Chapter 12: The Giant of Grotto

  It's on the charts! Everyone, please show your support! There's another chapter coming up soon!

  Whoosh...

  The alien creature rushed out of the forest, Li Junshan controlled it to stop, jumped onto the ground and took the creature back.

  "Ah, still nothing to gain." He touched the crystal of the fifth-level magic beast, Flame Giant Python, which was hidden in his pocket. This was today's result. Originally, he wanted to tame and summon the Flame Giant Python, but it had been stretched like rubber by four deformed creatures, yet it refused to yield. Having no choice, Li Junshan let the deformed creatures cut open its abdomen, peel off its skin, and extract the crystal core.

  In a small stream not far from Fenghuo Town, Li Junshan had a secret stone cave where he hid the demon beast skins and skeletons obtained during this period. Most of them were fifth-level demon beasts, and the fourth-level ones were all sold to Anna. The ones above level five were hidden away, also on Anna's orders.

  "I don't know how you got these, but the most famous mercenary group in town can't even hunt one fifth-level magical beast in half a month. If these pelts were to flow into town, it would definitely cause a huge stir. You'd better find a place to hide them." These were Anna's exact words, and Li Junshan and Fate deeply agreed with her.

  As he walked west on the wide street, Li Junshan saw a crowd of people squeezed in front of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps' gate, making a big racket. He couldn't help but feel curious and hurriedly squeezed over.

  "How pitiful."

  "Those big guys are too vicious."

  "Poor thing, half of her body is gone."

  ……

  Hearing the crowd's exclamations, Li Junshan became even more curious, his slender body nimbly squeezing through the crowd.

  In the hall lay a dozen or so people, and Freni, the town's only priest, was sweating profusely as he chanted one healing spell after another to treat the wounded.

  At a glance, Li Junshan was shocked and horrified. More than a dozen mercenary team members were already stiffened, with half of them having lost their arms or legs, covered in bloodstains. The most miserable warrior had been chopped off from the waist down, bleeding profusely, and it was clear that he wouldn't survive.

  "What kind of person does this?" Li Junshan couldn't help but ask Xi Lu in a low voice.

  Xiru's face was also filled with fear, and he trembled as he said: "They went to the northern desert to search for gold mines, encountered a giant, and ended up like this. This is still after being injured and running back, those who didn't run back..." Remembering the legends about the giants, Xiru felt a chill and couldn't continue speaking.

  "The Big Guy" is what the residents of Fenghuo Town call the Groteus giant in the northern desert.

  "How did you run there?" a person next to him asked.

  "I heard that recently, for some reason, even a fourth-level magical beast can't be hunted on the outskirts of Luoyue Mountains. The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has so many people to feed and they don't dare to venture deep into Luoyue Mountains, so they went to the northern desert to search for gold mines."

  Li Junshan subconsciously took a step back, his heart naturally clear about why. Relying on his unusual shape, he had dodged many encounters with the wolf mercenary troops that came to hunt in the forest.

  Most of the mercenary groups and adventurers in Fenghuo Town make a living by hunting for magical beast cores to exchange for gold coins. As for protecting passing merchants, it used to be that others believed in them, but now the mercenary groups in the town have ruined their own reputation. Passing merchants all go to the regular mercenary guilds in the major cities of the Empire to hire people, and those well-equipped formal mercenary groups are not something they can resist.

  "Ah!" The legless mercenary still couldn't hold on, let out a loud cry and glared with his eyes before losing his breath.

  "Go and bring back everyone for me, as well as the leaders of several other mercenary groups. Invite them all over." The voice of Harisa, leader of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, echoed out from the great hall.

  Li Junshan retreated and quickly rushed back to the tavern, while Fate was still in the house lost in thought. Li Junshan ran up and down the floors several times but couldn't find Anna.

  "Little mountain." Anna rushed back from outside, pulled Li Junshan to one side and whispered: "You have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, help Auntie persuade that bastard Hack not to follow those mercenaries."

  Li Junshan said with a strange tone: "Hake uncle is not a member of any mercenary group, what does he have to do with this?"

  Anna's face stiffened, and she sighed: "Hak's wife was killed by the Big Ones a long time ago, and he has been harboring resentment ever since. Now that those mercenaries might go to find trouble with the Big Ones, he wants to follow them to take revenge."

  "It turned out to be the case." Li Junshan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Aunt Anna, I'll definitely find a way to persuade him." He then ran outside.

  "Finish your errands and come back early, the town is too chaotic today, don't run around outside."

  Li Junshan waved his hand to Anna, indicating that he understood. He first ran to the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps and pulled Xilu along, and soon arrived at Hack's house. From a distance, the sound of grinding knives could be heard coming from the grocery store.

  "Uncle Hack, what are you doing?" Li Junshan asked, feigning ignorance as he squatted down in front of Hack.

  Hake held a large chopper in his hand and was sharpening it on the grindstone, without raising his head, saying: "Xiaoshan, you're still a kid, what are you asking this for?"

  Li Junshan smiled slightly and turned to Xi Lu, saying: "Your father is going to avenge your mother, are you going or not?"

  Xiru was taken aback, then quickly reacted and rushed into the backyard like a cloud leopard. In no time, he came out carrying his giant axe, his face flushed with excitement, shouting: "Whoever doesn't go is a coward!"

  "Bastard." Hack threw down his machete and rushed over to wrestle the axe away from Silu, cursing: "You go die!"

