Long Aotian: Fine, Kill Them!

Vina also considered Zhou Huan's words. Though they sounded somewhat reasonable, she still felt that something was off.

Thus, Vina said, "I admit that your argument has some merit, but that cannot justify Hunters slaughtering Soul Beasts without restraint."

Hearing this, Zhou Huan nodded. "Mm, I agree with that."

Agreement was one thing, but Zhou Huan still had to make a living. Being a Hunter to earn money was nothing shameful.

As everyone knew, anyone with foresight could not possibly approve of Hunters' actions.

But why were Hunters not explicitly banned?

The reasons were actually simple. First, the interests involved were enormous, and many groups were implicated. Second, Hunters were generally low-level Soul Masters. The stronger a Soul Master was, the less need they had to become a Hunter.

And the hunting done by low-level Soul Masters could only affect gathering grounds of ordinary low-level Soul Beasts. They would never dare enter a place like the Star Dou Great Forest and slaughter Soul Beasts without restraint.

Vina naturally understood this as well, but she could not quite understand Zhou Huan. "Since you understand all this, why do you still...?"

Zhou Huan smiled. "To eat."

Vina paused before saying, "You seem to be at least a Soul Grandmaster, and you are still young. It should not be difficult for you to gain admission to some advanced Soul Master Academies. Why would you become a Hunter just to make a living?"

Zhou Huan shook his head and asked, "Then does Miss Vina know how I managed to cultivate to the rank of Soul Grandmaster?"

Without waiting for Vina to answer, Zhou Huan continued, "Because I became a Hunter. Does Miss Vina also know that I was merely born in a remote mountain village in the Heaven Dou Empire? Setting aside whether I would even qualify to attend those advanced Soul Master Academies, even if I got in by luck, how much money and resources would it take to nurture a Soul Master? There are no free lunches in this world, nor are there free breakfasts or dinners."

Vina: "..."

She was a princess. Although she knew that the common people suffered and that the nobility oppressed them, the royal family itself was the greatest noble house in the empire.

During this period, she had traveled across Tian Soul with Long Aotian precisely to better understand her own empire.

She had indeed seen many injustices among the common folk, but to Vina, they were more a means of understanding the empire than something she could truly empathize with.

Nor could she empathize with them. As a princess, she was constantly protected and cared for. How could she possibly understand the feelings of ordinary people?

Therefore, Vina truly had no way to refute what Zhou Huan had said.

When had she ever worried about cultivation resources or money?

However, Vina still said, "Zhou Huan, I think you are about the same age as me. I can recommend you to the Heavenly Soul Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. I will cover the expenses."

Because she had heard Zhou Huan say that he was born in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Moreover, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old Soul Grandmaster from the Heaven Dou Empire, who appeared to be an Ice Attribute Soul Master based on how he had thawed the beast meat—no matter how she looked at him, he was a talented prospect.

And Zhou Huan's manner of speaking and breadth of knowledge were both quite good. He was clearly not some ignorant commoner who knew nothing.

That made him worth investing in.

Vina was a princess, but more than that, she was an ambitious princess. She did not help just anyone.

Naturally, Zhou Huan refused Vina's offer. "I am used to living freely. I occasionally hunt a few Hundred-Year Soul Beasts or Ten-Year Soul Beasts, earn a little money, and live quite comfortably. Why bind myself to an academy?"

Even if Zhou Huan had not entered Shrek, he would never have agreed to Vina's proposal.

The Heaven Dou Empire was a dead end!

Just as Vina was about to say something else, Long Aotian, who had not spoken for a long while, stopped her. "Vina, everyone has their own aspirations. Brother Zhou has a way of life he prefers."

Seeing this, Vina could only abandon the thought.

Zhou Huan had already refused, and she knew that Long Aotian was a very independent-minded person. He would not obey her every word simply because she was a princess.

Just as the atmosphere among the three fell somewhat silent, a hoarse voice drifted over. "Big Brother, look! There are three little fellows roasting meat over there! Eh, that little girl is quite pretty! So fresh and tender, heh heh!"

Zhou Huan and Long Aotian both frowned at once, while Vina's face turned livid.

She was the esteemed princess of an empire, yet someone actually dared to tease her!

And when she was already in a bad mood, no less. They were truly courting death!

The three looked toward the source of the voice, and soon five figures appeared—four men and one woman, all appearing middle-aged.

Among them, two men were burly with dark skin. One looked like a pale-faced scholar, while another was short, with a hooked nose and squinting eyes. He looked exceedingly sleazy and was the one who had spoken just now.

As for the middle-aged woman, she was not attractive either. There was even a scar several centimeters long across her face.

They were practically the standard lineup of villainous thugs!

That was what Zhou Huan thought to himself.

It was not that he judged people by their appearance. He had simply experienced too much since coming to this world and had long grown used to it.

Sure enough, what happened next perfectly confirmed Zhou Huan's inner mockery.

"Kid, give us some of that roasted meat for us gentlemen to try." Though the sleazy middle-aged man called Zhou Huan "kid," his eyes were fixed on Vina, openly sizing her up from head to toe.

As an esteemed princess, when had anyone ever dared offend her so brazenly?

Vina's face filled with disgust as she snapped coldly, "Get lost!"

"You!!" The sleazy middle-aged man had not expected the little girl to be so bold. Never mind that among the five of them were four Soul Elders and one Soul Ancestor; they had fought their way out from among the corpses of Soul Beasts in a Sea of Corpses and Blood. How could these young brats who had never seen the world compare to them?

Besides, they looked to be only around thirteen at most. No matter how strong they were, how strong could they possibly be?

At that thought, the sleazy middle-aged man burst into wild laughter. "Hahaha! You little bitch have some fire. I like that. I'll make sure to love you properly, hahaha!"

At this moment, the other four people standing several meters behind the sleazy middle-aged man watched as though they were enjoying a show, their faces full of malice—even the scar-faced woman.

Zhou Huan was utterly speechless at this point. He even wanted to give these people a few vicious slaps!

It was not because the sleazy middle-aged man had insulted Vina, but because Zhou Huan thought, If you bastards want to die, at least wait until I've left!

If they brought out Princess Vina's hidden protectors, would he not have to put on another act in front of some powerful expert?

That would be exhausting!

Thus, Zhou Huan looked at Long Aotian and spoke before Vina could fly into a rage. "Brother Long, how about we kill them? Leaving people like this alive only pollutes the environment."

Long Aotian had long been unable to endure it. And Zhou Huan's words were indeed amusing—polluting the environment. Hahaha! It was fucking accurate!

Thus, Long Aotian's gaze turned cold. "Fine, kill them!"

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