Nighttime.
Tang Wen was in the courtyard, honing his Dark Night Divine Fist.
He repeatedly refined his Contemplation Method and the first stance of the fist technique—Shadow Kill.
The Dark Night Divine Fist was not merely a fist technique.
Beyond the footwork and moves,
once mastered, Tang Wen could utilize his innate dark abilities to conceal his presence, even achieving invisibility.
However, his dark abilities were currently too weak.
Far from meeting the requirements for invisibility.
Invisibility—who wouldn't want such an ability?
Thus, there was no choice but to train diligently.
In fact, if it weren't for the Bai family incident,
Tang Wen would have long left Mountain Chasing City and returned to the Flame Camp to seclude himself and refine the Dark Night Divine Fist.
Even now,
the investigation into the disappearance of the Bai family's Exploration Team had been pushed far back on his priorities.
It was neither important nor urgent.
Time passed minute by minute.
The moon crossed the zenith.
Tang Wen drew a basin of cold water from the well and rinsed his body.
Hmm, there's still a flaw.
I don't have any slaves or female servants.
In a typical camp or city, this wouldn't be a big deal.
But in Mountain Chasing City, where every household kept slaves, it made him stand out.
However, he had too many secrets.
Living with slaves would be too inconvenient.
For instance, the Dark Night Divine Fist couldn't be exposed.
Sigh, being an undercover agent is truly not a job for humans.
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Wu Hao appeared at Tang Wen's doorstep.
Today was the day they would attempt to tame the Water Sprite.
Wu Hao personally carried a food box, followed by two brothers, and entered the small courtyard.
After having breakfast together, they headed to the Blackwater Gang's headquarters.
There, they met with Elder Li and Deputy Gang Lord Zhao.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" Elder Li asked with concern.
Tang Wen patted his stomach, indicating he was full.
Elder Li nodded: "Good, one must eat well before work. Never go into battle on an empty stomach."
With that, he and Deputy Gang Lord Zhao took the lead, walking ahead.
Tang Wen followed on horseback, deep in thought: What does this old man mean?
Is he confirming whether the taming potion is ready?
That seems to be the only possibility…
Mountain Chasing City was a large city.
It was divided into the inner city and the outer city.
Like the Flame Camp, the city wasn't a simple "Hui" shaped structure.
The inner city also had gates leading directly to the outside.
When Tang Wen released the Blood Raven, he used its vision to observe that the structure of Mountain Chasing City was more like a "return" shape, with the top horizontal lines of the two "mouth" characters merging into one.
The inner city was primarily controlled by three major families.
The outer city was dominated by five major gangs.
Among them, the city lord of Mountain Chasing City and the leaders of the three major families were all Divine Martial Realm experts.
That is, fifth-tier masters!
Meanwhile, the five gang lords of the outer city were only sixth-tier Astral Martial Realm experts—at least, on the surface.
Based on the power comparison, it seemed the outer city should be subordinate to the three major families of the inner city.
But in reality, it wasn't so.
The three major families of the inner city were in competition, each harboring grievances and conflicts over interests, with deep-seated animosities.
Moreover, as the families grew larger, each branch and lineage had its own agendas.
The situation became even more complex.
The same was true for the five major forces in the outer city.
They formed alliances but also restrained each other.
They also had connections with the three major families, along with smaller forces and external factions vying for survival in the cracks.
The overall situation in Mountain Chasing City was like a massive web woven by countless spiders.
It had long since formed a pattern of "you in me, and me in you."
For instance, at this very moment.
According to common sense, the Blackwater Gang and the Boat Gang both make their living in the outer city.
One controls slaves for farming and breeding, while the other controls waterways for cargo transport.
They have conflicting interests over water resources.
However, after both sides discovered the rare Mutated Beast known as the "Water Sprite," there was no outbreak of bloodshed.
Instead, they tacitly brought in two Beast Tamers to compete for the ownership of the Water Sprite.
This seems too harmonious.
Harmonious to the point of being abnormal.
It's unclear whether they had previously engaged in mutual slaughter.
If it weren't for the exhaustion from the slaughter and the heavy losses on both sides, this situation wouldn't have come about.
