CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 52 WANTED MAGICAL BEAST

Huang Lingling was in luck; she indeed encountered a Hunter Soldier Team composed of five or six members.

However, these Hunter Soldiers were not ordinary; they were Bounty Hunters.

There are many types of Hunter Soldiers: those who take on tasks from the Hunter Soldier Union; Bounty Hunters who only recognize money and not people; and those who only serve the Royal Nobles or Noble Family’s Noble Hunter Soldiers.

Within a few days, the news of a C-rank Wanted Demon Beast intruding into the Yuewu Mountain Range had spread to the surrounding counties.

The most active among them were the Bounty Hunters. Already, eight or nine nearby Bounty Hunter Teams had entered the Yuewu Mountain Range.

When Huang Lingling arrived, a few people were discussing how to surround and eliminate the Wanted Magical Beast: "This beast seems to be quite difficult to deal with. The latest news says it may be a Fifth Rank Peak Mutated Demon Beast with Wind and Thunder Dual Attributes."

The speaker was the leader of the Bounty Hunters known as "Green Wolf," a bald muscular man.

"Brother, a Fifth Rank Peak Demon Beast, and a mutated one at that, is too powerful. We can’t possibly be a match for it with just the few of us. I also heard that this morning, people from ’Scorpion Tail’ encountered that Wanted Demon Beast. As a result, most of their team was killed or injured, and in the end, they still let that beast escape into the depths of the mountain," the only female warrior in the team said with a worried look.

This Bounty Hunter Team had always been making a living near Qi City; all members in their team were Martial Artists, comprised of four men and one woman, with the majority having the cultivation of Great Martial Masters.

Scorpion Tail was a Bounty Hunter Team of the same level as theirs, but it boasted a Medical Martial Artist who was skilled in using poison.

If even Scorpion Tail suffered such heavy losses, how could Green Wolf fare any better?

"You didn’t get the full information. I spent five silver coins to get firsthand information. Scorpion Tail’s people didn’t kill that Wanted Demon Beast, but that beast also suffered a blow. It got poisoned badly and was forced into a desperate situation, which is why it fled into the depths of the mountain," the bald Hunter Soldier said with greedy eyes.

Because several Hunter Soldier Teams had been killed or injured, the bounty on this beast outside had skyrocketed to two hundred Gold Coins, not to mention the inherent value of the Wanted Demon Beast itself.

A Fifth Rank Peak Demon Beast counts as a mid-level existence among the Demon Beasts on the continent. Its flesh, fur, and most importantly, the rare Mutated Demon Beast Soul Stone, could fetch a good sum of money.

Mutated Demon Beast!

Upon hearing this conversation, Huang Lingling’s heart suddenly skipped a few beats.

"Who’s there!" The bald Hunter Soldier called out alertly.

"Excuse me, is the Mutated Demon Beast you mentioned the one with Wind and Thunder Dual Attributes?" Huang Lingling couldn’t wait to jump out, truly getting what she wanted with no effort. A Mutated Demon Beast had unexpectedly come her way.

Her first Demon Beast Soul Stone was finally within reach.

The Hunter Soldiers thought there were Demon Beasts lurking around and were startled to see a delicate-looking girl emerge from the dark thicket of trees.

In these deep and old forests, a girl was actually alone.

They also noticed that in her hand, she was holding a Magic Wand, except that the Magic Wand had yet to have a Demon Beast Soul Stone embedded in it.

"Little girl, what are you doing here all by yourself?" The only female hunter in the team approached her.

All of them had been making a living on the continent for many years and had a basic level of keen sight.

The clothes on Huang Lingling, although dusty, were made of high-quality materials. The Magic Wand in her hand was made from the Beast Bone of a Demon Beast aged fifty years or more, and her demeanor and speech were suffused with an air of elegance, indicating she came from an extraordinary background.

However, since her family background is not bad, why would she go out alone without any guards? That doesn’t make sense.

But as a noble family’s young master, bounty hunters are very willing to make her acquaintance. Who knows? She may become their employer in the future.

"I’m here for a trial. I need a Wind and Thunder Dual Attribute Demon Beast Soul Stone. The mutated demon beast you just mentioned is what I’m looking for. If I’m not mistaken, you all must be bounty hunters. If you can help me capture that demon beast, I will give you five hundred... no, a thousand gold coins," Huang Lingling declared generously, offering an astronomical amount straight away.

Wow, it turns out Huang Lingling is so rich.

Not far away, perched up in a tree, Yun Sheng was listening and watching from all around, clicking his tongue in amazement.

It’s really frustrating how some people can be so much better off. While I’m still worried about how to afford the travel expenses to Yujing, Huang Lingling just casually offered a hefty bounty.

As night fell, Yun Sheng thought about the many demon beasts in the mountain woods and how it wasn’t safe to light a campfire directly, so she simply climbed a tree. After spreading some Beast Repelling Powder around, she decided to rough it out on the tree for the night.

Little did she know, as soon as she climbed up the tree, she saw Huang Lingling sneaking towards the direction where there was a fire.

Some people just can’t be helped with their foolishness, Yun Sheng cursed internally. She really has no idea of the danger she’s in. What kind of people are bounty hunters?

They are the kind who value money over life. Exposing oneself as carrying a large sum of money in front of such people—no guessing needed for the outcome.

Meanwhile, Huang Lingling was completely unaware that when she mentioned a thousand gold coins, the eyes of the five hunters lit up.

They looked at her as if she was a little white rabbit in their sights.

The five exchanged glances, all understanding each other’s thoughts without words.

To agree to help this young lady—regardless of whether they could catch the demon beast or not—as long as they captured her, they could then threaten her to write to her family demanding a large ransom. The demon beast would be theirs, and so would the ransom money.

An opportunity like this was too good to come by often.

Inside, Huang Lingling was feeling quite pleased with herself. If Uncle Chi wouldn’t help her hunt for the soul stone, she would find someone else to do it. Anyway, he wouldn’t know how she got the soul stone.

"Young lady, you must be hungry. Come have something to eat and warm up. Are you a magician? What’s your name and where do you live? We are headed into the mountains to hunt beasts anyway, so we might as well take you with us," the female mercenary said with a friendly expression, coaxing Huang Lingling to come over and offering her some food.

Huang Lingling took the food and began eating.

That night, Huang Lingling stayed with the female mercenary. The next day, the bounty hunters cleaned up the traces of their campsite and set off deeper into the mountains with Huang Lingling.

After the hunters left, Yun Sheng slid down from the tree.

"Should I follow them or not?" Looking into the seemingly bottomless depths of the mountains, Yun Sheng had a foreboding feeling.

"Little Black, should we follow them or not?" Yun Sheng couldn’t decide and turned to Little Black as a scapegoat. "If we follow, say ’yes’; if not, say ’no’."

Little Black tilted its head, unresponsive for quite a while. (Little Black tears up =0=, I cannot even speak, okay?)

"Silence means consent, so let’s just follow them reluctantly and see," Yun Sheng then followed Little Black, tracing the steps of the hunters into the depths of the mountains.

Once again, Yun Sheng and Huang Lingling forgot the warnings given by Chi Wu and the others.