"Alright, since Brother Lin has already arranged his accommodation, I won't stay any longer. Remember to gather after noon, and also..."
Zhang Ding leaned closer to Lin Sheng, lowering his voice slightly, and spoke slowly.
"Brother Lin, you need to be careful of that Ma Qiang later. Although he hasn't entered the Body Tempering Realm yet, he's close, so he's quite arrogant usually. Now that he's suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Brother Lin, given his petty nature, he'll likely hold a grudge against you.
Although he's not much himself, he has a good elder brother behind him who is the captain of the third squad of the Hunting Beast Hall. His strength is also at the Forging Tendons Minor Accomplishment stage, even slightly stronger than Team Leader Wang. Of course, Brother Lin doesn't need to worry too much. This is the Hunting Beast Hall; the other party won't and doesn't dare to do anything serious. Just be careful."
After giving a few instructions, Zhang Ding turned and left, leaving only Lin Sheng lost in thought.
"Ma Qiang..."
After a long while, he finally raised his head, lightly chewing the name in his mouth, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face.
"Phew, I haven't even officially started and I've already gotten into trouble again. How can there be so many good elder brothers in this world..."
He gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly.
In the County Town, Liu Ergou has a good elder brother in the Forging Tendons Realm, and now in this Hunting Beast Hall, there's another good elder brother in the Forging Tendons Realm.
Recalling his previous life of more than a decade, it seemed he hadn't stirred up as much trouble as he had in these three months since he arrived.
But thinking about it carefully, how could these troubles be ones he willingly provoked?
He just wanted to live a good life, steadily and safely growing stronger. How could so many troubles come knocking?
"Cultivation is all about struggle. Unless one is willing to bow their head and be subservient, letting others manipulate them, they will inevitably attract trouble..."
Lin Sheng whispered softly.
"Even if I don't actively seek trouble, trouble will always find me. Since it's unavoidable, I can only resolve it..."
Although Zhang Ding said when he left that even if the other party held a grudge against him in the Hunting Beast Hall, they wouldn't do anything.
But what about outside the Hunting Beast Hall?
He was never someone who believed in beauty or human nature. On the contrary, in a world like this, being too careful and cautious was not excessive.
"Phew... It seems I need to increase my strength as soon as possible. By then, even if the other party truly has some petty schemes, I'll be able to handle them."
Shaking his head, he cast aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind, adjusted his mindset, and prepared for the official trip into the mountains in the afternoon.
From Zhang Ding's words, he had gained a certain understanding of the Hunting Beast Hall.
The Hunting Beast Hall has a total of less than two hundred people, divided into nine squads.
Each squad has about twenty to thirty people. The captains are all masters who have entered the Forging Tendons Realm. Among the other members, there are at least five or more Body Tempering Martial Artists, and the rest are quasi-Martial Artists who have mastered the basics of the Raging Bull Fist.
Above the nine squads are one main Tang Zhu and two deputy Tang Zhus, all genuine Forging Tendons Completion masters. Tian Hu is one of the two deputy Tang Zhus. This is the composition of the Hunting Beast Hall's strength.
After eating a simple lunch outside, it was almost noon, so Lin Sheng walked to the gathering point.
At this time, there were already quite a few people at the gathering point. Zhang Ding was clearly among them, standing at the front of the line with five other men. It was evident that these six were the Body Tempering Martial Artists of the Ninth Squad.
After nodding towards them, Lin Sheng consciously walked to the back of the line.
Soon, people started coming in one after another. Ma Qiang also walked in slowly, holding his chin. When he saw Lin Sheng in the line, his face immediately darkened. In the end, he just stared at him coldly for a couple of seconds before standing on the other side.
After waiting for a moment longer, the sturdy figure of Wang Sanyang walked in with confident strides.
His gaze fell upon everyone, and then he spoke.
"Since everyone is here, I'll brief you on this mission. Our target this time is a group of Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger). According to intelligence, there should be around twenty of them..."
Wang Sanyang explained the mission details to everyone. When the people below heard the name Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger), their expressions relaxed slightly.
"Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger)? What's that?"
Lin Sheng was a bit confused. Strictly speaking, it was the first time he had heard this name, but judging from everyone's reaction, it shouldn't be a formidable creature. This mission likely wouldn't be very difficult.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's get ready to depart."
Before long, after Wang Sanyang finished his instructions, he turned and left, and the crowd followed behind him.
...
Yangping Mountain.
Creak, the standard simple black riding boots stepped on the ground. The scattered rotten branches instantly snapped, emitting faint crisp sounds.
"I didn't expect this mission to be Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger). Brother Lin, this is your first time going up the mountain, and your luck is quite good."
Zhang Ding walked in front, a relaxed expression on his face. Behind him were Egret and three other hunters.
As for the others, they were also spread out not far away in groups of five.
"Zhang Ge, I wonder what kind of beast this Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger) is?"
Lin Sheng also took the opportunity to ask the question in his heart.
After all, he still didn't know what this Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger) was exactly. Now that they were on the mountain, he naturally needed to learn more.
"You don't know Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger)?"
Zhang Ding was startled for a moment, but quickly reacted, patted his head, and said with a smile.
"I forgot, Brother Lin, you were working in the Slaughterhouse before. The Slaughterhouse is full of captive livestock like Rock Sheep and hairless pigs. It's normal not to know about this thing."
"This Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger) is a somewhat special badger-like beast. Its body is slightly smaller than a Rock Sheep, it has two horns on its head, and it's quite fast. It's quite timid and not very threatening, easier to deal with than most fierce beasts in the mountains. However, its value is indeed much higher than a Rock Sheep. After all, that layer of soft and smooth fur on its body is excellent material for winter clothing for the young ladies of wealthy families in the city. The market price for a complete badger hide is around fifteen silver taels."
"Fifteen silver taels!?"
Hearing this number, Lin Sheng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
But the hide of one Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger) was worth more than his wages from skinning for over a year in the Slaughterhouse.
The value of the wild beasts in Yangping Mountain was truly beyond imagination.
Seemingly noticing the surprise on Lin Sheng's face, Zhang Ding smiled slightly and said again.
"What, did that scare you? Brother Lin, do you know why our Zhenshan Tower can become one of the few major powers in Lin'an County?"
Seeing that Zhang Ding was deliberately keeping him in suspense, Lin Sheng also cooperated well.
"Could it be because of Yangping Mountain!?"
"Exactly! This Yangping Mountain is a crucial point." Zhang Ding seemed to enjoy this feeling of lecturing, and coupled with his talkative nature, he kept talking as they walked.
As for the three old men behind him, they had an expression of seeing it all before. It was clear this situation wasn't something they had seen just once or twice.
"That's our Zhenshan Tower's Old Tang Zhu Ouyang. Not only is his strength outstanding, but his vision is also unique. Fifty years ago, he spent a large sum of money to incorporate the operating rights of Yangping Mountain into our Zhenshan Tower."
"There are many strange beasts in Yangping Mountain. This Yangjiao Huan (ram-horned badger) is just a common creature among them. I remember more than half a year ago, the three Tang Zhus of the Hunting Beast Hall went into the mountains and caught a Crimson Belly Spirit Snake. That was a genuine Spirit Beast! It caused quite a stir in the County Town."
