Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Spinning Top, Explosive Warrior

Wang Teng nodded, then hesitated before saying, "Then... let's have a drink."

Zhang Feng told the bartender to bring him two more glasses of ale.

The five men clinked glasses and drank it down.

The alcohol was spicy and made Wang Teng's throat burn, but he stubbornly held back from coughing.

Wang Teng didn't remember clearly what happened after that night.

I only remember drinking a few more cups and listening to Zhang Feng talk about the group's plans. We agreed to meet at the town entrance early the next morning to receive the first mission.

Later, he was helped back to his residence by his elder brother, Wang Sheng, and walked unsteadily.

When I pushed open the courtyard gate, the lights in Old Liu's house were already off.

The two brothers entered the house in the dark and went straight to sleep.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the two sleeping faces.

When the morning sunlight shone into the room through the paper window, Wang Teng was awakened by a wave of nausea.

He opened his eyes groggily, feeling as if his head was stuffed with a wad of water-soaked cotton, heavy and swollen, and his throat was dry and sore.

This is probably what a hangover tastes like.

Despite feeling dizzy, Wang Tengqiang sat up and rested by the bedside for a while before slowly getting out of bed.

At this moment, Wang Teng's legs were still a little weak.

He had to press his head with one hand and hold onto the wall with the other as he slowly walked to the door.

The moment he pushed open the door, the cool morning breeze rushed in, slightly dispelling the drowsiness in Wang Teng's mind.

In the early morning, the courtyard was quiet, with only a few sparrows chirping under the eaves.

Wang Teng walked out of the room and came to the ditch in the corner.

He had just squatted down when the churning in his stomach became uncontrollable.

"Wow--"

Most of what came out was undigested food and alcohol from the previous night, and it smelled sour and rotten.

After a while, Wang Teng gagged a few more times before feeling a little better.

"Oh my, how much did you drink last night?"

Suddenly, Old Liu's voice came from behind.

The old man had gotten up sometime earlier and was standing at the entrance of the main room, holding a ceramic bowl in his hand.

Wang Teng waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly and said, "It's not much... just one cup."

"It's always like this the first time you drink it."

Old Liu shook his head, turned and went into the house, and soon came out with a bowl of warm water.

"Have some to warm your stomach."

Wang Teng thanked him, took the bowl, and drank it in small sips.

As the warm water slid down my throat, the burning sensation was indeed relieved considerably.

After he finished washing up, Wang Sheng also got up, and his complexion was also not very good.

The two brothers looked at each other and saw a hint of embarrassment in each other's eyes. They couldn't help but smile bitterly at each other.

After eating the simple breakfast prepared by Old Liu—porridge and pickled vegetables—the two felt much better.

They went back inside to change into leather armor and check their equipment.

Wang Sheng's iron claws, Wang Teng's short spear, and the necessities in their respective bundles: insect repellent powder, tinderbox, simple tent, dry rations, water bladders...

These were all prepared well in advance.

After getting ready, the two greeted Old Liu and went out.

The town of Soul Hunter was much quieter this morning than yesterday.

The streets were sparsely populated, and most shops were not yet open.

The air was filled with the smell of cooking smoke mixed with morning mist, and a few barks could be heard in the distance.

The two walked south along the main street, their pace slow, the hangover not yet completely gone.

When we arrived at Zhennan Square, the sun had already risen.

There weren't many people in the square, only seven or eight mercenary squads gathered in twos and threes.

Wang Teng spotted Zhang Feng and the others at a glance.

At this moment, the three members of the Gale Mercenary Group were standing under an old locust tree, talking in hushed tones.

"Good morning, Commander."

Wang Teng approached and greeted him.

Zhang Feng turned around, saw the two brothers, smiled, and asked, "You're here? How did you sleep last night?"

"It's...it's alright."

Wang Sheng gave a vague reply.

Seeing their state, Zhang Feng smiled and shook his head, not asking any further questions. Instead, he said, "Now that everyone's here, let's talk about today's mission."

He gestured for Yang Sheng to come forward.

