The off-road vehicle roared towards us, and Zhan Ling and I quickly stepped aside.
But the vehicle intentionally swerved, heading straight for us.
I was startled and quickly stepped back, only to accidentally roll down the side of the road.
The sound of "hahaha" laughter came from the vehicle.
I was furious, stabilized myself, and climbed back up.
The off-road vehicle didn't hit Zhan Ling, but it came within mere centimeters of her.
The car door opened, and four young men, all covered in tattoos and wearing thick gold chains around their necks, got out.
I was about to ask them what their intention was, but as soon as I saw their posture, I wisely kept my mouth shut.
They weren't just gangsters—they were Yin Tattoo Masters.
The leader had dragon tattoos across both of his arms, with a Buddha closing its eyes tattooed on his chest.
People like him are born with nine lives—no matter how many times they're cut down, they won't die. Otherwise, with tattoos like those, they would have been long dead.
The other three weren't simple either—one had Guan Yu with a big knife, another had Five Ghosts Bringing Wealth, and the last had Zhong Kui swallowing ghosts.
All of them were formidable characters.
Huang Jiu angrily opened the cat pouch and stuck his head out. Seeing the group, it immediately shut up as well.
Yin Tattoo Masters were somewhat famous in certain circles.
What made them terrifying was that they carried yin energy, meaning they raised little ghosts.
They were a branch of ghost-raising masters.
As the saying goes, "It's easy to avoid the King of Hell, but small ghosts are a different matter."
Over time, people in this profession started looking like small-time thugs because of the tattoos. They did all kinds of shady business.
Of course, not all Yin Tattoo Masters were like this—good and bad aren't defined by your profession.
I stayed silent, and the four Yin Tattoo Masters couldn't find any way to mock me. They turned their attention to Zhan Ling and said mockingly, "Zhan Ling, what's this? No man by your side, now you're after little boys? Want us to help you out?"
Zhan Ling's expression turned cold.
It was obvious that she was holding back her anger.
Since we weren't easy targets, the four quickly lost interest.
The Yin Tattoo Master with the Buddha tattoo on his chest lazily shook his leg and said, "I know you're here for the Earth Pearl. So here's the deal: We four brothers will definitely take it. Don't bother thinking about it. Of course, if you're willing to help, that'd be great. If not, you can just leave."
His tone was domineering, leaving no room for rebuttal.
I didn't want to get into a confrontation with them, but it seemed unavoidable now.
Upon hearing that, I didn't respond. I just grabbed Zhan Ling's hand, planning to avoid them and continue asking around for the Mountain God Temple's location.
The mountain was so vast—there was more than one path.
But just then, I saw the Yin Tattoo Master on the far left take out a map.
Zhan Ling's eyes lit up. Without waiting for me to speak, she said, "We can help, but after it's done, we want one million each."
The Yin Tattoo Master with the Buddha tattoo smirked and scoffed, "One thousand each. Take it or leave it. We'll still get the Earth Pearl even without your help."
Zhan Ling bit her lip, looking aggrieved. She hesitated for a while before finally agreeing, "Alright!"
I worried that she had agreed too quickly and that the terms were too simple. So, I hurriedly added, "Besides the money, I also want to borrow the Earth Pearl to suppress a dragon vein's energy."
"It won't take much time!"
I finished speaking and nervously watched the four of them.
The Yin Tattoo Master with the Buddha tattoo gave a crooked grin. "Fine."
At that moment, I let out a sigh of relief.
These four weren't ordinary people—they had killed before, and if we didn't deal with that geomancer, they'd turn on us as soon as they could.
After settling the terms, the Buddha Tattoo Master said, "I'm Zhao Lao Da," then pointed at the other three and said, "Zhao Er, Zhao San, Zhao Si."
I immediately realized these were fake names. Seeing their eyes fall on me, I cupped my hands and said, "Huo Xiaolong from Longhu Mountain."
Upon hearing "Longhu Mountain," the four of them's eyes shifted slightly.
But that was all—it was clear that people like them didn't care if you were a demon hunter or a disciple from Longhu Mountain.
They had a map, and Zhao Si quickly confirmed the exact location of the mountain. The four of them took flashlights from the off-road vehicle and didn't move the car—just blocking the road to the village.
As they were about to leave, Zhao Er picked up a broken piece of iron from the side of the road, hit it a couple of times, and shouted, "This is my car, and if anyone touches it, I'll come back and kill you!"
Thugs aren't that scary—what's terrifying is when thugs can perform occult arts.
I couldn't help but twitch the corner of my mouth and decided to play the role of an invisible person.
We hadn't been walking for long before nightfall set in.
As the night descended, Huang Jiu and I began to get restless.
Not wanting to draw attention, I didn't alert Zhan Ling, but I was confident that when the time came to act, she'd stand by my side.
The Zhao brothers all turned on their flashlights. Influenced by the light and shadows, they didn't notice me trailing behind them.
Huang Jiu quietly took six Five Emperor Coins from my hand and slipped into the forest along my pant leg.
Zhan Ling noticed and whispered, "Yin Tattoo Masters always have little ghosts. If you can't see them, don't act rashly."
If I couldn't see them, I wouldn't even follow them.
And once we got close enough to the Zhao brothers, my Blood Thorn began reacting.
Four evil ghosts, four thugs—this could be done.
Seeing my confident posture, Zhan Ling suddenly let out a loud "Ah!" and fell to the ground.
I rushed to help her, shouting, "Wait, Zhan Ling, you've sprained your ankle!"
"Damn, what a pain in the ass!" Zhao Lao Er cursed and shone his flashlight back at us.
I feared they'd find us an inconvenience and act immediately.
So, I quickly crouched and said, "Zhan Ling, I'll carry you!"
Zhao Lao Da glanced into the mountains and impatiently said, "Hurry up, you're delaying my important business. I'll kill you guys right now!"
The other three brothers' eyes shifted to Zhan Ling under the flashlight, their smiles turning sinister.
Zhan Ling didn't speak, just smoothly climbed onto my back.
With the aid of internal energy, carrying her wasn't too hard, but it did feel like carrying two heavy leather balls.
Carrying someone slowed me down.
Zhao Lao Da kept urging me, but each time, I complied—only, without realizing it, their pace had also slowed down.
I timed it, thinking that Huang Jiu must have finished setting up his fog trap by now. I gently patted Zhan Ling's thigh.
She understood immediately and said, "Little Long, my foot is better now. You can put me down and let me walk on my own."
Carrying her for over ten minutes wasn't exactly easy.
I lowered her down and prepared for the next move.
Zhan Ling also quietly distanced herself from me, making it seem as though we were surrounding the Zhao brothers.
Soon, a fog appeared ahead.
Zhao Lao Da, ever vigilant, stopped immediately and said, "This fog is strange, Lao San, go in and check it out."
As soon as Zhao Lao San stepped into the fog, a shadow appeared beside him.
Even though they had their little ghosts, I was using real Five Emperor Coins, along with Huang Jiu's demonic aura. This should be enough to delay them for some time.
Once they split up, I'd deal with the ghosts, and Zhan Ling would handle the rest. We'd be fine.