"Cheers to our guild's victory!"
"Cheers!"
"You have no idea how badass I was today. That goblin tried to sneak up on me, but I split it in half with one swing of my axe."
"Let's pick another time to go down into the Abyss together."
"Sounds good."
The tavern was packed with hunters and guild members, and the place was buzzing with conversation. The waiters could barely keep up.
Jiang Yuan sat by the window and ordered a glass of Cherry Wine, a serving of Flame Grilled Fish, some Steamed Demon Claw Fish, some Smoked Rhino Horn Beast, Spicy Pig Trotters...
While he waited for the food to arrive,
he tallied up what he'd gained from this trip into the Abyss.
First, he'd reached LV9, and all his stats had surged again. He also had an additional 70 free attribute points he hadn't used.
Next were the various materials dropped by the ferocious beasts. They'd probably fetch a decent amount when sold, even if they were only worth a little individually.
On top of that, there was what he'd earned from killing the Mutated Blood Lion.
357 merit points, worth 3.57 million, plus the two million for escorting Liu Shi...
This one trip into the Abyss had earned Jiang Yuan over ten million!
"Tsk... No wonder so many people are willing to become lone hunters. They really do make a lot of money."
Jiang Yuan sighed.
The downside was how easy it was to die. It wasn't as safe as joining a guild; you were putting your life on the line to earn money.
Besides, ordinary hunters who struggled through first- and second-level Abysses might earn only a few million in an entire year, and that was before expenses.
Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, had made more in just three days than they could earn in a year.
"Now that I think about it, a hundred million doesn't seem like that much."
Thinking of Ji Feiyue, the stunning red-haired beauty with her icy demeanor, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but admire her in secret.
She must have figured this out long ago. That was why she'd been so decisive about signing a contract with him before he went into the Abyss. It was a surefire deal for her, and she'd even managed to make Jiang Yuan think he'd come out ahead. That woman really knew what she was doing.
"Your food is here."
The young waitress brought over the dishes, interrupting Jiang Yuan's thoughts.
"Enjoy."
He tried a bite, and his eyes lit up.
The food in Hunter Town really did have its own unique flavor.
He immediately dug in.
After he'd eaten his fill,
Jiang Yuan went to a materials shop, took out all the ordinary ferocious beast materials in his backpack, and sold them in bulk.
The shopkeeper, a bespectacled man who looked to be middle-aged, stared at the mountain of materials with his mouth agape and pushed up his glasses.
"Th-these are all yours?!"
"More or less."
"Are you selling all of them?"
"Yeah, all of them. Sorry for the trouble, but give me a price."
In the end, the materials sold for 2.94 million altogether. The shopkeeper had probably taken him for a bit of a ride, but Jiang Yuan couldn't be bothered to care.
Seeing his account balance rise to 4.94 million, Jiang Yuan finally got his first taste of what it felt like to be rich. He browsed the shops with newfound confidence.
"Gene Potions that increase blood vitality potential—I'll take ten."
"Thirty bottles of fast-acting healing tonic."
"Green Spirit Powder. It repairs old injuries, improves your complexion, and even boosts kidney function? I'll take ten packs, the premium kind."
He'd bought all of these for his parents and his aunt's family.
Finally, he stopped by an accessories shop and bought Mo Xixi an accessory.
[Purple Qi Hairband (Common): When worn, Speed +5, Stamina Recovery +10]
Accessories really were expensive. Even a Common-grade piece cost 660,000.
After the purchase,
Jiang Yuan's remaining account balance: 2.83 million.
"Money comes fast, and it goes just as fast."
Jiang Yuan sighed and looked up at the sky.
Time to head back.
At Jiang Yuan's aunt's house,
Mo Xixi was sprawled on the sofa in a tank top and hot pants, her long, fair legs kicked up behind her as she munched on potato chips and laughed at funny videos on her tablet.
Hearing the click of the front door,
she looked up.
When she saw Jiang Yuan,
she froze for a moment, then cried out in delight, "Brother Yuan, you're back?!"
Jiang Yuan had told them he'd be training with Chen Hao at his place these past few days. His aunt hadn't suspected a thing and had only told him to be careful.
"Yeah."
As he spoke, Jiang Yuan tossed her a beautifully wrapped accessory.
"What is this?"
"A present for you."
Mo Xixi opened it and let out an incredulous squeal.
"An accessory?!"
"Where did you get this?"
"Don't worry about that. Just tell me if you want it."
"Of course I want it!!"
Mo Xixi exclaimed excitedly, springing up from the sofa and throwing her arms around Jiang Yuan. She clung to him like a koala.
"You're the best, Brother Yuan!!!"
She planted a loud kiss on Jiang Yuan's cheek.
The beautiful girl was clinging to him in a tank top and hot pants, her fair thighs and slender calves exposed. They were pressed together so closely that he could feel every inch of her against him.
Jiang Yuan was, after all, a teenage boy in the prime of his youth.
Even though she was his cousin, the closeness was a little too much for him.
He looked uncomfortable. "Get down. Look at what you're wearing."
"I'm in my own house. What's the problem?"
Mo Xixi pouted, hopped off him, and darted into her room. "I'm going to try it on!"
A moment later,
she rushed out of her room wearing the purple hairband, flung open Jiang Yuan's door, and shouted at him in disbelief,
"Brother Yuan, did you rob a bank?!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"This is an accessory with two stats, and it's the latest model on the market!!"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Something like this costs at least half a million! If you didn't rob a bank, where did you get all that money? Wait, don't tell me you sold your looks to get it. If that's what happened, I don't want it!!"
Jiang Yuan was speechless. "What are you thinking? Of course not."
"Don't worry. I got it through legitimate channels. I signed a contract with a guild in advance and used the signing bonus to buy it."
Only then did Mo Xixi relax.
"Oh, I see."
She asked curiously, "Which guild did you sign with, and how much of a signing bonus did you get? It wasn't some unscrupulous black guild, was it?"
"The Blood Rose. Have you heard of it?"
Mo Xixi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Never heard of it."
"That's what I thought."
Mo Xixi was about to ask more,
but Jiang Yuan didn't answer. He only said he'd tell her and the others when his aunt and the rest of the family got back that evening.
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