Lin Hao did not even look at the three young men of the Luo family. He grabbed the Qingluan ferocious eagle and strode forward.
He had just heard them say that a Qingluan ferocious eagle was worth 500 taels of silver, which was a decent price. High-level beasts were indeed not comparable to ordinary beasts.
Lin Hao made up his mind to venture deeper into the mountains and only hunt high-level beasts.
...
"Boy, stop!" Young Luo Peng immediately shouted when he saw Lin Hao leaving.
However, his shout did not make Lin Hao stop; he ignored it completely.
"Are you deaf? I told you to stop!" Luo Peng stepped forward and blocked Lin Hao.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Hao asked calmly.
Luo Peng sneered, "The Qingluan ferocious eagle you're holding was first discovered and pursued by us. We had already severely injured it, but you picked up the leftovers!"
"That's right, the Qingluan ferocious eagle was first discovered by us!" The other two young men also spoke assertively.
"Oh... and then what?" Lin Hao's expression remained unchanged.
"Of course, you should hand over the Qingluan ferocious eagle to us!" Luo Peng said matter-of-factly.
"What if I refuse?" Lin Hao, holding the Qingluan ferocious eagle, asked calmly.
How could Lin Hao be unaware of what the three disciples of the Luo family were thinking?
They were clearly greedy for the prize. Even if they had killed the Qingluan ferocious eagle, what if he had just taken it... what then?
"Lin Hao... don't push your luck. I have no patience. I'll ask you one more time, will you hand it over or not?" Luo Peng's face darkened, ready to fight if Lin Hao refused.
"That depends on whether you have the ability." Lin Hao threw the Qingluan ferocious eagle behind him and scanned the three with a cold gaze.
"You're not appreciating my kindness!" One of the young men moved like the wind, both fists striking Lin Hao simultaneously.
As the fists approached, Lin Hao remained calm, showing no intention of dodging.
"Stop!" A sudden loud shout stunned the three Luo family members, and the young man's fists stopped in mid-air.
At that moment, a few people approached from a distance, and the loud shout came from the leading woman.
"Lin Xin..." Luo Peng's brows furrowed when he saw the newcomer. The woman had long hair that reached her waist, as black as ink, and the breeze made it dance, adding to her beauty.
"She is Lin Xin, an elite disciple of the Lin family's outer sect, ranked fifteenth in the outer sect. Her sister, Lin Xian'er, is an elite disciple of the inner sect... not someone to provoke!" The young man behind Luo Peng was uneasy.
After a brief moment of surprise, Luo Peng sneered, "What's there to fear? A few of our elite senior brothers are also in the mountains..."
Lin Hao glanced at the few people from the Lin family, finding them unfamiliar. The Lin family had many disciples, and Lin Hao had only met a few ordinary outer sect disciples.
Soon, the few young men and women approached Lin Hao. One of the young men in sturdy clothes examined Lin Hao, "I am Lin Wu of the Lin family. From your attire, you are also a Lin family disciple?"
"Lin Hao." Lin Hao nodded.
"You are Lin Hao?" Lin Wu suddenly frowned. Although he had never met Lin Hao, the news of the ordinary outer sect disciple Lin Hao accusing the Grand Steward to Elder Lin Chen a few days ago had spread widely.
"I am Lin Hao." Lin Hao did not deny it.
Lin Wu pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Xin, "Sister Xin, it's best not to get involved. Let's go."
"What, are you afraid of Lin Wuxin and the others?" Lin Xin looked at Lin Wu.
"This... after all, Lin Wuxin and Lin Xiurui are close... and Lin Xiurui is the son of the Grand Steward. If I have any dealings with this boy... it would be the same as offending Lin Xiurui and the others..." Lin Wu did not want to leave a bad impression on Lin Wuxin and Lin Xiurui because of an ordinary disciple like Lin Hao.
Not just Lin Wu, but the other few young men and women also thought the same.
Lin Xin ignored Lin Wu and the others, instead looking at Luo Peng, "Luo family, you three are bullying a Lin family disciple. Do you really think the Lin family has no one?"
"Hmph!" Luo Peng sneered, trying to remain calm, "Lin Xin, I know you are strong, but everything has its principles. This boy stole my Qingluan ferocious eagle, and it's only right for me to teach him a lesson!"
Lin Xin sneered, "I know what kind of person you are. If you know what's good for you, get lost. Otherwise, don't say we Lin family are bullying your Luo family kids."
Hearing this, the two young men behind Luo Peng were somewhat intimidated. After all, these few were very strong, and dealing with them would be like playing a game.
"You... you wait and see..." Luo Peng, recognizing the situation, did not dare to act and could only leave a threat before fleeing with the two Luo family members.
After the three Luo family members left, Lin Xin looked at Lin Hao, "The Tianrang Mountains are not peaceful, and you are alone. I advise you to return as soon as possible."
"Thank you." Lin Hao, expressionless, thanked Lin Xin. Although her actions seemed unnecessary, she had intended to help him.
Although Lin Xin had helped Lin Hao, she did not intend to take him with her. After all, Lin Hao and she were from different worlds.
