While Kass Shaa'r did not share it with anyone, Bai Qi's presence made him feel delighted. Especially the last couple of days, with Bai Qi back to his usual self.

In truth, Kass Shaa'r had doubted himself when he met Bai Qi in the [Tiger of the North] camp, as Bai Qi was acting anything but typical. He was friendly with everyone and ignored any incident, simply going with the flow.

He could have thought that it was the Bai sisters' influence, but after interacting with them, he found that it was the opposite, with Bai Qi's usual manner now being part of theirs.

In any case, since he left the [Steel Fang] region, Bai Qi was back to his usual self, even with the two human females that chose to follow him, and this, this was something that Kass Shaa'r inwardly celebrated.

And now, with Bai Qi speaking with whoever he brought along and the Beastmen leaving him to do so alone when he responded to Bai Rui's question, it almost made him hiss in delight as well.

"Why Bai Qi killed the wounded bandit in cold blood and then was doubtful about killing the sword's one? The only thing that I can say is that what you saw is the true Bai Qi."

"The true Bai Qi? What do you mean?" Bai Rui asked with her head inclined to the side. She was sure that their interaction, link, and everything else made her and her sister understand Bai Qi, but it seemingly wasn't so.

"Bai Qi wasn't the first human I saw, but he was the one that I interacted with first. Later while solving some matters, I had the chance to meet a couple of dozens more, but all of them were simply different from him. You see, he never speaks about morals and other things, but he has an inner code. A code that could shock others if known, but it is there." Kass Shaa'r was unsure about how much she knew, so he made a quick rundown on what happened before their arrival on this plane.

"I see, but I am unable to catch how that relates to the killing?" Bai Ze, the other [White Tiger, was standing nearby, listening and was the one to ask.

"Hmm? I thought I was clear on how he acts? He always uses whatever means he can but never resorts to indiscriminate killing. He also tries to avoid savageness. Still, that only applies in cases related to him or his tasks and is instantly forgotten as soon as it relates to someone who he considers close." Kass Shaa'r took a brief pause to confirm that the now three, with Zhua approaching as well, listeners were following him.

And then, he continued, "The wounded human had tried to block Bai Qi and then attempted to attack again. Bai Qi could not be sure, but the target could be any of you, so that settled his decision. In other words, the man was what humans call a sinner and so deserved death. And if the three that we killed ourselves were not dead, you would see him act similarly towards them as well."

"And as the swordsman did not attempt anything, Bai Qi thought of him in a different key, right?" Heise Zhao overheard most of the conversation and approached while asking.

"Yes, and you should also add that he acted with respect towards all of you, never trying to curse, offend, or anything." Kass Shaa'r nodded before adding, "And now that you know that, it's not so hard to understand why the two human females were allowed to follow, join, and probably will be to accompany us further if they ask."

"So while we are even in a probable danger, he will act like that?" Bai Ze's eyes glimmered, but as she recalled the others around, she quickly hid the delighted smile that accompanied the words.

"Yess, and not only you but anyone held close by him. Although you two probably are on a different level than us." Kass Shaa'r finished the improvised lesson on Bai Qi and looked towards the north.

"They will finish shortly." Following the man-lizard's gaze, Heise Zhao affirmed.

___________________________________________________________________

When the enslaved man, Pang, awoke, he found himself on the ground. And not in hell, as they called the village owned by the slavers, but near a campfire.

He could not understand what happened, but as he noticed three people speaking nearby, he chose to ask them.

"Don't speak yet. I have just removed the collar, and your qi needs time to start flowing." A young man, probably not older than 16 that somehow looked older and more experienced, was quicker and spoke as soon as Pang even thought of asking.

These and other dozens of questions appeared in Pang's mind, and his hands reached towards his neck almost by instinct.

An action that made him first wince in pain, as his arms felt as if filled with lead, and then gasp in surprise when he felt his skin and not the cold metal of the collar.

"I fed you the lowest-tier of qi restorative pill I had, but between the collar's prolonged effect and your low cultivation, it may be slightly painful. Still, try to circulate your qi. It will help you recover." The young man instructed him, and Pang did not think twice before slowly assuming a sitting position and acting.

"Gah!" He groaned as he began forcing a circulation circle. But while Pang did think so, he knew that the man had not lied, as with every inch that the wisp of qi he concentrated on moved, he did feel the revival of both his cultivation and body.