The tall, thin young man took out a folded piece of parchment from his pocket. When unfolded, it was a simple map with some markings in charcoal.

"This is a mission issued by the Spirit Hall yesterday."

Yang Sheng's voice was not loud, but his pronunciation was clear.

"There's been some trouble in the northwest area of ​​the Soul Hunter Forest recently."

Chapter 90 Speculation

"The number of soul beasts over there has decreased by an unusually large amount."

"According to the patrol teams on the outskirts, at least a thousand soul beasts have gone missing in the past six months."

Wang Teng frowned slightly and quickly asked, "What years of soul beasts are these that have gone missing?"

"Most of them are low-level soul beasts that are only one or two decades old."

Yang Sheng pointed to several areas marked on the map and continued, "There are also some that are over a hundred years old, but not many. They are mainly concentrated in the range of one hundred to two hundred years."

"Is it possible that a thousand-year-old soul beast is hunting?"

Wang Sheng suddenly interjected.

"A thousand-year-old soul beast..."

After thinking for a moment, Yang Sheng shook his head and said, "It's common sense that there can't be any thousand-year-old soul beasts in our Soul Hunting Forest."

"Could it be that it was poached?"

Wang Teng reminded him.

"possible."

Yang Sheng put away the map and said, "The Spirit Hall has two theories: one is that poaching gangs are carrying out large-scale hunting; the other is that some kind of predatory spirit beast has migrated from elsewhere and is hunting in this area."

Zhang Feng took over the conversation and explained, "For this mission, the Spirit Hall asked us to find out the reason."

"If we can confirm it's poaching, find the clues; if it's an alien spirit beast, confirm its species and strength."

"The reward will fluctuate based on the survey results, with a base of one thousand gold soul coins and a maximum of five thousand."

"Of course, if we can actually catch the poachers or that soul beast, the extra reward is very attractive."

After speaking, Zhang Feng looked around at everyone and finally asked, "This mission isn't easy, but it's not too dangerous either. At least the initial investigation shouldn't be too dangerous."

"As for whether to take action later, we can analyze and judge based on the specific circumstances."

What do you think?

Li Zhishu patted her round belly and said with a smile, "I think it's fine."

"Since we're new here, let's take on a safer task first to test the waters."

Yang Sheng nodded in agreement, saying, "I agree too."

Wang Teng and Wang Sheng exchanged a glance and both said it was no problem.

"Alright, it's settled then." Zhang Feng clapped his hands and instructed, "Everyone, check your equipment one last time before we set off."

"Bring us everything we need: dry rations, water, medicine, and weapons. We might be staying in the forest for a long time this time."

The five people then began to check their own work.

Wang Teng opened and closed the bundle, making sure the bag of insect repellent powder was sealed properly, the tinderbox was in a waterproof bamboo tube, and several pieces of dried meat were wrapped tightly in oil paper.

Wang Sheng carefully wiped the blades of the iron claws and tightened the straps of his leather armor.

After checking everything, Zhang Feng walked up to Wang Teng and Wang Sheng and said, "Give me your packages. I have a storage soul tool that will save me a lot of effort."

Zhang Feng took the blue gourd off his waist, and the mouth of the gourd emanated a faint fluctuation of soul power.

Wang Teng then noticed that this gourd was not just a wine vessel; its surface was engraved with fine patterns that were hard to spot without careful observation.

The two handed over the bundle.

Zhang Feng took it, and with a gentle shake of the gourd's mouth towards the bundle, two faint lights flashed, and the bundle disappeared.

He then used the same method to collect Li Zhishu and Yang Sheng's luggage, and finally packed his own bag into the bag as well.

"All right."

Zhang Feng hung the gourd back on his waist and said, "Let's set off."

Afterwards, the group left the plaza and headed towards the entrance of the Soul Hunter Forest.

At the entrance, guards from the Spirit Hall stood watch, and two knights in standard iron armor stood guard beside the wooden fence.

Zhang Feng stepped forward and showed his mission credentials. After the guard checked them, he was allowed to pass.