Volume One, Chapter 16: Apologize Immediately or Face the Consequences!

The killing energy left behind by Xia Mengying here also caused some trouble for Lin Yao.

Not far from this spot, a group of strange beasts, sensing the killing energy, swiftly approached like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.

The unusual commotion among the surrounding beasts made five nearby Beast Tamers abruptly stop in their tracks, wearing expressions of confusion.

These five were none other than the infamous Broken Blade Demon Hunting Squad of North Wind City.

The Broken Blade Demon Hunting Squad’s notoriety was well known; rumors had it that they roamed dangerous areas with impunity, committing many acts of bullying the weak and snatching opportunities meant for others.

Such conduct was explicitly forbidden by the Beast Tamer Association.

At a time when humanity faced a great enemy, all Beast Tamers were supposed to unite against external threats.

However, the Broken Blade Demon Hunting Squad had always kept their hands clean in appearance—in short, they left no survivors.

Because of this, although there were many rumors about their misdeeds, no victim ever came forward with evidence to report them to the Beast Tamer Association or the garrison.

The squad leader of the Broken Blade Demon Hunting Squad was Zheng Hong, a Conjoined-type Beast Tamer.

At this moment, he appeared half-human, half-beast, taking the form of a centaur archer.

His lower body had transformed into a dark, sturdy horse’s torso, while his muscular human upper body was tightly coiled with sinews, holding a jet-black longbow. The whole figure looked fierce and intimidating.

Zheng Hong’s gaze sharpened as he noticed numerous beasts running wildly in the same direction, causing him to fall into thought.

“Captain, should we still pursue that little woman? Or should we follow the direction the beasts are moving to see what’s there?” one squad member spoke out of curiosity. “So many beasts suddenly running madly—there might be something huge over there.”

Zheng Hong didn’t respond immediately but turned to look at a man cloaked entirely in black within the squad. “Old Wang, what’s your take?”

Old Wang pondered briefly, then in a hoarse voice said slowly, “My divination won’t be able to pinpoint that woman’s exact location for another four hours. Since we have that time gap, might as well follow the beasts to see what’s up. As more beasts gather, ‘Turkey’ can coordinate with his beasts to unleash a large-scale rain of fire, harvesting killing energy in the process.”

Pausing, Old Wang added grimly, “But let me say this upfront—once we catch that woman, the treasures on her will be split according to contribution, but I want to keep her for myself. She nearly took my life before; once she’s in my hands, I’ll train her into a submissive little bitch.”

The young man nicknamed “Turkey” grumbled discontentedly, “Isn’t that against the rules? Women we caught before were always ‘public property’ among us brothers.”

Zheng Hong frowned and raised a hand to stop the bickering. In a deep voice, he decided,I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.