The three mercenary groups, combined with the newly recruited members, formed a team of nearly a hundred people. They set off grandly toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
In the distance, two figures trailed far behind. One was clad in armor from head to toe, their face obscured, while the other had a plain, ordinary passerby's face.
"How many people do you think will die this time?" the ordinary-faced man asked with a smile.
The armored man's voice was somewhat muffled. "Naturally, the more the better."
The ordinary-faced man chuckled a few times and stopped speaking.
Crossing plains and leaping over great rivers, the group thoroughly entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Among the three leaders, Manni raised her right hand high, and the people behind immediately came to a halt.
"Rest and reorganize on the spot!" Manni shouted, and the somewhat orderly team instantly dispersed.
"Scouts!"
Han Wen shouted, and a small five-man team immediately jogged out from the crowd, continuing deeper into the range.
Lagging half a step behind, Xiao Feng nodded inwardly. To be able to discipline this group of scattered individuals to this extent, the three of them did indeed have some means.
When the fires were lit and the aroma of meat wafted through the air, the five scouts returned.
"Commander, we didn't encounter any Demonic Beasts along the way," the five said in unison.
Han Wen nodded, his gaze falling on Xiao Feng nearby. While he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was in turmoil. These five men had taken five different paths, all of which were the most likely to encounter Demonic Beasts, yet they hadn't run into a single one. How did this person, who hadn't left the town for the past few days, manage to do it?
The deeper his suspicion grew, the less Han Wen dared to take risks. He sought out the other two to briefly consult with them, deciding to rest for a day and conduct several more scouts before setting off again.
The night was deep and the stars were bright.
Xiao Feng arrived at the front of Manni's tent.
"Something the matter?" Manni poked her head out.
"Mm." Xiao Feng nodded. "Is it convenient to come in and chat?"
Looking at the 'tender grass' before her, Manni licked her lips and smiled coquettishly. "Of course."
The door curtain fell, and the two shadows cast by the lamplight overlapped.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Feng walked out and entered the tents of Tie Shan and Han Wen respectively.
After emerging from Han Wen's tent, he headed directly toward the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Since incorporating the Green Wood Wolf pack, Xiao Feng and Xiao Linger had found a clearing in the pack's territory and built two small log cabins. That place had effectively become the headquarters for the outer region of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Xiao Feng's current direction was precisely there.
The journey was quiet, with only the occasional cry of birds or beasts. As Xiao Feng approached, they would quickly vanish, making it seem like an ordinary mountain forest.
Xiao Feng walked for a long time until the night was half over. Only then did he see pairs of glowing green eyes in the distance; he had finally arrived.
"Awooo~~~"
A wolf howled toward the sky.
"Awooo~"
"Awooo~"
"Awooo~"
A few seconds later, howls rose and fell, joining together into one.
"Alright, stop howling!" Xiao Feng shouted at the top of his lungs.
The wolves were good in every way—obedient and well-behaved—except for this bad habit they were born with; their stubborn braying just wouldn't change!
Enduring the dry howls he was already tired of hearing, Xiao Feng found Xiao Linger.
"What do you want?" Xiao Linger had a look of disgust as she leaned to the side, distancing herself from Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng noticed crumbs still hanging from the corner of her mouth and suppressed the urge to wipe them clean for her. "They're coming. Have you arranged everything?"
Xiao Linger curled her lip. "I knew about their movements long ago. Did I need you to tell me?"
"Mm, what do you plan to do next?" Xiao Feng asked.
"What's it to you?" Xiao Linger glared at Xiao Feng with slanted eyes before looking away again.
"If you feel you don't need my help, then you can toss and turn on your own. However, the central part of the Magical Beast Mountain Range is not easy to break into. Don't go getting all those people killed," Xiao Feng said, looking at Xiao Linger. "Though they aren't strong, they are certainly more reliable at getting things done than those wolf cubs outside."
Xiao Linger waved her hand. "If there's nothing else, get out quickly. You're an eyesore standing here."
