Chapter 18: I won't believe it unless there is evidence

Zuan chuckled awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty. "Buddy, you can't blame me for this, can you?"

"You motherf***er!"

After Plum Blossom Twelve roared, several streams of blood spurted from between his legs. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 999!

Zuan thought to himself, *Even like this, the rage value is only 999. It seems this must be everyone's maximum rage limit.*

Suddenly, roars of wild beasts echoed from a distance. Zuan hid to the side, noticing some gray shadows stirring in the far reaches of the valley ahead. These were likely the legendary Fierce Black Jackals.

Remembering the purpose of his trip, he suddenly had an idea.

When Plum Blossom Twelve woke up again, he found himself not tied to a tree. A surge of joy filled him. *Was all that just a dream after all?*

He quickly looked down:

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 233!

Zuan felt a little embarrassed. *This guy isn't going to go bald because of me, is he?* "Don't get too excited," he said. "I just bandaged you up. If you tear the wound open again, not even a god could save you."

Plum Blossom Twelve heard a voice above him and quickly looked up. Only then did he realize he was at the bottom of a steep slope, with Zuan squatting at the top, looking down at him. Rage surged within him. "You son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you!"

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 333!

As he spoke, he charged up the slope. The intense pain from between his legs made his eyes bloodshot.

Unfortunately, just as he struggled to reach the top, he was met with a kick to the face and sent tumbling back down.

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 28!

"How is this possible!" Plum Blossom Twelve lost his balance and rolled down again. At this moment, his face was filled with shock. He had previously thought he was ambushed, but this time, facing his opponent directly, he still lost. *Could it be that the other's cultivation is really higher than his?*

"I advise you to save your strength," Zuan warned. "Otherwise, you won't have enough to deal with the Fierce Black Jackals later."

"What do you mean?" Plum Blossom Twelve was startled. He suddenly heard low growls coming from not far away. He saw several Fierce Black Jackals, drawn by the smell of blood, surrounding them. Only then did he realize he was already in Jackal Valley.

"Goddamn it!"

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 367!

He instinctively wanted to run towards the top of the slope. He knew that while each Fierce Black Jackal was only slightly above grade two in strength, there were six of them right now. Even at his peak, he wouldn't dare provoke them easily, let alone now, when he was heavily injured.

However, Zuan was already blocking the way from above. "I advise you not to waste your strength. But if you help me find ten 'dog treasures,' I'll pull you up."

He finally got a clear look at the Fierce Black Jackal's true appearance: sharp, large ears, a brownish-yellow belly similar to a Chinese rural dog, but a black back with faint white stripes.

These creatures resembled jackals from his previous life, but their size was comparable to African hyenas. *Indeed, this is a world brimming with vitality.*

"You bastard! You just said you'd let me go if I answered your questions!" Plum Blossom Twelve's teeth gnashed.

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 100!

"I only said I'd *consider* it," Zuan said, spreading his hands with an innocent expression.

"So, what have you *considered*?" By this point, Plum Blossom Twelve dared not look back at Zuan. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the approaching Fierce Black Jackals, knowing that one should never turn their back on wild beasts, or they would attack immediately.

Zuan replied, "I've finished my consideration. I decided it would be a shame to just kill you, so I've decided to fully utilize your remaining value." He had never seen Fierce Black Jackals before and didn't know their specific abilities, so it was best to have a reference point to observe them in combat, and Plum Blossom Twelve was the ideal candidate.

Plum Blossom Twelve: "..."

*What sin did I commit in my previous life to encounter such a shameless fellow?*

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 666!

Looking at the rage value in the system, Zuan sighed. *It really is best to grind dungeons. This rage value is accumulating so fast, much more fiercely than that girl Chu Chuyan.*

"Life is still very precious," Zuan said, trying to persuade him. "Even if that 'thing' is gone, there are other joys in life; it's not just about what's in your pants." Zuan was earnestly trying to convince him to cooperate with the "experiment," knowing he couldn't leave him completely without hope, or he might just give up. After a moment's thought, he added, "How about this: if you can get me one 'dog treasure,' I'll pull you up."

Hearing this, Plum Blossom Twelve was indeed tempted, but then he recalled the other's earlier broken promise:

"I don't believe you, unless you write it down."

He was almost in tears.

"Where am I going to find paper now?" Zuan mused. "Alright, how about this: I swear, if I go back on my word, I'll be impotent for a month... erm, no, for three days."

Zuan thought, *Anyway, this body already has that problem, and even if that Doctor Ji is amazing, he couldn't possibly cure it in just a few days, could he? Why do I feel like crying when I say this?*

Plum Blossom Twelve's heart leaped. Oaths in this world, much like written contracts, possessed an unbreakable power; otherwise, one would suffer divine retribution. Since the other party dared to swear, it proved he was sincere. But the duration...

"No, you have to swear to be impotent for life if you break your oath!"

Zuan immediately got angry. "Are you kidding me? My wife is so beautiful, and being unable to touch her for three days isn't sincere enough? Seven days at most, no more!"

