Chapter 1097: The Old Bear"s Revenge
Meng Chao felt that the soldiers sent by the Great Horn Army to lead the rat people out of the devil"s den must have been carefully selected and specially trained in their eloquence. They had carefully polished their stories countless times.
Only then could they speak so vividly and fascinatingly.
With just a few words, Round Bone Club had seemingly led everyone back to that soul-stirring night.
Everybody held their breath and stared at his mouth.
Knowing that he was safe and sound, they were still sweating because of the things he had gone through.
"At that time, a bloodthirsty lizard that looked like a mad dog suddenly darted out of the bushes and bit my calf. Its fangs pierced through my flesh, hanging its body, which weighed more than a hundred kilograms, on my leg."
Round Bone Club continued. "I watched as two ferocious lizard warriors walked toward me with hideous smiles on their faces while they carried large clubs that were covered in snake teeth.
"Their gazes didn"t land on my head, but on my knees.
"It looked like they didn"t want to kill me with the sticks. Instead, they wanted to break my knees and bring me back to the town to slowly cook me."
"Ah..."
In the crowd, some of the impatient rat people could not help but ask, "What happened after that? How did you escape the lizard warriors" pursuit?"
"After that, it was Old Bearskin who saved me!"
Round Bone Club grinned and pointed at a tall taciturn warrior. "Don"t just think that he doesn"t like to talk much. He has the ability to imitate the cries of totem beasts and attract totem beasts from afar.
"Old Bearskin joined the Great Horn Army a few years earlier than me. At that time, the Great Horn Army had sent him to the border of the Blood Hoof Clan and the Dark Moon Clan to look for someone like me, who was desperate but unwilling to wait for his death. He had also been full of anger toward his master, hence he became a new recruit of the Great Horn Army.
"He had seen the movements of a large group of lizard warriors at the foot of the mountain. He knew that they had to be chasing after the rebels and saboteurs, so he quietly followed the group from behind.
"Old Bearskin alone, of course, could not contend with a large group of lizard warriors. So, he used his own ability to cleverly attract a totem beast and crash into the lizard warriors" encirclement.
"The totem beast"s value and threat is obviously much greater than mine.
"For a moment, the lizard warriors were caught off guard by the totem beast, and they were thrown off their feet.
"Old Bearskin took the opportunity to sneak up and cut the neck of the bloodthirsty lizard that bit my calf, saving me."
"I see."
Everyone finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Someone was still not satisfied, and he continued to ask, "How did you escape the lizard warriors" pursuit later on?"
"It all depended on Old Bearskin!"
Round Bone Club said, "Old Bearskin is an experienced hunter. He is simply the embodiment of the forest. With just a sniff, he can point out all the streams, swamps, and caves of totem beasts in the entire forest.
"As everyone knows, we rat people are usually not allowed to go into the mountains to hunt, except for those who are gifted and specially act as guides for the clan warriors.
"Back in his hometown, Old Bearskin had been such a guide.
"However, a guide"s bowl of rice is also very unpalatable. It"s even more dangerous than cleaning the lizard cage, because in order to hunt even more brutal and powerful totem beasts, the clan warriors always ask the guide to go deeper into the forest.
"If they really encounter totem beasts, the clan warriors can still rely on their skilled combat skills and powerful totem armors to fight against the totem beasts.
"However, unarmed guides often had a slim chance of survival.
"The third generation of Old Bearskin"s family, together with his wife, were the best guides in their hometown. Their fame even spread to the nearby towns. Many clan warriors would venture into the mountains to hunt, and they would specifically be asked to lead the way.
"This year, the wealthy clan that ruled the local towns, the heir of the chief wanted to complete his coming of age ceremony in a glorious manner. He wanted to kill the strongest totem beast and give it to his father as a gift.
"And his father, the chief who was known for his brutality, also sent a large number of people to escort him.
"Such an elite team naturally needed the best guide.
"The Old Bearskin couple and their child, a family of three, were summoned by the hunting team, and they ventured into the depths of the forest shrouded in clouds.
"Unfortunately, the weather was not perfect. On the day they went up the mountain, the sky seemed to be pierced by the horn of a giant beast, and torrential rain poured down the entire day.
"The heavy rain triggered mountain torrents, making the forest, which was usually full of danger, even more unpredictable and violent.
"Even in the hunting team, many people were washed away by landslides. The remaining clan warriors became exhausted after running around for ten days to half a month, and their condition was extremely bad.
"At this time, the storm still had no intention of stopping. With the dark clouds, flashing lightning and rumbling thunder, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. The tempers and totem power of the clan warriors became extremely unstable. Some of them had just drawn their sabers when lightning struck near them.
