Wei Zhao glanced at him. This clerk actually possessed the inner strength of the early Yellow Rank—it seemed the Tagan family truly was no ordinary power.

"I hear the Tagan family is recruiting adventurers to enter the Wulonghaote Mountains and round up a fire lion cub?" Wei Zhao asked mildly.

The Wulonghaote Mountains were divided into three ranges—the Lower Range, the Middle Range, and the Upper Range—and most adventurers operated within the Lower Range, where the spirit beasts were of a lower grade, none higher than the Yellow Rank. Even so, it was already very dangerous.

The Middle and Upper Ranges were far more perilous. Legend had it that the spirit beasts up there were not merely Yellow Rank, but included Profound Rank and even higher grades; adventurers who went up rarely came back. In plain terms, only the Lower Range of the Wulonghaote Mountains had been opened up by these people—almost no one ever ventured above it.

Still, if Wei Zhao and Sun Jingyan simply entered the Wulonghaote Mountains on their own, they would surely draw the attention of the local powers. And since Wei Zhao was unfamiliar with the terrain, joining a team of adventurers heading up the mountain on a mission would make things far easier and safer.

Once they were up in the mountains, they could act according to circumstances.

Since the great families here were so powerful, Wei Zhao had no wish to provoke any unpleasantness or open conflict with them.

"The two of you are adventurers?" The little man was briefly taken aback by Wei Zhao's words, then asked.

There were indeed adventurers who came here to sign up for the fire lion hunt, but never many. To risk one's life for a single Spirit-Gathering Pill—only the poorest of solitary cultivators would flock to such a thing. That was why the little man had been startled when Wei Zhao brought up the mission.

Wei Zhao smiled faintly and circulated his internal energy technique, unmistakably revealing the mid-Yellow Rank strength he had suppressed.

"Mid-Yellow Rank? Not bad! With a mid-Yellow Rank adventurer joining, the odds of this mission succeeding should be even better!" The little man was the sort to size a person up and serve them accordingly. Seeing that Wei Zhao possessed strength greater than his own, he immediately became respectful. "Please, come in, both of you. Once you register, you may rest in the guest rooms provided by our Adventurers' Guild. We will serve wine and food. Departure is in three days; once you are settled, I will explain the rules of the mission to you."

"Good. Lead the way," Wei Zhao said.

The little man paid no mind to Wei Zhao's coldness. Adventurers all had their quirks, especially solitary cultivators like this one; what he cared about was Wei Zhao's strength, not his attitude.

When it came time to register their names, Wei Zhao casually wrote "Zhang Naipao," while Sun Jingyan was even simpler—she simply wrote "Zhang's Wife."

If these people discovered his true intentions and things somehow fell apart with them, Wei Zhao would not mind causing a little trouble for Zhang Naipao.

It was clear that the Adventurers' Guild treated adventurers taking part in the fire lion hunt very well indeed. Wei Zhao and Sun Jingyan were lodged in a two-person suite—rustic yet elegant, and exceptionally clean.

"My name is Lazi. I'm a runner for the Adventurers' Guild. Since you've taken on this fire lion hunt, I'll explain the rules of the mission to you," Lazi said once he had settled Wei Zhao and Sun Jingyan in.

Wei Zhao nodded, signaling Lazi to continue.

"So far, four Yellow Rank experts have joined this mission, counting Your Excellency Zhang Naipao." Lazi automatically disregarded Sun Jingyan; in his view, she had merely come along with Wei Zhao to gain experience and could hardly count as a main force of the mission.

"Four… I hear that fire lion is still only a cub, not even having set foot in the Yellow Rank. Four Yellow Rank experts should be more than enough, no?" Wei Zhao asked.

"That's what they say, but the fire lion is also exceedingly fast, and its strength is nothing ordinary. Rumor has it, it can even barely hold its own against an early Yellow Rank adventurer—which is exactly why our mission requires adventurers of Yellow Rank or above!" Lazi said. "When you go on this mission, you must first be able to protect yourselves. When the time comes, each of you will take up a position, sealing off one of the directions the fire lion cub might flee. Attack it with all your might, harry it, wear down its stamina! And Young Master Tagan Long of our Tagan family, with the aid of the family's guards, will establish a forced contract between himself and the fire lion cub! Once that contract is established, your mission will be complete."

"A forced contract?" Wei Zhao's heart stirred slightly. Could it be the kind of slave-like contract with spirit beasts that the Heavenly Thunder Pig had spoken of? Such a contract, once established, was unfair to the spirit beast—especially to a cub, and one that was hardly a vicious beast at that. The method left Wei Zhao somewhat displeased.

"Yes. As for how it's done, you needn't worry about that. All you need to do is besiege the fire lion cub!" Lazi, assuming Wei Zhao had no idea what a forced contract was, explained.

"Oh. So we can't kill the fire lion cub?" Wei Zhao asked.

"The fire lion cub may be a cub, but its hide is thick and its flesh tough. Without Earth Rank strength, don't even think about killing it!" Lazi smiled slightly. "Besides, the fire lion cub is very clever. If you besiege it, it will run; it won't get locked in a death struggle with you. That's precisely why we recruit Yellow Rank adventurers—to block off its escape routes from different positions."

"I see…" Wei Zhao nodded on the surface, but inwardly he grew suspicious. This business was likely not so simple! If Earth Rank experts could subdue the fire lion cub, then the Tagan family could hardly fail to send out four Earth Rank experts—and if they did send four Earth Rank experts, wouldn't they capture the fire lion cub with ease?

In that case, why go to all this trouble to hire outside help for the mission? Wei Zhao did not voice this question. If he asked now, it would surely make Lazi suspicious and wary of him, which would not serve Wei Zhao's interests.

"Quite so. If the mission succeeds, a Spirit-Gathering Pill is your reward. If it fails, you won't have worked for nothing—five Spirit-Gathering Pellets are your reward!" Lazi said. "Of course, if you go and don't put in the effort, or flee from battle, then naturally there will be no reward!"

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