Precious Map

Hearing Tang Yan's words, Wan Fei looked in the direction he indicated.

Sure enough, Qing Lang had revealed an opening there.

She raised the longsword in her hand and thrust straight forward. Qing Lang's heart jolted. How had that brat seen through his opening with a single glance?

"Auntie, he's definitely going to block your sword. Lower your blade by three inches and cut him!" Tang Yan's voice rang out again.

By now, Wan Fei had begun to trust Tang Yan's words. Her longsword swept downward.

Sure enough, another opening appeared!

Qing Lang nearly wanted to weep. By the time he tried to dodge, it was already too late. With a wet sound, a wound deep enough to reveal bone opened on Qing Lang's leg.

"His right leg is injured, so his weight is shifting left. His right side of the neck will open up. Cut straight at his neck, and be quick!" Tang Yan called out again.

The moment his words fell, Wan Fei did not hesitate. She followed Tang Yan's instruction and swung her longsword toward Qing Lang's neck.

"Crack!"

Even Wan Fei herself had not expected Qing Lang's head to be severed so easily by her blade. Stormy waves surged through her heart.

She had thought her battle with Qing Lang would be a bitter struggle, full of danger at every turn. Yet this young man had only told her to use three moves... no, to be precise, two moves, and Qing Lang had died on the spot with hatred in his heart!

Even at her peak, it would have been difficult for her to achieve such a result. Just who was this young man? How could he possess such terrifying insight?

Seeing Qing Lang perish, Little Six had long since lost all will to fight. When he noticed Wan Fei walking toward him with her sword in hand, his courage shattered completely. As he panicked, Wan Fei ended his life with a single stroke.

A defeat that had once seemed certain had been utterly reversed in less than a quarter of an hour. Wan Fei had never imagined such an outcome.

She looked at Tang Yan with complicated feelings, then cupped her hands in thanks. "I am Wan Fei. May I ask this hero's name?"

"Auntie, just call me Tang Yan."

At that moment, Tang Yan was searching Qing Lang's body. Hearing Wan Fei's question, he answered without even turning his head.

He searched all six men from head to toe, but found nothing particularly good. Aside from a stack of silver notes, there was not much of value.

Wan Fei had originally been filled with gratitude, but when she heard Tang Yan call her Auntie again, she finally could not bear it anymore.

Wasn't she only dressed a little maturely? Didn't she merely have a few more wounds on her body? Wasn't her face just a little dirty from battle, making her look somewhat disheveled?

But her alluring figure, flawless face, and enticing voice-could he not see any of that? How had she become an Auntie?

"Look properly! This lady is only twenty-two, not an Auntie!"

Only then did Tang Yan look Wan Fei up and down with a face full of surprise. After a long while, he said, "Auntie, you're sixty-two, right?"

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Wan Fei finally could not hold herself back. She lifted her sword and was about to charge at him.

"Big Sister, Big Sister, he's our benefactor!" Chang Ying hurriedly grabbed the furious Wan Fei.

"Hmph!" Wan Fei drew several deep breaths, her chest rising and falling sharply.

"My sister has a rather fiery temper. Young Master Tang, please don't take offense. For today's matter, many thanks for your help." Chang Ying cupped his hands in gratitude.

"No harm done. Right, where are you from? Why did you come to Cangyun Mountain?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

"We are Mercenaries. Usually, we hunt spirit beasts, gather spirit herbs, or serve as guards. We have no fixed residence, but our usual range rarely leaves the Eastern Region. The place we frequent most is Fang City. After all, it is the largest city in the Eastern Region, and there are more chances to earn a living there."

Chang Ying continued, "Mercenaries sometimes act alone, and sometimes form groups. On ordinary days, Sister Wan Fei and I travel together. Unless the assignment is especially difficult, we do not join a larger group. The people this time were gathered temporarily."

Tang Yan understood.

He had heard of Mercenaries before. Most of them had strength between Yellow Rank and Black Rank. Because they were born loving freedom, they would rather risk their lives in bloody struggles than enter a clan and be ordered about by others.

"May I ask where our benefactor resides? In the future, my sister and I can visit to offer our thanks," Chang Ying asked curiously.

"I wouldn't dare tell you. Auntie was just about to fight me to the death. If I tell her my address, what if she comes to my home seeking revenge later?" Tang Yan refused at once.

"You!"

If she had not felt that she could not beat Tang Yan, Wan Fei would likely have lost control again.

Still, she was also quite curious. The strength Tang Yan had shown just now had definitely not surpassed Black Rank, so how had he erupted with such astonishing power?

"Haha, my sister has a Knife mouth, tofu heart. She definitely won't fight you to the death. Right, Young Master Tang, what did you come to Cangyun Mountain for?" Chang Ying was clearly rather talkative. He sat on the ground and began chatting with Tang Yan.

"Training. This wolf pack was supposed to be my training ground, but you wiped it out!" Tang Yan glanced at the two of them with some dissatisfaction.

Hearing his words, Wan Fei and Chang Ying both froze.

Chang Ying asked blankly, "Training inside a wolf pack?"

"Mm. Right now, I need some spirit beasts to temper my fighting techniques. It wasn't easy to come across a wolf pack, and now look. If I want to find another suitable opponent for training, who knows how long I'll have to wait?" Tang Yan let out a long sigh.

"In other words, Young Master Tang only needs to find spirit beasts?" Chang Ying suddenly asked.

"What? You know where there are spirit beasts?" Tang Yan immediately perked up.

"Although Cangyun Mountain is vast, we relied on our experience to draw a simple map."

After a pause, Chang Ying said awkwardly, "The reason we came this time was for the White Wolf King. If Young Master Tang..."

"You want me to trade the Wolf King Beast Core for your map? No trade, no trade." Tang Yan refused very decisively.

"Young Master Tang misunderstands. No matter what, we will give you the map. This time, we mainly came for the White Wolf King's pelt. If Young Master Tang has no interest in the wolf hide, could you let us have it?" Chang Ying asked hopefully.

Tang Yan naturally had no interest in the wolf hide. Such a large thing-he had nowhere to put it. Besides, what would he do with wolf fur?

He nodded. "If you need it, take it."

"Really?" Chang Ying and Wan Fei both brightened at once.

"Why would I lie to you? If you want it, go take it." Tang Yan waved casually.

"Then thank you very much!"

Chang Ying was just about to go collect the wolf hide, but he soon turned back. He took a sheepskin scroll from his robes and handed it over solemnly.

"A map of the Cangyun Mountain Range is extremely difficult to find outside. We risked our lives to explore these places. Young Master Tang, please keep it well."

"Oh?"

Tang Yan accepted the sheepskin scroll with some curiosity. The terrain of the mountain range was drawn upon it. Comparing it with what he remembered of the Cangyun Mountain Range, Tang Yan was ninety percent certain that the records on it were accurate.

Many of the markings on it were extremely valuable.

For example, at their current location, a wolf had been drawn. Behind it was the number three, indicating that a third-rank wolf-type spirit beast was here.

Around the wolf's territory, there were also apes, tigers, leopards, and other beasts, all marked with a three.

Tang Yan looked at the place where the leopard was marked. Was that not exactly where he had encountered the Phantom Panther last time?

A trace of excitement flashed through Tang Yan's eyes.

With this map, why would he need to worry about finding spirit beasts for training?