  "How can I not go?" Xilu shouted loudly, "I'm already a primary warrior and will soon advance to intermediate warrior, why can't I go."

  "Even a high-ranking warrior can't go." Hack raised his palm and gave Silu a slap, shouting: "I said you can't go, so you can't go!"

  "Uncle Hack." Li Junshan interrupted: "Xilu is also a filial piety, besides, the son avenges his mother, even if God comes, there's no reason to stop him."

  "You don't understand anything." Hack vented his anger on Li Junshan, saying: "Over the years, our Bao family has only me and Xilu left. Can I just watch as our bloodline is cut off in my hands?"

  "This is exactly what I've been waiting for." Li Junshan said to himself, his face stern as he let out a sigh. He said: "Hake uncle, you also know that going to find those big guys is a one-way trip, why do you still want to go? Are you thinking of risking your life just to kill one and consider it revenge for the deep-seated hatred? But have you thought about it, Xilu's personality is straightforward, in other words, he's a bit reckless, doesn't think things through before acting. If something happens to you, do you think he'll be able to live well?"

  "Xiru, Uncle Hack if died in the northern desert, what would you do?" Li Junshan asked Xiru.

  "What's there to ask?" Xilu gritted his teeth and said: "Go find Big Guy and avenge."

  "Hey, Uncle Hack, don't get angry yet, did you hear what Xilu said?" Li Junshan cleared his throat and continued: "To get back to the point, Aunt Anna couldn't persuade you, I also can't persuade you, but I have a way to keep Xilu from leaving. However, do you think he'll be okay in the future? He's already lost his mother, and now if he loses you as his father too... even if Aunt Anna takes care of him later on, don't you think that's just enough?"

  Li Junshan's words were like a giant axe in his hand, heavily striking Hack's head. This iron man finally couldn't bear it, threw down the axe and hugged his head, crying out in pain.

  "Father." Xilu also burst into loud sobs and ran over to hug Hark, the two of them embracing each other and crying loudly.

  "Hagrid, whether you're big or human, hatred will only blind your eyes and soul. The giants and dwarves have paid the price for their own sins, what you need to do is live well, live bravely, remember, the power of love is the greatest."

  Seeing Hack bury his head deeply, holding Xilu speechless, Li Junshan knew he had dispelled the idea and was no longer suitable for being present, so he stood up and walked towards the door.

  "I actually came for Aunt Anna." Walking to the door, Li Junshan slightly stopped his footsteps and said without turning back: "How Aunt Anna treats you, you should be clear in your heart. The deceased loved ones also do not want you to live like this, as a man, come out with the courage of a man, don't let the woman you love cry and worry for you behind."

  After finishing speaking, Li Junshan walked straight out and didn't stop until he had turned a corner and left the grocery store behind him. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

  "This job is really tough." Li Junshan felt his throat dry up.

  "What you just said wasn't bad." A pleasant voice came from behind, Li Junshan was stunned, turned around and saw Sally following him without knowing when.

  "Sally." Li Junshan was both surprised and delighted, and hastily asked: "How did you end up here?"

  Sally smiled slightly, revealing a mouthful of pearly whites, and said: "I was just about to come over with my father to persuade Uncle Hack, but I heard you speaking inside and it sounded good, so we didn't go in. My father said it should be fine, so he went back first, and I listened for a bit longer."

  "Hatred will only blind your eyes and soul, the power of love is the greatest. You said it so well." Sally's pair of talking eyes were full of smiles.

  "Hehe." Li Junshan rubbed his hands together, grinning foolishly. These words were also what he had racked his brains to come up with halfway through, and now hearing Sally praise him, he couldn't help but feel a wave of delight.

  He only felt a faint scent of perfume coming from Sally, and Li Junshan's heart skipped a beat, involuntarily blurting out: "Think I..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw Sally's expression change, and hastily changed his words to say: "Uh... like me, it's just talk, if these things fell on my head, I might not be able to do what I said."

  "Huh?" Sally blinked her eyes and asked curiously: "What would you do?"

  "Let me put it this way," said Li Junshan: "If my dearest Anna or you were taken away by the big guy, I would crawl to the desert to rescue you."

  "Pfft." Sally's pale face turned rosy, and she spat out: "Who wants you to save them?" As she spoke, she stretched out her fist, which emitted a faint blue glow.

  "See that?" Sally said proudly.

  "I've seen it." Li Junshan's eyes widened in admiration, exclaiming: "Too beautiful! Slender jade hands, soft as a willow branch, skin like frozen cream, too stunning!"

  "Sally's face turned red with rage as she stomped her foot and threw a punch at Li Junshan, her fist surrounded by a swirling aura of blue energy."

  Li Junshan was prepared early on and laughed as he dodged backwards, seeing Andrei's figure appear not far away, and quickly ran away in a flash of smoke.

  "You think you can run fast." Sally waved her fist with a proud face.

  "Baby girl, how's Uncle Hack doing?" Andrei walked over and asked.

  "It's all right, Xiaoyan has persuaded him to stay." Sally was startled by her father.

  "Hey, why is your face so red?"

  "Is there?"

  "I must have misheard, is Xiaoshan talking nonsense again?"

  "No."

  "What's there to blush about without you?"

  "What's with all these questions?" Sally glared at her father and took off running towards the blacksmith's shop.

  "It's inexplicable." Andri rubbed his messy hair and shook his head as he chased after.