Chapter 40: Changing Bases!
Early the next morning, Jiang Lin bid farewell to the Xiao Clan and began his journey back to Qingshan Town.
As they passed through the canyon where they had been previously ambushed, Jiang Lin—resting inside the carriage—once again sensed a gaze from afar. However, this time there was no killing intent. Clearly, it was other mercenaries surveying the area.
After a few bumpy days of travel, Jiang Lin finally returned to Qingshan Town. The first thing he did was deliver some sweets he had bought in Wutan City to Xiao Yi Xian. Then, quietly, he returned to his little cabin in the rear courtyard. Fu Bo went to report their journey's events to Mr. Yao, who, upon hearing it, gave no particular response.
That night, Jiang Lin put on his full Black Knight armor, donned his helmet, slung his greatsword over his back, and brought a bag of supplies with him as he slipped away from Wan Yao Zhai under the cover of darkness.
Somewhere deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a black figure emerged from a tunnel into a hidden valley. There, amidst peach trees that had regrown after a fire, the forest had regained its vitality. Jiang Lin paused, dazed.
He had returned—to the place where he'd nearly starved to death.
Shaking his head, Jiang Lin pushed away those memories and cleared a patch of land in the peach grove. He then placed the materials he'd brought for crafting the Mystic Armor Puppet inside a cave and sealed it with stones.
After finishing, Jiang Lin glanced around the valley once more, shook his head again, and quietly exited through the tunnel.
On the way back from the mountains, Jiang Lin's figure melted seamlessly into the night. His entire body reflected no moonlight—he was like a silent night assassin. Just as he was about to descend the mountain, he spotted a flickering firelight in the distance.
After adjusting his breathing, Jiang Lin stealthily moved toward the fire.
Thanks to his superhuman sensory perception, he moved through the dark effortlessly, like a fish in water, undetected.
Still, Jiang Lin didn't get too close. He found a high vantage point instead, using his peripheral vision to survey those around the campfire.
His sharp eyes picked out a few familiar faces—Mu Li and Mu She. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
At their wild campsite, the flames cast a flickering light on Mu She's face, alternating between light and shadow.
Beside them lay the corpses of several magical beasts. Some members were roasting beast meat over the fire.
"Father… that Jiang Lin doesn't seem like an ordinary character. Are we really going to go all the way with this?" Mu Li asked, suddenly appearing quite obedient in front of his father.
Mu She was silent for a moment, his cold gaze sweeping around before he spoke slowly, "That brat may have inherited a Xuan-rank blacksmith's legacy. Otherwise, his skills wouldn't have advanced so quickly. Master Peso has already investigated him—first probing Mr. Yao's strength, then gauging the strength of that kid's allies. It's time to wrap things up."
He looked deep into his son's eyes. "Remember this: as mercenaries, we often don't get to choose. The moment we accept a task, we step onto a path where even our worth is already priced."
"Master Peso promised us a High Yellow-Rank battle weapon. If the Wolf Head Mercenary Group wants to grow stronger, that weapon is essential. Even if I die in the process, you'll still have that weapon to lead the group to greater heights."
"Father…" Mu Li stared blankly at his father, stunned by how different he seemed tonight.
"Eat up. Tomorrow morning we need to deliver these beast materials to the Beast Mercenary Group," Mu She said, handing his son a piece of grilled meat.
…
In the darkness, Jiang Lin silently retreated. He didn't step on a single twig—his sensory perception was so sharp it worked like radar: within three meters, he had a perfect map; within ten meters, a rough image.
He'd always thought this hyper-perception was some innate superpower. But judging by Mr. Yao's earlier hints—damn it—it might actually be something inherited from his mother?
"Wan Yao Zhai already has one fading old master, and now a rising junior with draining Dou Qi. This household's about to fall apart…"
The Beast Mercenary Group was a maxed-level party preparing to leave the newbie village. Aside from their Da Dou Shi leader, they had several elite Dou Shi—each stronger than Mu She.
Due to how mercenary groups worked, when one reached its peak and prepared to move into the wider world, it attracted powerful warriors from the region. But this caused local strength to collapse quickly afterward. In recent decades, Qingshan Town had twice seen the peak of its power—first with Lionheart and Qingshan Mercenary Groups, then Qingshan and Beast. Lionheart had already left years ago. Qingshan was preparing to go. If the Beast group also left, Qingshan Town would enter its weakest era: no Da Dou Shi, no elite Dou Shi… just a bunch of petty Dou Zhe acting like kings.
"They're using a High Yellow-Rank weapon as a bargaining chip? The ones I can make at that level require embedded construction—multi-part assemblies to surpass normal limits. They're extremely difficult to forge, and even if I could do it easily, I wouldn't just throw one out casually."
Unless Jiang Lin reached Da Dou Shi level himself, he wouldn't risk letting such dangerous weapons circulate. He planned to stay in the Magical Beast Mountain Range long-term—he didn't want chaos. After all, the bullet you shoot today might hit you or someone you care about tomorrow.
And once a mistake is made, it snowballs. The opposition already held the advantage. Since both the Beast and Wolf Head Mercenary Groups had plotted against Jiang Lin, mercenary logic meant that if the stakes were equal, they'd side with the party posing less risk—the one not holding grudges.
And so, a plan began to take shape in Jiang Lin's mind.
In the following days, he acted like nature's porter, transporting many valuable materials he'd collected over the years to Peach Blossom Valley. The place was remote, sound couldn't travel beyond it, and magical beasts avoided it. Jiang Lin didn't know why before, but he now suspected that the valley might be protected by a formation.
A few days later, just as Jiang Lin was starting to forge the boots for his Black Knight armor, he was interrupted by Xiao Yi Xian:
"Linzi, Mr. Yao says he wants you to meet Captain Han."
(END CHAPTER)
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 31st, get 25% off both your subscription and the purchase of your novel. Thank you for your support.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1