Chapter Thirty: A Family Should Always Be Together and United

"Brother Jiang, you are truly brilliant!"

A soft sigh rang out, and Ma De, who had been lying on the ground the entire time, scrambled to his feet in one fluid motion.

Jiang Li was taken aback. "You... when did you wake up?"

"Hehe, Brother Jiang, I am, after all, one of the first group sent by the imperial court to develop this island. How could I lack even these few tricks?" Ma De replied with a cheerful grin.

Jiang Li nodded silently, speechless. It turned out that Ma De was a master who had been hiding his true capabilities.

"Brother Jiang's method is truly excellent. However, dragging me back and forth must have been exhausting for you. I couldn't bear to watch any longer, so I had to wake up and help," Ma De said with a straight face.

"Very well, let us return together."

A short while later, beside another stone hut, Jiang Li kicked the door, and Ma De promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Damn..."

"Shh!" Jiang Li hurriedly gestured for them to stay quiet, his eyes wide with feigned alarm.

It was the same script as before, and it led to the exact same outcome.

Half an hour later, Jiang Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the final remaining stone hut. Ma De and Chu Chunqiu sat beside him by the campfire.

In the distance, Niu, who had been observing their actions the whole time, could not mask the shock in his eyes. In just half an hour, these three men had truly managed to kill over fifty people. Even though it wasn't a direct confrontation, the sheer number of lives taken was undeniable.

It was simply unheard of. Niu had spent half his life in the wilderness, yet he had never imagined that one could kill like this. There was no need for a life-or-death struggle; one only needed to utter a few words to stir up the greed in the hearts of others, and they could effortlessly eliminate so many foes.

"It's too incredible, truly too incredible. And the most impressive part is that those people actually helped him carry Ma De away, even deliberately slowing their pace to avoid being heard by others."

"Most of the reason for their deaths lies with themselves; greed is a devil," Niu muttered to himself. After speaking, he quickly took a drink from his water skin.

There was only one stone hut left in the cannibal camp, a dwelling Jiang Li had intentionally avoided. There was no specific reason other than its size; it stood in the very center of the camp, almost certainly the home of the chieftain. Niu was now extremely curious. Jiang Li had used human flesh to lure the common tribesmen, but the chieftain would not fall for such a trick. How would the three of them deal with him? Even if the chieftain were alone, those who reached such a position were invariably warriors of immense strength. What would a schemer like Jiang Li do against such a formidable opponent?

"Chieftain, should we go out and help?" a tribesman asked.

Niu hesitated before shaking his head. "Not yet. But if they are in danger, rush in immediately. We must not let Jiang Li come to harm." Even if Jiang Li failed to keep his promise to wipe out the entire cannibal tribe, Niu was already more than satisfied with what had been achieved thus far. Even if they failed in the end, it wouldn't matter.

At this moment, the three sat by the fire, focused on roasting a leg of lamb. Even though these cannibals ate humans, they were not limited to such a diet; they would not pass up any prey they could find.

Before long, Jiang Li took out a dagger and sliced a few pieces of meat from the leg, handing them to Ma De. "Brother Ma, you've worked hard. Eat up."

"Chu Chunqiu, the rest is yours," Jiang Li said, handing the dagger to him.

Of the three, Jiang Li was well aware of his own limitations. He might not even be able to defeat an ordinary tribesman in a one-on-one fight, and facing a powerhouse like the chieftain would be suicide. As for Ma De, the man was likely playing the fool. Jiang Li knew of Chu Chunqiu's strength; a single strike from him could easily leave an ordinary person unconscious for a day. However, Ma De had woken up so quickly that Jiang Li even began to suspect the man had never lost consciousness at all. But if he wanted to play the part, he might as well let him; it would only benefit their plans.

Once they were full, at Jiang Li's signal, Chu Chunqiu stood up, walked directly to the chieftain's hut, and kicked the door open.

"Get out here! My young master has sent me to take your head!"

"Ah!"

With a roar that shook the air, Chu Chunqiu quickly retreated. A massive man, whose physique was no less imposing than Niu's, stepped out of the hut, clutching a wooden spear and glaring at them menacingly.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Li calmly opened his water skin and washed the grease from his hands. "Your father."

The giant’s eyes burned with murderous intent. "You must be tired of living!" He bellowed, "Where are the guards? Get out here! Someone has infiltrated the camp!"

However, after a long silence, no one emerged from the other huts. The giant began to panic.

Jiang Li pointed toward the tall grass in the distance. "Your entire tribe of sixty-three people, apart from you, are all lying down already."

"I suggest you stop resisting and lie down as well. A family should stay together, after all."

"Bullshit!" the giant sneered. "The three of you managed to kill so many of us without a sound? Don't lie to me." He roared again, "Everyone, come out! There are intruders in the camp!"

Jiang Li remained unhurried, letting the giant scream.

"Come out! Where is everyone? Where did you all die?"

The giant roared again, but the panic hidden beneath his anger was becoming impossible to mask. Three men, sixty lives—such an inconceivable feat had truly taken place within his own tribe. What he couldn't fathom was how they had managed to kill so many without him noticing, even if they were gods descended from the heavens.

"What... what tricks did you use?" the giant asked, trembling with rage.

Jiang Li leisurely pointed at Ma De. "We were able to kill so many entirely thanks to this brother here."

Having said that, Jiang Li stopped talking and signaled for Chu Chunqiu to act.

"Enough, no more nonsense. My master told me to send you on your way!" Chu Chunqiu said, looking at the giant with bravado.

The giant stared at Chu Chunqiu with bloodshot eyes. Running was impossible now; he had no choice but to fight with everything he had. Chu Chunqiu didn't hesitate, his feet pounding the ground as he charged like a wild beast. Both were power-based fighters, and they were soon locked in a fierce, chaotic brawl of fists and kicks.

Jiang Li watched the giant with narrowed eyes. To hell with a fair fight—why fight one-on-one when you can gang up on someone? The moment this guy showed the slightest opening, he would not hesitate to plunge his wooden spear into him!

Chu Chunqiu seemed to sense Jiang Li’s intent. With a heavy punch, he forced the giant back, then turned his head toward Jiang Li.

"Young Master, don't worry, I'm done playing with him!"

"Nine Gates Vajra Lock, Open!"