"No, I'll think about it some more." Lou Yi directly refused.

Don't be fooled by this woman's seductive demeanor; she's the strongest of the four in the Beast Hunting Bureau.

Without directly confronting her, Lou Yi couldn't sense her exact strength, only knowing she must be above the Minor Circulation level.

Lou Yi would not believe that the other party would be so kind-hearted as to help him complete his task.

He expressed his thanks to these people and prepared to go back and inquire further.

"And you, young sire, want sister to help you?"

"No, no."

The white skinny man wearing a square scarf also declined repeatedly and left the room together with Lou Yi.

The two walked in silence all the way.

As they walked out of the Beast Hunting Bureau's main gate, the square scarf man suddenly said, "Your caution is justified."

"Oh, what advice do you have, brother?" Lou Yi clasped his fists in inquiry.

"Seeing that we are destined to meet, I'll tell you." The square scarf man whispered, "First of all, the Beast Hunter Guards often hunt spirit monsters in the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range; it is indeed hard to gain a foothold alone, so forming a team is necessary.

But teammates in a team should be those who know each other well and can trust each other with their backs. Isn't it strange that person invited you to join the team upon first meeting you?"

Lou Yi listened, nodded slightly, and waited for the square scarf man to continue enlightening.

Seeing Lou Yi's genuinely puzzled look, the square scarf man couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority and continued, "I've heard that some teams like to 'raise Gu', trick newcomers into doing the most dangerous jobs.

Only if they survive do they qualify to fight alongside them."

That's what being cannon fodder means.

Although Lou Yi sensed something was amiss at the time, he wouldn't know as clearly as the square scarf man, and he praised, "Brother, you are truly knowledgeable."

"Not at all." The square scarf man's face showed a proud expression, "And secondly, why does that woman like to help us complete our tasks?"

"Why?" Lou Yi asked cooperatively.

"Simply put, she wants to leech contribution points!" The square scarf man resentfully exclaimed, "The newcomer task is a benefit given to us by the Beast Hunting Bureau; the tasks are simple, contribution points are around ten points, and by helping, they can take half."

"But after the newcomer period, completing tasks and earning contribution points becomes difficult!

Killing an ordinary spirit monster often requires collaboration, and you only split one or two contribution points among yourselves!"

"Is it really that difficult?" Lou Yi sucked in a breath, 'hissing'.

His exaggerated expression was akin to a certain female athlete of the last generation with the surname of Fu.

"Indeed, earning contributions isn't easy." The square scarf man found Lou Yi more and more agreeable, and his enthusiasm grew, "If it weren't for my sister, I might've fallen into a trap too.

Those who regularly go to the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range to slaughter often have twisted mindsets, different from ordinary people, so be cautious in dealing with them."

The two talked more and more amiably, almost feeling like they'd met too late.

"Why don't we grab a drink?" Lou Yi suggested.

"Sure!" The square scarf man gladly accepted.

The two went to Storm Tower opposite Zhihai Tower, and Lou Yi booked a private room on the second floor, sitting across the table.

They ordered a plate of peanuts, two pots of green wine, three pounds of cooked beef, and started to engage in enthusiastic conversation.

"I am Liu Shu, an outer city native, practicing my family's breathing technique, luckily promoted to a martial artist..."

"My name is Shi Qingde, you can call me Little Shi, my family has some wealth, but it's not considered substantial..."

After a few bowls of wine, the square scarf man's face turned somewhat red and his words seemed to tumble out effortlessly.

"Spirit monster meat turned over to the City Lord's Mansion can earn a bit more contribution... You ask why I don't keep it myself? Alas, do you think all the meat from a spirit monster can enhance Qi-Blood?

Only a small part can, it needs to be carefully selected and cut, and then specially pickled to remove toxins, it's not that easy!"

"How can you, alone, transport a huge spirit monster to the city? If you join a team, there's someone specially responsible, so you don't have to worry."

"A beast hunting team, you need to join those with a good reputation and who don't exploit newcomers.

Since we get along so well, if you can't find a suitable one, come directly to me, my sister is a team leader..."

The more the square scarf man drank, the less coherent he became, and his eyes began to look somewhat hazy.

Lou Yi supported him out of the tavern, called for a carriage, and sent him in front of a shop named 'Shi Family Pawnshop'.

Two servants quickly came to support him, even shoving a piece of silver to Lou Yi as a token of thanks, but he refused.

'A pawnshop, no wonder he says he has some wealth.'

Lou Yi watched as the square scarf man was carefully carried into the pawnshop before returning to the Martial Arts Hall.

He inquired about the Beast Hunter Guards with Zhan Weida, comparing the information he had gathered from the square scarf man.

Lou Yi had already listed the plan for the coming period in his mind.

In the next two to three months, the main focus will be on beast hunting to accumulate contributions.

After two or three months, look for opportunities to publicly break through within the sect, to obtain the second phase of the Yellow Extreme Breathing Technique.

It would take half a year to become a martial artist, remarkable yet not too conspicuous, ensuring stability.

After all, offending Heavy Sword Sect by killing Qi Bao was severe.

Without sufficient strength, keeping a low profile would be preferable.

And with enough contributions, one can still improve martial arts and talents, which won't affect the enhancement of strength.

...

Several days later, Lou Yi went again to the Beast Hunting Bureau.

The number of Beast Hunter Guards present had changed from four to two, being the strongest, hooked-nose man and the voluptuous woman in a red dress.

Unable to organize a card game, the two sat there bored.

The red dress woman groomed her nails, while the hooked-nose man examined an ancient book.

"It's you." The hooked-nose man remembered Lou Yi clearly, "So, are you here to take a task?"

Lou Yi nodded, "Are there any newcomer tasks recently?"

The hooked-nose man's eyes shifted, "Are you still considering my previous proposal?

Our Dragon Soul Squad is powerful, ranking among the top in all Beast Hunter Guard teams."

Seeing Lou Yi's expression remain unmoved, he then whispered, "Fear not, revealing to you, we have support from the Xu Family..."

'Xu Family?'

Lou Yi naturally knew the Xu Family; it was Tai City's foremost family with martial artists overseeing it, being the largest power under the City Lord's Mansion.

But he already knew the man's intentions were impure, so no matter what, he couldn't join his team.

"Sorry, I always prefer to work alone."

Seeing Lou Yi's firm attitude, the hooked-nose man's face instantly turned somber.

"Look for yourself."

He snorted coldly, took out a white stone slab, and 'slapped' it down on the counter table.

The red dress woman beside him was engrossed in polishing her nails, not paying Lou Yi any attention at all.

This time's tasks had been updated, and there were three:

['The Goat Spirit at Sheep Ghost Slope has given birth and is in a weakened state, elimination can lead to earning thirty contribution points.'

'The Deceitful House in the outer city Mang Village often emits eerie crying sounds, bothering the villagers, solving this can earn twelve contribution points.'

'Escort XX caravan through the western official road of Hundred Beasts Mountain Range, side duration should not exceed a month, can earn fifteen contribution points.'

]

Lou Yi carefully studied these tasks.

The first, about Sheep Ghost Slope, he had heard about back in Xinxiang, knowing its mysteriousness, not expecting the source to be a Goat Spirit.

With a full thirty contribution points, it far exceeds other tasks.

Instead of attracting Lou Yi, it highlighted the difficulty of this task, so he first crossed it off.

The third task took too long, requiring a month, so selecting it wasn't convenient either.

Lou Yi planned to choose the second task, investigating the so-called 'Deceitful House'.

...

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