Plum Blossom Twelve considered this. *Indeed, if I had a wife as beautiful and exquisite as Miss Chu, I'd practically live in bed with her.* The other party's oath of seven days of impotence was certainly potent enough. But he had no idea that Zuan couldn't even get through the door to Miss Chu.

"Alright, it's a deal!"

With that, he gathered all his resolve. If it was just one 'dog treasure,' he wasn't without a chance. Once back in the city, he would have his godfather and the other twelve brothers avenge him. He would definitely tear this guy into a thousand pieces!

To climb from the bottom of a gang to the position of one of the Thirteen Protectors, one had to be ruthless and strong-willed. He casually tore off a piece of his sleeve to bandage the wound between his legs, his eyes filled with cruelty and grimness.

The Fierce Black Jackals were clearly growing impatient and finally launched their attack. Three charged him from the front, while the other three circled around to his back.

From the top of the slope, Zuan watched, secretly alarmed. These creatures were incredibly agile, and seemed to have thick hides. Plum Blossom Twelve, after all, was at the third stage of grade two cultivation; a single punch from him could break an ordinary tree. Yet these creatures merely yelped twice and acted as if nothing had happened.

"You bastard! You want me to collect 'dog treasures' for you, at least give me back my knife!" Plum Blossom Twelve had just punched away one Fierce Black Jackal, and immediately had to turn to guard his backside, looking utterly pathetic.

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 187!

"Catch!" Zuan threw down Plum Blossom Twelve's saber. He wasn't worried about the other man rushing up with the knife now, as he was caught in the siege of six Fierce Black Jackals and had no chance to escape.

Plum Blossom Twelve's ability to climb from the bottom of the gang to the position of one of the Thirteen Protectors clearly indicated he had undergone countless trials of blood and fire. While his techniques weren't particularly refined, each move was highly practical.

He protected his vital spots, enduring minor injuries to gain opportunities to heavily wound the Fierce Black Jackals.

"So, the Fierce Black Jackals' weakness is their waist," Zuan observed. He watched as Plum Blossom Twelve had many opportunities to strike the jackals' heads but didn't take them, instead constantly looking for chances to stab their flanks.

These Fierce Black Jackals, after all, had little intelligence. With their strength, they could have easily overwhelmed Plum Blossom Twelve by swarming him, but instinct drove them to continuously circle behind their target, aiming for his backside.

Plum Blossom Twelve exploited this, and despite his severe injuries, he managed to kill all six Fierce Black Jackals. However, he was in a bad state, covered in bite marks from the jackals, and so exhausted he couldn't even stand, sitting on the ground, panting heavily.

"Pull me up, quickly!" Plum Blossom Twelve urged. Just before it died, one of the Fierce Black Jackals had whimpered, clearly alerting its companions. It wouldn't be long before more Fierce Black Jackals arrived.

"But you haven't fulfilled our agreement yet," Zuan said from above, squatting. "You still haven't found the 'dog treasure.'"

"Goddamn it!"

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 78!

Plum Blossom Twelve cursed under his breath, but he didn't dare waste time. He quickly propped himself up and cut open the bellies of several Fierce Black Jackals. The intense, pungent stench nearly made him vomit, but he forced himself to endure it, searching inside their stomachs.

Finally, he felt a spherical object, and his face lit up with joy. "Hahaha, I found it, I found it!"

However, the strong scent of blood acted like a beacon, drawing even more Fierce Black Jackals. The one leading them was noticeably larger than the others, clearly the pack leader.

"Pull me up quickly!" Plum Blossom Twelve urged, panicked.

Zuan, however, was in no hurry. He said leisurely, "Throw the 'dog treasure' up first."

"No way. What if I throw it up and then you go back on your word?" Plum Blossom Twelve wasn't stupid; he was naturally unwilling.

Zuan said, "Are you questioning my integrity? Didn't I just swear an oath? Hurry up and throw it. If you delay any longer, those Fierce Black Jackals will be here."

In truth, the Fierce Black Jackals were already charging their way and would arrive in less than a minute. Plum Blossom Twelve knew he had no strength left to fight, so in desperation, he had no choice but to throw the 'dog treasure' up first.

"Pull me up quickly!"

Zuan placed the 'dog treasure' into a pre-prepared pouch. Then, very slowly, he took out a rope, the same one he had used to tie Plum Blossom Twelve earlier, and threw one end down. "Grab it yourself."

Plum Blossom Twelve reached out several times, but found the rope was still several meters away from him. He was instantly both shocked and enraged. "Are you messing with me?"

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 144!

"Oh dear," Zuan said, feigning surprise. "The rope's only this long. What can I do? Who told you not to prepare a longer rope?"

Plum Blossom Twelve was almost driven mad with anger. "Can't you just come down a bit, damn it?"

Rage value from Plum Blossom Twelve: 500!

Zuan shook his head. "I'm scared of the Fierce Black Jackals too. What if I accidentally slip and fall?"

By now, Plum Blossom Twelve couldn't possibly misunderstand that the other party had no intention of saving him. "You swore an oath! Do you know the consequences of breaking an oath?"

Zuan shrugged and spread his hands. "I only swore to pull you up, not that I would successfully pull you up. I've already tried to 'pull' you up; it's just that you can't reach the rope yourself. Is that my fault?"