Geryon Giant

The Xenomorph shot out of the forest. Li Junshan controlled it to stop, jumped down to the ground, and took it back.

"Ah, still not much to show for it." He touched the level-five Beast Core from the Crimson Flame Giant Python tucked in his clothes. That was today's haul. He had originally wanted to subdue and summon the Crimson Flame Giant Python, but who knew that even after its body had practically been stretched into a rubber band by four Xenomorphs, it would rather die than submit. Left with no choice, Li Junshan had the Xenomorph split it open from the belly, peel off the skin intact, and take out the core.

Beside a small stream not far from Windfire Town, Li Junshan had a top-secret stone cave where he hid the beast hides, furs, and some bones he had hunted during this period. Most of them came from level-five beasts. The level-four ones had all been handed to Anna to sell, and hiding everything level five and above had also been Anna's idea.

"I don't know how you got these, but the most famous Wild Wolf Mercenary Group in town can't even hunt one level-five beast in half a month. If these beast hides and furs flow into town, they'll absolutely stir up a storm of towering waves. You'd better find a place to hide them." Those were Anna's exact words, and Li Junshan and Fate had taken them very much to heart.

Following the broad street toward the town's western street, Li Junshan saw a crowd packed in front of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group's gates. The noise was loud and chaotic, and curiosity tugged at him. He hurriedly squeezed over.

"How awful."

"Those filthy big ones are too savage."

"So pitiful. Half his body is gone."

Hearing the sighs of the onlookers, Li Junshan grew even more curious. Thin and agile, he slipped through the middle of the crowd.

More than a dozen people lay inside the hall. Freni, the only priest in town, was drenched in sweat as he chanted one Holy Light Healing after another to treat the wounded.

With one sweep of his eyes, Li Junshan was shocked and horrified. Of the dozen or so mercenaries, half had already gone stiff. The rest were missing arms or legs, covered in blood. The most miserable was one warrior whose body had been cleanly cut off below the waist. Blood poured out like a fountain; it was obvious he would not live.

"Who did this?" Li Junshan could not help asking Xilu beside him in a low voice.

Xilu's face was also full of fear. Trembling, he said, "They went to the Northern Desert to look for the Gold Mine and ran into the big ones. That's how they ended up like this. These are the ones who were injured and managed to run back. The ones who didn't..." Thinking of those legends about the big ones, Xilu shuddered and could not go on.

"Big ones" was what the residents of Windfire Town called the Geryon Giants in the Northern Desert.

"Why did they run there?" someone beside them cut in and asked.

"I heard that for some unknown reason lately, they can't even hunt a single level-four beast at the edge of the Falling Moon Mountains. The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has so many mouths to feed, and they don't dare go deep into the Falling Moon Mountains, so they ran to the Northern Desert to look for the Gold Mine."

Li Junshan subconsciously shrank back. In his heart, he naturally knew why that was. Relying on the Xenomorphs, he had avoided running into the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, who had come hunting, many times in the forest.

Most mercenary groups and adventurers in Windfire Town made their living hunting Beast Cores to exchange for gold coins. As for protecting passing merchants, people might have believed that in the past, but now the mercenary groups in town had ruined their own reputations. Passing merchants all hired people from proper Mercenary Guilds in the empire's major cities, and those well-equipped official mercenary groups were not something they could resist.

"Ah!" The mercenary who had lost both legs still could not hold on. He cried out, glared with rage, and stopped breathing.

"Go find everyone and bring them back to me. And the leaders of the other mercenary groups—invite them all over." Harisa's voice rang out from inside the hall.

Li Junshan backed out and hurried back toward the tavern. Fate was still meditating in the room. Li Junshan ran up and down several times, but he did not see Anna.

"Xiaoshan." Anna hurried back from outside, pulled Li Junshan to one side, and said softly, "You've got plenty of clever tricks. Help Auntie go persuade that bastard Hark not to follow those mercenaries."

Li Junshan asked in surprise, "Uncle Hark isn't a member of any mercenary group. What does this have to do with him?"

Anna's expression stiffened. She sighed and said, "Hark's wife died at the hands of the big ones years ago. He's never been able to let it go. Now that he's heard those mercenaries might go cause trouble for the big ones, he wants to follow them and take revenge."

"So that's what happened." Li Junshan nodded and said, "Auntie Anna, don't worry. I'll definitely find a way to talk him out of it." As he spoke, he ran out of the shop.

"Come back early once you're done. The town's too chaotic today. Don't run around outside."

Li Junshan waved to Anna to show he understood. He first ran to the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group and pulled Xilu along. Before long, they reached Hark's home. From far away, they could hear the rasping sound of a blade being sharpened coming from the General Store.

"Uncle Hark, what are you doing?" Li Junshan pretended not to know and crouched in front of Hark as he asked.

Hark held a great chopping blade and was grinding it hard against the whetstone. Without lifting his head, he said, "Xiaoshan, you're still a child. Why ask about this?"

Li Junshan smiled faintly, turned to Xilu, and said, "Your father is going to avenge your mother. Are you going or not?"

Xilu froze, then immediately reacted. Like a Cloud Leopard, he charged violently into the backyard. A short while later, he ran back out carrying his own giant axe, his face flushed red as he shouted, "Whoever doesn't go is a bastard!"

"Bastard." Hark threw down the chopping blade, rushed over in one step, and snatched Xilu's axe away. He cursed, "You're going there to die?"

