Mu Li had been knocked unconscious? Slapped? Someone had hit him more than a dozen times?
Mu She was stunned, disbelief showing in his eyes.
His son wasn't an idiot. How could he have just stood there and let someone slap him more than a dozen times?
"Are the injuries serious?" The scene seemed to appear before his eyes. Mu She shuddered and asked in a low voice.
"They're only superficial..." He Meng repeated what Iron Head and the others had told him.
After he finished, the atmosphere fell quiet.
Mu She clenched his fists until they cracked, his expression twisted with fury.
So many people had watched the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's young commander get slapped unconscious. This wasn't just a matter of Mu Li getting hurt; it was an affront to the dignity of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
The leaders of the other two mercenary groups exchanged glances, smiles passing between them.
Thank goodness it was the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's turn today. Otherwise, they would have been the ones left humiliated.
"Mr. Yao, the Bloody Battle Mercenary Group won't be involved in this matter any further."
A middle-aged man stood, cupped his fists toward the man seated at the head of the table, and left the hall.
The other group leader followed his example and left right after him.
A middle-aged man sat at the head of the table as well, dressed in an expensive robe. He had been wearing a faint smile, but now he could barely keep it up.
He was the owner of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.
For years, he had held a monopoly on all medicine-related business in Green Mountain Town.
Not long ago, the Xiao Clan Medicine Shop had suddenly opened there, changing a balance that had held for several years.
When he had just learned that someone from the Xiao Clan had arrived in Green Mountain Town, Yao Da guessed that the Xiao Clan might be coming to deal with the problems their shop had encountered. So he had summoned the three group leaders to discuss it.
Aside from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, the three mercenary groups were the greatest powers in Green Mountain Town.
The four of them had been chatting quite happily, and Yao Da had thought he saw hope. Now that two had left, he understood that they had been frightened by Xiao Yu's forceful approach.
"Commander Mu, calm down. Xiao Yu's father is the Xiao Clan patriarch, and he's also a Da Dou Shi. He does have grounds to act so arrogantly." Yao Da sounded as if he were offering advice, but he was really reminding him.
Mu She's face darkened. "That brat dares to bully my Wolf Head Mercenary Group like this. Even if his father were here, I wouldn't swallow this insult."
"If you touch him, you'll face retaliation from a Da Dou Shi. Commander Mu, are you sure you've thought this through?" Yao Da asked.
Mu She's eyes brimmed with malice. He said nothing, but his expression was like that of a venomous snake fixing its gaze on prey.
Usually, when Mu Li caused trouble, Mu She would only scold him a couple of times. He couldn't bear to lay a hand on him.
And given Mu Li's temperament, after being slapped in the face by someone younger than him in front of so many people, he certainly wouldn't let the matter rest.
"I understand what you mean, Commander Mu. I have a plan. We can work together. Would you like to hear it?" A knowing smile touched Yao Da's lips.
Mu She looked at him, somewhat surprised. "Mr. Yao, you want to make a move against him too?"
"That's right." Yao Da admitted it without hesitation. "With the medicines sold by the Xiao Clan Medicine Shop, if they lift their restrictions, the Myriad Medicine Pavilion won't last long in Green Mountain Town.
"But if I don't lift them, I have no bargaining power against a Da Dou Shi.
"Since I'll have to leave either way, why should I leave empty-handed? I've lost such a large medicine shop. Who's going to compensate me?"
"You want to kidnap Xiao Yu and extort the Xiao Clan?" Mu She asked.
But Yao Da shook his head. "As far as I know, Xiao Yu has always been in charge of the Xiao Clan's medicines. That means he might have the recipes on him.
"If we can get those recipes, I can go to the Chu Yun Empire or the Luo Yan Empire and establish another Myriad Medicine Pavilion!
"I don't believe the Xiao Clan would travel thousands of miles to avenge one dead man."
Mr. Yao had a point!
If they made a move against Xiao Yu, they definitely wouldn't be able to stay in Green Mountain Town afterward.
They'd have no choice but to leave!
If Mu She had the recipes, he could pay an alchemist to make the medicines and replicate the Xiao Clan's business model.
Mu She had been worried about what would become of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group if he went after Xiao Yu. Now the future suddenly looked clear.
He looked at the middle-aged man and said, "When we get the recipes, I want a share!"
"Agreed!"
Yao Da smiled.
The two discussed a few details, then Mu She hurried out of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.
"I thought I'd have to swallow my losses and slink away. Who would've thought the Xiao Clan would send Xiao Yu here?"
The middle-aged man sounded both reflective and excited.
Since he was in the medicine business, he had no shortage of friends. Thanks to his connections, he had already learned that the Xiao Clan Medicine Shop had disrupted business in many cities and towns.
In some towns, the Xiao Clan Medicine Shop had been repeatedly harassed, and Yao Da had been behind some of it.
The Xiao Clan had few people. If all their shops ran into trouble at once, they wouldn't be able to handle everything. This was how he had managed to keep his own business going.
But now, Yao Da saw another path.
Although Xiao Yu's target this time was the Amethyst Winged Lion King, after arriving in Green Mountain Town, he didn't head straight into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"Its lair is deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. I'll have to cross Soul-Severing Ravine and travel some distance before I can find it."
Xiao Yu thought over the route ahead.
Entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range was dangerous.
That was true for him too, though his chances of surviving might be better than most.
"I absolutely can't waste any of the three trial cards."
These Beast Taming Cards had a one-hundred-percent success rate. Xiao Yu wanted to use them to tame a Tier 6 Magical Beast. That would be making the most of them.
For the next two days, he would deal with the shop's affairs and ask around for a route to Soul-Severing Ravine.
Xiao Yu made up his mind.
Green Mountain Town was full of mercenaries. Someone was sure to know about Soul-Severing Ravine. Taking a shorter route would ensure a measure of safety and help him handle any danger.
After nightfall, Xiao Yu cultivated in his room.
He didn't know how much time had passed when a faint sound suddenly reached his ears.
He opened his eyes and saw the window crack open. A figure slipped inside.
Someone from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?
The thought flashed through Xiao Yu's mind. He sprang to his feet and, faster than the eye could follow, pinned the figure down.
He clamped a hand around the intruder's neck and drew back his other fist to punch them in the chest.
By any normal person's reckoning, someone sneaking into your room in the middle of the night couldn't be up to any good.
So Xiao Yu had no intention of holding back.
But in the next instant,
the moment his fist touched the other person's body, it slowed.
So soft!
Two words flashed through Xiao Yu's mind.
"Mm..."
The figure let out a faint, muffled groan.
"A woman? Who are you? Why did you come into my room?"
Xiao Yu stared intently at the other person. The room was dim, but he thought her face must have flushed red.
He could feel the skin beneath his fingertips, where he gripped her neck, growing warmer by the moment.
Before she could answer, an even louder commotion rose outside.
It seemed a large crowd had gathered outside the shop. From what they were saying, they appeared to be looking for someone.
Xiao Yu understood. She had been running away and had accidentally ended up in his room.
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