"Thank you for lending a hand, young brother. My mercenary group was ambushed by Snake-People here. The situation is dire, so please help us-go to Stone Desert City and bring back reinforcements!"
Normally, Xiao Yan would not have wanted to help, but the badge on the mercenary's chest gave him pause.
The badge depicted a great tree, with a bolt of lightning beneath its shade on the left and a ball of flame on the right.
Xiao Yan was no stranger to that design. He and his two older brothers had designed it when he was little, boldly declaring that they would form a mercenary group in the future.
Although this was his first time actually seeing it, it left a particularly deep impression.
"What are your leaders' names?"
Xiao Yan asked calmly. The mercenary froze for a moment before answering, "Our Desert Iron Mercenary Group has two leaders. They're brothers, named Xiao Ding and Xiao Li."
Hearing those two familiar names, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and nodded.
"Come on. Take me to where your mercenary squad was ambushed. By the time you make a round trip to Stone Desert City, they'll probably all be dead. Lead the way."
At Xiao Yan's words, the mercenary immediately shook his head. "Young brother, the Snake-People who ambushed us are no ordinary fighters. They have three Nine-Star Dou Zhe alone. We've only met by chance-I can't let you throw your life away!"
"Which direction?"
Xiao Yan sounded a little impatient. "I wouldn't do this without confidence. A round trip would take far too long. By the time reinforcements arrived, everyone would probably be dead."
Seeing how firmly the youth spoke, the mercenary pointed at a dune behind him despite his lingering doubts. "A few hundred meters that way."
"All right."
Without another word,