Chapter 139: A Sense of Familiarity

Lu Han was utterly speechless in the face of the Evil Wind Beast’s absurd logic.

He grabbed the creature, held it up before his eyes, and said with a remarkably serious expression, "If Master Mingtian hadn't told me himself that you are the descendant of an ancient Xiangliu and a starry evergreen python, I wouldn't have believed it even if you beat me to death."

"You Lu fellow, I'll fight you to the death!"

The shrill voice of the Evil Wind Beast rang deep within Lu Han's mind, its tail shooting up in an attempt to strike him.

Alas, the current strength of the Evil Wind Beast fell far too short compared to Lu Han's; it couldn't even manage to break free from his grip.

Just as Lu Han and the Evil Wind Beast were arguing fiercely, the atmosphere in the tavern suddenly erupted into a commotion.

"I thought that young woman merely wanted to teach Wu Yong a lesson, but who would have thought she would utterly shatter his dantian in a single stroke," someone exclaimed in shock.

"Indeed. Although Wu Yong is nothing more than a good-for-nothing, his father, Wu Qing, is the leader of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps. I fear this matter has blown up into something catastrophic."

"Dealing with Wu Yong's four subordinates would have been one thing, but Wu Yong is the apple of Wu Qing's eye. Those two are going to meet a miserable end."

The surrounding crowd pointed at the crippled Wu Yong lying on the ground, murmuring among themselves.

"Quick! Quickly carry me back to the headquarters! I want to invite my father to flay them alive!" Wu Yong's face was twisted in a ferocious grimace.

One of the Four Guardians hoisted Wu Yong onto his back and bolted out of the tavern, the other three trailing closely behind.

Watching the five of them depart, neither Lu Han nor the mysterious woman showed the slightest intention of stopping them.

After his previous two battles, the primordial Qi left in Lu Han's body was nearly depleted. Furthermore, there were still two cultivators at the fourth tier of the Innate Realm among Wu Yong's entourage. While Lu Han would have liked to keep them here, his spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak.

As for the mysterious woman, nothing seemed to capture her attention, and whether she chose to intervene was certainly not something Lu Han could dictate. As for the incident itself, Wu Yong's actions were indeed too despicable for Lu Han to simply stand by. Lu Han did not consider himself a saint, but he lived his life by his own principles.

At that moment, the waiter cautiously stepped forward. He cast a fearful glance at the mysterious woman before quickly averting his gaze.

He had witnessed the terrifying prowess of the mysterious woman firsthand—she was likely even more formidable than Lu Han, and he had no desire to provoke her.

Approaching Lu Han, the waiter lowered his voice and said, "Little brother, powerful though the two of you may be, I still advise you to leave here immediately. Wu Yong is the only son of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps' leader, and Wu Qing is an expert at the Profound Monarch Realm. Now that Wu Yong has been taken back to their stronghold, it won't be long before the entire Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps swarms over here. By then, you won't be able to leave even if you want to. You'd better seize the moment and flee at once."

The waiter spoke out of genuine kindness. In the vicinity of the Fierce Beast Town, the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps was notorious for its tyranny, and countless people who had crossed them had met a tragic end.

"Thank you for the warning, brother. I was just about to leave anyway," Lu Han replied with a solemn expression.

From the surrounding chatter, Lu Han had gathered that Wu Yong's father was a genuine Profound Monarch expert, and an exceptionally overprotective one at that.

It was understandable, of course; having finally fathered a son at the age of forty, he naturally pampered him beyond measure.

"Many thanks to you, waiter, and for the incident at our table earlier as well," Lu Han said, cupping his fists in a salute.

With that, he drew a white gold coin card from his storage ring and continued, "This should cover the cost of our meal, plus the items we broke earlier. I trust this is more than enough?"

"More than enough, more than enough!" the waiter exclaimed excitedly.

This was far beyond sufficient; it would have been enough to buy out and smash the entire tavern!

"He actually has a storage ring, and he flashes a white gold coin card without blinking." A few people in the crowd revealed greedy gazes.

Noticing the malevolent glares around him, Lu Han's eyes narrowed. Old Man Ling had always warned him never to flaunt his wealth.

Besides, the people from the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps would be arriving imminently. Although he didn't know the full extent of the mysterious woman's strength, Lu Han certainly didn't believe she could stand against a Profound Monarch expert. The mysterious woman looked to be about his own age, and Lu Han himself found it impossible to believe in a teenage Profound Monarch.

