"Stop spouting nonsense. I asked Young Master Mu to stay to help us deal with the Earth Violent Bear!" Wu Mengzhi said. Wu Mengyan glanced at her sister, wanting to say something else, but Wu Mengzhi said bluntly, "That's enough, say no more. It's getting dark, go look for some dry wood and prepare to build a fire!"
Not long after, Mu Yunfeng returned carrying several pieces of avian game. Seeing him return with the prey, Wu Mengzhi and Wu Mengyan quickly went up to help. After preparing the kill, Mu Yunfeng began to roast the meat, while the two sisters sat nearby chatting in low voices.
Once they were full, Mu Yunfeng asked, "Miss Wu, can we go now?" "Where would we go at this late hour?" Wu Mengzhi retorted. "Didn't you want to hunt the Earth Violent Bear?" Mu Yunfeng followed up. At this, Wu Mengyan spoke up, "There are only three of us, wouldn't that be throwing our lives away?" Wu Mengzhi then added, "Let's just rest here tonight and wait until tomorrow to find some more people from a mercenary group to cooperate with."
Mu Yunfeng didn't say anything more after hearing this. Even if he told them how strong he was, they wouldn't believe him anyway, so he decided to just let tomorrow prove it. He then went off on his own to start cultivating.
Later, the Wu sisters brought out two simple tents. After setting them up, Wu Mengzhi said, "Young Master Mu, you should go inside a tent to cultivate. Although we cultivators don't fear the cold, it will be more comfortable inside. My sister and I will share one tent." Before Mu Yunfeng could decline, Wu Mengzhi had already ducked into her sister's tent.
Mu Yunfeng looked at the empty tent before him and went inside. A faint, fresh fragrance greeted him, and he realized it must be from a girl's belongings. This reminded him of Mu Lingshuang, and he wondered how Ling'er was doing. As he pondered, an image of Wu Mengzhi naked appeared in his mind, and he suddenly felt his blood boiling. He hurriedly stopped these thoughts and quickly entered a state of cultivation.
Not a single demon beast disturbed them throughout the night. Just as dawn was breaking, a desperate cry for help woke the group from their cultivation. Mu Yunfeng and the Wu sisters hurried outside their tents. They saw a fat man running towards them, screaming for help, with a third-rank demon beast—a Lion-Ox Beast—chasing behind him. The creature had the body of a lion, four ox hooves for feet, and two ox horns on its head.
In the blink of an eye, the fat man reached Mu Yunfeng, grabbing him and begging for his life. Mu Yunfeng ignored him and delivered a single punch with extreme speed, causing the Lion-Ox Beast to howl in misery before collapsing to the ground.
For a moment, the others were stunned, staring in disbelief. Mu Yunfeng looked at the dazed group and shouted, "Stop daydreaming, come help process the demon beast's carcass."
Only then did they snap out of it. The fat man appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with cultivation at the Peak of Qi Mastery Realm. He looked at Mu Yunfeng with a face full of admiration. "Sister, I never imagined Young Master Mu would be this powerful! He actually killed a third-rank demon beast in an instant!" Wu Mengyan exclaimed. "He truly is formidable. We underestimated Young Master Mu," Wu Mengzhi admitted.
After they reached the carcass, Wu Mengzhi looked at the fat man and asked, "Who are you? What is your name?" The fat man replied, "Thank you all for saving my life! My name is Guo Shuai, and I am from the Black Wind Mercenary Group." Wu Mengyan interjected, "I’ve heard of all the mercenary groups in the River of Forgetting Valley, but I’ve never heard of the Black Wind Mercenary Group."
The fat man looked awkward when asked this, then suddenly looking at Wu Mengzhi, he said, "You must be the eldest lady of the Wanda Chamber of Commerce, right?" "You recognize me? Tell me honestly, who exactly are you?" Wu Mengzhi demanded.
Realizing he could no longer hide it, the fat man spilled the truth. The Black Wind Mercenary Group was just a temporary assembly of a few rogue cultivators. Their leader, Xiao Yulong, was at the early stage of the Soul Condensing Competition, the deputy leader, Xiao Yufeng, was his younger sister, and the two other members were at the Peak of Qi Mastery Realm. They had been pursued by the Lion-Ox Beast while trying to capture one of its cubs.
After hearing this, Wu Mengzhi felt they could cooperate with the Black Wind Mercenary Group. She said, "Since Young Master Mu killed this beast, you should put it away!" The fat man looked pained, but said nothing. Mu Yunfeng suggested, "Why don't we all just split it?"
"Then let Young Master Mu hold onto it for now! We can split it once we return to the city and trade it for Spirit Stone," Wu Mengzhi agreed. Mu Yunfeng did not protest. Seeing the beast was five or six meters long and two or three meters high, a standard storage ring wouldn't be able to hold it. He thought about using his Fire Pattern Storage Ring, but then remembered the storage ring he had taken from the deputy squad leader of the black-clothed men, which he hadn't examined since getting it.
Without needing a blood bond, Mu Yunfeng used his powerful divine sense to force it open. Inside were two or three hundred Spirit Stone, a sword that hadn't quite reached the quality of a Spirit Tool but was still better than his Black Iron Sword, a token carved with a cobra, several bottles of Healing Pills, a bottle of what was likely poison, and other assorted items. The space inside was about ten zhang wide.
