Cheat Unlocked

Jiang Fan suddenly recalled the conversation he had heard while unconscious.

"How did the Doctor put it?"

"The Doctor said the child's injuries were rather serious. He stabilized them, but if we don't want any lasting complications, we'll still need to take him to a hospital in the Inner City for another examination later!"

"Ah? The Inner City? Wouldn't that be very expensive?"

"Expensive! But we have to go!"

"There are only 3,000 Blue Star Coins left at home. Xiao Ning needs to pay her tuition tomorrow. How about I ask her to tell her teacher to hold off first... Sigh, it's just that Xiao Ning would have to suffer a little."

"Don't touch Xiao Ning's tuition. Three thousand Blue Star Coins won't even be enough for treatment. Hmm... Stay home and look after Xiao Fan. I'll head out early tomorrow morning."

"You..."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful!"

Jiang Fan's heart trembled.

If there were anyone in this world closest to the original owner, it would be his Aunt and Uncle.

Normally, whenever he did not want to stay with the Jiang Family in the Inner City, he would run to his Aunt's Home in the Outer City.

Here, though the food was plain and the home cramped and shabby, he could still feel the warmth of family.

His Aunt and Uncle were practically the same as his parents, while his cousin Ma Ning was no different from a real younger sister.

Yet now, for the sake of paying for his treatment, Uncle Ma Jiang had actually risked his life to join a hunting party and kill beasts.

Jiang Fan was moved, but he was also terribly worried.

"Aunt, did Uncle go out to hunt beasts?"

Leaning against the doorway, Jiang Fan spoke to Su Qingwan, who was busy in the living room.

At Jiang Fan's words, Su Qingwan froze. Then she turned around, flustered.

"You child, didn't I tell you? Your Uncle went out on patrol. Don't let your imagination run wild!"

"Why are you up?"

"Hurry back and lie down!"

Jiang Fan became even more certain of his guess and waved a hand.

"I'm fine. I'm already much better!"

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Fan walked into the living room.

"Aunt, I'm going out for a bit!"

Su Qingwan was stunned.

"What are you going out for? Dinner will be ready soon! And you're still injured..."

Jiang Fan cut off Su Qingwan's nagging and made up an excuse.

"I feel much better. I've been stuck inside too long, and it's stuffy."

Su Qingwan looked at the narrow space in their home and hesitated.

"Are you really all right?"

Jiang Fan hurriedly demonstrated.

"I'm really fine! Look!"

As he spoke, he endured the pain and swung his arm.

Only then did Su Qingwan relax, though she was still worried.

"Then don't go too far. Come back soon, understand?"

"Be careful. Watch your safety!"

Jiang Fan nodded and headed outside.

He had to bring Uncle back!

If he had no money, he would borrow it!

Risking his life to hunt beasts for 3,000 Blue Star Coins was no small matter. There could be no carelessness!

After leaving home, Jiang Fan followed a street all the way to its end.

Then, after winding east and west through several turns, he arrived at a place that resembled a marketplace.

This was the beast trading market of the Outer City.

The open-air stalls outside sold beast meat, while the buildings inside served as bases for teams hunting beasts.

Unlike the professional beast-hunting teams of the Inner City, most of the groups here were makeshift crews formed by poor families from the Outer City trying to earn money.

Most of those who came here to form teams and hunt were ordinary people.

They had neither awakened Martial Artists nor professional hunting equipment.

They relied entirely on hunting experience and sheer numbers!

As a result, the death rate of the hunting squads here was over eighty percent.

Yet even so, people came here to form teams in an endless stream!

Because those who came here to hunt beasts were usually people desperate for money, people driven to the end of the road who had long since cast their lives and fortunes to the winds!

If Ma Jiang had gone out to hunt beasts, there was a high chance he had come here to find a team.

Enduring the stench, Jiang Fan passed through the stalls of the trading market and entered the lobby of the central building.

He looked around, but did not find Ma Jiang anywhere.

So he went to the front desk.

"Hello, may I ask whether I can check the registration records for teams that went out to hunt beasts?"

To clear out the beasts surrounding River City, hunting missions were often issued to encourage public participation and maintain the city's safety.

If Ma Jiang had gone out to hunt beasts, he might very well have picked up a mission here as well.

That way, after a successful hunt, they could both sell the hunted beast for money and receive mission rewards.

Therefore, the quickest way for Jiang Fan to confirm whether Ma Jiang had gone out to hunt beasts, and when he had left, was to check at the front desk.

At the desk, a freckle-faced Girl was cracking sunflower seeds. Hearing Jiang Fan's voice, she raised her head and gave him a glance.

