"Who says not! But who makes them have influence above! It's just a pity for the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group, they might really be kicked out of the top three mercenary groups this time."
"Doesn't the Mercenary Guild do anything about it?"
"Do? How can they? The Mercenary Guild now is not what it used to be. For this kind of internal strife, they just turn a blind eye. Besides, how do you know the Mercenary Guild isn't fanning the flames from behind?"
The speaker said, pointing a forefinger to his forehead.
"Alas, I heard that more than half of the people in the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group's stronghold have been lost. It's truly a sin!"
"It's survival of the fittest. Now Xianhe Town has already seen rivers of blood. When Sun Shangde returns, a fierce battle is inevitable. At that time, Xianhe Town will probably be piled high with corpses!"
"Then we should leave quickly, lest we get caught in the crossfire when they go berserk!"
"Yes, yes, yes, let's finish eating quickly and then leave!"
After speaking, the few people began to eat ravenously. After finishing their meal, they paid their money and left in a hurry.
Only now did Zi Linling understand why there was such a strong smell of blood in Xianhe Town.
However, none of this concerned her, as her destination was the Misty Forest.
Half an hour later, Zi Linling and Xue Ying had also finished eating.
As they were about to pay for their meal and leave, they were blocked by a fat man with a face full of fleshy folds.
The fat man reeked of alcohol, had yellow teeth, and lecherously stared at Zi Linling's veiled face, saying, "Beauty, don't rush off! Come, sit down and have a drink with me!"
Zi Linling's brows furrowed, and a faint chill emanated from her. She coldly rebuked, "Scram!"
This cold reprimand drew the attention of everyone eating in the inn.
The fat man froze, then burst into laughter, saying to his two companions behind him, "Oh! She's a feisty one! But I like that!"
Although the bystanders disdained the fat man's actions, they felt it was none of their business, so apart from watching the show, no one stepped forward.
The fat man's two companions, hearing his lewd laughter, also joined in the heckling.
One of them, a scrawny man like a monkey, said, "Brother has excellent taste. Judging by this feisty one's figure, she must be a beauty."
Another man, who looked like a dwarf, scrutinized Zi Linling with a lustful gaze and said, "Why not lift your veil and let big brother have a good look, eh?"
The fat man swayed and nodded, patting the dwarf's shoulder, saying, "My brother speaks the truth! Even with this veil, I'm already itching with desire. I wonder what a peerless beauty lies beneath it."
The monkey-like man chimed in, "Lift it! We must lift it!"
The fat man let out a burp, looked at the monkey-like man and then at the dwarf, and said drunkenly, "Since my brothers say so, then let's lift it!"
Saying this, his greasy, pig-like hand reached out to snatch Zi Linling's veil.
Xue Ying was about to intervene when she realized Zi Linling had already disappeared from her sight.
It turned out that Zi Linling had been looking at the three men with dangerous eyes.
Therefore, before the fat man's hand could touch Zi Linling's veil, Zi Linling had already used her Flowing Dragon movement technique and steps to get behind the fat man.
She concentrated her ancient martial arts internal energy into her right foot and kicked hard. The fat man, who was already unsteady from drinking, stumbled forward.
By the time the fat man felt the force on his backside, it was too late to react.
His body lurched forward uncontrollably, crashing violently into a large pillar nearby.
In his panic, the fat man instinctively hugged the red pillar with his hands, his mouth and nose making intimate contact with it.
The posture was truly spectacular.
"Ouch!"
The fat man yelped in pain, groaning.
The onlookers, who had been watching, were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
This laughter jolted the stunned monkey-like man and the dwarf, sobering them up considerably.
They quickly ran to help the fat man, anxiously asking, "Big brother, are you alright?"
"Ouch!"
The fat man, clutching his nose and mouth, turned around, blood trickling through his fingers.
"B-b-big brother, you're bleeding!"
The monkey-like man exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, the fat man quickly looked at his right hand, which was covering his nose and mouth, and said in disbelief, "I... I'm actually bleeding?"
The dwarf was not tall, so he had to look up to see the fat man's face.
He pointed at the fat man's nose and said tremblingly, "Big brother, your nose is broken, and your mouth is swollen!"
The fat man's current appearance was truly unbearable.
With his already fleshy face, his nose was now red, his lips were split, and he had a large bump on his forehead. He could be described as a pig's head and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
A cold smile played at the corner of Zi Linling's lips. Dare to tease her, the Ghost Hand Poison Doctor? Had he grown too bold?
Xue Ying chuckled, "Pfft," her young lady's kick was indeed fierce.
This laugh brought the panicked trio back to their senses.
The fat man's drunkenness had now completely cleared. He roughly pushed aside the monkey-like man and the dwarf who were supporting him, and angrily strode up to Zi Linling, roaring, "You kicked me, didn't you?"
Zi Linling calmly replied, "Was your head kicked by a donkey? I was just helping you sober up!"
"Hahaha..."
The onlookers burst into laughter again.
The fat man was taken aback, clearly not expecting Zi Linling's reply.
He cast a sinister glance at the spectators, who immediately fell silent.
Then, he turned back to Zi Linling and sneered, "This 'This Venerable One'? You don't even have a trace of spiritual energy, yet you dare to call yourself 'This Venerable One'?"
The onlookers were surprised, and only then did they realize that Zi Linling indeed had no spiritual energy, and her maid Xue Ying was only at the third level of Body Tempering.
The fat man and his two companions, however, were all cultivators of the Spirit Gathering realm. It was like a lamb falling into a pack of wolves.
The spectators couldn't help but worry for Lin Ling.
Zi Linling ignored the pity in everyone's eyes and said dismissively, "Even without a trace of spiritual energy, This Venerable One can still beat you until your teeth fall out!"
"Hahaha!"
This time, the laughter came from the fat man, the monkey-like man, and the dwarf. They acted as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.
It was like a lamb telling a wolf, "I'm going to stew you!"
The fat man finally stopped laughing and said lecherously, "Beauty, you're quite the comedian! How about this, if you give yourself to me, I'll let the matter of you kicking me just now slide, how about it?"
The monkey-like man chimed in, "Woman, it's your good fortune that big brother fancies you. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"
The dwarf also leered and added, "That's right! You should just comply!"