Apocalypse: Grinding EXP through Hunting

On any other day, the Black Water Gang members would have paid it no mind.

Who cares about being looked down on? Who cares about face?

When faced with a near-certain loss, who would be willing to throw their money away?

How could the gang’s honor be more important than silver?

However, today they were in the presence of two of the gang’s leaders.

Paying up might not get them anywhere.

But not paying up would definitely get them remembered.

So, they had no choice. They could only grit their teeth and toss their hard-earned silver down the drain.

But as a result, everyone’s opinion of Tang Wen soured considerably.

It was misplaced anger.

Tang Wen knew it too. As a newcomer who had been given an important position right after joining, he was already a target for jealousy.

Now, he was about to make everyone lose their money.

It would be a miracle if they didn’t hold it against him.

Everyone was in this line of work for the money, after all.

He approached Wu Hao and asked, his voice just loud enough to be heard, "Can I place a bet?"

"Feeling confident?"

Tang Wen smiled. "Just for fun! Our gang’s brothers need to stick together. I can’t be the one to drag us down, can I? Here!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of silver notes from the Four Seas Commerce Association and stuffed them into Wu Hao’s hand.

Wu Hao counted them, his voice jumping an octave. "Two thousand taels?!"

That number suddenly made the members of the Black Water Gang feel much better.

’At least I’m not the unluckiest one here.’

’The unluckiest one is this Tang Wen guy.’

’He’s going to lose the competition and his fortune. How tragic!’

Tang Wen waved a hand dismissively and turned to face Beastmaster Zhang.

Master Zhang said with a skin-deep smile, "I was thinking of going easy on you, but since you dared to bet two thousand taels, you must be quite confident in your abilities! No need for me to hold back, then. In fact, I’ll bet four thousand taels."

With that, he pulled a thick stack of silver notes from his robes.

The more you bet, the more you win.

"Same old rules! Guess odd or even?"

The Boat Gang’s Elder spoke up.

Vice Gang Leader Zhao nodded.

Master Zhang immediately said, "I’ll guess odd."

As Tang Wen watched with a hint of confusion, Elder Li and the Boat Gang’s Elder each walked over to a patch of muddy ground behind them.

Each of them reached down and pulled up a foxtail grass plant by the roots.

With a casual flick of their wrists, all the dirt fell away, leaving the delicate root stalks completely unharmed.

The two Elders had used a subtle technique.

They held up the foxtail grass roots for everyone to see.

Only then did Tang Wen understand.

"Guessing odd or even" meant guessing whether the total number of fine rootlets on the two plants was an odd or even number.

’Fair enough,’ he thought.

"It’s odd. Master Zhang goes first."

The two Elders announced in unison.

Elder Li shook his head. ’Tang Wen is in deep trouble now. It’s one thing to lack the skill, but for his luck to be this bad too?’

The men from the Boat Gang grew even more complacent.

Sounds of thighs being slapped in frustration and heavy sighs filled the air on the Black Water Gang’s side.

"Heh heh, my apologies. I’ll be taking the Exotic Beast *and* the money!"

Master Zhang stretched slowly, his eyes, fixed on Tang Wen, dripping with scorn.

’A wet-behind-the-ears kid wants to compete with me?’

’And that Old Li, who’s good for nothing but siring children, talking about how Tang Wen is young and has potential?’

’If potential is so useful, go tell that to an Extraordinary Exotic Beast!’

’See if it gives a damn!’

Master Zhang was skilled, but he was incredibly petty.

’This guy is so arrogant.’

Tang Wen watched him calmly.

’You should be grateful that the law and order in Ganshan City is protecting you.’

’Otherwise, for a weakling like you who isn’t even a Martial Artist, I’d just have to slap you once. You’d be stuck to the wall so flat they wouldn’t be able to scrape you off!’

"I choose this little fellow."

While still dozens of paces from the iron cage holding the Water Spirits, Master Zhang leisurely rolled up his sleeves and called out.

His choice was exactly what everyone had expected.

The half-grown male Water Spirit. After being caged for several days, its fighting spirit had been completely worn away.

