Did that open your eyes

The terrifying tiger corpse measured over ten feet in length. The crowd looked upon it with lingering apprehension, but as the fear subsided, a look of pleasant surprise gradually surfaced, and they immersed themselves in the euphoria of their massive haul!

Wei Xiaowei exclaimed in excitement, unable to calm her agitation.

"Wow..."

"This tiger beast isn't just ordinarily big. Look at these paws—a single basket couldn't even hold one! There is more meat here than a whole flock of chickens combined. It’s surely worth a fortune."

Hearing the young maiden's exclamation, the surrounding team members burst into laughter, their eyes filled with a shared delight.

"Niece Wei is right, this tiger beast is absolutely invaluable!"

"We really hit the jackpot this time!"

"It is all thanks to Captain Xu. Otherwise, even if we risked our lives, we wouldn't have secured such a harvest!"

"Mr. Yi, this must have been quite the eye-opener for you, right?"

Seeing everyone's high spirits, Yi Feng smiled faintly, playing along with the atmosphere.

"Indeed."

"It is my first time seeing such a... massive tiger beast."

Seeing that Yi Feng was finally shocked, Wei Xiaowei enthusiastically offered an explanation while also remembering to gently comfort and encourage him.

"Mr. Yi, even we rarely encounter this kind of demon beast."

"This tiger beast is exceptionally rare. Its flesh, blood, and fur are all treasures, and the tiger bones are even more precious. It can be exchanged for quite a bit of silver—enough for us to rest comfortably for several months."

"We have hunted many times, yet we were almost scared witless. For your first time here, sir, you remained so composed. You are countless times better than I was in the past. Truly impressive."

"In the future, if you learn Body Cultivation, you will surely be better at hunting than us. Who knows, you might even follow the Captain deep into the Green Mang Mountains for even greater harvests!"

Yi Feng smiled slightly and directed his praise toward Xu Fengyue.

"Hah, I am but a scholar; how could I easily learn Body Cultivation?"

"If we are talking about being impressive, it is Big Brother Xu who is truly impressive. He took down such a ferocious tiger in just a few moves. It was truly frighteningly powerful!"

This compliment instantly drew everyone's gaze.

With the whole crowd looking on with reverence, Xu Fengyue actually became inexplicably shy. He scratched the back of his head and laughed until his old face turned red.

"This..."

"Hahaha..."

"Actually, I only barely managed to win. Mr. Yi praises me too highly. To be honest, just now I felt my strength failing and was nearly injured by this tiger beast. I almost made a fool of myself!"

The burly man was straightforward and possessed a good deal of self-awareness. Being able to truthfully state the actual situation made him a hundred times better than the vain people of the world.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, taking it merely as modest words. They laughed in agreement, and the atmosphere became even more joyous.

For a time, laughter rose from all sides, and the forest was filled with the joy of the harvest.

Yi Feng was also infected by this atmosphere and felt happy for everyone's success.

Amidst his emotions, he used processing the tiger corpse as an excuse to casually suggest they take a temporary rest. While winning the approval of the crowd, this also earned a look of gratitude from the significantly drained Xu Fengyue. Through their conversation, their closeness multiplied.

Though they had met only once, they were already as close as old friends.

Seeing that Yi Feng was so well-received, able to blend in with the demon hunting squad despite being a frail scholar, and even gaining the Captain's approval, Wei Xiaowei thought that his future integration into Qinghe Town would certainly not be difficult. Establishing a family and career would be absolutely no problem...

Thinking of this, Wei Xiaowei's smile grew even sweeter, and she was full of energy as she helped process the tiger corpse.

The night grew deeper.

The dense forest had witnessed a great battle. Most of the group was busy dealing with the demon tiger's carcass, while Xu Fengyue, who was slightly worn out, sat in meditation to rest. The frail scholar Yi Feng sat beside him. A bonfire was lit under the towering trees, the firelight illuminating everything around them, bringing a sense of security in the dark night.

