Chapter 21: Poison in the Feces

**Volume One: Entering a New World**

Upon receiving the command, the fierce Black Jackals reacted swiftly, immediately changing their tactics. Some remained in front of the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino, harassing it and drawing its attention, while others circled behind to attack its rear.

The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino roared in fury. Why were all the attacks directed there today? Despite its incredibly tough hide and bones, which meant the fierce Black Jackals couldn't even bite through it if it stood still, no creature would ever maximize its defense on that particular spot—it was arguably the most tender part of its entire body. It desperately tried to gore the disgusting curs to death, but its agility was far inferior to that of the fierce Black Jackals. Each time, it struck nothing but air. After dozens of rounds, it was panting heavily, its head spinning from constantly turning.

Seeing that the time was ripe, the fierce Black Jackals shifted from their initial probing to a full-scale assault on the rhino's rear. The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino began to panic. It shouldn't have come to this cursed place; it was all that damned human's fault.

Rage points from Red-Eyed Mad Rhino: 2222...

Anger aside, it had to run. It bolted, but the fierce Black Jackals wouldn't let such a huge meal escape and quickly moved to block its path.

From the top of the slope, Ji Xiaoxi observed the scene with a hint of distress. "The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino's attributes are clearly too disadvantaged against the fierce Black Jackals," she remarked. "If it were other high-attack, high-agility fierce beasts of the same level, these Black Jackals definitely wouldn't stand a chance."

"Didn't that silly rhino bully you? I'm getting revenge for you," Zu An said, lying without batting an eyelid.

"But it looks so pitiful," Ji Xiaoxi couldn't help but say. "It seems it won't last much longer. Should we go save it?"

Zu An quickly grabbed her arm, marveling both at her overflowing compassion and the slenderness of her arm. "Don't worry," he said, "it won't die that easily. Just keep watching, and you'll see."

Ji Xiaoxi, her face full of suspicion, continued to watch the scene, then was astonished to see an unexpected change unfold. Just then, a robust fierce Black Jackal found an opening and bit the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino's rear. Its heart filled with joy as it prepared to pull hard, intending to rip out the rhino's intestines as it usually would. But then its entire body trembled, and it fell stiffly to the ground, dead.

Then a second, a third, a fourth...

After nearly twenty fierce Black Jackals had died, the pack finally realized something was amiss. The remaining Black Jackals retreated, whispering among themselves.

In Jackal speak:"What's going on?""I don't know either!""I know!""What?""This guy's poop is poisonous!"

The fierce Black Jackal leader roared in fury: "Haven't we eaten enough excrement over the years? When have we ever been poisoned? This guy must have some unknown ability. Everyone, be careful."

The other fierce Black Jackals were relieved. If the excrement truly contained poison, it would completely overturn their common sense—how would they ever hunt in the future?

The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino also seemed to realize something. "Does my rear have abilities I don't know about? But Mom never told me!"

Noticing that the previously arrogant fierce Black Jackals were now avoiding its rear, the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino abandoned its defensive posture. It deliberately lifted its tail, exposing its rear to them, practically shouting, "Come on, come on!"

Zu An noticed the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino deliberately provoking the fierce Black Jackals and couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't expect this fellow to be so shameless!"

Ji Xiaoxi's cheeks flushed crimson; clearly, such a sight was difficult for a lady to accept. She turned her face away but couldn't suppress her curiosity. "How did you manage that?" she asked. "Was it because of that dagger?"

Zu An nodded. "I applied a deadly poison to the dagger," he explained. "So, when those fierce Black Jackals bit its rear, they were poisoned and died upon being nicked by the blade tip." He didn't want to reveal the secret of the Poisoned Blade, so he found a plausible excuse.

"I see," Ji Xiaoxi nodded, her face still red. But inwardly, she wondered what kind of poison could remain potent for so long. After all, the dagger tip was so small, and so many fierce Black Jackals had bitten it; logically, the poison should have been significantly diluted by now.

Meanwhile, in the valley, the fierce Black Jackals, enraged by the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino's provocation, frantically rushed forward to bite it. Unfortunately, each time they bit its rear, they would cut their mouths and tongues on the hidden dagger. Then, the dagger's 'Poisonous Blade' ability activated, and the number of dead fierce Black Jackals continued to rise.

Oh...

The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino had initially felt pain when the dagger was inserted, but now, having grown accustomed to it, each time the fierce Black Jackals bit the blade tip, the hilt on the other side would stir within its body. Soon, a strange pleasure arose, as if a new door had opened for it.

The fierce Black Jackal pack was truly starting to panic. They continuously retreated, whispering among themselves:"This guy's poop really *is* poisonous!"

The fierce Black Jackal leader roared in fury: "How can excrement be poisonous? Are the experiences passed down by our tribe for thousands of years false?"

"If you're so capable, *you* go!" retorted another fierce Black Jackal, one that had always been at odds with the leader and whose size was almost comparable.

"I'll go then, I'll go!"

