Mu Ningxue had spent an unusually long part of her vacation in Bo City. From time to time, she kept Cheng Xiaoyu company and bought Ye Xinxia lots of new clothes.
Ye Xinxia was delighted to see her best friend, who could also be called her future sister-in-law. After all, she and Mu Ningxue were close friends.
What was more, Mu Ningxue had accompanied Cheng Xiaoyu outside the Safe Zone twice to complete bounties.
Cheng Xiaoyu had wanted to refuse, but there was no point. With a teammate's help, completing bounties was easy.
With Mu Ningxue's help, Cheng Xiaoyu completed two lucrative bounties and witnessed the power of her Ice Element magic. He couldn't let anyone see what he was capable of, though, so being carried to victory by his teammate wasn't so bad.
Mu Ningxue was delighted to be of help to Cheng Xiaoyu. At first, she had thought he would turn down her Bank Card, and she'd already been prepared to pester him until he accepted it.
When the vacation was half over, Mu Ningxue had to return to the Imperial Capital Academy. She said goodbye to Cheng Xiaoyu reluctantly.
Mu Zhuoyun also came to see her off with Cheng Xiaoyu. Seeing how reluctant his daughter was to leave, he couldn't help snorting at that "brat with dyed hair."
"Hmph, brat, let me make one thing clear. I don't object to you and Xiaoxue being together, but you'd better work hard. Understand?"
He didn't object to their relationship. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let his daughter visit Cheng Xiaoyu late at night. Besides, he had watched Cheng Xiaoyu grow up. He was satisfied with everything about the boy except his family background.
Cheng Xiaoyu gave an awkward smile. He'd lost count of how many times he'd heard this, and could only nod helplessly.
"Uncle, how many times have you said that? I'm sick of hearing it."
Seeing how dismissive the boy was, Mu Zhuoyun was instantly annoyed. He said angrily, "What do you know? I'm trying to motivate you!"
"Come on, Uncle. Let Xiaoyu and Xiaoxue's relationship take its own course. We don't need to interfere."
Mu Yanqiu rested both hands on Cheng Xiaoyu's shoulders and smiled gently at Mu Zhuoyun, smoothing things over.
"Ah, forget it. Let's go home."
When Mu Zhuoyun stopped nagging, Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Mu Yanqiu. She gave him a playful wink.
Once they were in the car, Mo Jiaxing turned to Mu Zhuoyun and asked with a smile, "Brother Zhuoyun, has Xiaoxue gone back to school?"
"Yeah. Let's head home."
"Uncle Mo, sorry for the trouble. Could you drop me off at home?"
Cheng Xiaoyu sat in the passenger seat and greeted Mo Jiaxing.
"No problem. You're my son's classmate, after all."
Mentioning his son made Mo Jiaxing smile proudly.
Cheng Xiaoyu said nothing. He'd only spoken to Mo Fan a few times; they weren't close, and he had no interest in getting to know him better.
There was no other reason. He just thought Mo Fan had improper intentions toward his younger sister, and he had to put a stop to that. In a way, he was a lot like Mu Zhuoyun.
After Mu Ningxue returned to the Imperial Capital Academy, Cheng Xiaoyu occasionally chatted with her on his phone, so they didn't lose touch.
In the meantime, Cheng Xiaoyu hadn't drawn another Dungeon Key from a Random Treasure Chest. That meant his level increased more slowly. After all, nothing in the Real World could compare to leveling up in a Dungeon, and there was a slight gap between his strength there and here.
One day, he went to the Hunter Union as usual to see if there were any suitable bounties. Suddenly, someone called out to him.
"Hey, young man. I've seen you looking for bounties these past few days. How about joining our team?"
Cheng Xiaoyu glanced at the sturdy man beside him, eyeing him in confusion without saying a word.
Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu look at him silently, the sturdy man didn't take offense. Instead, he said with a smile, "I heard there's a young Shadow Element Mage in Bo City who's taken on several bounties. That must be you, right? Shadow Element mages are as rare as Lightning Element mages around here. Our team happens to need a Shadow Mage for a mission. Would you be willing to join us?"
