Traveling through the world of beasts, making a living

The merman leader pulled Jin Yao up and walked back into the cage that held him. He signaled him to be quiet with his eyes. Having served as the city lord for many years, Jin Yao was already accustomed to reading his expressions and understood instantly. He acted like a master and sat down in the only chair inside.

"I made it very clear on the day of the trade. The charcoal was a tribute from other tribes. Everyone is short of this kind of exotic material during the snowy season. If they don't pay, I can't do anything about it. Even if they did, look at my current situation. Can I give you the supplies?"

"You took my mermaid silk and pearls, and now you say you have no supplies. Are you trying to blackmail me?" The mermaid leader pinched Jin Yao's neck, as if to say, "If you don't give me supplies, I will kill you."

"Don't do it. I gave the shark silk and pearls to Hui Qiang for safekeeping. He was my military advisor at the time and I trusted him. I didn't expect him to do this to me. I'm a victim too."

The two men Hui Qiang had left behind looked at each other in bewilderment at Jin Yao's words. They wondered if the mermaids would ask Hui Qiang for supplies. Jin Yao was secretly delighted. He knew Hui Qiang must have taken all the supplies, and the mermaids would never get them back. So, using the excuse of buying supplies might offer a chance of escaping the main city.

The merman leader let go of Jin Yao, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. Jin Yao slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why should I believe you?" said the mermaid leader.

Jin Yao quickly pointed at the two men and said, "If you don't believe me, ask them! I'm telling the truth."

The leader of the mermaid tribe looked at the two men, and they lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

"It seems so." The merman leader's tone softened a little, "But we are in urgent need of these supplies. You must find a way to solve the problem."

Jin Yao sighed helplessly, "I am penniless and powerless now, how can I get supplies for you? But... I can help you find Hui Qiang, maybe he still has some leftover supplies." Jin Yao looked at the two people guarding the gate.

"You two go call Huiqiang over. Don't think everything will be fine just because you have the shark silk and pearls. Those are reserved for the mermaids."

"City Lord, this is something you agreed upon with the Mermaids, so of course I'm asking you for it. And where did Lord Gray say you kept the supplies?"

Jin Yao stood up with murderous intent. He pointed at his two former subordinates. Heartbroken, he said, "You two bastards, can't you see I'm imprisoned? Where can I hide the supplies? I trusted him too much before and left everything to him. He also drove away Jin Jue and Jin Qi because of him. Now the mermaids are coming to demand the supplies. He can't stay out of this!"

The leader of the mermaid tribe frowned, glaring dangerously at his two men. "I just want my supplies back. Tell Hui Qiang, if you don't have the supplies, return my shark yarn and pearls, or don't blame us for causing trouble!"

After some discussion, the two men decided that one of them would go to inform Hui Qiang, leaving the other to continue watching everyone. Seeing this, Heisha hugged the person who stayed behind and said, "Come on, brother, let's talk." He then dragged him out the door.

"Heisha created an opportunity for us. Jin Yao, listen carefully. It was Jin Jue who dragged people to rescue you and leave under the pretext of searching for supplies. If you escape, we will all be in danger. The main city is now controlled by Hui Qiang, and his master is here too. There must be a bigger conspiracy. They don't want anything to happen at this critical juncture, so they will let you go. If you want to survive, just play along."

Jin Yao's eyes gleamed with hope, but he felt a surge of shame. He could still vividly remember how he had treated Jin Jue. "I'll cooperate. Whatever you decide, I'll do."

"Of course we'll beat you up first, so they'll think we just want supplies. Just bear with it! Sorry for the offense!"

Before Jin Yao could react, a fist had already smashed into his nose, sending two streams of blood gushing out. Jin Yao fumbled with his hands, his entire face covered in blood, looking like he'd been severely tortured. The merman punched him in the eye socket again, leaving a black circle. Then another punch landed in his abdomen, and Jin Yao clutched his stomach and wailed on the ground.

"Stop it, stop it! How dare you hit someone?" The guard outside the door broke free from Heisha and ran in, only to see Jin Yao fall to the ground. At this moment, the subordinate who had gone to report the incident returned with Hui Qiang.

"What happened?" Hui Qiang roared when he saw the scene in front of him.

"Boss Huiqiang, the mermaids want supplies, and the city lord said he will give them all to you." The guard said hurriedly.

The leader of the merman tribe stepped forward and said, "We just want to take back what belongs to us."

Hui Qiang's eyes flickered. "I'll check where the supplies are. If they're really with me, I'll naturally return them to you."

Jin Yao sneered in his heart, he was indeed a guilty conscience.

"Then check it out quickly! Our patience is limited." said the leader of the mermaid tribe.

Hui Qiang turned and left, glaring at Jin Yao fiercely before leaving.

Jin Yao breathed a sigh of relief. Half of his plan was successful. Now it all depended on whether he could escape the main city...

"Heisha, will Jinjue put aside past grudges and meet us outside the city?"

"Yes, Jin Jue is now the sixth patriarch of our Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe. His decision is the witch's decision, and it will never be wrong."

Jin Yao nodded. "I hope we can deceive him. Even if Hui Qiang finds out the supplies are in his hands, he won't return them easily. What will you do then?"

"Then I'll use you as payment for my debt and take you back to the mermaid tribe! Don't let anyone know."

"I know." There was a moment of silence.

On the other side, Hui Qiang took the leader of the mermaids to the warehouse where the materials were stored, and found that there was only a basket of charcoal left. He said very embarrassedly

"Sorry, Chief, we only have one basket of charcoal left. It's mainly because the snow season this year is too cold, and the females and cubs can't stand it, so we used it up in advance."

"Used it in advance? Your females and cubs used the supplies we reserved. That's how Jin Yao acts as a city lord, breaking his promise! No, he said he'd leave it all to you. You'd better give me an explanation!"

"Chief, I didn't realize these were the supplies you had ordered. How about I compensate you with crystals?"

There was a loud clattering sound, and hundreds of crystals fell to the ground. "Do I look like someone who needs crystals? Either give me supplies, or return Jiaosha and Zhenzhu! And give me Jinyao."

"Chief, you're putting me in a difficult position. I really can't take the shark silk and pearls, and I can't give you the golden glow either. After all, he is the lord of this main city."

"Hui Qiang, don't treat me like a fool. Even if he is the city lord now, he would still dream of stealing my things. What's more, Jin Yao is just a dog you have imprisoned today. If he doesn't take me to the tribes that are paying tribute to us to collect all the supplies, no one will have a good life."

Hui Qiang's eyes rolled around, and he kept weighing the pros and cons!

"Let him go! He's just a piece of trash. It doesn't make any difference whether we keep him or not!" Long Kui approached from the side, his steps steady and his presence completely concealed. The leader of the mermaids was secretly surprised! This is a very dangerous person, try not to provoke him.

"I just want him to take me to get all the supplies and return him to you after the job is done. I don't want to bring a loser with me!"