Chapter 22: The Pegasus Caravan

The next day, Liu Weian continued drawing talismans. His success rate improved slightly—he crafted 21 enchanted arrows, of which 15 were successful.

When he left Stone City, he saw three familiar figures at the gate—Black Ox, Yellow Ox, and Stone Ox.

"You guys are already online this early?"Liu Weian was both surprised and delighted.

Their faces were still pale and they looked somewhat weak, but the sight of Liu Weian instantly lifted their spirits.

"Sorry, Brother Liu," Black Ox apologized with a guilty expression. "We've been offline for twenty days. Must've held up your business."

Liu Weian waved it off, saying it was nothing. As it turned out, they had been killed the day before and had just completed their 19-day cooldown. With more than half a month without any income, they couldn't hold back and decided to log in again. Luckily, they were able to. Their biggest worry had been that Liu Weian might have replaced them, but the moment they saw him, they knew they'd been overthinking it.

Technically speaking, their deaths were collateral damage from working with Liu Weian. Liu Weian had wanted to compensate them, but they flatly refused. In their view, the bandits who had killed them were unreasonable by nature. Whether or not they were working for Liu Weian that day, they would've been targeted the moment they logged in. It wasn't about blame—it was just the world they were living in.

Good things always boost morale. That morning, Liu Weian had a streak of incredible luck. He shot down more than fifty Rotten Corpses, over three hundred Shamblers, and fifteen Zombies. From the loot, he obtained a piece of Bronze equipment, a piece of Black Iron gear, and a trap skill scroll. This was the first time since entering World of Beasts that he'd hit the jackpot thrice in one go—and even scored a Bronze item. He couldn't stop smiling.

The Bronze item was a short sword, sharp enough to slice through iron like tofu. Faint bluish light shimmered along its blade—just looking at it made his eyes sting. It was beautifully crafted and light as a feather—light enough even for a girl to wield with ease.

The Black Iron piece was a wristguard, gleaming with a dark luster. It was equally light and intricately designed, exuding an aura of unbreakable toughness. Liu Weian was tempted to strike it with the short sword to see which would win—sharpness or resilience—but in the end, he resisted. Both were valuable; even a scratch could mean losing several gold coins. That wasn't a trade worth making.

As for the Trap Technique scroll—after some hesitation, he decided not to learn it. While traps were useful for killing monsters safely, they were far too slow. He was short on both time and money; he had to go all in. Lying in wait behind a pit wasn't his style. Besides, he could handle zombies now without needing traps.

The only exception would be running into the Fire Fox again, in which case it might come in handy. But thinking realistically, the odds of that were lower than finding another Bronze item.

"Brother Liu, we've got trouble."

Just as Liu Weian finished clearing the battlefield, Yellow Ox came running over, face flushed with anger.

"Let's go check it out," Liu Weian said, already hearing the commotion coming from outside the graveyard.

At the entrance, he saw Old Li leading five or six ox carts, blocking the path.

"What's going on?" Liu Weian stared coldly at Old Li. "Didn't I tell you? We won't be needing your carts for transport anymore. Why are you still here?"

"We're not here to transport anything today," Old Li sneered. "We're here for them." He pointed at the three Ox brothers.

Liu Weian looked to Black Ox.

"Old Li says this route's been claimed by the Pegasus Caravan. We're not allowed to run this line anymore," Black Ox said, his face red with frustration.

"Was there ever such a rule?" Liu Weian frowned.

"Roads are for everyone," Black Ox said angrily. "We all mind our own business and don't interfere with each other."

"What if you insist on using this route?" Liu Weian asked, his voice calm.

"They'll smash our carts and kill us," Black Ox said, his eyes blazing—and slightly fearful.

"No other way?" Liu Weian pressed.

"Unless we join the Pegasus Caravan," Black Ox said reluctantly. "But if we do that, they call the shots. We'll have no say."

Liu Weian didn't ask further—he already understood the situation. His eyes turned to Old Li.

"You're in charge here?" he asked flatly.

"You figured it out?" Old Li said smugly. "Liu Boss, like I said this morning—only the Pegasus Caravan is authorized to move goods in and out of Stone City."

"So it was you behind this." Liu Weian nodded, and his tone turned icy. "I'll give you ten seconds. Get out of my sight, or deal with the consequences."

"Brother Liu—" Black Ox paled. Going against the Pegasus Caravan was suicide.

