Treasure News

Deep in the dense forest, the members of two mercenary groups were locked in a brutal fight.

There were no sweeping sword auras, nor any dazzling flourishes of blades. It was all straightforward and direct—fists and feet, swords and sabers, long staves... Their moves were simple, aimed straight at vital points, and every one of them could be considered seasoned.

As time passed, the battle still continued. Lang Youqin looked around and saw the fight bogged down, with casualties on both sides. His brows furrowed, and he thought to himself, At this rate, I won't be able to take down Qie Youyi anytime soon. If this drags on, it'll be extremely disadvantageous for me. I need to think of another way.

Lang Youqin's eyes shifted as if he had come to a decision. He circulated his Dou Qi and called out loudly to Qie Youyi.

"Brother Qie, if we keep fighting like this, we'll only be letting our brothers die for nothing. How about we have them stop for now and hear me out?"

Although Qie Youyi did not know what Lang Youqin was planning, since the other side was willing to stop, he naturally had no objection. The longer this dragged on, the better it was for his side.

"Fine! Have your men stand down first," Qie Youyi nodded and replied.

"Brothers, I'm sure you all heard what we said. Stop here. Don't waste your Dou Qi for nothing, or when the time comes, you might not even make it out of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range," Lang Youqin spoke again.

Mercenaries all came to the Myriad Beast Mountain Range seeking wealth, and they were never willing to engage in pointless battles like this in the first place. Hearing this, they gradually reined in their attacks.

Very soon, the battle stopped. Each side brought back their fallen companions nearby, their hearts heavy with grief.

"Brother Lang, you've already sent your signal, but it'll still take some time for your people to get here. I trust you're not naive enough to think there are only our two mercenary groups in these mountains."

Seeing this, Lang Youqin spoke.

Qie Youyi did not care when he heard that, and proudly replied.

"Of course I know that. But among those who make a living in this area, how many have the guts to make an enemy of my Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group?"

"Men die for wealth as birds die for food. I just wonder—if I ran right now and sold off the secret you discovered, how many people do you think would set their eyes on you?"

Lang Youqin folded his arms and said it, intentionally or otherwise.

Qie Youyi's expression changed drastically, but he forced himself to stay calm. "You wouldn't."

"Take a guess. For people like us who seek wealth, is the wealth in that Ruins enough for me to do something like that? I also know it's unrealistic to make you tell me directly. But how about we go together?"

Lang Youqin no longer pressed him too hard. He made a concession and put forward his terms.

Qie Youyi naturally was unwilling to let others share the treasure for nothing, but after thinking left and right, he could not come up with any way to keep Lang Youqin here. He had no choice but to nod and agree, putting on a false show of civility.

"Fine. We'll discuss the details after we return."

He agreed readily, but in his heart, it felt as disgusting as if he had swallowed a fly. He could only pray that the Black Panther Mercenary Group would all end up buried in the bellies of beasts.

"Treasure? I wonder what it is. In any case, there's still plenty of time before the deadline Teacher left me, so I might as well explore it first."

Zhao Li's Breath Concealment Technique could not even be seen through by a Dou Sect expert. Once he found a place in the dense forest and hid himself, these mercenaries, whose strongest members were only Dou Masters, naturally could not discover him.

By the time Zhao Li arrived here, the two groups had already started fighting. Although he did not know the reason, conflicts between mercenary groups were usually no more than old grudges formed over fighting for resources, or killing because wealth stirred the heart.

Zhao Li saw that the two leaders seemed to have reached an agreement. Compensation was paid where it should be, apologies were made where they should be, and the scene became perfectly harmonious. There was no trace left of the earlier bloody fight to the death. He just did not know when these fellows, each harboring their own schemes, would suddenly strike their "allies."

"They're all veteran actors at the level of film emperors. This works too. I'll follow them for now and see if I can get more information."

Putting away his thoughts, Zhao Li trailed behind the group from afar.

Night descended, draping a curtain over the Mountain Forest and covering the mountains, rivers, hills, and ravines.

After following them for a day, Zhao Li discovered that these people seemed to be heading toward the territory of a Tier 4 Magical Beast. Before entering the mountains, Lin Lan had given Zhao Li a map of the mountain range, marking out the locations of some known magical beasts above Tier 4.

Zhao Li did not want to invite too much trouble, so he decided to personally ask what was going on.

Casually knocking down a few guards, Zhao Li entered the tent and saw Lang Youqin alone inside, his eyes darting around nonstop. Who knew what he was thinking.

To be safe, Zhao Li knocked him unconscious and carried him out, found a secluded place, and woke him up.

"May I ask who Senior is, and why you have brought this lowly one here?"

When Lang Youqin woke up, he was no longer inside the tent and had no idea where he had been taken. Shock filled his heart. With his Dou Master strength, he was already not weak in these mountains, yet he had been taken down without a sound. He did not know what kind of person he had provoked.

"Talk. What was that treasure you mentioned during the day? And don't try anything clever. Since I could take you without a sound, I believe taking your 'Brother Qie' won't be difficult either. Whether what you say is true or false, I'll know as soon as I ask him."

Zhao Li did not want to waste too much time and asked directly.

Although Lang Youqin had already made some guesses, his heart still jolted when he heard Zhao Li's words. His mind worked rapidly, thinking of a countermeasure, but he did not dare delay without answering and began playing dumb.

"Senior, you may not know this, but I'm not clear on the specifics. I only know that their Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group seems to have obtained some clue to a treasure and was preparing to enter the mountains to search for it. That's why I followed them in, planning to reap the benefits while others fought."

"Don't test my patience. With your personality of never loosing the hawk until you've seen the hare, would you really fight them over some vague, illusory treasure? Tell the truth."

Zhao Li looked impatient. With a wave of his hand, he condensed an icicle and shot it toward Lang Youqin, stopping it right before his forehead.

"Take a guess. If I bring your corpse to the leader of the Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group, will he tell me, or will he end up a corpse just like you?"

"Senior, spare my life! I'll talk. The person I planted in the Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group said that two months ago, when they entered the mountains, they got lucky and obtained a fragment of a map near a Tier 4 Magical Beast. It seemed to be a Treasure Map. After two months of rest and preparation, they only now entered the mountains again to search for the treasure. I really did want to reap the benefits while they fought. I just don't know why, but the magical beasts in these mountains have been extremely restless. When we were attacked by magical beasts, we were exposed, and that was how we ended up fighting them."

Seeing the icicle only a tiny distance from his forehead, Lang Youqin felt his scalp go numb. He did not dare hide anything and briefly explained what had happened. As for what the treasure was, he did not know either.

"Anything else?" Zhao Li nodded and continued asking.

"I really don't know anything else! Oh, right, that magical beast is a Tier 4 Black Demonic Bear, in that mountain up ahead."

Lang Youqin was about to cry. Then he remembered some information and pointed out a location to Zhao Li. Perhaps he also harbored the thought of making Zhao Li go fight the Black Demonic Bear.

"In that case, you can keep sleeping."

Seeing that he truly did not know much, Zhao Li asked no more. He knocked him unconscious again and threw him back into the tent.

"I still need to bring over the leader of the Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group and ask him too. Hm, something's off with the style here. Why do I suddenly look like a villain? Jie jie~"

Zhao Li thought for a moment, let out two strange laughs, then headed toward the Tiger Wolf Mercenary Group's camp.