Hunter 120: What Grudge, What Hatred

[Hunter has sustained damage from "Bone Scraper," losing 70 Health Points. The opponent's attack contains "Lust"! Conducting Willpower Check!]

[Check Passed! The Hunter is immune to the effects of "Lust"!]

Lin Jiu used Xia He's palm strike to quickly close the distance with Gao Ning, who was attempting to retreat. Just as he had experimented with his left hand, this was a Willpower Check—if it had been a Charm Check, he figured he would've been in trouble.

Surprise attacks rely on speed. Up to now, Lin Jiu hadn't even had time to use the Dark Scout to probe the abilities of the Four Sorcerers, but he didn't need to probe to know that Xia He's charm attribute was much higher than his own.

The check passed easily, and Lin Jiu could feel it was because more than half of Xia He's energy was being repelled by his soul energy, with only a small portion infiltrating his body, triggering the Willpower Check.

As he approached Gao Ning, Lin Jiu kicked the shield released by Gao Ning's prayer beads.

Crack!

Crack!

Two sounds echoed—one was Gao Ning's prayer bead shield shattering, and the other was the sound of Lin Jiu's shinbone. The immense recoil injured Lin Jiu's lower leg, but it allowed him to execute [Dawn Shadow] Slash the moment the shield shattered.

The sharp blade enlarged in Gao Ning's vision, slicing past his face by a hair's breadth. On the brink of life and death, Gao Ning broke out in cold sweat.

"Eternal Separation!"

It was Dou Mei, who had reacted just in time, that saved Gao Ning. Under Dou Mei's control, pollen-like substances gathered together, forming a rope-like shape that pulled Lin Jiu away slightly.

Seeing that her enemy was completely unscathed despite taking a palm strike, Xia He gritted her teeth and charged forward. Shen Chong noticed that Dou Mei's ability only restricted the opponent for a moment, realizing that Xia He alone wasn't enough. He pressed on despite his dizzy head, joining the fight.

They were fighting so hard not because the Four Sorcerers had a great relationship, but because the four of them together still had a fighting chance. If they were picked off one by one, they would be doomed. They understood well the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold"!

In the original story, the portrayal of the Four Sorcerers mainly emphasized their abilities related to "wine, women, wealth, and anger."

Lin Jiu had no idea about the ability Dou Mei was using at the moment.

The rope, formed from pollen, didn't bind him tightly; it just hovered around, restricting his movements. Lin Jiu cut through it, but it instantly reformed, making it difficult to break free.

Xia He approached Lin Jiu, using a charm technique that didn't require infusing energy into the opponent's body.

[Hunter is affected by the charm technique. Conducting Charm Attribute Check! Check failed, Hunter will be controlled for 10 seconds!]

[Charm Check in progress... Check failed! "Fearless" effect triggered, adjusting check... Hunter will be controlled for 1 second!]

As expected, Xia He's charm attribute far surpassed Lin Jiu's. Even with the "Fearless" adjustment, he still had to endure the charm's control effect.

Seeing the enemy dazed, clearly affected by her charm, Xia He chuckled softly, regaining her confidence. With Shen Chong's attack landing, they would win.

But the next moment, Xia He's expression froze. The opponent was only dazed for a second before his silver-gray eyes regained focus, and he turned back, slashing at Shen Chong.

Though Shen Chong could use his Qi to protect himself, against the sharpness of [Dawn Shadow], it was like paper. Barehanded against a sharp weapon, it was clear that even if he didn't die, he would be seriously injured.

At the critical moment, Dou Mei tightened the pollen ropes around Lin Jiu, restricting his sword-wielding hand. Although Dou Mei had initially given Lin Jiu a Buff, her later efforts turned her into the enemy MVP.

Shen Chong's attack landed on Lin Jiu's chest. But with 22 points in strength and the Soul Body enhancement active, Shen Chong's attack only tore through Lin Jiu's flesh, not reaching his internal organs.