Xiao Feng clenched his fist and finally stopped holding back. He slapped Xiao Linger on the head. "All you know is eating! Cultivate properly!"
"Get out now that you're done hitting me!" Xiao Linger used her eyes to shoo Xiao Feng away.
Back in his own log cabin, Xiao Feng did not sleep. He lit a lamp and carefully flipped through the medical recipes he had obtained one by one. From time to time, he would stand up, grab a specific item from the categorized medicinal herbs on the nearby shelf, and take a bite... At dawn the next day, Xiao Feng knocked on Xiao Linger's door.
"What's their movement today?"
Xiao Linger didn't speak. She walked out and called over a Green Wood Wolf. After the two of them 'awoo'd' back and forth for a while, she spoke. "Today they sent out several more small teams to scout. One team ran into a Wolf Guard; neither side fought, and they each backed away."
"Mm, then there's still some time." Xiao Feng nodded. "Go help me boil some hot water."
Xiao Linger sneered. "If you want it boiled, boil it yourself."
Xiao Feng rubbed his temples. "I have things to do and can't step away. Don't dawdle, I need it soon."
Regardless of whether Xiao Linger agreed or not, Xiao Feng went back into his cabin and got busy again.
An hour later, there was a banging on Xiao Feng's door.
Xiao Linger's impatient voice rang out. "Hey! The water has boiled dry! Where are you? Are you dead?"
Creak... The wooden door opened, and Xiao Feng emerged supporting himself against the doorframe. His face was pale, and there was white foam hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Xiao Linger was stunned for a moment. "Are you really dying?"
"Cough, cough, cough..." A hint of color was forced into Xiao Feng's pale face by anger. He waved his hand weakly. "Help me pour the hot water into the bath barrel."
Xiao Linger didn't move, sizing Xiao Feng up from head to toe. "Tell me, can you still beat me right now?"
"You can try."
Xiao Linger didn't say anything. She looked at Xiao Feng a few times before turning around to prepare the hot water.
A layer of herbal fruit pulp was placed in the bath barrel. Once the boiling water was poured in, white mist surged and the fragrance of medicine drifted.
Xiao Feng looked at Xiao Linger, who didn't seem to intend to leave. "I'm going to take off my clothes."
Xiao Linger pressed the corners of her mouth, an indifferent expression on her face.
"Out!" Xiao Feng shooed Xiao Linger out like he was chasing a fly.
Before the door closed, Xiao Linger sneered. "Can't bear to be seen, huh?"
Xiao Feng couldn't be bothered to bicker with her. He returned to the bath barrel, took off his clothes, and sat inside.
Shut outside the door, Xiao Linger did not leave. She stopped in front of the door, a conflict raging in her heart: Take his life while he's sick! Now is the perfect opportunity to avenge Xiao Zi! No! We Demonic Beasts must keep our word; I must wait until the next time I see him to kill him!
For some reason, Xiao Linger felt as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, and then she fled as if escaping.
Inside the room, Xiao Feng, who had been observing the movements outside with his Soul Power, only then slowly closed his eyes... When Xiao Feng opened his eyes again, the outside was already shrouded in twilight.
Xiao Linger was organizing the wolf pack, sitting on a huge boulder and gazing into the distance with a calm expression.
Seeing Xiao Feng come out, Xiao Linger glanced at him. "I'm going out for a bit."
"I'll go with you," Xiao Feng said.
Xiao Linger didn't answer. She jumped off the boulder and left, taking a group of Green Wood Wolves with her.
Xiao Feng watched her, and just as her figure was about to disappear, he followed.
After trailing over several hills and just reaching a summit, he saw Xiao Linger walk out from a corner. The wolf pack was nowhere to be seen; she had been specifically waiting for him here.
"They've arrived?" Xiao Feng asked.
"Don't go over there." Xiao Linger had a look of vigilance on her face.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Feng was puzzled.