Perhaps because he was dressed rather decently and did not look like a child from a poor Outer City family, her attitude was fairly acceptable.

"This registration is only for our internal records. It isn't open for outsiders to view!"

Jiang Fan quietly took out his only 100 Blue Star Coins from his pocket and held them under his palm.

While chatting with the freckled girl, he pretended to casually slide them toward her.

The freckled girl froze for a moment, then swiftly pocketed the Blue Star Coins. She turned the registration book around and pushed it before Jiang Fan, lowering her voice.

"Be quick about it!"

"I'll be in trouble if someone sees!"

Jiang Fan understood and quickly took the book, flipping through it.

Two minutes later, Jiang Fan returned the registration book to the freckled girl, left behind a "Thank you," and turned to leave.

According to the information in the book, Ma Jiang had formed a five-man hunting team with several others. They had departed early that morning for Phoenix Mountain to hunt beasts, and four hours had already passed!

Phoenix Mountain...

Jiang Fan silently estimated that Ma Jiang and the others should have already reached their destination by now.

But when they would return was hard to say!

Ordinary people like them hunted beasts nothing like the professional hunting squads of the Inner City.

They had not awakened as Martial Artists, and usually relied on ambushes and traps to snipe beasts.

And waiting for an ambush or trap often took a long time—half a day at the shortest, and possibly a week at the longest!

This was getting troublesome!

Jiang Fan had originally come here to try his luck. Perhaps Ma Jiang had not formed a team yet, in which case he could call him back in time. But he had never expected that Ma Jiang had already set out...

Phoenix Mountain was extremely far from here, and it covered dozens of miles in every direction.

Even though there were only a few common beast-hunting locations, asking Jiang Fan to search for them would be like fishing for a needle in the sea.

Moreover, he had not awakened yet. His strength was nowhere near enough to support him on the journey there. He might be killed by a beast on the way before even reaching the destination.

What should he do? Jiang Fan was weighed down with worry.

Ma Jiang had taken this risk for him. If anything happened to him because of Jiang Fan, he might never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Lost in thought as he walked, Jiang Fan unknowingly arrived back at the stall area of the beast trading market.

When he reached the end, he instinctively prepared to turn.

Suddenly, several people hurried past him from the side.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

Jiang Fan could not dodge in time and slipped, staggering. The wound on his body tore open, and a burst of sharp pain shot through him.

He was about to argue with them when his eyes were suddenly drawn to what they were carrying!

It was a beast! And a living beast at that!

Jiang Fan's eyes immediately lit up, and he hurried after them.

The group carried the beast to a stall, grabbed the sign beside it, and quickly marked down a price.

50,000 Blue Star Coins!

Jiang Fan's heart sank. At that price, he could not afford it even if he sold himself.

Though the Jiang Family seemed wealthy and lived in the Inner City, Jiang Fan's position in the family meant he never had much spending money.

The 100 Blue Star Coins he had spent gathering information just now had already exhausted everything he had.

However...

His goal was not to buy this beast, but rather...

"Boss, can this beast be any cheaper?"

The fiercest-looking leader of the group saw that Jiang Fan was only a child and was about to berate him. But when the words reached his lips, he noticed that Jiang Fan's clothes seemed anything but ordinary, so he changed his tone.

"If you truly want it, I'll knock off a thousand. Forty-nine thousand Blue Star Coins!"

Jiang Fan pretended to reach out and asked tentatively.

"Can I take a look?"

The fierce leader frowned.

"This is a Scorpion-tailed Wolf! Its tail has barbs, so be careful. If you get hurt, we won't be responsible!"

Jiang Fan ignored him and stared fixedly at the Scorpion-tailed Wolf before him.

It was a small beast. Its body was not very large, but it was nimble and possessed considerable killing power.

For these people to capture it, they had clearly gone through no small amount of trouble.

At that moment, arrows, spears, beast traps, and other sharp weapons had pierced through the Scorpion-tailed Wolf's body in many places. It was barely clinging to life.

When Jiang Fan had studied Beast Compendium, he had learned the weaknesses and vital points of all kinds of beasts.

So he stepped forward, seized the right moment while the others were not paying attention, secretly put strength into his palm, and pressed it hard against the Scorpion-tailed Wolf's vital point.

The Scorpion-tailed Wolf had already been gasping its last. After Jiang Fan struck its vital point, it immediately breathed its last.

Invisible radiance flowed.

"Forget it, I won't buy it! If it's alive, I'd have to kill it myself. Too troublesome!"

Jiang Fan found an excuse and left.

After taking only a few steps, the Mysterious Seal appeared before his eyes.

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