Pretending To Be A Boss

Apart from a terrifying creature like Lei Xiao, very few other land animals could outrun a Golden Armored Leopard in terms of speed.

Tang Xian had never even thought of running away and nodded, saying:

"You'll have to go slower, my sister and I are afraid we won't be able to keep up with you."

A man, a leopard, and a fox began to move forward.

Even with a huge beast in its mouth, the leopard deliberately slowed down. For Tang Xian, keeping up meant jogging the entire way.

The Golden Armored Leopard's enormous size in no way hindered its speed. At times it even seemed to move with a lightness that defied the laws of physics.

Moving along the path nearly soundlessly, it was just like an assassin who had perfected their qinggong to the extreme.

The party traveled for about ten minutes or so.

Only then did Tang Xian see a place that looked like ancient ruins.

Many caves, just like the buildings mentioned in the Human World affiliated with the Mayan Civilization.

Most of these buildings were square and stood tall, with the outer engravings being extremely old symbols and designs. They were covered in various plants, but for the Golden Patterned Leopards, they were the most suitable living spaces.

Tang Xian thought to himself that he must bluster his way into staying here, as it would be much more comfortable than living in a damp cave.

From a distance, he saw several steles with inscriptions on them!

This could definitely not be the work of these cats and dogs.

Nearly a hundred Golden Patterned Leopards, either walking or lying down, surrounded these ruins.

When Jin Lu entered carrying the corpse of a Golden Patterned Leopard and dragging a Hell Flame Wolf, all the Golden Patterned Leopards let out strange howls.

Tang Xiaojiu, a little scared, clutched at Tang Xian's trouser leg.

Tang Xian looked around and saw no significant problems.

Most of the Golden Patterned Leopards' feelings towards him fluctuated between -5 and 5.

A Golden Patterned Leopard leaped over Jin Lu's back and took away the charred remains of its companion.

Jin Lu once again transformed into a smaller figure, taking human form.

She made unintelligible notes with her mouth. Upon hearing these sounds, the surrounding Golden Patterned Leopards stood their tails straight up, becoming alert.

They were no longer lazily wandering or lying down, but each returned to their posts, some hiding among the branches of the King Fragrance Trees, watching the distance.

Tang Xian could tell from the current demands that Jin Lu had issued a command for martial law.

Without speaking, he watched quietly.

The history of this island was clearly much longer than that of these cats and dogs.

Jin Lu looked sorrowfully at her dead kin for a long time, then turned around and said:

"Give me a reason not to kill you, outsider."

"Well, first you need to give me a reason why you would."

Tang Xian replied calmly.

"Are you saying that the death of my kin has nothing to do with you?"

"It does."

Jin Lu then fixed her fierce gaze on Tang Xian.

Tang Xian didn't know exactly how these bosses evolved their ability to transform, but they all looked quite attractive in human form.

Even angry, they looked good.

He spoke sorrowfully:

"I did not act in time to save it, leading to its tragic death in the flames of the Hell Flame Wolf, so naturally, it has something to do with me."

Jin Lu said:

"A Hell Flame Wolf can't kill Ailsa!"

"Do you know this Hell Flame Wolf then?"

"I don't."

"Well, that settles it. I've seen an evolved hellhound show the strength of a Hell Flame Wolf, along with some unique traits of the hellhound."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is, did you notice the burns on this Hell Flame Wolf's body?"

Jin Lu glanced over and indeed, the Hell Flame Wolf bore signs of having been scorched.

"During the Hell Flame Wolf's evolution into a Tengu, it undergoes the ordeal of Black Flame Consumption, which is why the Tengu is entirely black, hideous in appearance, and surrounded by troublesome flames."

"In the process of evolution, the Hell Flame Wolf also temporarily gains some of the abilities of its evolved form. Therefore, it's not surprising that it killed your kin, but your kin was also brave and injured it seriously. It's just a pity that I was still one step too late."

Tang Xian looked up and sighed deeply, filled with a sense of loss.

"What you're saying... is it true?"

"Could this be false? However, Miss Jin, you should grieve appropriately. Ailsa was a warrior, a pride of the leopard tribe. It was because of Ailsa that you managed to kill a Hell Flame Wolf on the verge of evolving into a Tengu. You also spared your kin from a formidable enemy."

