“Half-orcs, bring the corpse and follow me.”
Fortunately, the Ice Demon had not heard clearly. Zhe Zilin let out a small breath of relief.
He warned Scar with his eyes not to say anything wrong again.
Scar nodded. Only then did Zhe Zilin release his hand from covering Scar’s mouth.
Seeing that the half-orcs were still unwilling to move, the Ice Demon threatened, “Do you want to become my Corpse Slaves?”
Gan, Wen, Cui, and Scar all looked toward One-Eye, waiting for him to make the decision.
At this point, the situation was completely in the Ice Demon’s hands. One-Eye had no choice but to follow the other party’s orders. He picked up Leon’s corpse and shook his head at his companions.
The half-orcs followed behind the horde of Corpse Slaves and headed north.
Scar kept looking back every few steps until, in the darkness, he could no longer see Zhe Zilin.
“One-Eye, do you think we still have a chance to bring him back to the Eastern Plains?”
“I actually feel a bit reluctant to part with this kid. We get along pretty well.”
One-Eye carried the corpse while speaking, his breathing heavy.
“Then go back to the city with him and die.”
“Hey, he’s so smart. He didn’t scheme to kill us and silence us, and he even kept his promise. People like him are almost extinct these days.”
Scar scratched his head and glanced back again.
This time, One-Eye did not refute Scar. He knew that if it were him, he would have killed Zhe Zilin without hesitation to eliminate any loose ends.
After a moment of silence, One-Eye lowered his head and wiped away some sweat.
“Being soft-hearted and soft-handed won’t accomplish great things.”
“He showed no mercy when he killed Leon and the guards. You saw it yourself. He could even behead someone in one slash. I think this is what they call clear distinction between gratitude and grudges. He’s someone who can achieve great things.”
One-Eye said impatiently, “Then go follow him.”
“Why not? As long as he’s willing to take us in, the five of us might be able to become lords of our own territory someday. We won’t have to keep risking our lives all over the world anymore.”
Scar’s eyes were filled with emotion. Uncharacteristically serious, he recalled the hardships of the past.
“The five of us were born and raised in the Eastern Plains. Since we were young, we’ve been working ourselves to death for half-orc leaders. We never got a share of the burning, killing, and looting. Every time there was a desperate fight, we were always sent to the front lines. Until our leader got his head chopped off by dwarves, we had no one to rely on and wandered the Eastern Plains for several years.”
“We broke into dragon nests and griffin lairs, and almost died in a giant python’s mouth. Only after we pledged ourselves to the orc queen did things get a little better. But we were still just selling our lives for others. None of the leaders we followed ever kept their word. They only treated us as tools that could be discarded at any time.”
“But that kid is different. He keeps his promises, kills decisively, and has schemes. One-Eye, I feel like following him would be better than following any leader we’ve had before.”
One-Eye was extremely surprised. He could feel the exhaustion and sincerity in Scar’s words. He answered seriously, “We came here to capture him. If we turn around and pledge ourselves to him instead, once the orc queen finds out, she won’t let us off.”
“So what? The orc queen is in the Eastern Plains. We’re in the North. We’re ten thousand miles apart.”
Scar slowed his pace and spoke solemnly to his companions. “I’m already tired of selling my life for leaders. They only ever saw the five of us as five worthless lives. I’ve had enough.”
Gan asked in confusion, “But following that person would still mean selling our lives, wouldn’t it?”
“At least he treats us like we matter, Gan. At least he doesn’t treat our lives as worthless.”
“That’s enough.”
The five of them fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
The forest was quiet, with only the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow.
After a long while, One-Eye spoke after careful consideration. “I’ve also had enough of being treated like a dog and ordered around. Maybe that guy really is different.”
“But I still can’t trust him completely. I need to observe more.”
Scar grinned, showing his teeth. He and One-Eye rarely reached an agreement. The two of them were either arguing or on the way to arguing.
The fact that One-Eye had thought for so long proved that he had truly seen the difference in Zhe Zilin. It also showed that he was afraid of one day dying without knowing why while selling his life for someone else.
“One-Eye, thank you.”
One-Eye also smiled. For the first time, a new emotion appeared in his eyes.
“This isn’t like you, Scar. Why aren’t you shouting ‘thrilling’ anymore?”
In truth, One-Eye and Gan, Wen, and Cui all knew that whenever Scar was in danger, he liked to shout “thrilling.” His body would tremble uncontrollably.
They also knew that it was not a tremble of excitement. Scar was simply afraid of dying — more afraid than any of them. Shouting “thrilling” was just his way of hiding the fear in his heart.
The air fell silent once more. The five half-orcs walked side by side through the snow. They did not know how many years they had already walked like this, nor how much farther they could still go.
……
The horde of Corpse Slaves finally stopped outside the wooden house and parted to make way. The Ice Demon signaled for the half-orcs to come forward.
The five of them exchanged glances and walked forward with their heads lowered. One-Eye placed Leon’s corpse on the ground.
Inside the wooden house, the half-orc and human hybrid walked out. She glanced over and asked in surprise, “What are the five of you doing here?”
The woman looked at the corpse on the ground. Because Leon was lying face down and the environment was pitch black, she did not immediately recognize the body’s identity.
“Is this the King of the North’s corpse? Did you bring it?”
“No. The Gareth kid went back to the city. They were brought out together with the corpse.”
The Ice Demon spoke coldly. With every word he uttered, the temperature in the air dropped several degrees.
“Now that I have the King of the North’s corpse, I want you to do something for me.”
The woman bowed, her posture extremely humble.
“Please give your orders.”
“Tomorrow, go to North City and stay by Gareth’s side. If he has not killed the witch in half a month, kill him for me. If another half month passes and the witch is still alive, then kill yourself.”
The woman’s face showed hesitation. She alternated between a flattering smile and a worried frown.
The Ice Demon’s crimson eyes shot out two terrifying gazes. His voice was cold and emotionless. “The moment you decided to cooperate with me, you had no way out, Tanna.”
The woman dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“Yes.”
The Ice Demon understood the principle of giving a sweet date after a slap to prevent Tanna from developing rebellious thoughts.
“Once my clan breaks the seal, I will not go back on my promise to remove the curse for you.”
“Get up.”
Tanna climbed up from the ground and gently patted the dirt off her face. Her complexion was slightly pale, and no emotion could be seen on her face.
However, when she casually glanced at the corpse and clearly saw its side profile, a layer of shock and doubt appeared on her face.
“Leon?”
Tanna crouched down and flipped the corpse over. That face was all too familiar to her.
“This isn’t the King of the North. This is Gareth Leon!”
The Ice Demon knew about the relationship between Tanna and Leon. He did not doubt Tanna’s judgment in the slightest. He raised his spear and suddenly thrust it toward One-Eye.
The change came too suddenly. One-Eye had no time to prepare. He could only stare helplessly as the spear stabbed toward his heart.
He wanted to draw his sword to resist, but his movements were far too slow.
Thud.
In the forest, a sword rang out at the critical moment. Scar deflected the spear’s trajectory and saved One-Eye.
Killing intent and brutality overflowed from the Ice Demon’s eyes. He bared his teeth and exhaled a breath of cold air.
“Who was that person!?”
Scar’s hand, gripping the sword, was trembling. This time, he did not shout “thrilling.” His gaze was sharp, like a drawn blade, as he directly faced the Ice Demon’s fury.
“I don’t know!”
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