Bounty Mission

"What a coincidence."

Lin Zhao stared at the bounty notice stamped with a vermilion seal, secretly musing that it was seeking a low-tier Entering Martial Master with superb Archery, and the reward was actually a bottle of Pangolin Dragon Essence. This job seemed tailor-made for someone like him, who was short on medicine.

But on second thought, doubts arose. Pangolin Dragon Essence was now banned from transport by the Oirat and exceedingly scarce within Northern Garrison City. This bounty had been posted for seven days, yet not a single person had answered it. Could there be some trick behind it?

Before he could think further, the person who had posted the bounty strode swiftly toward him.

Lin Zhao looked up and nearly laughed aloud—it was none other than Zhao Zhong, the bounty hunter who had secretly sold him Pangolin Dragon Essence last month.

"So the trail to Earth Dragon Yuan leads back to you after all." He silently marveled at the strange workings of fate, but his expression remained unchanged. He still wore the Mystic Iron Rakshasa Mask.

Zhao Zhong clearly did not recognize him. In a stiff tone, he said, "Have you read the requirements clearly, sir? This job demands no small degree of accuracy and force in Archery—an ordinary martial artist's arrows cannot pierce the target's armor."

Over the past few days, more than ten martial artists claiming they could "shoot a willow leaf from a hundred paces" had come to his door. Yet they had all been mere impostors filling out a band; none could even shoot through a Mystic Iron target. His patience had long since run dry.

"Whether I can do it or not, one test will tell." Lin Zhao's tone was calm, without the slightest hint of fear.

"Follow me." Leaving those words behind, Zhao Zhong turned and walked out of Xuanyao Tavern, heading toward the city outskirts.

Lin Zhao hesitated briefly, but ultimately followed him. Earth Dragon Yuan was right before his eyes; there was no reason to give up.

The two left through Northern Garrison City's eastern gate and arrived at an empty patch of wasteland beyond the city. Zhao Zhong lifted three half-grown Mystic Mane Young Wolves from a mule cart and said gravely, "I'll first test your Archery, sir. These wolf cubs run faster than rabbits. Hit two, and you pass."

He pulled open the bamboo cage, and the three Mystic Mane Young Wolves shot off in three separate directions with a whoosh. In the blink of an eye, they had run a hundred paces and were about to disappear into the yellowed grass.

Zhao Zhong stood with his arms folded, holding little hope. It was already difficult for an ordinary martial artist to hit even one. To kill the first without disrupting their inner breath, then strike the second in succession—even the garrison's Archery instructors would find that as hard as climbing to the heavens.

Yet the next instant, he froze where he stood. Lin Zhao did not deliberately take aim at all. He raised a hand, drew the Mystic Iron bow from his waist, nocked an iron arrow tempered with inner breath, and fired straight at the young wolf fleeing toward the shrubs.

He did not even look to see where the arrow landed. With a flick of his wrist, he drew the bowstring again and sent another arrow toward the second wolf, a hundred paces away to the left.

Pfft! Pfft!

Two soft sounds rang out one after the other. The two Mystic Mane Young Wolves fell at once, both arrowheads piercing straight through their brains.

As for the third, Lin Zhao did not fire again. Passing was enough; there was no need to reveal all his cards.

Zhao Zhong came back to his senses and loudly praised him. "Excellent Archery! You truly have real skill, sir! Since you meet the requirements, I shall tell you the details of the mission." He paused, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Zhao Zhong, a man who makes his living from bounties. How should I address you, sir?"

"Call me Rakshasa. I am merely a wandering martial artist," Lin Zhao replied. Wandering martial artist was a common identity in the Ming Dynasty's martial world. It would neither expose his background as a Hundred-Household Officer of Lin Family Fortress nor arouse suspicion.

Zhao Zhong understood perfectly well. Judging by this "Rakshasa's" bearing, along with the short brown robe woven with mystic thread he wore, he was no ordinary drifter of the martial world. He was most likely the descendant of some noble family unwilling to show his face, or perhaps the heir of a retired Martial Battalion Commander.

But Zhao Zhong did not ask further. As long as the man's Archery was useful, who cared who he was?

