Chapter 599: Old Friends

Candice chuckled and smiled as she chatted with Han Shuo and led him and his party into Sunshine Valley. However, inadvertently or not, her gaze wandered to Jasper. Confusion showed in her eyes.

Han Shuo noticed Candice's mysterious back and forth glance. Seeing that she was only getting more and more confused, Han Shuo smilingly explained, "You can stop looking. She's not an angel of the Church of Light like you think. She was born with this pair of snow-white wings. That's all."

Candice finally relaxed. She asked Han Shuo in a low, curious voice, "If she's not an angel as the Church of Light said, then what is she? I have served as a mercenary in every corner of the Profound Continent and yet I have never seen or heard of such a person."

"She is my woman," Han Shuo did not explain Jasper's origin, instead emphasising his relationship with her.

Upon hearing these words, Candice shot a hateful glance at Han Shuo and lowered her voice as she said, "You womaniser, you already have three beauties in the Lancelot Empire, how can you still be fooling around!"

Han Shuo smiled and did not respond to Candice's criticism. He maintained his leisurely demeanour as they made their way into the depths of Sunshine Valley.

All along the way, many merchants and businessmen in Sunshine Valley looked at Han Shuo and his party in amazement. Their attention was focused not only on Jasper and her wings, but also on Hemanna and Sylph, who had sharp thorns growing densely from their shoulders, elbows and knees.

"What kind of people are they? How strange!"

"Isn't that an angel warrior, as told in the legends of the Church of Light? Why would an Angel Warrior appear in the Valley of Sunshine? I seem to recall that the commander of the Soul Destroyer mercenary group had specifically written that no one from the Church of Light was allowed to enter Valley of Sunshine?"

"Haven't you seen that it's Candice who's leading the way for them? This is very questionable!"

The merchants around them kept discussing the identity of Han Shuo and his party. However, due to Candice's presence, these people had deliberately lowered their voices.

As the crowd discussed and commented on Han Shuo and his party, his ladies also whispered about the crowd.

"Their clothes are so beautiful! There are beautiful decorative patterns on these people's clothes, how interesting!" Sylph exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's right. Look at those stones around their necks, so dazzling to the eye as they sparkle and shine!" Hemanna exclaimed softly.

"This world is indeed different from ours! Undeniably, their clothing, food, shelter and transportation are far superior to ours," Jasper remarked.

"Ah, those things are useless. Haven't you noticed that these people are much weaker than the ordinary people of our world? They have paid too much attention to enjoying life instead of constantly fighting like our people!" Sanguis's words had clearly shown his attitude to the ladies. The three ladies were so engrossed in the seductive material constructs of this world, but Sanguis only scoffed at them.

With Candice leading the way, Han Shuo and his party finally arrived at the far end of Valley of Sunshine . This area used to be a special area for the Cairo Mercenary Band. Of course, it now belonged to the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band. There was a huge training ground in front of it. Some of the mercenaries were topless, their massive, solid muscles fully exposed as they practised their martial arts skills with full attention.

"Lord Candice!" these people greeted friendly when they saw Candice enter.

Han Shuo took a quick look around and noticed that these people did not look familiar to him. It seemed that the Soul Destroyer mercenary group had been recruiting more and more members as they were developing rapidly.

"Candice, what are these people doing here? Another batch of mercenaries? Haha, do you mind if I borrow these fresh cuts for a few games?" a two-metre tall, bald, brawny man jokingly provoked as he held up a battle axe.

"Hmph, idiot, with your little capacity you will be played to death." Candice glared at him scornfully and shot back without the slightest regard for his feelings.

The bald, brawny man was unhappy to hear those words. He glared with his big copper eyes and replied in a low, muffled voice, "I'm not buying it!"

Whoosh! A figure suddenly shot into the training area. Sanguis squinted at the brawny man, sized him up, and gave his impartial assessment: "His four limbs are developed, but the energy in his body is weak. He cannot withstand a single blow!"

"Um... Bryan...?" Candice said to Han Shuo after staring blankly for a moment.

"Sanguis, don't hurt him. Just knock him down!" Han Shuo raised his voice to instruct Sanguis. After that, he turned to Candice and said smilingly, "He's my apprentice. Just let him have some fun, there's no harm in it." In the world of mercenaries, the one with the biggest fist is always right. If you can defeat them squarely, you will win their respect.

The bald man was obviously enraged by Sanguis's words. He lowered the battle axe in his hand, thrusting out his pectoral muscles, which were like two lumps of iron, and relentlessly issued a challenge: "Arrogant brat, come, I'll let you hit me three times!

"Not only weak, but also simple-minded!" Sanguis shook his head as he made further assessments.

"Kid, stop this nonsense, knock me down if you can!" the bald, brawny man roared angrily like a bear after listening to Sanguis taunt him over and over again. Since Sanguis was only about 1.7 metres tall, and without the thick and bulky muscles, the brawny man did not consider Sanguis a threat at all.

"It couldn't be easier!" Sanguis sneered and threw a lightning strike. His fist turned blood red and shot straight into the centre of the immobile brawny man.

