Chapter 90

The entire village gathered together, each person holding a spear, their faces tense as they stared intently ahead.

In front of them was a small wolf, no more than three feet long, which looked like an ordinary stray dog, except for the fierce aura it emitted, making people shudder.

Especially its eyes, filled with a cold, bloodthirsty gaze, which made these hunters, who had long been battling monsters, extremely nervous, as if this little creature was more terrifying than any ordinary monster.

Originally, everyone was resting, but suddenly, the children in the courtyard let out a terrified scream, drawing everyone's attention.

When they saw the small wolf, they were all startled. Their walls were covered with poisonous thorns, which monsters naturally feared and would not dare to breach.

But this monster had actually broken through, immediately putting everyone on high alert. They all grabbed their weapons and rushed towards the monster.

"Stop!"

A voice rang out, and a figure, like a whirlwind, scooped up the ferocious monster in its arms.

That person was Long Chen. He could hardly believe his eyes; the monster was actually Xiao Xue.

Xiao Xue had grown a lot, but her once snow-white fur was now covered in mud and blood.

Her body was riddled with dozens of wounds, some still bleeding, and in some places, the bones were visible, a terrifying sight.

"Whine..."

Seeing Long Chen, the ferocity in Xiao Xue's eyes vanished, replaced by warmth and affection. She rubbed her head against Long Chen's face.

When the villagers saw Long Chen suddenly hug an extremely dangerous monster, they were all terrified.

After all, it was a monster, inherently violent. Even a young monster was more powerful than an ordinary beast.

But the monster's behavior left everyone speechless. This was clearly not a monster but a puppy that had found its owner.

"Xiao Xue, you've suffered so much."

Long Chen, seeing the wounds on Xiao Xue's body, felt a lump in his throat.

When Long Chen had lured away Ying Hou, he didn't know if it was Ah Man who had forgotten about Xiao Xue or if Xiao Xue had sneaked out on her own. She had followed him using her wolf's keen sense of smell.

The journey had been long and perilous, filled with countless dangers. Xiao Xue had clearly faced many life-threatening situations.

Originally only a foot long, she had grown to over three feet, clearly having hunted and survived on her own, forcing herself to grow stronger.

"Whine..."

Xiao Xue nudged Long Chen with her head, trying to comfort him. Although she couldn't speak, Long Chen's soul was connected to hers, allowing him to understand her.

This made Long Chen feel even more guilty. He picked up Xiao Xue, greeted the villagers, and told them she was his pet, which finally put them at ease.

Long Chen carried Xiao Xue into the house and carefully examined her wounds. Some were bite marks from other beasts.

One of her legs was swollen and had a foul smell of rotting flesh. Long Chen noticed two small blood holes, likely from a venomous snake's fangs. Thanks to Xiao Xue's strong constitution, she had managed to resist the poison, which would have killed any other beast.

Long Chen asked Xiao Hua to bring a basin of water and placed a pill in it. After the pill dissolved, he began cleaning Xiao Xue's wounds.

Xiao Xue had so many wounds, many of which were already infected, and part of her leg was rotten and needed to be cut off.

Watching Long Chen clean Xiao Xue's wounds, Xiao Hua felt her scalp tingle, especially when Long Chen used a knife to cut away the rotten flesh.

Xiao Xue's head was pressed against Long Chen's neck. If she opened her mouth, she could have bitten his neck off.

But whether cleaning the wounds or cutting the flesh, Xiao Xue remained silent, even though her body trembled from the pain.

After half an hour, Long Chen applied ointment to Xiao Xue's wounds and bandaged them. Xiao Hua, who had been watching, was almost exhausted.

Seeing Xiao Hua's relieved expression, Long Chen smiled and placed Xiao Xue on the bed, gently stroking her head.

"She is my companion, you don't need to worry."

Xiao Hua, watching Xiao Xue sleep peacefully in Long Chen's arms, shook her head. "You really scared me. I didn't know humans could be friends with monsters."

Long Chen smiled. "Sometimes, humans are more terrifying than monsters. Otherwise, your ancestors wouldn't have brought you here.

When monsters attack, there are usually signs, allowing you to prepare. But when humans attack, you can't defend yourself. By the time you sense the danger, it's too late.

