A Beastman grumbled.

But to his surprise, the moment he finished speaking, his surrounding tribesmen all chimed in, "Yeah, I feel a chill too. We should get back to our territory sooner rather than later."

"What are you talking about, a chill? I know what all of you are really thinking..."

The Beastman at the front, who was carrying the witch, frowned and turned around. He was about to lecture them, but his excellent Beastman eyesight caught sight of a group of fast-approaching white-furred figures in the distance—figures they hated so much it made their teeth ache.

"Forget all that! The Snow Tiger Tribe’s Beastman Warriors have caught up! Prepare for battle!"

His shout put the entire party of Beastmen on high alert. They stopped in their tracks, assumed fighting stances, and stared at the white fur fluttering in the wind.

"It’s the Beastmen from the Snow Tiger Tribe."

"How did they know which way we went!?"

There weren’t many Snow Tiger Tribe Beastmen, but their numbers were only one or two short of their own. A force of this size meant that the witch’s Poisonous Insects had had no real effect on them at all.

The Beastman Warrior carrying the witch stepped forward. As he watched the Snow Tiger Tribe Beastman Warriors rapidly close in, he thought about what the witch had done, and the arm wrapped around her legs trembled involuntarily.

Yuan Lang and his Beastman Warriors stopped a dozen or so meters from the Yan Yan Tribe Beastmen. When his gaze fell upon the burly witch on the lead Beastman’s back, his handsome face instantly became an icy mask.

"You run quite fast."

The Beastman’s voice was low, laced with a heavy chill.

Just as the opposing Yan Yan Tribe Beastman Warrior was about to speak, the Yan Yan Tribe’s Witch on his back—who had been lying as still as a corpse a moment before—seemed to be roused by Yuan Lang’s voice. She clutched the shoulders of the Beastman carrying her and lifted her head.

"Yuan... Yuan Lang..."

Her voice was nothing like its previous gentleness. The way she called out Yuan Lang’s name sounded like a vengeful spirit bound by obsession, as if her voice could transform into cold chains to ensnare the Beastman before her.

Yun Lang’s sharp brows furrowed slightly. For some reason, the tone of the Yan Yan Tribe’s witch felt vaguely familiar to him.

’Could the original owner of this body have gotten into some romantic entanglement while trading for salt?’ he wondered.

But one look at her brawny figure, and that sliver of suspicion instantly vanished.

’Whether it was the original owner’s fault or not, the person in this body now was him. And this witch was definitely not the one for him.’

"I never would have thought the Yan Yan Tribe had such hidden depths. How could we possibly let a tribe that bears ill will toward our Snow Tiger Tribe just leave so easily?

After all, we’re not exactly a magnanimous tribe."

Perhaps because the Beastman’s objective was so obvious, the lead Yan Yan Tribe Beastman’s face twitched.

"We came to attend the trading fair. You swore an oath before the great Beast God—don’t forget your vow."

The only reason the Yan Yan Tribe dared to pull something like this on Snow Tiger Tribe territory was their belief that the hosts of the trading fair couldn’t harm any of the participating tribes.

But...

"We’re not going to take your lives. We’re just here for a friendly battle between our two tribes.

Of course, if you’re not willing, the Snow Tiger Tribe wouldn’t mind having you stay for the winter."

The expressions of the Beastmen across from them changed instantly. Did this mean that if they didn’t agree to a ’friendly battle,’ they would be forced to stay with the Snow Tiger Tribe for the entire winter?

Suddenly, the Yan Yan Tribe Beastman Warriors recalled the Scorpion Tribe Beastman Warriors they had seen earlier in the Snow Tiger Tribe.

After just one long rainy season, those once brawny and handsome Beastman Warriors had been tortured into looking like walking mummies. If they were to stay here for an entire winter...

The Beastmen all shuddered. The mental image was too horrifying to even contemplate.

"If the Snow Tiger Tribe does this, I’m afraid no tribe will ever come to your trading fair again."

The Yan Yan Tribe Beastman Warrior set down the still-groggy witch. His muscles coiled and bulged as he glared at Yuan Lang, his eyes filled with ferocity.

Yuan Lang’s deep eyes were placid. "Not every tribe is like the Yan Yan Tribe, hiding in another’s territory to play dirty tricks that can’t see the light of day."

Hearing this, the Yan Yan Tribe Beastman’s expression instantly turned as if he’d been force-fed a mouthful of crap.

"Such arrogance from a puny tribe from the Polar Forest! You actually dare to provoke the mighty Yan Yan Tribe?

If you want a fight, you’ll get one! You think the Yan Yan Tribe is afraid of you?"