34: Chapter 34

34

A flicker of surprise crossed his mind—he only had a vague impression of Chairman Liu Jinglong and hadn't expected the man to stand up for him.

This was no small favor.

He had originally thought the Bai Family's delay in acting was because they hadn't found him; now it seemed Liu Jinglong had been blocking the wanted order in the shadows.

"The Bai Family was that submissive? They really withdrew the wanted order?"

Huang Xingshan smiled meaningfully. "Sir, you shouldn't underestimate the Bounty Guild."

"Never mind the Bai Family, even the Su Family of Dragon City has to show the Guild some respect."

"Of course, while the Bai Family doesn't dare to act openly, they likely have plenty of schemes in the dark."

Jiang Haojie nodded.

He wasn't surprised; since dealing with the Bai Family, he knew they were a clan that wouldn't stop until they achieved their goals.

What truly shocked him inwardly was the Bounty Guild's influence—it seemed joining the Guild on Huang Xingshan's suggestion had been the right move.

"By the way, sir,"

Huang Xingshan suddenly remembered something and pulled an envelope from his robes. "I've gathered the medical expenses you advanced for me earlier, and I can return them to you today."

Jiang Haojie raised a hand to stop him. "No need. That matter was related to me after all, so let's leave the money as it is."

Huang Xingshan opened his mouth to protest further, but Jiang Haojie cut him off first.

"Let's move. I have other arrangements later."

"After dealing with these items, I should be going."

Sensing his intent to leave, Huang Xingshan had to swallow his remaining words and silently led Jiang Haojie toward the trading area.

He actually harbored some confusion—from what he had seen, this man's skills clearly didn't fall within the scope of an Enhancer, yet why could he occasionally produce such rare equipment? Could he be reselling for someone else? Although these thoughts circled his mind, Huang Xingshan tactfully refrained from asking.

Having been in this business for a long time, he knew well what to be curious about and what to ignore.

With Huang Xingshan leading the way, the transaction went exceptionally smoothly.

A moment later, four million credits were transferred into the account.

As for the storage tool, the crimson flame sword, and that C-grade Crocodile Stomach Armor, Jiang Haojie kept them all with him.

After leaving the trading area, he went straight to the Bounty Guild's main hall.

He submitted his mission credentials following the previous procedure, and the staff member behind the reception desk called Shen Mengli as per routine.

In the interval while waiting for the employer to arrive, news had already reached Liu Jinglong's ears.

Before long, the Chairman himself appeared in the hall.

"Mr. X, I wonder if we could have a private word?"

"Of course."

Jiang Haojie nodded in agreement.

Regardless, the favor from the other party's previous secret assistance was there, so he naturally had to give him this face.

He turned to the reception desk and left a message: "If the employer arrives and I haven't come out yet, please ask her to wait a moment."

"Certainly, don't worry."

The staff member agreed with a smile.

...

Inside the Chairman's office, Liu Jinglong pushed a cup of clear tea in front of Jiang Haojie.

"Mr. X, you must already know about that matter."

Jiang Haojie picked up the teacup. "I heard a friend mention it before coming here."

"I must thank the Chairman for mediating this time."

"No need to be polite."

"Since you are a registered member of the Guild, the Guild will naturally fulfill its responsibilities."

Liu Jinglong waved his hand, but his expression became more serious. "However, there are some things I must remind you of, sir—swords and spears in the open are easy to guard against, but cold arrows in the dark are hard to detect."

"The Bai Family doesn't dare to act rashly on the surface, but privately... I hope you will be extra careful, sir."

"I understand."

Jiang Haojie nodded.

"If the Chairman needs my help in the future, please feel free to contact me."

His contact information was kept in the archives; if Liu Jinglong intended to, he could naturally find him.

"Good, good."

This response clearly satisfied Liu Jinglong.

More than any material gift, this promise made him feel it was worth it—or rather, all his previous efforts were for just such a stance.

"If Mr. X encounters any trouble in the future, you can come to me at any time."