Facing Lin Jiu's calm, silver-gray eyes, Shen Chong felt a sudden panic. Lin Jiu swiftly exerted force with his legs, driving a knee strike toward Shen Chong's vulnerable spot.

Shen Chong quickly retreated while using his hand to block Lin Jiu's attack.

Crack!

The sound was similar to the one from Lin Jiu's shin earlier, but Shen Chong's injury was even worse—his hand was temporarily useless.

Lin Jiu briefly broke free from Dou Mei's control and was about to strike again when a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise appeared.

[Warning: Hunter is under the influence of the "Twelve Labors Formation." A check will be conducted every 10 seconds, with increasing Willpower requirements for each check.]

[First check in progress… Check passed!]

Even though the check passed, a trace of anger surged in Lin Jiu's heart. Despite the other three desperately stalling him, Gao Ning still managed to set up the Twelve Labors Formation. If it weren't for the Reincarnation Paradise's notification, he might have fallen into the trap.

Upon receiving the notification, Lin Jiu immediately retreated, leaping onto the manor wall, and positioning himself outside the Twelve Labors Formation.

Shen Chong and the others didn't try to stop Lin Jiu from leaving the formation's range. Both sides stared at each other from a distance. Lin Jiu had originally intended to kill two of the Four Sorcerers—characters with significant roles in the original story—as their rewards would be much better than the minor character Hu Jie.

But now it seemed that plan might fall through. If they dragged this out until Gao Ning was exhausted, he could still kill them. But if this dragged on, it would cause too much commotion.

It was still early, and Lin Jiu didn't want to attract more attention so soon. Who knows if any scheming contractors were lurking in this derivative world?

"May I ask, good sir, what grudge or hatred do we have?"

Gao Ning still felt lingering fear, knowing how close he had come to death.

"No grudge or hatred. It's just that your Twelve Labors Formation is rather troublesome, so I wanted to deal with it first."

Lin Jiu replied frankly.

"So your real target is the four of us."

Shen Chong's expression turned solemn. If Gao Ning had been killed just now, the four of them might not have survived.

"Not really. I just wanted to ask where Lu Liang is, and as for killing you guys, that would just be a bonus."

Lin Jiu's honest words nearly made the Four Sorcerers explode with rage.

"For this?!"

Xia He now felt that Dou Mei's earlier words made sense—this guy in front of them seemed more like a member of Quan Xing than they did.

"Now, tell me, where is Lu Liang?"

Lin Jiu hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit.

"We'll tell you! But you have to tell us who you are first!"

Xia He stared at the young and handsome face of the opponent, feeling no desire to flirt. After all, she had just narrowly escaped death at his hands—you need strength to back up being playful.

"Reincarnation Sect… Red."

Lin Jiu stated his name. If they had the guts to seek revenge against his followers, well, good luck with that.

"The Reincarnation Sect… Red, the Sect Leader! We've heard of you!"

The Four Sorcerers were puzzled. With a maniacal leader like this, how had their sect not been crushed yet?

Without hesitation, they told Lin Jiu the general location of Lu Liang. Betraying their teammate caused them no guilt at all—this was the way of Quan Xing.

"You can leave now. But… if I don't find Lu Liang where you said he would be, I'll have reason to suspect you informed him."

Lin Jiu's calm words made the Four Sorcerers look grim. So if Lu Liang had already left, they be held accountable too?

This Reincarnation Sect leader didn't seem like someone open to negotiation, so Xia He and the others said no more. Gao Ning maintained the Twelve Labors Formation, cautiously widening the distance as they scattered and fled.

Lin Jiu felt a bit of a loss for not killing at least one or two of them, but chasing after them wasn't necessary. He picked up the phone and dialed Xu San's office.

"Hello~ How did the visit to the Village go, Sect Leader Red?"

The voice on the other end was Xu Si, who was aware of Lin Jiu's trip to the Dongxiang Village.

"Please inform the person in charge of East to come to the Dongxiang Village and clean things up."

"…"

Xu Si fell silent on the other end, and Lin Jiu could hear the sound of him taking a deep drag on his cigarette.