Free Web NovelChapter 157: Chapter 115: Ancestor’s Oath
"So your Clan Leader really did send you over," Zhang Peng said upon seeing the Catwoman Sisters. He nodded at the Minotaurs, allowing the two to approach.
Fearing something might go wrong, the Minotaurs had formed a perimeter, but they were all yawning constantly, looking completely listless.
They had seen the Ancestor Spirit last night, but it turned out the Ancestor Spirit was even more excited than they were. It had kept them up all night talking. Aside from the children, none of the adult Minotaurs had gotten any sleep.
"I am Meng Ni from the Dora the Cat Tribe, and this is my younger sister, Mengmeng. May I ask your name?" Meng Ni asked very politely.
"Sister, I know his name! He’s called Zhang Peng. What a weird name," Mengmeng, held by her sister, blurted out.
She was afraid of the Undead, but she wasn’t scared of the Minotaurs or Gophers in the slightest. With no Undead around, Mengmeng was quite lively.
The dark circles under Zhang Peng’s eyes seemed to deepen. He looked at the Minotaurs struggling to stay awake around him and waved his hand. "You can all go rest. Don’t worry about me; they’re not a threat."
"Alright then. Just call us if you need anything." Mumu was also dead tired. He usually went to bed early, and having stayed up all night was a rarity for him. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. Since Zhang Peng had told them to go rest, he didn’t bother with formalities and had the Minotaurs disperse.
After the Minotaurs left, Zhang Peng beamed at the Catwoman Sisters. His strained smile, combined with the heavy dark circles under his eyes, made him look anything but trustworthy. Mengmeng shivered and hid behind her sister, peeking out with just her eyes to secretly observe him.
’Am I that scary?’
After a moment of bewilderment, Zhang Peng asked, "So, the intel?"
Meng Ni turned to look at her sister hiding behind her. Mengmeng poked her little head out, her furry cat ears twitched, and she bared her small, sharp fangs as she retorted, "Where’s the meat?"
"If you don’t give me the intel, how am I supposed to know how much meat to give you?"
"What if I give you the intel and you decide not to give me the meat after you’ve seen it?"
"My reputation and integrity are my guarantee!"
"I don’t trust your reputation or your integrity!"
Mengmeng jumped out from behind her sister, planted her hands on her hips, and stood her ground against Zhang Peng.
Zhang Peng rubbed the bridge of his nose and pointed at himself. "I am a Merchant. The most important things to me are my reputation and integrity. Are you insulting me? If you don’t let me see the intel, how will I know if it’s any good? Who’s ever heard of a deal where you can’t inspect the goods?"
Mengmeng gave it some serious thought, but still shook her head. "Nope. You show me the meat first."
"Hey, you little rascal, I swear..." Zhang Peng rolled up his sleeves and waved a hand back. "Get some meat over here!"
For the sake of making trades, he had already gotten a large amount of food from Li Ziyu and stored it in his fortress. At his command, a Gopher immediately ran over and brought 10 units of meat.
"This little bit of meat isn’t enough! Are you trying to trick me? I knew I was right not to show you the intel!" Mengmeng said with a pout, sizing up the meat the Gopher had brought.
"Not enough? Fine. Bring more!" Zhang Peng waved his hand again.
Soon, a pile of 30 units of beast meat stood before the Catwoman Sisters. Only then did Mengmeng nod in satisfaction. She fumbled inside her clothes, pulled out a Beast Hide, and handed it to Zhang Peng. "Here. These are the Tribes we know of around the forbidden land."
Zhang Peng took the Beast Hide and unrolled it. His expression immediately darkened, and he shot out a hand to grab Mengmeng’s arm as she secretly reached for the food.
"What is this crap you gave me? You think you can take my meat with just this?" Zhang Peng shoved the Beast Hide toward Mengmeng, speaking irritably.
’Great. I traded 30 units of meat for a bunch of meaningless names. If Liu Xingxing and Li Ziyu find out about this, I can kiss my career as a Merchant goodbye. They’d laugh me to death.’
Mengmeng clung desperately to the meat, refusing to let go and mumbling unhappily, "The Beast Hide lists the Tribes around us. I gave it all to you, and you still won’t let me take the meat. You’re not a good person."
Zhang Peng was so angry he had to laugh. He shook her hand, but found the Little Catman was holding on to the meat for dear life. "What good is a string of names to me? I want intel on the Tribes, and a map!"
Mengmeng struggled to pull her hand back. After several failed attempts, her eyes darted around and she said loudly, "Our deal didn’t say anything about a map! If you want more detailed intel, that’s a whole other trade. Now, give me the meat for this one first."
"Well now, I’m discovering you’re even more crooked than I am. Thinking you can walk away with my food for just a few names? Not a chance. If you don’t give me the detailed intel, you’re not taking the meat." Zhang Peng wasn’t falling for the Little Cat Girl’s routine.
Meng Ni observed silently from the side. She realized the people on the Undead’s side weren’t as frightening as she had imagined. This Merchant, in particular, seemed more annoyed than actually threatening.
They were in Undead territory. If the Human Merchant wanted to take the information by force or trickery, he had plenty of ways to do it. He could have captured and tortured them until they told him everything. But he hadn’t. He had genuinely offered food in exchange for intel.
Patting Mengmeng’s shoulder, Meng Ni gently chided, "Mengmeng, stop fooling around. Just give him the information."
"Sister..." the Little Cat Girl looked at Meng Ni, aggrieved.
Meng Ni leaned in and whispered in her ear, "This is Undead territory."
The Little Cat Girl froze, looking around in a panic. After a moment’s hesitation, she let go of the meat. "Fine, I’ll tell you."
The Catwoman Sisters and Zhang Peng sat down on the ground, and they began to detail the Tribes surrounding the forbidden land one by one. Zhang Peng even pulled Liu Xingxing over to draw a map based on what the sisters described.