"Here, take this. If you encounter danger on your way back, light it. If we are nearby, we will come to your aid." Lin Xin handed Lin Hao a signal flare from the Lin family.
Lin Hao took the signal flare and put it in his pocket, thanked her again, then turned to pick up the Qingluan ferocious eagle and continued forward.
"Sister Xin, Lin Hao is just an ordinary disciple with mediocre strength, and he has offended the Grand Steward. Lin Xiurui and Lin Wuxin will never let him go. Why did you help him?" A ponytailed girl asked, her appearance sweet and innocent, her big eyes blinking.
"Although we are from different worlds, we are still Lin family disciples. Moreover, Lin Hao is a pitiful person. It's just a small favor, so why not do it?" Lin Xin shook her head.
"He is indeed pitiful... mediocre strength, and he was bullied by a bad woman from the Luo family..." The ponytailed girl seemed to be touched.
...
At this moment, Lin Hao carried the Qingluan ferocious eagle to a safe, uninhabited place, looked around, and then buried it there.
"In my past life, I was the Nine Heavens Emperor, and now I am doing such things. If this gets out, people will surely laugh at me." Lin Hao patted his hands and smiled bitterly.
In fact, he had many ways to make money, but his strength was insufficient. Otherwise, he would not have come to the Tianrang Mountains to hunt.
Now, he needed to quickly enhance his strength, wait for the right opportunity, and enter the sect to obtain more powerful resources to strengthen himself.
Of course, these were future plans. The immediate priority was to earn 15,000 taels of silver to redeem the medium-grade spirit stone.
Lin Hao stayed in the Tianrang Mountains for three days, with significant daily harvests, capturing over a hundred high-level beasts.
Due to the large number, it was impractical to carry them out of the Tianrang Mountains and back to the Liuyun City, which was fifty miles away. It would be a massive undertaking.
After careful consideration, Lin Hao decided to abandon the relatively cheap meat of the beasts and only keep their teeth, claws, and fur. This way, it would be easier to carry them out of the mountains without too much trouble.
Although the three days were tiring, Lin Hao calculated that the fangs, claws, and fur he had obtained could sell for at least 7,000 to 8,000 taels of silver. He only needed to hunt for two more days to gather 15,000 taels of silver.
Lin Hao, light as a leaf, walked on the tree branches as if on flat ground, moving through the Tianrang Mountains.
If he encountered a high-level beast, Lin Hao would quickly kill it, take what he needed, and then leave quickly. This area was close to the middle of the mountains, where fierce beasts often appeared, and Lin Hao did not dare to stay in one place for too long.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed, as if it could disperse the dark clouds.
Lin Hao, standing on a tree branch, immediately hid himself to avoid being exposed.
About a hundred meters ahead, there was a White-bearded Rampaging Ape, with white hair, standing three meters tall, and blood-red eyes. Its roar could terrify beasts within a few thousand meters.
"An ordinary-level fierce beast, with strength comparable to a late-stage fifth-rank spirit body in the Second Earth Gate..." Lin Hao mused.
Around the White-bearded Rampaging Ape were two groups of disciples, one from the Lin family, including Lin Xin, and the other from the Luo family, with Luo Peng, who had left a threat earlier, among them.
Lin Hao took out a flying knife but did not act rashly, waiting for the right opportunity.
Although the White-bearded Rampaging Ape was strong, it could not withstand the combined attack of the Lin and Luo families. Within a few minutes, it fell to the ground, dead.
Seeing this, Lin Hao put the flying knife back. These weapons were all bought with real money, and Lin Hao would not waste them.
...
After the White-bearded Rampaging Ape was killed, Luo Peng suddenly said to a young man beside him, "Brother Luo Qi, three days ago, Lin Xin helped a clan disciple steal a high-level beast from me and threatened me!"
"Oh?" The cold young man named Luo Qi looked at Lin Xin and the others, "Since that's the case, this White-bearded Rampaging Ape will be our compensation."
Hearing this, the few Lin family members were stunned. They had spent half a day to defeat the White-bearded Rampaging Ape, worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, and could not just hand it over!
"We get half, you get half." Lin Xin said.
However, Luo Qi had no intention of negotiating, sneering, "No need to argue, it's all ours."
Lin Xin's brows raised. Since that was the case, she would not back down. Just as she was about to say something, a roar echoed from ahead.
Soon, a red-furred mad lion, two zhang long and one zhang high, rushed over, exuding a terrifying aura.
"Ghost-faced Red Lion?!" The Lin and Luo family disciples were startled.
Although the Ghost-faced Red Lion was also an ordinary-level fierce beast, it was an elite among them, with strength comparable to a peak fifth-rank spirit body in the Second Earth Gate, making it very powerful.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Ghost-faced Red Lion, Luo Qi immediately moved forward to take the White-bearded Rampaging Ape, but before he could act, the Ghost-faced Red Lion's sharp claws, like knives, pounced down.
A gust of wind swept the ground, lifting pebbles into the air. The force of the claws was enough to shatter rocks.
Luo Qi had no choice but to temporarily abandon the White-bearded Rampaging Ape.