Volume 1, Chapter 26: It is understandable that a dragon girl would be targeted, but a werewolf too?

However, had Xia Mengying been present, she would have recognized them at a glance.

The newcomers were led by Zhao Wuji of the Northwind Zhao family. Zhao Wuji’s interest in Lin Yao was entirely due to the Shadow Werewolves. The story began not long ago, when one of Zhao Wuji’s subordinates, Zhao Liang, happened to witness a terrifying scene in this area: a Shadow Werewolf had lashed out with its claws, killing a level 16 Green Demon with a single strike. Gathering his courage, Zhao Liang crept closer to investigate and discovered that a large number of Shadow Werewolves were lurking in the area. Realizing the immense value of this information, he immediately reported it to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji could hardly believe the report; he gasped in shock and rushed to the scene himself. Upon arrival, he confirmed that Zhao Liang’s account was no exaggeration. According to Zhao Liang’s earlier assessment, every Shadow Werewolf in the area was at least level 16.

Under normal circumstances, it would not have been difficult for someone with Zhao Wuji’s influence to gather thirty subordinates and forcibly seize Lin Yao’s beast. However, he was no fool. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, he dared not act rashly. Instead, he decided to negotiate, hoping to purchase these rare wolf-type beasts from Lin Yao through a trade. Consequently, he made no attempt to hide his intentions.

Therefore, as soon as Lin Yao appeared with Zhu Zhihan and Xia Yumeng, Zhao Wuji immediately put on a smile and took the initiative to greet him: "My friend, I am Zhao Wuji of the Northwind Zhao family. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Lin Yao asked indifferently, "Talk about what?"

Zhao Wuji chuckled dryly and continued, "I am very interested in your wolf-type beasts and would like to propose three deals."

"The first deal: I want to buy the method you used to acquire these wolf-type beasts."

"The second deal: I want to purchase the wolf-type beasts currently in your possession."

"The third deal: If you are not willing to sell, I hope you would consider renting them to me for a period of time."

Lin Yao refused without a second thought: "Not for sale, not for rent. You may leave."

Such a resolute attitude caused the smile on Zhao Wuji’s face to stiffen, and his brows furrowed slightly. He had introduced himself and lowered his stance, yet he had not expected Lin Yao to show him so little respect.

However, Zhao Wuji dared not make a move. The depth of both his opponent and that pack of Shadow Werewolves was truly unfathomable; it would be a disaster if he failed to seize them and ended up inviting trouble upon himself instead.

As Zhao Wuji pondered his next move, his gaze swept over and suddenly rested on the somewhat uneasy Xia Yumeng standing to the side. He stared at her for a moment, finding her more and more familiar, until he finally asked tentatively: "Could it be... that you are Miss Xia Yumeng, who went missing in the danger zone a while ago?"

Xia Yumeng did not admit it immediately; she glanced at Lin Yao first, seeking his opinion. She thought to herself that with Lin Yao’s monster-like strength, her identity being exposed in this small extra-dimensional space shouldn't matter. But then again, her life was currently under Lin Yao’s protection, so it was best to follow his lead in this situation.

Lin Yao was not worried that Zhao Wuji and his men would harbor any evil intentions toward Xia Yumeng. Seeing her look at him, he nodded slightly, signaling that she could reveal her identity. However, he was also somewhat puzzled; Zhao Wuji’s sudden need to confirm Xia Yumeng’s identity likely suggested he had ulterior motives.

With Lin Yao’s tacit approval, Xia Yumeng spoke softly: "I am Xia Yumeng. Why are you looking for me?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of shrewdness crossed Zhao Wuji’s eyes. He immediately replied, "I possess crucial information regarding your Rose family. I am willing to trade this information, along with a generous reward, to purchase the channel through which you acquired these wolf-type beasts. What do you think?"

Lin Yao replied coldly without hesitation, "The beasts are neither for rent nor for sale. As for the information you mentioned, you can name your price."

Lin Yao’s retort caused the smile to vanish from Zhao Wuji’s face, leaving him seething with frustration. His expression darkened, and without another word, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

Zhao Wuji’s attendants were left bewildered. At first, they had assumed the young master would order them to swarm Lin Yao, force him to break his beast contracts, and seize the beasts by sheer strength. Instead, the young master had not only refrained from ordering an attack but had even negotiated politely. Yet, Lin Yao had completely disregarded them, refusing to sell the beasts even after the young master had conceded so much.

As Zhao Wuji stormed off, his band of sycophants, who usually relied on his status to bully others, dared not linger and scurried away in embarrassment, fearful of inviting trouble.

After Zhao Wuji and his group had gone, Xia Yumeng frowned, worriedly saying, "That man was acting strange. Could it be... that the information concerns me?"

Lin Yao remained relaxed. He looked around his surroundings and said calmly, "We’ll know once we ask someone."

"Huh? Ask someone? Ask who?" Xia Yumeng asked, looking completely confused.

A cold smirk played on Lin Yao’s lips. He then ordered Zhu Zhihan, "Zhihan, there is a beastmaster about a hundred meters away at the eleven o'clock position, sneaking around and watching us. Go over there and bring him to me."

In truth, Lin Yao had already spotted the peeping beastmaster from afar. Through the shared vision of his Shadow Werewolves, he had captured the person’s stealthy movements immediately. The man was lurking in the shadows, though his intentions remained unclear.

Hearing the instruction, Zhu Zhihan nodded immediately. With spiritual energy surging through her body, she prepared to use her "Roaming Mountains and Seas" skill, flickering across the distance to capture the man. At the same time, Lin Yao’s thoughts shifted, controlling the seventeen surrounding Shadow Werewolves to simultaneously trigger their "Shadow Assault" skill, effectively cutting off the target’s retreat.

However, before Lin Yao or Zhu Zhihan could make a move, the person in the shadows wisely raised his hands, stepped out from his hiding spot, and shouted from a distance that he was surrendering.

Before long, the beastmaster shuffled over to Lin Yao, his face full of embarrassment. Standing before the three of them was a young man dressed in black, with a pitch-black crow perched on his shoulder—a typical look for a scout-type beastmaster.

The man offered a fawning smile and said to Lin Yao, "Big boss, the name is Liang Xiaofei. Please forgive my intrusion."

Lin Yao glanced at Liang Xiaofei and asked directly, "Speak. What were you doing lurking in the shadows spying on us? And how could you hear us from so far away?"

Liang Xiaofei dared not hide anything and answered truthfully, "I followed Zhao Wuji and his group here, hoping to fish in troubled waters and pick up some scraps. Also, I possess the 'Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing' talent; I can hear your conversation from a distance without even using my mental power."

Liang Xiaofei was so forthcoming because he trusted Zhao Wuji’s judgment. If even the young master of the Zhao family dared not provoke this person, there was no way he, Liang Xiaofei, would be foolish enough to court death.

At that moment, a thought struck Liang Xiaofei, recalling that Lin Yao seemed quite interested in the information about the Rose family that Zhao Wuji had mentioned. He immediately declared, "To show my apology, I am willing to reveal for free the information that the young master intended to use for the trade. I have been following them secretly and have a good idea of what news he planned to offer."