"I won't boast about other places, but within this Dragon City, I, Liu, still carry some weight."

Liu Jinglong's tone was gentle yet firm. "As long as it doesn't touch the bottom line of the law, I can mediate for you."

"Then I shall thank the Chairman in advance."

Jiang Haojie raised his cup in a toast.

Although he didn't fully understand why the other party was showing such goodwill, since they had shown sincerity, he naturally treated them with courtesy.

The conversation between Jiang Haojie and Liu Jinglong ended in a relaxed atmosphere.

He rose to take his leave, and as he walked through the corridor back to the spacious and bright front hall, he saw Shen Mengli waiting there at a glance.

At this moment, she was politely surrounded by several men, seemingly dealing with some small talk and conversation.

Jiang Haojie's footsteps paused slightly, and then he understood—with Shen Mengli's outstanding appearance and temperament, attracting the attention and approach of others was perfectly normal.

Her outfit today was different from before; a well-tailored ink-black qipao neatly outlined her slender curves, paired with matching stiletto boots, exuding a touch of sharpness within the elegance.

However, her slightly furrowed brows leaked a faint, barely perceptible weariness from dealing with the situation.

Just then, her gaze swept through the crowd and happened to catch sight of Jiang Haojie, and a flash of brightness immediately crossed her eyes.

Ignoring the talk around her, she walked straight toward Jiang Haojie with quick steps.

Seeing this, the people who had been surrounding her and trying to converse with her all showed hints of disappointment and melancholy on their faces.

***

"The quality of this batch of crocodiles has pleasantly surprised me."

After inspecting the goods Jiang Haojie brought out, Shen Mengli showed a satisfied smile. "I didn't expect you to successfully hunt even a Tier 4 Iron-clad Crocodile; it really forces one to re-evaluate your abilities."

Except for the highest-tier Iron-clad Crocodile which bore battle marks, the bodies of the other crocodiles were quite well-preserved.

What surprised her the most was precisely this Tier 4 Iron-clad Crocodile.

Her original expectation was just some Tier 1 prey, but as it turned out, Jiang Haojie not only brought back Tier 3 individuals but even successfully took down a Tier 4 existence.

There was also that completely white crocodile, with a graceful form and rare color, a species she had never encountered before.

"Just luck."

Jiang Haojie's tone was flat, half-explaining and half-concealing. "When I found it, it had just been through a fierce fight and was in poor condition, so I managed to get it by chance."

"Then, do you have any knowledge about the species of this white crocodile?"

Shen Mengli's attention quickly shifted from the Iron-clad Crocodile as she looked at the unique white crocodile with great interest.

Its skin was glossy and pearly white; if crafted with ingenuity, it would surely become an exceptional raw material for leather goods.

"I'm not sure either."

Jiang Haojie shook his head. "I encountered it by chance and searched specifically for a while afterward, but found no others of its kind."

Hearing this, a flash of regret crossed Shen Mengli's eyes.

If she could obtain more of this rare leather, the value would be even more considerable.

But on second thought, rarity itself was part of the value, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"You completed this commission exceptionally well; I am very satisfied."

She composed her thoughts and returned to the main topic. "Regarding the reward, I will pay one and a half million crystal coinss. What do you think?"

Jiang Haojie nodded in acceptance.

To be fair, this amount wasn't high, as the risks hidden in this hunting process far exceeded the norm.

It was only because he took action personally; had it been anyone else, they would likely have struggled to escape unscathed, let alone complete the mission perfectly.

"Also, I have to trouble you one more time,"

Shen Mengli added, "help me transport these goods to my residence."

"Sure."

The two then left the room and went to the front desk to complete the mission conclusion procedures.

Jiang Haojie soon received the agreed payment.

Upon parting, Shen Mengli asked, "Do you need to take on any more commissions recently? If so, I can post another one suitable for you."

Shen Mengli quite appreciated Jiang Haojie's unique method of accurately killing monsters without excessively damaging their bodies, and she was very willing to continue collaborating with him.

