"Rat" Ruen. It was a nickname others had.
The foul blood used by most in the White Wolves hunting organisation came from the ferocious, widely known dream beast, the Sky Wolf.
Such a nickname seemed a huge irony in the White Wolves, but Ruen was proud of it.
What was wrong with being a cowardly rat?
To Ruen, words like "sly", "cunning", and "greedy" had a positive connotation. Only people with such traits lived longer.
His keen sense of smell and uncanny foresight were extremely useful tools for keeping his own life.
These skills had been honed over the years since he'd been out on the streets. He had switched loyalties countless times, turned traitor many times, and had many trump cards that could allow him to get out of any situation.
No one could kill him, and no one wanted to. 'Rat' Ruen himself was the only one who knew exactly how extensive his intelligence network was.
And this time, he was relying on a woman.
When he had witnessed the miraculous mutation of the wolf beast, bringing destruction and blood and then gracefully transforming back into a human, Ruen had realised that the night hunters would see a new master.
This woman would bring about an unprecedented revolution!
But even if she lost, nothing would happen to Ruen's Rat.
As for the magician's brand of loyalty? Ruen had already secretly obtained a method to dispel it.
He had easily lived for years relying on defections and surrendering under false pretences, while all those masters he had betrayed had already turned to dust. In obscure situations, those who clung to the dead branch like fools, such as the third leader Kaji... simply proved how futile and dangerous trust was.
When Ruen had served under Heris' command, he too had used these tricks to get the leader of the White Wolves to believe a man as infamous as himself.
And now fooling this young wealthy lady was an easy task....
The rat had ambitions of his own!
If he could obtain a method to control beast mutation, he would no longer be a rat running around in the sewers, forced to depend on others. With unparalleled strength atop the intelligence network he controlled, Ruen believed that he could be a king even in broad daylight!
At that time, everyone would want to obey him...''
Ruen took his gaze away from his surroundings and turned his eyes to the bookstore owner. He scrutinised the creature carefully, using all his forty years of experience to judge and determine exactly what kind of person he was.
Finally, he came to a conclusion: this young man was an ordinary person.
Although there was a stone gargoyle on the table, it didn't look exceptional. 'It's nothing more than a decorative ornament in ordinary houses,' thought Ruan.
But...
His gaze fell on Ji Zhixue. The female hunter had a look of utter awe, as if the one across from her was a powerhouse of the highest rank.
Ruen was puzzled.
Have I grown old? Have my rat senses dulled?
No, that shouldn't be the case.
He was absolutely certain of his judgement. Not too long ago, he had accurately determined that Heris would make a big move. After noticing that Heris hadn't been treating his subordinates well lately, he had quickly changed his loyalty and prevented a massacre.
This proved that he was right. This time, Ruen decided to believe in himself as well.
However, given his new master's reverence for him, as well as his own innate tendency to be cautious, Ruen decided to first heed whatever priceless advice this guy would give to be treated.
Meanwhile, Lin Jie's thought process was simple. He wanted to help Ji Zhixue suppress her impatience and let her know that scum was not his equal. After all, she had already achieved victory and the scum was afraid of her. All he had to do was wait.
"Don't worry too much. The situation is simpler than you think. Your enemy is not him, but something else. You're afraid of fear itself, so . just wait and you'll get the news soon."
That's it?
THAT'S IT?!
If waiting and inaction could solve problems, then what was the point of having Secret Rite Tower or hunters?
Ruan's brows furrowed into a frown. He didn't show any emotion on his face, but his facial muscles tensed up.
Talking, empty words, ambiguous statements. Ruen was familiar with these tricks commonly used by con artists.
He could no longer be sure that this bookstore was just a scammer through and through!
However, he was confused by Ji Zhixue's humble attitude towards the bookstore owner's words. "Thank you for your guidance, I have benefited greatly from the book you gave me. However, the situation is not like most. I hope..."
"Haa..." Ruen tried his best to calm down, but his pride in the 'rat' made him really want to throw this man to the ground and step on him.
I must be getting old. How could I have chosen such a stupid young mistress? Heck, how can this naive girl not see such a con artist!
Lin Jie's facial expression changed slightly as he set down his cup of tea and said: "I'm sorry, I have something to do. I'll be done in about five minutes, please wait a moment."
Ah... shit. I'd had quite a lot of tea. Why did that young girl have to strike up a conversation, after all, this is my usual time to go to the toilet.
As usual, Lin Jie was reading and drinking tea while waiting for customers. Just when it was his usual time to go to the toilet, Ji Zhixue entered the bookstore and they struck up a conversation. Although Lin Jie was able to hold it back, he felt that it was unnecessary and that it was bad for his body. Furthermore, he was sure that Ji Zhixue would not hold it against him.
Ji Zhixue was puzzled for a moment, but then obediently nodded.
Lin Jie stood up and disappeared into the stairs to the first floor.
Ji Zhixue was about to consider what the bookstore owner had said when Ruen walked up to her and said through clenched teeth: "Boss, what the hell are you doing!"
Ji Zhixue's eyes narrowed, and she coldly said: "I didn't bring you here because I didn't trust you, but because I felt that your understanding of information could be useful here. What gives you the right to speak to me in that tone of voice?"
"Don't forget that with the branding around your neck, you are now a henchman of my family, not some wild rat. Perhaps you need to understand the rules better."
Ruen's face twitched as he became angry, "He's a rogue, an egregious rogue! Yes, I may not follow the rules, but this I know! His tricks may seem unrivalled, but I can easily find at least three others on the same level as him!"
The completely dumbfounded goon, so tall and mighty, regarded him like a sewer rat....
Ji Zhixue's face froze. "Shut up! I shouldn't have brought you here. Indeed, limited people have limited perspectives. If it wasn't for the fact that you're still useful, I would have knocked you out right now!" she scolded.
"I am absolutely loyal to you! I'll prove it to you a little later.... "
Ruan pulled out a poison dart, hiding the killing intent in her eyes, and muttered: "I'll prove it to you when he comes down."
A blood-chilling shriek resounded in the bookstore.
Ruen and Ji Zhixue were stunned and immediately looked at the tabletop.
The coal-black sculpture rapidly enlarged, waving its long powerful tail and spreading its huge wings as if it was a huge shadow from hell.
The ominous red glow flashed even brighter as it targeted the person who had shown killing intent - Ruen.
With a flap of its wings, the gargoyle flew with astonishing speed, ignoring Ruen's disbelief and fighting back as its claws ripped off his head and swallowed him whole. It then devoured the rest of Ruen's body in seconds before using its tongue to lick blood off the floor and shelves.
Ruen couldn't even scream for the few seconds that this entire episode lasted.
Then the gargoyle returned to its stone sculpture form.
Knock Knock Knock Knock.
Lin Jie went downstairs and noticed Ji Zhixue standing in front of the counter, staring dumbly at the floorboards.
Finding this a bit strange, Lin Jie asked: "А? Where is that subordinate of yours?
Ji Zhixue came back to reality. Her face slightly pale, she looked at Lin Jie and squeezed out a faint smile: "He... He has an urgent matter."