Chapter 407 - 269: Tribute? My Ass

A light breeze swept past, and falling leaves hit the ground with a jarring crunch.

It was almost dark, but not a single household had lit its lamps. There wasn’t even the sound of human voices.

However, according to the reconnaissance from Yu Bao’s Earth Force Field and Sand Shadow Guards, there were clearly people here...

Su Zhi stroked his chin. "Is everyone holed up inside to avoid the Earthquake Beasts?"

"That’s right."

Wang Yichuan got down from his son’s back and let out a long sigh. "The Earthquake Beasts usually rest during the day and come out at night. After the sun sets, almost no one dares to go outside."

Wang Baichuan added quietly from the side, "But the Earthquake Beasts aren’t afraid of sunlight. There have been cases of them attacking during the day, too."

"ARF!"

Yu Bao suddenly perked up, wagging its tail at Su Zhi.

Su Zhi looked at the three of them. "My Pet Beast senses things approaching outside the village in small groups. Could they be the Earthquake Beasts you were talking about?"

Wang Baichuan’s eyes widened. "Oh no! I’m afraid so!"

Without another word, Wang Shichuan hoisted his old dad back onto his back. "Sir, we shouldn’t stay here. Come home with us first!"

Su Zhi nodded and followed the three generations of the family, quickly running into a courtyard.

As soon as they were home, Wang Shichuan unceremoniously dumped his father to one side and rushed frantically into the kitchen. Su Zhi watched, dumbfounded. ’Such touching filial piety.’

Before long, Wang Shichuan returned with two bowls filled with yellow soil and white sugar. Wang Baichuan then ladled water from the cistern, and they poured it into the bowls, giving the mixture a few stirs with their chopsticks.

Wang Shichuan placed the two bowls by the entrance, then bolted the main door. He and his son then knelt together at the doorway, foreheads pressed tightly to the ground.

Even Wang Yichuan, despite his bad legs, knelt down shakily. Su Zhi watched with his heart in his throat, terrified the old man would fall and hurt himself.

"What are you...?"

"They’re here. We have to pay tribute..." Wang Baichuan stammered in reply.

"The dirt and sugar are your tribute?"

"Yes. As long as the Earthquake Beasts eat the tribute and see us kneeling in worship, they won’t report us to the Underground Divine Beast, and they won’t cause an earthquake..."

After speaking, Wang Baichuan pressed his head tightly to the ground and said no more.

The peripheral glances Wang Shichuan and Wang Yichuan shot Su Zhi were anxious, but more than that, they were filled with awkwardness and terror.

Su Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly. ’He knew they wanted him to kneel with them but were too afraid to ask.’

Yu Bao looked toward the door. "Arf."

"I know." Even without Yu Bao’s reminder, Su Zhi could also feel the ground trembling slightly. It was the sign of a massive creature approaching.

Without a change in expression, Su Zhi bent down and lay prone on the ground.

The door of the farmhouse courtyard was high off the ground, leaving a gap large enough for a small dog to pass through. Through this gap, Su Zhi saw what was approaching—

To his surprise, the creature was actually very small, only a little larger than Wu Bao.

Its dark brown skin was as rough as rock in some places, yet smooth like an amphibian’s in others, giving it a bizarre, stitched-together look.

It had four short, stout legs like pillars. Every time it took a step, the ground would tremble in response.

’To cause such an effect just by walking... never mind deliberately causing an earthquake...’

"CRACK."

The bowl was knocked over.

"CRUNCH. CRUNCH."

A cringe-inducing chewing sound came from outside. The Earthquake Beast was eating the mixture of dirt and sugar. Su Zhi saw its enormous mouth, disproportionate to its body and taking up nearly half its size, filled with thick molars.

The Earthquake Beast devoured the "tribute," bowl and all, without even spitting out the shards. The sight made Su Zhi feel his sanity taking a critical hit.

[Pet Beast: ???

Attribute: Earth, Gold Element

Race: Low Level Elite

Real-time Energy Value: 1792]

Su Zhi tried to scan it with his dedicated Beastmaster device, but he didn’t get much, failing to detect any specific information.

The three family members looked at his phone with some curiosity, but under the terrifying presence of the Earthquake Beast, none of them dared to speak.

"Clara..." The Earthquake Beast, having eaten the tribute, slowly turned its head.

Wang Shichuan was suddenly terrified. "How can this be..."