Zhao Zhong brought Lin Zhao to a small courtyard he had purchased in a corner of the garrison city. The moment they entered, Lin Zhao saw three martial artists already standing in the yard:

—one was a burly man eight feet tall, broad-backed and bear-waisted, clearly a practitioner of hard qigong. Beside him stood a Mystic Iron Shield weighing over a hundred jin, its surface marked by several claw scars deep enough to expose bone. At a glance, he was clearly a hard case who often fought strange beasts;

—one was a rare female martial artist. Her petite body was wrapped in tanned mystic beast-hide armor, accentuating her graceful figure. Her black hair was arranged in a falling-horse bun, and two Short Knives hung at her waist. She looked spirited and valiant—these days, when men were honored and women held low, noble families rarely allowed women to practice martial arts. Female martial artists were ten times rarer than male ones;

The last was a middle-aged man holding a twelve-foot spear. He was squatting by the stable, feeding fodder to a Western Frontier Snow-Treading Colt. His movements were deft, and his knuckles were covered in calluses. One look showed he was an old hand who had practiced the spear year-round.

"Lord Rakshasa, let me introduce your companions," Zhao Zhong said with a smile. "This is Zhou Xuanwu, who practices Bedrock Hard Qigong. This is Xie Hongling, skilled in the Twin Absolute Blades. The one feeding the horse is Li Cangying; his Pear Blossom Spear has reached a level beyond all description. We have gathered five martial artists this time solely to ensure the mission goes off without a hitch."

"What exactly is the target?" Lin Zhao pressed. Zhao Zhong had been beating around the bush for half the day without reaching the point, and Lin Zhao was beginning to grow anxious.

Zhao Zhong merely smiled without answering. He led him to the storeroom in the rear courtyard and violently flung open the heavy wooden doors—inside stood an enormous military-grade Divine Machine Crossbow!

Its arms were as tall as a man, and its bowstring was twisted from ox sinew mixed with Mystic Iron wire. In the arrow groove lay a Mystic Iron bolt as thick as a forearm. It was said that such a Divine Machine Crossbow could pierce three layers of lamellar armor and blast holes through even rammed-earth walls. It was a heavy weapon used by garrison troops against strange beasts.

"The target this time is a second-rank Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon," Zhao Zhong said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao turned and left.

The moment he heard they were hunting a second-rank Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon, Lin Zhao's expression changed sharply. An adult Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon was a second-rank strange beast. Its armor was harder than Mystic Iron, and blades and spears could scarcely penetrate it. Even a Peak Martial Master might not win in a one-on-one fight.

Even if they gathered five low- or mid-tier Entering Martial Masters and added this Divine Machine Crossbow, they might have a sliver of a chance—but only might.

If the slightest mishap occurred, they would likely leave their lives in the wilderness.

Lin Zhao truly needed Pangolin Dragon Essence to refine secret medicine, but it was not as if he could not cultivate without it. At worst, it would merely take several times longer.

He was only sixteen. Even if he broke through to Peak Martial Master before turning thirty, his talent would be no worse than his father's had been.

At such an age, why risk his life?

People often said, "Seek wealth and honor amid danger." In his eyes, that was nothing more than a gambler's self-consolation.

He disliked gambling most of all. He always sought certainty in everything he did. With the Proficiency Panel, he could slowly polish his techniques and forge his skills. What was there to rush about?

Seeing him turn to leave, Zhao Zhong hurried after him for two steps and shouted, "Lord Rakshasa, please stay! Since I dared set my sights on the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon, I naturally made foolproof preparations!

"I have watched that beast for three years. A month ago, it fought an Entering Grandmaster Warrior from the Oirat. Though it drove him away, it was severely injured itself. Its armor cracked open in several places, and its self-healing ability has greatly diminished!"

He paused, then continued, "For this, I specifically spent five hundred taels to borrow this Divine Machine Crossbow from the garrison, and I invited three martial artists with genuine skill. With such preparations, I dare not claim a hundred percent certainty, but there is always seventy percent!"

When Lin Zhao did not stop, Zhao Zhong gritted his teeth and raised the offer. "Fine—after it is done, I'll give you two bottles of Pangolin Dragon Essence!" He had finally encountered someone with truly outstanding Archery. How could he let him go? Lin Zhao's accuracy was the most crucial link in hunting the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon.

