Elder Lu saw that Xiao Man remained unmoved, and his heart was filled with grief.
The weak had no right to choose. In the past, Yanhu Village forced them, exploited them, and compelled them to be spies, or else their Elk Village would be annihilated.
Now, Black Panther Village used them as pawns. Knowing that Elk Village was not good at offense, they insisted that Elk Village attack Sun Village and White Wolf Village. This was clearly leaving no way out for Elk Village, yet they did not even have the right to refuse.
Elder Lu looked up at the sky, and a tear of turbidness slid from his eye. If time could turn back, to the night they attacked Yanhu Village, he would have unhesitatingly chosen to join forces with White Wolf Village and attack Yanhu Village. Not only would Elk Village escape the enslavement of Yanhu Village, but under the protection of Xiao Man and White Wolf Village, they would at least have a corner of peace!
Elder Lu drew his dagger and stabbed towards his dantian, but a small stone knocked the dagger from his hand. Elder Lu looked at Xiao Man.
"Miss Xiao?"
"Do you know why Elk Village is in this predicament?" Xiao Man asked, flipping the roasted meat over the fire.
"One wrong step leads to a cascade of errors."
"Elk Village is naturally not good at combat, but they are excellent at gathering information." Xiao Man glanced at Elder Lu. "You did not utilize this point well. If you had used it properly, how would you not have known that colluding with Yanhu Village was like seeking skin from a tiger?"
Elder Lu moved his lips, unable to refute, because it was the truth.
"When you had the chance to escape the threat of Yanhu Village, you chose to evade. This plunged Elk Village into greater crisis. You lack the foresight to see the whole picture and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, which is why you brought such a devastating blow to Elk Village."
Elder Lu lowered his head. He was indeed not a good leader. He continuously made wrong decisions, leading Elk Village to a dead end!
"When I return, I will immediately select suitable people to lead Elk Village. I beg you, for the sake of the innocent villagers, save them. My old life is yours to dispose of!" Elder Lu said, bowing repeatedly.
"Enough," Xiao Man glanced at him. "If you're not going to help, don't get in the way."
Upon hearing this, Elder Lu saw a glimmer of hope and quickly stepped forward to help by passing things. Taotie snorted, scoffing at Xiao Man's soft-heartedness.
Jun Ru asked Taotie, "You didn't really come here just for a meal, did you?"
Taotie glanced at Jun Ru. "Besides food, what else do you think can attract me?"
Jun Ru was at a loss for words for a moment, as Taotie's entire life's success and failure hinged on his appetite.
"Aren't you afraid she'll scheme against you?"
"As long as she keeps providing me with good food every day, what does it matter if she schemes? She can't eat me, can she?"
Jun Ru thought for a moment. This made sense. "She has many enemies. Aren't you afraid that one day she'll be eaten by her enemies?"
"The one who can eat me has not yet been born," Taotie said with a cold laugh. "A mere pseudo-god, who stole another's position, actually thinks he's a god!"
Jun Ru thought to himself, no wonder everyone said Taotie had a strange temper. With food, he would do anything, but when he was in a bad mood, even the most delicious food couldn't appease him.
"It's almost ready," Taotie sniffed. His stomach rumbled. Ever since he ate the roasted meat from Xiao Man, he found raw meat tasteless. Even with the seasonings Xiao Man provided, the roasted taste was far inferior!
A rich aroma of meat wafted out. The Black Panther Village warriors lurking on the periphery could not help but swallow as they smelled the fragrant meat.
"This Xiao Man is truly not afraid of death, actually coming out to roast meat!"
"If we charge in now, kill Xiao Man, and have a good meal besides."
"Are you sure it'll be a good meal, rather than an appetizer for someone else?" The leading warrior ordered, "Wait for Elder Lu to return."
"Will that old man die inside?" someone joked, as Elk Village was not skilled in combat. If they fell into Xiao Man's hands, it would be a sure death.
"This..." The leading warrior was silent for a moment. "Two of you, go and check."
Those on the periphery waited for a long time. By the time the aroma of meat gradually dissipated, leaving only a faint scent, the Black Panther Village spies had not returned.
"What's going on? Why are they taking so long?"
"Could they have gotten lost?"
"How could they get lost? You could walk out of this place with your eyes closed!" the leading man replied immediately. After answering, he realized something was wrong. This voice...
The man stiffly turned his head and saw Xiao Man squatting beside him, smiling at him. The men he brought had already been subdued!
"You... what do you want?"
"That's a question I should be asking. What do you want?" Xiao Man asked, her voice ethereal. "Were you ambushing me here?"
The man instinctively shook his head. His gaze passed through Xiao Man and landed on Elder Lu not far away. He gritted his teeth. That damned old man had betrayed them. No wonder Xiao Man had appeared beside him so silently!
"I am the number one warrior of Black Panther Village. Our Great Priest greatly admires Miss Xiao's talent, so he ordered us to invite Miss Xiao to be our guest!" The man reacted quickly, prioritizing his own life. Once he returned to Black Panther Village and gathered warriors, he would deal with it!
"You brought so many people to invite me as a guest?" Xiao Man glanced at the bodies lying haphazardly behind her. These were the works of Taotie and Jun Ru. She hadn't expected Jun Ru to be such a skilled sneak attacker.
"There are many ferocious beasts in this forest, and it is very dangerous. We came in a group for safety."
"Oh, in that case, I must have misunderstood you." Xiao Man stood up and stretched. "Go back and tell your Great Priest that a powerful enemy is approaching. If he still focuses on internal strife, Black Panther Village will face annihilation."
The man swallowed, not daring to refute. If Sun Village and White Wolf Village joined forces to attack Black Panther Village, the latter would indeed face the danger of annihilation. It seemed that the tactic of sowing discord could not be used!
"I understand. I will relay your message to the Great Priest." The man spoke as he retreated. Seeing that Xiao Man had no intention of killing him, he immediately turned and fled, afraid that if he was any slower, he would end up like the others, forever remaining in this forest.
"Miss Xiao, you can't let him go!"
"Elder Lu, our enemy is not Black Panther Village," Xiao Man reminded Elder Lu. "The Pseudo-God clan has sent spies. If you continue with your internal conflicts, you will be annihilated by the Pseudo-God clan."
Elder Lu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. "How is that possible? The Pseudo-God clan has no way of entering here..."
"When I entered this place, a rift appeared in this small world. I suspect they entered through the rift. If we do not prepare in advance, the consequences will be unimaginable!"