Chapter 549 - 358: A Sudden and Strange Change, the Creature in the Pool

Chapter 549: Chapter 358: A Sudden and Strange Change, the Creature in the Pool

The massive sun hung high in the sky, spilling golden sunlight into the mist-filled valley where a magnificent, multi-colored rainbow stretched across the mountainside.

Before a bottomless pool, a young man with a placid expression watched a group of people glare daggers at him.

"Young man, what do you mean by following us...?" Li Mai asked, looking at Lin Li, though he already knew the answer.

Although he already understood perfectly well what Lin Li was doing, he still wanted to hear the explanation from the man himself.

"We found the lair of a White-Scaled Drilling Rat. It’s only right that everyone who was there gets a share..." Lin Li stated plainly.

The words had barely left his mouth when Li Mai’s men, who had been struggling to restrain themselves, exploded like a lit powder keg, all yelling at Lin Li at once.

"You damn punk, do you even know what you’re saying?"

"’Everyone gets a share?’ You’re killing me! Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection?"

"You open your mouth without thinking. You’re just asking to die."

"Boss, let me teach this ignorant punk a lesson..."

Contrary to what his men expected, Li Mai didn’t look angry at all when he heard Lin Li’s words.

He simply raised a hand, signaling his fuming men to quiet down. Once they had all shut their mouths, Li Mai didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed.

"Hahaha... Young man, you’ve got some serious guts, making a demand like that in this situation! I like it. Join us. Work for me, and I’ll grant you that share you’re asking for..."

In the distance, the other Treasure Hunting Squads watching the scene unfold looked on in surprise as Li Mai actually tried to recruit the brazen young man.

"Holy crap, Li Mai isn’t even mad at the kid. He’s trying to recruit him instead."

"Makes sense when you think about it. If I were Li Mai, I’d want to recruit a hothead like that too. After all, reckless guys like him can be pretty useful sometimes..."

"You think that hothead will accept Li Mai’s offer?"

"He probably will. Even if he refuses at first, he’ll change his tune after Li Mai and his crew beat him to a pulp..."

While the members of the Treasure Hunting Squads were whispering amongst themselves, Lin Li was staring at Li Mai as if he were a complete idiot.

Then, he said something that made the smile on Li Mai’s face vanish, replaced by pure rage.

"Sorry, I’m not interested in an offer from someone who’s already another man’s lackey."

"..." Lin Li’s words left Li Mai, who had just extended an olive branch, utterly mortified.

Everyone stared at him, aghast. ’This young man must be brainless,’ they thought. ’To say something so infuriating without considering the situation... he’s just asking to die.’

’Humiliating Li Mai to his face like that... is this hothead an idiot?’ the members of the other Treasure Hunting Squads thought. They were all certain the young man was in for a miserable end.

After all, he had insulted Li Mai in front of so many people. Knowing Li Mai’s character—vile, shameless, and utterly without scruples—there was no way he would let this reckless young man off the hook.

"Brat, you’re asking to die..." The smile had completely vanished from Li Mai’s face. He roared in anger, then pointed at Lin Li and ordered his men,

"Get him! I’m going to make him learn the painful price of running his mouth."

Having pledged his loyalty to Young Master Zhao and become his lackey, Li Mai absolutely loathed being called out for it in public. The rage in his heart erupted like a volcano.

"Boss, we’ll grab him for you right now so you can blow off some steam," his men, who had been itching for a fight, replied in unison. They then moved to seize Lin Li, whose expression remained as placid as ever.

"They’re making their move... That kid is totally done for now," cried the members of the other Treasure Hunting Teams watching from a distance.

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, the unexpected happened.

From the bottomless pool behind Li Mai and his men, two slimy tongues suddenly shot out.

"Huh?!!!"

Two of Li Mai’s unsuspecting men were ensnared by the tongues. They looked down at the slimy appendages wrapped around their waists, their faces a mask of stunned disbelief.

Then, before anyone else could react, the two men were instantly dragged into the bottomless pool.

"Aaaah—"

THUD... SPLASH...

The two screaming men were dragged into the pool, sending up a huge splash. Then, they were gone, and no one present ever saw them again.

"Seventh! Eighth!" Li Mai and his men were all stunned by this sudden turn of events. Two of them quickly ran to the edge of the pool, shouting for their missing comrades.

"Don’t go near it! Get back here!" Li Mai yelled at the two men who had run to the water’s edge.

But the words had barely left his mouth when two more slimy tongues shot out from the bottomless pool, wrapping around the two shouting men and dragging them in.

"Aaaah—"

THUD... SPLASH...

The same scene played out again, but this time, everyone got a clear look at the two slimy tongues.

"Fifth! Liu!" Li Mai and his men cried out in terror as they scrambled back, away from the pool.

In less than half a minute, four of their comrades had been dragged into the pool without any chance to fight back, vanishing completely. The sight left Li Mai and his remaining men utterly terrified.