Pow!

The huge figure of over a hundred kilos was sent flying as if weightless, making a thud as his backside hit the ground. The man sat up and stared blankly at Sanguis, who was standing more than ten paces away. He seemed to have no idea what had just happened.

The mercenaries on the training ground, who had been giggling as they watched, thinking that Sanguis was going to make a fool of himself, all looked at Sanguis as if they had seen a ghost. They were all stunned and couldn't understand how Sanguis could have such a terrifying power.

These mercenaries weren't clueless muscleheads. Of course, they knew that strength didn't have much to do with physique. However, when they watched closely, they discovered that Sanguis was not using any combat aura.

For a youngster to send a massive body of over a hundred kilograms flying with a single punch without using any combat aura was shocking!

Sanguis shrugged his shoulders at the bald hulk of a man before he said to Han Shuo, "Master, I did him no harm.

The result came as no surprise to Han Shuo. He nodded at Sanguis and hurried Candice, "Alright, let's go."

"Oh, oh. Okay. Okay!" Candice was suddenly awakened. She took a quick look at Sanguis in a strange way before turning her gaze to Han Shuo and shaking her head as she sighed, "You really are becoming more and more inscrutable. Who would have expected even your apprentice to be so miraculously powerful? Sigh, no wonder..."

"No wonder what?" Han Shuo said with a dashing smile as he thought to himself, "That brawny man was just a journeyman swordsman. If he could withstand a single blow from Sanguis, then a Body of Sanguis does not live up to its name.

"No wonder during the five years you were gone, every time the people of the Lancelot Empire were in trouble, they always thought of you and how great it would be if you weren't gone; no wonder Brettel City has become so powerful in just a few years that not even the Brut Merchant Alliance dared to touch it," Candice explained.

Han Shuo let out a hollow laugh and did not reply. He walked towards the restricted area at the back of the valley.

As he ventured further into the valley, Han Shuo saw more familiar faces. Grant, who was explaining the rules of the mercenary band to a new group of mercenaries, was immediately stunned when Han Shuo suddenly appeared. He stared at Han Shuo without saying a word.

""Lord Grant, are you all right?" the newly recruited mercenaries didn't know what was going on. They couldn't help but wonder when Grant suddenly fell silent in the middle of his explanation.

"Ahhh!!!" a deafening scream rang out from Grant. The mercenaries listening intently to his lecture were startled.

Under the watchful eyes of these newly hired mercenaries, Grant shot towards Han Shuo at lightning speed and shouted in surprise, "Lord Bryan! You are still alive!"

"I don't die easily, hehe," Han Shuo nodded and smiled. His heart was filled with warmth to see Grant so pleasantly surprised from the bottom of his heart.

"Bryan? Who called Bryan?" a shocked cry rang out from a stone chamber. A moment later, a person stumbled out and turned to look at the source of the voice. Another scream echoed through the valley, "Ahh! Holy shit! It's really Bryan!"

Odysseus was delirious with joy. Just like Grant, he rushed to Han Shuo's side, laughing heartily and hugging Han Shuo tightly.

Odysseus and his company had a closer relationship with Han Shuo and had joined the Soul Destroyer mercenary band because of him. Today, Odysseus and those few had all risen through the ranks of the mercenary band. They were still as open and uninhibited as before.

"You're still here, haha, this is great. It seems that the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band is getting better and better," Han Shuo was also very happy to see his old friends.

"Come on, let's go get Trunks and drink! That guy has been locking himself inside for cultivation all this time, he's getting more and more diligent!" Since Odysseus had joined the mercenary band at Han Shuo's invitation, he knew that the real owner of the Soul Destroyer mercenary group was Han Shuo. Even though everyone had great respect for Trunks, Odysseus still treated him like a partner.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked towards the back of the valley. Trunks came out of his cultivation after hearing the news. As soon as he saw Han Shuo, Trunks rushed over to him and they gave each other a tight hug. Soon after, he shouted, "Brothers! Bring out the liquor. Today we will drink it all!" After finishing those words, Trunks hugged Han Shuo tightly and exclaimed, "I knew it wouldn't be that easy to kill you!"

"No kidding! they have to plot much harder!" Han Shuo laughed.

After a short while, all of Han Shuo's old friends gathered. Soon after Trunks gave the instructions, large bowls of liquor and large pieces of meat were served. The mercenaries paid no attention to table manners at first. Upon hearing the words of their leaders, they did not restrain themselves and began to drink and munch loudly and rowdily.

After the mercenaries who had recently joined the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band realised Han Shuo's identity, they were excited beyond words. They took the opportunity to toast their idol and expressed their worship by drinking to the limit.

At that time, Han Shuo was truly an idol in Valley of Sunshine. He also had a record of never being defeated in the Lancelot Empire. These mercenaries had the utmost admiration for such characters. Therefore, when they heard that the legendary expert had arrived, every single one of them was excited.

In an instant, Valley of Sunshine was filled with a joyous atmosphere.