Chapter 8

"Daughter, I'm going to the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge in a while, so don't wait for me for lunch." In the small house, Jiang Han, who was eating his meal, suddenly looked up and said to his mother sitting opposite him.

"Oh, okay." Jiang's mother smiled and nodded, her expression unchanged. Only when Jiang Han lowered his head to continue eating did a look of worry and pain appear on her face.

Jiang's mother knew the dangers of the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge, but she understood that she couldn't hinder Jiang Han, so she could only bury her worries deep in her heart.

If... if the family were wealthy, Xiaohan wouldn't have to work so hard. But... a flash of sorrow crossed Jiang's mother's eyes, but she quickly composed herself, not wanting Jiang Han to see.

"I'm full." Jiang Han stood up, patted his stomach, and took his weapon before heading out, saying, "I need to go and meet up with the team."

"Be careful." Jiang's mother looked at Jiang Han's back and repeated the words she had said countless times.

"Okay, I know." Jiang Han waved and ran off.

...

"Hey, don't miss out! The spirit fruits from the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge, eat one, and you'll live longer..."

"Everyone, come and look! Clothes made from monster fur, not just anywhere you can buy them!"

"Brother, come and take a look, these..."

Walking down the street, listening to the continuous cries of vendors, Jiang Han felt as if he had returned to the markets of Earth, a warm feeling rising in his heart.

"It seems that even in different worlds, there are many similarities." Jiang Han sighed inwardly, but his steps did not stop as he walked in a certain direction.

Soon, Jiang Han arrived in front of a tavern, the agreed meeting place for the team, which had never changed.

"Adventurer's Tavern."

Jiang Han looked up at the large signboard and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the tavern, the deafening noise filled his ears. He frowned, and after practicing the Ice Soul Technique, he instinctively felt a repulsion towards such a noisy environment.

The tavern was crowded, mostly with adventurers, gathered in groups of three or five, talking and laughing loudly.

Jiang Han looked around but did not see the team members. There were too many people, blocking his view.

"Xiaohan!"

A loud shout reached his ears, and Jiang Han turned to walk in the direction of the voice, recognizing it as Lu Baichuan's.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a force neither light nor heavy hit him, making him stagger back several steps.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Han looked up, frowned, and saw the person who had bumped into him. But before he could speak, the person kept apologizing and brushed past him. Jiang Han turned his head and stared at the person's back. The person was wrapped in a large black robe, his face hidden, and his voice was hoarse.

This attire was not unusual, as many people did not want to be recognized, but for some reason, he felt something was off about the person. However, upon closer inspection, he found nothing wrong.

"Strange." Jiang Han muttered, suppressing the odd feeling in his heart and walked towards the group.

"Xiaohan, you're late, you need to drink a few cups as punishment!" Wei Yifei was the first to speak, raising a cup and handing it to Jiang Han. The others also laughed and agreed.

"Free drinks, ha, I love it!" Jiang Han took the cup and drank it in one go, the fiery sensation making him smack his lips.

"Good! Manly enough!" Wei Yifei gave a thumbs up.

"Small matter, small matter." Jiang Han tried to look bold, but on his young face, it looked ridiculous.

"Ha ha ha..." Everyone laughed.

"Alright, alright, since everyone is here, let's discuss the mission." Lu Baichuan said with a smile.

Everyone immediately quieted down, their eyes on Lu Baichuan, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Baichuan nodded and said, "This mission is not difficult, but it's not easy either. The target is the Blood Orchid!"

"Everyone should know that almost all spirit herbs have their own guardian monsters." Wei Yifei continued, looking at everyone, "The Blood Orchid is no exception. If there are no surprises, its guardian monster is a snake-type monster."

"Snake-type? These monsters are tough to deal with, their toxins and defenses are significant problems." Someone frowned and spoke.

"It is troublesome, but the reward is also good." Lu Baichuan said.

"How much is the reward?" Another person asked.

"5000 gold coins."

Everyone fell silent, looking at each other. After a moment, someone hesitantly said, "With such a high reward, the guardian monster must not be simple, right?"

"Not quite sure, but according to the employer, the guardian monster is just a Level 2 monster." Lu Baichuan said, but his voice was uncertain. After all, 5000 gold coins was a large sum, but if it was just a Level 2 monster, it seemed too easy.

"Hey, why think so much? We've already taken the mission, we can't back out! That would affect our reputation!" A large man, not inferior to Lu Baichuan in build, suddenly slapped the table and spoke.

"Brother Jian is right! No matter what, we should at least check it out. If it's not a Level 2 monster, we can come back, and it won't be our responsibility." Another person agreed.