Knowing that he needed to leave this instant, Lu Han realized that before long, the news would spread throughout the entire Fierce Beast Town, and by then...

At this thought, Lu Han suddenly grabbed the mysterious woman's hand and urged, "Let's go, quickly!"

The mysterious woman was momentarily stunned. She had never expected Lu Han to make such a sudden move. As if guided by some mysterious impulse, she let herself be pulled right out of the tavern, completely forgetting to resist.

In truth, Lu Han hadn't thought that deeply into it. Although they had started off on the wrong foot when she defeated him upon their first meeting, she had borne no genuine hostility toward him.

While the root cause of the incident with Wu Yong stemmed from the mysterious woman, Lu Han was inextricably linked to it as well. Moreover, for reasons unknown, despite the mysterious woman's icy demeanor, Lu Han always felt a strange sense of familiarity whenever he was near her.

In fact, it wasn't just Lu Han; the mysterious woman had also felt a sense of kinship upon first seeing him. As Lu Han pulled her rushing out of the tavern, that feeling grew even more intense, as if he were her closest flesh and blood.

*It must have something to do with it,* the mysterious woman thought to herself.

Not long after Lu Han and the mysterious woman departed, Li Wei's ears twitched slightly, and he muttered, "The Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps sure moves fast."

"Surround the tavern!" a slightly aged voice bellowed.

*Swish! Swish!*

Accompanied by a flurry of footsteps, a dozen-odd men stormed into the tavern. At their vanguard was a man draped in a tiger-skin robe. Though showing slight signs of age, his eyes were sharp and piercing as he swept his gaze across the interior. None dared meet his eyes. This was none other than the leader of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps and Wu Yong's father, Wu Qing.

"Where are they?" Wu Qing demanded, looking back at his subordinates.

The man who stepped forward was one of the Four Guardians who had protected Wu Yong earlier. He scanned the surroundings, failed to find any trace of Lu Han or the mysterious woman, and shook his head.

"Useless trash. Where is the waiter?" Wu Qing asked in a deep voice.

"H-here, Leader Wu! The person who injured Young Master Wu has already left," the waiter answered nervously.

The Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps was a household name throughout Fierce Beast Town, and this was the first time the waiter had ever faced Wu Qing directly, causing his heart to race with apprehension.

"Fled? They crippled my son and thought they could just run away?"

Wu Qing snorted coldly and waved his massive hand. "Give chase! I want to make their lives a living hell."

Infuriated, Wu Qing roared the order.

He had only managed to beget Wu Yong at the age of forty. In Fierce Beast Town, he had assigned personal bodyguards to protect him at the Innate Realm, and he had even paid his respects to the handful of Profound Monarch experts in the town. He never imagined that a disaster would strike right under his very nose.

As the contingent of men rushed away, several patrons in the tavern grew restless, and a few immediately followed behind them. Given Wu Qing and his men's speed, they would likely catch up to Lu Han and his companion very soon, and these onlookers were eager to watch the spectacle.

Seeing everyone leave, Li Wei merely shook his head, walked back to his table, and resumed sipping his wine in solitude.

A few patrons who had a particularly good rapport with Li Wei had also been preparing to go watch the fun, but upon seeing him sit back down, they rushed over and asked, "Brother Li, the entire Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps is out for their blood. Aren't you going to go take a look?"

"Heh. My friends, if you trust my judgment, just sit right here and don't go anywhere!"

"Why is that?" someone asked in puzzlement.

"Did you not notice? The martial arts techniques and cultivation methods used by that young man just now were superior to those of any major clan. He's likely a talented disciple out training from some major sect. Although the young woman merely crippled Wu Yong, the impression she gives me is even more terrifying than the young man. Did you notice that when the two of them heard Wu Yong's father was a Profound Monarch expert, despite being in a hurry to leave, not a single trace of panic appeared in their eyes? What does that tell you?"

"It means they believe the two of them can fight a Profound Monarch head-on?" someone suggested.

"Heh, hardly. No matter how monstrous a first-tier Innate cultivator might be, it is utterly impossible for them to match a Profound Monarch expert. Have you ever considered this? When a genius disciple comes out to train in the Fierce Beast Mountains, if they don't have elders secretly protecting them, I, Li Wei, would be the first to doubt it. If you ask me, there's a ten-to-one chance the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Corps is about to walk into a trap," Li Wei said calmly, taking a sip of wine while looking down at his cup.