At the same time, but the crazy

Chapter 609 Repayment
Li San rode on his horse, the warm touch beneath him and the rhythmic swaying of the horse creating a dreamlike, unreal sensation.

He had never been so close to the Lords of the myriad races, nor had he ever received such courtesy from them.

The blond, bulbous-nosed young man in front of him, the important figure who claimed to be the son of the Duke of Ryanata, affectionately put his arm around him, and they chatted and laughed all the way.

They even stuffed the food they were carrying into Li San's mouth—a delicacy Li San had never imagined.

The greasy roasted meat, the cloyingly sweet pastries, and a liquid that is initially fiery spicy but leaves an endless warm feeling in your stomach after swallowing.

These things were so delicious that Li San felt like he was going to swallow his tongue whole.

With mounts, there's no longer a need to sneak around carefully; the journey from the forest to the tribe is surprisingly short.

It took half a day to get there, but only a short while to get back.

As the sound of horses' hooves shattered the deathly silence surrounding the tribe, a subtle commotion arose within the village.

Soon, a few dim torches lit up on the simple wooden gate of the camp, and the gate creaked open inward.

The blond, bulbous-nosed youth reined in the horse with great interest, not in a hurry to go inside.

He watched with amusement as the tribal chief led a group of ragged tribesmen to the camp gate, where they scrambled and stumbled, then knelt down in unison, burying their foreheads deep in the cold earth, not daring to raise their heads even slightly.

"Hahaha!"

The young man let out a hearty laugh, pulled Li San off his horse, and strode into the camp. From beginning to end, he never once looked at the humans kneeling on the ground.

He walked straight to the open space in the center of the camp, looked around, and his warm smile did not diminish in the slightest, but the words he spoke made Li San's heart sink.

"I want to hold a grand bonfire feast for my savior as a token of my gratitude."

He casually pointed with his riding crop at the low, thatched huts around him.

"There's not much decent fuel here, so let's dismantle these piles of garbage and use them as a campfire."

Upon receiving the order, his attendants immediately obeyed and walked expressionlessly toward the thatched huts.

They ignored the villagers who were still kneeling on the ground, kicked open the flimsy door, and then easily cut the supporting wooden poles and overturned the thatched roof with their weapons.

The only remaining earthenware pot in the house was carelessly thrown out and smashed to pieces on the ground; the grass roots and seeds hidden in the corner were also trampled into the mud with their boots.

For a moment, the sounds of tearing and collapsing were deafening, but all the humans remained kneeling on the ground, their bodies trembling violently with fear, not daring to lift their heads, letting their homes turn into a pile of debris before their eyes.

Li San's lips trembled; he wanted to speak, to say something.

But when he met the gaze of the blond, bulbous-nosed youth, all the words stuck in his throat.
It was a playful, intrigued look, much like the expression of the tabby cat in the tribe when it catches a mouse and plays with it repeatedly before swallowing it.

A bone-chilling coldness crept up Li San's spine and instantly permeated his entire body.

"You are my savior..."

The young man laughed heartily, pulled Li San to sit down next to the pile of debris made from the rubble of a house, and forcibly shoved a wine bag into his hand.

"Don't worry, I will definitely repay you."

Upon hearing this, Li San felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at the kneeling clansmen around him out of the corner of his eye. Some of the younger and older ones could no longer hold on and were swaying precariously, but they still held on tightly and dared not move an inch.

The armed servants patrolled the crowd. Although they did not make a move, the murderous aura emanating from them was so palpable that it was suffocating.

Li San dared not think any further.

He regretted it, he regretted it terribly.

He would rather have died by crashing into the forest than sit here like a sacrifice placed on an altar.

After an unknown amount of time, a flickering fire gradually appeared in the darkness of the distant wilderness.

A group of more than 300 men and women, young and old, is stumbling and walking towards this side.

Many of them were covered in blood, and several had obvious wounds. They collapsed from exhaustion as they walked. Immediately, soldiers from all races stepped forward, coldly stabbed them with their swords, and then, without even looking back, continued to drive the crowd forward.

