Chapter 198: Chapter 186: Iron Rock Mercenary Corps Headquarters

After giving his instructions to Luoqing City, Nie Yun took some elixirs to recover his energy and fully restore his strength. He didn’t linger at the Baihua Sect; after all, it was a sect full of women, and it wasn’t appropriate for a grown man like himself to stay there.

’I have to use these next three days to find more clues about Father and the others. I can’t let my plan backfire...’ As he left the Baihua Sect, Nie Yun flew through the night sky, his brow deeply furrowed.

’Announcing that I have the Phecda Sword was a good way to save Father, but I still have to keep searching for him. If they kill him before the three days are up, it’ll be a disaster!’

’Trying to gather information on my own, I’ll probably be discovered before I learn anything. Hmm? That’s right, I’ll go to the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps! They have a lot of members, so they’ll have more information. They must have excellent intelligence channels...’

A faint smile appeared on Nie Yun’s face.

Many of the missions Mercenary Corps accepted were in a legal gray area, so they all had their own intelligence networks. If he could make use of them, it would be far better than searching for information on his own. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He’d learned from his conversation with the two Mercenaries that afternoon that Tie Lan was back in Divine Wind City. Given his relationship with her, getting her to help with this small matter shouldn’t be too difficult!

With this in mind, Nie Yun and his three Demon Pets flew swiftly toward Divine Wind City.

The Iron Rock Mercenary Corps headquarters was located in the most bustling district of Divine Wind City. After entering the city, he asked for directions and walked for about an hour before a towering structure rose up before him. It was a pitch-black, castle-like building. In the center hung a vertical plaque with the four large words "Iron Rock Mercenary Corps," and in the bottom-right corner was the single, smaller word "Headquarters."

Even though it was the middle of the night, the Mercenary Corps headquarters was brightly lit and bustling with people.

"Miss Tie Lan is a Beast Tamer, and she’s tamed two Demon Pets—one at the Peak of Qi Sect and one at the Peak of Armor Realm. The Iron Rock Mercenary Corps has now surpassed the other two to become the leader of the Three Great Mercenary Corps. Any mercenary worth their salt has to join them!"

"Yeah, I’m here to sign up too. A Beast Tamer with a Demon Pet at the Peak of Qi Sect... Wow, Miss Tie Lan is incredible..."

...

One could easily overhear such conversations outside the main hall. A Mercenary Corps’s strength was determined by its strongest fighters. Previously, the strongest members of the Three Great Mercenary Corps had been their respective leaders, all at the Peak of Qi Sect. But now, with Tie Lan having tamed a Demon Pet at the Peak of Qi Sect, that balance had been broken.

A Demon Beast at the Peak of Qi Sect possessed immense physical strength; even two or three masters at the Peak of Qi Sect would be unable to defeat it. Because of this, the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps had become the leader of the Three Great Mercenary Corps in one fell swoop. More and more people were flocking to join, making the corps even more powerful!

"Look, that guy has three Demon Beasts with him. You think he’s a Beast Tamer like Miss Tie Lan?"

"Could be. Beast Tamers usually hang out with other Beast Tamers. And he’s got three of them! The Iron Rock Mercenary Corps is getting seriously powerful!"

"I wonder what level his three Demon Beasts are. Think they can compare to Miss Tie Lan’s?"

"Match hers? No way! Miss Tie Lan’s Demon Beast is at the Peak of Qi Sect, just a step away from the Ultimate Venerable Level. Even an Early-Stage Ultimate Venerable powerhouse would struggle to kill it! A Demon Beast like that is hard enough to find, let alone tame..."

"I don’t know about that. Look at them—their coats are sleek and they look powerful. I’d bet they’re not any weaker than Miss Tie Lan’s..."

As Nie Yun entered the hall with his three Demon Beasts, the crowd instinctively parted, their eyes filled with envy and astonishment as they gazed at the Wind Wolf King and the others.

Beast Tamers, who could tame Demon Beasts and turn them into Demon Pets, saw their overall strength increase exponentially. It was a skill that many envied.

"Huh? Hey, kid, it’s you! You really came! Haha, come on, I’ll take you to the assessment. Old Zhang and the guys will do me a favor!"

Just as Nie Yun entered the hall and was about to ask for directions, a laugh rang out and a burly man approached him.

"Huh? Jiang Xuan?"

Nie Yun smiled when he saw the man.

It was one of the two Mercenaries he had been drinking with that afternoon—the well-informed Jiang Xuan!

He was now wearing the Mercenary Corps’ standard uniform, and it was clear from a glance that he held a decent position within the organization.

"It pays to know people in the Mercenary Corps. He gets to skip the line and go straight to the assessment!"

When the others in the hall who were waiting for the assessment saw the young man get greeted by a corps member the moment he walked in, they were all filled with envy.

"Jiang Xuan, I’m not here for the assessment to join the Mercenary Corps. I’m actually here to see... your Miss Tie Lan!"

Overwhelmed by the burly man’s fiery enthusiasm, Nie Yun quickly explained.

"Looking for Miss Tie Lan? Haha, I get it. Every new guy says the same thing. If Miss Tie Lan met with everyone who asked, she’d have worked herself to death by now! Look, kid, don’t get ahead of yourself. Just work hard in the corps, and if you’re dedicated, she’s bound to notice you eventually!"

"..."

Tie Lan, despite only being at the Body Emergence Realm, had managed to tame a Demon Pet at the Peak of Qi Sect. The feat had become a legend in the Imperial Capital, and many came seeking her out, hoping for a glimpse of the famous Beast Tamer. Nie Yun never imagined he’d be lumped in with them. He found it rather amusing.

"Brother Jiang Xuan, I’m really not here for the assessment. How about this: could you please go inform Tie Lan that Nie Yun is here? Just tell her to come out and meet me!"

Nie Yun said with a sigh of resignation.

"Inform her? And have her come out to *get* you?" Jiang Xuan’s eyes went wide, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Are you dreaming, kid?"

’With Miss Tie Lan’s current status, even I can’t just see her whenever I want, let alone some stranger who just waltzes in. And he wants her to come out and greet him? He must be dreaming!’

"...Just go. I’ll wait here. There won’t be any trouble!"

Seeing the man’s expression, Nie Yun gave a resigned laugh.

"Alright then, I’ll give it a shot. But if I get chewed out for this, you owe me a drink!"

Jiang Xuan was a good-natured man—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so helpful after only meeting Nie Yun once. Seeing the youth’s firm insistence, he finally nodded in agreement and strode toward the inner section of the main hall.

Only the top brass of the Mercenary Corps were allowed to reside within the headquarters. Jiang Xuan knew that Miss Tie Lan wasn’t asleep yet; she was apparently in a discussion in the headquarters’ council chamber. Without hesitating, he walked straight toward it.

Inside the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps’ council chamber, all the senior members were seated in a circle. But instead of celebrating the corps’s growing strength, every one of them wore a grim expression, as if a great disaster was imminent.

"Everyone, what are we going to do about this? Liu Jifei was a direct subordinate of the Huo Family’s ancestor, Huo Gang, back when he was the Minister of Military Affairs. They have a very close relationship; otherwise, he never would have been appointed City Lord of Jibei City! Now his brother, Liu Chengze, and his nephew, Liu Yuan, are dead, and he’s insisting our Jibei City branch is involved. The Empire has even launched an investigation. Lan’er, go over what happened in Jibei City for everyone one more time. We have to come up with a plan to clear up this misunderstanding!"

A middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table spoke, his brow deeply furrowed.

The founder of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps, Tie Lan’s father—Tie Yan!