"You must be joking," Old Li snorted, his previous deference gone. "I called you 'Boss' out of courtesy, but you really think you're somebody? You don't even know who owns the Pegasus Caravan, do you? Of course you don't—small fry like you aren't even qualified to know."

"…3, 4, 5…" Liu Weian calmly counted aloud.

"You want to threaten me?" Old Li sneered. "Go ahead. I'm right here. Let's see what you've got."

"…8, 9, 10."

As the final number left Liu Weian's lips, the air twanged with the sound of a bowstring. A split second later, Old Li's head exploded in a spray of blood. His skull flew off, and his body crumpled to the ground.

It happened so fast, no one even saw Liu Weian draw his bow. By the time they registered what had happened, Old Li was already a headless corpse. Twenty meters behind him, an arrow stood buried deep into the dirt—fletching and all.

Thwip. Thwip. Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.

Before the sound of the shots even reached them, Liu Weian had already slung his bow over his back. The five cart drivers standing by the wagons each had an arrow through the center of their foreheads. They collapsed in unison, their faces still frozen in expressions of disbelief.

"Brother Liu… you killed them—you actually killed them—" Black Ox was speechless. Even more stunned than the dead drivers were the living Ox trio. Killing members of the Pegasus Caravan… this wasn't just causing trouble—it was starting a war.

"Tell me," Liu Weian asked suddenly, "with Old Li's condition, how long do you think it'll take him to respawn?"

"That old man? Looks healthy, but he's frail. No less than 35 days," Black Ox replied. Then he realized Liu Weian had expertly diverted the topic, and his expression fell.

"But still… we're in deep now."

"If I hadn't killed them, would you have joined the Pegasus Caravan?" Liu Weian asked. "And if not, could you have left here alive today?"

"…No." Black Ox answered truthfully.

"Then remember this—this isn't the real world. This is World of Beasts—a game." Liu Weian patted his shoulder. "Don't go looking for trouble, but never back down from it. When someone punches you, don't offer your face—figure out how to cut their hand off instead. That way, next time, they'll think twice. You want to get rich?"

"I do!" Black Ox nodded vigorously.

"Then here's your chance. Loot their bodies. The carts are ours now."

"That feels… wrong." Black Ox hesitated.

"Up to you," Liu Weian shrugged. "If you don't want the gold, someone else will find it soon enough."

"Dead men don't need money. What's there to think about?" Stone Ox was already by Old Li's corpse. He reached into his robe and pulled out a money pouch. When he opened it, his hands shook—234 copper coins.

On the other side, Yellow Ox quietly looted another driver and came away with around fifteen copper.

"Wait for me!" Black Ox couldn't hold back any longer.

Liu Weian grinned slyly. Now the Ox trio was officially on his path—no turning back. Once everything was cleared, they started heading back toward the city. Though excited during the looting, the Ox brothers began to worry again once the adrenaline wore off.

"Where do you usually park your wagons when you log off?" Liu Weian asked, already thinking of how to clean up the mess.

"There's a designated parking area in the city," Yellow Ox replied, still clutching the money pouch. "Costs one copper a night. If you don't want to pay, you need someone to watch it overnight."

"From now on, park them behind the Not-Quite-Dead Apothecary. That way, whether logging in or out, you'll be safe. As long as you work for me, I'll guarantee your safety. But if you take on other jobs… I can't promise anything."

"No way we're switching," Stone Ox replied instantly. "Working for you, we make way more than we ever did before."

"Good. In the city, the Sun family has influence, so we're safe there. The graveyard is my turf—doesn't matter how many people they send, I'll kill them all. The only real concern is the road in between. I'll figure something out."

"By the way, Black Ox—tell me everything you know about the Pegasus Caravan. If we're going to fight them, I need to know my enemy."

Black Ox twitched. You killed them without even knowing who they are? At this point, though, he had no choice but to go all in. He shared everything he knew.

Half an hour passed. Liu Weian hadn't said a word—he just stood there staring at the sky.

The Ox trio's hopeful expressions slowly faded into despair.

Finally, Liu Weian spoke:"Let the soldiers come; we'll stop them. Let the flood rise; we'll dam it with earth."

The Ox brothers were speechless.

Liu Weian was about to say more when a sudden commotion erupted ahead. He stood up and saw a long line of carts—at least twenty—stretched out along the road. Several horse-drawn carriages led the convoy, now stopped for some unknown reason.

At the very front, a crowd had gathered. That's where all the noise was coming from.

"That's them," Black Ox narrowed his eyes. "The Pegasus Caravan."