Why did you provoke that old man? He's a reincarnation of a deity!

East Street was the most bustling street in Mizhou City, lined with shops selling silk, jewelry, and imported goods.

Li Mingmei rode in a sedan chair and first entered the largest silk shop. Before long, Ye Jingtang's son, Ye Tianming, appeared. He was fair-skinned and slender, with neatly trimmed hair on his forehead, wearing a small black velvet melon-shaped hat, and had square eyebrows and eyes.

Xiao Nian recalled her first visit to the Ye family in her previous life. The boy was just a pampered ten-year-old child. Now he has grown up so much. Time flies.

The two had been waiting here, supposedly for someone who could take them on a hunting expedition.

While waiting, Li Mingmei's eyes scanned the brocades, and she picked out three of the most expensive ones, asking the shop assistant to wrap them up. In the meantime, she commented on how to match them.

There weren't many people on the street. The people who frequented the area were mostly rich young masters and ladies. Xiao Nian wasn't very interested in these material things; what he really wanted to go to was the black market.

As the three were waiting, a man and a woman walked towards them. The man was about twenty years old, wearing a light gray suit vest, and his hair was styled with hair oil and combed meticulously.

He was accompanied by a young girl in a red dress, who looked only sixteen years old and dressed in a flamboyant manner. The two walked over, chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing the man, Li Mingmei greeted him with a beaming smile, saying, "Brother Li Jun, you're here!"

Li Jun?

Xiao Nian's gaze paused slightly. He recognized this person; in fact, he was very familiar with him. This was his biggest enemy in the early days of the Martial Arts Academy. Li Jun, relying on the wealth and power of his Li family, often bullied and mocked him. It was even he who introduced Ye Xunmei to Shi Junhao, causing Xiao Nian to become the biggest joke in the academy.

Why is he still here? Ten years have passed since they enrolled in the military academy together.

"Mingmei, my dear sister, have you been waiting long?" Upon seeing Duanmu Yun, Li Jun immediately left the girl beside him and greeted her with a smile.

"After waiting a while, who is this?"

"Duanmu Yun, from the Duanmu family," the woman in red greeted with a smile.

"You didn't tell Father I was back, did you?" Li Jun leaned closer and whispered to Li Mingmei.

"Of course not. Father said that if you are still in the Body Tempering Realm, you should never return to the Li family," Duanmu Yun said with a smile.

"Oh dear, you know your brother's best at eating, drinking, and having fun; his studies, well, they're a bit lacking, a bit lacking." Li Jun was a little embarrassed. He paused for a moment on Ye Tianming, then finally looked Xiao Nian up and down, and said, "Why did you bring Old Man Meng along?"

Meng Chenhai had always been the private tutor of literature and history for the Li family. Of course, Li Jun knew him. When Li Jun was a child, he teased Meng Chenhai and even broke one of his legs. In Li Jun's eyes, Meng was no different from a beggar.

"Oh, he said he wanted to help me adjust my posture, so I took him with me." Li Mingmei said nonchalantly.

"Fine, he deserves to die anyway. Just find a hole to bury him." Li Jun glanced at Xiao Nian and said disdainfully.

Xiao Nian glanced at him indifferently, without saying a word.

Who was Li Jun? He was the son of the prefect of Mizhou. Anyone bullied by him had to put on a smiling face. Had this old man Meng taken the wrong medicine today? How dare he ignore his joke? Li Jun's face showed some anger.

Unaware of her brother's displeasure, Li Mingmei took Li Jun's arm and said coquettishly, "Brother Li Jun, you said there are good things at the hunting grounds? I haven't been there in ages."

"Of course I have to take you! Perfect timing, I brought a brand new Western bow with me today, its range is several times greater than ordinary bows. Let's go together, and I'll show you my amazing archery skills," Li Jun chuckled.

"As for good stuff, I heard someone recently spotted a three-tailed fox spirit."

"A three-tailed fox demon?" Li Mingmei's eyes lit up. "The kind of fire fox whose fur can be worth thousands of taels of silver?"

"Of course! This is a rare find," Li Jun said proudly.

Li Jun's gaze fell on Xiao Nian again: "Old man Meng, can you ride a horse? This kind of horse has a very strong temperament, unlike ordinary mules or donkeys."

Xiao Nian glanced at him as if he were an idiot and replied, "Yes."

"Damn it, I've been putting up with you for a long time, old man Meng. It's been a long time since you've been beaten up." Li Jun came over with his hand raised.

"Brother Jun, he's just an eighty-year-old man who occasionally talks nonsense when he's drunk. Old Man Meng, you should go back now." Ye Tianming pretended to pull him back.

"Get out if you've had too much to drink!"

Xiao Nian didn't reply, but gave Li Jun a cold look that made him stop in his tracks.

Li Jun looked somewhat lost. He recognized Old Man Meng's eyes; they were familiar, but he couldn't quite place them.

"You'll see what happens later," Li Jun threatened.

……

The group boarded a carriage and traveled eastward from the city for about half an hour, arriving at a vast woodland enclosed by a wooden fence. As soon as Li Jun alighted from the carriage, several of his underlings were waiting for him, all calling him "Big Brother."

"This is the largest hunting ground in Mizhou City, adjacent to the Taihang Mountains," Li Jun said proudly, gesturing for everyone to enter. "Here today, I'm in charge. You can have as much fun as you like!"

As soon as the group entered the hunting grounds, a young woman in her thirties, wearing a see-through gauze dress, greeted them with a smile.

She is the owner of this hunting ground, and everyone calls her Sister Qian.

Several young men, upon seeing such a beautiful young woman, were all lost in fantasies. Li Jun, feeling so proud of himself, unconsciously straightened his back.

"Young Master Li, it's been so long since you've been here. I hope you have a great time this time." After saying that, Sister Qian politely asked her younger brother to take the group to choose horses.

"Young Master Li, you're so lucky to be greeted by such a beautiful boss. We don't get that kind of treatment."

"I heard that this Sister Qian has a very powerful background. She is Yu Hu's woman. Who is Yu Hu? He is the underground emperor of the entire Mizhou Prefecture. It is said that he has connections with the Xia people."

The underlings, from ordinary families, couldn't help but get excited when they mentioned Yu Hu, a powerful figure in the underworld.

"Hmph, so what if he's Yu Hu? He still has to be polite to my father." Li Jun sneered.

"Yeah, yeah, no matter how powerful she is, she's still here entertaining Ah Jun." Duanmu Yun felt a surge of hostility towards women prettier than herself and sneered from the side.

"Let's go! Let's choose a horse!"

A servant led several people to the shed to select horses. A chestnut horse was docile and obedient, a white horse had a glossy coat, and a sleek blue horse also looked quite good. Li Jun mounted the chestnut horse and had the white horse led to Duanmu Yun. Li Mingmei rode the sleek blue horse, and Consort Duanmu also chose a gentle yellow chestnut horse.

The other underlings also mounted their own horses, but Xiao Nian was the only one without a horse.

"Alright, let's go." Li Jun spurred his horse and prepared to set off.

"Brother, where's Lao Meng?" Li Mingmei reminded him. Why was her brother picking a fight with this old man today? After all, he was the one she brought along.

"Oh dear, I forgot about that. Look, it's gone too. What should we do? I remember Old Meng used to say that he was a reincarnation of an immortal and a general. Running should be good exercise for him." Li Jun patted his head, expressing his apology.

A servant suddenly approached and whispered, "There's another one in the shed, it's that Black Cloud."