This chapter is a little late, but I keep my promises. The fourth update is done! Tomorrow we'll be back to the guaranteed three chapters. If the recommendation tickets are awesome, maybe Xiaodao will get excited and post four chapters again... So, during this new book period, my friends, please don't mind my rambling. Help Xiaodao climb the ranks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The area around the Hunter Guild was filled with restaurants and inns. Qin Li followed Hu and the others to a small but clean tavern. As soon as they entered, a waiter greeted them with a smile, calling out, "Master Hu is here! The usual?"
Hu nodded casually and found a table to sit at, clearly a regular here.
A moment later, four cold dishes and four hot dishes were served. The waiter also brought over a pot of warmed wine, said, "Enjoy your meal, Master Hu," and discreetly withdrew.
Hu smiled at Qin Li and said, "We usually eat here. The chef is excellent. Would you like some wine?"
Qin Li smiled and nodded as well. "Sure, I'll have some!"
"Great! I like a straightforward man!" Hu laughed heartily and poured Qin Li a cup of wine. He then started the introductions. "This handsome young fellow is He Laosan. This beautiful lady is Bu Yunyan. Mmm, this man of few words is Li Jian. And this one... you can just call her Leng Yao."
Qin Li nodded to each of them in turn. Aside from the Cold Beauty, Leng Yao, who remained as aloof as ever, the others all nodded back to Qin Li with friendly expressions. From this, it was clear that Hu held a high degree of prestige within the team. After all, teams like this were loosely formed, very different from a gang; if you weren't happy, you could leave at any time.
At this point, Qin Li stood up, cupped his fist to the group, and said, "My name is Qin Li. It's a pleasure to meet all of you!"
The group had just seen Hu thrash those Qin Family disciples and heard what he said, so their gazes toward Qin Li were tinged with curiosity.
Qin Li smiled faintly. "My mother is a daughter of the Qin Family. I'm that illegitimate son."
Seeing Qin Li state his identity so openly, the others felt a little abashed. Even the Cold Beauty, Leng Yao, looked at him with a slightly softer gaze.
The enchanting Bu Yunyan giggled and said, "Don't be sad, little one. You can stick with me from now on!"
Hu shot Bu Yunyan a glare. Bu Yunyan defiantly threw Qin Li another seductive glance, leaving Hu feeling a bit helpless. He explained to Qin Li, "Yunyan is actually a very traditional woman. Don't be fooled by her appearance."
"You're the traditional one, you damn tiger! Your whole family is traditional!" Bu Yunyan rolled her eyes dramatically.
The slightly awkward atmosphere from before was completely dispelled by Bu Yunyan's antics. Qin Li knew exactly what she was doing and was quite impressed with her social skills.
Just then, He Laosan asked Hu, "Hu, why were you so furious just now?"
Hu's rugged face twitched slightly before he said flatly, "My background is almost identical to this little brother's."
Although He Laosan and the others had known Hu for years, they had never heard him speak of his past. Those in the Adventurer profession rarely revealed their personal details to outsiders. Offending people was commonplace in their line of work, and if it brought disaster to their families, the regret would be endless. So, as a general rule, if someone didn't talk, you didn't ask. Doing otherwise would only breed resentment.
Qin Li hadn't expected this rough-around-the-edges man to have a background so similar to his own. He couldn't help but smile. "A hero's worth isn't determined by his origins. The past is the past; what matters is looking to the future. Hu, thank you for your help today. I salute you!" With that, he tilted his head back and drained the bowl of wine in his hand in one gulp.
Qin Li's actions made Bu Yunyan's eyes sparkle with admiration, and even Leng Yao's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. These people might have seemed ordinary, but in reality, they were all incredibly daring. Otherwise, how would they have the guts to enter dangerous places to hunt for treasure? The aura of the Martial World was an ethereal thing that only those who belonged to it could sense. What they found curious was this: he was an illegitimate son, hidden away by a great family—what kind of mother must he have had to cultivate such a personality in him?
Even Hu himself hadn't expected such boldness from the young man before him. Seeing Qin Li's handsome face flush red after downing the bowl of wine, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Even though you'll grow up to be one of those pretty boys who can charm a woman to death, you're definitely more straightforward than He Laosan! I didn't misjudge you. Little brother, I'll drink with you!"
...
Qin Li's cheerful nature quickly won him the goodwill of the group. After two bowls of wine, Bu Yunyan, her cheeks flushed a rosy red, her gaze wandering, kept clamoring to be Qin Li's lover, leaving him at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.
People of the Martial World were mostly straightforward. They loved who they loved and hated who they hated. They didn't beat around the bush. Of course, everyone knew how to scheme and plot, but when they met a kindred spirit, they would interact with genuine emotion!
Being with them, Qin Li felt as if he had returned to the past, a trick of time and space. But when he came back to his senses, he realized he was no longer the formidable Sect Leader Qin of old, but the illegitimate son of the Yellow Sand City's Qin Family, forced to live in the shadows. He couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy.
Hu, who had drunk a little too much, saw that Qin Li's mood seemed to have dipped. He clapped Qin Li on the shoulder and said, "Little brother, do you know what I admire about you?"
Before Qin Li could answer, Hu continued, "What I admire most is that after your marriage alliance with the Shangguan Family, you didn't just latch onto them. You came out to make a name for yourself on your own!"
Qin Li smiled faintly. "You know about that too?"
He Laosan laughingly chimed in, "We hear all sorts of rumors about the three great families of Yellow Sand City every day. I'm not bragging, but there are no secrets at the Hunter Guild!"
Qin Li nodded. He knew this to be true. The more mixed the crowd of saints and scoundrels, the more freely information flowed.
Hu, who was quite drunk, spoke in fits and starts. "Little brother... even though the rumors all say your strength is weak... as long as you've got guts, you can make a killing. In a few days... we're going to Phoenix Lake... to try our luck. Someone's offering a high price for Spirit Beast cubs and Spirit Beast Eggs. What do you say? Interested in joining us?"
"Hu, you're drunk. He's still just a kid," Leng Yao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said.
"A kid? Heh, when I was his age, I had already started the life of an Adventurer!" Hu seemed to be answering Leng Yao, but also reminiscing about his own past. "What makes a man? As long as you have responsibility... even at ten years old... you're a man! Someone without responsibility... even if they live to be seventy or eighty, they're just trash, not a man!"
'Phoenix Lake…' Qin Li's mind couldn't help but drift to the words of that slovenly old man. 'To cultivate the "Only I am Venerable" Cultivation Technique, he had to go to Phoenix Lake and find the recipe for the Celestial Profound Pill…' He shook his head hard, trying to banish the unrealistic thought. 'Going there with his current strength would be no different from seeking death.'
With that in his thoughts, Qin Li ignored Leng Yao's indifferent gaze and grinned at Hu. "If Hu really doesn't mind me being a burden, then I'll go with you all and broaden my horizons!"
"Good! A real man, through and through! Little brother Qin Li, don't you worry. The place we're going isn't that dangerous! It's still a long way from Phoenix Lake!"
The moment the words left Hu's mouth, a sinister voice drifted in from outside. "I don't know if Phoenix Lake is dangerous, but you certainly have a problem right now!"