There were no cries, no wails, not even a sound.

The eyes of these humans were all numb and empty, like a stagnant pool, reflecting no color other than the gray of despair.

"You're here." The blond, bulbous-nosed youth looked at the distant firelight and asked with a smile without turning his head.

"Are there any other human tribes around here?"

The long-robed member of the myriad races behind him immediately replied respectfully:

“Young master, there are four human tribes around. This is the Li tribe, the Qin tribe has just arrived, and there are also the Chang tribe and the Mu tribe. However, the Mu tribe is the farthest away, and I'm afraid they won't be able to arrive tonight.”

"Three tribes, about a thousand people, that should be just enough."

The young man commented casually, as if he were talking about the number of livestock.

"Everyone is looking at me!"

The group was finally driven to the front of the Li tribe's camp. The blond, bulbous-nosed youth stood up, laughing loudly, his voice echoing throughout the open space.

Those humans who had been kneeling raised their heads upon hearing this, their terrified and numb faces turning towards him.

“I am a nobleman, and you commoners wouldn’t understand if I explained it in detail.”

The youth announced loudly,

"Today, I am very happy! Because when I was in danger, a brave human being saved me! He is my savior! So, I have decided to repay him properly!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Li San, who was standing next to him, and pushed him in front of everyone.

All eyes immediately focused on Li San.

The people of the Li tribe naturally recognized him, and many people from the neighboring Qin tribe also recognized this young face.

In the crowd, a young woman with a pale face and dry, yellow hair suddenly had a glimmer of light in her numb eyes when she saw Li San. She subconsciously reached out and gently stroked her flat stomach.

Looking at Li San, a faint glimmer of hope ignited in the eyes of most people.

Only the oldest members of the two tribes wore increasingly heavy expressions of despair, trembling as they buried their heads deep into their chests once more.

"Look, this is my savior!"

The blond, bulbous-nosed youth burst into laughter again and gave orders to those around him.

"Come, light the bonfire and bring out the food! Tonight, let's have a good time, and I will repay my benefactor properly!"

The servants immediately threw torches at the pile of house ruins, and flames roared up, illuminating everyone's faces in shifting light.

The flames burned for a moment, then the smile on the young man's face vanished, and he roared angrily:
"Where's the food? Where's the wine? Why haven't you brought me what I asked for?!"

The surrounding servants immediately knelt down, trembling. Only the long-robed member of the myriad race stepped forward, saying fearfully, "Young master, please calm your anger. We came out in haste, and the magical beasts we hunted were all lost in the Elf Forest, so... so we didn't prepare any food or wine. Perhaps, I should immediately send someone back to the city to fetch them?"

"Bastard!"

The blond, bulbous-nosed youth flew into a rage.
"Are you trying to make me neglect my savior? By the time you bring your things, it will be dawn! Forget it, there's no need for that. Let's just use what we have here."

After speaking, his gaze slowly swept over the thousands of people kneeling around him.

"No! Master! We don't want the reward anymore! Please, please spare us! Please, please spare us!"

As his gaze fell upon him, Li San shuddered. Forgetting his fear, he scrambled to his knees at the young man's feet, sobbing and pleading.

"Hehehe..."

The blond, bulbous-nosed youth let out a low laugh and grabbed one of Li San's arms.

"Crack!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? My life-saving grace is of paramount importance. Don't worry, I will definitely treat you well."

A crisp cracking sound rang out as Li San's left arm was snapped. The excruciating pain caused him to let out a piercing scream, but the young man seemed oblivious, continuing to speak in that chillingly "kind" voice.

He shoved aside Li San, who was in so much pain he was almost fainting, and pointed his finger at the humans who were huddled together in fear. His voice suddenly became high-pitched and cruel.

"Use what's available! Start with the kids, then the young women! I want their hearts and livers, and their tenderest meat! Now, let's begin our barbecue feast!"

(End of this chapter)