"Of course, you don't need to worry about the pay. You can count on that."
After hearing the explanation, Cheng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and thought it over for a moment before nodding.
"Sure."
The sturdy man smiled and held out his hand to Cheng Xiaoyu. "I'm Huang Dongshi, captain of the Hunter Team."
"Cheng Xiaoyu... When are we leaving?"
"Hahaha, Hunter Cheng, if you're ready, we can set off right now."
Huang Dongshi immediately led Cheng Xiaoyu over to the team and briefly introduced everyone. Then he said, "Our mission is to find agate stones. We found a small mine before, and there's a good chance it contains a few agate stones. A Demon Beast has taken up residence inside, so we especially need a Shadow Mage who can move freely in the dark."
Cheng Xiaoyu understood the details of the mission and why Huang Dongshi had approached him, but he remained on his guard.
After all, the area outside the Safe Zone was unfamiliar, and no one would care if something happened out there. Murder and robbery weren't common...
The group went outside the Safe Zone. Led by Huang Dongshi, they soon found the small mine.
"Hunter Cheng, we need you to scout ahead and make sure no Demon Beasts ambush us."
Cheng Xiaoyu didn't refuse. Using Shadow Evasion to stay hidden, he moved through the mine and soon spotted a Gluttonous Demon Bear feeding.
He returned to the team and told everyone what he'd found. After confirming there were no other Demon Beasts nearby for now, Huang Dongshi immediately decided to attack and take down the Gluttonous Demon Bear first.
Cheng Xiaoyu stayed behind and watched the Hunter Team attack the Gluttonous Demon Bear. He had to admit, they had plenty of combat experience. Each of them was among the best at the Basic Level, and their coordination in battle was excellent. They were clearly a seasoned team of hunters.
Soon, the Gluttonous Demon Bear collapsed under their final Fire Element spell. Huang Dongshi dispelled his Earth Element magic and said with a smile, "Hahaha, great work, everyone!"
After taking down the Gluttonous Demon Bear, everyone continued deeper into the mine. Cheng Xiaoyu followed at the rear, silently watching their backs. He recalled how Huang Dongshi had asked about him from time to time along the way, and how he'd deliberately steered the conversation toward Cheng Xiaoyu's Demon-Slaying Tool.
At that thought, Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze darkened, a thoughtful glint in his eyes...
"We're here! Look!"
"Holy crap, is this for real...?"
"They may not be worth as much as magic stones, but with this many... we'll be set for a long time!"
At last, they reached the final cave. A small patch of crystal ore glimmered blood-red, its light reflecting the team's excitement.
Cheng Xiaoyu was more concerned about something else. He looked up at the giant cocoon covered in Spider Silk above the mine. A huge, hideous spider was curled up inside, a terrifying sight.
Its many eyes were dull, though. It seemed to be asleep, unaware that intruders had entered its lair.
"Thank goodness it's asleep. This might be the perfect chance to mine..."
A trace of malice showed in Huang Dongshi's eyes. He turned to his teammate and asked in a low voice, "Zhehao, where's the equipment?"
"I didn't know there'd be this much agate. I left all the digging tools outside."
"Brat, haven't I told you to bring the tools with you?"
"I'm really sorry."
After scolding him a few times, Huang Dongshi turned to Cheng Xiaoyu and said, "Hunter Cheng, we need to go get the tools. Could you stay here and keep watch for a while?"
The hunter named Zhehao scratched the back of his head and gave Cheng Xiaoyu an apologetic smile.
Cheng Xiaoyu didn't say a word, so Huang Dongshi took it as agreement. As he led the team toward the exit, he continued, "Don't worry. The spider's fast asleep. As long as we don't provoke it, nothing should happen for a while. Trust me!"
Watching them leave, Cheng Xiaoyu naturally understood what the team was after... murder and robbery!
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