Versatile Mage

 Mo Fan brought Yu Shishi to Mu Ningxue after they returned to Feiniao City. Mu Ningxue had rented a villa with a front yard as a temporary gathering place for the members of Fanxue Mountain.

 Mo Fan looked around briefly. The members of Fanxue Mountain mainly consisted of the people of the Mu Family who ended up staying with Mu Zhuoyun and Mu Ningxue after everything that had happened. They were clearly the people they trusted most.

 Not many had come to join them yet. A clan without a territory and resources was unlikely to convince anyone to join it despite the incredible offers they were giving. It did not matter much for the time being, as everything would eventually be on the right track.

 “There’s an incident in the outskirts of Feiniao City again. Apparently, a man and his wife doing some photographing were attacked by the Hunter Fang Panther Demons. Only their remains were left. (Sigh), why would they go to such dangerous places? Why aren’t they afraid of dying?” Mu Linsheng grumbled while reading the news.

 Mu Linsheng was Mu Ningxue’s elder cousin. He was not particularly close to Mu Ningxue’s family before, nor did the Mu Family ever help him in any way. However, he was willing to lend a hand to Mu Zhuoyun during desperate times. The man was quite reliable, so when the new clan was established, Mu Zhuoyun immediately called Mu Linsheng over, hoping that he could help manage the place.

 Mu Linsheng was a smart man. He was good at judging the moment and sizing up the situation. He quickly learned everything he needed to about Feiniao City the moment he arrived. Although the sea monsters troubling the city had been taken care of, the Nanling Mountains were still the territory of the demon creatures. They had been very active in the outskirts recently. The people were starting to feel anxious about it.

 The government of Feiniao City was too preoccupied with the threat of the sea monsters, and had somewhat neglected the threat on land and from the mountains. Unfortunately, the city was not considered a tier-one city, so it had trouble dispensing Mages to resolve every threat!

 “Why do you care so much about it?” Liu Ru asked him, confused.

 “Of course I should care about it. When a clan moves here, it’s the same as an outsider trying to open a business here. What’s the most important thing you need if you want to attract customers? Isn’t it reputation? We do have some reputation across the country, but it’s not enough, especially when we’ve only gotten our reputation because people are saying that we’re setting up the clan to challenge the Mu Clan. Not only would it not bring customers to us, it might even drive them away!

 “I’m not saying that we shouldn’t challenge the Mu Clan. What I’m trying to say is, we should focus on making a name in the area first. We should make some contributions so the locals know about us. It’s no use if the people in other places learn about us. The people in Feiniao City have to know about us, so we can continue to grow here!” Mu Linsheng declared.

 “But does it have anything to do with the Hunter Fang Panther Demons?” Liu Ru continued.

 “Of course it does! The people of Feiniao City are anxious because no one is doing anything about the Hunter Fang Panther Demons, even though they kept attacking. No one is willing to help because of how troublesome it is to deal with the Hunter Fang Panther Demons. If we can take them out, wouldn’t it immediately make us famous in Feiniao City? Our reputation will quickly spread among the people…” Mu Linsheng said.

 “Why didn’t you just say we just have to eliminate the Hunter Fang Panther Demons!?” Liu Ru sighed, clapping her forehead.

 “You make it sound so easy. The Hunter Fang Panther Demons is a species that lives in packs. Why do you think the other factions aren’t using it as a chance to make a name for themselves? Isn’t it obvious how difficult it would be to eliminate them? If we simply send Mages to deal with them, many people would die instead!” Mu Linsheng replied.

 “It’s just a bunch of panthers, there isn’t too much to worry about. I’ll go right to their den tomorrow and see if they dare to come close to the outskirts of the city again!” Liu Ru said.

 Mo Fan happened to walk in with Yu Shishi when they were discussing the matter.

 Liu Ru quickly went up to Mo Fan and told him about their plan to eliminate the Hunter Fang Panther Demons.

 “Hunter Fang Panther Demons?” Mo Fan was left speechless. He just came from their territory. If they said it earlier, he would gladly have done the favor instead.

 “The horde has been living to the west of Feiniao City for a long time. They have killed many innocent people. We should take them out as soon as possible, considering how close they are to our territory. We are only a mountain apart,” Mu Zhuoyun told him.

 He agreed that it was necessary to take the Hunter Fang Panther Demons out as soon as possible, yet it was not an easy job to wipe out an entire horde. The Demon Wolves Horde had brought a bloodbath to Bo City!

 “We’ll come up with a plan tomorrow,” Mu Ningxue said.

 “Leave it to me!” Mu Linsheng declared.

 “I’ll just handle the killing,” Liu Ru added. She immediately realized Mo Fan was right beside her, and suddenly felt like it was inappropriate to say that. She nodded at Mo Fan in embarrassment.