There must be something fishy going on.
Unconsciously, Tang Wen followed the crowd to a secluded small square.
The Boat Gang had already arrived.
"Ho! Old Zhao came in person!"
"You old dog, you came in person too."
"Damn! Who are you calling an old dog?"
"What, do you want to hear it again?"
A blonde elder from the Boat Gang and Vice Leader Zhao exchanged warm greetings.
Everyone was drawn to their interaction.
But seeing the calm expressions on both sides' faces, it was clear this wasn't the first time.
Tang Wen noticed that Elder Li nodded in respect and greeted another leader-like figure from the Boat Gang.
Then Elder Li stepped forward and conversed with each Martial Master and above from the other side.
The Boat Gang members didn't shy away, chatting and laughing softly with Elder Li.
Wow!
He really is an old social butterfly!
Before long, the sound of rolling wheels was heard.
Three steel cages, two to three meters tall, were pulled in by carriages.
Seeing the contents of the cages, Tang Wen's pupils contracted: the Water Sprite isn't small in size!
And, if I'm not mistaken, the female Water Sprite is pregnant!
At a glance, he roughly estimated that the male Water Sprite in the cage was over two meters tall.
Judging by its aura, its level is probably close to that of a Superior Exotic Beast.
The female Water Sprite is slightly shorter.
The smallest half-grown male Water Sprite lay sickly in the cage.
Its head bore the imprint of the iron bars, clearly having rammed the cage fiercely but not being tough enough, injuring itself.
"Old Zhao, stop the nonsense!"
"It's you, the blonde old dog, who's been wasting time!" Vice Leader Zhao turned his head: "Tang Wen!"
"Here." Tang Wen stepped forward.
Someone from the Boat Gang also stepped forward.
A middle-aged man.
Tang Wen had noticed him earlier.
Because he reeked of fish, and the three Water Sprites, in their extreme unease, frequently glanced at him.
This man was indeed a Beast Tamer.
The Blackwater Gang had some discussions about his appearance.
Tang Wen overheard a few words.
Wu Hao leaned over and whispered an introduction: "I didn't expect the Boat Gang to invite him over. His surname is Zhang, known as the Half-Step Master, skilled in using food to attract Mutated Beasts. The food he prepares, Mutated Beasts can't get enough of it, always wanting more."
Though he didn't take it seriously in his heart, Tang Wen's expression turned grave: "I will do my utmost."
Wu Hao didn't say much, just patted his shoulder.
In the hearts of the Blackwater Gang members, they felt they might lose.
Their silence contrasted sharply with the relaxed laughter of the Boat Gang.
The Boat Gang elder stepped forward with a smile: "Shall we follow the usual practice and have a little bet?"
The Blackwater Gang members frowned.
With Master Zhang on their side, betting would be like giving them money.
After a moment of silence, Elder Li smiled and said, "Alright, how about one to two odds?"
"One to two? Old Li, you're really dampening morale! You don't have much confidence in your own people, do you?"
For Elder Li, Tang Wen was someone he had introduced into the gang, so he had to support him.
But when the odds of winning were clearly low, and real money was at stake, it was necessary to negotiate the terms.
"Our young Tang is just over twenty years old and already a master of beast taming. There's plenty of time for him to grow!"
"Heh," the Boat Gang elder rubbed his teeth and glanced back at his own people. "One to two it is, brothers! The Blackwater Gang is practically handing us money!"
"Hahahaha!"
"I bet on our Boat Gang's Master Zhang! Two hundred taels!"
"Haha, I'm betting on Master Zhang too! Three hundred taels!"
"Five hundred taels! Just enough for a good drink!"
"Don't bet too aggressively. Look, the Blackwater Gang isn't even daring to bet anymore."
"Are they chickening out?"
"Damn it! You're all being too harsh. Does my brother have to lose? I bet a thousand taels!" Wu Hao stood up and shouted.
Knowing they were likely to lose, the others also started placing bets, two hundred taels, three hundred taels.
It wasn't that they were doing it out of respect for Tang Wen.
It was just that the atmosphere was such that if they didn't put up some money, wouldn't the Boat Gang look down on them?
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