Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 668: Joining The Hunters

Han Yu wondered if the night he saw the wyvern and ram clash was connected. Spirits sometimes clung to powerful beasts, influencing them or feeding on their remnants.

But no. The collision between those two beasts had been pure beastly aggression.

Still, the coincidence was unpleasant.

Another hunter added in a trembling voice, "We left that place fast. The air felt wrong. Like someone was breathing down our necks even though there was no one there."

Han Yu finished another sip of whiskey.

"So," he said quietly, "you thought I was that spirit?"

Wei coughed. "Well… when we saw your silhouette in the snow, alone, moving strangely… we thought maybe you were it. Or like it. No offense."

Han Yu let out a low chuckle.

"None taken."

In truth, he was mildly amused. If they knew what he truly was capable of, they would fear him more than any ghost.

But the information was troubling. The Harrow Mountains were dangerous enough without adding murderous spirits into the mix.

He took another bite of seasoned wolf meat, savoring the spices as he considered his next moves.

The sect mission had never mentioned anything about an Evil Mountain Spirit. If it were strong, that omission was either deliberate or the spirit had manifested recently.

Both possibilities were troublesome.

The hunters continued to talk among themselves in hushed tones, each recounting what they had witnessed. The dread in their voices was unmistakable.

Han Yu poured himself another cup of Cinnamon Spirit Whiskey.

The warmth spread through his chest again.

His mind sharpened.

His instincts prickled.

Something was wrong with the Inner Ring and perhaps other rings too. Something more than beasts. Something more than cold.

And Han Yu began to suspect that whatever it was… it was watching.

Despite the concerning information from before, the warmth of the lodge continued to soften Han Yu's nerves. The fire crackled steadily, and the hunters, now well fed and flushed from whiskey, loosened up enough to fall back into normal chatter.

Han Yu decided it was a good moment to learn more about them.

"So," he said while chewing on a heavily spiced piece of flank, "where exactly are you all from? You seem familiar with the mountain routes."

The hunters looked at one another, and Wei answered first.

"We're all from towns outside the Harrow Mountains. Mostly Frost Bloom Town and two nearby villages," he said. "Just common folk who hunt to make a living. The mountains feed us more than the fields ever do."

Wen Changli added, "Most of the time we stay in the outer ring. Safer there, fewer things trying to bite your head off. This time though, I wanted to go deeper."

Wei shot him a look.

"And because of you wanting to go deeper, we saw those corpse sites and almost pissed ourselves."

Changli raised his cup and smirked.

"You will thank me again when we sell the wolf pelts."

Wei grumbled something under his breath and kept eating. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Han Yu leaned back, intrigued. "So you normally never enter the Inner Ring?"

"Never," another hunter replied instantly. "Only madmen or cultivators go in there. Even in the Middle Ring, the beasts can get nasty. And even normal beasts are a problem with all the cliffs and ice."

Changli nodded firmly. "We only went deeper this time because I thought we could get a big catch before winter. But once we saw the signs of that… spirit…" he trailed off, visibly uncomfortable, "we turned right back around. No amount of spirit stones is worth ending up as a decoration in whatever thing that was making."

A shiver ran through the group. Han Yu could see it clearly. Whatever they saw must have been gruesome.

"And winter is close?" Han Yu asked.

"Already started," Wei said. "Temperature is dropping fast. Once the storms begin, nobody in their right mind will remain more than two days inside the mountains. Blizzards here do not forgive. Not even cultivators."

Han Yu nodded. He had felt the cold creeping deeper each day. Soon even the heated robes might not be enough. Of course, that was if he continued to stay in the mountains. If he left them, it would be tolerable.

Changli lifted his cup toward Han Yu.

"But thanks to you, we don't have to risk anything more. Fifty Frost Hill Wolves in one go. Fifty! That is more than double our quota."

The others let out cheerful whoops and laughter.

"If we sell half, it pays for everything for the whole winter," one man said.

"And the other half we eat!" another shouted happily.

"Three months of meat," Wei boasted proudly. "Three months! And we will still have coin left over."

One man chuckled and added, "Maybe on the way back we will hunt again. Make even more profit."

The others slapped him on the back and teased him for being greedy, but the joy was real. Han Yu felt a small trickle of green Joy energy drifting from them into his hand. It was refreshing in a way he had not felt since leaving White Peacock Town.

Once their laughter died down, Han Yu took a sip of whiskey before casually steering the conversation to what he needed.

"I am heading toward Riverglade Town," he said. "I have a message to deliver there. What can you tell me about that place?"

"Riverglade Town?" Wei scratched his stubbled chin. "Smallish town, calm, nothing fancy. It is about a day's travel from Frost Bloom Town."

"Not much happens there," another added. "Mostly a farming and craft town."

Han Yu nodded thoughtfully.

"And the clans there? Any notable ones?"

He spoke casually, as if this were just idle curiosity. He had no intention of letting anyone know this was connected to a sect mission. Loose lips could easily reach the wrong ears.

One of the younger hunters perked up.

"I have a distant cousin who works as a servant for a clan there."

Another hunter elbowed him.

"The Fatui Clan, right?"