Song Yi placed the beast's carcass on his back and began to walk.
The body of the black wolf was heavy. Even dry and shriveled, it still weighed more than any deer he had ever carried. But something had changed in Song Yi. His muscles, once weak from years of malnutrition, now supported the weight without much effort.
The ring pulsed faintly on his finger. The hunger was still there, but not that primordial hunger that had dominated him during the awakening. It was more like a constant reminder. A presence in the back of his mind.
'I can wait a few days,' Song Yi thought.
"I need to get organized first."
He did not know the name of the beast, nor its level of strength. But he knew one thing, the carcass was worth money. The hides of common animals were already sold in the village. A monstrous beast would certainly be worth more.
With money, he could buy food. New clothes. A better knife.
With money, he wouldn't have to starve this week.
Song Yi walked for two hours.
The sun was already high when the wooden palisade of the village appeared among the trees. Entrance gate. Low stone wall. The same simple houses as always.
He knew every inch of that place. He had lived there for as long as he could remember.
Two guards stood at the entrance. Ordinary men with rusted spears and worn leather armor. They were not cultivators. No one in the village was.
One of them looked toward the road and frowned.
"Hey. Someone's coming."
The other guard raised his eyes. For a few seconds, they saw only a hunched silhouette approaching, carrying something large on its back.
When the figure got closer, they recognized him.
"It's Song Yi," said the first guard, a man named Ban.
The other guard, Tao, let out a low whistle.
"What the hell is he carrying?"
Song Yi stopped in front of the gate. The carcass of the black wolf rested on his shoulders, the beast's head hanging to one side, its mouth half open, showing rows of teeth.
The guards' eyes widened.
"That is…" Ban stepped closer, his spear lowered, eyes fixed on the dead creature.
"Is that really what I think it is?"
Tao approached. He examined the black fur. The teeth that looked like knives.
"THAT!" he shouted.
"It's a Black Bone Wolf. A rank 1 beast."
Ban whistled again.
"Rank 1? Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. I've seen drawings in books that Merchant Liu brought once. It's identical."
The two guards looked at Song Yi. The thin young man, in torn clothes, covered in dried blood, most of it the beast's, but some of it his own. His shirt was in tatters. One could see the healed cuts on his chest and shoulder.
"Where the hell did you get that?" Ban asked.
Song Yi had already thought of an answer.
"I was hunting in the grove. Found it already dead. Don't know what killed it. Don't want to know."
The guards exchanged glances.
"You've always had a bit of luck, kid," Tao said with poorly hidden envy.
"If you sell that carcass, you've got money to survive a whole month or more."
"I really was lucky," Song Yi replied with a smile.
"Yes. Lucky.'
'Lucky to find a beast that should be extremely rare. Lucky to almost be killed. Lucky for an unknown ring to awaken at the exact moment.'
'Lucky to be alive.'
He passed through the gate and entered the village.
The village was called Lone Stone. A simple name for a simple place.
About two hundred people lived there. Farmers, mostly. Some small merchants. A blacksmith. An inn. The mansion of Merchant Liu, the largest building in the place.
Song Yi walked along the main street carrying the beast on his back.
People looked. Some pointed. Children ran closer to see. A woman dropped a basin of water. An old man spat out his drink.
"Is that a beast?"
"Is that Song Yi? The beggar?"
"He killed that?"
"Impossible. He's not even a cultivator."
Song Yi ignored the whispers. He kept walking.
His destination was Merchant Liu's mansion. The only place in the village with enough money to buy an entire beast.
The mansion stood at the end of the main street. A tall stone wall surrounded the property. Two private guards stood at the entrance, better equipped than the village guards, with real swords and scale armor.
When Song Yi approached with the beast on his back, the guards went on alert. One of them placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Then he recognized the creature.
"Black Bone Wolf," the guard murmured. His eyes turned to Song Yi.
"You killed this?"
"Found it dead," Song Yi replied, repeating the lie.
"I want to sell it to Merchant Liu."
The guard hesitated. Then nodded.
"Wait here."
He entered the mansion. Song Yi waited. The other guard didn't take his eyes off the beast.
A few minutes later, a man came out through the main door.
He was fat. Very fat. A large belly swayed under a blue silk robe. His face was round, with small, bright eyes. He wore several rings on his thick fingers, all gold, all with gemstones.
Merchant Liu.
The richest man in the village. Perhaps the only one in the region with trade connections beyond it.
Song Yi had never spoken to him directly. I've only seen him from afar while carrying water or sweeping the walkway in front of the mansion.
This time, the merchant's eyes were fixed on the carcass.
"It truly is a beast," Liu said, approaching with short steps. He completely ignored Song Yi, focusing on the wolf.
"A Black Bone Wolf, to be precise. Intact hide and all teeth present."
He looked at Song Yi.
"Put it down. I want to examine it better."
Song Yi dropped the carcass on the ground. The body fell with a dull thud.
The merchant knelt, with some difficulty, and ran his hands over the beast's body. He touched the hide. Opened the creature's mouth to inspect the teeth.
He frowned.
"Strange."
"What?" Song Yi asked.
"This beast has no blood. Completely dry. As if something drained it."
Song Yi's heart beat faster. But his face did not move.
"It was already like that when I found it."
The merchant looked at him for a long moment.
"Where did you find it?"
"Three Streams Grove. Not too deep. It had died not long before. The hide is good. The body is intact."
Merchant Liu nodded slowly.
"Yes. You're right. The hide is in perfect condition. The bones too. I will pay well for it."
He stood up, wiping his hands on his robe.
"Five silver coins."
Song Yi kept his expression neutral. But inside, his mind raced.
Five silvers.
Each silver was worth one hundred bronze coins. Five silvers were five hundred bronze coins.
He had never seen that much money together in his entire life. The most he had ever earned in a full month of work was thirty bronze coins.
Five silvers.
"I accept," Song Yi replied. No negotiation. No hesitation.
The merchant smiled. Satisfied.
"Good. Straight to the point. I like that."
He took five silver coins from a pouch at his waist and handed them to Song Yi. The coins gleamed in the palm of his dirty, scarred hand.
Song Yi put them in the pocket of his pants. He pressed the fabric over them to feel the weight.
Merchant Liu was already calling his servants to take the carcass inside.
Song Yi turned his back and left. He had money now. More money than he had ever had.
And he had a plan.
The village inn stood at the center. A two-story building made of stone and wood. A sign swung at the entrance with the name "Sleeping Deer" painted crudely.
Song Yi pushed the door open.
The innkeeper, a thin man named Kai, looked up from the counter. His expression shifted from boredom to surprise when he recognized who had entered.
"Song Yi? What are you doing here? You don't have money for—"
Song Yi placed a silver coin on the counter.
Kai shut his mouth.
"A room. For a week. And food. A lot of food."
The innkeeper picked up the coin. Bit it. Looked at Song Yi. Bit it again.
"Where did you get this?"
"Sold a lucky hunt. Are you renting me the room or not?"
Kai quickly pocketed the coin.
"Room three. End of the corridor. Food will be ready in an hour."
Song Yi took the key and went upstairs. The room was small. A bed. A window. A table. Enough. He closed the door. Sat on the bed. Looked at the black ring on his finger.
The red veins pulsed slowly.
"I need more. More blood. More beasts. More strength."
'But first, I need to eat.' He lay down on the bed. For the first time in years without having to worry about food.
The ring pulsed. Song Yi closed his eyes.
'Just one more day. Tomorrow I return to the forest.'