Apocalypse: Grinding EXP through Hunting

Faced with Tang Wen’s request, Li Zi was reluctant, but more than that, she was worried.

"After you hear it, you won’t get scared and run away, will you?"

Tang and Zhao glanced at each other.

Their curiosity grew.

Both of them were Extraordinary.

They even had an Extraordinary companion like the Sand Wolf King.

And yet, Li Zi’s assessment was that the two of them might get scared and run away after learning the secret beneath Ganshan City!

"If you aren’t just fear-mongering, Miss Li, then this secret must be truly astonishing."

"Who’s fear-mongering?

You said it yourself.

All the Beastmasters in Ganshan City have been gathered in the Inner City.

I can also tell you that it’s been a long time—a full year has passed.

Do you think the secret underground is going to be something small?"

As Li Zi spoke, she observed the expressions on their faces.

General Zhao was fine; being new here, he didn’t know much.

Tang Wen’s expression, however, grew increasingly grave.

’A year?’

The main duties of a Beastmaster were, simply put, Beast Taming and training beasts.

At most, they would also concoct some Elixirs.

He asked doubtfully, "I wonder how many Beastmasters there are in Ganshan City?"

The title of Beastmaster was not given out lightly. One needed to be able to easily command High-level Exotic Beasts, be skilled in raising Exotic Beasts of all levels below Extraordinary, and be able to concoct various Beast Taming Elixirs for healing, evolution, and accelerated growth. Only then could one be called a Beastmaster.

Each Beastmaster was a power unto themselves.

They had large numbers of disciples and slaves under their command.

Various factions would also offer them wealth and resources in exchange for their services.

It could be said that their status was quite high, and they didn’t need to take risks.

But now, the Beastmasters in Ganshan City were in a state of absence.

When the Inner City conscripted these Beastmasters, they took their disciples and teams along with them.

This was also why Tang Wen was given such an important position as soon as he joined the Black Water Gang.

Li Zi said, "Between the Inner City and the Outer City, there are eleven of them in total."

"And they’ve all been gone for a whole year?"

"That’s right."

Tang Wen smiled. "Then I’m curious. Just what kind of Exotic Beast requires so many Beastmasters to work on it for so long?"

Li Zi pursed her lips. "This matter is important, but not urgent. I won’t tell you for now. After I saw it, it took me a long time to recover."

’She saw it?’

Seeing that her expression didn’t seem fake, Tang Wen had a guess.

Li Zi quickly changed the subject, deliberately revealing a weakness. "I have many orphans to take care of in the city. Since you have a camp, you can take them out of the city."

"The young lady has a kind heart."

General Zhao remarked. To still be thinking of orphans in this situation...

’This Miss Li has a decent character.’

Having been praised, Li Zi lowered her head. "They are all unfortunate children.

This year, because of the drought, grain prices have skyrocketed, and the prices of medicinal herbs and Exotic Beast Meat have also risen sharply.

Some of the older children have already started Martial Arts Training.

But in the city, we of the Thief Sect have to hide, so they can only practice in secret.

Supplies and food are also often insufficient.

If this goes on, I’m afraid their progress will be delayed. It would be better to hand them over to your camp to be raised."

"You’ve really thought this through."

"No. I haven’t told them that the enemy is the Huang Family. If these children think your camp is a good place and want to stay there for the rest of their lives, leading ordinary days, that’s up to them."

She sighed again; she had sighed many times tonight. "After all, the Huang Family is powerful!"

Tang and Zhao said nothing.

After a moment, the former asked, "Miss Li, be honest. In your Thief Sect, you aren’t the only Extraordinary, are you?"

Li Zi looked up with a bitter smile. "It’s not just me, but it’s close enough."

"Then the safe house is yours?"

Li Zi replied, "No, it was left by that traitor. He’s hiding in the Inner City under the Huang Family’s protection, his whereabouts a secret. That’s the only one of his footholds that I know of."

That made sense.

Her face was growing paler while her eyes grew brighter.

This was a sign that her Spiritual Power was being overdrawn.

Tang Wen gave General Zhao a look.

He then released the Spiritual Shackles on Li Zi.

The illusion of the Nine-Story Tower dissipated.

"UNH!"

With a muffled groan,

Li Zi’s petite body swayed and she collapsed to the ground.

But her expression relaxed. "So this is what it feels like to be controlled by Dark Binding. HUFF... got any wine?"

