Chapter 41: Into the Mountains for the Hunt!
Captain Han—Han Shan—was a two-star Da Dou Shi and the leader of the Qingshan Mercenary Group.
He was one of only three Da Dou Shi currently in Qingshan Town. Yan Hu of the Beast Mercenary Group was a one-star Da Dou Shi, slightly weaker than Han Shan.
At its peak, Qingshan Town had four Da Dou Shi: Lin Shi (five-star, already left), Han Shan (two-star), Yan Hu (one-star), and the one-time-only Da Dou Shi—Mr. Yao.
Fu Bo had said that Yan Hu's strength was about equal to Mr. Yao's… which meant Mr. Yao had declined to the level of a one-time, one-star Da Dou Shi.
"Good day, Mr. Yao. Hello, Uncle Han!"
In the upstairs loft of Wan Yao Zhai, under Mr. Yao's direction, Jiang Lin introduced himself to Han Shan.
Han Shan appeared to be a solid and dependable middle-aged man. He smiled warmly at Jiang Lin and praised the youth for a bit, then turned to Mr. Yao and said, "Mr. Yao, I may leave again for one final mission in a month. After I return, my brothers and I will likely depart. Captain Lin has already established a base in Black Rock City. We just need to rendezvous."
The reason the three most powerful mercenary groups in Qingshan Town were leaving was simple: Lin Shi had already built a stronghold in new territory. It was common for mercenaries to band together for warmth and survival when venturing into the unknown.
Because of that, Jiang Lin's true enemy wasn't the mercenaries, but the blacksmith Peso hiding in the shadows.
Only by forcing Peso into the open could Jiang Lin make a move to eliminate him.
Once the man pulling strings was dead, the Beast Mercenary Group wouldn't care—they'd likely just walk away. Of course, Yan Hu, who held a grudge against Mr. Yao, might still challenge him before leaving. That couldn't be helped. After all, Yan Hu had been a victim of Mr. Yao's "save the dying first" approach.
With that, Jiang Lin's thoughts immediately crystallized—he now knew how to set his trap.
After a brief chat with Han Shan, Jiang Lin returned to the inner courtyard and resumed forging his Black Knight boots. Inspired by the Mystic Armor Puppet Art, he quickly finished adjusting the Light Wind Step technique model and began the forging process.
Moonhowl Wind Wolf magic cores, powdered bones, fangs… purple fire gold ore, soft silver stone...
After half a month, a pair of black battle boots appeared on Jiang Lin's feet. They looked heavy—but were incredibly light.
He was now the complete version of the Black Knight.
Each boot had a Tier 2 wind-element magic core embedded in the heel. With a small pulse of his Dou Qi, Jiang Lin could activate a passive "Lightness" buff, increasing his speed by 30%—a terrifying enhancement!
Of course, his Light Wind Step was already an optimized model—no longer a mere low Yellow-Rank technique. He was also using two high-compatibility "couple core" wind-element magic cores.
The only downside of the Black Knight boots was the battery: the wind cores were single-use and needed to be replaced. But since they used double cores, their endurance was excellent. At full activation, they could sustain a full day of Lightness effect. Jiang Lin, of course, wouldn't keep them running while eating or sleeping, so the usage was more than sufficient.
More importantly, the boots solved a major issue for Jiang Lin—his Explosive Step was hard on shoes and dangerous to his meridians. But now, he had embedded the technique's model into the soles of the boots. By supplying fire-element Dou Qi, he could trigger Explosive Step through the boots—slightly heavier, but far more sustainable.
Even a Da Dou Shi couldn't catch a Jiang Lin who kept spamming Explosive Step. That alone was enough.
Jiang Lin used the remaining time to forge a mid-tier Yellow-Rank black straight sword and made his final preparations. As the Qingshan Mercenary Group prepared to depart on one last mission, Jiang Lin went to speak with Mr. Yao.
"Huh? Where's Xiao Yi Xian? I haven't seen her today." Jiang Lin had planned to tell Mr. Yao he was going into the mountains for an extended trip to lure out the hidden enemy and counterattack. If no one showed up, then he'd just find a lucky target and turn them into his loyal companion.
Since the enemy was in the shadows, Jiang Lin would go dark too. Someone was bound to make the first move.
Now that he understood Mr. Yao's connection with Han Shan, Jiang Lin wasn't worried about Wan Yao Zhai's safety.
Speaking of which, Han Shan's relationship with Yan Hu had a story of its own.
Back when both were still Dou Shi, they had gone on a joint mission to hunt a magical beast. Unexpectedly, they trespassed into the territory of a Tier 3 beast. Han Shan was gravely injured and dragged to safety by his teammates. Yan Hu, however, suffered a "serious wound" and fled on his own. At that time, Mr. Yao didn't have a skilled assistant. He had to choose between saving the barely-breathing Han Shan or checking on Yan Hu's fallen teammate. He chose the former. Han Shan lived; Yan Hu's teammate died.
"She went out to learn herb gathering. After what happened last time, no one else wanted to go, so Xiao Yi Xian volunteered," Mr. Yao said calmly.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed.
"She's never been the danger. You are," Mr. Yao replied evenly, sipping tea. "As long as you protect yourself, that's enough. There's a saying: 'He who holds a sharp weapon will have the heart to kill.' From the beginning, the danger has been you."
"…Mr. Yao, may I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"What if Yan Hu wants to test your strength?"
Mr. Yao gave Jiang Lin a long look and said quietly, "Fu Bo worries too much. If Yan Hu has a grudge, it's with me. If he wants to fight, let him fight. My Dou Qi… is becoming less and less important."
"I understand." Jiang Lin nodded, turned, and headed home to gear up and head into the mountains.
As his figure faded into the distance, Mr. Yao's voice drifted after him:
"The human heart is unpredictable… but I can tell you this—no one at the Da Dou Shi level will make a move against you."
Jiang Lin paused for a second, then silently continued on his way.
Soon after, fully armored and sword in hand, Jiang Lin disappeared from Wan Yao Zhai.
Three days later, when the Beast Mercenary Group realized Jiang Lin hadn't returned in days, they began sending out small scouting teams into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Someone had reported seeing him there.
(END CHAPTER)
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