Chapter 51 - 50: Children, Let’s Fight Guerrilla Style

"Who the hell are you?"

"What makes you think you can just waltz in here and declare yourself our leader!"

Hearing his clueless remarks, Jinling’s heart began to pound.

Afraid he would say something else and implicate him, Jinling quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and tried to smooth things over. "Female Master, uh, he doesn’t mean any harm."

"You want to be our chieftain, right? As long as you can get us out of this crisis, I’ll be the first one to support you!"

"But..."

Jinling shot him a glare. "No ’buts.’ This is how it’s going to be."

Chu Liangyu wasn’t the least bit surprised he had agreed so readily. They had already wasted enough time.

Eager to resolve the matter, she turned and said to them, "Let’s go. Come with me to the Lion Tribe now."

"Alright, Sister Liangyu."

"Mhm."

"Understood, Female Master."

"Excellent! Let’s get a move on."

Of the group, Feng Qiwu was the most excited. He’d been cooped up for so many days he felt like he was about to grow mold.

He was happier than anyone to finally have something to do.

Yu He remained silent, but Chu Liangyu didn’t seem to care. And so, the large group set off for the Lion Tribe.

Territorial disputes in the Beast World were brutal. Death and injury were secondary concerns. The females of the losing side were forcibly paired with male Beastmen to breed cubs.

To make the females compliant, their captors would even kill their nursing cubs.

They were called Beastmen, which sounded civilized enough, but in reality, they were just a pack of wild animals.

Chu Liangyu once believed that conflicts could be resolved with reason. She later discovered how naive she had been.

Truth was a privilege of the strong. The weak had no right to it.

"Chieftain, you’re finally back!"

The Great Elder grabbed Jinling’s arm, his hand trembling. His eyes shone with the hope of a man seeing his savior.

Behind him, inside the small cave, the tribespeople were either wounded or maimed.

Jinling patted his hand, giving him a reassuring look.

"I’m sorry. I wasn’t there for you when we were in danger."

"But now that I’m back, I swear I’ll get revenge for all of you!"

After a few more words, Jinling stepped aside and introduced Chu Liangyu. "This is my Female Master. She’s going to help us. If she succeeds, she will be our new chieftain."

The crowd’s gazes, a mixture of curiosity and surprise, fell upon Chu Liangyu, sizing her up.

Chu Liangyu stood her ground with a faint smile, showing no signs of fear.

A female chieftain was an extreme rarity. Several Elders exchanged glances, looking like they wanted to speak but holding their tongues.

"I know that words are cheap," she said, pausing to take in their reactions. "Actions are what matter. Therefore, all of you can wait until this is over to voice your opinions."

"Jiaojiao, distribute the healing salves."

"Right!"

The "healing salves" were merely mermaid’s tears, but frankly, their effects were instantaneous.

In just a few moments, most of their lost combat strength was fully restored.

Because of this, they now looked at Chu Liangyu with gratitude in their eyes.

"Now, I need you all to listen very carefully to every word I’m about to say."

Chu Liangyu’s tone turned serious as she continued, "The Elephant Clan will surely assume you’ve lost the will to fight and will press their advantage."

"Tonight, we will beat them to the punch. We’ll launch a surprise attack and catch them completely off guard."

"We’re outnumbered, so after we strike, we have to hide. Don’t let them find us. Then we’ll wait for another opportunity to attack."

The crowd looked bewildered, but they had to admit it sounded brilliant and made a lot of sense.

Chu Liangyu smiled. "Did you all get that?"

The Great Elder hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Will this really work?"

They were used to head-on confrontations, not such complex strategies.

That was precisely why a simple little trick from Xiang Qiancheng had led to such a devastating defeat.

"Why don’t you wait and see, Great Elder?" Chu Liangyu didn’t elaborate further.

The tribe waited quietly for night to fall. Finally, in the dead of night, when the Beastmen were in their deepest sleep, the time came.

Feng Qiwu and Hu Qiumu each led a small team, melting into the darkness. Yu He’s and Chi Yizhong’s teams followed close behind.

Once Yu He’s song had enthralled the Beastman sentries, the teams slipped in with ease. A continuous stream of muffled grunts followed.

Many Beastmen lost their lives in their sleep. They overran five encampments in quick succession before the sky began to lighten.

The Elephant Clan Beastmen finally realized what was happening, which was the signal for the raiders to withdraw.

By the time the Elephant Clan people had assembled and given chase, the group had already vanished without a trace.

When the news reached Xiang Qiancheng, a flicker of astonishment crossed his otherwise gentle eyes. "Did anyone get a clear look at who was leading them?"

"Many of them died in their sleep. They never even had a chance to open their eyes."

The losses were there, but they were still within an acceptable range.

Xiang Qiancheng didn’t seem too concerned. In an even tone, he ordered, "Have them strengthen the patrols for the next few nights."

----

Meanwhile, the small victory had swept away the gloom that had plagued their faces for days.

Those who had participated excitedly recounted the details to everyone else. The listeners were swept up in the excitement, eagerly asking, "And then what happened?"

"They were hopping mad, like a bunch of scolded kids, and wanted to fight."

"Heh... but by the time they came out, we were long gone."

"You should have seen the looks on their faces. They were furious."

"Exactly! It’s true! It was so satisfying to watch!"

Amid the discussion, Chu Liangyu simply smiled without saying a word.

After this battle, they looked at Chu Liangyu with newfound admiration.

’Maybe having her as chieftain wouldn’t be so bad after all.’

But this was only the beginning. The real show was yet to come.

The Elephant Clan stayed on high alert for two straight nights, but the raiders never came.

The Lion Tribe had hidden themselves so well that even if the Elephant Clan wanted to find them, they couldn’t.

On the third day, at the same time, they used the same tactics.

The exhausted Elephant Clan Beastmen were ambushed again. By this point, the Elephant Clan’s combat strength had been cut in half.

This time, Chu Liangyu didn’t order a retreat. Instead, they openly reclaimed their territory.

Only now did Xiang Qiancheng begin to take the situation seriously.

’The Lion Tribe was beaten so badly just days ago that they couldn’t even fight back. Why have they suddenly become so organized and disciplined?’

’Could it be... that Jinling was let go?’

His eyes narrowed. Xiang Qiancheng headed out of the encampment.

He had to see for himself if Jinling had truly been released.

If his suspicions were correct, he would need to devise a new plan.

However, when he arrived at the place where Chu Liangyu and her people were supposed to be, it was completely empty.

There was no telling how long they had been gone.

’Could it be they got impatient and left?’

"Female Master?"

He called out tentatively. After a long moment, there was no reply.

Since no one was there, Xiang Qiancheng saw no reason to linger.

But just as he turned to leave, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. "And where do you think you’re going?"

Chu Liangyu emerged unhurriedly from behind a tree, as if she had been expecting him all along.

Seeing her, Xiang Qiancheng’s eyelid twitched. He suddenly had a very bad feeling.