***

If the man's cultivation had higher than his own, Bai Qi would question the wiseness of freeing him from the collar. But the man was just a 3rd level of the Soul realm, so a simple flick of any members of Bai Qi's group was enough to deal with him if he turned out hostile.

Bai Qi had assumed as he examined the man. While malnourished and showing signs of minor wounds, he still looked like someone used to hard work.

A head full of brown, bushy, and unkempt hair. A battered face with a nose showing signs of being broken a few times. Dressed in just a pair of torn pants, the man was the definition of a labor slave.

***

"Thank you, benefactor! I am unsure what I have done in my life to be freed from that hell, but please be assured, I, Pang, will repay however I can!" As soon as he felt able to, Pang immediately went to his knees. He could not even feel the cultivation of the people opposite him, neither of the young man or the two cloaked women near him and so, he could only think he met one of the rumored passerby experts.

"Then let me be straightforward, and ask for the repayment right away." Bai Qi slightly smiled and continued as he saw the man fidget, "What I want is information about the place you called hell. Who, where, how much, and anything you can add."

"Ah, yes! I do not know much, but if the benefactor asks for it, I am glad to be able to share it!" Pang immediately kowtowed, as he inwardly questioned himself,

Originally, Pang wasn't from this region at all. He was born in the fringe of the [Great Forest] region, and when he found out that he had close to no talent for cultivation, he chose to dedicate his life to the craft of fishing.

While the waters of the [All-encircling Sea] were anything but safe, the shallow waters of the [Roaring Bay] were calm and had close to no aquatic beasts. Thus, they provided fish and a couple of low-tier resources even to mortals. Being from a nearby area, he never felt short of work or money, and he always got enough to live.

A few years ago, the situation changed, with several migrations of beasts. And this had forced most fishermen to look for other grounds, and one of such had been the [Demon's Mound] river area.

Pang was never blessed to start a family, and so, after banding with a couple of similar men, they decided to try their luck in it. It was known that the river held no interest for cultivators, and even though it was close to the [Demon Worshippers] region, it was not more dangerous than any other place.

Their thoughts proved correct, and Pang, along with his companions, found a blessed area. Building a small hut near the border of the regions, going to sell their catch to a few nearby villages, they peacefully lived for an entire year.

During the second year, first one and then another fisherman found either a woman or some other work, and so, Pang was left alone. Still, he did not consider it anything bad and continued his craft for a full year while alone.

But then, Pang was told about a village looking for fishermen downstream, and slightly tired of his loneliness, decided to try his luck there.

Regretfully, while the village did exist, it wasn't looking for fishermen. Or better worded, did not need craftsmen but slaves.

As Pang himself said, he was even now unsure how it happened, but when he arrived at [Qingchu Shui], he fell unconscious. And the next thing he recalled was waking up collared.

From there, what he considered hell began. He and at least three dozens of males had to toil for the village, or a bandit's nest, while the girls and women served the bandits. He found out that [Qingchu Shui] wasn't always like that, and at least half of the slaves were villagers from it, in the same situation as him for over nine years already.

The slavers or bandits made the village their base, and once every month new slaves would arrive. Some would disappear, being sold or killed, while some would remain like Pang, working or serving their captors.

"As for what interests benefactor, I can only say that currently there are only sixteen bastards from what they call the [Sha Zhu Company], and close to fifty slaves. The latter's number is unknown, as I have only seen a few of the girls return to their houses this week." Pang explained as a few drops of blood escaped his tightly clutched fists.

"Sixteen? And the others? Do you know the strength of anyone?" Bai Qi did feel bad for the guy, but he was far more interested in the current situation than the story itself.

"The only one they say is powerful is Ma Su, a female demon whose pastime is to hit and cripple anyone who dares to look at her. I am unsure about her strength, but I overheard she is only third in the entire group, and the strongest is a Warrior King. As for the rest, I know close to nothing except that a hundred or so gathered, took a dozen or so slaves, and left a week ago." Pang explained before apologizing for being of no use.

"Don't worry about that. Still, is that normal for them? To leave like that?" Bai Qi questioned further.

"It is, but this time it was different." Pang responded with a doubtful voice.

