Chapter 39: The Ironhide Crocodile

Qin Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly snapped back to his senses. He shouted angrily, leaped into the air, and delivered a powerful kick to the black monster. In an instant, Qin Li felt as if he had kicked an iron plate — hard and heavy!

“Hiss!”

The monster let out an angry scream as Qin Li’s kick sent it flying toward the opposite riverbank. The river was only seven or eight meters wide. After the kick, before Qin Li even landed, the Yuanli inside him surged and rapidly circulated. He hung in the air like an eagle grabbing a rabbit, then swiftly drew the fine steel sword from his back and thrust it toward the spot where the monster was about to land!

Everything happened so suddenly that Bu Yunyan only now regained her senses. Her mouth slightly agape, her beautiful, enchanting eyes wide open, she murmured, “What kind of skill is this? Yellow Rank First Tier?”

Qin Li channeled his Yuanli into the sword in his hand. The blade trembled slightly as a faint purple energy, half a foot long, shot out from the tip. This purple energy was incredibly sharp. It instantly sliced through the monster’s back, which had scales as hard as iron plates. The monster roared loudly and spat out a white Ice Arrow, aiming straight at Qin Li.

Qin Li dodged sideways, and the Ice Arrow narrowly missed his shoulder. The bone-chilling cold made him shiver involuntarily. The monster now lay in the grass, its full appearance still unclear, but Qin Li’s sword strike had gravely wounded it. Without any hesitation, Qin Li thrust his sword again at the black, scaly monster in the grass, striking the same wound and piercing clean through from top to bottom!

The monster’s body stiffened abruptly. With a sharp cracking sound, Qin Li’s newly bought fine steel sword snapped! But the monster was already dead beyond doubt.

Just then, voices came from the distance. Ahu and the others, who had not gone far, heard the commotion and hurried back. They saw Bu Yunyan still standing there in a daze, while Qin Li stood on the opposite bank of the river.

Ahu asked in a deep voice, “What happened?”

Bu Yunyan quickly replied, “Qin Li was fishing, and a monster came out of the water. It was terrifying, but it seems to have been killed.”

At that moment, Qin Li bent down, grabbed the creature by its tail, and lifted it up. The monster was only a little over a meter long, but it weighed no less than a hundred pounds. Qin Li, looking at the crocodile-like monster, said to Ahu, “I was fishing, and who would’ve thought I’d hook this thing? Brother Ahu, do you know what this is? Brother Ahu?” Qin Li suddenly noticed that not only Ahu but even the usually icy Leng Yao, the grinning He Laosan, and the taciturn Li Jian were all staring at him with looks of disbelief.

After getting a clear look at the monster in Qin Li’s hand, Bu Yunyan couldn’t help but let out a startled cry, covering her mouth with her hand. Then she, too, looked at Qin Li as if he were a monster himself.

“What’s with all of you? Is there a flower on my face?” Qin Li said casually with a laugh. Holding the creature, he lightly tapped the ground with his toes. The seven-to-eight-meter-wide river posed no problem for him, and he landed instantly, barely stirring up any dust. This made the others look at him even more strangely.

Thud!

Seeing their stunned expressions, Qin Li felt both annoyed and amused. He threw the monster right in front of Bu Yunyan.

“Ah!”

Bu Yunyan screamed and nimbly leaped back several meters, then glared at Qin Li angrily. “You brat, are you looking for death?”

Qin Li chuckled. “Well, you were all looking at me like I was a ghost!”

Ahu couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle wryly. “Brother Qin, you can’t blame us. Who would’ve thought you were hiding your skills so well? To have such incredible ability, and yet people said you were only Yellow Rank First Tier… Damn it…”

Ahu couldn’t resist cursing, then pointed at the black, ferocious, scaly monster on the ground and asked, “Do you know what this is?”

Qin Li shook his head, thinking to himself, “That’s a stupid question. If I knew, why would I ask you?”

“This thing is called an Ironhide Crocodile! A genuine Spirit Beast!” He Laosan clicked his tongue in amazement, then gave Qin Li a thumbs-up. “Brother, you’re something else. We’ve camped by this river dozens of times and never seen one of these. Although it’s a low-level Spirit Beast, it’s extremely cunning. Do you know how much its hide is worth?”

“How much?” At the mention of money, Qin Li’s eyes lit up. There was no helping it — right now, that was what he lacked most.

Leng Yao rolled her eyes at Qin Li, seeming to think the boy was far too money-minded. The hide of the Ironhide Crocodile was extremely valuable; when made into soft armor, ordinary swords and blades couldn’t cut through it. Saying it was impervious to weapons wasn’t an exaggeration!

“This fellow looks like it’s over a hundred years old, right? Your sword technique is really sharp — you actually managed to pierce through it. I’d estimate it’s worth at least ten thousand taels of silver!” He Laosan circled the Ironhide Crocodile twice, sighing repeatedly. “Your luck is just amazing, kid!”

Ahu then spoke up. “It might be even more. Look — Brother Qin’s sword struck it right on the back. Even if it’s made into armor, it won’t be damaged at all. If sold at the Hunter’s Guild auction house, it could fetch at least thirty thousand taels!”

Everyone gasped in shock. Thirty thousand taels of silver! That was truly no small sum. With just fifty taels, one could buy a large three-courtyard house in the southern part of the city! With two thousand taels, a family of five could live comfortably for their entire lives!

Even for great families like the Qin Family or the Shangguan Family, who possessed assets worth millions, this amount was not something to ignore!

The others looked at Qin Li with envy in their eyes. Their team was considered top-tier in the Hunter’s Guild, but their annual earnings only amounted to around a hundred thousand taels. Divided among everyone, each person got just over ten thousand taels, because Ahu, as the team leader, took the largest share.

That was the rule among adventure teams — the more capable earned more, and no one complained about it.

Qin Li noticed their expressions and smiled inwardly. Looking seriously at Ahu, he said, “Brother Ahu, you decide how to deal with this thing.”

Ahu was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Qin Li meant. He waved his hand dismissively. “That won’t do. Hunters have rules. You hunted this Ironhide Crocodile entirely by chance and on your own. According to the rules, giving everyone a small share — a few hundred taels each — is the most we should take. Counting it as a team effort isn’t allowed.”

The others also came to their senses and refused one after another. They all knew about Qin Li’s situation. Although thirty thousand taels wasn’t a small amount, it wasn’t enough to make these straightforward hunters greedy.

Qin Li felt a warmth in his heart. He had seen plenty of people turn greedy at the sight of wealth, but people like them, who followed the rules, were becoming fewer and fewer. He smiled and said, “I said this morning that since I’ve joined you, I’m part of the team. Brother Ahu, no more excuses. Originally, I only hoped to earn a hundred or so taels from this trip — this has already far exceeded my expectations. If you really consider me part of this team, then don’t refuse anymore. Otherwise, I’ll turn around and leave right now!”

Qin Li’s words were firm and resolute. Ahu and the others couldn’t help but regard him even more highly. Excellent skills, a bold and straightforward nature, and a sense of justice — and most impressively, he was still just a kid not yet grown up!

“Deal!” Ahu slapped Qin Li heavily on the shoulder, saying with emotion, “You, brother, are a friend I’ve decided to make!”

Bu Yunyan looked at Qin Li with a seductive gaze, her voice soft and charming: “Little brother Qin, you’re rich now. Would you consider taking me as your concubine or something?”

Qin Li put on a flirtatious expression and chuckled. “Sure, come over here and give your master a smile first?”

“Pfft, drop dead!”