Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

After signing the contract, Astrid left with Jack.

The Peng couple looked at them boarding the carriage and going back to their Mercenary Union building. Their expressions were hard to read.

Tang Yuxuan noticed this and asked him gently. She knew that her husband was not happy with what just happened.

"Why are you angry?"

"Why wouldn't I?!" Peng Sheng snorted and spat out the answer, "She, who was just a brat before, already held such a high position! She, that ungrateful brat, even made a deal with me! Her own father! If she hadn't left the family and instead helped us to rebuild our power and prestige, maybe we wouldn't have to face all of this!"

He continued his ranting as Tang Yuxuan remained quiet, letting him vent his anger out until he calmed down enough to think straight. Then she spoke once again.

"You're blaming her again for things you can't control."

"You know that's not true." Peng Sheng said bitterly, "She was never interested in helping us or the clan. She only cared about herself! And she's the one who caused our clan to lose face!"

"Was it not you who forced her to marry a bastard of a man from a powerful Clan? Was it not you who forced her to live a life she didn't want? Was it not you who disowned her and declared her dead?" Tang Yuxuan said sternly.

"I have always supported your decision to have her married off for the Peng Clan's sake. But you can't deny the fact that you've mistreated your daughter. She was only a child, and yet you've done something so horrible to her."

Peng Sheng fell silent.

"I know you regret it. You've never been a bad man, but your selfishness blinded you." She sighed, "We should stop thinking about what ifs and think of ways to improve our situation. Thankfully, she didn't fully hate us and give us a reasonable offer."

"Fine."

It was hard to admit it, but his wife had a point. If she was still with the Peng Clan, perhaps Peng Sheng wouldn't need to beg for help from a mercenary group.

After Peng Li-Yue's supposed death, Peng Clan had been on decline and he needed the help of others. Not only that, a lot of their members were sacrificed by Supreme Evil followers, further worsening their condition.

He was really at his wit's end and desperate enough to beg for help from anyone.

However, what happened just now left him with a sour taste. His ego was hurt. It felt like she was rubbing salt on his wound.

In a fit of anger, he threw a nearby vase to the wall, causing a loud crash and a lot of shards to fly everywhere. A servant was called by Tang Yuxuan and he immediately cleaned everything.

"Haa..." He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. "What can we do to recover our glory?"

"... I don't know."

"Neither do I..."

He had no choice but to rely on the mercenaries now.

***

Finishing everything in Qin City, Leo continued to other cities to open Mercenary Union's branches. There was actually no need to oversee them all, but he wanted to check and knew the branch managers' faces and skills.

In every city he went to, the first thing he would do was check on the managers' profile and their skill. Only Chengdu, Qin City, and the Capital would have a member of the Hallowed Insect overseeing the branch directly. He planned to appoint Sherly as the new Capital City's Branch Manager when the situation stabilized.

While the other branch managers were from Tang Clan and Hao Sect. They had enough capable men to manage all the branches and, with Hao Sect's support, there was nothing he could complain about.

It took around a few days for him to finish everything before returning to Chengdu.

Turbulence had passed by, leaving an over-lasting scar in people's hearts. The grief and sorrow were overwhelming and it felt like a nightmare. Even though it was safe now, no one could ever forget what happened.

But time heals all wounds. With the help of the mercenaries, who helped them with their problems, and a new city built, people who worked to restore the order of the city, it would become a peaceful place again sooner or later.

Arriving at the Hallowed Insect's main base, Leo found Jessica sitting leisurely on the sofa, reading a book while listening to some classical music. The scene was peaceful and relaxing, and she raised her head upon noticing his presence.

"Leader, you're back."

"Hello, Jessica. Is everyone doing fine?" Leo greeted her with a warm smile. "Where is the other?"

Closing her book, Jessica rose from the sofa and moved to the couch where she could sat beside him.

"Anya took Yue Yue to have fun outside. Sherly is in the underground arena while Chiaki said she found a strange flower with an interesting effect and took the bike with her. They wouldn't be coming back until later."

"Oh? Strange flower, you say?"

"Yeah. I don't know the details since Chiaki is always busy with research." Jessica said, shrugging, "And it's been quite a boring week for me. There is no work at all, Leader. The city is peaceful, and we're not called by any clients to do any jobs."

"Peace is good."

"Yes, truly."

Moving closer, Jessica wrapped her arm around him, resting her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat for a bit before she looked at his face with a mischievous look.

"So... You have time right now, right?" She asked, her eyes glimmering brightly, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"You're right. I do have free time." Leo smiled at her, "Want to visit the Butterfly Pavilion? It seems there is an interesting performance today."

Jessica's eyes lit up and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yes, I would like that!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Then, let us go. We can also have dinner afterward."

And with that, they left together after Jessica changed into the local robe, and went into the Butterfly Pavilion to enjoy the show.

***

In another place, the underground arena, the atmosphere was different from the calmness of the Butterfly Pavilion.

Screams filled with excitement over sweat and bloodshed. Sherly sat at her usual seat, watching a fight in front of her eyes. The man with his muscles bulging out of his clothes, and the other guy had a slender body with toned muscles.

Both were wearing simple martial clothes and wielded a weapon.

One of the fighters was wielding two long daggers, slashing and stabbing wildly at his opponent. Meanwhile, his opponent defended himself with two gauntlets, trying to find a chance to counterattack. But he couldn't do much since the dual-dagger user was very skilled and he had no room to counter.

Qi waved around them and they were exchanging blows like mad. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, creating an ear-piercing sound as they collided. Each strike was met by an equal blow, creating an endless loop of offense and defense.

"Double Fangs!" Suddenly, the dual-dagger user screamed out loud, and his dagger shone brightly, emitting an aura that seemed to have turned them into fangs.

The daggers were swung down and slashed toward the guy who was wearing the gauntlets. The air whistled sharply as the two weapons slashed toward the man, who raised his arms up in an instant to defend against the attack.

"Boulder Skin!" The guy with the gauntlet yelled, and his skin became as hard as rock, repelling the dagger's slashes.

A shockwave burst out and the man staggered a bit but his feet stayed firm, resisting the force of the impact.

After that, he took the chance to launch a counterattack with his punch.

"Elephant Fist!"

His fist slammed into the dagger-wielding guy's chest with full force and knocked him back several meters. The guy was sent flying backward, tumbling across the ground before rolling to a stop.

However, before he could even recover from his attack, the dagger guy immediately got back on his feet, ready for another round. His eyes burned with rage, and his face flushed red. His breathing grew heavier as his body tensed up.

Seeing the battle was about to end, Sherly sighed and leaned on her seat's armrest. Her expression was one of boredom, as if watching a fight was nothing special anymore.

As expected, a few seconds later the guy with the dagger couldn't keep up his pace and finally got hit hard. He spat blood out of his mouth and fell down. His body lay unmoving, but his chest moved up and down, signifying that he was alive but unconscious.

Afterward, the fight was declared over and the gauntlet-wielding man became the winner.

Cheers and applause filled the arena. People screamed, happy with the result.

Of course, where there was happiness, sadness was also present. Those who bet on the dagger-wielding man wallowed in despair. Their money was gone.

Amidst such atmosphere, Sherly hung her head lifelessly and muttered, "Ah~ This is boring. I want to go home."