Chapter 18: Beast Raid

Snotty Hongtao and Fatty Cunzhi had long disliked Su Hao. His small stature and clever demeanor annoyed them immensely. And to top it off, Qingqing had invited Su Hao to play with them several times, but he had dared to refuse every time—an unforgivable insult. If Qingqing hadn't stopped them, they would have beaten him up long ago. Now, with Qingqing's order, the two of them, like hungry wolves spotting prey, rushed at Su Hao with gleaming eyes.

Su Hao saw them charging and remained calm. With a quick sidestep to the right, he easily dodged Snotty's bear hug. Then, shifting his body to the side, he avoided Fatty and flicked his foot out. Fatty tripped over his foot and fell face-first into the dirt, his heavy weight sending up a cloud of dust. He lay there groaning, unable to get up.

Snotty turned to see what had happened and was instantly enraged. He reached out to grab Su Hao, but just as he was about to seize his arm, Su Hao deftly swept both hands outward, knocking Snotty Hongtao's hands away with surprising force. Before Snotty could react, Su Hao had already leaped into the air and punched him squarely in the nose.

"Ahhh!"

A miserable scream followed as Snotty Hongtao clutched his bleeding nose and squatted down in pain.

Su Hao, having landed a clean hit, suddenly felt something sticky on his right fist. He raised his hand to inspect it and immediately broke out in goosebumps.

"Of all the places I could've hit, why did I have to punch his nose..."

Disgusted, Su Hao quickly ran behind Snotty Hongtao and wiped his hand clean on Hongtao's clothes while he was still in too much pain to notice.

By this point, Qingqing stood there, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that in just a few moves, Su Hao had easily taken down both Snotty and Fatty, who were much bigger than him. These were her two most dependable lackeys!

Realizing that it was time for her to take matters into her own hands and restore her authority, Qingqing stepped forward with determination. She was going to defeat Su Hao herself and reaffirm her status as the boss.

"Xiangwu, don't get cocky. Take this!"

With that, Qingqing tossed her hair and charged at Su Hao, her small fists clenched.

Su Hao dodged her with a quick sidestep, resisting the urge to kick her. Instead, he simply pushed her from behind, sending her tumbling face-first into the dirt, just like Fatty before her. She ended up with a mouthful of soil.

"Don't think I'll go easy just because you're a girl. If you keep bothering me, I'll beat you all until you cry," Su Hao declared loudly, finally standing up for himself after being hounded for so long.

Qingqing looked up with tear-filled eyes, clearly on the verge of crying. "Xiangwu, you bully!"

"Bully?!" Su Hao said, exaggerating his response. "You're the ones who gang up on me and try to bully me! I've said it before—I just want to be left alone in peace. Stop bothering me. I don't have time to play your childish games."

"Hmph! I'm never speaking to you again!" Qingqing stood up, stomped her foot, and ran off. Once she was far enough away, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore and began to cry.

Her two lackeys quickly followed.

Before leaving, Fatty threw back a threat: "Xiangwu, you just wait!"

Snotty, still holding his nose, echoed in a nasal voice, "Yeah, just wait!"

Su Hao raised his fist and shouted, "Get out of here, or I'll make you all cry for real!"

Once the three little troublemakers were out of sight, Su Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. After more than a year, he had finally rid himself of their constant harassment. Qingqing was always pestering him, demanding that he play with her, and when he refused, she would resort to threats of violence. It was tiresome.

Su Hao understood what Qingqing really wanted—she just wanted to make him one of her obedient followers, like Snotty and Fatty. But Su Hao had no interest in playing these games. Surviving to adulthood in this lifetime was already a challenge, and he didn't know when a disaster might strike. Without the ability to protect himself, even a minor accident could end his life.

....

Over a year passed. Snowflakes fell from the sky, covering the Chashan Outpost in a thick blanket of white, transforming the landscape into a sea of pure whiteness.

Su Hao was now five years old, bundled tightly in a thick coat. Even through the layers, it was clear that he was no ordinary five-year-old. His sturdy build made him look like a young bull.

Throughout the year, Qingqing and her gang of little followers had challenged Su Hao several times, only to be defeated each time. They eventually had to admit that they were no match for the boy, even though he was a head shorter than them.

On this particular day, the three of them, wrapped up like round snowballs in their thick winter clothes, gathered once more.

"Big Sister, are we really going to challenge that jerk Xiangwu again today?" one of the lackeys asked.

"Of course! This time, my dad taught me a new move, the 'Reverse Hand Strike.' With it, I'll definitely defeat Xiangwu."

Fatty hesitated. "Big Sister, can we really beat him? He's gotten so much stronger—I can't even touch him anymore."

"Stop doubting me! I said we can beat him, so we'll beat him. Do you trust me?" Qingqing asked sternly.

"Yes!" both lackeys responded in unison.

"Good. Now listen closely—I've got a plan." Qingqing waved them closer, and the three of them huddled together.

"Here's what we'll do… This time, we'll definitely take him down."

"Brilliant idea, Big Sister!" they chorused, eyes gleaming.

....

At the Chashan Outpost, snow had already piled up thickly on the walls, and the only light came from a flickering flame inside one of the watchtowers.

Suddenly, a burly warrior in a fur coat jumped up, shaking off the snow that had settled on him. He rushed into the sheltered outpost and shook his companion awake. "Old Li, wake up! Something's happening!"

Old Li woke with a start and immediately looked outside. In the distance, he saw a large group of small gray figures moving quickly through the snow, heading straight for the outpost. Judging by their speed, they would be here very soon.

"It's a pack of green-eyed coyotes! There must be at least a hundred of them. They're probably desperate from the cold winter and are risking an attack on our village for food," Old Li immediately recognized the creatures and grabbed his sword and shield. He turned to the warrior who had woken him. "Lu Gao, ring the alarm bell and make a round of the village. Tell everyone to lock their doors and keep the women and children inside."

"Got it!" Lu Gao sprinted off immediately.

Old Li watched the approaching coyote pack, quickly wrapping a cloth around his hand and sword, securing them together. He tested the sword with a few practice swings, satisfied with the result, then grinned grimly. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight. Let's warm up before the others get here, eh?"

With that, Old Li grabbed his shield and leapt down from the high wall into the snow below.

"Clang∼! Clang∼! Clang∼!"

Soon, the sound of the alarm bell echoed through the village.

He Jianyong's eyes snapped open. He leapt to his feet, grabbed the large sword from his wall, and rushed out the door, shouting as he ran, "Beasts are attacking! Women and children, hide! Warriors, to the walls!"

Wu Yuntian, meanwhile, had been puzzling over Su Hao's idea of [Blood Qi Enhancement Wave] when the alarm bell rang. He immediately grabbed his sword and shield and rushed outside, but before he could run toward the village wall, he stopped, scanning the area for Su Hao.

"Where did Xiangwu go?" After searching briefly and finding no sign of his son, Wu Yuntian put his worries aside and headed toward the wall. He was confident that as long as they kept the beasts outside the village, everyone inside would be safe.

But where was Su Hao right now?