Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

The men's camp was situated on a wide, flat area in the valley, with a clear stream flowing alongside it. A few meters around the camp, there was an area marked with white powder.

Within that area, the firelight was bright, and several tall men were sitting there.

Upon seeing their companion return, they rushed forward to greet him.

The demonic beasts that had been confronting the men could only pace around the perimeter and growl warningly as the men entered the circle.

Although they looked extremely fierce, they dared not take a step forward; they were clearly afraid of the circle.

Is this white powder the animal repellent powder?

Guan Xun sat atop a tall tree not far from the camp, completely concealing his presence as he watched for any movement ahead.

The men breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from their brows, and sat down around the campfire.

The rescued woman was also placed by the campfire. She seemed to be in great shock, burying her head between her knees and ignoring everyone.

Guan Xun glanced around and only then did he notice the men's clothing. They were all wearing uniform black light armor, with a dark brown badge hanging on their chests.

The badge was very simple, with only the character "merchant" engraved on it.

It seems these are the mercenary groups that Xiao Ba mentioned to her.

They're all people who get paid to do things. Were they hired specifically to rescue this woman?

"Are you feeling better? Here, have some hot water." A mercenary with a full beard and a buzz cut patted the woman's shoulder cautiously.

He had a kind and honest appearance, and seemed to be around forty years old.

"what!"

This action startled the woman, who looked up like a frightened deer, her bright eyes scanning her surroundings. After she understood the situation, she slowly calmed down a little.

"Saved? I'm saved?!" She grabbed the man's wrist.

"Yes, yes, don't be afraid," the man quickly reassured her. "It's alright now."

After hearing this, the woman took the blanket and hot water and drank it in large gulps.

Once her body warmed up a bit and she stopped shivering, she calmed down and tearfully thanked the mercenaries for saving her life.

A sly-looking mercenary even gave the woman some medicine, and after seeing that most of her injuries were superficial, he took out some ointment to apply to her.

His gaze lingered on the woman's face and body, and he asked in a low voice, "Why are you here alone in these places so late at night?"

The medicine stung terribly when applied to the wound, causing the woman to gasp. She frowned and slowly said, "I am from the Xuan Yin Sect. I was sent by the sect leader to the capital to deliver congratulatory gifts to the new emperor on his ascension to the throne. On the way back, the flying beast seemed to have eaten something bad; it had constant diarrhea and kept flying lower and lower..."

"Then we were attacked by ferocious beasts, and everyone with me was eaten by them..." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she choked up repeatedly.

"The Xuan Yin Sect? You're actually from the Xuan Yin Sect?" the man exclaimed in surprise.

After exchanging a few glances with the mercenaries around him, he put away the ointment: "I see, that's unfortunate."

He sighed and said, "You can rest here tonight. We'll come down the mountain early tomorrow morning to see you off."

Upon hearing this, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. She could have easily sensed the man's scrutiny earlier, and deliberately revealing her identity was a way of warning him not to make any advances towards her.

Seeing that the other party had truly withdrawn their intentions, she smiled and said, "Alright, thank you, brothers. I will definitely repay you handsomely when I return to my sect."

The mercenary was only after money, and when he heard what the woman said, his eyes lit up, and he urged her to go and rest.

Guan Xun's eyes darkened. This woman was quite clever; she knew that her strength was inferior to that of the mercenaries, and she even knew to use her identity to protect herself.

Shortly after the woman entered the tent, the mercenaries gathered around her, whispering amongst themselves.

A fat mercenary chuckled lewdly, "I didn't expect this woman to be from the Xuan Yin Sect. The women there are all...you know what I mean?"

Upon hearing this, another mercenary became interested: "Hehe, it seems you've been involved, boss."

The mercenary leader waved his hand: "I only heard about it."

"Isn't Mr. Hu the employer this time? Mr. Hu likes her type."

Upon hearing this, everyone was slightly taken aback.

The weasel-faced mercenary who had just applied medicine to the woman immediately understood what his boss meant. He lowered his voice even further and asked, "Boss, you mean...?"

He made a gesture as if presenting a gift.

The mercenary leader raised his hand and slapped him on the head: "Are you stupid? You don't want the money? Talk to Master Hu properly and ask for a reasonable amount of money. That way we can make a fortune."

"But she's from the Xuan Yin Sect..."

One of the mercenaries expressed his concerns.

The mercenary leader spat a few times disdainfully: "The Xuan Yin Sect is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from here. If you shut up and I shut up, who will know?"

Upon hearing this, the mercenaries agreed that their leader was right.

As long as you keep your mouth shut, you can get away with anything.

Master Hu is a very wealthy man, he will definitely give it a big pat.

Guan Xun clicked his tongue a few times upon hearing this.

While the group was plotting, the honest-looking mercenary standing nearby began to hesitate.

He leaned closer and said, "Boss, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"What did you say?! Shut up!" The mercenary leader glared at him fiercely, his tone full of disdain.

He never really liked this weak-willed person.

Once he gets back, he'll kick this person out of the team immediately.

"Boss, but that woman is covered in scars. Would Master Hu really be interested in her?" someone reminded him.

The mercenary leader was taken aback, and frowned in embarrassment.

Suddenly, he remembered something, turned his gaze to the honest-looking mercenary beside him, looked him up and down, and his eyes fell on the storage ring on the finger.

Without saying a word, she grabbed his hand.

"Tiehe, I remember you have a quick-fix medicine for healing wounds, right? I used it on Laoyao last time, and it worked really well, like it worked instantly," he asked.

The honest mercenary paused for a moment, then nodded: "There are still some left."

"Alright, give them all to me, and let that woman take them."

The honest mercenary exclaimed, "This won't do! It's a life-saving medicine!"

It would be such a waste to give it to someone with a minor injury.

"Boss, this medicine was bought from Doctor Dong; we're keeping it to save lives."

Doctor Dong is highly skilled in medicine, and the medicines he concocts are extremely effective. Countless people seek his treatment every day, and his medicines are sold in limited quantities each day, making them extremely difficult for many to obtain.

Such a hasty decision would certainly be met with disapproval from the honest mercenary.

He tried to persuade his boss.

Upon hearing this, Guan Xun was taken aback.

Eh?

Doctor Dong?

She thought for a moment, wondering if he was talking about Dongyang.