Xiao Family's Mercenary Group

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Xiao Shuang rubbed his storage ring, and an Ice Attribute herb appeared in his hand. He took a bite directly. It tasted somewhat bitter.

Frowning, Xiao Shuang swallowed the herb in a few bites, feeling rather helpless.

It tasted awful. Luckily, the herb was small enough to finish in a few bites. If it had been some large herb, wouldn't he have eaten himself full?

As soon as the herb entered his mouth, Xiao Shuang immediately circulated the Dou Qi within his body according to his cultivation technique, continuously refining the medicinal power inside him.

Normally, no one could directly make use of this medicinal power. However, Xiao Shuang's physique allowed him to directly absorb Ice Attribute natural treasures, storing most of their medicinal power within his body and refining it slowly.

Through this uninterrupted refinement, Xiao Shuang's strength would continue to increase. He could even exhaust all this power at once when danger arose...

"Phew~"

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Xiao Shuang opened his eyes. Perhaps because his Extreme Cold Physique had fully awakened, his cultivation speed was now much faster than before. He estimated that he would break through to a three-star Dou Zhe within a few days.

As long as he had sufficient resources, the time needed to grow stronger would be greatly reduced. At that point, he would no longer need to rely on anyone!

After a while, Ping'er gently knocked on the door. "Young Master, would you like to bathe? The hot water is ready."

"Alright." Xiao Shuang answered and rose to walk outside.

Soaking his entire body in the hot water, Xiao Shuang tilted his head back comfortably.

"You can leave. I can wash myself."

"Alright." Ping'er placed a change of clothes to one side and withdrew.

For some reason, she felt that the Young Master had become a little difficult to approach.

That was Ping'er's feeling. After so much time had passed, she had matured considerably. To her, it was enough to be a qualified maidservant. She would not pry into things she should not know.

After soaking for a while, Xiao Shuang used Dou Qi to dry the water from his body and put on the clothes beside him.

The next day, before Xiao Shuang had even awakened, he heard knocking outside the door.

"Are you up? Want to take a stroll through the Marketplace?"

Judging by the voice... was that Xiao Yan?

Sitting up in bed, Xiao Shuang shook his somewhat groggy head, opened the door, and saw Xiao Yan waiting outside with Xun'er.

Ping'er had already brewed a pot of fine tea and set it before them, while she stood to the side.

Seeing Xiao Shuang emerge, Xiao Yan scratched his head and said with a chuckle, "Hehe, Xun'er and I want to take a stroll through the Marketplace today, so I came to ask whether you wanted to come along."

He had truly recovered now. The dejected air he once carried had vanished.

As soon as Xiao Shuang sat down, Ping'er handed him a teacup. He accepted it, lowered his head and blew on it, then took a sip to moisten his throat.

"I won't be going. I'm glad to see that you've regained your spirit."

He declined the invitation. The Marketplace held no appeal for Xiao Shuang now, and he had nothing he needed for the time being...

"Alright, then." Somewhat regretful, Xiao Yan drained his tea in one gulp and stood.

"Then Xun'er and I will go. Don't worry, we'll bring you a gift."

"Have fun."

Not long after Xiao Yan and Xun'er left, Xiao Shuang had just entered a cultivation state when someone else came to his little wooden cabin.

The visitor was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face and a heavy killing intent about him.

"Young Master Xiao Shuang, the Patriarch sent me to invite you."

Since it was the Patriarch, Xiao Shuang could only interrupt his cultivation and follow the man to the Xiao Family hall.

Only Xiao Zhan and the Third Elder were in the hall, conversing with each other in a rather harmonious atmosphere.

When Xiao Shuang entered the hall, Xiao Zhan smiled. "Shuang'er, you're here? Come, sit."

After respectfully saluting the two of them, Xiao Shuang took his seat and asked, "Uncle, did you summon me for something?"

Though they were in the main hall, only the Patriarch and his grandfather were present. That meant this was a private matter, so there was nothing wrong with addressing him more intimately.

The Third Elder smiled as he looked at his grandson, his eyes full of pride.

"Good grandson, the Patriarch has decided to let you lead a team to the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range to hunt some demonic beasts."

The Xiao Family had its own Mercenary Group, composed of clansmen with fairly decent strength. Every person in it had gone through real slaughter, and their killing intent could not be faked.

The bodies of these demonic beasts were all valuable materials that could be sold for a good price. If they were lucky, they might even obtain monster cores.

Xiao Shuang pondered for a moment, looking somewhat troubled. "You want me to lead the team? But my strength may not be enough to take on such an important position. Besides, I have no experience."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhan laughed and walked over to Xiao Shuang, patting him on the shoulder. "Naturally, I have considered all that, which is why I will have the Third Elder accompany you."

The Third Elder was a four-star Da Dou Shi. In the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, he would be more than capable.

"With the Third Elder there, you can rest assured."

This was Xiao Zhan's decision. The Mercenary Group was the Xiao Family's most important fighting force. These Xiao Family men who had fought their way through life-and-death battles were the Xiao Family's true claws!

Letting Xiao Shuang join the Mercenary Group also represented the Patriarch's intentions. Anyone with eyes could see that the Xiao Family's strongest force would likely fall into the hands of this Xiao Family genius.

These mercenaries were all unruly men. Other than the Patriarch and the three elders, they would not listen to anyone.

The reason was that the Patriarch and the three elders were Da Dou Shi!

If these mercenaries all acknowledged Xiao Shuang, he would gain true authority within the clan! It would belong to him alone and have nothing to do with his grandfather, the Third Elder.

"Alright, then. I will not disappoint the Patriarch's expectations."

Since things had been put this way, Xiao Shuang could only nod in agreement. The Third Elder beside him beamed with delight.

"Don't worry, good grandson. Your grandfather is here."

"Mm. With Grandfather here, I feel very reassured!"

The middle-aged man who had led Xiao Shuang into the hall stepped forward and introduced himself. "Young Master Xiao Shuang, my name is Xiao Lei. Let me explain the Mercenary Group to you."

Xiao Shuang stood as well and smiled. "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Uncle Xiao Lei."

"Hehe, not at all, not at all. Young Master, your strength has already reached the Dou Zhe level, right? You're already stronger than most members of our Mercenary Group." Xiao Lei waved his hand. They had all heard a little about this Xiao Family genius, especially after hearing about yesterday's match.

A fourteen-year-old Dou Zhe who had overwhelmingly defeated a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect!

He was the Xiao Family's future. Though these mercenaries were rough men, they all recognized Xiao Shuang's strength!

They were all fairly old and cared greatly for the younger generation of the Xiao Family. No matter what, they were family connected by blood.

Therefore, they had no objections at all to the Patriarch having Xiao Shuang lead a team to the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range.