Chapter 89: The Treant

“Meow~!” 

The catwoman bellowed in rage, fiercely seizing the massive, dark figure as it plummeted. Her muscles tensed under the incredible force, but she astonishingly managed to hold back the attack. With another ferocious “Meow,” she powerfully shoved it away.

The immense shadow staggered back from her brute strength. Wu Qingsong quickly picked up Ling and backed away.

“Finally decided to let me out, huh!?” the furious catwoman shouted. “You kept me locked up for so long. You’re all bad people!”

“We’ll discuss this later,” Wu Qingsong said, focused on the immediate threat. “We need to deal with this thing first.”

“I hate you the most,” the catwoman yelled. 

Wu Qingsong worried she might impulsively run away again, but to his surprise, she leaped onto the monster. Dodging the fiery spots, she quickly aimed for its head.

“Everyone, pull back now!” Wu Qingsong ordered loudly.

Despite facing such a fearsome creature, not a single houndman soldier fled, which reassured him. But against this monster, their efforts were in vain. It was best to rely on Liuli.

“Sir?” Beck gasped, astonished at Liuli’s transformation.

“Move back, now!” Wu Qingsong commanded with urgency.

As Liuli entangled with the monstrous entity, the houndmen rapidly retreated to the surrounding area. Wu Qingsong, after ensuring Ling was safe, turned to assess the situation.

Angus had been hurled away by the creature, fortunately landing on thick snow, which cushioned his fall. He tried to join Liuli in the fight, but this battle was too much for an ordinary houndman soldier. After circling for a few seconds, he reluctantly accepted this and quickly escaped from the area.

In the firelight, Wu Qingsong could finally make out their attacker–a huge, branch-covered body with slow but immensely powerful limbs. It was unmistakably a tree creature. Several parts of its body were on fire, yet it showed no sign of pain. It slowly reached out to grab Liuli, who was nimbly moving around its body, searching for weak spots.

Damn it!

Wu Qingsong then noticed a large crater where their camp had been, recalling a large tree that used to stand there. This creature was no natural treant.

Could there be a mage involved?

“Angus!” Wu Qingsong called out urgently. “There’s a mage nearby. Send six squads to search the vicinity. Lead them yourself. Kill any suspect on sight! The rest, under Beck’s command. Gather the firebombs and target its right leg. Liuli, stay clear of its lower right, we’re going to use fire.”

In this critical moment, Wu Qingsong directed his forces with a sense of urgency, ready to confront the mysterious and ominous foe they were up against.

The houndmen, inherently fearless in battle, swiftly acted upon Wu Qingsong’s composed instructions. Under the guidance of Angus and Beck’s barking orders, two-thirds of them spread out into the surrounding woods. Meanwhile, the rest, equipped with firebombs, moved in closer to the treant.

Liuli incessantly scratched at its head and body, diverting its attention. In a coordinated effort, Beck and two warriors managed to hit the treant’s right leg with firebombs. The fire rapidly spread, engulfing the limb. Successive hits to the same spot further fueled the flames, weakening the treant’s leg considerably.

Its movements grew sluggish,  allowing Liuli to maneuver even more effectively. Soon, the burning leg, unable to bear the creature’s weight, snapped, causing the treant to fall heavily, stirring up a cloud of snow and splinters.

“Burn its right hand,” Wu Qingsong commanded, keeping up the momentum.

The treant, now hindered by its lost limb, struggled to move, trying in vain to strike at the nimble houndmen. They skillfully evaded and managed to set its right hand ablaze. Liuli picked up the broken leg and repeatedly smashed it onto the treant, keeping it distracted. Moments later, with a resounding crack, the right hand broke off.

“Continue this way!” Wu Qingsong directed, his voice firm, as they relentlessly battled the formidable creature.

The sight of Ling spitting blood filled Wu Qingsong with both shock and anger. Although she seemed fine now, he could never accept the near possibility of her and Liuli being killed.

Suddenly, the sound of barking echoed from a nearby hillside.

“Sir! They’ve found them,” a houndman soldier near him exclaimed joyfully. “And they’ve knocked them unconscious?”

“Unconscious?” Wu Qingsong was surprised. “Didn’t I order them to kill? Well, bring the person here.”

Expecting to see someone like the shady necromancer whose name he had forgotten, Wu Qingsong was taken aback when Angus brought back a young girl, seemingly no more than fifteen. Her short, elegant horns and petal-like facial markings clearly identified her as a deerkin.

“Is there a mistake?” Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but ask.

Linking such a graceful young girl to the vicious tree creature seemed difficult.

“Sir, we caught her as she was desperately trying to escape into the forest,” Angus reported. “We also found this with her.”

Wu Qingsong took the item handed to him by Angus. It was a wand made from deer antler, its aged color and worn surface indicated it was an ancient artifact.

Wu Qingsong hesitated briefly, glancing at the tree creature that was now immobilized, its limbs burnt away. He then ordered, “Use snow to wake her up. Angus, if she makes any sudden moves, kill her immediately.”

Angus nodded, drawing his dagger and pressing it against the young girl’s neck. Though he was reluctant to harm such a young girl, Wu Qingsong’s command was absolute.

Suddenly, Liuli’s voice echoed beside him, meowing. 

Wu Qingsong quickly intervened, “Wait! Everyone, hold off!” 

He then stood up, recognizing the importance of handling this situation properly to avoid future trouble.

Unexpectedly, Liuli grabbed his breastplate and lifted him off the ground.

“Sir?” The houndmen soldiers instantly tensed up, raising their weapons in alarm.

“Put down your weapons!” Wu Qingsong urgently ordered. “She won’t hurt me. Step back, we need to talk. And remember, no matter what, do not attack her. That’s an order.”

The houndmen soldiers hesitated but eventually backed off, albeit skeptically, forming a larger circle around them at Wu Qingsong’s insistence.

“Liuli!” Ling called out anxiously.

“Meow~ You still have a bit of a conscience,” the catwoman retorted, then put Wu Qingsong down. “But you kept me locked up for so long. That’s really awful!”

“Wasn’t it just to prevent you from running off again?” Wu Qingsong exclaimed. “You might be fine now, but have you considered what will happen when you change back? What if you’re eaten by wild animals or taken by slave traders? What would we do then?”

“If you weren’t harsh to me, why would I run away?”

“When did I ever treat you harshly?”

“See, you’re being harsh to me right now!”

The two began to bicker again. The catwoman stood with her hands on her hips, leaning in aggressively toward Wu Qingsong, her tone matching her posture. But as they argued, Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but laugh out loud, then reached out and pinched Liuli’s cheek firmly.

“Meow?”

“Look at you. Who’s being harsh here, you or me?”

“Meow~ How dare you! Wu, you’re such a big, bad bully!”

“Still so disobedient? Keep it up, and you won’t get any more fish. Even when you change back, no fish for you.”

“Meow~ That’s outrageous! You really are a big, mean bully! Meow~ Watch how I deal with you.”

“Liuli, Liuli! Please put Wu down! This isn’t right,” Ling said.

The houndmen looked at each other in awkward confusion, gradually lowering their weapons. Although they didn’t fully understand the situation, it was clear even to them that these two were definitely not enemies.