Chapter 40: First Display of Brilliance

Upon hearing that the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion had been uprooted, the bustling main hall, previously filled with murmurs of dissatisfaction over the interruption, instantly fell into a dead silence, as quiet as a graveyard.

In terms of overall strength, the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion might not match the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps, but that was largely due to the sheer number of members the mercenaries possessed. When it came to high-end combat power, the Pavilion was not inferior in the slightest.

In particular, the master of the Pavilion, Mr. Yao, was a formidable Dou Shi on par with Mu She.

"Speak, what on earth is going on?" Sitting at the head of the table, Mu She gripped his wine cup tightly and asked with a calm expression.

As the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps, aside from his own formidable strength, Mu Li also possessed a sharp mind; otherwise, he would never have been able to develop the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps into one of the three major mercenary factions in Qingshan Town.

"It is... the Little Fairy Doctor..." Trembling, Mu Li recounted the intelligence he had gathered piece by piece. "Right now, Mr. Yao has suffered heavy injuries, his life or death is unknown, and the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion has also suffered a devastating blow. I expect that the Little Fairy Doctor and that mysterious youth will be coming after us very soon."

"Ugh... How horrific..." Hearing of the tragic fate that befell Mr. Yao and the numerous guards of the Pavilion, everyone present, except for Mu She, muttered in astonishment, instinctively covering their lower regions and rears.

"Poison strong enough to bring down a Dou Shi?" Listening to Mu Li's narration, Mu She frowned. After a moment, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter, "Ha, ha..."

"Father, how can you still laugh at a time like this? The Little Fairy Doctor was locked up by Mr. Yao, and everyone knows I was the one who sent people to spread those rumors. In no time at all, they will definitely come for revenge!" Swallowing hard, Mu Li's voice trembled with fear.

He was still young; he had no wish to have his family line cut off, nor did he want to suffer such a crippling and humiliating injury.

"What are you panicking for? Don't you all realize this is a golden opportunity for our Wolf Head Mercenary Corps to unify Qingshan Town?" Mu She swept his gaze across the hall with a smile, laughing cunningly, "Now that Mr. Yao has suffered severe injuries, the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion is practically defenseless. As long as we annex the Pavilion, the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps will leap to become the most powerful faction in Qingshan Town. Once that happens, we can take the opportunity to swallow up the other two major mercenary factions in one fell swoop. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Hearing these words, the eyes of everyone present lit up, every gaze gleaming with greed. The temptation of unifying Qingshan Town was undoubtedly enormous; by then, wealth and beautiful women would be theirs for the taking.

Of course, there were still level-headed individuals among them. The Second Leader, Gan Mu, cupped his fists toward Mu She and said, "Boss, what about the Little Fairy Doctor and that mysterious youth? After all, the Little Fairy Doctor was framed by Mu Li. Since the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion has met such a miserable end, our Wolf Head Mercenary Corps cannot hope to escape unscathed."

Mu She gave a slight nod and said, "What you say makes sense, but there is no need to worry excessively. Judging from the fact that the brat didn't make a move when facing Mr. Yao and instead chose to use poison, his strength surely hasn't reached the Dou Shi level. The ones he dealt with previously were all Dou Zhe below the five-star level. As long as we guard against his poison, we can execute him in one blow."

"The leader is wise." Hearing this, excitement washed over the entire hall.

Just as the people in the hall were immersed in the joy of the impending unification of Qingshan Town, a mercenary rushed in from outside in a panic, shouting, "The three leaders, this is bad! A youth wielding a bizarre purple longsword has fought his way in from outside!"

"What?" Hearing this, uproar broke out across the hall. In the minds of everyone present, the figure of the mysterious youth who had turned the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion upside down instantly flashed into view.

Mu She was also slightly startled by the news, but a cold smile quickly surfaced on his face. He asked, "How many people did he bring? Is the Little Fairy Doctor by his side?"

"I didn't see the Little Fairy Doctor. He came entirely alone," the mercenary replied, shaking his head in terror.

