Hunter

"Wang Daoyi's teammates?"

"Ultimately, this is about them trying to extort us, the Five Elements Sect, using this as an excuse. They're a pack of hyenas, trying to suck blood from us, but it won't be that easy."

Zhao Yuan said, then immediately added, "Wang Daoyi died by your hand. To prevent these people from taking desperate measures against you, you should stay out of Canglong City for a while. Give us a month, at most a month, and the Five Elements Sect will use our connections to resolve this."

He added, "The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing. Strength isn't everything; you can't just do whatever you want."

"I understand."

Li Pin replied.

"Be careful. If things get too bad, just lie low for a bit."

Zhao Yuan said, about to hang up.

Li Pin quickly pressed, "Who are his teammates, and how strong are they? I need to know what I'm up against."

"Okay, I'll send you their information later."

Zhao Yuan said, then paused, adding, "Don't act rashly. You're still young. Once you grow stronger, these people will be nothing."

"I know."

Li Pin responded.

Zhao Yuan gave a few more instructions on the other end before hanging up.

"What's going on? Wang Daoyi's teammates are coming for me!?"

Fang Lingjue said with a grave expression.

Li Pin nodded.

"In this world, there are several types of Martial Artists who hunt ferocious beasts and monsters in groups. One is to gain combat experience, and another is to temper their will through life-and-death struggles in pursuit of higher realms. Both of these are relatively benign. The ones to fear are the latter two... the private forces of powerful individuals, who hunt beasts and monsters for extra income when they're idle, and... bounty hunters who constantly accept bounties for money."

Fang Lingjue continued, "The former can accidentally lead to big trouble, but the latter..."

He sneered, "Bounty hunter sounds good, but if they weren't forced by various reasons to be unable to make a living, would any of them, at least as Dan Jin experts, risk their lives for money? Wouldn't it be easier to open a martial hall, take a position somewhere, teach disciples, and build seniority? More than half of bounty hunters are essentially hyenas operating in the grey areas, chasing money, and they'll never let go once they have a target in their sights."

"Wang Daoyi was a bounty hunter?"

Li Pin asked.

"Yes."

Fang Lingjue nodded. "This is also why the Five Elements Sect said they were here to extort. Seeking revenge for Wang Daoyi is just a pretense. If Cao Tianyou were still able to fight, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened."

The bounty hunter community is mostly comprised of Dan Jin and Gang Jin Martial Artists.

Beyond that, as long as they haven't committed major offenses or have significant personal issues, they can usually find connections to smooth things over.

If Cao Tianyou were still strong, with his strength as a Gang Refining Grandmaster and his disciples by his side, no bounty hunter team would dare provoke him.

But now...

He was old.

With the excuse of Wang Daoyi, these hyena-like bounty hunters were summoned.

Meanwhile, Ye Shu had arranged for a bank manager to help Li Pin complete the loan procedures.

The total price was twenty-six million. He paid twelve million and borrowed fourteen million.

His status as a Martial Artist provided significant convenience for a loan of this magnitude.

Otherwise, with the difficulty of obtaining a mortgage for a villa, borrowing ten million would have been considered good.

After completing the paperwork, his phone buzzed, and a document was sent over.

Li Pin glanced at it and quickly got a clear picture of the bounty hunter team extorting the Five Elements Sect.

A bounty hunter team typically ranges from two to eleven members.

Wang Daoyi's team had seven members.

After Wang Daoyi's demise, six remained.

As Fang Lingjue had said, few would choose to become bounty hunters unless forced by various circumstances.

Among the six, the strongest was the captain, whose real name was Xiang Yi, codenamed Peregrine Falcon.

He had once achieved Five Viscera Resonance and displayed Gang Jin.

The team also included two Embrace Dan experts and three Dan Jin experts.

There was also a six-person support team.

However, these six were primarily responsible for intelligence gathering and providing assistance, not for direct combat.

This lineup was undeniably strong.

They wouldn't dare extort the Five Elements Sect if they weren't.

"Gang Jin."

Li Pin looked at the information Zhao Yuan had sent, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Gang Jin!

He had seen Cao Tianyou and Jiang Qingyue, two living Gang Refining Martial Artists.

But both of them were advanced in age, the kind who were highly respected, which was why they could hold high positions.

If it came down to a real fight…

Once Gang Jin was unleashed, they would have one foot in the grave.

It wasn't convenient for him to ask these two about the advantages of Gang Jin.

But this Xiang Yi in front of him…

After a moment, his gaze fell upon the other five people again.

If he and Xiang Yi were to clash with their Gang Jin, and then two Embrace Dan experts and three Dan Jin experts swarmed him…

He wouldn't be able to block them.

"Let's see how the Five Elements Sect negotiates. Preferably, a fair one-on-one duel. A war of attrition is also acceptable, I can participate," Li Pin thought.

"Should I contact the renovation company for you, or will you design your preferred style yourself?" Fang Lingjue asked.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Li Pin asked, then immediately thought of something, "The Changfeng Martial Hall's Jiangzhou branch is currently undergoing renovations. I assume you've found a suitable partner."

"Yes, that renovation company is good."

"Then I'll trouble you." Li Pin said.

"I'll have them get in touch with you right away. Anyway, I have to travel to Jiangzhou frequently for the renovation of the Changfeng Martial Hall branch. If you don't have time, I can help you keep an eye on it." Fang Lingjue said.

Li Pin felt like he was on the verge of striking it rich. He didn't mind showing some goodwill on such a minor matter.

"Thank you."

As the two chatted, Ye Shu had already handed over all the invoices and contracts. She also expressed her gratitude by inviting them to a meal.

However, Li Pin wasn't accustomed to eating with strangers and directly refused.

He left Jiangshan Yipin immediately.

As a result, he still couldn't escape being invited.

Zhao Mu, the manager of the renovation company, learned about the renovation project at Jiangshan Yipin and specifically came over.

This person was somewhat related to the Fang family, so Fang Lingjue found it difficult to refuse. He took Zhao Mu to Canglong City's landmark building – Starry Sky Tower.

The two arrived at the restaurant they were talking about. Before they could enter, they were attracted by another restaurant located on the fifth floor of the mall.

This high-end restaurant, also luxuriously decorated with an average per-person cost of two to three hundred, was currently filled with over a dozen vigorous men.

Of course, there were also a small number of women mixed in.

More than half of these people were dressed in the same way.

Judging by the emblems on their clothes…

"They're disciples of the Lihuo Sect, a major sect in Canglong City," Fang Lingjue said, sounding somewhat surprised. "The Lihuo Sect disciples are having a gathering?"

"Lihuo Sect?" Li Pin looked into the restaurant through the glass.

Due to the distance and some decorative items obstructing the view, he couldn't clearly sense the specific cultivation levels of these people.

But Lihuo Sect…

The name itself represented power.

At this moment, the atmosphere of the gathering seemed to have reached its climax. A man who looked to be in his thirties, like a senior disciple, stood up, raised his wine glass, and everyone stood up in unison.

"Please remember, everyone, we have traveled thousands of miles from the Capital to Jiangzhou to participate in the Martial Arts Competition. Our goal is singular…" The man said with an irrefutable tone, "Dominate Jiangzhou!"

"Dominate Jiangzhou!" The others responded in unison.

Everyone's words were filled with infinite confidence.

Fang Lingjue watched this scene from afar, his gaze particularly fixed on that man.

After a while, he sighed, "Dragon Fist Jiang Zhenhai. This year's Jiangzhou Competition… will be difficult."