"Shh!" Wang Yichuan immediately clapped a hand over his mouth and pressed himself even lower to the ground.

Yu Bao stared intently at the Earthquake Beast outside, sand and dust swirling around it, ready to attack at any moment.

Su Zhi also took two steps back, positioning Yu Bao protectively in front of him.

Conflict seemed ready to break out at any moment...

"Clara...?"

After a moment’s standoff, the Earthquake Beast gave a low growl and slowly walked away.

Su Zhi stroked his chin thoughtfully. ’If I heard that right... did that last growl from the Earthquake Beast have a hint of curiosity in it?’

"Hoo... it’s over."

The three generations of the family let out a long breath and sat down on the ground.

"Thank you, Sir!" Wang Yichuan suddenly scrambled up and, without a word, tried to give Su Zhi a resounding kowtow. This startled Su Zhi, who quickly helped the old man up.

"What do you mean? I didn’t do anything. If anything, I just hid here and caused you more trouble."

"Not at all. It’s all thanks to you, Sir, that the Earthquake Beast left!"

Wang Yichuan said with emotion, "Even when we prepare tribute like this, the Earthquake Beasts often don’t leave right after eating. Many will even break down the door and devour the people inside..."

Wang Baichuan’s eyes shone with excitement. "The Earthquake Beast must have been intimidated by your aura, Sir! That’s why it didn’t dare to cause any trouble!"

Su Zhi frowned. "Then what do you do if an Earthquake Beast does start eating people?"

"...We’re powerless."

Wang Yichuan’s expression turned bitter.

"We can only keep kneeling and beg it to leave quickly. If we’re lucky, the Earthquake Beast will just break down the door and leave after a while without hurting anyone. If we’re unlucky... the whole family will be eaten, even if we keep kneeling."

Su Zhi clenched his fists, his brow tightly furrowed.

But he didn’t know what to say.

’Should he scold these villagers and tell them they should resist instead of meekly accepting their fate?’

’But from their perspective, this was clearly the way to minimize their losses. Since he had never experienced their suffering, what right did he have to stand on high and criticize them for not fighting back?’

"Usually, the Earthquake Beasts don’t even enter the village. The Beastmaster will arrive in time."

Wang Shichuan said, "He didn’t come today, probably because Earthquake Beasts have also appeared in the town or other villages, so he has no time to spare for us."

"But at least we’re safe for today."

Wang Baichuan sighed in relief, sitting on the ground. "Those Earthquake Beasts have eaten the tribute. They won’t come back to the village again until tomorrow night at the earliest. We can get a good night’s sleep tonight..."

"AHH!"

Before his words had even faded, a woman’s scream suddenly pierced the air from nearby.

The three family members froze.

Wang Yichuan looked at Su Zhi, his eyes a mixture of pleading and hesitation, as if debating whether to speak. But instead, he saw Su Zhi leap into the air, landing atop the courtyard wall in a single bound.

The whole of Jinshi Village was quite low-built, so from a slightly elevated position, one could see everything.

Su Zhi saw it clearly. The main door of a house was shattered. A little girl in coarse clothes sat on the ground, wailing. A mountain-like Earthquake Beast crouched before the doorway, almost completely blocking the path, with a still-breathing woman dangling from its mouth.

"Clara..."

As if sensing Su Zhi, the Earthquake Beast casually spat out the bloody body in its mouth and let out a low, guttural roar.

"SWISH!"

The instant it opened its mouth, a dazzling Golden Light flashed past. A Furious Sand Blade, enhanced with the Thick Earth Blessing, struck the Earthquake Beast’s body dead-on, carving out a horrifying, massive gash!

But what flowed from the wound was not blood, but a suspension of earth and water... just like the "tribute."

"Arf?" Yu Bao raised an eyebrow.

Its Real-time Energy Value was much lower than Yu Bao’s, yet it had tanked one of its main Output Skills. It seemed to be an Exotic Beast skilled in defense, like Shan Bao.

Su Zhi immediately looked at Yu Bao. "Did that strike probe it out? Is it consistent with our theory?"

"ARF!" Yu Bao nodded vigorously.

"Good." Su Zhi let out a breath. "Then we’ll proceed as planned. Everyone, make this quick. We can’t give it a chance to cause an earthquake!"

"ARF!" "CHIRP!" "WOO!"

His three treasures responded in unison.

Then, gravel once again began to swirl and rise around Yu Bao...

·

·