"Fine."
Yang Jiu withdrew his gaze, his tone as casual as if he were arranging a trivial matter.
"You stay here for now and be a breeder."
He gestured with his snout toward the breeding pens outside the grotto. "The animals in the farm will be under your care from now on."
Kinoshita Jōsei was stunned.
A... breeder?
He lay prone on the ground, his mind struggling to process this.
A pack of wolves actually had a breeding farm?
But he quickly reacted—who cared what it was! As long as he could live, he'd be a pooper scooper, let alone a breeder!
"Yes, Wolf King! Thank you, Wolf King, for sparing my life!!!"
He kowtowed desperately, his forehead hitting the dirt with loud thuds.
Yang Jiu didn't look at him again.
To be honest, he still had a human soul. Having only transmigrated a few days ago, he couldn't yet bring himself to kill an ordinary person who posed no threat to him without blinking an eye.
Moreover, keeping him around was indeed useful.
Regarding the animals in the breeding pens, it was always more convenient for a human to raise them than a wolf. At least for tasks like cutting grass, providing water, and cleaning up waste, human hands were much more useful than wolf claws.
"Mhm."
He hummed in response, then turned his head and instructed Great Remnant behind him in the wolf language:
"Great Remnant, from now on, the animals for the canteen will be raised by this human."
"Arrange for a few clansmen to watch him. Don't let him escape."
Great Remnant's ears perked up, and he immediately puffed out his chest. "Yes, Patriarch!"
It turned to glance at Kinoshita Jōsei, its gaze carrying a bit of scrutiny and a warning that said, 'just try to run.'
"I definitely won't let him escape!"
Yang Jiu nodded.
Kinoshita Jōsei lay on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.
Great Remnant stepped forward, nudged him with a paw, and gestured toward the breeding pens with his snout:
"What are you dazed for? Move it, get to work."
Although he couldn't understand the wolf language, Kinoshita Jōsei understood the meaning.
He scrambled up, his legs still weak, and followed Great Remnant toward the breeding pens with stumbling steps.
As he walked, he muttered silently to himself:
So be it, a breeder then.
As long as I'm not the fodder, anything goes.
Next, Yang Jiu began assigning missions.
He had Black Fiend, Scar, and Great Remnant lead separate teams to sweep through the entire forest.
As for that specific forest area, it was left untouched for now. He would deal with that mountain stronghold once the other three directions were secured.
—
Time passed quickly.
In just two short days, the squads led by Great Remnant, Black Fiend, and Scar swept through the entire Yufu Forest except for the western part.
A large number of animals were captured; some, where there was truly no other way, had to be killed.
Even the two Tiger Kings of Tiger Mountain and that brown bear were besieged and killed.
Meanwhile, the members of the wolf clan suffered at most a few injuries.
To Yang Jiu's pleasant surprise, downstream of the river, there was a small pack of about a dozen wolves and several lone wolves.
This added another eighteen members to the wolf clan, bringing the total to 86, not far from a hundred.
On the third day, inside Wolf Valley.
[strongest wolf clan system]
Race: Wolf Clan
Level: 2 (3400/10000)
Members: 86
Racial Talents: Wind Body, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones
Racial Ninjutsu: Storm Blade, Chakra Refining Technique (Wolf Clan Exclusive Edition)
Racial Points: 3800
[Individual Wolf Panel] [mission] [Warehouse] [mall]
Yang Jiu looked at the system interface, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
Once the "King of the Forest" mission was completed, the experience would be more than halfway done.
It wasn't far from leveling up to Level 3.
Yang Jiu withdrew his thoughts, his gaze falling on the breeding area outside Wolf Valley—
Over the past two days, the wolves had captured animals on a large scale. The live prey brought back was simply too numerous, and the small space of the breeding pens had long been packed full.
Wild boars, deer, antelopes... large and small were squeezed together. Forget about moving around; even turning around was difficult.
Helplessly, he could only cordon off another large area outside Wolf Valley, surrounding it with sharpened wooden stakes to keep the excess animals penned up.
Although it didn't have the attribute bonuses of the breeding pens—unable to accelerate growth or breeding—at least they could be kept alive.
Self-sufficiency was better than just killing them.
He clicked on the progress of the "King of the Forest" mission.
[mission Progress: Current Ruled Territory—Wolf Valley and surroundings (approximately 80% of total area)]
Eighty percent.
Yang Jiu narrowed his eyes.
The remaining twenty percent, needless to say, was that western part—the territory of that mountain stronghold.
As long as he took that down, the mission would be complete.
Just as he was thinking this, suddenly—
[Ding—Wolf Clan member deceased!]
Yang Jiu was startled.
[Ding—Wolf Clan member deceased!]
Another notification sound exploded.
[Ding—Wolf Clan member deceased!]
[Ding—]
Each sound was like a knife, stabbing fiercely into Yang Jiu's heart.
He suddenly stood up from the stone platform!
Boom—
An ice-cold, bone-chilling aura erupted from his body, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Debris rolled away from the vibration. In the distance, the playing wolf cubs were so scared they shrank into balls, and even the mother wolves instinctively lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
Yang Jiu's eyes burned with a raging fire, and a terrifying killing intent surged within his amber pupils.
Dead?
His wolves were dead?
"Great Remnant!!!"
A roar thundered through the entire Wolf Valley.
In the distance, a gray figure came rushing over, scrambling and crawling.
"Pa-Patriarch! I'm here!" Great Remnant ran close, his legs going soft from the terrifying aura on Yang Jiu, nearly collapsing. "W-what happened?"
Yang Jiu didn't answer.
He stared fixedly at the death notifications frantically flickering on the system panel—
[Wolf Clan member deceased ×1]
[Wolf Clan member deceased ×2]
[Wolf Clan member deceased ×3]
...
The numbers were still jumping.
Three.
Five.
Six.
Yang Jiu's heart was bleeding.
Every single wolf was a clansman he had personally recruited.
Every single wolf had undergone a transformation through the system, possessing Wind Body and Bronze Skin and Iron Bones. Among ordinary wild beasts, they were invincible existences.
Now, they were dying.
And they were dying in batches at the same time.
"Where are Black Fiend and Scar?" Yang Jiu's voice was as cold as a wind blowing out of an ice cellar.
Great Remnant trembled all over at the sound. "B-Black Fiend led a team to patrol the west... Scar is in the south..."
The west!!!
Yang Jiu's eyes were filled with fury.
"Assemble all clansmen capable of fighting." He spoke one word at a time, each word like it was dipped in ice. "Immediately."
Great Remnant was stunned for a moment, then reacted, turning toward the Wolf Valley to let out a shrill, long howl:
"Awoooo—!!!"
The entire Wolf Valley instantly erupted into chaos.
One Ninja Wolf after another rushed out from all directions. Some were sunbathing, some were drinking water, some were napping—but hearing this howl, they all sprinted toward Yang Jiu's location at the first moment.
In a few moments, over twenty adult Ninja Wolves were lined up in a neat row in front of him.
Yang Jiu leapt down from the stone platform, his gaze sweeping over them.
"Follow me."
He offered no further explanation.
He stepped forward, heading toward the west.
Behind him, over twenty Ninja Wolves followed closely, like a gray torrent surging out of Wolf Valley and rolling toward the west.
In the air, the killing intent was chilling.