"How so?" Since she had seen the slave collar, Ye Su had been maintaining her silence. She did know about the [Sha Zhu Company] deeds but hearing all this even she felt disgusted. Still, she had to show some participation, lest Bai Qi forgot about her.

"When they are moving out slaves to sell, they rarely go in groups over ten or fifteen men. And when they go on a raid, they do not take any slaves. Also, the remaining bastards have been drinking and partying, not even stopping as to send us to do anything." Pang released a growl at the words 'sell' and 'bastards' but otherwise attempted to answer calmly.

"Understood. What can you add about the village itself?" Bai Qi concluded that such conduct meant they felt safe to do whatever they want, and so, their boss wasn't returning any of these days.

***

After leaving Pang to rest and recuperate, with Ye Su and Fan Jia staying nearby, Bai Qi made his way to the Beastmen. And after he revealed all that he found out, he asked everyone to decide if they should risk and attack, "Even if the rest are rabble as I understand, Ma Su may turn out to be an intermediate Warrior King, and in that case, we may meet trouble. Also, Pang has not seen anything but humans, so probably Huo Laohu was right about them running off before doing anything."

"Hmm, we still need to show them that messing with the [Steel Fang] is wrong, don't we? As for the woman, between us six, we should be able to deal with her, right?" Kass Shaa'r asked, sure that Bai Qi had already decided to risk anyway and was asking because he knew the Beastmen would not choose to wait either.

"Indeed, but this will be not an easy battle anyway, as no male slave has even been allowed close to the owner side of the village and so we are in the dark about most things." Bai Qi nodded as he added.

Heise Zhao looked at the others one by one and said, "Huo Laohu will laugh at us if we request help for something like this, not to mention that when they arrive, the others may be back as well. We need to act now, capture that woman and force her to tell us everything."

"Agreed." Zhua and Kass Shaa'r nodded in unison, with Gi La following after the latter.

Neither Bai Ze nor Bai Rui said anything, simply starting to stretch and looking as if they were ready to act.

"Okay then. Rest, eat, and otherwise prepare. We will act two hours after dawn." Seeing that everyone approved, Bai Qi finished their meeting and started walking back towards the other campfire.

"Why wait for so long?" Zhua asked as she moved close to him.

"Cultivators of the Sage realm and above may not require to sleep, but if they are drinking all nights long, that is the best hour." Bai Qi clarified before adding, "And if they are so rich as I suppose they have to be, then the wine they drink isn't mortal one either, and so, they should be completely drunk for that hour as well."

"Got it. What do you plan to do with the humans?" Zhua asked, meaning the three of them and not only Pang.

"Ye Su and Fan Jia can do whatever they want. As for Pang, I will give him a couple of spirit stones and send him off. Or if he wants to stay, then keep him back." Bai Qi shrugged. He did not care about what either of them did, as the only thing he would stop them from doing would be to notify the targets, and he was sure no one planned to do that.

___________________________________________________________________

Two hours after dawn. [Sha Zhu Company], headquarters, northern gate.

*Spit*

Lim spat on the ground while inwardly cursing.

In truth, he knew that Ma Su's position was not because of anything but her strength and that the boss left her in charge simply because she got wounded on the previous run.

But that did not change the fact that her presence lessened if not directly destroyed the radiant days they expected after being left out of the contract the boss accepted.

Lim had only started to plan his future as his senses caught on something, and he immediately turned towards the small dirt path leading towards the village while muttering, "Who?"

But that mutter turned out to be the last thing he voiced in his life, as before he even discerned who was approaching, a foot-long claw severed his neck.

The claw had materialized from nothing, and following it, a white-colored paw, arm, shoulder, and then an entire white-furred Beastman, or Beastwoman, appeared from thin air.

"Not even a Peak sage as a guard, it seems that Bai Qi was overreacting." The Beastwoman, dressed in a light-colored martial robe that looked slightly bizarre on someone of her race, followed her words with a scowl and turned to face the village.

"I sense stronger presences, but it seems that they haven't noticed us yet, let's go!" In a span of a few breaths, eight figures approached her from behind, and Bai Qi slightly shook his head as he spoke. {And I did hear you, Bai Ze. And now, it seems that you will not get any good gifts from me when I get some to share.}

{Grrr! I will take them by force!}

{Shut up, dumb cat. Now, Bai Qi, you said it yourself. Let's make haste!} Bai Rui interjected and ended their mental chatter.