Chapter 413: The Nine-Tails Clan's Trouble, Enemies Arrive One After Another!
When Lin Fan asked the question, Xinqing let out a soft sigh before giving a bitter smile. "Beast Ridge has come to collect the tribute…"
"Then why are you all hiding?" Lin Dong, who had just arrived after hearing the commotion, asked curiously.
"Our Nine-Tails Clan girls are beautiful, which often brings trouble. If any of the tribute collectors take an interest in one of us, it can turn into a huge problem," Xinqing replied, her eyes dim.
In other places, beauty might be a blessing—but here, it was dangerous. A single misstep could bring disaster upon their entire clan.
"There was once a guy from Beast Ridge named Qin Gang. He came to collect tribute and took a liking to Sister Xinqing. He insisted on taking her as a concubine. To protect her, the clan chief had no choice but to send her far away from the Beast Battle Region," one of the girls said angrily. "And even then, our Nine-Tails Clan had to pay a heavy price to barely make that matter go away."
"I see." Lin Fan nodded, then asked, "What's Qin Gang's strength?"
"He's one of the nine great generals of Beast Ridge. Incredibly strong—on par with Cao Ying from Blood Python City," Xinqing said softly. In the face of such oppressive force, all she could do was run.
Lin Fan smiled. "So he's about the same as Cao Ying? Then what's there to be afraid of? Come on, I'll go meet this Qin Gang with you. Let's make sure he never thinks of laying a hand on you again."
"No, please don't!" Xinqing quickly pleaded.
"Why not?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
Xinqing bit her lip. "Qin Gang is one of Beast Ridge's nine generals. If you hurt him, the Beast Marshal might personally get involved. They say he has already reached Full Completion of the Death Profound Realm…"
Boom!
At that moment, an arrogant voice rang out from outside the Nine-Tails Village.
"Haha! People of the Nine-Tails Clan, time to pay this year's tribute!"
Dust clouds surged as laughter boomed across the skies like thunder.
As the dust cleared, a sea of soldiers appeared outside the mountain village, their presence so fierce and oppressive that dark clouds began to gather in the sky.
"That voice…"
Xinqing and the others turned pale as soon as they heard it.
"This Qin Gang guy, right?" Lin Fan asked, though his tone already confirmed it.
He looked through the protective barrier and saw a brawny man at the head of the approaching forces. The man wore no shirt, his skin gleaming like black stone, exuding a wild, brutal aura.
He sat atop a massive blood-red bat, grinning as he stared toward the Nine-Tails Village.
Not long after his voice echoed, the village's defensive formation rippled slightly. Aunt Xin led a group of Nine-Tails Clan warriors outside to meet him.
"Hehe, Aunt Xin, time to pay tribute. You know the amount—I don't need to remind you, do I?" Qin Gang grinned lazily from atop his bat.
"So it's Lord Qin Gang…" Aunt Xin nodded, then waved her hand, sending a spatial pouch toward him. "Here are ten million Xuan Yuan Pills."
Qin Gang caught the pouch and tossed it to a subordinate without even checking it. Then, as expected, he brought up Xinqing, insisting Aunt Xin hand her over.
"I'll wait right here. If you don't bring that girl out, I'll have to go in and find her myself," he said, crossing his arms with a faint threat in his voice.
Aunt Xin and the other elders of the Nine-Tails Clan looked grim, but none dared to act rashly. The situation reached a tense stalemate.
"Looks like Qin Gang already knows you're back. There's no hiding now," Lin Fan said calmly as he watched the standoff, turning toward Xinqing.
Her expression stiffened, then she clenched her fists in frustration. "That persistent bastard!"
"Come on. Let's go put an end to this," Lin Fan said, then walked straight out of the village.
Lin Dong, without hesitation, followed right behind.
"You all stay here. Don't come out no matter what," Xinqing told the girls behind her, then quickly caught up to Lin Fan and Lin Dong.
Soon, the three of them flew out of the village.
"Xinqing, Lin Fan, Lin Dong—you came out?" Aunt Xin's expression changed when she saw them, worry flashing across her face.
"Heh, didn't you say Xinqing wasn't back? Then who's that?" Qin Gang laughed as he laid eyes on her, the heat in his gaze unmistakable.
"Xinqing, since you're back, come with me. From now on, no one in the Beast Battle Region will dare bully you. Your clan will benefit too," he said smugly.
Xinqing's face turned cold, and she didn't reply.
"Don't worry, Aunt Xin—everything will be fine," Lin Fan said, then turned to Qin Gang and spoke casually, "Take a look at yourself. You think you're worthy of someone like Xinqing? Dream on."
"Who are you to speak to me like that?" Qin Gang's expression turned cold.
Rumble…
Suddenly, the ground shook violently!
Billowing clouds of dust surged in from afar. A new army charged across the plains, and before Aunt Xin and the others could react, they were at the village's edge. A fluttering banner bearing the character for "mountain" marked their identity.
"It's the Mountain General—Meng Shan from Thunder Abyss Mountain…"
Qin Gang frowned as he spotted the approaching group. He hadn't expected to run into someone from Thunder Abyss Mountain here.
"Qin Gang? You're here too?" the man at the front of the newcomers said in surprise, smirking with disdain.
He was lean, with dark yellow skin that shimmered with tiny, earth-colored scales—a strange and slightly unsettling sight.
"Lord Meng Shan… it's not time for Thunder Abyss Mountain to collect tribute yet, is it?" Aunt Xin asked cautiously.
Qin Gang was already a massive headache. Now another one had shown up. Did the Nine-Tails Clan have any hope left?
"Hehe, I'm not here to collect tribute," Meng Shan said with a creepy grin. His gaze turned toward Lin Fan and Lin Dong.
"I'm looking for two humans. One is called Lin Fan, the other Lin Dong. That's you two, isn't it?"
The second half of his sentence was clearly directed at them.
"So you're the famous Lin Fan. Looks like I won't even need to lift a finger today—you're already doomed," Qin Gang sneered.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1