The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 98: Wu Yuan’s Old Acquaintance

The Snow Plains Wolf King’s voice trembled as he pleaded for his life. “You… you must know I am a vassal of the Golden Armor Lion! This unprovoked slaughter violates the covenant of the Main Peak Kings!”

As the words left his maw, the giant wolf actually began to tear up, his eyes swimming with a mixture of grievance and pure, unadulterated helplessness. Who could possibly understand his plight? He had only wanted to find a quiet corner of the world to lie low and “rot” in peace, yet he’d ended up being door-stopped by a literal god of death. His life now hung by a single, frayed thread.

Wu Yuan scratched the back of his head. Of course, he was aware of the alliance. When the various demon factions first entered the Grotto-Heaven, it had been decreed that they would each claim a territory and develop in isolation during the early stages, delaying any true conflict until the final competition. He’d heard all about it from the Winged Tiger. Besides, in his current guise as an “outsider” demon, he was technically bound by it too.

Wu Yuan’s eyes darted around the battlefield until they landed on a mangy forest wolf cowering in the distance. This particular wolf was a sorry sight: it had no tail, only one eye, and its fur was a roadmap of jagged, poorly healed scars.

“That wolf,” Wu Yuan said, pointing a sharp claw. “He and I have Karma.”

He offered no further explanation. Instead, he simply hefted his Gu Duo and began a slow, menacing march toward the Wolf King.

The Snow Plains Wolf King stared blankly at the pathetic subordinate behind him—a creature with a measly three strands of Demon Power. He couldn’t even fathom how the wretch had survived the opening volley of the rat swarm, let alone managed to attract the attention of a powerhouse like Wu Yuan.

Nearby, Big Black—who had just been dragged out of the dirt by the Pangolin—poked his head up and squinted at the one-eyed wolf. “Hey, he looks familiar. Didn’t we see him back during the Fox Immortal’s Moon Worship? What’s he doing all the way out here?”

In truth, this was the very same wolf Wu Yuan had manipulated into fighting an owl months ago. After being abandoned by the owl, the wolf had barely clung to life, eventually realizing that the “civilized” parts of Little Green Mountain were a death trap. He had fled to Wolf Mountain to live with distant relatives, somehow surviving even the recent rat ambush. It was a testament to his sheer, stubborn luck.

The Wolf King was drowning in confusion, but he knew one thing: he didn’t have time to solve mysteries. As the mace drew closer, he mustered every scrap of his Demon Power, not to fight, but to shove his massive body into a submissive posture.

“I surrender!” he howled.

The Wolf King froze as the blood-stained Gu Duo came to a halt mere inches from his nose. He swallowed hard, the scent of the Pei’s fresh blood on the weapon making his heart hammer against his ribs.

“Great King… I am sincere! My surrender is absolute!”

The Winged Tiger trotted over, looking at the mace in Wu Yuan’s hand with a touch of newfound reverence. “Great King, this Wolf King is effectively a refugee from the North. His clan has always stayed neutral. Those Northern Plains types are a conservative bunch—they don’t usually take orders from the Holy Halls.”

The Tiger stepped back, leaving the final judgment to Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan scanned the area. He looked at the remaining Frost Wolves—wounded, surrounded, yet still standing their ground with a grim tenacity. He felt a sudden, greedy urge to possess them. They were high-quality stock.

He looked back at the Snow Plains Wolf King. Seeing the gaze return, the giant wolf offered a smile so sycophantic and desperate that it completely shattered his “kingly” aura.

“And how, exactly, can you be of use to me?” Wu Yuan asked. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a heavy, physical Pressure.

The Wolf King’s smile vanished. His crystalline blue pupils contracted as his brain went into overdrive, frantically searching for a “Value Proposition” that wouldn’t result in his head being turned into a pancake.

Seconds ticked by. Wu Yuan’s expression darkened, his rodent eyes filling with a cold, predatory dissatisfaction. The surrounding air seemed to solidify under the weight of his aura. The frost and snow clinging to the Wolf King’s fur—usually impervious to anything but the strongest sun—began to melt under the sheer heat of the tension, dripping rhythmically onto the mud.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the Wolf King like a lightning bolt.

“The Red Refined Fire Snake!” he shrieked. “My frost magic is a hard counter to his flames! I can help you kill him, Great King! I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

His voice was a pathetic, high-pitched tremble. Wu Yuan’s stoic mask finally cracked, revealing a slow, meaningful grin.

“Go on. Give me the details.”

The Wolf King exhaled a breath so long it sent up a plume of steam. The invisible mountain on his back had finally been lifted.

“Great King, my presence in this backwater was a desperate move,” the wolf babbled. “My ice inherently suppresses the Red Refined Fire Snake, who happens to be the younger brother of the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake. That snake has wanted my head for years. The Golden Armor Lion couldn’t handle the political pressure from the Flood Dragon, so he threw me out here—basically offering me up as a sacrificial lamb for the Fire Snake to slaughter.”

By now, the Wolf King was a mess of snot and tears, his weeping genuinely pitiable. “If I hadn’t spent every waking moment hiding in that cave, I’d never have lived to see your majestic face! I’d be a charred snack in that snake’s belly by now!”

Wu Yuan idly stroked his whiskers, his gaze piercing. “And what about the fact that I just killed your strategist and a good portion of your pack?”

The Wolf King wiped his face with a massive paw, his expression flipping instantly to one of exuberant joy.

“Oh, I should be thanking you for that, Great King! That Two-Clawed Pei was nothing but a spy, a pair of eyes the Golden Armor Lion planted on my back to make sure I didn’t run. Because he had no legs, he literally lived on my spine, monitoring my every breath. You didn’t just kill him; you liberated your loyal subordinate! As for the dead wolves… well, my ten guards and the best Frost Wolves are still breathing, aren’t they? The rest are thick-skinned; they’ll bounce back from those ‘minor’ injuries in a month or two!”

The Wolf King even reached out to pat the shoulder of a nearby guard who was currently missing a chunk of his ear and bleeding profusely, as if to prove they were “fine.”

The Winged Tiger watched the display, curled his lip, and muttered, “Shameless. Absolutely shameless. You think they’re walking that off in a month?”

The Wolf King shot the Tiger a murderous glare. I was just starting to forgive you for your earlier insults because you spoke up for me, and now you’re giving me ‘eye medicine’ again?!

Wu Yuan, meanwhile, was doing the math. I’m already pretending to be an outsider. Bibo, the Tiger, Little Gray, Little White… and now this Wolf King. My entire inner circle is composed of ‘outsiders.’ If I keep this up, nobody will ever suspect the Rat King is a local born and bred on this mountain.

“Fine,” Wu Yuan said, his voice decisive. “Since you’re so ‘sensible,’ I’ll take you in.”

He turned to Bibo. “Elder, why don’t you explain the ‘Company Benefits’ to our new recruit?”

The Snow Plains Wolf King blinked, his vacant blue eyes filled with a fresh wave of confusion. Benefits? Since when do demons have benefits?