"Alone?" Mu She was momentarily stunned, followed by a surge of wild joy. He laughed heartily, "Truly, there is a road to heaven which you refuse to take, and there is no door to hell yet you force your way in. Second brother, third brother, grab your weapons and bring the brothers with me! Remember to watch out for his poisons."

"Understood, Leader!" Licking their lips, the people in the hall felt as though they could already see the dawn of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps uniting Qingshan Town.

The group walked out of the main hall and arrived at the entrance of their encampment. There, clad in a black robe, a youth stood with a faint smile. Beneath his feet stepped two mercenaries who had been assigned to guard the gate, while nearby lay dozens of mercenaries groaning in agony with blood pooling around their crotches.

"Yo, you must be Mu She, the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps, right? Long time no-see, long time no-see. I am Xiao Huohuo. Your son Mu Li offended my friend, the Little Fairy Doctor. Today, I'm here to settle the score on her behalf. If you know what's good for you, hand Mu Li over so I can give him a thorough beating, and I'll take my leave." Scanning the rapidly approaching mercenaries with an utterly harmless expression, the youth finally let his gaze rest on the one-eyed, bearded middle-aged man at the very front, casually swinging his sword with a smile.

"Humph! Impudent boasting! Xiao Huohuo, today is your death anniversary!" Glaring at the disabled mercenaries littering the ground, Mu She's mouth twitched. He pointed a finger at the youth and snorted coldly.

Hearing the other party call him out by name, Mu Li, standing nearby, was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. Trembling, he shrank back behind Mu She.

The youth remained entirely unbothered by Mu She's threat, casting a sideways glance at the guilty-looking Mu Li with eyes full of mockery.

Seeing Xiao Se act with such arrogance, Mu She laughed out of extreme anger. A flash of dark light flickered across his storage ring, and a large saber appeared in his hand. Just as he was about to make a move, Hao Meng's voice rang out from behind him.

"Hehe, Boss, why use a cleaver to slaughter a chicken? Leave this brat to me; it's just the right time for me to loosen up my joints."

"Hmm, be careful. This brat is a bit unorthodox; watch out for his poison and leg techniques." Hao Meng had broken through to the eight-star Dou Zhe level not long ago. Among the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps, aside from Mu She and Gan Mu, his strength was second to none. Coupled with the fact that he practiced an earth-attribute cultivation method boasting the strongest defense among Dou Qi arts, even Mu She would have to exert considerable effort to take him down.

"Hehe, Boss, just watch me. My belly is thick enough to shield my lower regions; no matter how cunning that brat is, he'll never break through my defense." Hao Meng chuckled, shaking the thick layers of fat on his body as he slowly advanced toward Xiao Se.

Looking at the sword-wielding youth before him, Hao Meng licked his greasy lips, murderous intent flashing nakedly in his eyes. He smiled sinisterly, "Brat, your name is Xiao Huohuo, right? Tomorrow is your memorial day next year. Remember this big man's name: Hao Meng, the Third Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps."

With that, Hao Meng clenched his iron fists, faint earthy-yellow Dou Qi covering his skin. The bones in his hands cracked and popped like firecrackers. Then, stamping heavily on the ground, he charged furiously toward Xiao Se like a giant tank.

Observing the charging, reckless Hao Meng, Xiao Se's lips curled upward. Now, he could confirm it: this fat man before him was, just as Mu She had described in the original story, an absolute idiot.

Swinging his magic sword, a pale yellow Dou Qi coated the surface of the blade, which then transformed into a dazzling purple sword radiance. Carrying a fierce, whistling wind, he rapidly swept toward Hao Meng.

*Clang!*

The two figures, one fat and one thin, crossed paths. A piercing sword cry pierced the sky, accompanied by a streak of purple sword light flashing past Hao Meng's neck.

*Splat.* Blood spattered wildly as a massive head was sent flying high into the air, tracing an arc before crashing heavily down right in front of Mu She and the others.

With a single sword strike, Hao Meng, an eight-star Dou Zhe, was dead.

*(Note: Prior to publication, the series maintained two chapters a day, with occasional bonus chapters. Following publication, we will maintain a daily output of over ten thousand words for more than a week, with a minimum of three chapters per day thereafter.)*

*(End of Chapter)*