"Logically speaking, such bad weather was not suitable for hunting at all. The safest arrangement was to withdraw from the forest and wait for the rain to clear up and the clouds to disperse before regrouping.
"Old Bearskin also suggested the same to the chief"s son.
"He told the chief"s son that in the depths of the forest, the torrential rain and lightning would greatly stimulate the ferocity of the totem beasts. As a result, that would raise the danger level of the totem beasts to several times higher than usual.
"Plus, their originally well-prepared and well-equipped team had also been blown to pieces because of the mountain flood.
"Right then, the people were tired and the horses were tired. It was really not suitable to advance recklessly. Otherwise, the roles of "hunter" and "prey" could change positions at any time, and it might even be possible for the entire team to be wiped out.
"Logically speaking, that was the experience of a senior hunter.
"However, the response he received was a merciless whip.
"The chief"s son yearned to be in the limelight during the coming of age ceremony. He had been wandering in the deep mountains and forests for ten days to half a month. How could he willingly return empty-handed and become a joke in the family?
"The chief"s son angrily rebuked Old Bearskin for being as cowardly and lowly as a rat. He didn"t even have the courage of a Turan warrior.
"The more "cowardly" Old Bearskin was, the more the chief"s son wanted to nurture his "courage." Thus, he forced the family of three to walk at the front of the group, insisting that they find the totem beast"s nest.
"In the end, after spending another three days and three nights, they actually found the totem beast"s nest.
"However, the totem beast that had been trapped in the storm for more than half a month was stimulated by the lightning and thunder in its body. It was indeed as Old Bearskin had guessed. Its ferocity and combat ability had soared by several times in contrast to the usual days.
"The hunting team that was exhausted, tired, and exhausted was simply no match for the totem beast that had gone berserk. Very soon, most were killed until the rest threw away their armor and fell to the ground.
"Before they saw the totem beast, they had been arrogant, declaring that they were brave, courageous, and sons of the Chief of Glory. However, at that moment, they were scared out of their wits, and they fled to the foot of the mountain with the few clan warriors without looking back.
"They ran away, but the three Old Bearskin family members could not escape. His wife and son were killed by the totem beast one after another. Even he himself was torn apart, and half of his skull was almost blown away.
"By the time Old Bearskin was awakened by the excruciating pain, he discovered that he was deep in a swamp. The mud had already submerged his shoulders, and it was almost over his mouth and nose.
"Fortunately, he was not discovered by the totem beast as well, and he was lucky enough to escape.
"After struggling out of the swamp with great difficulty, Old Bearskin wandered around for a long time, but only found his wife and son"s belongings.
"Old Bearskin was filled with grief and indignation.
"Although guiding and hunting are extremely dangerous occupations, and each time they go up the mountain, they are prepared to die at any moment...
"This was a disaster that could have been avoided. Yet, due to the willfulness of the chief"s son, his loved ones were killed.
"The chief"s son who caused this disaster, the guy who was full of "glory" and "courage," had even abandoned them and been the first to escape!
"Old Bearskin was so furious that he was determined to exact revenge.
"He knew that without a guide"s help, it would have been difficult for the chief"s son to escape the forest in such bad weather.
"Therefore, he endured the pain of being covered in wounds and chased after the traces left behind by the chief"s son in the forest.
"He suffered a lot along the way and became exhausted many times. He wanted to close his eyes and not wake up anymore.
"However, every time there was lightning and thunder, the phantoms of his wife and child would appear in front of his eyes and inject new energy into his body.
"Finally, after three days and three nights, Old Bearskin found his enemy in a cave deep in a col.
"Old Bearskin knew that with his own strength, it was impossible to defeat the chief"s son and the clan warriors who protected him.
"Spurred by anger and despair, Old Bearskin chose to imitate the sound of a totem beast seeking a mate. He let out the most mournful cry in the wilderness, attracting a ferocious totem beast to his front. Then, he led it and rushed into the cave where the chief"s son was hiding.
"The hungry totem beast really showed its might in the cave, killing the chief"s son and the others who were terrified and had lost their fighting spirit.
"Old Bearskin thought that he was doomed too and that he would be reunited with his wife and children soon.
"He didn"t expect that fate would play a big joke on him yet again. Just as the totem beast killed the chief"s son and the other clan warriors, the mountain flood burst forth and rushed into the col. It broke the cave and carried Old Bearskin down the foot of the mountain.
"He held a half-eaten tree and drifted with the current. When the rain pa.s.sed and the sky cleared, he found that he had miraculously survived and had even been rescued by someone. He was brought to a warm and st.u.r.dy camp made up of rat soldiers—it was the camp of the Great Horn Army."