At the same time, three hunters watched Chen Xun leave, their eyes flickering with interest.

One of them, a lean man, swallowed and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, I reckon that black tiger could fetch at least a hundred gold!"

A hundred gold coins! That's a fortune beyond imagination!

Converted to silver, that's ten thousand; to copper, that's a million! Enough to bury someone alive!

Currency conversion: (One gold coin = one hundred silver coins = ten thousand copper coins)

In Little River Town, a simple bowl of plain noodles only costs three copper coins. A million copper coins... how many bowls of noodles could that buy...

You couldn't finish it, simply couldn't.

"A hundred gold... a hundred gold... If the three of us had a hundred gold, we'd be set for life, no longer risking our lives hunting," said another middle-aged man with a full beard, taking a deep breath.

The lean man and the bearded man both turned their heads to look at the bald man with a scar on his face in the middle, their faces full of conflict.

"Big Brother..."

The bald man was the leader, named Dawei. The bearded man was the second, named Xu Qiang, and the lean man was the third, called Skinny Monkey.

These three hunters weren't from Little River Town but had settled here after finding the resources of Little River Peak sufficient to make a living. They've been here for several years, even longer than Chen Xun.

Seeing the two looking at him like that, Dawei's expression changed slightly. He pulled them into a corner and said irritably, "Are you crazy for even thinking about it? Do you want to die? We've lived in Little River Town for a few years now, and we've seen how the authorities operate. Do you really think they're just sitting around doing nothing?"

Xu Qiang and Skinny Monkey smiled bitterly at his words.

Xu Qiang said, "Big Brother, you say that, but Skinny Monkey and I don't believe you're not tempted. That's a hundred gold! We couldn't earn that in a lifetime!"

Dawei hesitated. Of course, he was tempted, but he still said in a deep voice, "I won't do anything illegal! If we did something like that, we wouldn't have a place in Little River Town anymore, and if we got caught... I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison!"

No matter how Dawei thought about it, he felt the risk was too great!

To be honest, after living in Little River Town for these years, Dawei had come to see it as home. Though not wealthy, at least he wouldn't starve and didn't have to wander around homeless like before.

In Dawei's mind, he planned to save money honestly for a while longer, enough to marry a wife in Little River Town, and then live a stable life.

Skinny Monkey, anxious, quickly said, "Big Brother, we're not originally from Little River Town anyway. At worst, after this job, we can just run away! With this money, where couldn't we live comfortably?"

"Yes, Big Brother, although we're not starving now, I want a better life too. With this money, the three of us could all marry beautiful wives!" Xu Qiang added quickly, his face full of dreams for the future, as if the hundred gold was already in their hands.

Dawei looked at Xu Qiang and Skinny Monkey and sighed.

Though not blood brothers, their bond was as strong as if they were. Over the years, they had faced many hunting crises together, forming a life-and-death friendship.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, I..."

Dawei hesitated.

"Oh come on, Big Brother, stop hesitating. Are we doing it or not? Let's be clear, even if you don't want to, Skinny Monkey and I will. After so many years, a chance like this to make it big is right in front of us, and we don't want to pass it up!" Xu Qiang said earnestly.

Skinny Monkey nodded repeatedly, "Fortune favors the bold, not the timid. Wealth is found in danger, let's go for it!"

Hearing this, Dawei looked around, full of emotion.

What he couldn't bear to leave was this warm little town...

Seeing Dawei like this, Skinny Monkey thought for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He raised his finger excitedly and said, "Hey! Big Brother, Second Brother, I have an idea!"

Xu Qiang was taken aback and said, "Skinny Monkey, you're usually not the sharpest, but you came up with a plan? Tell us!"

"Heh heh," Skinny Monkey chuckled, then glanced at Dawei and said, "It's clear Big Brother can't leave Little River Town. To be honest, neither can Second Brother and I. So, why don't we just stay in Little River Town?"

Stay?

Commit a crime and not leave?

What does that mean?

Would the authorities tolerate them? Impossible.

Skinny Monkey said smugly, "Big Brother, Second Brother, you're probably thinking about how to escape Little River Town after the robbery, right?"

Dawei and Xu Qiang exchanged a glance.

What else?

This isn't child's play; it could land them in jail.

We are "pawread dot com", find us on google.

Skinny Monkey said sinisterly, "Big Brother, Second Brother, you're mistaken. That black tiger was originally hunted by us three brothers, so how is it a crime? Couldn't it be that Chen Xun took advantage of our distraction to steal the black tiger we hunted?"

Hearing this, Dawei and Xu Qiang's pupils contracted, and a chill ran down their spines.

Skinny Monkey's plan was too devious, too shameless.

Dawei rubbed his bald head and said, "But Third Brother, Chen Xun already said it was killed by an immortal. Many townspeople heard it. We..."

Skinny Monkey scoffed, "Just because Chen Xun said it, does that make it true? Who would believe such an unfounded claim? An immortal? Are immortals so easy to encounter?"

Dawei and Xu Qiang fell silent.

Though Skinny Monkey's method was underhanded, it seemed feasible...

In fact, it was quite clever.

This way, they could likely get the black tiger without being hunted by the authorities and continue living in Little River Town.

As for Chen Xun, a frail scholar, they weren't afraid of him at all.

He probably wouldn't even dare to think of revenge and would have to swallow his grievances.

After thinking it over, Dawei couldn't help but be tempted. After all, it was like getting something for nothing!

That was a hundred gold!

Dawei immediately asked, "Third Brother, what do we do next? Chen Xun is already planning to sell the black tiger!"

Xu Qiang said seriously, "Right, we can't let him sell it. We need to intercept him!"

Skinny Monkey waved his hand, his face calm and composed, "Big Brother, Second Brother, don't rush. That black tiger was originally hunted by us, so the right is on our side... So what we need to do next is to report to the authorities first."

Dawei and Xu Qiang were stunned, then nodded in agreement. Thinking about the black tiger's body soon to be in their hands, their hearts couldn't help but race.

They were going to get rich!

***

Meanwhile, Chen Xun had already dragged the black tiger to the largest restaurant in Little River Town, the Spring Breeze Restaurant.

And because the black tiger was a rare sight, many townspeople followed Chen Xun, surrounding the Spring Breeze Restaurant in layers.

Someone from Old Li's family had already gone to inform them, and it was likely that Old Li and Li Yuan were on their way, excited.

Outside the restaurant, the manager circled the black tiger a few times, nodding in satisfaction from time to time, and then said, "Chen Xun, our Spring Breeze Restaurant is willing to buy this black tiger for one hundred and twenty gold. How about it?"

Wow!

Hearing the astronomical figure of one hundred and twenty gold, the townspeople present were in an uproar, each staring at the black tiger with bated breath, their eyes red with envy.

If not for the strict law enforcement in Little River Town, many might have rushed to snatch it.

Chen Xun nodded, "That's fair. The price is very reasonable."

Chen Xun understood that the other party was a businessman. After buying the black tiger, they would likely transport it to other large towns to resell it and make a profit, which was only fair.

"Hehe, good." The manager was pleased, taking out a money pouch to pay. To be honest, even he felt the pinch at one hundred and twenty gold, but thinking about the profit after resale, he felt comfortable again.

Just as the manager was about to hand the money pouch to Chen Xun, a stern voice suddenly rang out:

"Magistrate's Office business! Bystanders, step aside!"

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan