Chapter 10: Roasting Goblins

Before nightfall, Wang Chong returned; for safety, he tried never to spend the night outside. When he arrived, he saw Sona and the others acting suspiciously; upon spotting him, they scattered and vanished in an instant.

"Acting all mystical and weird," Wang Chong frowned slightly, finding it strange.

But the next moment, he noticed several pieces of meat missing from his rack.

Although the missing amount was small compared to the total, he had cut and hung each piece himself, so he knew every single one clearly and spotted the shortage at a glance.

"Damn it! No wonder those bastards were acting so weird; they actually stole my meat while I was gone. Those little goblin brats are just asking for a beating." Wang Chong's forehead veins bulged.

He was not the type to swallow his pride; he always repaid grudges in kind.

The goblins were camped just behind the small earthen mound, with no defensive measures whatsoever; they had merely gathered some tall grass and slept inside the piles at night.

Wang Chong did not go straight to confront them; he calmed his mind, ate a quick meal, and sat cross-legged to meditate in the courtyard.

"See? I told you he wouldn't notice," Sona said outside the courtyard, peeking out triumphantly.

"Big Brother is truly formidable," the other goblins hurriedly flattered.

"That guy is just a simpleton. Tomorrow, once he leaves, we'll come back again." Sona puffed out his belly, looking like a victorious general, and led the other goblins away.

Wang Chong discovered that through cultivation, he could not only increase his strength but also rapidly restore his energy.

However, Wang Chong was not in a hurry to enter deep meditation; sitting cross-legged, he began to review the day's battle.

In his mind, the scene of his fight with the cat demon appeared; he dissected every movement, repeating them continuously until he found the flaws.

"So that's how it is." After an unknown amount of time, Wang Chong suddenly smiled; he seemed to have figured out a way to deal with the cat demon.

He stood up and checked the sky.

"It's about time."

With a leap, he vaulted over the fence, his figure weaving through the darkness, and soon reached the earthen mound where the goblins slept.

As he approached, Wang Chong slowed his steps; none of the goblins noticed his arrival.

"Truly lazy!" Wang Chong curled his lips in disdain.

Even if this was just a temporary dwelling, they should have tidied up a bit since they were staying here.

Instead, those goblins ate and defecated right in their den, making the place a mess that reeked of blood and filth.

Unwilling to linger, Wang Chong walked over, grabbed Sona by the ankle, and dragged him away upside down.

"Who! What are you doing!" Sona jolted awake.

Wang Chong said nothing, simply continuing forward.

Sona struggled frantically, but his strength was too feeble to be of any use.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Sona screamed at the top of his lungs in terror.

The other goblins also woke up; seeing their leader captured, they hurriedly followed.

But upon realizing it was Wang Chong holding Sona, their hearts sank with guilt, and they dared not approach.

Wang Chong found a sapling as thick as an arm, tied Sona's feet together, and hung him from the treetop.

The small tree bent under the weight, swaying up and down with Sona's struggles.

"Not bad," Wang Chong remarked, quite satisfied.

Sona finally caught on; he wasn't stupid and guessed his meat theft had been exposed, yet his eyes darted as he decided to deny everything until death.

"My lord, what are you doing?" Sona feigned ignorance.

"What do you think?" Wang Chong didn't expose him immediately, watching him with an ambiguous smile.

"I don't know!" Sona insisted stubbornly.

"Are you sure?" Wang Chong sneered.

"I really don't know, my lord! It hurts so much; please let me go," Sona whined with a tearful face.

"Very well," Wang Chong nodded slightly. "Since you don't know, I won't ask you anymore."

With that, Wang Chong turned and walked away.

"My lord, let me go, my lord..." Sona howled a few times, but seeing Wang Chong completely ignore him, he shifted his gaze to the other goblins nearby.

"You bunch of scum! Are you just watching a monkey show? Hurry over here and get me down!"

"Ah, ah, ah..." Only then did the goblins react, rushing forward to untie the rope.

"Whoosh!"

At that moment, a massive sword descended from the sky, embedding itself right in front of them.

"Oh no! Run!"

Terrified, the goblins scrambled away on foot; by the time Sona realized what was happening, they had already vanished without a trace.

"Well? Still haven't remembered?"

Just then, Wang Chong returned, carrying a bundle of firewood.

"My lord, I really don't know... perhaps you could remind me?" Sona remained stubborn.

"Very well, I will remind you."

"Some meat is missing from my courtyard; who do you think took it?" Wang Chong asked.

"My lord, your meat is missing? I know! It must have been those scum who stole it. My lord, release me, and I will catch those bastards for you," Sona declared with righteous indignation.

"No need for such trouble; it doesn't matter who eats it..."

"What a good person! My lord, you are truly wonderful; you are the most generous goblin I have ever seen. My admiration for you could not be expressed even in three days and three nights. Come, let me down so I may worship you..."

"I'm not finished yet," Wang Chong said, looking at him teasingly.

"Uh... please continue, my lord," Sona shut his mouth.

"Since they ate my meat, then I shall eat you."

"What? Eat me?" Sona's eyes bulged wide in shock.

Without further delay, Wang Chong swiftly placed the firewood beneath Sona's head and lit it ablaze.

"Ah! Oh my god!..." Sonar shot upright in terror, clutching his legs with both hands.

This movement was extremely difficult for a goblin with such short limbs, yet Sonar managed it.

His body instantly curled into a shrimp, buttocks facing downward; fortunately, he was still some distance from the bonfire.

"Hm, not bad; this way the heat distributes evenly," Wang Chong said as he walked over and stepped on the tree trunk.

That small tree began bouncing up and down once more.

"Mama!" Sonar let out a shriek.

When the small tree bent downward, the flames licked right against Sonar's buttocks.

Sonar screamed; the tree immediately sprang back up, but before he could catch his breath, it snapped down again, searing his buttocks once more.

Back and forth it went; Sonar truly felt caught between ecstasy and agony.

"It smells so good!" Several goblins had returned at some point; one of them swallowed hard and suddenly blurted this out.

All eyes turned toward him.

"Ah! I won't do it again, I'll never do it again..." Sonar wet himself.

Wang Chong had no real intention of killing Sonar; killing over a few pieces of meat was hardly necessary—he merely wished to teach them a lesson.