Yan Xing spoke again, "That's right. Answer my questions and you'll get food. Now, another question for you: how far is your tribe from here?"
The Werewolf, who had been anticipating food, instantly became alert upon hearing this question.
Looking at Werewolf Gang Ya in the cell, the Werewolf replied to Yan Xing, "I can't say. Gang Ya won't allow me to!"
Yan Xing had intended to extract some information from these Werewolves but didn't expect Gang Ya to have already taken precautions. Gang Ya held absolute authority over this small Werewolf squad, so the Werewolf dared not defy him, even for a delicious meal.
At that moment, Yan Xing remembered a detail: during the Werewolves' meals, only Gang Ya would take the first bite before the other Werewolves followed. During lunch, he could take whatever he wanted from other Werewolves' food containers without any resistance.
This was a symbol of status and the Werewolves' genuine submission to Gang Ya.
Then I'll start dividing them from here, Yan Xing thought.
Yan Xing laughed. "HAHAHA… There's no need to be nervous. I won't make things difficult for you if you don't want to speak. If you want food, you just need to do one thing for me first."
"What is it?"
Yan Xing had Eddie draw a line on the ground nearby. Then, pointing in that direction, he said to the Werewolf, "See that line? Run at full speed towards it, and once you reach it, jump as far as you can.
"Complete the jump, and you'll get food. The Werewolf who jumps the farthest will get a special reward from me."
A long jump? the Werewolf wondered.
The Werewolf didn't know what this human Lord had in mind.
But if a jump meant food, then jump he would.
The Werewolf started with a run-up. His strong legs quickly propelled him to a rapid burst of speed, and then he leaped from the line Eddie had drawn.
He landed six or seven meters away.
Good heavens, can any Werewolf jump this far? Yan Xing mused.
Fortunately, the height of their jump didn't seem enough to scale the defensive wall. According to Yan Xing's estimation, they would need to use the wall for leverage to climb it.
And once a Werewolf's body touched the barbed wire on the defensive wall, they would be caught on it.
The defensive wall should still be effective, he concluded.
The Werewolf who completed the long jump ran back.
Yan Xing had Eddie give him his entire portion of food.
But as the Werewolf, holding his meal, was about to return to the cell, Yan Xing said, "Finish your food here before going back."
This command from Yan Xing perplexed the Werewolf, but he obediently finished his portion outside the cell.
The sated Werewolf was escorted back to the cell, and Eddie brought another Werewolf before Yan Xing.
"Do you know how you got the food you just ate?"
The Werewolf was initially unable to answer, but then, with Eddie's prompting, replied, "It was bestowed by Lord Yan Xing."
"It's good you know who gave you your meal. See that line? Go do a long jump for me to see..."
The Werewolf, following Yan Xing's order, completed the long jump and collected his dinner without issue.
Just like before, Yan Xing had this Werewolf eat his portion in front of him before letting Eddie escort him back.
Then another Werewolf was brought out.
The process was repeated: each Werewolf would declare, "It was bestowed by Lord Yan Xing," then perform a long jump, eat their meal, and be sent back to their cell.
Nine Werewolves went through this procedure in front of Yan Xing, one by one. Finally, the Great Werewolf Gang Ya was brought out.
Yan Xing looked at Gang Ya and asked, "Do you know how your food is provided?"
Gang Ya already knew the answer from the previous nine Werewolves, but he still said, "We are your captives. If you don't want us to die, you must provide us with food."
Eddie was about to repeat what he had said to the other Werewolves, but Yan Xing stopped him.
Yan Xing said to Gang Ya, "Yes, if I don't want captives to die, I must provide them with food. But as long as the captives don't die, the amount of food given doesn't matter... Since you don't know how your food is provided, I'll give you one night to think about it.
"Eddie, take this Great Werewolf back. Give a bottle of beer to the Werewolf who jumped the farthest just now."
"Yes, Master!" Eddie picked up the iron shovel, pointed it at Gang Ya, and, with four peasants, herded him away.
Gang Ya hadn't expected Yan Xing to suddenly change the rules.
Why is there suddenly no food? Wasn't I supposed to get a hint first? Gang Ya thought.
Facing Eddie and the peasants herding him, Gang Ya merely bared his teeth in a show of defiance before obediently returning to his cell.
This scene was, of course, witnessed by all the Werewolves in the cell.
Now, all nine Werewolves had eaten their fill and were belching contentedly, while Gang Ya hadn't eaten anything. He would remain hungry until the next morning, and he couldn't be sure if he would still be hungry then.
As Eddie locked the cell door, he tossed a bottle of beer to one of the Werewolves and said, "You jumped the farthest just now. This bottle is a reward from Lord Yan Xing. Look at it—it's carved from emerald! Beer stored in such a precious gemstone bottle must be the finest in the world.
"Be grateful for Lord Yan Xing's benevolence!"
After saying this, Eddie closed the cell's main door.
Inside the cell, the rewarded Werewolf held the beer bottle excitedly, while the other Werewolves surrounded him, their eyes filled with envy.
The beer bottle was a transparent, dark green, crystal clear, and without a single impurity.
It's clearly top-grade emerald! they thought.
To use such a large piece of precious emerald for a beer container... what kind of supreme brew must be inside, just as that peasant said?
The rewarded Werewolf cradled the beer bottle, trembling as if he were clutching a mountain of gold.
If... if I offer this beer to the Clan Leader, I'll surely be rewarded with a promotion to Great Werewolf! he fantasized.
But before he could think further, a hand snatched the beer bottle from his grip.
The Werewolf's fantasy bubble burst. He saw that the one who had snatched it was none other than Great Werewolf Gang Ya. A surge of courage born from anger made him exclaim, "That was a reward given to me by Lord Yan Xing!"
Gang Ya bared his teeth at the Werewolf and roared, "I am your leader! What's yours is mine!"
Having said that, Gang Ya opened the bottle and guzzled down a large gulp of beer.
Then, holding the bottle, he went to lie down and sleep.
The Werewolves dispersed in fear of Gang Ya. Only the one whose beer had been taken remained standing there, his gaze towards the Great Werewolf visibly changing.
"Master..." Having witnessed all this, Eddie said to Yan Xing, "That Gang Ya actually dared to snatch the beer you granted to that Werewolf. Should I go and retrieve it?"
Yan Xing had also seen Gang Ya snatch the beer. He said, "Don't intervene. Let him take it."
Eddie asked, puzzled, "Why, Master?"
Yan Xing explained, "When a wolf pack is short on food, letting the strongest wolves eat first ensures the survival of the entire pack. Now that they don't have to worry about food, their greed will naturally grow.
"If Gang Ya hadn't taken that bottle, I wouldn't have a better way to handle him.
"Now that he has, the seeds of hatred have been sown."
Eddie, completely bewildered, dared not ask further and could only say, "Master is wise!"