Horned Badger

"Alright, since Brother Lin has arranged your accommodation, I won't stay any longer. Remember to gather after noon. Also..."

Zhang Ding leaned closer to Lin Sheng, lowering his voice as he spoke slowly.

"Brother Lin, you should be careful of Ma Qiang later. Although he hasn't entered the Body Tempering realm yet, he's close. He's always been arrogant, and after suffering a crushing defeat at your hands, given his petty nature, he'll likely hold a grudge against you.

While he's not much, he has a good elder brother behind him, who is the captain of the third squad in the Beast Hunter Hall. His strength is at the Minor Accomplishment stage of Muscle Forging, even a step stronger than Captain Wang. Of course, Brother Lin, you don't need to worry too much. This is the Beast Hunter Hall, and he won't, or rather, dare not do anything drastic. Just be mindful."

After a few words of caution, Zhang Ding turned and left, leaving Lin Sheng lost in thought.

"Ma Qiang..."

After a long while, he finally looked up, softly murmuring the name as a hint of helplessness crossed his face.

"Sigh, I've already gotten into trouble before even officially starting. Why are there so many 'good brothers' in this world..."

He gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly.

In the county town, Liu Ergou had a good brother in the Muscle Forging realm, and now the Beast Hunter Hall had another one.

Recalling the past decade of his predecessor's life, it seemed he hadn't caused as much trouble in the past three months since his arrival as that.

However, upon closer reflection, these troubles were not something he had sought out.

He just wanted to live a good life, to grow stronger steadily and safely. Why did so much trouble keep finding him?

"Cultivation is all about contention. Unless you're willing to bow your head and be manipulated, you'll inevitably attract trouble..."

Lin Sheng whispered softly.

"Even if I don't actively seek trouble, trouble will always find me. Since it's unavoidable, I can only deal with it..."

Although Zhang Ding had said when he left that even if Ma Qiang held a grudge, he wouldn't do anything within the Beast Hunter Hall.

But what about outside the Beast Hunter Hall?

He was never someone who believed in goodness or human nature. On the contrary, in a world like this, being too cautious was never enough.

"Sigh... It seems I need to increase my strength as soon as possible. Then, even if he has some ulterior motives, I'll be able to handle it."

He shook his head, casting aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and adjusted his mindset to prepare for the formal mountain expedition that afternoon.

From Zhang Ding, he had gained a certain understanding of the Beast Hunter Hall.

The Beast Hunter Hall had less than two hundred people in total, divided into nine squads.

Each squad had about twenty to thirty people, with captains who had all entered the Muscle Forging realm. Among the remaining members, there were at least five Body Tempering martial artists, and the rest were aspiring martial artists who had achieved Initiation in Raging Bull Fist.

Above the nine squads were three hall masters: one main and two deputies, all genuine masters of Great Accomplishment in Muscle Forging. Tian Hu was one of the deputy hall masters. This was the strength composition of the Beast Hunter Hall.

After a simple lunch outside, it was almost noon. Lin Sheng walked towards the assembly point.

There were already quite a few people at the assembly point. Zhang Ding was among them, standing at the front with five men. Clearly, these six were the Body Tempering martial artists of the ninth squad.

After nodding to them, Lin Sheng consciously walked to the back of the formation.

Soon, more people arrived. Ma Qiang also walked in slowly, holding his chin. When he saw Lin Sheng in the group, his face immediately darkened. After giving Lin Sheng a cold stare, he stood on the other side.

After waiting a moment longer, Wang Sanyang's sturdy figure strode in with great presence.

He looked at everyone and then spoke.

"Since everyone is here, I'll explain this mission. Our target this time is a group of horned badgers. According to intelligence, there should be around twenty of them..."

Wang Sanyang explained the mission details to everyone. Upon hearing the name "horned badger," everyone's expression relaxed slightly.

"Horned badger? What is that?"

Lin Sheng was a bit confused. He had never heard of it before. However, judging by everyone's reaction, it shouldn't be a formidable creature, and the mission likely wouldn't be too difficult.

"Alright, it's getting late. Prepare to depart."

Shortly after, Wang Sanyang finished his instructions and turned to leave. The group followed behind him.

Yangping Mountain.

Creak, the standard, ancient black riding boots stepped on the ground, and the scattered decaying branches instantly snapped, making faint crisp sounds.

"I didn't expect this mission to be for horned badgers. Brother Lin, you have good luck for your first time up the mountain."

Zhang Ding walked ahead, his face relaxed. Behind him were Bai Lu and three other hunters.

The others were dispersed not far away, in groups of five.

"Brother Zhang, I don't know what kind of beast a horned badger is?"

Lin Sheng also asked his question at the opportune moment.

After all, he still didn't know what a horned badger was. Now that they were on the mountain, he naturally wanted to learn more.

"You don't know horned badgers?"

Zhang Ding was surprised at first, but quickly reacted, slapping his forehead and laughing.

"I forgot, Brother Lin, you used to work in the slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse only dealt with livestock like rock sheep and hairless pigs. It's normal that you wouldn't know about this."

"A horned badger is a somewhat special type of badger. It's slightly smaller than a rock sheep, has two horns on its head, and is quite fast. It's rather timid, so its threat isn't significant. It's easier to deal with than most fierce beasts in the mountains. However, its value is much higher than that of a rock sheep. After all, its smooth fur is excellent material for winter clothing for the young ladies of wealthy families in the city. A complete badger hide sells for around fifteen taels of silver on the market."

"Fifteen taels of silver!?"

Hearing that number, Lin Sheng couldn't help but click his tongue.

But the hide of just one horned badger was worth more than his wages from skinning at the slaughterhouse for over a year.

The value of the wild beasts in Yangping Mountain truly exceeded his imagination.

Seemingly noticing the surprise on Lin Sheng's face, Zhang Ding smiled slightly and said again.

"What, you're already scared? Brother Lin, do you know why our Town Mountain Tower has become one of the rare major powers in Lin'an County?"

Seeing that Zhang Ding intended to keep him in suspense, Lin Sheng cooperated very well.

"Could it be because of Yangping Mountain!?"

"That's right! Yangping Mountain is an extremely crucial point." Zhang Ding seemed to enjoy this feeling of lecturing, and coupled with his naturally talkative personality, he kept talking non-stop as they walked.

Behind them, the three old men wore expressions of having seen it all before, clearly indicating that this situation was not new to them.

"That's our Town Mountain Tower's Old Master Ouyang. Not only is his strength outstanding, but his vision is also unique. Fifty years ago, he spent a large sum of money to acquire the operating rights of Yangping Mountain for our Town Mountain Tower."

"This Yangping Mountain is home to many strange beasts, and the horned badger is just one of the common creatures. I remember that more than half a year ago, three hall masters from the Beast Hunter Hall went into the mountain and captured a Red-bellied Spirit Snake. That was a genuine Spirit Beast, and it caused quite a stir in the county town."