Only I am Venerable-Chapter 42: Coercion

He Laosan had just finished securely tying up the adult Green Furred Cat when the figures on the other side seemed to spot them and quickened their pace. Hu shot a look at his companions and tucked the small cub inside his coat, while He Laosan swiftly tossed the large cat into his backpack.

By now, the figures of the other party were becoming visible. Hu frowned, his heart sinking. ’There are so many of them!’ There were at least a dozen people, and judging by their movements, they were all skilled. Most importantly, they all looked unfamiliar, which meant they were Adventurers from out of town, not locals from Yellow Sand City.

"Go!"

Even though they had been spotted, there were unwritten rules among Adventurers in the jungle. The main one was that kings do not meet—a principle meant to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Most Adventurers were ill-tempered and rebellious, and drawing blades over a single disagreement was far too common. As such, groups would usually make a point to avoid each other.

However, it was obvious this group was also after the Green Furred Cat, as Hu and his companions could already hear their shouts.

"Hurry, they’re getting away! Dammit, we were a step too late! They already got it!"

"Even if they got it, they’d better hand it over! Does anyone dare withhold what the Young Mas—... what the Young Miss wants?"

"Hey, friends up ahead, wait a moment!"

"We’re talking to you! Are you deaf? I said stop!"

"If you don’t stop, I’ll order my men to draw their bows!" A sinister voice called out. It wasn’t loud, but it made Hu hesitate. He glanced back, cursing inwardly. ’Dammit.’ Before, the dozen or so people had been far off and obscured by the trees, so he hadn’t gotten a clear look. Now, only twenty or thirty meters behind them, he could see they were all wearing uniforms. And on each man’s back was a longbow.

Hu’s eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering as he whispered, "Stop. These people are bad news. Let’s play it by ear." Though Hu had never been a soldier, he had seen them before. From their fine equipment and uniforms, and the ferocious aura emanating from them, he could sense the stench of iron and blood. They looked like men who had killed many times, the kind who might have come straight off a battlefield.

It was a subtle feeling, one that could be sensed but not described. Yet the aura of those dozen men was so palpable that even Bu Yunyan, who was only just regaining her senses, felt that something was terribly wrong.

Just then, Leng Yao whispered, "If we have to, just give them the cub. These people are from a powerful background!" Having said her piece, she fell silent.

Seeing that Hu’s group had stopped, a rather ugly middle-aged man stepped forward from their ranks. He had a handlebar mustache, and his eyes gave off a particularly gloomy air. This was the man who had threatened to order his archers to draw their bows.

As his gaze swept over Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao, the man paused, clearly surprised to find such striking women among a group of Hunters. He showed no further interest, however, simply stating flatly, "Friends, since fate has brought us together, we wish to purchase the Green Furred Cat cub you just acquired. Name your price."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hu opened his mouth. "Ten thousand taels!"

The middle-aged man froze for a second before a mocking smile touched his lips. "In all my years, this is the first time anyone has dared ask this one for ten thousand taels of silver. Lads, what do you say? Should we pay them?"

For some reason, Qin Li found the middle-aged man’s way of speaking a bit affected. Listening closely, he could hear a sharp, almost shrill quality to it, but he didn’t dwell on it.

At this, the dozen or so men on the other side erupted in roaring laughter.

"Ten thousand taels? The guy’s insane!"

"Haha! So greedy, but you’ve got to be alive to spend it!"

"That’s right! Asking us for ten thousand taels... Shit, I don’t even know who *I’m* supposed to go to for that kind of money!"

"Hey, kid, know your place. We’ll give you one hundred taels of silver and let you walk," a young man in his twenties sneered. "Don’t think you can just name any price because you’ve got one Profound Level Martial Artist with you. We gave you a chance to name a price out of courtesy. Don’t throw it back in our faces!"

Hu’s expression turned grim. The fact that they could gauge his strength at a glance meant they were at least as strong as him, if not stronger. But he was just one man. On their side... those ten-odd men all seemed to be on his level, and the utterly sinister middle-aged man was completely unfathomable.

