In the silent mountains, Xiao Fan's figure flickered through the forest.
"I should be near the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range by now!"
Xiao Fan surveyed the traces of mercenary camps around him and murmured to himself.
His training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range had come to an end. This time, he had emerged to seek out the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
Now that he had advanced to Dou Shi, no one in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group could stop him. Repaying every grudge and settling every score had always been Xiao Fan's way.
Just as Xiao Fan was scouting the area, he faintly heard mercenaries talking up ahead.
"Those goddamn bastards! They're trying to drive us to our deaths!"
Xiao Fan approached for a closer look. They were the Fire Wolf Mercenary Group, the mercenaries he had met when they traveled together to Qingshan Town.
The speaker was a middle-aged man who served as the Fire Wolf Mercenary Group's second-in-command. Everyone called him Lao Yao. He was warmhearted and friendly to newcomers.
Xiao Fan narrowed his eyes and deliberately made a little noise.
"Who's there?"
The alert mercenaries immediately raised their weapons and looked toward Xiao Fan.
"Brother Fire Wolf, it's me."
Xiao Fan waved and stepped out.
Fire Wolf's eyes lit up when he saw Xiao Fan. He smiled and said, "So it's Brother Xiao! I never thought I'd run into you here."
As he spoke, he motioned for the others to lower their weapons and walked toward Xiao Fan.
Seeing Fire Wolf's friendly smile, Xiao Fan smiled too.
"I didn't expect to run into you here either. What are you...?"
At Xiao Fan's question, Fire Wolf's expression darkened again. He sighed and said, "Brother Xiao, you have no idea. A while ago, after we reached Qingshan Town, we ran into the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's third-in-command. He took a fancy to Xin'er from our group."
As he spoke, he pointed toward a pretty young girl.
He introduced Xin'er to Xiao Fan. After parting ways with Xiao Fan, they had rescued her from a magical beast. Her family had all died in the attack.
Since she also knew a little about medicinal herbs, Fire Wolf had agreed to let her join the Fire Dragon Mercenary Group.
Naturally, the young men had no objection to a pretty young girl joining their mercenary group, and she gradually became one of them.
But after they reached Qingshan Town, someone from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group took a fancy to her.
They were only a small mercenary group. How could they afford to provoke the dominant force in Qingshan Town?
They had thought everything would be fine if they simply hid.
But the man who had set his sights on Xin'er was the nephew of Gan Mu, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's second commander. He openly issued a vicious threat.
If they did not deliver Xin'er to his bed within three days, he would wipe out the Fire Wolf Mercenary Group.
He also targeted them at every turn during that time. Left with no choice, Fire Wolf had brought his mercenaries into the Magical Beast Mountain Range to hide.
Some of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's scouts had discovered them along the way, and several of their brothers had been killed.
After listening to Fire Wolf's account, Xiao Fan studied Xin'er.
Her hair was tied back, and rather than dressing as wildly as the mercenaries, she looked quiet and demure.
In a place like Qingshan Town, where adventuring mercenaries came and went, she certainly qualified as a beauty.
"Then what do you plan to do next, Brother Fire Wolf?"
Xiao Fan continued questioning Fire Wolf.
Hearing Xiao Fan's question, Fire Wolf hardened his resolve and said,
"I've finally seen things clearly. We can't stay in Qingshan Town anymore. I'm planning to take my brothers elsewhere. The world is vast. I refuse to believe their Wolf Head Mercenary Group can cover the sky with one hand!"
"Heh, what a shame. You won't be going anywhere."
Just then, a cold voice sounded behind them.
A group of Wolf Head mercenaries emerged and surrounded Fire Wolf and the others.
"Ah! It's the Fire Wolf Mercenary Group!"
"How? We've already hidden in the Magical Beast Mountain Range! How did they find us?"
The Fire Wolf mercenaries panicked as they looked at the Wolf Head mercenaries surrounding them.
Fire Wolf had not expected this either. They had been hiding so carefully in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. How had they still been found?
"How did you find us?"
The sinister-looking man planted his hands on his hips and laughed. "Do I really need to search for a pathetic little mercenary group like yours?"
"I told you to know what's good for you. Wouldn't it have been easier to hand that woman over sooner?"
As he spoke, the sinister-looking man eyed Xin'er greedily and licked his lips. "Little beauty, come over here and serve me well, and I might even let them go!"
Looking at the sinister-looking man and her surrounded companions, Xin'er's face filled with despair.
Fire Wolf swept out an arm and stepped in front of Xin'er, shielding her behind him. He told the sinister-looking man, "Shi Wan, if you think our Wolf Head Mercenary Group will surrender without a fight, dream on!"
Shi Wan laughed brazenly at Fire Wolf's words.
"Hahaha! Fire Wolf, oh, Fire Wolf. Do you think everyone is as unafraid of death as you? Hmm?"
The moment Xiao Fan heard Shi Wan's words, he knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, Lao Yao, who stood behind Fire Wolf, suddenly swung his weapon at him.
Xiao Fan flashed between them in an instant, easily knocked aside Lao Yao's weapon, and struck his chest with a palm, sending him stumbling back.
Their exchange happened in a flash. Only then did Fire Wolf react.
He turned to stare at Lao Yao in disbelief and said in a trembling voice, "Lao Yao, you... what are you doing?"
But rather than becoming angry, Lao Yao smiled. "Commander, why should we ruin our mercenary group for an outsider?"
"If we give her to Steward Shi, we'll gain the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's support and get rid of a burden."
