The Treachery of the Human Heart

Though the mercenaries complained about Mu Li abusing his authority, what they truly felt was envy. They wished they could take his place and personally protect Xiao Yi Xian.

Roar!!!

A furious beastly roar suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

The mercenaries could no longer spare a glance at Xiao Yi Xian. They gripped their weapons tightly and stared warily toward the source of the sound.

Roaaar—

Just as the mercenaries faced a great enemy, a resounding dragon's roar followed. A black shadow was sent flying backward from the forest ahead.

Bang!

The black shadow crashed down at the very front of the group with a dull thud. It struggled and twitched a few times on the ground before completely losing its breath.

When everyone saw what the black shadow was, their pupils contracted sharply, and expressions of surprise and apprehension appeared on their faces.

It was a magical beast with a lion's head and a scorpion-like body, entirely covered in a layer of black shell.

Xiao Yi Xian cried out, "It's a Black Lion Scorpion!"

The Black Lion Scorpion was a relatively rare first-tier magical beast. Not only was its defense astonishing, but its scorpion tail also carried deadly poison, enough to kill anyone below the Dou Master level.

Therefore, most mercenaries chose to keep their distance when they encountered a Black Lion Scorpion. Otherwise, they could easily lose their lives.

Before the surprise had faded from everyone's faces, Xiao Feng, dressed in tight black clothing, walked expressionlessly out of the forest.

"It's him!"

Mercenaries quickly recognized Xiao Feng. Seeing that he was still alive, their faces filled with disbelief.

After all, in everyone's eyes, since the mercenaries who had tried to ambush Xiao Feng had been killed by the Green Mountain Troll, Xiao Feng should not have met a good end either.

The so-called Green Mountain Troll was the new nickname that the residents of Green Mountain Town had given the Armored Titan.

After Xiao Feng transformed into the Armored Titan, his body was covered in sturdy Bluestone Armor, like a small mountain of bluestone. Since he killed without restraint, he was given the name Green Mountain Troll.

When they saw Xiao Feng walk up to the Black Lion Scorpion and casually store the more than two-meter-long magical beast corpse in his Storage Ring, everyone finally recovered from their shock.

Mu Li, standing beside Xiao Yi Xian, saw the black Storage Ring on Xiao Feng's finger, and a flash of greed passed through his eyes.

Throughout all of Green Mountain Town, there were probably no more than five people qualified to possess a Storage Ring.

Although Mu Li's father also owned a Storage Ring, its storage space was so small that it could not even hold an intact Black Lion Scorpion.

When Mu Li's father had bought that Storage Ring, it had cost him over thirty thousand gold coins—roughly two years' worth of income for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

The Storage Ring Xiao Feng wore definitely had much more space than his father's and was worth at least several hundred thousand gold coins.

Never mind the other treasures stored inside it; the Storage Ring alone was worth several decades of income for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

Even if the Wolf Head Mercenary Group could not afford to offend the Xiao Family behind Xiao Feng, they could simply abandon their assets in Green Mountain Town, flee somewhere far from Wutan City, and recruit new men.

After storing away the Black Lion Scorpion's corpse, Xiao Feng finally shifted his gaze to the crowd.

His eyes swept quickly across everyone before finally settling on Xiao Yi Xian, his sword-like brows rising slightly.

Although it was Xiao Feng's first time meeting Xiao Yi Xian, the sight of her slender, supple willow waist allowed him to identify her instantly.

Mu Li warmly invited him, "Little brother, it's far too dangerous for you to travel through the Monster Mountain Range alone. Why not travel with us?"

"..."

The other mercenaries' expressions changed slightly, becoming somewhat subtle.

Under normal circumstances, mercenary groups did not allow strangers to join them while carrying out missions outside, lest they cause unnecessary trouble.

As the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Mu Li could not possibly fail to understand this. Yet he still invited Xiao Feng, making his intentions obvious.

"The young leader is right!"

"When you're at home, you rely on your parents. When you're away, you rely on friends. Little brother, come with us!"

"Our young leader has the kindest heart..."

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group mercenaries instantly understood Mu Li's meaning and hurriedly played along.

Xiao Feng was no fool. Of course he could sense Mu Li and the others' ill intentions, but fishing was what he liked to do most.

Now that fish had voluntarily bitten the hook, how could Xiao Feng bear to refuse?

"Since that is the case, I'll gladly accept."

Faced with everyone's enthusiastic invitation, Xiao Feng could only agree "helplessly" and join the main group.

"My name is Mu Li, young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. May I ask for little brother's name?"

To lower Xiao Feng's guard, Mu Li took the initiative to strike up a conversation. He also intended to use the opportunity to probe Xiao Feng's background and see whether he had any hidden cards.

"My name is Xiao Feng. Greetings, Young Leader."

"Xiao Feng?"

Mu Li repeated Xiao Feng's name and feigned surprise. "Could you be Brother Xiao, the Third Young Master of Xiao Family rumored to have defeated the Yun Lan Sect Young Sect Master and made the Three-Year Agreement with her?"

"Ah, it's merely an undeserved reputation!"

Xiao Feng waved his hand humbly. "The only reason I managed to beat Nalan Yanran by a move or two was because she lacked actual combat experience. In a real fight, I wouldn't be her match."

"Brother Xiao is too modest. Since you were able to kill a Black Lion Scorpion alone, even an ordinary Five Star Dou Zhe might not be your match."

Halfway through, Mu Li asked probing, "Besides, since Brother Xiao dares to travel alone through the Monster Mountain Range, I certainly wouldn't believe you lacked some real skills."

"Young Leader, you jest. I'm merely a little faster than most. If I encounter a magical beast I can't defeat, I can only barely protect myself by running away."

"Being able to run faster than others is a skill too! Hahaha..."

Watching Xiao Feng and Mu Li chat and laugh together, Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, unable to bear the sight.

In Xiao Yi Xian's eyes, Xiao Feng was like a fool who would help count the money after being sold off.

Mu Li had casually sweet-talked him a few times, and he had revealed all his own cards.

Even if Xiao Feng was quite strong, if he could not change this naïve temperament, then in the perilous Monster Mountain Range, sooner or later he would be devoured without even his bones left behind.

In a sense, encountering other people in the Monster Mountain Range could be even more dangerous than encountering magical beasts.

The human heart was truly treacherous!