A Sinister Scheme

The Tiansheng Mountain Range!

Under the blazing sun, thick mist steamed through the mountains. In a patch of woods, Xue Fangsheng led Zhang Yong and the others among the ancient trees.

"If we do this a few more times, even if we don't hunt any Exotic Beasts, I'm confident I'll successfully achieve Qi Gathering. Surpassing Xu Yang will be a piece of cake."

Feeling the energy that had surged through his body over the past few days, Zhang Yong couldn't help getting excited.

Following a real martial artist into the mountains meant they could hunt wild beasts whenever they were hungry. Not only did they get meat at every meal, they could eat as much as they wanted.

Though they had far less time to practice their martial arts, their vital energy was growing even faster than it had when they trained at the martial arts school.

"Senior Brother Fang, are we going to keep going deeper?" Luo Dehu asked, his voice tinged with reluctance.

They had already spent three days deep in the Tiansheng Mountain Range. If they went any farther, they would reach its heart.

Powerful Exotic Beasts lived in the center of the Tiansheng Mountain Range. They were said to be able to kill a Marrow-Cleansing Martial Master with ease.

"Luo Dehu, if you're scared, you can leave. That'll mean one less person to split the money with."

Before Xue Fangsheng could answer, Tang Ruiyang cut in.

Going deeper was dangerous, but the rewards were greater too. If they managed to get their hands on a rare Exotic Beast, they could each take a dozen or so taels of silver. Then they wouldn't have to worry about money before achieving Qi Gathering.

"Enough!" Xue Fangsheng growled, turning his ear toward the woods.

No one dared say another word.

After a while, Xue Fangsheng smiled. "I can't hear any birds nearby, and there aren't any other beasts' tracks either. An Exotic Beast must have made its lair here. Hurry up and search!"

They had found another Exotic Beast!

Zhang Yong and the other six were delighted and immediately spread out in every direction.

"I found tracks!"

A while later, Tang Ruiyang returned with the good news.

"Once we've got our prey, I'll give you an extra tael of silver."

Xue Fangsheng climbed a tree and mimicked a bird's call. Before long, Zhang Yong and the others had all returned. Then they followed Tang Ruiyang to another spot.

"The tracks are fresh. It should be nearby. Looks like a leopard, too. I'll lure it out."

Xue Fangsheng took a piece of meat he'd prepared earlier from the bundle on his back and set it on the ground. Then he pulled out a packet of powder and sprinkled it evenly over the meat.

"Senior Brother Fang, what are you sprinkling on it?" Luo Dehu asked curiously.

When they'd hunted an Exotic Beast last time, Xue Fangsheng hadn't used this method.

"This is Ten-Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder. I paid a fortune for it at the Black Market. Even a Qi-Gathering Martial Artist would collapse after inhaling a little, and Exotic Beasts love its unique scent."

As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger. "Cut yourselves and let some blood out. If we add human blood, that leopard will drool with hunger. We'll catch it without lifting a finger."

The men hesitated at the thought of bleeding themselves, but when Xue Fangsheng said whoever gave blood would get an extra tael of silver, all seven scrambled for the dagger.

As luck would have it, Luo Dehu was the first to grab it.

He had a streak of ruthlessness in him. Right there, he slashed his hand, and blood gushed out.

"Three of you is enough. The rest should save your strength for carrying the Exotic Beast out of the mountains."

Seeing the seven of them, Xue Fangsheng immediately picked two more to bleed alongside Luo Dehu.

One was Tang Ruiyang. The other was Yang Dacai.

Tang Ruiyang was secretly delighted. He knew Xue Fangsheng was looking out for him. This way, he could get an extra two taels this time.

The three men went pale as they finished bleeding onto the meat. The scent of blood spread through the woods and drifted away on the wind. Then Xue Fangsheng led the others to hide at a distance.

"Here it comes!"

Half an hour later, a leopard appeared from behind a large boulder.

It looked no different from an ordinary leopard, except that a one-inch-long horn grew in the middle of its forehead.

Unusual signs at birth meant something monstrous was afoot.

