Chapter 377: Impoliteness

Xu Sanyan groped his way forward, relying on his memory, as Dog Clan people hurried past him, heading down the mountain.

The distant chaos grew louder. Though only a few wild beasts had been drawn in, the darkness made it difficult to drive them away.

Xu Sanyan slowly approached a wooden hut ahead—the home of one of the clan elders.

The hut was simple but far better than Xun Ancai’s previous dwelling. At least it had walls, unlike her drafty pavilion.

An old man pushed open the wooden door, seemingly gazing into the distance. The darkness made it impossible for Xu Sanyan to see his features clearly; he could only discern a human-shaped silhouette. He couldn’t be certain if this was the clan elder, but he decided to kill first and ask questions later. If he killed the wrong person, well, that was just his bad luck.

With a mental command, a Divine Soul Spike materialized in the void and shot toward the old man.

“Ah!!”

An aged scream pierced the night. The voice confirmed it—this was undoubtedly one of the clan elders.

Xu Sanyan’s figure blurred as he surged forward, his right palm striking heavily against the old man’s throat.

Crack!

Hearing the crisp snap of bone, Xu Sanyan caught the old man by the arm and dragged him into the forest.

Woof!

A dog bark echoed from inside the house, followed by a four-headed dog bursting out and chasing after Xu Sanyan.

“What’s going on?”

A voice called out from the house, but Xu Sanyan had already vanished.

After a long while, the beasts that had attacked the tribe were either dead or had fled, and the Dog Clan regained its peace.

Deep within the dense forest beyond the mountains,

A figure crouched on the ground, tinkering with something. The faint sound of flesh being cut echoed through the trees.

Thwack!

A long blade sliced across a neck, blood gushing onto the ground. The old man’s severed head rolled aside, joining four others arranged neatly in a row.

The scene was horrifying, like a cannibalistic demon preparing its ingredients.

Xu Sanyan stood up, stripping off his bloodstained robe. He glanced down at the five headless corpses and grinned. “I told you not to meddle. See? Now you’re all dead.”

Beside the five corpses lay five Companion Dogs: three three-headed dogs and two four-headed dogs. Xu Sanyan casually disposed of them as well.

Since breaking through to the mid-stage of Soul Refinement, his soul power had become significantly more abundant, allowing him to use the Lu Clan’s Spirit Refining Force multiple times. Without this, he wouldn’t have been able to wipe out these old immortals so easily.

Even so, he had depleted over seventy percent of his soul power. Using any more divine soul techniques would likely damage his core essence.

The corpses could be left where they were; wild animals would soon help him erase the evidence.

“Stay put, everyone. I’ll be leaving now. No need to see me off,” Xu Sanyan said with a polite smile, turning to leave.

But the old bastards showed no manners, not even bothering to rise and bid him farewell.

When Xun Ancai returned to the cave, Xu Sanyan was already lying on the bed. The six-headed dog pressed close, sniffing him with a remarkably human-like expression of confusion. It detected a faint scent of blood.

Xun Ancai’s nostrils twitched as she caught the same scent. “You’re injured?”

“Mm, nothing serious,” Xu Sanyan replied, showing her his arm. A long, narrow wound oozed blood.

He had anticipated this and deliberately cut himself to create the injury.

The Dog Clan people had keen senses of smell, especially Companion Dogs, who were even more sensitive to odors. No matter how careful he was, Xu Sanyan couldn’t completely avoid the scent of blood clinging to him. So he simply cut himself.

Xun Ancai didn’t overthink it. She rushed forward, her heart aching, to bandage his wound. “You’ve suffered so much,” she murmured.

Xu Sanyan gazed at her tenderly, stroking her cheek. “It’s nothing. Seeing you makes it all worthwhile.”

But it wasn’t him who had suffered—it was the clan elders, now headless corpses.

The elders’ disappearance went unnoticed at first. With the recent chaos caused by wild beasts, everyone assumed they had gone to help. It wasn’t until they failed to return after a long time that someone finally raised the alarm.

“Chief, my father’s gone!” a voice cried from outside the cave.

Xun Ancai immediately rose. “Xun Jie is missing?”

Xun Jie was one of the clan elders.

“Yes. Could he have been killed by wild beasts?”

Xun Ancai frowned in thought. “I didn’t see your father earlier. I’ll take a search party to look for him.”

Xu Sanyan’s lips pressed into a thin line. Go ahead and search. If you’re quick enough, you might still find a few bones.

Xun Ancai turned back to him. “Stay here. I’ll go check things out.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Xu Sanyan urged, his voice filled with concern.

After Xun Ancai left, Xu Sanyan surveyed the cave. When the Old Clan Chief was alive, the cave had been filled with medicinal herbs and animal organs.

But now that Xun Ancai had become clan chief, she had no interest in those things. She had gathered them all and piled them in a corner, leaving the wooden table completely bare.

The dried meat hanging on the wall emitted a strange odor, and the cave’s poor ventilation trapped the pungent smell, creating a lingering, unpleasant atmosphere.

Soon, Xun Ancai returned.

“Did you find him?” Xu Sanyan asked anxiously, his concern evident.

Xun Ancai glanced at Xu Sanyan, shook her head with a strange expression. “No, I didn’t. He might have been killed by a wild animal. But what’s even stranger is that all five clan elders have disappeared too…”

Though Xun Ancai had once been somewhat naive, she was far from foolish. Since becoming clan chief, she had been forced to think more deeply, her mind growing sharper with use.

Her broadened perspective had also changed the way she approached problems, allowing her to see things more clearly.

She knew the five clan elders harbored resentment toward Xu Sanyan. They, along with Xun Shitou, had repeatedly warned her to be wary of him.

Moreover, Xun Shitou had recently died. Though Xu Sanyan wasn’t to blame—Xun Shitou had brought it upon himself—the fact remained that he was dead.

Now that the five clan elders had also disappeared, it seemed anyone who opposed him met a grim fate.

The coincidence was too glaring. Xun Ancai couldn’t help but suspect Xu Sanyan’s involvement.

Xu Sanyan wore a sorrowful expression and sighed heavily, his voice low. “It’s such a pity… They were so knowledgeable. Their sudden disappearance is a great loss to the Dog Clan.”

Though Xun Ancai’s eyes held sorrow, she refrained from voicing her suspicions, instead changing the subject. “Once your injuries heal, I’ll take you to pray for blessings.”

“Mm.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Sanyan spoke. “The Old Clan Chief promised me these four blessings, and they’re rightfully mine. If I need more blessings, I’ll trade you for them—weapons, armor, or other supplies.”

The Dog Clan lacked food, but obtaining it was effortless for him. With a single command, others would prepare it for him.

He hadn’t mentioned this earlier for two reasons. First, he wanted to reserve food as a valuable bargaining chip for higher-level blessings. As the number of blessings increased, the Dog Clan’s resource consumption would also rise, requiring greater leverage for exchanges. Food was the perfect currency.

Second, he had simply forgotten about it until now.

(End of the Chapter)