Volume One, Chapter 28: All Are Millennial Foxes—Why Speak of Strange Tales Here?

"Given the current situation, how much longer until we catch that girl?" Qin Tanlang asked after a moment of contemplation.

Old Wang replied without hesitation, "A day or two if we're fast, three or four at most. Either way, she’s already within our perimeter; she has no way to escape."

Hearing this, the tension in Qin Tanlang’s face eased slightly.

Qin Tanlang immediately repeated the terms he had set when Old Wang first proposed the heist: "I get first pick of three items from her belongings. The rest are yours to split however you see fit. But—the woman herself is mine alone. None of you are to even think about touching her!"

Old Wang’s heart sank the moment he heard this; he sensed trouble. Last time someone had boasted like that, four members of the Broken Blade Hunter Squad had ended up dead. Now that Qin Tanlang was pulling the same stunt, the Greedy Wolf Hunter Squad might well lose four men of their own.

What exhausted Old Wang even more was the presence of the man known as "Black Bear," a ruthless brute within the Greedy Wolf squad.

A massive, dark-skinned man who looked every bit like a black bear stepped forward, his voice gruff. "Boss Qin, I have no issue with you eating the meat, since I couldn't beat you anyway. But you have to let me have some broth. You can't take all the benefits for yourself!"

Qin Tanlang’s face darkened, and he roared in fury, "Black Bear, do you think I’m asking for your opinion? I’m informing you of my decision. Get it?"

As Qin Tanlang and Black Bear argued, Old Wang looked around for Zheng Hong, who usually acted as the mediator, but remembered that Zheng Hong was already dead.

Instead, an outsider stepped forward from outside the circle to intervene. It was none other than Zhao Wuji, the second young master of the North Wind Zhao family.

Qin Tanlang glanced at Zhao Wuji dismissively, ignoring him to keep his cold gaze fixed on Black Bear. Truth be told, Qin Tanlang was greedy and lecherous; if he were willing to sacrifice any of his share for a woman, she had to be a one-in-a-million beauty. Xia Mengying was precisely that kind of exquisite woman who made his heart race.

Black Bear, on the other hand, was insatiably greedy and always looked to take advantage. Having encountered a wealthy heiress with an angelic face and a devilish figure like Xia Mengying, he was determined not to miss this chance to have his fun.

Zhao Wuji had naturally overheard the dispute. He stepped forward with a smile. "There’s no need for you two to fight, because in this small pocket dimension, there isn't just one Xia heiress."

"One is Xia Mengying, whom you are hunting, and the other is Xia Yumeng, who went missing in the danger zone a while back—the one the Xia family sent many experts to search for, to no avail."

As soon as Zhao Wuji finished speaking, Black Bear’s eyes lit up. He immediately changed his tune, "Fine, I won't fight you for Xia Mengying, but I want Xia Yumeng all to myself!"

Black Bear had a deep impression of Xia Yumeng. As a lawless rogue, he was never short on women, but he had never seen anyone with the incredibly developed, voluptuous figure that Xia Yumeng possessed.

Qin Tanlang hesitated. Xia Mengying was indeed excellent, but Xia Yumeng had far too many points in her favor. If he were stronger, he would have loved to claim both sisters. But Black Bear was no pushover; if he tried to take both, Black Bear would certainly turn on him.

However, Qin Tanlang quickly shook off his thoughts of women. He turned a scornful gaze toward Zhao Wuji and asked, "Is this the only reason you came to find me?"

Zhao Wuji shook his head. "Xia Yumeng is accompanied by an expert whose depth I cannot gauge. The person doesn’t know you are hunting Xia Mengying yet, but with the commotion you’re making in this dimension, they will find out sooner or later."

"I’ve come to propose a partnership. My men can help you track down both sisters, but in return, you must help me deal with that beast tamer."

"That beast tamer has a special type of werewolf beast. After it’s over, whether they are dead or alive, all those werewolf beasts belong to me."

Zhao Wuji was so fixated on the shadow werewolves because the Zhao family possessed a formidable beast-taming formation. It was similar to a military formation for human soldiers; once deployed, the beasts’ combat effectiveness increased exponentially compared to fighting individually. The Zhao formation required one hundred beasts of the same kind, and the more identical they were, the more powerful the effect. Lin Yao’s shadow werewolves were perfect for this. It was a pity he only had seventeen, not a hundred.

As for why Zhao Wuji was helping to hunt Xia Mengying while maintaining a friendship with the Rose family—that was simple. He was a trusted aide to the eldest son of the Rose family’s second branch, and all the young masters and misses of the Rose family were locked in competition. By helping his young master eliminate two rivals, he would not only be spared from blame but would be seen as a useful blade, earning him even more trust and support.

Qin Tanlang was unaware of Zhao Wuji’s schemes. However, upon learning that there was such a formidable obstacle like Lin Yao in the dimension, he decisively chose to cooperate.

Qin Tanlang knew nothing of Lin Yao, but Old Wang did. In Old Wang’s view, the kid wasn't as strong as Zhao Wuji described. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry to escape earlier, the kid might already be dead. Still, there was no need to speak up; having extra manpower was never a bad thing.

Once the agreement was reached, Qin Tanlang used telepathy to send a message to Old Wang: "Find Xia Mengying first. Put Zhao Wuji’s matter on the back burner; we don’t necessarily have to help him deal with that beast tamer."

"If we can capture Xia Mengying and get the treasure without crossing swords with that tamer, we’ll do that."

"Zhao Wuji coming to me for help just proves that the tamer is extremely powerful. He can’t handle it alone, so he wants to use me as his tool!"

Qin Tanlang usually acted arrogant, impulsive, and irritable—like a total fool—but in reality, he was anything but. He was cunning and shrewd. If he were as simple as he appeared, he would have been dead long ago.

Although Zhao Wuji had come to cooperate, he didn't trust Qin Tanlang either. Anyone who fully trusted Qin Tanlang was doomed. Therefore, while forming the alliance, Zhao Wuji was already plotting how to goad Lin Yao and Qin Tanlang into a conflict. Once they were locked in a direct fight, even if Qin Tanlang originally didn't want to deal with the tamer, he would have no choice but to fight.

Old Wang watched from the sidelines, thinking to himself that Zhao Wuji was just as much of a crafty old fox as Qin Tanlang; they were both just putting on a show. But it didn't matter—this time, the advantage was firmly on their side.