Still, the thought of simply handing over something they had obtained with such difficulty—something they had risked their lives to hunt—left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was not willing to let it go.

Hu cupped his fists toward the group and said calmly, "Friends, Hunters have our own code. I won’t even mention how you’re breaking that code right now. Let’s just talk about this Green Furred Cat. At auction, you couldn’t find one even for fifty thousand taels of silver! I’m only asking for ten thousand taels. That’s not an exorbitant price, is it? You all look like you’re no strangers to life and death. We’re the same, risking our necks for every coin we earn. It’s not easy. I hope you can be more understanding."

"Bah!"

One of their men, a guy in his thirties, spat hard on the ground and snarled, "Are you fucking blind or just stupid? Open your damn eyes and take a look! Where the hell do I look like some Hunter or Adventurer? A piece of trash like you doesn’t deserve to know who I am! Those two little fillies, on the other hand... not half bad."

"That’s enough," the ugly middle-aged man said with a frown. He looked at Hu. "No more nonsense. Our time is precious. Here." He pulled a gold ingot from his robes, weighing a dozen or so taels, and casually tossed it to Hu. "This is all you get. Don’t be a fool."

Hu caught the gold, seething with anger. A dozen taels of gold could be exchanged for over a thousand taels of silver. While that was a huge sum, compared to the value of a Green Furred Cat cub... it was nothing. The difference was like night and day.

But Hu knew better. If a fight broke out, his side would be the ones to lose. The other party could probably wipe them out with just three of their men.

Hu pulled the Green Furred Cat cub from his coat and tossed it over. The middle-aged man snatched it from the air and stroked it carefully a few times before saying with displeasure, "How crude. What if you’d damaged something so precious by throwing it? Could you even afford to replace it?"

Qin Li and the others cursed furiously in their minds. ’You son of a bitch, and you know it’s precious?’

"Let’s go."

The ugly middle-aged man had no desire to linger and turned to leave. But just then, with the worst possible timing, a muffled meow sounded from inside He Laosan’s backpack.

The men, who had already turned to leave, all whipped their heads back around in unison, their eyes locked onto He Laosan’s backpack.

The middle-aged man gave a sinister laugh. "Well now. You people have some nerve! I was wondering why you were so cooperative. So you were hiding another one!"

One of the men behind him sneered, "These cunning peasants. Only a man as benevolent as you, Master Li, would spare them. If it were up to us, we would’ve just cut them all down and been done with it!"

The middle-aged man pursed his lips, saying nothing. He just stared at Hu with a burning intensity, as if expecting him to hand the other cat over willingly.

"Give it to him!"

Hu’s voice was filled with grief and indignation as he spoke to He Laosan.

"Hu!" He Laosan’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, his face a mask of defiance.

"Do as I say!" Hu took a deep breath. He knew that the consequences of acting rashly right now would be far more than they could handle.

He Laosan angrily slammed the backpack on the ground. Qin Li suddenly stepped forward, a faint smile on his face. "I’ll do it."

He Laosan hadn’t wanted to do the dirty work anyway. He stood up indignantly and stalked off to the side to sulk, which earned a round of mocking laughter from the other group.

"He sees things less clearly than a child!"

"That’s right. We’re in a good mood today, so we can’t be bothered to stoop to your level, you pieces of trash!"

"..."

Qin Li turned a deaf ear to their taunts. To him, insults of this caliber were nothing compared to what he’d heard before. ’These thugs have no creativity at all.’

Qin Li reached out and grabbed the adult Green Furred Cat. At some point, a very thin razor blade had appeared in the palm of his hand.

He stood up and, very suddenly... hurled it toward them with all his might. The two groups were only a dozen meters apart. At that distance, combined with Qin Li’s incredibly fast motion, they had no time to react!

While still in mid-air, the adult Green Furred Cat broke free of its bonds. Seeing its cub in the enemy’s hands, it let out a piercing shriek.

In a flash, it swiped viciously at the middle-aged man’s eyes. The men had never imagined that this damn group of Adventurers hadn’t found two cubs, but one adult and one cub!

"You’re courting death!"

In the ensuing panic, the ugly middle-aged man let out a piercing, furious shriek.