Chapter 226 - 228: Counter-kill: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Chapter 226: Chapter 228: Counter-kill: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"Contract? What contract? You’re so weak right now. Focus on getting better first, then we’ll talk," Su Luoluo immediately rejected Xi Yi.

"Exactly. If you don’t recover properly, you won’t be... up to the task, and Luoluo won’t want you anymore."

After hearing what Xiao Ye said, Mo Xuan had started to think a bit more highly of Xi Yi. But the moment Xi Yi said those shameless words, his opinion of him plummeted right back down.

He couldn’t hold back any longer and started to sneer.

"What are you talking about, Black Panther? Am I really that weak?"

"Not weak? Then how about you show me you can haul salt with your bare hands?" Mo Xuan crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he looked at him, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"Luoluo, he’s bullying an injured person! I’m not even healed yet, and he wants me to haul salt." Xi Yi instantly turned to Su Luoluo, looking wronged.

Su Luoluo shot a glance at Mo Xuan, then patted Xi Yi’s shoulder. "All right, that’s enough from both of you."

At her words, Mo Xuan turned his back and stopped looking at Xi Yi.

Xi Yi nodded obediently. "Okay, I’ll stop talking. But Luoluo, when are we going to form our contract? You’re not going to trick me again like you did before, are you?"

He hadn’t forgotten how Su Luoluo had deliberately put him off the last few times.

"How could I trick you? They all heard me. I can’t possibly go back on my word now, can I?" Su Luoluo said, pressing a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"Okay, then. Luoluo, I’ll trust you one more time," Xi Yi said, his eyes curving into crescents as he nuzzled against her a few more times.

Su Luoluo couldn’t stand how clingy Xi Yi was. She pushed him away slightly, then got up and walked outside.

The black veil of night gradually gave way to a blue sky, and a single, bright white star already hung in the east.

Su Luoluo stretched. "It’s morning. I wonder if the Flower Jackal Tribe will send more people today."

Mo Xuan scoffed. "They’re just losers. What’s there to worry about? If they dare to show their faces again today, I’ll make sure none of them make it back!"

"Tough talk, coming from you. You make it sound like we had a huge advantage last time," Xiao Ye said with a scornful look.

"That was only because it happened so suddenly! Otherwise, I definitely would have wiped them all out!" Mo Xuan retorted, his brows knitting together.

"We can’t afford to be careless. The Flower Jackal Tribe has three Beastmen at Fifth Rank or higher, plus ten at Fourth Rank. Their total population is over three hundred. Winning isn’t impossible, but their numbers make them a handful. On top of that, we don’t know if he’ll bring people from other tribes."

"And don’t forget, our leader brought people over to guard against a sneak attack. We have to protect our tribesmen, so we’re not fighting alone. And then there’s Luoluo—we have to protect her, too," Luan Ting added, analyzing the situation seriously.

"I’ll be fine. I’ll definitely protect myself and won’t cause you any trouble. I’m just worried that aside from the people the Flower Jackal Tribe brings, there’s another group hiding in the shadows. That would be much harder to defend against," Su Luoluo said after a moment of thought.

"People hiding in the shadows? Who else besides the Flower Jackal Tribe? Luoluo, are you talking about that bird from yesterday?"

"You don’t have to worry about that bird. I’ll be by your side, so she won’t dare to try anything. The Phoenix Order is powerful, it’s true, but I know how to use it too. I’ve only cultivated to Level 8, so I can’t compare to my grandmother, but it’s more than enough to deal with that bird," Fu Feng said, leaning lazily against the cave wall. He flicked the plumes on his head, trying to look cool.

"Luoluo isn’t talking about her. She’s talking about Su Nuannuan," Xiao Ye said, ruthlessly bursting his bubble.

"Su Nuannuan? Didn’t she run away? She’s back now?" Fu Feng asked, looking at Xiao Ye in confusion.