"Right... wrong! Blind Man, I warn you not to call me Brother Jian!!" Shi Jian was about to nod but suddenly remembered something and roared.

"Yes, Brother Jian, I'm wrong, Brother Jian, calm down." The person called Blind Man laughed, not caring. In fact, Blind Man was only blind in one eye, injured by a monster, but everyone was used to calling him that.

"Do you want me to make you truly blind?!" Shi Jian glared at him fiercely.

"That would be too much to thank Brother Jian!" Blind Man took a sip of wine and said leisurely.

"You..." Realizing he couldn't argue with Blind Man, Shi Jian could only glare at him and take a few swigs from the wine jug.

However, after the two of them caused a commotion, everyone, though still worried about the mission, felt much more relaxed.

Jiang Han smiled faintly, occasionally sipping wine. The cold liquid flowed down his throat, burning his stomach.

"By the way, who ambushed us before?" Jiang Han asked casually.

The sound was not loud, but everyone immediately fell silent, their faces turning grim, anger and pain in their eyes.

"It was the Wild Wolf Team." After a long silence, Lu Baichuan slowly spoke, his voice calm, but Jiang Han could hear the suppressed anger.

"Hmm." Jiang Han nodded lightly and did not speak again.

For a moment, everyone was silent, only the laughter and talk of other adventurers could be heard.

Once... those two fallen teammates should have been among those laughing and talking loudly!

"Damn it, I will make the Wild Wolf pay!" After a long time, Shi Jian slammed the table.

"Yes!" Lu Baichuan took a deep breath and nodded fiercely.

"Hey, isn't this the Dawn Team? What did I just hear... you saying you'll make us pay?" A light laugh came from the side, and everyone turned their heads.

Jiang Han's eyes narrowed, looking at the speaker. He saw a thin face, narrow eyes flashing with malice, and his memory was triggered, his gaze becoming hazy.

"Someone ambushed us..." A muscular man looked in disbelief at the knife protruding from his chest, blood gushing out, and shouted his last words.

"Thud!" The clear sound of the knife entering flesh made Jiang Han's whole body tremble. The tall figure in front of him slowly fell, turned his head to look at Jiang Han, and gave a helpless smile.

"Xiaohan... live on!"

"Live on..."

Jiang Han's eyes were unfocused, his mind echoing the kind uncle's last words as he shielded him from the fatal blow, and the look of longing for life.

"Uncle Shan..."

Coming out of his memories, the thin man in front of him slowly overlapped with the person who killed Uncle Shan in his memory.

"It's you!" Jiang Han's eyes flashed with coldness, and he spoke softly, "I will kill you."

"Huh?" The man was taken aback, his gaze on Jiang Han, frowning, but quickly remembered something, his frown smoothing out, and a mocking smile appeared, "So it's you, you didn't die, you have quite a bit of luck. What, want to kill me? Fine, I'll be waiting for you in the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge!"

Jiang Han's gaze flickered, his right hand slowly clenched, a faint blue light flashed, but quickly disappeared, unnoticed by anyone.

"Don't worry, I will." Suppressing the surging killing intent in his heart, Jiang Han took a deep breath and calmed down.

The thin man sneered, not taking Jiang Han seriously.

"Go to hell, you're just a bunch of wild dogs. I tell you, we, the Dawn Team, will never stop until you're all dead!" Shi Jian, with his short temper, cursed loudly.

"What are you barking about? If you have the guts, do something now." The thin man said with disdain.

"You damn want to die!" Shi Jian stepped forward.

"Don't be impulsive, he's trying to provoke you." Lu Baichuan's heart was also filled with killing intent, but he had to hold back. Fighting in the city was not allowed, or they would face severe punishment.

Shi Jian understood, though he was rough, he wasn't stupid, so he grunted and glared at the thin man, stepping back.

Seeing Shi Jian step back, the thin man's eyes flashed with disappointment. He indeed wanted to provoke the Dawn Team to attack, so he could eliminate them without a fight.

In fact, he was wary of the Dawn Team. The Wild Wolf's overall strength was not as strong as the Dawn Team. That day, they ambushed them, and the Dawn Team had just dealt with a Level 3 monster, leaving them weakened, which allowed them to kill two of them.

"Don't bark if you're not brave enough." The thin man taunted again.

The Dawn Team members were all holding their breath, their eyes blazing with anger, seeing their enemies in front of them but unable to take revenge, the frustration was evident.

The thin man saw that the Dawn Team members, though angry, showed no signs of attacking, so he shrugged and turned to leave.

Just then, a faint voice reached his ears, making him stop in his tracks.

"Idiot, you seem pretty cocky? Come on, I'll let you use both hands and both feet, and I'll still beat you, believe it or not?"