Though the Divine Machine Crossbow was immensely powerful, it had to hit precisely. It needed to strike one of the cracks in the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's armor to break through its defense.

That was why he had posted the bounty for seven days, specifically seeking a martial artist skilled in Archery.

But all he had found were worthless frauds. Now that he had finally encountered genuine talent, he truly did not want to wait any longer. The Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon had a robust physique; if he delayed until its wounds healed, it would become difficult to deal with.

Lin Zhao finally stopped. Beneath the mask, a trace of hesitation appeared on his face. "By heaven and earth, is that truly so? Was the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon truly badly injured?"

"Heaven above and earth below bear witness! If Zhao Zhong speaks even half a false word, may heaven strike me with thunder!" Zhao Zhong immediately swore an oath.

In this world, most people believed that gods watched three feet above their heads. Such an oath was far more credible than empty words, not like the casual, meaningless promises of his previous life.

Lin Zhao secretly laughed. When had he truly intended to leave?

The moment he saw the Divine Machine Crossbow, he had known that he only needed to shoot arrows from afar. The risk was not great to begin with. Turning away had merely been a test to see whether he could demand more payment.

Now that his purpose had been achieved, there was naturally no reason to refuse.

"Fine, but let me make this clear beforehand—I will only be responsible for aiming the Divine Machine Crossbow. If we encounter mortal danger, I will definitely retreat first." Lin Zhao stated his terms in advance, leaving himself a way out.

"No problem! You only need to hit the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's wounds. You need not concern yourself with anything else. As for the Pangolin Dragon Essence, it will be divided after the job is done. I have none in stock right now," Zhao Zhong agreed readily.

"Fine. When do we move?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Hongling still needs to refine Mystic Armored Poison Paste and coat the crossbow bolt with it, ensuring the beast is brought down in one strike," Zhao Zhong answered.

"Very well." After saying that, Lin Zhao turned and left the courtyard.

"Lord Rakshasa! Gather outside Northern Garrison's western gate tomorrow! We will head together to the Mystic Armored Earth Lizard's nest!" Zhao Zhong shouted after his retreating back. Only when the figure vanished at the alley entrance did he withdraw his gaze.

"Hmph. He looks like some noble brat who came out to gain experience, and he sure treasures his life." Zhou Xuanwu wiped the claw marks on the Mystic Iron Shield with coarse cloth and sneered with undisguised contempt.

"I can smell that young, vigorous blood on him. Though he wears a mask, he cannot be very old. He must have only recently broken through to a low-tier Entering Martial Master."

Xie Hongling puffed out her chest and lazily stretched. The curves beneath her leather armor were especially eye-catching. "But becoming an Entering Martial Master at such an age means he definitely does not come from some ordinary little household. At the very least, he is the child of an earl's estate. If he is the eldest son, marrying him might even make me the mistress of an earl's estate."

"Zhao Zhong, are you really giving that brat two bottles of Pangolin Dragon Essence? One second-rank Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon can refine at most around twenty bottles. He is only firing two arrows from afar, taking no risks at all, yet he gets two bottles? Then I want four! I'm the one who has to stand face-to-face against that beast!" Zhou Xuanwu slammed his shield onto the ground and shouted in dissatisfaction.

"By that logic, I am responsible for luring the enemy, and my risk is not small either. I want four bottles too!" Li Cangying put down the horse fodder and spoke up as well.

"Without my Mystic Armored Poison Paste, even if you hit it, you might not be able to bring it down! I want five bottles!" Xie Hongling folded her arms and sneered, her tone brooking no argument.

But Zhao Zhong merely snorted and waved a hand. "I only said that to keep him steady for now. Why would I truly give two bottles to a lone noble novice? As for you, do not open your mouths like lions—do not forget that only I know the location of the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon's nest, and only I can borrow the Divine Machine Crossbow. If you do not wish to do it, feel free to leave. Xuanyao Tavern has plenty of martial artists fighting to take this job."

Seeing his unyielding attitude, the three martial artists did not dare say more. For drifters of the martial world, earning money was difficult to begin with, and naturally they were unwilling to give up so easily.

As long as they succeeded, the Pangolin Dragon Essence alone could sell for a large sum of silver. No matter what, they had to grit their teeth and see it through.