Su Luoluo shook her head. "No, I haven’t seen her myself. I’m just guessing based on the salt purification method used in this cave. The fact that our tribesmen were killed and the Flower Jackal Beasts came to seize the Salt Well... it must be connected to her."

"So she’s planning to hide in the background and profit from our conflict?" Nantu quickly grasped the key point, his brow furrowing slightly.

Mo Xuan’s eyes turned icy. "I knew there was something off about her. Even back when she was still in the tribe, I never liked her."

Bai Meng snorted softly. "What’s the use of saying that now? The most urgent thing is to figure out what to do next. If the Flower Jackal Tribe makes a big deal out of this, the nearby tribes will find out about the Salt Well. After that, it won’t be ours anymore."

Su Luoluo glanced at Bai Meng. ’As expected of the heir personally groomed by the White Tiger Tribe’s leader. He’s so sharp, getting to the heart of the matter instantly. Much better than that useless freeloader, Su Zhao.’

Then, an idea came to Su Luoluo.

She glanced around at the others in the cave, a cunning smile touching her lips. "Since Su Nuannuan wants to hide behind the scenes and reap the rewards, we just won’t let her hide."

Xiao Ye lazily lifted his eyelids to look at her. "What’s your plan?"

Su Luoluo cleared her throat twice. "We spread a rumor. We’ll say that Su Nuannuan knows how to purify salt, and that her salt is even better than what they sell in the city-states. All those tribes who’ve been eyeing the Salt Well will rush to find her. When they catch Su Nuannuan, she won’t be able to cause any more trouble, and she’ll suffer a loss she can’t even complain about. Then, we can set our own trap and capture all of them in one fell swoop."

A corner of Mo Xuan’s mouth twitched. "You’re just going to flip her whole table over and divert the disaster right to her doorstep. That’s ruthless."

A playful glint flashed in Xiao Ye’s purple eyes. "Luring the snake from its hole, killing with a borrowed knife, and catching a turtle in a jar all at once. Impressive, Luoluo!"

Luan Ting’s eyes filled with admiration, but he voiced some hesitation. "It’s a good idea, but I’m afraid we’re out of time. We have to face them in battle today first."

Nantu nodded. "We can only do it after we’ve driven off the Flower Jackal Beastmen."

Su Luoluo glanced at Nantu, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Who said we’re going to fight them? Isn’t it better to rest on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight? Let the dogs tear each other apart."

Bai Meng’s eyes lit up at her words, and he said excitedly, "Luoluo, you mean we just ignore the Salt Well Cave for now?"

Su Luoluo smiled and nodded. "Exactly. You’re pretty sharp."

"Ignore the Salt Well Cave? Wouldn’t that be just handing it over to them? It’ll be much harder to take it back later," Mo Xuan said, disagreeing.

"What’s there to be afraid of? Even if they get their hands on the Salt Well Cave, it’s not like they’ll know how to get the salt out. Besides, even if they get the brine, they still need to know how to purify it. Otherwise, what’s the difference between that and a pile of dirt?" Su Luoluo said, raising an eyebrow.

"But it looks like Su Nuannuan knows how to purify salt too, doesn’t she?" Nantu asked, looking at the plant ash on the ground.

"Don’t worry about her. She’s only learned the basics. Her wood ash isn’t very pure."

Xiao Ye absolutely loved Su Luoluo’s spirited, intelligent expression. ’How could my female be so clever?’

After listening, Fu Feng clapped his hands in approval. "Exactly! Very few people know how to purify salt. Just let them fight until they’re black and blue. It would be best if they tear Su Nuannuan to pieces. Then we can be the ones who profit!"

Luan Ting looked at Su Luoluo with a doting expression and shook his head. "And just like that, you’ve made all our worrying today look like a joke."

Su Luoluo grinned, raising her eyebrows. "Sorry, can’t help being smart, can I? Looks like I won’t be needing you guys for now."