Tang Xian timely shifted the topic to commemorating the brave.

The straightforward Jin Lu did not question Tang Xian this time.

She bent down to look at the dead Ailsa, spoke with sorrow and anger:

"Tomorrow I will surely seek justice for you."

Tang Xian saw the favorability increase to eight points.

Although it was small, it indicated that everything was starting to move in a safe direction.

He took out a cleaver, ready to cut up the meat of the Hell Flame Wolf. Tang Xian cut the stomach.

Jin Lu asked,

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to cut its meat to eat. Do you want some?"

"I didn't allow you to touch it!"

Tang Xian felt it was time to take a firmer stance.

"As the future Island Master of this island, you should know it's first come, first served. Although I wasn't able to save your clansman, I've made my attitude clear."

"If you hadn't come, this Hell Flame Wolf would have died by my hands. It was supposed to be mine, but now I just want to slice open its belly and take a bit of the meat from there. That's not too much, is it?"

Jin Lu didn't speak.

This time, Tang Xian's gaze was more domineering; he thought to himself that since he could keep Qing JiuYu in check, it shouldn't be that he couldn't handle a little kitten in the South.

He said,

"Besides, if I really were your enemy, do you think you could have returned here safely?"

Jin Lu was taken aback.

The man's aura had shifted in an instant, from gentle and amiable to suddenly profound and unfathomable.

She nodded slightly; the sense of danger emanating from the depths of the Soul Crystal was enough to show that this man was very powerful.

Powerful in a way that she couldn't see through with a single glance.

Tang Xian was very satisfied.

He had a commanding presence, along with a certain hidden aura, which made his success rate soar when it came to pretending to be a boss.

He then revealed a smile, as comforting as a spring breeze,

"So relax, we could say that fate has brought us together. How about we become friends?"

Jin Lu still regarded Tang Xian warily.

When Tang Xian extended his hand, she didn't respond.

After a moment of confusion, Tang Xian understood and said,

"This is a ritual among my people, shaking hands means you're one of us, from now on sharing weal and woe, weathering storms together."

"Really? What kind of creature are you?" Jin Lu asked, though she did extend her hand.

However, her casual question made Tang Xian ponder for a moment.

His eyes glazed over briefly.

What species did he really belong to?
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To answer the question and fool the kitten before him would be easy.

He could concoct any species at all.

But unlike when he was dealing with Qing JiuYu and Bai Mansheng, Tang Xian had been convinced he was human.

Now he still thought so, but wasn't quite as certain.

The Stele left by the Orderer on the eighth layer, describing the demon child of Eden, made Tang Xian begin to doubt his true identity.

But there were also many doubts.

If he really was a creature of the mining district, how could he have almost died there the first time he completed seven days in the mines?

The most confusing thing for Tang Xian was that warning dream.

In that dream, Tang Xian believed that the child held by the stone statue was the demon child of Eden.

He felt more like an observer.

This was an issue Tang Xian had been contemplating these days.

After reaching the continent up north, he could return to the world of the Pyramid, but then, how would humans view him?

Shaking his head, Tang Xian stopped thinking about it and said,

"I am a Taotie, and this is my sister Tang Xiaojiu; yes, she is one as well."

Tang Xiaojiu realized all these lies were for that piece of wolf meat.

She accepted the change in her identity smoothly and nodded with all due seriousness.

As they say, it's best to start working on one's acting skills from a young age.

Tang Xian was comforted.

When Jin Lu was very young and the sages of the Court of Thousand Beasts came here, she had heard of such creatures, but knew little about them.

She was somewhat convinced by Tang Xian's words and accepted his explanation.

But she remained curious about how Tang Xian and Tang Xiaojiu arrived there.

"How did you two get here? This sea is home to Lord Sea God. Once a creature from the shore enters the water, it quickly gets sucked into Lord Sea God's esophagus by powerful currents. No matter how strong, in the sea, they are no match for it."

Sea God?

Tang Xian suddenly thought of the Sea Demon.

Could this place be... the Ashen Sea mentioned on the Stele? That legendary place?

Tang Xian remembered that Jin Lu's most feared creature was this Sea God.

There really was something unusual about this island. Could it be that these cats and dogs were not originally from this island either?

Tang Xian asked,

"What exactly is this Sea God?"