Mu Yunfeng then stored the carcass of the Lion-Ox Beast inside. Once everything was packed, Wu Mengzhi looked at Guo Shuai and said, "Let's go, take us to your leader!"
The fat man complied, leading them toward the direction of his teammates. After walking for over an hour, they heard the sounds of fighting and rushed toward the noise.
A moment later, they saw a dozen men surrounding four people—the leader of the Black Wind Mercenary Group and his companions. Seeing his people surrounded, the fat man quickly shouted, "Leader, don't panic! We are here!" Seeing two experts in the Soul Condensing Competition among the new arrivals, those surrounding the Black Wind Mercenary Group quickly retreated.
When Mu Yunfeng and the others arrived, only the members of the Black Wind Mercenary Group remained, sitting on the ground covered in injuries. After the fat man inquired about the situation, they learned that the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Group had attacked them. They had originally found five Lion-Ox Beast cubs, hoping to keep one each, but they were all stolen, and the aggressors had tried to kill them all.
After learning what happened, Wu Mengzhi brought out Healing Pills for everyone to take. An hour later, having recovered some strength, the group was fine aside from superficial wounds.
After the fat man introduced everyone, Mu Yunfeng observed the members of the Black Wind Mercenary Group. The leader, Xiao Yulong, looked to be seventeen or eighteen, with a chubby face, small eyes, and a medium build; he wasn't particularly handsome. Xiao Yufeng, seemingly fifteen or sixteen, had a wheat-colored complexion but very refined features. The other two members, Yang Wei and Jin Xutao, were sixteen or seventeen, thin, and unremarkable.
Wu Mengzhi then proposed a partnership to hunt the Earth Violent Bear. Hearing this, Xiao Yulong and his group immediately refused. An Earth Violent Bear had the power of a fourth-rank demon beast; wouldn't going after it be suicide?
Seeing their refusal, Wu Mengzhi realized that while Mu Yunfeng was very powerful, it would still be dangerous for just the three of them. She looked at Xiao Yulong again and said, "How about this, Leader Xiao? I will pay you three hundred Spirit Stone to join us. You only need to be responsible for feigning attacks, and if there is extreme danger, you can retreat first."
Xiao Yulong and his group looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The eight of them then set off toward the haunt of the Earth Violent Bear. During the journey, they became better acquainted, and upon learning that the Wu sisters were heiresses of the Wanda Chamber of Commerce, Xiao Yulong and the others became much more polite.
Mu Yunfeng then said, "Since we are all together now, we can be considered friends. There is no need for you to keep calling me 'Young Master Mu', just call me by my name." "Then we will call you Brother Mu!" Xiao Yulong and his group replied.
"Then I’ll call you Yufeng! And you don't have to call me Miss Wu, just use my name," Wu Mengzhi said. "Very well, Mengzhi," Mu Yunfeng said casually. Wu Mengzhi felt a bit bashful at this. Watching her sister's shy expression, Wu Mengyan thought to herself that her sister clearly liked him but wouldn't admit it. She, on the other hand, was less reserved, calling him "Brother Mu" repeatedly.
Xiao Yulong realized they had only recently met. Having heard from the fat man that Mu Yunfeng was very powerful, he had wanted to invite him to join their group, but assuming he was part of the Wanda Chamber of Commerce, he hadn't asked. Now knowing Mu Yunfeng was an outsider, he smiled and asked, "Where are you from, Brother Mu? Are you affiliated with any power? Are you interested in joining our Black Wind Mercenary Group?"
Mu Yunfeng looked at Xiao Yulong’s cheeky grin and replied with a sly smile, "Joining isn't impossible, but I have one condition!"
Hearing that Mu Yunfeng was willing to join, the members of the Black Wind Mercenary Group were excited. "As long as Brother Mu joins, name your conditions! As long as we can do it, we will put our all into it!" Wu Mengzhi felt a tinge of disappointment—with Mu Yunfeng's strength, he would be highly valued by any major power; why would he join such a small mercenary group? She said nothing, waiting to see what he would offer.
When all eyes were on him, Mu Yunfeng smiled and said, "It's actually quite simple: I want to be the leader of the Black Wind Mercenary Group!" Everyone was left stunned by the request.
Just then, a roar echoed out. A massive beast, three or four meters tall and seven or eight meters long, charged toward them. Only then did the group snap out of their daze. Seeing such a behemoth charging at them, Xiao Yulong and his people were scared to the point of losing their ability to run. Wu Mengzhi, though terrified, drew her weapon to fight, while Wu Mengyan was already trembling with pale skin.
Just as the Earth Violent Bear was about to reach them, Mu Yunfeng channeled his inner energy and struck out with a sword. The others only saw a flash of light before Mu Yunfeng stepped aside. The Earth Violent Bear continued forward for a dozen paces before crashing to the ground. The group, already in a state of shock, was left even more dumbfounded.
"Stop gawking! Clean up and let's get out of here," Mu Yunfeng commanded. Hearing him, none of them looked at the Earth Violent Bear, all staring at Mu Yunfeng instead. Xiao Yulong was so excited he shouted, "We agree! You are now the leader of the Black Wind Mercenary Group!"