Mercenaries in Two Worlds

"Haha, I'm so strong! I've become this strong in just one day!" Zhang Qian laughed loudly at the lions, but they completely ignored him.

Feeling scorned, Zhang Qian scooped a large rock from the bottom of the pool, placed it on the edge, and with a roar, swung it down like a warrior on TV. The rock shattered instantly, and his hand only felt slightly numb. Feeling quite accomplished, Zhang Qian raised his chin and looked at the lion, as if to say, "See how strong I am!"

The lion ignored it dismissively, lazily opened its mouth, and a purple ball of light flew out and slammed into the mountain wall, sending rocks flying everywhere.

Zhang Qian's hand-chopping of the stone was a joke under the attack of this purple ball of light. His previously smug face immediately froze, and he gave an awkward laugh before lowering his head to wash clothes, muttering to himself, "Hmph, I won't stoop to the level of a big cat."

Strange noises filled the forest at night, but Zhang Qian felt peacefully lying on the lion's furry belly, with two adorable cubs nestled in his arms. It was too late; the lion would have to send Zhang Qian out tomorrow.

Reflecting on today's experience, I feel both lingering fear and a sense of excitement. This world, where danger and opportunity coexist, is as captivating and alluring as opium.

He stroked the head of the little lion in his arms, and when the lion nuzzled against his stomach twice, Zhang Qian smiled and gradually drifted off to sleep.

It seemed like only a moment had passed when Zhang Qian suddenly felt an itch on his face. He didn't pay attention to it and patted it with his hand. Then he found that his palm was wet and slippery, which startled him. He opened his eyes and saw that two little lions were licking his hand. He looked outside the cave and saw that it was already broad daylight.

Zhang Qian stretched and stepped outside. The large lion, which was sunbathing outside, got up, shook off the dirt, and said, "Let's go!"

"How direct! Are you in such a hurry for me to leave?" Zhang Qian yawned, picked up the two little lions that were spinning around at his feet, and said, "Kids, I'm leaving. Grow up healthy and strong."

The two little lions didn't understand what Zhang Qian was saying at all. They stuck out their tongues and licked Zhang Qian. Their cute, watery eyes melted Zhang Qian's heart.

After playing for a while longer, it was finally time to leave. Saying goodbye to the little lion cub who was eagerly watching him from inside the cave, Zhang Qian was genuinely reluctant to part. However, the big lion ignored his sorrow and carried him quickly out of the forest.

Zhang Qian clung to the lion's neck, bouncing through the woods for an unknown amount of time.

The lion suddenly stopped, looked ahead, and let out a deep roar.

“Purple Moon Lion, huh? There’s someone sitting on it.” Five people emerged from the bushes ahead: three middle-aged men in short-sleeved shirts, a thin young man, and a woman in her early twenties with a pretty and slightly charming face, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit.

This was the first time Zhang Qian had seen people in this other world. He patted the lion, climbed down, and said, "I got lost in the forest, and this lion saved me. Please don't hurt him."

The man who spoke first, revealing a muscular physique, smiled and said understandingly, "The Purple Moon Lion is docile by nature, and we will not harm it without reason."

Zhang Qian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the other party was easy to talk to. "I wonder how long it will take to get out of here."

"We'll be heading out in about half an hour. Why don't you come with us? The Purple Moon Lion is bound to encounter people on the outskirts, and it could be dangerous if it runs into someone with ill intentions."

Zhang Qian pondered for a moment, thinking to himself that he had no money, no beauty, and was not in any danger, so it wouldn't hurt to go with them. He said a few words to the Purple Moon Lion, who glanced at the group opposite him, saw that they didn't seem like bad people, nodded, snorted, and turned to disappear into the bushes.

Seeing the Purple Moon Lion disappear into the bushes, Zhang Qian walked over to the other side and imitated the fist and palm greeting that martial arts figures on TV greeted each other, saying, "Thank you all for your help."

The woman was a little surprised. "You can speak animal language. I just saw you talking to a lion." The others who hadn't noticed were also surprised at this moment.

Zhang Qian inwardly cried out in alarm. He hadn't paid attention for a moment, and now he could only admit, "Yes, I've lived on the mountain with my grandfather since I was little, and I've learned some animal language."

Upon hearing Zhang Qian's admission, the burly man suddenly became warmer, putting his arm around Zhang Qian's shoulder and saying, "Come on, let's talk as we walk. It was really uncomfortable staying in this Ghost Night Forest all night."

After talking, Zhang Qian learned that the three middle-aged men were brothers named Wang Yi, Wang Er, and Wang San, whose names were chosen haphazardly by their parents. Another thin young man was named Zhao Yi, but he seemed unapproachable, with a gloomy expression. The woman was named Ye Hongmei. The five of them were a small mercenary group called the Wang Family Mercenary Group. They usually did errands for their employers, and when they weren't in business, they would come to Ghost Night Forest to gather herbs. None of the five had high cultivation levels; the woman was the most skilled, having reached the peak of Qi Refining.

Zhang Qian fabricated a story that he grew up in the mountains and had never left them until his grandfather passed away last month, at which point he came down from the mountains, only to get lost and end up in Ghost Night Forest.

The five mercenaries looked at Zhang Qian's strange clothes and his unfamiliarity with everything, but neither said whether they believed him nor asked any further questions.

Wang Yi was quite frank, saying he was interested in Zhang Qian's ability to speak animal language and invited him to join the mercenary group. Zhao Yi, however, strongly opposed it, arguing that Zhang Qian had no cultivation at all and would only be a burden.

Surprisingly, after Ye Hongmei made the decision to agree, no one dared to say anything more. It turned out that this woman was the leader of the mercenary group.

On the second day after Zhang Qian arrived in this other world, he officially joined the Wang Family Mercenary Group.

He felt like he had fallen into a "wolf's den"...

"Little brother, how did you learn animal language? That's amazing! Teach your big sister, okay?" Zhang Qian was speechless, teased by Ye Hongmei, and didn't know what to do. Ye Hongmei wasn't much older than him, looking to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, but her constant calling him "little brother" made Zhang Qian feel inferior to her.

What's frustrating is that Zhao Yi stared at Ye Hongmei with disgust whenever he saw her being close to Zhang Qian—a truly undeserved misfortune. A man so petty and easily jealous is probably destined to be single forever.

"This requires talent; you can't learn it without talent. Hey, Brother Wang, wait for me!" Zhang Qian couldn't stand the harassment from this charming woman any longer and quickly ran towards Wang Yi.

Ye Hongmei watched Zhang Qian run away in a panic, chuckled softly, her eyes, like spring water, captivating, and murmured, "Although this young brother Zhang has not cultivated, his physique is astonishingly good. He is also a rare person in the world who understands the language of beasts. His future is limitless."

Listening to Ye Hongmei's whispers, Zhao Yi felt a nameless fire ignite in his chest. His eyes were fixed on Ye Hongmei's beautiful face, but he was also filled with jealousy towards Zhang Qian. This kind of person is probably destined to be single forever.

Alas, Zhang Qian's fate is truly unfortunate. He's either on the verge of death or harboring resentment, never finding a moment of peace. Deep down, all Zhang Qian wants is to quietly learn some martial arts techniques, exchange them for some money, buy those damn top-grade spirit stones for 1024, and then go back and show off his martial arts skills.

Is it really impossible for the people of Tianxing Continent to grant him such a simple wish? It's simply unreasonable!