Meanwhile, at the other end of the tavern, the hunting team had started drinking, with Wan Hao enthusiastically welcoming the new recruits.
Lin Xiao Tian drank his wine, but his mind was elsewhere.
So… it was you causing trouble!
With his keen senses, Lin Xiao Tian had been keeping a close eye on Liu Yue's every move.
The bottle Liu Yue had just produced contained the same powder they had been given last time. Combined with Liu Yue's words, the answer was self-evident.
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't understand why Liu Yue was targeting them.
The hunting team hadn't had much private contact with Liu Yue, so it was unlikely they had offended her.
As for the newcomers, they were all young and had never even had contact with Liu Yue before, let alone offended her.
Recalling the scene of Liu Yue "mistakenly" handing over the wrong powder for the first time, Lin Xiao Tian's brow furrowed slightly.
Could it be that Liu Yue was targeting him?
After all, Lin Xiao Tian had been present on both occasions, and Liu Yue had given the powder to Lin Xiao Tian himself the first time!
However, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't fathom why Liu Yue would target him.
Could it be that she had discovered his identity as an outsider?
Impossible!
If that were the case, she would have tried to control Lin Xiao Tian, not kill him.
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't make sense of it.
But in reality, how could he possibly know that Liu Yue simply wanted Lin Xiao Tian dead?
Because Lin Xiao Tian hadn't acted according to her demands, she intended to eliminate him.
What was one human life?
In this world where the strong reigned supreme, human lives truly amounted to nothing. The medical hall received several corpses daily, and life was already as insignificant as weeds in her eyes.
Now that he knew Liu Yue was behind it, Lin Xiao Tian had also become much more wary internally, and he had also intensified his surveillance of Liu Yue during normal times.
Of course, he couldn't monitor her for too long, or it would be easy to detect traces by the underground formations.
After leaving the tavern, Lin Xiao Tian followed Zhu Kai home again. Zhu Kai continued to write his letters as usual, fantasizing as he wrote about how moved Zhu Yu would be upon receiving it.
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't understand why Zhu Kai was so fixated on Zhu Yu.
Their respective statuses made a union impossible.
Although Zhu Kai wasn't particularly sharp, he wasn't completely foolish. If he weren't pretending to be mute, Lin Xiao Tian would have loved to ask him directly.
Just as Lin Xiao Tian was privately feeling indignant for Zhu Kai, there was a stir from Liu Yue's side.
"Why is she meeting this person?"
Lin Xiao Tian's attention focused on the person in front of Liu Yue.
It was a short middle-aged man, whose appearance could only be described as unfortunate, and he spoke with a hoarse voice. Lin Xiao Tian knew him to be the captain of one of the hunting teams in Black Rock City, named Luo Hou. His strength was at the half-step Foundation Establishment realm.
Half-step Foundation Establishment already possessed some of the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, making them invincible among those in the Qi Refining stage.
Due to Luo Hou's strength, his hunting team had achieved excellent results over the years, ranking among the top ten in terms of total income among the hunting teams in the market.
Lin Xiao Tian's team was tenth, while Luo Hou's team ranked third.
"Wan Hao's team is difficult to deal with!" Luo Hou stroked his chin, looking hesitant.
Liu Yue had made a small request just now. He had initially thought he could take advantage of the physician, but he hadn't expected this small request to be so risky!
"It's not like I'm asking you to fight Wan Hao and his team to the death. It's just to deal with one of them." Liu Yue made a gesture indicating a small amount.
"My dear Physician Liu, Wan Hao is famously stubborn and very loyal. You're asking me to deal with one of his teammates, someone who has been with him for years and is said to have sworn brotherhood with him? Isn't that like asking me to fight them to the death?" Luo Hou glanced at Liu Yue, his expression troubled.
"What? You, a half-step Foundation Establishment expert, are afraid of a few Qi Refining cultivators? They combined can't defeat you, can they?"
"I can certainly deal with a few Qi Refining cultivators, but if they fight to the death, there will be casualties. Moreover, it would be in the forest. If a powerful demon beast were to appear, wouldn't I be putting myself in danger?"
Liu Yue's expression darkened.
"So, you're unwilling to help?"
Seeing Liu Yue's stern face, Luo Hou quickly put on a conciliatory smile.
"Oh! My dear lady, it's not that I don't want to help, but this favor involves risking my life. The price is too high…" Luo Hou said, his gaze drifting over Liu Yue. "If there's no benefit, I can't explain myself to my brothers! Besides, Wan Hao and I have always treated each other as brothers."
Liu Yue understood immediately.
"You think I'm not giving you enough?"
"What are you talking about? Would I haggle with you? You've always known my feelings, haven't you?"
Luo Hou said, gazing at Liu Yue with fervent eyes.
Liu Yue, however, looked at Luo Hou's display with disdain.
"Don't think I don't know that you're going to such lengths to please me just to save face."
Luo Hou liked Liu Yue?
Impossible!
As a cultivator at the half-step Foundation Establishment realm, his standards were high. Unless she was a beauty, no one would catch his eye.
It was common knowledge in Black Rock City that Luo Hou was a philanderer and a frequent patron of many pleasure houses.
However, his appearance was truly unappealing, which was why he hadn't found a beautiful Dao companion of equivalent strength. Most of them simply didn't fancy him.
As for those who were beautiful but lacked strength, his family wouldn't acknowledge them, and bringing them back would only lead to mockery from other family members.
Therefore, Luo Hou had been searching for a suitable partner.
Undoubtedly, Liu Yue was an excellent candidate.
Liu Yue's appearance was ordinary, but she was a physician, and her status was considerably higher than his. If she agreed to marry him, all his problems would be solved.
Moreover, they had known each other since childhood, and their families would never object.
"Xiao Yue…"
"Don't call me that!"
"Alright, alright, pretend I didn't say anything." Luo Hou secretly broke into a sweat.
He dared not offend Liu Yue.
"Then I'll take my leave." Luo Hou said and prepared to depart.
Just as he reached the door, about to leave, Liu Yue called out to him.
"Fine! Luo Hou, I promise you, after this is done, I will accompany you to meet your parents."
"Really? That's great!"
"Don't get too happy too soon. It's just meeting parents; it doesn't mean marriage."
"Hahaha, Xiao Yue, I'm already very happy that you've agreed to meet my parents."
Luo Hou was overjoyed.
What he wanted was face.
Whether Liu Yue married him or not was secondary; he had gained face.
"Then, what do you want me to do?"
"Don't worry, I can kill a few mere Qi Refining cultivators whenever I want!" Luo Hou said confidently.
Liu Yue smiled knowingly and paced in front of Luo Hou.
"Take this. Be careful in the forest." Liu Yue said, handing a bottle to Luo Hou.
"So much hidden medicinal powder! Haha, Xiao Yue, you're truly thoughtful."