Help an Old Friend Out

Early morning.

The square on the eastern side of Qingshan Town was bustling with mercenary groups. Some had already chosen their members and were preparing to set out, while others were still recruiting. All around them, people called out to attract attention.

"Looking for a One-Star Dou Zhe to hunt a Tier 1 Gale Wolf. Five hundred gold coins as a reward. First come, first served!"

"I... I'll do it."

A burly man with a tiger-headed broadsword at his waist hurriedly raised his hand and called out.

"Good, you're in. I'll explain the plan on the way."

The man in charge of recruiting pointed at the burly man.

"I'm looking for a Five-Star Dou Zhe. Five-Star or above only. Experienced fighters, hurry over! We're hunting a Tier 2 Short-tailed Leopard, with a reward of one thousand gold coins."

"..."

Xiao Ling had arrived early and was waiting here. Standing in a corner, he watched the mercenaries go about their daily business. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, but then he understood the descriptions of mercenaries in the original story.

These low-ranking mercenaries had to struggle every day just to cultivate. Sometimes, one small mistake was enough to send them back to square one. That was why they especially liked to indulge themselves.

Strong liquor and beautiful women were their favorites!

After all, strong liquor could numb the pain of losing comrades, while beautiful women could elevate both the body and the spirit.

At that moment, Xiao Ling glanced around the mercenary square, which had mostly emptied out. A trace of disappointment crossed his eyes. Just as he was about to head into the mountains alone and explore, a sharp, angry voice rang out in the distance and caught his attention.

"Hemon, as the third commander of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, are you really trying to start a war with my Bloody Battle Mercenary Group?"

A cool-looking girl of about eleven or twelve, dressed in a tight green top and short leather pants, glared furiously at the burly man standing before her, who was nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall.

At her words, Hemon looked the aloof girl up and down with leering eyes, then gave her a mocking smile.

"Little Qingxin, why are you so stubborn? If you came with me, Hemon, wouldn't that be better than serving as cannon fodder in the Bloody Battle Mercenary Group?"

After a pause, a look of disdain crossed Hemon's bristly face.

"And as for this war you keep talking about, do you really think the Bloody Battle Mercenary Group would start a war with my Wolf Head Mercenary Group for your sake? Who are you? And who am I? You think far too highly of yourself."

"You..."

Qingxin glared at Hemon. She was furious, but she knew he wasn't wrong. Their positions were worlds apart.

Still, she had her own convictions—and a certain hazy figure in her heart.

Thinking of this, Qingxin sighed, feeling utterly helpless.

She hadn't expected that simply coming to the mercenary square to see if she could find a suitable member for her team would lead to this.

Her team urgently needed a member at Six-Star Dou Zhe or above to head to the Magic Beast Mountain Range and complete a mission for their group.

Who knew she'd run into this persistent nuisance? What terrible luck.

Quite a few nearby mercenaries had heard the commotion and come over to watch. They whispered among themselves, pointing at Hemon and condemning his shameless behavior.

But there was nothing they could do. The man was an Eight-Star Dou Zhe, after all.

Just as everyone was shaking their heads and sighing, a voice rang out from a nearby corner.

"You're nothing but a dog. Why are you barking so loudly? Trying to make sure everyone knows what you are?"

The moment those words were spoken, the whole area fell silent.

Hemon's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Then the crowd erupted, and voices rose all around.

"Holy crap... Who the hell is that? Does he have a death wish?"

"Doesn't he know Hemon's an Eight-Star Dou Zhe? Doesn't he know the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's leader is a One-Star Great Dou Master?"

"How dare he?"

The burly mercenaries watching nearby all turned toward the source of the voice, then froze.

There was only one person standing there: a white-robed youth who looked barely ten years old, obviously a reckless kid who hadn't even grown all his teeth yet.

Seeing him, the crowd wore pitying expressions, then turned toward Hemon with eager anticipation. They all wanted to see just how badly the boy would suffer today.

Xiao Ling paid little attention to the mercenaries' reactions. He simply walked toward Hemon at an unhurried pace.

He wasn't someone who liked meddling in other people's business. But the person being harassed today was his friend—or, more precisely, a friend he'd made under the assumed name "Ling Xiao."

He had always been generous to his friends. Besides, he needed more lifespan right now, and an Eight-Star Dou Zhe could give him anywhere from three to five years.

That was no small windfall. With those extra years, he could redeem a life-saving ability, which would make it much safer for him to enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range alone.

It reminded him of a saying from his previous life: "With food in hand, your heart won't panic." That was exactly how he felt now.

Seeing the youth boldly approaching, a few mercenaries couldn't bear to watch. As he drew near, they quietly tried to talk him out of it.

"Little brother, Qingxin's a beautiful girl, sure, but picking a fight for a woman isn't smart. You should hurry up and get your family here..."

At their words, Xiao Ling only smiled. He neither denied nor explained anything, and kept walking toward his prey.

As if he'd give up!

He'd finally run into a complete idiot. There was no way he'd pass up the chance to show off... No, no—he was definitely taking those years of lifespan.

Just like that, Xiao Ling walked right up to the aloof girl. He turned to look at her, only to find her staring at him in shock, tiny tears glimmering in her cool eyes.

Seeing this, he smiled faintly. "What's wrong? Don't you recognize me, little Qingxin?"

At his words, Qingxin's aloof facade melted away. She threw herself into the youth's arms and poured out her grievances... At that moment, she seemed to have completely forgotten that Hemon was standing right there.

"Brother Ling Xiao, when did you come to Qingshan Town? Why... why didn't you come see me?"

The girl wiped her tears and looked at the youth so close to her, her cheeks flushed as she asked.

"That's enough!"

Hemon cut in, his face dark with anger. He glared furiously at them.

He was absolutely livid. The little flower he'd been longing for was crying in someone else's arms. He wanted nothing more than to punch that pretty boy's head right down into his stomach.

He took a deep breath and looked at the white-robed youth, his voice cruel.

"Kid, I don't care if your name's Ling Xiao or damn Lingtian. I'll beat that arrogance right out of you today!"

With that, Hemon stepped forward. Amid Qingxin's startled cry, he reached Xiao Ling, clenched his fist until it cracked loudly, and swung at the youth's head.