The Diamond Bear’s fur gleamed like steel needles, ideal for crafting Third-Tier defensive gear. The more intact the pelt, the higher its value.
Its claws were razor-sharp too, suitable for Second-Tier claw blades, though those were a niche weapon and didn’t fetch much on the market.
The beast core held the most potential value, but this bear was massive while its core was tiny, and with an earth attribute to boot, it wasn’t all that impressive.
An unprocessed Diamond Bear corpse, not even hauled out of the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range yet, was hardly worth a million even at the low end.
Yan Zhen pursed his lips. What a blatant case of price gouging.
He had the money, sure, but getting fleeced still left a bad taste in his mouth.
He was just about to haggle as per the script when Yi Xian’er tossed out a crystal card with a straight face.
“Three million. Deal.”
The Vice President blinked in surprise at her decisiveness, a mix of suspicion and confusion washing over him. Since when was Yi Xian’er this loaded?
Three million, handed over without so much as a blink.
He took the crystal card, verified it, then waved his teammates away from the bear corpse. They retreated into the cave to scour the Diamond Bear’s lair.
Yan Zhen leaned in and whispered, “Xian’er, being that generous is gonna put a target on our backs.”
Yi Xian’er replied coolly, “That’s exactly what I want.”
Well played… He had only wanted to bargain, but Yi Xian’er was skipping straight to not paying at all!
The Hunter Association’s Vice President seemed affable enough, but he was a scheming sort deep down. In the script, even after Yan Zhen haggled down to a million, the man still got suspicious.
After all, dropping a million on just a bear head screamed ulterior motives.
The scripted Yan Zhen and Yi Xian’er had been too naive back then, assuming a proper outfit like the Hunter Association wouldn’t pull the same dirty tricks as Kuang Gang. They hadn’t seen it coming until Chen Xi pointed it out.
The Diamond Bear’s corpse was enormous and a nightmare to transport, so Yan Zhen stowed it in his mid-grade storage ring. Then he and Yi Xian’er slipped away.
They found a massive boulder and ducked behind it, where he released the corpse again.
Yan Zhen then drew the Evil Fire Brand from the bear’s head into the Fire Refining Starry Sky. Next, he pulled out Thunder Cut, extracted the beast core, and glanced at Yi Xian’er.
She tilted her head. “Why are you staring at me? Is there something weird on my face?”
“…”
—He was staring because she was supposed to poison the bear corpse right now, stirring up the bloody scent to draw nearby mystic beasts and screw over the Hunter Association crew!
If things went as expected, the Hunter Association members were already tailing them. In the script, this ploy slowed their pursuers and let the pair escape.
Yi Xian’er in her past life hadn’t been this ruthless—just a little mystic practitioner handy with poisons. Yan Zhen, a mere Mystic Scholar back then, couldn’t have handled them alone.
This “escape arc” wasn’t a critical plot point, so Yan Zhen could improvise, but he preferred sticking to the script.
“Ahem, Xian’er, got any of that powder that amps up the bloody smell?”
“I do. You want to lure mystic beasts over to bog down those guys?”
Yan Zhen nodded.
But Yi Xian’er shook her head. “Better not. We might end up surrounded ourselves. There’s a safer way to shake them.”
Yan Zhen eyed her sideways. This was her own idea from the script—why was it no good when he suggested it?
“What’s the safer way?”
“They made it through the Miasma Area to get here, so they must’ve popped Miasma-Breaking Pills. Those wear off fast in the miasma. If we stick to weaving through the Miasma Area, they won’t keep up.”
“Got it.”
Thank goodness she hadn’t said something like, “Just kill them all and we won’t have to worry.”
Yan Zhen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The pair altered their route, skirting along the edge of the Miasma Area instead of crossing it outright. It meant extra distance, and the constant strain of his Gold-Silver Fire Body Protection drained Yan Zhen considerably, but it shook the Hunter Association’s tail.
Things didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, though. An hour later, Yan Zhen had popped several recovery pills, yet the Vice President was still on them—solo.
“He’s bold enough to tail us alone…” A cold glint flashed in Yi Xian’er’s beautiful eyes. “Let’s team up and take him out, Yan Zhen.”
Truth be told, Yan Zhen wanted to avoid the fight—there was no such scene in the script—but he was running on fumes.
“Damn it, let’s end him!”
They turned back and confronted the Hunter Association’s Vice President head-on.
The man hadn’t grasped the danger yet. Once exposed, he tried threatening Yan Zhen and Yi Xian’er, demanding they spill why they’d paid top dollar for a bear head.
No time for talk—the pair attacked.
Something like a Wing Tiger, on par with a High-Star Mystic Master, had already been toyed with and slaughtered by Yan Zhen and Yi Xian’er together. This Two-Star Mystic Master didn’t stand a chance.
Within ten exchanges, Yi Xian’er slammed a palm into his back, and Yan Zhen followed up with Thunder Cut across his throat.
This was Yan Zhen’s second kill, but the unease from his first was gone. He calmly flicked the blood from his blade, sheathed it, and looted the corpse.
Not only did he reclaim Yi Xian’er’s three million, but there were other goodies too.
A Mystic Master powerhouse and Hunter Association Vice President had some decent stuff in his storage ring, after all.
With that sorted, they pressed on to the next site where the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame had appeared, slaying the corresponding fire slave and claiming its Evil Fire Brand.
After refining two more brands, Yan Zhen’s sense of the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame sharpened.
It still wasn’t enough, though. He needed all nine to map out a precise path in his mind.
“Let’s call it here for today.”
They made camp on the spot, pitching their tent with practiced ease, building a fire, and simmering a pot of piping-hot wild greens and dried meat stew.
Yan Zhen had stocked different kinds of dried meat and greens, so even if it was all “wild greens and dried meat stew,” each batch tasted distinct and never got old.
After eating, they took turns bathing in the nearby stream, washing their soiled clothes and hanging them by the fire to dry.
Late at night, after meditating, they lay down to rest. Because Yi Xian’er insisted he not turn his back to her, Yan Zhen could only lie flat on his back.
He was determined to get a solid night’s sleep this time, but soon enough, Yi Xian’er snuggled up against him. Her soft lips brushed his ear as she teased, “Don’t you want to bite anymore?”
Again?! Yan Zhen fought down the stirring in his gut and replied coolly, “No.”
“Really?”
Yi Xian’er flipped over, straddling his stomach. She tugged lightly at her belt, and her full, ripe breasts spilled naturally from the loose crossing of her robe.
Firelight filtered through the tent fabric, outlining the curve of her profile and making her purple-black eyes sparkle with an innate allure.
She leaned down slowly, arms looping around Yan Zhen’s neck as her snow-white breasts pressed against his face.
“Even like this, you don’t want it?”
“…”
“I do,” Yi Xian’er murmured, her voice thick with desire. “When you bite me, it feels like honey melting in my heart~”
“!!!”
“Open up… please?”
—Once again, Yan Zhen surrendered.
