"Fish Fat Grass?"
Hearing the name, Liu Yuanshan looked somewhat bewildered.
"It's a wild grass with a unique scent. Once crushed into juice, it can linger on a person for a long time. Furthermore, some strange beasts are very sensitive to its smell, able to detect it even from several miles away," Meng Hongsheng explained.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanshan finally understood.
"Guild Leader, are you saying Ergou was targeted long ago?"
"It should be so. As far as I know, there are people within the Fist Gang who raise similar strange beasts."
"Remnants of the Fist Gang!!"
Hearing this, Liu Yuanshan recalled the intelligence he had gathered on the Fist Gang. It was true that their higher-ups kept a strange beast with a keen sense of smell.
He clenched his fists, which creaked with the sound of bones grinding. At this moment, he was almost certain that the perpetrator was definitely someone from the Fist Gang.
During the annihilation of the Fist Gang, he had killed quite a few of their people. It was only natural for them to seek revenge.
"I didn't expect these remnants to be so bold. That old dog Tian Song took a palm strike from me and was severely injured, yet he still dares to show his face. Truly doesn't know death..." Meng Hongsheng said with a cold laugh.
"Since they still dare to return to the city, let's catch them all in one go. You will be in charge of this matter. Feel free to mobilize all the manpower in the guild. This time, we won't let that old dog escape."
"I understand. This time, I will make them die cleanly," Liu Yuanshan replied with a ferocious expression.
* *
* *
Thump, thump, thump...
The sound of hurried horse hooves echoed from the official road.
Several carriages sped past. On the lead carriage, Lin Sheng, dressed in a grey martial arts uniform and a yellow headscarf, now held a mixed-iron staff that was pointed at one end, making it resemble a spear more than a staff.
"Lin Sheng, although the welfare and benefits at the Beast Hunter Hall are very good, they are all earned with our lives. Now that you've been assigned to our Ninth Squad, you must follow all arrangements within the squad. Remember not to act recklessly on your own, otherwise, you can't blame anyone else if you lose your life."
The speaker was the man driving the carriage beside Lin Sheng. The man was about thirty to forty years old, dressed in the same attire as Lin Sheng. While driving, he spoke to Lin Sheng with a solemn tone.
"I understand, Captain Wang. In future operations, I, Lin Sheng, will definitely follow the captain's arrangements."
Lin Sheng nodded seriously in agreement.
This man was his captain at the Beast Hunter Hall, Wang Sanyang.
He was a veteran of the Beast Hunter Hall, and his strength had already reached the Muscle Forging realm, making him far stronger than the likes of Liu Ergou.
Seeing Lin Sheng's composed demeanor, Wang Sanyang was quite satisfied, and the stern expression on his face softened slightly.
He had been in the Beast Hunter Hall for many years and had led countless people. He detested encountering arrogant, overconfident youngsters who didn't know their place.
It wasn't just that such people died quickly; they also dragged down other members of the team. Therefore, he felt a bit more relaxed seeing Lin Sheng's attitude.
He then gave Lin Sheng some more advice. After an hour had passed, they finally reached their destination.
"Is this Yangping Mountain?"
In his vision was a vast mountain with dense vegetation and ancient trees, resembling a primeval forest from his previous life.
At the foot of the mountain lay a cluster of buildings and residences. From a distance, he could see people coming and going, most of them dressed similarly to him, clearly all members of the Beast Hunter Hall.
"That's right, this is Yangping Mountain. The rural residences are where we usually rest. Originally, there weren't many people at the foot of Yangping Mountain, but after our Town Mountain Tower secured the hunting and operating rights here, it attracted many hunters and merchants. Over time, it has become a town of considerable size, named Yangping Town," Wang Sanyang said with a smile.
He had spoken with Lin Sheng along the way and had a good impression of him. Moreover, Tian Hu had mentioned Lin Sheng's decent talent when handing him over, so Wang Sanyang didn't bother putting on airs.
"Alright, let's unload the goods from the carriage first. Then I'll take you to meet the other members of the squad."
"Okay."
The carriage was loaded with provisions such as food, clothing, and medicinal herbs.
In less than fifteen minutes, the items were unloaded. Lin Sheng then followed Wang Sanyang into a courtyard within the cluster of buildings.
"This courtyard is where the members of the Ninth Squad live, and it's also our usual assembly point. There are vacant rooms there, so you can choose one of the empty rooms," Wang Sanyang said, pointing to a few rooms on one side of the courtyard. Then, as if remembering something, he added.
"There are quite a few people living in the courtyard. If you're worried about it affecting your martial arts practice during your free time, you can also rent a small courtyard outside for seventy coins a month."
"Okay."
Lin Sheng nodded. Even if Wang Sanyang hadn't mentioned it, he was about to ask.
After all, he had many secrets, and practicing in such a crowded environment with prying eyes would be inconvenient. If anyone noticed anything, he wouldn't be able to explain.
His mastering the Raging Bull Fist within ten days was already considered a sign of good comprehension and talent.
If people knew that he had cultivated this fist technique to minor completion and entered the Body Tempering realm in less than five days, even a fool would know something was unusual.
He didn't believe that if he exposed himself, the Town Mountain Tower, among others, would remain indifferent.
In this extraordinary world where martial arts determined a person's fate, ending a life was far easier than one might imagine.
My cultivation progress can no longer be described as merely that of a genius. This is also why I haven't revealed that I've already mastered Raging Bull Fist and become a Body Tempering martial artist.
Especially since I now have the White Ape Leg Technique. Since I can't get any further advancements in Raging Bull Fist for now, I naturally have to practice this leg technique. Therefore, no matter what, I need to rent a courtyard myself.
"Captain Wang, are these the new recruits? Weren't we told the next batch of reinforcements wouldn't be selected for a while longer? Why are they here already?"
The arrival of Lin Sheng and the other person naturally drew the attention of some people in the courtyard, and soon someone came over.
The one who spoke was a tall man, his face full of smiles, and he kept sizing up Lin Sheng with a peculiar gaze.
"Does that even need to be asked? If they can come now, they're probably new recruits with good talent."
A short, stout, and rough-looking man said indifferently, showing no particular reaction to Lin Sheng's arrival.
Besides these two, there were eight or nine other people in the courtyard. Some looked at Lin Sheng's arrival with a bit of curiosity, while others, like the short and stout man, didn't react much.
"Good talent? Captain Wang, you must let Old Ma here test him out."
Upon hearing this, the tall man's smile widened, his eyes fixed on Lin Sheng. He clapped his rough palms together, producing a dull thud.
Wang Sanyang frowned, but he didn't object. He turned to look at Lin Sheng.
"Once you join the team, sparring between members is common. After all, you can't achieve much by just burying your head in practice. Martial arts are static, but people are dynamic. The combat experience between martial artists cannot be gained by just practicing diligently."
"I understand. Lin is willing to give it a try," Lin Sheng nodded seriously. He looked at the tall man with increased eagerness in his eyes.
He knew very well that his cultivation speed was much faster than others, but his practical combat experience was lacking.
He had learned some basic combat techniques on Earth in his previous life, but in this world with true martial arts, those skills were clearly not enough.
Now that the other party had proactively approached him, he naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, this was an opportunity to hone his practical skills, and also a chance to establish his authority. In a new environment, showing some of his capabilities at the right time could save him a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future.