Chapter 528 - 528: The Dang Kang's Entrustment

The Fire Spirit Insect beat its wings, took flight, and dove straight into the Raccoon Power's mouth.

As its blood-red wings fluttered, a blazing Flame erupted, surging down the Raccoon Power's throat, esophagus, and stomach!

The Raccoon Power's hide was tough, but its digestive system was as fragile as any ordinary animal's. The Fire Spirit Insect's Flame instantly seared these parts, while electricity from the Wind and Thunder Whip blasted its other internal organs!

Even a beast as formidable as the Raccoon Power could not withstand this two-pronged attack from within. After a brief struggle, its massive body crashed to the ground with a THUD. It was dead.

Though the Raccoon Power had fallen still, Zhao Yuan didn't dare to let his guard down. 'This beast is highly intelligent. If it's just playing dead, waiting for us to get careless before launching a surprise attack, we'll be in deep trouble.' So, he immediately activated his Qi Observation Technique. Only after confirming that the Raccoon Power's life force had disappeared did he let out a sigh of relief. He collapsed onto the beast's broad back, gasping for air.

"The Raccoon Power is dead?"

Hao Li approached cautiously. He had heard Zhao Yuan's answer, but he still couldn't quite believe it. He walked right up to the Raccoon Power and gave it a few kicks. When it didn't react, he finally accepted that the Exotic Beast was well and truly dead.

"Holy crap, you're finally dead. Any longer and it would've been us who ended up dead."

Cheng Haoyu said sincerely, "This time, we underestimated the Raccoon Power's intelligence. Our plan was too simple, too presumptuous. Thank God for Brother Zhao. Otherwise, we wouldn't have just failed to kill the Raccoon Power; we very likely would have become its next meal."

Ying Ji agreed, saying, "If we're assigning credit for this battle, Zhao Yuan's is the greatest! He and the Bone Woman blinded both its eyes. The White Cat inflicted the wound on its neck. And its death was because of his joint attack with the Fire Spirit Insect! It's no exaggeration to say that Zhao Yuan killed the Raccoon Power single-handedly!"

Zhao Yuan had no intention of taking all the credit and quickly waved it away. "Killing the Raccoon Power was the result of our coordinated effort. It's like a soccer match. You can't say the striker won the game all by himself just because he scored a goal, can you? Without his teammates playing defense and making assists, there would be no goal and no victory. This battle was the same. If you all hadn't pinned it down, harassed it, and drawn its fire, there's no way I could have killed the Raccoon Power by myself."

Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of warmth, and their already favorable impression of Zhao Yuan rose to a new level.

Hao Li said with a grin, "Isn't that the truth? If Master Fatty here hadn't stabbed the Raccoon Power in the rear, Xiaobai never would have found the perfect moment to pounce on its back and claw its neck. Speaking of which, Xiaobai's claws are insanely tough, aren't they? The Raccoon Power's hide is tough enough to be impenetrable by blades, yet Xiaobai still managed to wound it. Truly remarkable!"

Zhao Yuan nodded. "Xiaobai has never been ordinary. I even suspect it's not a cat at all."

Hao Li was stunned. "Not a cat? Then what is it?"

Zhao Yuan shook his head. "I don't know. I've been wondering about that myself."

After resting for a while, the group recovered some of their strength and prepared to butcher the Raccoon Power.

The Raccoon Power's body was simply too large to be stuffed directly into a Storage Ring Space. It had to be broken down into smaller pieces before it could be divided up and stored in Zhao Yuan's, Ying Ji's, and Hao Li's Storage Ring Spaces.

A job like this was naturally left to Hao Li.

As a Cultivator from the Tripod Cuisine School, his knife skills were beyond question. His Butcher's Knife Skill wasn't just for fighting enemies; it was also an excellent technique for carving meat and deboning carcasses.

But just as Hao Li was about to begin, a series of urgent "MEOW, MEOW" sounds suddenly drifted over from a distance.

Zhao Yuan instantly tensed up. "That's Xiaobai's cry! I hope it hasn't run into some kind of trouble." He immediately spun around and dashed in the direction of the meowing, with the Bone Woman following close behind.

"Come on, let's go check it out," Ying Ji called out, following them without a moment's hesitation.

Hao Li put his knife away and hurried after them with Cheng Haoyu.

As for the Raccoon Power's corpse, they could just leave it there and come back to butcher it later. It wasn't going to fly away, after all.

In a few bounds, Zhao Yuan reached the White Cat, only to find it wasn't in any danger. At the same time, he saw three Dang Kangs beside the White Cat.

Dang Kang's Mother was on her last breath. Zhao Yuan used his Qi Observation Technique and saw that her internal organs had all suffered severe trauma. Her life force was on the brink of collapse.

In a situation like this, even with his knowledge inherited from the Witch Doctors, there was nothing Zhao Yuan could do.

After all, he didn't yet have the power to bring the dead back to life.

The two Little Dang Kangs seemed to sense their mother's impending death. They lay beside her, letting out heartbreaking whimpers.

When she saw Zhao Yuan approaching, a light suddenly flickered in the Dang Kang's Mother's eyes. Her fading consciousness sharpened, and she even struggled to get to her feet, letting out a series of cries in his direction.

Zhao Yuan knew this wasn't a sign of her condition improving. It was a final, fleeting rally before death.

"Is there something you want to ask of us?" Zhao Yuan guessed aloud.

To his surprise, Dang Kang's Mother could actually understand human speech. She nodded repeatedly, then gently nudged her two children with her snout while letting out another series of cries.

Though he couldn't understand the sounds, Zhao Yuan could guess her meaning.

'What else could a dying mother be unable to let go of, other than her children?'

Zhao Yuan asked, "You want us to take care of these two for you?"

Dang Kang's Mother nodded immediately.

Ying Ji, Hao Li, and Cheng Haoyu arrived just then. Hearing the exchange, Ying Ji immediately said, "Don't you worry. I can raise these two Dang Kangs. I'll feed them until they're nice and plump!"

Hao Li also chimed in, "Me too, me too! I'm a chef... Er, don't get the wrong idea! I don't mean I want to eat them! I mean, since I'm a chef, I can make lots of delicious food for them. They'll never go hungry."

Cheng Haoyu had wanted to join the competition for them as well, but after a moment's consideration, he gave up with a sigh. "I'd better not. I've never managed to keep a single thing alive, from plants to pets. I'm starting to wonder if I have some kind of special '100% Guaranteed to Kill All Living Things' attribute."

However, Dang Kang's Mother didn't seem to appreciate Ying Ji's and Hao Li's kind offers, and simply kept shaking her head.

"You don't want to entrust your children to them?" Zhao Yuan asked.

In response, Dang Kang's Mother used her snout to nudge the two Little Dang Kangs toward Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan understood. "You want me to take care of them?"

Dang Kang's Mother nodded, her gaze fixed expectantly on Zhao Yuan as she awaited his answer.

"Alright, I promise you. I will take good care of them," Zhao Yuan vowed with a solemn expression.

A smile seemed to cross the Dang Kang's Mother's face.

Her final wish fulfilled, her life force instantly scattered. Her body collapsed, and she breathed no more.