My Misfortune Crushed Instances

Although it was about coaxing a child, Li Rui adhered to his usual principle of fair trade. Ba Yan led the way, and the creation would give him what he wanted, which was a real fight, even letting him continue until he could fight no longer.

Unfortunately, the young demon ultimately couldn’t kill that ghost beast with his own hands. The power gap between the two sides was too great, and no matter the mindset or any scheme, it was useless.

He finally understood why the elders in his clan didn’t allow him to participate in the battles. Li Rui was right; his cultivation wasn’t up to par.

To be precise, he had long known this reality, just was unwilling to accept it, having to experience it firsthand to admit it.

Li Rui didn’t say anything, though. This result was anticipated, even if Ba Yan later wanted another real fight, he would not refuse.

However, this young demon probably wouldn’t dare again; he now not only knew what enemies his people faced daily but also deeply felt the might of these foreign races.

The undead beasts which he challenged over a dozen times and couldn’t harm at all were like toys in Li Rui’s hands, effortlessly crushed to death.

He not only realized his thoughts were wrong but also understood that the ideas of the village elders were mistaken.

If they could leverage the strength of outsiders, surely they could reclaim the land occupied by the undead, at least that’s what he believed now.

"But Li Rui, I don’t know where to find other ghosts."

"You just need to know how to bypass the miasma and mire," Li Rui said, even if he had considerable poison resistance, he couldn’t soak long in those Yin Sha attribute miasmas.

Ba Yan glared at the map Li Rui handed over, marking routes according to the descriptions from the village.

Li Rui traced the paths he indicated, then commanded the ghost riders to arrange the formation, preparing to move forward.

Before leaving, he came to the entrance of the Deserted Village, cut down the tattered tribal flag, and placed it into the giant warrior’s backpack; this way, it could be used as evidence when he returned, to prove to the Demon Race of Arrow Spear Village and enhance their goodwill.

Following Ba Yan’s directions, the ghost riders charged eastward, slaughtering every undead ghost they encountered, capturing towns and forts, swiftly conquering over a dozen Yin Sha gathering places.

"Li Rui, I don’t know the road ahead." The young demon race had completely yielded but truly had no ability to continue leading the way.

Li Rui looked around; these were all small loot production spots. He collected a dozen materials and some damaged flags, stored them well, and then glanced at the sky.

"The sun is about to set, let’s head back."

.....

At the entrance of Arrow Spear Village, Hu Neng had already led the team back; the demon race who volunteered as a guide eagerly charged in first.

"Elder! Village chief! The Yin Spirits have been scattered by Elder Hu! We can go to Xiaosonggang anytime in the future!!"

Without seeing anyone, he shouted all the way inside.

All the demon race who heard his words rushed over, following the guide into the village, eager to verify the truth.

Hu Neng was not in a hurry, as agreed, he couldn’t enter the village’s core area, so he waited outside.

After successfully making a breakthrough, he didn’t want to generate further hostility from the Arrow Spear Village demon race due to this minor issue.

"Chairman Hu, it’s definitely settled now. I estimate that the goodwill can be raised to friendly."

Hu Neng nodded and said, "Don’t relax, we still have much to do. Later, first get them to agree to cooperate. After cleaning up more Yin Sha, raising the goodwill to respect, then we can propose deeper exploration, there’ll be tough battles ahead."

Talking about warfare prompted someone to ask, "Hey? Isn’t there reinforcements coming? Why haven’t we seen them?"

Hu Neng was also puzzled, approached a nearby demon drying vegetables, squeezing a smile and asking, "Excuse me, have you seen any unfamiliar outsiders?"

The demon was friendly enough, fiddling with his task while saying, "Yes, the girl you left brought him outside the village."

"Outside the village?" Hu Neng muttered.

Although they hadn’t completely earned the demon race’s trust here, it wasn’t to the point of being barred from entering the village.

The demon said, "No choice, that guy brought a bunch of undead over, who knows if he’s good or bad. Please understand, we’ve had it tough in the Mire Marsh."

Undead?

Hu Neng grew more confused, asked about the direction, and sent someone to investigate.

At this time, the demon elders in the village personally came to greet him. Compared to before, their faces showed much more smiles.

"Warrior, a tough journey indeed, please come inside for a discussion."

[Arrow Spear Village goodwill: Friendly.]

Seeing this change, Hu Neng breathed a sigh of relief; at least the effort wasn’t in vain.

The situation in the Mire Marsh is quite peculiar. The miasma swamp’s outer small loot has low cost-effectiveness, but according to demon race legends, the inner dangerous area has many treasures, even legendary materials, so the subsequent rewards are worth anticipating.

Being able to enhance the relationship implies moving closer to those high-level rewards; at least the progress bar is steadily advancing.

When they were invited into the core area of the village, they were treated to tables full of good food and drink.

Although the village’s demon race hadn’t reached the point of worship, at least they could have a decent conversation.

The village chief and Hu Neng sat together, the atmosphere fairly harmonious.

"Warrior, please don’t blame us. In the past, we have welcomed some outsiders, who likewise vowed to help. We didn’t stop them, but each time they sacrificed their lives for naught."

"We stopped all of you partly for your safety, and also because if more Vengeful Spirits arise, it will further empower those Undead in the marshes, alas."

The village chief revealed a worried expression.

Hu Neng took the opportunity to advise, "Village chief, why not leave this matter to us, we will not disgrace the mission. You can inquire with Balan, he can testify that we have the ability to dispel those Undead."

The village chief nodded, "This matter still requires further discussion. The miasma marshes harbor numerous fierce spirits; if we are to delve in, the old man must communicate with other tribes first. If they don’t permit, I can’t make decisions on my own."

Hu Neng forced a smile, "Please village chief, act swiftly."

It seems the exploration of the Mire Marsh has made significant progress, other tribes should not object, and soon they might start delving deeper; once they take action, they should be able to clear the outskirts of the marsh in a few days, raising goodwill to respect.

At this moment, a female wolf demon hurriedly ran inside, spoke a few words to several village backbones at the edges of the banquet area, and quickly sparked a wider response.

Finally, the village chief directly summoned someone over, "What’s happened?"

"Ba Yan is missing!" the demon said.

"Oh? When was it discovered?"

Hu Neng hurriedly joined the conversation; this could be some kind of event, if he could help solve it, surely earning goodwill from these demon races.

However, before he could ask more, he saw his own people rush in and say, "Chairman, Yu Xin is missing, the new reinforcements, what they mentioned about some undead have vanished too."

Hu Neng furrowed his brows.

He hadn’t had a chance to understand the situation earlier, now only recalling that the matters of the undead and reinforcements were still unclear.

But as he pondered, a bad thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"A demon race kid missing, the new reinforcements also missing, could it be such a coincidence?"