Fire Wolf said in disbelief, "What bullshit are you spouting? If we hand Xin'er over to them, will she have any chance of surviving? Huh?"
But Lao Yao continued, "If she stays with us, she'll drag our entire mercenary group down with her. Why shouldn't we hand her over?"
Watching their internal strife, Shi Wan laughed. "Fire Wolf, do you know why I was able to find you?"
"That's right! Your good brother Lao Yao told us. I promised him that as long as you don't court death and hand Xin'er over, I'll make sure you thrive in Qingshan Town."
Hearing Shi Wan's words, Fire Wolf turned and roared at Lao Yao, "Lao Yao, you fool! After all these years of adventuring, have you forgotten what our mercenary group stands for?"
"Even Xiao Si and the others died because you tipped them off!"
To his surprise, Lao Yao showed no remorse and argued back instead.
"You have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to kill the men the Wolf Head Mercenary Group sent to follow us, they wouldn't have died! I watched Xiao Si grow up!"
"How many of our brothers have died because of some outsider who only just joined us?"
At Lao Yao's words, Fire Wolf looked utterly defeated. He staggered back two steps, and a mercenary behind him caught him.
"How could you become like this?"
Shi Wan suddenly turned toward Xiao Fan and asked, "What should I call you, young brother?"
Xiao Fan glanced at him without answering.
Lao Yao immediately said, "He's a mercenary we happened to meet. He's a low-star Dou Zhe."
Shi Wan smiled at Lao Yao's answer. "Interesting. Even a mere low-star Dou Zhe dares meddle in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's affairs now?"
If Xiao Fan had not stopped Lao Yao's sneak attack, Lao Yao would already have taken down Fire Wolf, the Fire Wolf Mercenary Group's strongest member. Without Fire Wolf, Shi Wan would never have been so polite to them.
Upon learning that Xiao Fan was only a low-level Dou Zhe, Shi Wan relaxed.
"Get them! Kill them all!"
Shi Wan waved his hand, and the Wolf Head mercenaries closed in.
At Shi Wan's order, Lao Yao cried frantically, "Didn't you say that if I secretly tipped you off, you'd only take her away and wouldn't kill anyone?"
Furious at his hopeless foolishness, Fire Wolf shouted at him, "Even now, you still believe these wolves with their ravenous ambitions?"
As their enemies charged, the Fire Wolf mercenaries raised their weapons to fight back. Among those who dared venture out on adventures, men like Lao Yao were ultimately few.
Xiao Fan drifted among the mercenaries, easily knocking the Wolf Head mercenaries back with every lift of his hand. He did not even need to draw the Thousand-Flame Spear.
Seeing how effortlessly Xiao Fan fought, Shi Wan felt a bad premonition. He shouted to the Wolf Head mercenaries, "Deal with this brat first! Whoever takes him down, I'll make sure my uncle rewards him!"
Wealth stirred men's hearts. With Shi Wan's promise, several skilled Wolf Head mercenaries surrounded Xiao Fan.
Xiao Fan smiled at the men closing in on him, utterly unconcerned.
They might have caused him some trouble when he was a Dou Zhe, but now he was a two-star Dou Shi!
"Suction Palm!"
"Eight Extremes Collapse!"
With two effortless moves, Xiao Fan disposed of the men surrounding him. He landed, looked at the dumbstruck Shi Wan, and smiled. "Nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs."
"Xiao Fan! You're Xiao Fan!"
Shi Wan suddenly screamed in terror.
At Shi Wan's cry, everyone fighting briefly paused. After a moment, they remembered who Xiao Fan was.
Wasn't he the ruthless man who had killed the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's third commander and was now wanted by them?
Xiao Fan smiled indifferently. "You only recognized me now? Too bad, there's no reward."
With Xiao Fan's intervention, the battle was easily settled.
Xiao Fan tied Shi Wan up and tossed him aside, while the Fire Wolf mercenaries dealt with everyone else.
"Brother Xiao, you really had me fooled."
Fire Wolf walked over and gave Xiao Fan a wry smile.
Xiao Fan blinked innocently at his words. "You never asked, Brother Fire Wolf!"
Fire Wolf shook his head. Who could have imagined that the young man they had once traveled with was the young hero whose name resounded throughout Qingshan Town?
He had thought Xiao Fan was merely a rich family's son out traveling. Now it seemed he was a young genius tempering himself through experience.
The other mercenaries gathered around the two of them. Having suffered constant oppression from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group lately, they greatly admired the man who had killed its third commander.
The young adventurers eagerly competed to speak with Xiao Fan. Even the legendary frenzy of chasing celebrities was no more than this.
Only after a long while did everyone's excitement settle.
Fire Wolf walked over to Lao Yao and said softly, "Lao Yao, we've been friends for half our lives. I won't repeat the group's rules. Do it yourself."
With that, he tossed a blade in front of Lao Yao. Looking at the cheering crowd, Lao Yao's eyes flickered with loneliness and disbelief.
He shouted at Fire Wolf, "You'll regret this! The Wolf Head Mercenary Group's commander is a Dou Shi!"
Then he took his own life right there.
Fire Wolf's steps faltered slightly, but he said nothing.
Seeing everyone's spirits sink, Xiao Fan smiled at Fire Wolf.
"Brother Fire Wolf, don't worry. In two more days, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group will be gone."
At Xiao Fan's words, a flicker of disbelief crossed Fire Wolf's eyes as he looked at him.
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