So your ancestors were very wise, knowing that visible dangers are not as dangerous as the unseen ones."

Xiao Hua was confused by Long Chen's words, clearly not understanding his meaning, but she was pleased by his praise of her ancestors.

"I hope our future children will be as smart and brave as you. Then I'll be the most accomplished person in the village," Xiao Hua said excitedly.

Long Chen's face stiffened, but seeing Xiao Hua's innocent face, he felt a bitter smile. He guessed this girl didn't know that having children was a very complex and difficult process.

Xiao Hua was like a child, and although Long Chen liked her, he couldn't develop romantic feelings for her.

He had to think of a way to leave the village secretly, even though it would make Xiao Hua sad. But it was necessary.

Before leaving, Long Chen had to take care of everything. First, he needed to repay the Forest God's favor and tell Xiao Hua how to use the gold coins.

There were over a million gold coins, and he had to tell her to use them carefully to avoid drawing attention.

With the spatial ring, they could buy enough food and supplies to last the village a year.

Xiao Xue's arrival made the villagers nervous. It was the first time in hundreds of years that a monster had lived in their village.

The next morning, when Xiao Xue came out looking lively, the villagers were tense again. But Xiao Xue obediently followed Long Chen, ignoring everyone, and was very well-behaved.

The villagers finally relaxed, and some children, out of curiosity, ignored their parents' warnings and approached Xiao Xue.

Xiao Xue ignored them at first, but when the children got within a few feet, she suddenly looked at them.

That one look was enough to scare the children, who thought she was about to attack and ran away screaming for help.

One child, in a panic, tripped and fell, sitting on the ground and crying loudly, wetting his pants.

The adults had been watching, and seeing Long Chen smiling and doing nothing, they trusted him and didn't say anything.

When they saw Xiao Xue just glare at the children, scaring them into crying, they couldn't help but laugh.

The village's first monster resident was a curiosity for both children and adults.

"Long Chen, what kind of monster is this?" the villagers asked, clearly not recognizing Xiao Xue.

"Red Flame Snow Wolf, a third-stage monster when fully grown," Long Chen replied.

"Third... third-stage?"

The villagers were stunned, their mouths wide open.

They had only heard of second-stage monsters from the elders, who said that over a hundred years ago, their ancestors had encountered one while hunting.

At the time, out of thirty hunters, only a dozen returned, the rest having died, causing the village great loss.

Since then, they had never crossed that mountain pass and strictly forbade anyone from doing so.

When the Forest God promised a second-stage monster, the villagers immediately thought of that monster that had caused them such loss.

Everyone's faces had turned grim, but Xiao Hua insisted on saving Long Chen, saying that once he recovered, he could help them kill the second-stage monster.

Clearly, the second-stage monster had become a nightmare for the villagers. Now, seeing this little wolf, which was even more terrifying, they were shocked.

After lunch, the villagers gathered, and Long Chen asked the elder, "Village Chief, where can I find a second-stage monster?"

The elder's face changed. "You want to..."

"Yes, I want to hunt a second-stage monster to repay the Forest God's favor. Being in debt is uncomfortable," Long Chen nodded.

The villagers were startled, but Long Chen noticed that many were excited and eager to try.

"Child, there is indeed a known second-stage monster, but it's very difficult to deal with," the elder said hesitantly.

"Village Chief, don't worry. I'm fully recovered, and I should be able to handle a second-stage monster," Long Chen smiled.

Long Chen was being modest. Even before reaching the Blood Condensation Realm, he could handle an ordinary second-stage monster.

Now, having just entered the Blood Condensation Realm, his blood was purifying itself, and his strength was increasing with each breath.

Long Chen wanted to find a second-stage monster to test his current strength and his Wind Departure technique.

Seeing Long Chen's confidence, the elder gritted his teeth. "Alright, gather all the village's bravest warriors, bring the best equipment, and we'll slay that beast to avenge our ancestors."

"Alright."

The hunters cheered, returning to their homes to retrieve their weapons and prepare.

Seeing the enthusiasm, Long Chen understood something.

"Village Chief, this is a small matter. There's no need to trouble everyone. Just tell me where it is, and I'll handle it alone," Long Chen said softly.

"What?"