Seeing no one was nearby, Xu Fengyue, having finished his meditation, let out a soft breath.

He quietly cupped his fists and spoke to Yi Feng with a smile.

"Mr. Yi, are you satisfied with today's trip? We rough folk only know fighting and killing. Forced by livelihood, we have to scrape a living from the jaws of demon beasts. It is truly an affront to refinement and must be laughable to you."

Yi Feng responded with a smile, his face open and earnest.

"Big Brother Xu, you speak too heavily."

"Although I am a scholar, I do not hang the word 'refinement' on my lips every day. You all support yourselves, relying on your hot blood and courage to protect the town, and caring for your families by battling demon beasts. You are upright and indomitable men. I have nothing but admiration for you, so how could I laugh?"

Hearing this, Xu Fengyue was even more surprised and nodded, deeply moved.

"I didn't expect you to have such insight, sir. You are also a passionate, red-blooded man. I truly regret we didn't meet sooner."

The two looked at each other and smiled, like old friends.

Xu Fengyue generously took out the wine gourd at his waist and enthusiastically handed it to Yi Feng. The two drank and chatted, filled with the open-minded and sincere friendship found between men. Even though the other party had no cultivation, he didn't care in the slightest; this person alone was worth his high regard.

Even if Yi Feng were an expert senior in the eyes of ordinary people, he was willing to lower his status to converse with him.

Unknowingly, half a cup of tea's worth of time passed, and the two chatted happily.

Just as they were chuckling, Wei Xiaowei walked over with a smile.

"Captain, what are you saying to Mr. Yi that makes you so happy?"

Hearing her voice, Yi Feng looked up.

He saw that Wei Xiaowei was completely clean, without a single stain of blood, which made him somewhat curious.

"Miss Wei, you've already finished cleaning up the tiger corpse? That fast?"

Before Wei Xiaowei could speak, Xu Fengyue had already taken over the conversation with a laugh, full of praise.

"Hahaha..."

"Mr. Yi, there is something you don't know. Although Niece Wei is young, she is considered a veteran hunter. Matters like dismantling a demon beast's corpse have always been done cleanly and efficiently by her. Even if she processed the tiger corpse alone, it wouldn't take her the time of a single stick of incense!"

"This girl is very capable; she works sharply and has a good heart."

These words caused the little girl to lower her head, her face flushing slightly red.

Yi Feng, however, was even more astonished.

observing her for a few more seconds, he could not imagine that this delicate-looking girl could be so ridiculously ruthless when gutting a demon beast—a true veteran with the blade...

Seeming to sense something, Wei Xiaowei quietly raised her eyes, only to see Yi Feng staring blankly. She finally realized the problem and hurriedly began to defend herself.

"Ah..."

"I'm not, I didn't."

"I actually don't really know how to deal with tiger corpses. How could a little girl like me do those things?"

The more she spoke, the softer her tone became. It seemed she didn't even have confidence in herself anymore. Her face showed regret and anxiety, a nervous feeling that her image was collapsing.

Fortunately, the other teammates arrived in time, asking questions that glossed over the awkwardness.

"Captain, the tiger corpse has been processed. We've divided the burden of the meat and hide. Should we continue the operation now?"

"Captain Xu, it's rare for us to have such a good harvest. We finally managed to ride your coattails; you have to take us to see more of the world!"

"That's right, Captain, you must take us for a good stroll and strike while the iron is hot to secure more victories!"

A group of grown men seemed as if they had been injected with chicken blood; their enthusiasm was skyrocketing. After hunting the giant tiger corpse, the words "I can do this" were written on everyone's face.

Xu Fengyue, however, was a bit embarrassed and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

If he agreed to everyone's request for battle, he was afraid of encountering a few more Great Martial Master level demon beasts, which he might not be able to handle. But if he refused, it would dampen morale and everyone's spirits.

Talk about shooting myself in the foot. What am I supposed to do now?