Chapter 31: The Extra One

With a thunderous roar from Chu Chunqiu, the muscles in his arms swelled visibly.

"Damn! He's a muscle-bound demon!" Jiang Li exclaimed in surprise.

He had originally assumed Chu Chunqiu only knew basic hand-to-hand combat; he never expected him to be a master of cultivation.

"Are you really from the Jiang family?" Ma De stared at Jiang Li, his face full of disbelief.

Jiang Li curled his lip. "Brother Ma, people still need to have a basic level of trust in each other."

Ma De gave a sheepish laugh, then his expression turned serious. "Brother Jiang, are you truly Jiang Li, the son of Jiang Tian?"

"Please answer carefully. I can treat what you said before as a joke, but this time you absolutely must tell me the truth."

"What kind of talk is that? What is that supposed to mean? I'm the real deal!" Jiang Li retorted, feeling offended.

Ma De glanced at Chu Chunqiu once more before slowly nodding. "That's right. The Nine-Gate Vajra Lock—only your two families know that technique."

Having said that, a look of confusion appeared in Ma De's eyes. "Wait, Brother Jiang, you are from the Jiang family, but isn't your guard named Chu Chunqiu? Why does he know it too?"

"As far as I know, your Jiang family never passes this technique on to outsiders."

Jiang Li spread his hands helplessly. "How should I know? My father taught it to him; I don't know anything else."

"I see," Ma De nodded, lost in thought.

While the two were speaking, Chu Chunqiu had already dragged the half-dead brute over to Jiang Li.

"Young Master, it's done!"

Jiang Li turned to look at Wild Ox, who was hiding in the distance.

"Great skill! Truly great skill!" Wild Ox stood up and began walking toward Jiang Li with his men.

As he approached, Wild Ox looked at Chu Chunqiu with unconcealed admiration; the guy's combat power was simply absurd.

"Jiang Li, tell me, what do you want me to promise you?"

"Ahem." Ma De coughed twice, then cast a subtle glance at Jiang Li.

"Brother Jiang, opportunities like this are rare. Think carefully before you speak to the Chief."

Jiang Li looked at Wild Ox with a faint smile. "Chief, we just joined the tribe yesterday and have been staying at Ma De’s place."

"But it's inevitably a bit crowded for the five of us. I would like to ask the Chief to grant us a house—a bigger one."

Ma De stared at Jiang Li, his expression frozen. After a long moment, he shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile.

"Haha! Good! Very good!" Wild Ox threw his head back and laughed.

"It should have been that way from the start. It was my oversight for not arranging a house for you. Since you've asked, Jiang Li, I will definitely have someone build you a big house!" Wild Ox declared, patting his chest.

"Many thanks, Chief," Jiang Li said hurriedly.

"Don't worry, I won't treat you poorly." Wild Ox patted Jiang Li on the shoulder and then ordered his men to start collecting the spoils of war.

After Wild Ox walked away, Ma De stomped his feet in frustration. "Brother Jiang, you’re confused! What a great opportunity that was! Why didn't you ask him to let us go?"

"Why? Do you think that even if Wild Ox promised, he would actually let us go?" A cold sneer played in the corner of Jiang Li's eyes.

Making a request to Wild Ox at that moment meant he would agree to anything, as he had already spoken his intentions aloud. But promising and actually doing it were two entirely different things. Theoretically, one should keep their word, but currently, Wild Ox held all the power. It was better to ask for a house; it would dispel any suspicion in Wild Ox's mind and, at the very least, ensure he wouldn't think they were planning to leave the moment they arrived.

Ma De’s face changed, and he looked at Jiang Li. "Brother Jiang, when exactly do you plan to leave?"

Jiang Li did not answer immediately, instead beginning to count on his fingers. The system had given him half a month to find a new habitat. So far, less than ten days had passed; they could afford to wait in the Wild Ox tribe for another five days.

"Don't worry. Just wait, Brother Ma. When it's time to go, I will definitely call you."

As Jiang Li finished speaking, Wild Ox and his men returned to them with a large haul of spoils. Once they returned to the camp, Jiang Li exchanged a few polite pleasantries with Wild Ox before heading back to the stone house with Ma De and Chu Chunqiu.

"Brother Jiang, how do you intend to leave when the time comes?" Ma De asked impatiently.

"Brother Ma, you don't need to worry about that. I will certainly be able to bring you back to that small town in one piece," Jiang Li said leisurely.

Ma De let out a helpless sigh. "Fine, I'm counting on you, Brother Jiang."

When the group returned to the courtyard, Qiu Yue hurriedly served the food she had prepared. After eating their fill, before Jiang Li could even lie down, he saw a tribesman running toward them in a hurry.

"Master Priest! Master Jiang Li!"

"What is it? Why are you shouting?" Ma De asked, appearing impatient.

The tribesman waved his hands. "No, Masters, we caught two people outside. The Chief sent me to ask if they are with you, Master Jiang Li."

Jiang Li stood up, puzzled. Two people? Zhao Hua and the other two had turned into monsters due to the influence of the spider lilies and had been burned to death in the cave. As for Qin Lang, he had been chased by tribesmen; surely he couldn't have escaped, could he?

Full of suspicion, Jiang Li waved for Ma De and Chu Chunqiu to follow, and the three of them walked out behind the tribesman.

"Where did you find them?"

"In about the same place where you were found two days ago, Master Jiang Li. They were also trying to cross our territory, but we caught them halfway."

Not long after, when Jiang Li saw the two captives, his pupils contracted.

One of the two was disheveled and covered in grime; if Jiang Li hadn't seen Qin Lang so many times, he truly wouldn't have recognized him.

The other man was completely snow-white, looking terrifyingly pale in the sunlight—exactly like the monsters in the cave. If not for the fact that the man’s eyes were black and it was currently daytime, Jiang Li would have been unable to stop himself from turning and running.

"Qin Lang, still alive?" Jiang Li asked first.

Qin Lang looked at Jiang Li with cold eyes, unable to speak for a long time.

"I don't know this man. Do whatever you want with him," Jiang Li said dismissively, gesturing toward Qin Lang.

"Move! Come with us to see the Chief!" Several tribesmen poked Qin Lang angrily with wooden spears.

"Master Jiang Li, how should we handle this guy?" Two tribesmen looked at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li studied the man and couldn't help but frown. He didn't know this guy, but if he hadn't come to the island with them, could he have arrived with Ma De's group?

"What is your name?"

The man's eyes moved slightly, his nostrils flared, and he offered Jiang Li a smile. "Li Tongxuan."

"What the hell? Li Tongxuan?" Jiang Li stared at the man in surprise, speechless for a long time.

No way, buddy. With a name that epic—it sounds like a peerless master—how could you get caught so easily?

"Yes, that is indeed my name," Li Tongxuan said again.

Only then did Jiang Li notice that when the man spoke, his tone was very stiff, as if he had to exert a great deal of effort for every single word.

"Who did you come here with?" Jiang Li asked again.

Li Tongxuan shook his head blankly. "I don't remember. I have already forgotten why I came here."

Jiang Li narrowed his eyes at Li Tongxuan. Could it be amnesia? But was this guy faking it, or was he truly suffering from memory loss?