Tang Wen retrieved a leather waterskin from the wolf’s back.

Li Zi took it, uncorked it, and began to chug it down.

The aroma of wine wafted through the air.

The clear, strong liquor trickled down her fair neck, disappearing into her collar.

She wiped her mouth, let out a long breath, and lay sprawled on the ground, her limbs relaxed and completely unladylike:

"Spiritual Power overdrawn... drinking some wine really does make it much better."

As she spoke, she looked at Tang Wen. "Are you really not even eighteen?

How did you train your Spiritual Power to be like this?

Even a Peak Extraordinary’s Spiritual Power is only about this strong, right?

Could it be that your camp has Gao Ming’s Spiritual Meditation Method?"

Both of them froze for a moment.

The young woman’s interest was piqued. "You really do! It seems your camp has some deep foundations after all."

Tang Wen said nothing.

Because those "foundations" were part of his own "selling price."

’It’s just sad to think about.’

General Zhao laughed it off, saying that Miss Li would also be able to practice it in the future.

The two sides continued to talk.

Tang Wen and his companion learned many secrets from Li Zi.

The three of them arrived outside the Four Seas Camp.

To avoid attracting attention,

Tang Wen took the weakened Li Zi and entered the camp first.

General Zhao found Qian Dong, who was still waiting foolishly outside, and the two of them returned to the small courtyard together.

Tang Wen and Qian Dong met, and another round of pleasantries was exchanged.

「The next day.」

Li Zi’s Spiritual Power had recovered a fair bit.

Last night, to prevent her from running away,

she had stayed in the same room as Tang Wen.

The night passed, and Tang Wen hadn’t laid a single finger on her.

This made her feel both relieved and annoyed.

This is a common affliction among certain women.

If you pursue them, they’ll put on a high-and-mighty act, raising their own value.

As if to say, ’As if you could ever be worthy of me?’

If you don’t pursue them and instead ignore them, they won’t think you know your place.

Instead, they’ll think, ’Why aren’t you chasing me? Why aren’t you fawning over me?’

’I’m so beautiful, are you blind?’

Li Zi’s thoughts weren’t quite so pathological.

It was just that being ignored by someone like Tang Wen, who possessed both strength and good looks, inevitably made her uncomfortable.

They negotiated for a whole day.

They haggled for a whole day.

The two sides reached a further consensus.

Li Zi would tell Tang Wen the location of the Instant Step Contemplation Method.

Once the latter retrieved it and delivered it to the Four Seas Camp,

Li Zi would regain her freedom.

At the same time, Tang Wen would pass on the Bai Family’s Spiritual Meditation Method to her.

And it came with one condition:

After Li Zi learned it, she had to mobilize the Thief Sect’s forces to help find the people of the Bai Family.

Of course, she wouldn’t know the origin of these people.

In short, it all came down to using the Bai Family’s Spiritual Secret Technique to trade for the Thief Sect’s secret technique.

Back and forth, Tang Wen and the Flame Camp hadn’t given up anything of their own.

It was a classic case of the middleman earning the spread.

And he was the one profiting the most.

「Noon.」

Wu Hao and the others arrived at the Four Seas Camp.

They were no strangers to this place.

After having a meal with Tang Wen, they each went off to the pleasure quarters to find their regular companions.

Everything was so natural, as casual as a wanderer returning to their hometown.

Tang Wen watched with envy, but could only suppress his own restless heart.

At night, Li Zi had mostly recovered. The three of them, along with the two Extraordinary Sand Wolf Kings, quietly left the camp.

Tang Wen wanted to try using the Azure Stone Slab and was afraid of causing a commotion within the camp.

According to Shui Yun, the Black Water Gang’s research on the Azure Stone Slab had revealed:

It could help Martial Artists increase their Spiritual Power and heal hidden spiritual injuries.

It was a rare supportive-growth type of Curiosity.

With it, the younger generation of the Black Water Gang could increase their strength even faster!

"Don’t fidget."

The Childlike Lolita was sitting in Tang Wen’s arms, the two of them sharing a wolf.

He chided her unnaturally.

Li Zi’s face flushed, her eyes glinting slyly, and she deliberately twisted her slender waist again.

"HISS!" Tang Wen grabbed her by the waist. "It seems you really do want to have a baby!"

"Fine, let’s have one! Who’s afraid of who! When the time comes, I’ll show up at the Black Water Gang with a big belly looking for you!"

Tang Wen: "..."