"You and they are both humans, while I and they are both beasts. Seeing your own kind die, perhaps you won't stand on my side anymore." Xiao Linger looked indifferent, her gaze falling on Xiao Feng's feet.
She saw Xiao Feng approach step by step, stopping in front of her.
And then... he gave her head a sharp knock.
"If you want to hit me, then hit me. Just don't let me catch an opportunity, or I will definitely avenge Xiao Zi." Xiao Linger rubbed her head, the dislike in her eyes very obvious.
"He has the cultivation of a Dou Master. If he wants to escape, what do you have to stop him?" Xiao Feng had a look of disappointment. "Moreover, if I'm not there, how will those mercenaries know if the wolf pack is coming for them or not? Do you not use your brain when doing things?"
"With so many Green Wood Wolves and Rank 2 Demonic Beasts, he won't be able to run." Xiao Linger curled her lip.
"You aren't planning to kill them all, are you?"
"So what if I am?"
"I'll deal with you when we get back!"
Xiao Feng pushed past Xiao Linger and ran toward the distance.
These two months had made him very familiar with the terrain of the outer Magical Beast Mountain Range, so he naturally guessed the path the mercenaries were taking.
Just as he crossed the mountain, he encountered them as expected.
Seeing both sides in a standoff, Xiao Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the returning Xiao Feng, the dissatisfaction on Han Wen's face had reached its peak. "What is the meaning of this?"
Xiao Feng walked forward, and the Demonic Beasts spontaneously opened a path for him.
Seeing this, everyone's pupils couldn't help but shrink. The way they looked at Xiao Feng was now completely different.
Xiao Feng stopped not far in front of Han Wen and said regretfully, "Han Wen, you are a decent person. It's just a pity you did one thing wrong back then."
"Something wrong?" Han Wen didn't understand what Xiao Feng meant, but he instinctively sensed that things today would be unfavorable for him. His gaze began to drift around the surroundings.
At this moment, a cold female voice rang out. "Seven years ago, have you already forgotten that white tiger you killed here?"
Drawn by the voice, everyone looked up. In the distance, a woman appeared, wearing a white mask made of two pieces joined together. Her clothes and hair fluttered in the wind, her figure was graceful, and her wheat-colored skin radiated a wild aura.
She walked over slowly. Wherever she passed, the Demonic Beasts all moved aside in submission, like a princess of the beast race.
"You... you are that little girl?" Han Wen could hardly believe it.
Seeing the woman acknowledge it with silence, Han Wen sighed and asked in return, "Back then, wasn't it you who wanted to leave?"
Xiao Linger said calmly, "You only said you would let it sleep for a while, but in the end, it died."
Han Wen was silent for a moment. "It was a Demonic Beast, and I am a mercenary. Was I wrong?"
A trace of cold mockery curled at the corner of the mouth under the mask.
"Yes, to you, you weren't wrong. Even they don't think there was anything wrong." Xiao Linger extended a finger and swept it across every face in front of her. "Perhaps, as long as one is human, none would think that was wrong."
She paused, her cold laughter clearly audible. "But to me, your killing it was wrong."
Han Wen sighed once more. "What will it take to spare my life?"
"A life for a life."
Despair flashed in Han Wen's eyes. He clenched his hands, then slowly relaxed them. Finally, with a thud, he knelt on the ground and said toward Xiao Linger, "A blood debt should naturally be paid in blood. But my brothers are innocent. I am at your mercy, I only ask that you let them leave."
Seeing no reaction from Xiao Linger, he asked again, "Do you not want to personally take your revenge?"
"Commander! I'm not leaving!" someone behind Han Wen immediately shouted. "We'll fight our way out together! Back then, even a Rank 3 white tiger died at our hands. These Rank 2 Demonic Beasts—this old man doesn't even put them in his eyes!"
"I agree." Xiao Linger drew a dagger and walked toward Han Wen.
Han Wen lowered his head, listening to the footsteps gradually approaching until a pair of shoes entered his vision.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.