Lin Mu knew, if they wanted to talk, they would co.
If they wanted to fight... well, Lin Mu would deal with that too.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
The forest breathed around them. Vast trees stretched upward like pillars holding the sky, their canopies layered so thickly that even midday sunlight filtered down as a muted green haze. Vines as thick as a man's torso hung from branch to branch, while unseen creatures skittered and slithered through the undergrowth.
Then-
BOOOOAAAARRRR!
A deafening cry shattered the calm.
The sound was raw and primal, carrying the weight of an enraged beast rather than a cultivated immortal. Birds erupted from the canopy in panicked flocks, weak immortal and spirit beasts fled in all directions, and even the massive leaves trembled from the force of it.
ng Bai stiffened.
Cattaleya's lips curved upward slightly. "Ah. Here we go."
A figure burst upward from the forest several hundred ters ahead, leaping with trendous force before hovering in midair.
Lin Mu narrowed his eyes and took him in.
The man was unmistakably a boar beastkin.
His body was broad and thick, built like a living battering ram. Coarse black-and-gray hair covered nearly every inch of his exposed skin, the bristles stiff and sharp enough that they looked capable of drawing blood on contact. His head hair was styled in a savage mohawk, the sides shaved down close while a thick strip of coarse hair ran from his scalp all the way down his spine, bristling with faint Qi.
Two massive tusks curved upward from either side of his mouth, yellowed and polished from use, each one nearly as long as Lin Mu's hand. His face was brutish, the snout slightly elongated, nostrils flaring as he breathed in the air. His eyes were dark yellow, round-pupiled, and carried an unmistakable hostility.
His torso was bare.
Muscles bulged beneath his bristled skin, each movent causing layers of dense muscle to shift like coiled iron cables. Faint scars crisscrossed his chest and shoulders, marks left by claws, blades, and fangs. A crude necklace made from beast fangs and bone fragnts hung around his neck, clacking softly as he moved.
From the waist down, he wore thick leather trousers stitched together from multiple hides, reinforced with bone plates along the thighs and knees. Heavy tal rings were fastened around his wrists and ankles, each etched with simple but sturdy reinforcent runes.
This was not ornantal gear.
It was battle gear.
While Lin Mu was gazing at the man, Little Shrubby wrinkled his noise. "He's stinky." Little Shrubby said.
The boar beastkin hovered there for a mont, glaring at them, before pointing a thick finger straight at Little Shrubby.
"You!" he roared, voice rough and deep. "You dare mock and call slly?!"
The world went quiet.
Lin Mu blinked.
"...He understood that?" ng Bai said slowly.
Little Shrubby recoiled slightly, his massive head tilting in confusion. "Wait. He can hear ?"
The boar beastkin snorted, steam puffing from his nostrils. "Of course I can hear you, you oversized furball! You think the Dark Tusk Tribe cannot understand the tongue of beasts?"
Lin Mu raised an eyebrow, genuine surprise flickering across his face. It was not unheard of, but it was rare. Most beastkin communicated with beasts through instinct, aura, or specialized techniques, not direct language.
Before Lin Mu could say anything else, the boar beastkin's anger boiled over. He kicked off the air and charged forward, Qi exploding from his body in a violent burst.
"I challenge you!" he bellowed. "For insulting !"
Little Shrubby stiffened and slowly turned his head back toward Lin Mu.
For the first ti in a very long ti, the normally carefree Liger looked... awkward.
"...I might have started sothing" he admitted.
Lin Mu sighed inwardly.
He raised a hand. "Hold. This is a misunderstanding."
The boar beastkin skidded to a halt in midair, snorting loudly.
"A misunderstanding?" he sneered. "Your beast insults my scent, and you call
that a misunderstanding?"
Lin Mu kept his tone calm. "My companion speaks without thinking. We ant
no offense. If there is an issue, we can resolve it peacefully."
The boar beastkin's lips curled back, exposing his tusks.
"Peacefully?" he repeated, as if tasting the word. Then he laughed, a harsh, grating sound.
At the sa ti, the forest exploded with movent.
SHUA SHUA SHUA
Figures leapt upward from every direction, bursting from the canopy, vaulting off massive branches, or simply rising straight into the air. In monts, Lin Mu
and his group were surrounded.
Dozens of beastkin hovered in a loose ring around them.
There were more boar beastkin, dressed similarly to the first, their builds bulky and powerful. Two deerkin stood tall and slender, massive antlers branching elegantly from their heads, eyes sharp and assessing. Three hawkkin flapped their wings slowly, feathers shimring with tallic sheen, talons curled nacingly beneath them.
Eight apekin hovered with their arms crossed, bodies dense and compact, their faces almost indistinguishable from true apes save for the sharp intelligence in their eyes. ng Bai even wondered if they were just normal beasts but a bit
more intelligent.
'So can be really hard to tell apart, huh...' He thought.
Three leopardkin lounged in the air with lazy confidence, spotted fur rippling
over lean, deadly fras, tails swaying slowly.
And more.
Wolflike forms. Bearkin with thick fur and massive fras. Serpentkin with
their lower bodies coiled loosely, eyes unblinking.
They said nothing at first.
Their presence alone was pressure.
One of the apekin stepped forward slightly, his voice low and gravelly.
"This is Dark Bear King Sect territory," he said. "Here, might makes right."
His gaze flicked toward Little Shrubby, then to Lin Mu.
"Your beast insulted one of ours," he continued. "There is no leaving without
answering that challenge."
Cattaleya cracked her neck slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "Oh. So
that's how it works."
ng Bai swallowed and glanced at Lin Mu.
Lin Mu exhaled softly.
"...I was hoping it wouldn't co to this," he muttered.
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