Every Exotic Beast had some extraordinary feature.

"We've struck it rich!"

Everyone's heart leaped, and their breathing quickened.

Leopard-type Exotic Beasts fetched a high price, usually one tael of silver per pound. The leopard before them looked to weigh about two hundred pounds.

Even if Zhang Yong and the other six got only thirty percent, each of them would still receive seven or eight taels.

The leopard-type Exotic Beast looked around warily for a while, then finally couldn't resist and began devouring the meat. It licked up every drop of blood scattered over the leaves.

After finishing its meal, it didn't linger. It turned to leave, but had taken only a few steps when it let out a low growl and collapsed to the ground, its body limp.

"It worked! Bleed it, then get out of here—quickly!"

The leaves concealing him burst apart. Xue Fangsheng sprang up from the ground and dashed toward the fallen Exotic Beast.

Exotic Beasts were bursting with energy. Even something like Ten-Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder could only paralyze one temporarily, so they had to kill it fast.

If such a powerful Exotic Beast recovered, Xue Fangsheng might not be able to handle it.

Zhang Yong and the others rose from their hiding places on either side and rushed toward the beast.

When it was bled, they could all drink some of its blood. That would be a considerable benefit.

Bang!

Xue Fangsheng struck with his palm. The Exotic Beast's skull caved in, and the force turned its brains to mush. It was nearly dead on the spot.

He immediately lifted it up, wanting to see how much it weighed.

"Roar..."

A sudden roar rang out, and the trees shook.

Xue Fangsheng looked around in horror. Not far away, a tiger had appeared from nowhere, its eyes fixed on the leopard he held in his hands.

Wind rose over the open ground, whipping the leaves into a frenzy. Xue Fangsheng's pupils contracted sharply as he saw two fist-sized lumps on the tiger's back, covered in densely packed scales.

This was another tiger with an extraordinary feature.

"Run!"

Even an ordinary tiger could fight a Qi-Gathering Martial Artist. A tiger that had become an Exotic Beast was even worse; even a Marrow-Cleansing Martial Master might not be able to take it on. He hadn't imagined there could be another Exotic Beast nearby.

But luckily, he'd made preparations in advance, and there was an unlucky fellow close to where the beast had appeared.

Xue Fangsheng took off, fleeing for his life along the way they had come.

"Senior Brother Fang, help me!" A shrill cry of terror rang out behind him. It came from the man nearest the Exotic Beast.

"Help you? You really thought you'd earned that thirty percent?"

Xue Fangsheng sneered inwardly. He'd brought so many people not only to have some of them provide blood, but also so that when they ran into a powerful Exotic Beast they couldn't fight, he could outrun every one of them.

He glanced back and saw the unlucky man knocked to the ground by the tiger. It bit off his head in one gulp, a scene both bloody and horrifying.

"Run in different directions, or none of us will make it out alive!"

Seeing the country bumpkins running toward him, Xue Fangsheng shouted.

"Xue Fangsheng, you'll die a terrible death!" Tang Ruiyang roared, eyes bulging with rage.

Even he was smart enough to understand why Xue Fangsheng had brought so many of them to hunt Exotic Beasts. They had been the food Xue Fangsheng prepared for the beasts.

But he'd only managed to run a short distance before the tiger pounced on him.

He tried to fight back, but his punches didn't even count as a tickle against the tiger. One of his arms was ripped off on the spot, and his screams echoed through the forest.

Hearing him, the fleeing Luo Dehu knew Tang Ruiyang was done for.

Panicked and frantic, he ran for his life. The belief that he would risk his life to become a martial artist shattered completely. All he wanted now was to survive.

"Ah..."

Yang Dacai's screams rang out. Zhang Hong regretted everything. Xue Fangsheng had harbored such wicked intentions, and he hadn't seen through them.

But he was somewhat lucky: the tiger that had become an Exotic Beast wasn't chasing him.

He didn't stop until he could run no farther. Looking around, he saw that of the eight of them, he was the only one left. He had no idea whether the others were alive or dead.