Chen Feng was acutely sensitive to danger, glancing up instantly recognizing the killing intent in the other party's eyes, a coldness gripping his heart. Chen Feng never showed mercy to those who sought his life, but he dared not act here.

Yas was still young and had never witnessed such a bloody scene, and John was just an ordinary person; a slight misstep in a fight could endanger both of them. So, he dropped the iron hammer in his hand, the icy expression on his face melting into ease.

He walked over to Yas and said, "Yas, give that little bead to your big brother for a moment." What the opponent desired most was certainly this ice-attributed Dou Core. If he held it in his hand, the enemy’s focus would shift away from Yas.

Yas pouted, "Didn't Big Brother already give it to Yas?" Hearing this, Chen Feng smiled slightly, "Indeed, Big Brother gave it to you. Big Brother only needs to borrow it for a moment, and I will return it when I'm done!" Only then did Yas beam, handing the Dou Core hanging from his neck to Chen Feng.

Holding the Dou Core, Chen Feng turned to the mercenary group's leader and asked, "This item was a gift to little Yas from me. I have no idea where it came from; do you gentlemen know?" Chen Feng’s question was deliberately obtuse; his primary goal was to lull the opponent into a false sense of security by emphasizing his unfamiliarity with the Dou Core, thus its value, hoping to prevent them from attacking immediately.

The leader saw Chen Feng ask this and immediately relaxed. It seemed these people truly had never seen a Dou Core nor understood its worth.

It would be better just to offer a small amount of gold coins to purchase it rather than resort to violence. The mercenary group adhered to the principle: if murder could be avoided, it should be.

The leader chuckled heartily, "I need to examine it closely to know!" With that, he extended his hand, reaching for the Dou Core in Chen Feng’s grasp. Chen Feng felt no concern that it wouldn't be returned.

He handed it over immediately, standing silently. After examining it and confirming it was indeed a third-rank Dou Core, the leader suppressed the surge of excitement, feigning nonchalance, "Oh, I thought it was some strange object, just a bit peculiar.

How about this: I'll give you ten gold coins to see if you'll sell this thing to me?" "Ten gold coins?" Old John gasped. In his simple mind, he could never have imagined that such a small, round bead could be worth so much money.

Ten gold coins were enough to forge two hundred longswords! If sold, wouldn't that feed him and Yas for half a year?

Were these mercenaries foolish? He scrutinized everyone a few more times, finding no one who appeared simple-minded, so he abandoned that notion, though he remained bewildered: could this inconspicuous bead truly be worth that much?

"Ten gold coins?" Chen Feng mirrored the surprise, then added, "I didn't realize this bead I casually picked up in the back mountains was worth so much. If I had known, I would have gathered a few more!" "Picked up..." The faces of the leader and several mercenaries registered profound shock.

This... this was utterly unbelievable.

A third-rank Dou Beast's Dou Core could just be casually picked up from the ground? Since when had Dou Cores become so commonplace?

"Y-you mean there are many more in the back mountains?" The leader caught the implication in Chen Feng's words, his breathing quickening slightly. One Dou Core was worth 500 gold coins; if there were a few more, wouldn't his entire group strike it rich?

The others also grasped the meaning, their eyes turning scarlet. Chen Feng inwardly scoffed at their reactions.

In the past, he would have killed these men without a second thought. However, the past month spent with John and Yas had deepened their bond, making him care for them.

To prevent any accidents, he was going to such lengths to avoid a confrontation here. "That day, when I went to the back mountains, I saw many wild beasts killed.

I casually cut one open, found this thing, and brought it back just for fun!" Chen Feng said casually. Many wild beasts?

Why would wild beasts possess Dou Cores? This naive boy must mean Dou Beasts!

So many Dou Beasts—heaven above, could they truly be this lucky? Everyone felt their minds reel.

They all knew their mercenary group was too weak; who would venture into this region teeming with magical beasts if they weren't desperate to survive? To receive such news before even entering the Glacial Demon Garden—how could this not make them ecstatic?

If they had just ten more third-rank Dou Cores, this group wouldn't need to worry about their future! With this thought, the crowd grew even more excited.

"Why don't you lead us to the corpses of those beasts?" the leader said 'amiably.' "If you guide us there, I'll give you a reward of 50 gold coins!" Logically, the leader shouldn't have believed Chen Feng so easily; after all, no one was an idiot. But Chen Feng’s expression was masked too well, and his relatively young age made him more trustworthy.

Furthermore, there was a more important reason: there was once a mercenary group, initially just sixteen men, so destitute they couldn't survive and decided to gamble in the Glacial Demon Garden. Their luck was extraordinary; they stumbled upon a legendary battle between great magical beasts.

They hid nearby, secretly observing, and when they later surveyed the battlefield, they found seventeen fifth-rank Magic Cores alone! Starting with those seventeen fifth-rank Magic Cores, that mercenary group gradually grew, becoming a story whispered with admiration.

That group was the Sixteenth Mercenary Group, the third largest in the Loki Empire! The Sixteenth Mercenary Group wasn't named for having sixteen people, nor sixteen masters; its name commemorated the force that grew from only sixteen remaining members!

Because of this legend, many disheartened mercenary groups had tried to come here to try their luck, but most returned with little to nothing. To think their group encountered such fortune before even entering the Glacial Demon Garden!

"Fifty gold coins?" Old John felt the world had gone mad. He might never earn that much money in his lifetime of toil, yet this mercenary leader offered such a sum just for a guide...

What was going on? Though tension and excitement made the simple Old John blush profusely, he knew this was not the time for him to interject.

The youth, though young, gave the impression of being thoughtful; he must know what he was doing. Conversely, if he spoke up, he might hinder the boy’s plan, achieving the opposite effect.

"Fifty gold coins?" Chen Feng's expression also showed feigned astonishment. "That’s a lot of money!

But..." "But what?" the leader asked anxiously. At this moment, his greatest fear was hearing that the location couldn't be found or that the boy was unwilling.

Although he had considered killing Old John and Yas first to coerce the boy, he worried that trying to force the issue might backfire, causing the youth to refuse outright. Chen Feng sensed the moment was right, sneering inwardly, while saying aloud, "But the terrain there is very complex.

I’m afraid we’ll get lost if we go at night! And there are many wild beasts at night; it might be a bit dangerous for just one or two people!" The leader hadn't expected this to be his concern.

His tense anxiety immediately dissolved, and he laughed heartily, "Don't worry about that. Our entire mercenary group will accompany you!" A faint smile crept onto Chen Feng's lips, and a chilling glint flickered in his eyes.

This was exactly what he had waited for. Once these twenty-odd men followed him into the mountains, there would only be one outcome: they would all die!