The fierce Black Jackal leader knew the other had always coveted its position. Noticing the fearful expressions of its other subordinates, it realized that if this continued, its authority would be greatly undermined. Thus, it decided to personally intervene and restore its regal majesty. So, it continuously circled behind the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino's rear. Finally finding an optimal moment, it darted forward like a flash of lightning. It knew that in the next instant, it would be able to rip out all the intestines and internal organs from the big creature's belly.

Just then, the Red-Eyed Mad Rhino's body suddenly stiffened. Its rear had been plugged for so long, and during the prolonged battle, an unknown amount of gas had accumulated in its belly. Its lower abdomen convulsed, then with a prolonged "Pffft!" it let out a huge, loud fart. A chunk of old, hardened feces was directly expelled, along with the dagger, which was shaken out.

The fierce Black Jackal was covered head-to-toe in excrement. Just as it was about to get angry, its body suddenly stiffened, and it collapsed to the ground, lifeless. It turned out that when the dagger was expelled, although the force wasn't enough to inflict a fatal wound, it was sufficient to cut a gash on the jackal's face, which, in turn, was enough to kill it.

Rage points from the Fierce Black Jackal King: 10!

"The poop really *is* poisonous!""The King was killed by poop!"

The other fierce Black Jackals were already terrified. Seeing this, they scattered in all directions, scrambling desperately into the forest.

The Red-Eyed Mad Rhino shook its head, having no idea what had just happened. But having just narrowly escaped death, the image of a large group of fierce Black Jackals besieging its rear still left it traumatized. So, it also staggered away, no longer having any desire to seek revenge on that human.

Quiet returned to the valley. Zu An then descended from the steep slope, spreading his arms at the bottom. "Xiaoxi, be careful," he said. "I'll catch you."

Ji Xiaoxi shook her head, her face red. "No need," she replied. After speaking, she performed a graceful flip and landed smoothly at the bottom of the valley, her posture as elegant and fluid as could be.

Only then did Zu An remember that her cultivation level was higher than his. He gave an awkward laugh, then ran directly to the center of the battlefield and first picked up the Poisoned Blade. "Luckily, that rhino expelled it," he mused. "Otherwise, I would have had to use a bottle of paralysis poison to retrieve it later."

"Ugh, this smell..."

Although wrapped in a handkerchief, the dagger still emitted an incredibly pungent, acrid smell. Zu An took out his water bottle, poured a lot of clean water over it, and washed it for a long time before putting it back into his possession.

Ji Xiaoxi followed him, originally intending to borrow the dagger to see what kind of powerful poison was on it. But seeing him put it away, she felt embarrassed to ask. After all, in her view, everyone had their own life-saving secrets, and such a request from her would be rather insensitive.

Seeing her standing by, hesitant to speak, Zu An, however, misunderstood. He picked up a corner of the handkerchief from the ground and handed it to her. "Here, take this back. See if it's still usable after you wash it."

Looking at the handkerchief in front of her, covered in greenish-yellow unknown stains and emitting a foul stench, Ji Xiaoxi was speechless.

Rage points from Ji Xiaoxi: 1!

Zu An was amused. "This little girl truly has a good temper," he thought. "Even under these circumstances, her rage points are only 1. Does she never get angry?"

"Just throw it away; I don't want it anymore," Ji Xiaoxi forced a smile. Noticing his sincere gaze, she felt a little guilty for saying that.

Zu An casually tossed the handkerchief aside. "I'll buy you a new one next time," he said. He certainly wouldn't secretly keep that handkerchief. Not only was it questionable whether she'd even want it after it was cleaned, but the cleaning process itself would be enough to disgust him.

Ji Xiaoxi hummed in acknowledgment, clearly not too concerned. Looking at the scattered corpses of the fierce Black Jackals around them, she said, "We should quickly check for any bezoars. It'll be troublesome if the pack returns later."

"Don't worry," Zu An chuckled. "Those fierce Black Jackals are terrified; they probably won't dare to come back anytime soon." Little did he know that the escaped fierce Black Jackals were so traumatized by what had just happened that they doubted their very existence, and for several months afterward, dared not attack any target's rear, almost starving their tribe to extinction.

Although he said that, Zu An's hands weren't idle. He quickly disemboweled the jackal corpses and, including the one he already had, ended up collecting a total of twelve bezoars. Unfortunately, there were no magic cores or crystals, which left Zu An somewhat disappointed. Having read so many novels in his previous life, he had been quite expectant of finding some sort of treasure. He had searched the fierce Black Jackal leader's corpse repeatedly, turning it over countless times, but found nothing.

"You're really amazing!" Ji Xiaoxi exclaimed, her large eyes filled with admiration. "You actually killed so many fierce Black Jackals by yourself."

"Haha, you flatter me, you flatter me," Zu An said, his words modest but his face clearly broadcasting, "Praise me more, praise me more."

Seeing him collect the bezoars one by one, Ji Xiaoxi hesitated, then after a long pause, said, "Um, I have a rather impolite request. I wonder if you would mind?"