CHAPTER 66: THE JIANG HU IS A BRUTAL PLACE

"The first thing I saw there was an overwhelming amount of fog and countless balls of light floating in the air within the fog."

"Oh hell no, why is there fog again..." Han Xuhan muttered despondently, remembering the gloomy air of their sect. Mu Ran helplessly ignored the jibe.

"For some reason, the fog gave off a dangerous impression. So I didn’t get close to it and waited for the two of you to come over.

"Had I known that the situation on your side was so dire, I would have rushed here to help. After all, you’re so weak. It must’ve been quite difficult to defeat someone two layers above you in terms of cultivation level."

"Two layers?! He was highly proficient in two whole paths of cultivation! He was a real dual cultivator!"

"...Ah, must’ve been slightly more difficult than I thought. But you don’t have to be so cocky about surviving till I came back, right?" Mu Ran said disdainfully. Han Xuhan was too lazy to argue.

Mu Ran was used to beating up opponents much stronger than himself in terms of cultivation level. It made sense that he didn’t think of the victory as something to be impressed with. Besides, he seemed to be under the impression that it was his appearance that had made Shen Kai escape.

"Anyway, since it’s not a trap, how about we return and investigate properly?"

Han Xuhan wasn’t totally unwilling to dive into the portal, since the Quest would make him go there anyway.

But the fact remained that he was being forced to battle the hazards Mu Ran kept dragging him into. Something had to be done about this phenomenon, or he’d not be able to attain peace of mind.

"Boss, since it’s not a trap, that means it might be something the demonic cultivators don’t want others to find out. In that case, they wouldn’t leave the entrance out in the open so conspicuously, right? Did you really discover it the way you described earlier?"

Han Xuhan’s tone was quite casual, but the suspicious undertone in his voice didn’t escape Mu Ran’s notice.

Mu Ran suddenly looked rather awkward. Avoiding Han Xuhan’s gaze, he stuttered and tried to come up with a more believable reply.

But Han Xuhan interrupted him as soon as he opened his mouth, striking the iron while it was hot.

"You know, I think we should really return to the sect and report this to the authority. After all, Shen Kai alone almost killed me, and he’s definitely not the only demonic cultivator around.

"I can’t see any point in risking my life just because you want to go inside that portal that leads to some godforsaken hidden realm. You admitted it yourself that it seemed dangerous. Surely, an elder from the sect would be a much better investigator, since the hazards involved here are so powerful."

"Now hold up, Underling Xuhan. I’m confident that I can protect us both–"

"I don’t recall you fighting Shen Kai, though. But I certainly recall that the sect’s information about this mission described the danger level as pretty low, whereas the first enemy we’ve faced is far beyond that limit."

The more he stressed his stand, the guiltier Mu Ran’s countenance became.

"Shen Kai is obviously not alone, and he is obviously not the leader. So how can we tackle a mission so dangerous by ourselves? Impossible!"

Mu Ran finally let out a resolute sigh. There seemed to be a lot that he wanted to tell Han Xuhan, but in the end, he decided against speaking.

He couldn’t find any faults in his underling’s logic either. Han Xuhan was an out-and-out weakling. He had saved his neck from Shen Kai’s dagger by relying on luck. But the next incident may not lead to such a good ending for either of them.

A bizarre expression took shape on his face slowly.

"Fine, Han Xuhan." He spoke in a low tone. Han Xuhan was a little weirded out by the shift in his speaking style. Mu Ran had never called him by his full name since getting acquainted.

"How about this? Let’s make a deal. You won’t report the incident of me going down the portal to the sect. In return, I’ll share ten percent of anything valuable I find in there or the equivalent worth in spirit stones. You don’t even have to go in, just wait outside."

Han Xuhan rejoiced inside. This was just what he had been aiming for!

Mu Ran was finally starting to think on the same wavelength as him! He mentally gave himself a fist-bump and threw the bait he had been preparing for so long.

"Boss, I’ve just realized that I was being a bit unreasonable."

"...Huh?"

Mu Ran blinked, caught off guard.

What’s going on? Did his weak hypnosis technique evolve into something more powerful? The target wasn’t supposed to agree to his proposal so fast!

"It’s clear as a day that you have some secret information that you’re unwilling to share." Han Xuhan dropped another bomb on him without giving him time to think.

"I have great trust in you, boss. I believe that if you’re unwilling to share something, it’s none of my concern anyway. But it’s clearly making you desperate enough to rush into such a terrible place.

"How can I, as your confidante, let you brave the danger here alone? How can I face myself when I just lectured you about the power of unity?!

"Like I’ve said before, apes together, apes strong! For the sake of being a good friend, for the sake of keeping true to my words, I’ll accompany you despite the risks!"

Taken aback at first, Mu Ran slowly let out a grin and agreed, "Indeed, underling. I too, was mistaken. Apes together, apes strong!"

Under the dim moonlight, he saw his own predatory smile being perfectly replicated on Han Xuhan’s face.

Mu Ran couldn’t help but marvel at the newfound effectiveness of this hypnotic power of his. But then... He heard Han Xuhan speak again.

"So, to make things fair for me, how about we split the share of our findings based on our contribution during the exploration? And if I really don’t manage to contribute much, we can follow your offer just now. Twenty percent, wasn’t it?"

Mu Ran nearly lost his balance from the shock.

So it wasn’t his hypnosis affecting Han Xuhan!

It was his underling’s greed!

This Jiang hu was indeed a brutal place...