Even some of its wildness had faded.

It was the perfect time to make a move.

Even an average Beastmaster could tame it within a few hours, provided they separated it from its parents.

What’s more, this was Master Zhang, a man who claimed to be able to communicate with Extraordinary Exotic Beasts and was on the cusp of becoming a Beast Taming Master.

Tang Wen had an Elixir synthesized from Extraordinary Exotic Beast Blood Marrow.

Did they really think Master Zhang didn’t have something similar?

It should also be noted.

Although there were three Water Spirits, it wasn’t a choice of one out of three.

The pregnant female beast was impossible to tame.

During pregnancy, they were often sensitive and short-tempered in their efforts to protect their young.

They would almost never yield to a human.

Therefore, Tang Wen’s only remaining choice was the most savage, adult male Water Spirit!

Once both sides had made their selections, the men from the Boat Gang were beaming with joy.

"I heard a magpie chirping this morning! I knew I was due for a small windfall!"

"Damn! You bet the most just now. I calculated it—you’re set to win a few hundred taels. You call that a ’small’ windfall?"

"Heh heh, a trip to the Mandarin Duck Tower later. It’s on me!"

"Now that’s more like it..."

In contrast, the faces of the Black Water Gang members were as dark as their name suggested.

They heard every word the Boat Gang members said.

They immediately began cursing inwardly:

’Those stinking boat-runners are going to take my hard-earned money and spend it on whores.’

It was bad enough already, but the more they thought about it, the more it soured their mood.

They looked at Tang Wen, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

They couldn’t say it was hatred.

After all, they would most likely have to work alongside him under Commander Wu in the future.

But when that time came, they would probably find subtle ways to trip him up and enjoy watching his downfall.

Suddenly, Tang Wen moved.

He moved with incredible speed, far surpassing that of an ordinary Martial Artist, and in a few quick steps, he was in front of the steel cage holding the male Water Spirit.

"HISS! HISS!"

The male Water Spirit was startled. It shot to its feet, grabbing the bars of the cage and letting out a furious roar.

Its mouth was full of fangs, and a foul stench hit them full in the face. Its saliva splattered onto the tips of Tang Wen’s shoes.

The onlookers watched Tang Wen’s actions, completely baffled.

Master Zhang laughed out loud. "The art of Beast Taming begins with lowering an Exotic Beast’s mental defenses. After what you just did, forget about taming it yourself. Even if *I* were to make a move now, I fear this male beast would be impossible to tame!"

As soon as he said this, the field fell silent.

The Boat Gang’s Elder said, "Youths! So impetuous, in the end."

Tang Wen said nothing, merely glancing at his information Panel.

[Beast Taming Skill, Expert (299/12000); Traits: Spiritual Soothing]

He directly used [Spiritual Soothing] on it.

The furious expression on the male Water Spirit’s face suddenly went slack.

As Tang Wen took out the pill synthesized from Extraordinary Blood Marrow, he used Spiritual Soothing again.

The anger in the male Water Spirit’s eyes vanished completely, replaced by curiosity as it sized up Tang Wen.

’Hmm, the aura on this two-legged beast... it seems so familiar.’

He opened the Jade Bottle’s stopper, and the pill released an even more alluring scent.

Tang Wen continuously applied Spiritual Soothing while softly coaxing the male Water Spirit.

Thanks to his Expert Level Beast Taming Skill, the male Water Spirit didn’t need to guess; it could almost instantly understand Tang Wen’s intentions.

At the same time, under the influence of Spiritual Soothing, it grew increasingly close to Tang Wen.

About a quarter of an hour passed.

To the utter shock of the onlookers, Tang Wen reached his hand into the cage.

The male Water Spirit lifted its own furry, black hand and tentatively touched his.

Meanwhile, Master Zhang, who had been watching Tang Wen this whole time, saw this, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Impossible, impossible! This is impossible!"

As for Tang Wen, he was now in a bit of an awkward spot himself.

Because he had already established a bond with the male Water Spirit.

In other words, the [Spiritual Soothing] effect had been too good. The taming was already complete.

But this... was just too fast...