Chapter 551: Chapter 550: Stirred Up a Hornet’s Nest

Si Shuo met the lecherous stares of the three Bird Beastmen next to her, then calmly looked away.

When she ignored them, the three Bird Beastmen scoffed and strode over. "Hey, we’re talking to you. Are you deaf? Or do you think playing dumb is going to work on us?"

"Don’t you worry. With a tempting face like that, your big brothers are going to take *real* good care of you later..."

"Well now, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a pretty-looking male. Tsk, the females are too weak; they can’t handle our ’affection’ at all. But a male... that’s a different story. He’ll be enough to keep us brothers entertained for a good month..."

Hearing their vile words, Ji Liang shot forward to stand in front of Si Shuo. He said coldly, "What’s this? Bullying one of my bonded brothers? Did you think to ask our permission first?"

The three Bird Beastmen glanced at the two green stripes on Ji Liang’s neck. A mere Eleventh-Level Beastman dared to step forward. Zhi Le and Yin Jiang, who emerged next, also had their superpowers suppressed, making their apparent cultivation two levels lower than their actual strength. They appeared to be at the Twelfth Level and Level 13, respectively. In Beiping City, these cultivation levels were quite common.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Ask your permission? Are you afraid your flimsy frames can’t take a punch, or are you saying..."

Their eyes roamed up and down Ji Liang and his companions.

None of the males in Si Shuo’s group were brutish or burly. Even Wei Ce, who had a sturdy build, was sleekly muscled, tall, and imposing. They were all ruggedly handsome and exceptionally attractive, each with his own distinct appeal.

"Or are you jealous that we only want to ’care’ for this bonded brother of yours and have forgotten about the rest of you? Don’t worry. Every male in your group is more tempting than the last. We’ll be sure not to play favorites..."

They didn’t just talk; they actually reached out to touch Ji Liang!

Si Shuo rose on her tiptoes behind Ji Liang and glared. ’These three bird brains! Not only are they lusting after my Xiao Cheng disguise, but they’re hitting on my Beast Husbands right in front of me.’

’This is the last straw!’

She gritted her teeth, turned to Yin Jiang, and ordered, "Burn their feathers."

The moment she spoke, Yin Jiang’s fire leaped forward. ’My superpower is only at ten percent of its strength? No problem. I’ll just use a hundred percent of my power!’

The three Bird Beastmen froze for a second before a wave of scorching heat hit them in the face. They scrambled backward, only to find another Fire Dragon waiting for them.

Their feathers burst into flames on contact. They shrieked and ran about in a panic, but the more they ran, the more the wind fanned the fire, making the tongues of flame licking at their plumage dance with even greater excitement.

"WATER, WATER, WATER!" they shrieked in panic, subconsciously shifting into their Beast Forms and taking flight, flapping their wings frantically.

Even the Beastmen below who had a Water Ability couldn’t get a clear shot at them.

Soon, all the feathers on the three Bird Beastmen were burned away. THUD! THUD! THUD! They crashed to the ground, bald, naked, and reeking of char.

The crowd clucked their tongues, enjoying the show. It was clear to everyone that the fire wasn’t lethal; at most, it would just burn their feathers clean off. But Bird Beastmen were incredibly vain and cherished their plumage above all else.

Now that they’d been turned into plucked chickens, a grudge was well and truly forged. The onlookers all turned to the outsiders. ’They sure are gutsy,’ they thought, ’but I wonder how long they can last.’

"AHHH, I’LL KILL YOU!" Once their dizziness faded, they were overwhelmed with shame and fury. They were too embarrassed to even transform back into their Beast Form.

Ji Liang raised his voice and announced calmly, "Everyone, we came to Beiping City to make a living, not to get in anyone’s way. We don’t start trouble, but we’re certainly not afraid of it."

"What just happened was merely a small token of our ’respect’ for the foul mouths on these three gentlemen."

As he spoke, he tossed a white fox pelt to each of the three Bird Beastmen. The fur was immaculately white and soft, a striking sight in the somewhat dreary autumn season.

The Bird Beastmen gritted their teeth and shifted back to their humanoid forms. With bald heads and bloodshot eyes, they wrapped the Beast Skins around their waists. "If you’ve got any guts, how about we settle this in the arena?"

Ji Liang raised an eyebrow. "And what does that entail?"

An elderly weasel-like male nearby sighed and explained it to them. "Fighting and brawling are forbidden in Guanping Country. But we Beastmen are wild by nature and prefer to let our fists do the talking, which is why the arena was created."

"One party issues a formal challenge. The other can refuse, but they have to pay a penalty equal to thirty percent of the winner’s prize. If they accept the fight, the match ends only when one side either surrenders or dies."

"Young men, you’re in deep trouble! The Bird Beastmen are extremely vengeful, especially since you messed with their feathers."

"You might win one match, but can you win them all?"

Another Beastman pointed upward, gloating. "See those lavishly decorated caves on the highest level? That’s their clan! They’ll come at you one after another..."

"You’ve gone and stirred up the Red-winged Black Oriole’s nest!"

"You’ll either accept the challenge and be fought to exhaustion, or you’ll pay the fine until you’ve lost the very Beast Skins off your backs..."

"Here in Beiping City, everyone knows not to mess with the Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen. You mess with one, you mess with the whole flock... Not even the Eagle Falcon Beastmen dare to cross them..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

All the onlooking Beastmen wore expressions that said, ’You’re finished,’ as they stared at Si Shuo’s group.

The three Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen said smugly, "If you surrender now and serve us properly, we’ll let your earlier provocation slide. But if you still refuse to admit you were wrong, then we’ll see you in the arena. We doubt you’ll last even two or three rounds."

"I’ve seen plenty of defiant outsiders like you. But what happens to them in the end? Don’t they all end up fawning, stripping off their Beast Skins, and letting themselves be humiliated?"

"Outsiders are just trash. They have to be tamed before they learn to be afraid..."

Zhi Le let out a low chuckle. "So, you plan to use your numbers to overwhelm us? I never realized the Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen of the Yongchang Continent were so shameless."

"Hah. Say what you will, as long as our clansmen beat you, that’s all that matters," one of the Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen said, arching a brow smugly, feeling no shame whatsoever. "Too bad if you don’t like it. There’s no rule that says members of the same clan can’t challenge you all at once."

Si Shuo watched as more and more aggressive Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen flew down to stand behind the first three. She sneered as well. "You’re right, there’s no such rule. But you were the ones who started this and humiliated us."

"You are the ones at fault. I’m afraid your entire clan will have to bear the consequences of the mistake you few have made. When the losses pile up, it’ll be too late for regrets. And as it happens, we hold grudges too. To the death!"

"Haha," the gathered Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen roared with laughter. "We’ve yet to meet any Beastman who could make us back down. Our name wasn’t built on fear. Sticking together as a clan and fighting to the death—that’s how we survive."

"All I know is that you’re about to stupidly sacrifice the lives of your clansmen over something trivial," Ji Liang scoffed. "Fine. Since you’re all in such a hurry to die, why wouldn’t we accept your challenge? This is a perfect chance to make an example of you and show everyone that our family isn’t to be trifled with!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Several Beastmen couldn’t help but try to reason with them. "Young men, you’re too naive! You have no idea how terrifying it is to face thousands of Red Winged Black Oriole beastmen fighting in waves..."