"Why can't I go?" Xilu stuck out his neck and shouted, "I've long been a junior warrior, and I'm about to advance to intermediate warrior. Why can't I go?"

"Even if you were a senior warrior, you still couldn't go." Hark raised his hand and slapped Xilu across the face, roaring, "If I say you can't go, then you can't go."

"Uncle Hark," Li Junshan cut in. "Xilu is only being filial. Besides, a son avenging his mother—even if a god came, he'd have no reason to stop him."

"You know shit." Hark vented his anger on Li Junshan, saying furiously, "After all these years, our Bob Family only has me and Xilu left. Am I supposed to just watch with my eyes open as the bloodline breaks in my hands?"

That's the line I was waiting for. Li Junshan said this in his heart, while on his face he sighed with a perfectly serious expression and said, "Uncle Hark, you also know that going to find those big ones means going and not coming back. Why must you still go? Are you thinking that if you stake your old life on killing even one, it'll count as avenging a blood feud as deep as the sea? But have you thought about this? Xilu is straightforward by nature—put plainly, he's a little reckless. He does things without using his head. If something happens to you, do you think he'll live well?"

"Xilu, if Uncle Hark dies in the Northern Desert, what will you do?" Li Junshan asked Xilu.

"Do you even need to ask?" Xilu gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go find the big ones and take revenge."

"Uncle Hark, don't get angry first. Did you hear what Xilu said?" Li Junshan cleared his throat and continued, "To put it another way, Auntie Anna can't persuade you, and I can't persuade you either, but I do have a way to keep Xilu here. Yet do you think he'll live well in the future? He's lost his mother, and if he loses you, his father, too, even if Auntie Anna can take care of his daily life in the future, do you think that alone will be enough?"

Li Junshan's words were like the giant axe in Hark's hand, striking heavily again and again against Hark's head. This man forged of iron finally could not endure it. He dropped the giant axe, clutched his head, and burst into bitter sobs.

"Father." Xilu also cried aloud, ran over, and hugged Hark tightly. Father and son held each other and wept.

"Uncle Hark, whether it's the big ones or humans, hatred will only blind your eyes and heart. The big ones and the Dwarves have already paid the price for their sins. What you need to do is live well, live bravely. Remember, the power of love is the greatest of all."

Seeing Hark bury his head deeply and hold Xilu without saying a word, Li Junshan knew he had already given up the idea, and that it was no longer suitable for him to remain there. He stood and walked toward the door.

"Actually, I came for Auntie Anna." When he reached the doorway, Li Junshan paused slightly and said without turning back, "How Auntie Anna treats you—you should know that clearly in your own heart. Your departed loved ones wouldn't want you to live like this either. If you're a man, then show a man's courage. Don't make the woman you love shed tears and worry for you from behind."

After speaking, Li Junshan walked straight out. Only after he had turned the corner and left the General Store behind did he finally let out a long breath.

"This job really isn't easy," Li Junshan said, feeling his throat go dry.

"What you said just now was pretty good." A pleasant voice came from behind him. Li Junshan froze, then turned and saw Sally had followed behind him at some point.

"Sally." Li Junshan was both startled and delighted, and hurriedly said, "What are you doing here?"

Sally smiled faintly, revealing a row of small white teeth, and said, "Father and I were just about to come over and talk Uncle Hark around too, but when we heard you speaking so well inside, we didn't go in. My father said it should be fine and went back first. I listened a little longer."

"Hatred will only blind your eyes and your heart. The power of love is the greatest of all. What you said was wonderful." Sally's pair of speaking eyes were filled with laughter.

"Heh heh." Li Junshan rubbed his hands and grinned foolishly. He had racked his brains halfway here to come up with those words, and now that he heard Sally praising him, he could not help feeling a burst of joy.

Catching the faint fragrance drifting from Sally, Li Junshan's heart went **, and he blurted out, "Miss me..." Before he finished speaking, he saw Sally's expression change and hurriedly corrected himself, "Uh... someone like me, I'm only talking. If those things happened to me, I might not be able to do what I said either."

"Mm?" Sally blinked and asked curiously, "What would you do?"

"Let's say, for example," Li Junshan said. "If my dearest Aunt Anna or you were taken away by the big guy, even if I had to crawl, I'd crawl to the wasteland to save you."

"Pah." A blush dyed Sally's fair cheeks, and she spat, "Who wants you to save me?" As she spoke, she held out a fist faintly releasing Battle Qi, glowing with a blue light.

"See that?" Sally said proudly.

"I see it." Li Junshan's eyes widened as he praised, "So beautiful. Slender jade hands, hands soft as young grass, skin like congealed cream. Too beautiful."

"You..." Sally stamped her foot in anger, and her fist, wrapped in blue Battle Qi, swung toward Li Junshan.

Li Junshan had long been on guard. Laughing loudly, he dodged backward, then saw Andri's figure appear not far away and hurriedly ran off like a wisp of smoke.

"Consider yourself quick." Sally waved her fist, looking immensely pleased with herself.

"My precious daughter, how is your Uncle Hark?" Andri walked over and asked.

"He's fine. Xiaoshan talked him down." Sally was startled by her father.

"Huh, why is your face so red?"

"Is it?"

"As if I could see wrong. Did Xiaoshan say those muddled things again?"

"No."

"If not, why is your face red?"

"Why are you asking so much?" Sally glared at her father, then turned and ran toward the Blacksmith Shop.

"Completely baffling." Andri scratched his messy hair, shook his head, and chased after her.