 Liu Ru finally noticed the pretty woman standing beside Mo Fan. However, her expression changed when she picked up the woman’s scent. She blurted out, “It was you, the one who was sneaking around!”

 Yu Shishi was startled. She had only been observing Liu Ru in the dark, but the girl already knew her scent. As expected of the Blood Tribe, their ability to scent others was utterly impressive.

 “The Hunter Fang Panther Demons live in packs, and the females are the dominant ones. There’s a queen leading the horde in the mountain. If you are planning to take the Hunter Fang Panther Demons out, it’s best to get rid of the queen first. Otherwise, those cunning creatures would just withdraw temporarily and wait for their chance to get their revenge,” Yu Shishi did not answer Liu Ru’s question, explaining about the Hunter Fang Panther Demons instead.

 “Revenge?”

 “Yes, these creatures are vengeful, but they only bully the weak, as they fear the strong. I know you all are strong enough to take the Hunter Fang Panther Demons out, but as soon as they learn how strong you are, they are going to flee into the mountains. It’s unlikely that you can search every mountain to hunt and kill them all. It will take years to do so… they will just wait until you leave and lay low for a while, before taking revenge by ambushing the towns in the outskirts and killing more people. You won’t have enough people to protect the border, not to mention there are lots of people that will have to put themselves in danger,” Yu Shishi went on.

 Mo Fan looked at Yu Shishi and asked curiously, “You sound like you’re familiar with the Hunter Fang Panther Demons?”

 “It’s my talent,” Yu Shishi replied. The moths were not the only creatures she could relate to. She could understand the traits of demon creatures, too. She had already learned the habits and traits of the Hunter Fang Panther Demons when she was demonstrating her ability to Mo Fan in the mountains.

 Mu Ningxue had decided to eliminate the Hunter Fang Panther Demons. It was the right decision to make, but it was extremely difficult to do. It would only result in more trouble if they failed to kill the leader of the Hunter Fang Panther Demons!

 “She’s right. We have to think twice before taking on an entire horde of demon creatures,” Mu Zhuoyun was once the ruler of a city. He knew being strong was not enough to take out an entire horde. There were many factors they had to take into consideration.

 “What plan do you have, then?” Mo Fan asked.

 “I’ll help you if you promise to help me,” Yu Shishi replied.

 “Forget it then. I’ll deal with the Hunter Fang Panther Demons myself. I can kill as many as they have. It’s not a big deal for me,” Mo Fan said.

 “You are too naive. Further northwest is the Silver Skyruler’s Nanling Mountains. Even if you killed the Hunter Fang Panther Demons or drove them away, a huge bunch of White Magic Falcons will take over their territories. The place is rich in the Blue-Golden Berry that can sharpen the claws of the White Magic Falcons after they eat it. The White Magic Falcons are very fond of it… you can kill all the Hunter Fang Panther Demons you wish, but the White Magic Falcons will be next. Of course, you can disregard what I just said if you can handle the horde of White Magic Falcons!” Yu Shishi lobbed right back at him.

 “Mo Fan, what is she after?” Mu Ningxue asked. What Yu Shishi said made a lot of sense. They had completely neglected the consequences and possibilities of a bigger problem if they just went and took out a horde of demon creatures.

 “I’m just asking for a place to stay, to hide from people that harbor evil intentions against me,” Yu Shishi briefly explained. She was well aware of the situation that the people were in. She added, “If you’re willing to take me in, I’ll help you take care of the demon creatures. I will not let them enter your territory or Feiniao City.”

 “Can you really do that?” Mu Zhuoyun found it hard to believe.

 Yu Shishi nodded seriously. She looked at Mu Ningxue and said softly, “Can I have a quick chat with you?”

 Mu Ningxue was confused, but she agreed to it.

 ——

 Mu Ningxue and Yu Shishi returned not long after. Mo Fan noticed a relieved and pleased look from Yu Shishi.

 “Xuexue, did you accept her request? She’s good at tricking people,” Mo Fan inquired.

 “Mm, I gave her my promise. She told me everything,” Mu Ningxue said.

 “…then why did you still accept her request? She’s definitely not friendly; she holds a grudge against me too, and she tried to kill me,” Mo Fan said.

 “But you still brought her here, didn’t you?” Mu Ningxue asked in return.

 Mo Fan was left speechless. Indeed, he would not bring her here if he did not trust her.

 Was he just pitying Yu Shishi? Or was he seduced by her?

 “My master, I’ll keep an eye on her for you. Don’t you worry, her abilities are special. She might play an important role in your new territory.” Bola’s voice suddenly appeared from a dark corner.

 Mo Fan glanced around, but did not see where the guy was. He was dumbfounded. Bola was seriously good at hiding himself. He was definitely a qualified watcher in the dark!

 As long as Bola was around, if Yu Shishi really tried to do anything stupid, she would suffer an even worse outcome.

 Mo Fan was less worried knowing that Bola was around, too.