and Dasun, and they were relieved they had chosen the right side.

The other five hunters were also stunned, dropping their spears, just like when they saw Anze die at Lu Qi’s hands. This time, they felt a new emotion: fear.

Thud, one of them knelt first, and soon all five were kneeling in a row, "Leader Tigerhead, spare our lives!"

"You didn’t attack, so I’ll consider it a mistake. If I kill you all, who will drag the bear?" Lu Qi’s calm words relieved the five, who immediately bowed in gratitude.

By making an example, Lu Qi had achieved his goal and wouldn’t punish these fence-sitters. He didn’t expect everyone to be loyal; he just wanted respect, which would ensure his parents’ safety.

Picking up the decapitation knife, Lu Qi looked at Dafeng and Dasun. As their pupils contracted, he lightly pinched his nose, "You two... well done. Dafeng, Dasun, all past grievances are forgiven. As long as you remain loyal, I’ll ensure you have a good life!"

Dafeng and Dasun were overjoyed. They knew that from this moment on, they were truly labeled as the new leader’s men, and their lives in the Northwest Household would be better than those of ordinary slaves.

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