"No need for now,"

Jiang Haojie politely declined, "I have some personal matters to handle recently."

He needed a thorough rest, after which he should start looking for a place to live.

Once these matters were settled one by one, the start of school wouldn't be far off, so he decided not to step into the Fallen Zone for the time being.

A hint of disappointment crossed Shen Mengli's eyes, yet she still said softly, "No matter. Whenever you want to take a mission, find me anytime."

"I can wait until you're willing before posting one."

"Alright."

It was already past three in the afternoon when he returned to the inn.

The son who had been missing for ten whole days suddenly appeared, making the old couple almost jump out of their chairs simultaneously to surround Jiang Haojie, repeatedly asking where he had been all this time.

If Jiang Haojie hadn't mentioned in a previous phone call that he might return late, they would probably have panicked and reported him missing long ago.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

Jiang Haojie spent quite a bit of effort explaining before the two elders gradually calmed down.

He had wanted to bring up the matter of looking at houses tomorrow, but he swallowed the words—it would be better to save it for later as a surprise gift.

After chatting with his parents for a while longer, Jiang Haojie returned to his small room.

The next morning, after eating, Jiang Haojie took back his bank card from his mother, Xiao Yufen, and went out alone.

Regarding a place to live, he already had a few vague outlines in mind, and today was for verifying them one by one.

A house was a big deal after all; even if he didn't plan to live there for a lifetime, it had to be stable and proper for a considerable time in the future, and the surrounding environment had to stand up to scrutiny.

Before long, he stopped in front of a place called "Taihe Town"

sales office.

This was one of the few famous high-end residential areas in Dragon City, mainly consisting of detached villas and large flats.

Jiang Haojie pushed the door open and entered; the professional smiles that several sales agents originally wore quickly faded away upon seeing that he was just a teenager.

No one came forward to greet him.

Jiang Haojie frowned but said nothing, slowly pacing twice around the property's sand table model.

Then he turned to the nearest female salesperson and asked, "Excuse me, what sizes of detached villas are currently for sale?"

The woman gave him a casual glance, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt. "Little boy, are you really buying, or just asking for the price? If it's the former, I can tell you about it; if it's the latter, I suggest you don't waste your time."

The starting price for a detached villa in Taihe Town was two million crystal coinss.

She sized up the boy's more than ordinary clothing and simply didn't believe he could produce such an amount.

Jiang Haojie almost laughed.

What a snobbish Taihe Town; they couldn't even be bothered to introduce the basics before judging a customer's sincerity in buying.

If one doesn't buy, do they not even have the right to ask?

A place with such an attitude would likely offer no comfortable service in the future even if one did buy.

He shook his head, said no more, and turned to walk straight out.

Since he had money, where couldn't he make a home? Why endure such treatment here and then obediently hand over his savings?

A very faint sneer came from behind him.

The female salesperson curled her lip; she had seen many like him—pretending to ask around and then finally dropping a "I'll look around some more"

before slipping away.

After leaving Taihe Town, Jiang Haojie's next destination was the Longjing Pavilion sales center.

Unlike Taihe, Longjing Pavilion focused on rows of townhouses; although not detached, they had their own orderly and quiet style.

Stepping into the sales hall, still no one came forward to greet him, as if he were just an insignificant shadow in the air.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a clear voice rang out from the side:

"Hello, sir, would you like to see some houses?"

The speaker was a young girl whose face still carried some of the greenness of a newcomer to the workplace, but her eyes were clean and bright.

Jiang Haojie stopped and nodded.

The girl immediately broke into a smile and led him toward the sand table. "Our Longjing Pavilion consists entirely of townhouses; although they aren't as grand as detached villas, the environment is quiet and much more comfortable than ordinary housing."

She pointed to a corner of the model. "Currently, there are ready houses in Villa Areas No. 7 and No. 8. Which would you like to see first?"

Not far away, several senior salespeople glanced over, their whispered conversation clearly drifting into Jiang Haojie's ears:

"Look at Xiao Yao's enthusiasm, wasting her effort again."