Chapter 137: Even the Leopard Head Has Its Troubles

Wait, Mi Yang?

Ji Ming felt a stir in his heart and opened the goat man's panel for a glance.

Sure enough, he was Mi Yang of the Lingjiao Clan, the clan chief, a full‑fledged mage of twenty‑seven levels.

It's laughable; the so‑called Adventurers' Association actually has little to do with adventurers.

Because the backing behind the Association isn't a powerful adventurer troupe, but the three great beast‑folk families that came from the Wilderness to Sunlight City and gradually took root and grew there.

They are, respectively:

The Feng Claw Clan, composed of cheetah‑folk, excels at burst attacks and naturally possesses the Immovable Claw talent.

The Truffle Clan, made up of wild‑boar folk, has bulging muscles, a strong physique, and naturally abundant Qi and blood.

The Lingjiao Clan, composed of goat folk, has higher magical aptitude, making mage professions common.

As the Association's leaders, the three great families provide shelter for adventurers while siphoning a portion of the commissions as dues.

Of course, the protection fee must be paid, but considering that adventuring activities have been unilaterally banned by the Lord's Residence and remain unreopened, it's hard to say whether that shelter still exists.

So how could the chiefs of the three great families possibly be good guys?

"Boris, I heard what you said outside."

Shi Shi Ran sat on another chair, and Mi Yang smoothed his long robe.

"Now is Sunlight City's critical period; the source of the rampaging beasts remains completely unknown, and more of our kin are dying because of it."

"The threat is immediate; we can't even coordinate allies in time, yet you still think about damaging our relations with other forces. Do you realize how foolish that is?"

He opened his mouth with a question, giving Boris, the esteemed minister, no respect at all.

Boris frowned at the words and immediately began to defend himself.

"Uncle Mi Yang, friends must be judged good or bad; these mercenaries are truly overstepping, causing trouble over such matters. Don't you think they're overreaching?"

But what came back was Mi Yang's counter‑question.

"Don't you think it's you who are overreaching?"

He tapped his cane, solemn as if loading a machine gun.

"Medical matters are mainly a competition between the Commercial Union and the Mercenary Alliance; our Adventurers' Association only runs a few small clinics outside the city, so there's no real conflict of interest at all."

That's the truth; if they had a reliable medical system, adventurers wouldn't have to languish for days waiting to be healed themselves.

"I don't know why you get so furious over this, but you'd be better off going to the Lord's Residence and asking those idle rich fools when they'll reopen the city gates and resume normal adventuring activities."

At that point, he glanced at Ji Ming.

No, it wasn't really looking at Ji Ming; it was merely showing contempt, his gaze never truly landed on Ji Ming.

"And if I recall correctly, this should be the hotshot in front of Mr. Suo La; his clinic is on the Commercial Street of the Union. Why are you idling around to defend someone else's interests?"

If you calculate by beast‑folk lifespans, Boris, in his thirties, is actually still a youngster.

Compared with Mi Yang, he's rather inexperienced in negotiations.

The old goat spoke like a rapid‑fire cannon; his expression and eyes were calm, yet his speech was tightly paced and aggressively pressing.

As the other side of the debate, Bao Zitou was visibly stunned into a gape by the barrage of questions.

He stammered for a while before suddenly remembering.

"But Dr. Ji is my lifesaver! Shouldn't I..."

"Gratitude? There are many ways to repay it!"

But Mi Yang seemed to have anticipated his words and retorted immediately.

"As the head of the Adventurers' Association, you shouldn't let such trifles cloud your judgment!"

"I..."

Boris wanted to say more, but Mi Yang gave him no further chance to speak.

"The Adventurers' Association is your father's legacy; I don't want it ruined in your hands, understand?"

"If you truly can't handle the role, I'll reconvene a meeting to select a more suitable president rather than watch you squander everyone's interests."

After that barrage, the once‑dominant Bao Zitou fell completely silent, with nothing left to say.

Seeing Boris's conflicted face, Mi Yang's gaze also carried a hint of triumph.

He gave his head a slight shake, yet his tone pretended to be gentle.

"Of course, Boris, my good nephew, I certainly don't want to do this, but you must learn to see the bigger picture."

Boris lowered his head and could only comply, saying,

"Uncle, I've been studying hard lately..."

"Hmm, that's good. I'm a close brother of your father, and I will never watch his child fall into ruin."

The old goat sarcastically praised him, a smile appearing on his face.

"Also, I have a dinner tonight with Alliance Leader Fei En, and I don't want anyone to jeopardize our relationship with the Mercenary Alliance."

"All of this is for the safety and prosperity of our Adventurers' Association and Sunlight City; I hope you understand."

Whoa, no wonder they rushed in so frantically; they're actually a pro‑mercenary faction.

Ji Ming, who had stayed silent and merely observed, shook his head inwardly.

The previous president of the Adventurers' Association was Boris's deceased father.

As the elder clan chief of the Feng Claw Clan, he once reached the threshold of senior professionals.

He led the beast‑folk, originally a nomadic tribe, to Sunlight City, and keenly discovered the blue‑sea of adventurers, founding the Adventurers' Association and giving the outsider beast‑folk a foothold.

Through hard work and supreme strength, while he was alive he was the absolute core of the Association; within the three families there was no dissent.

But now that he's dead...

The Adventurers' Association now seems to have a weak succession, shaky foundations, disloyal elders, making great achievements unlikely.

Poor Boris is being toyed with by his uncle; this debate could only muster a couple of cries at the start, then Mi Yang relentlessly trampled him in the realm of rhetoric.

Moreover, speaking seriously, I'm just a small doctor; this matter can be big or small, it's just a pricing issue.

The Adventurers Association mediating from the side would pose no difficulty at all; on the contrary, it would earn a good reputation for helping the weak and easing conflicts.

At least, for now everything is still private and undecided; Mi Yang has no need to be so agitated, actively jumping out to clash with Boris, who nominally holds the presidency.

Thus it's clear that his hemming and hawing for a long while was actually just an attempt to warn Boris.

He's taking advantage of the pretext to keep up the pressure, then picking the right moment to team up with the Mercenary Alliance and stir up a coup; perhaps that's this good uncle's ultimate goal.

After all, the association isn't a kingdom; once the Old Leopard's prestige is worn down, Mi Yang might actually manage to rise to the top.

Seeing Boris unable to utter a word of rebuttal after being shut down, the victorious he finally gave Ji Ming a proper look.

"I know you, Ji Ming; thanks to those miraculous potions, you've become quite renowned in the Outer City these past two days."

"But, as a senior, I still need to remind you that the rules in the Inner City differ from those in the Outer City; don't bring those bad habits from there into the Inner City, got it?"

Since we still aren't planning to turn hostile, in this situation there's no benefit to arguing with that old geezer; the most convenient way is to someday find the time, grab him, and give him a harsh beating.

So Ji Ming merely tossed out a casual remark.

"Understood." Your mother's coffin lid's about to slide off.

"Hehe, but since you saved Boris's life, we certainly won't shortchange you."

After winning two rounds in a row, Mi Yang was already so proud he seemed ready to lift his beard to the heavens.

"How about this: I'll decide, give you twenty—no, thirty gold coins as a reward, and we won't bring this up again, okay?"

"One hundred!"

Without waiting for Ji Ming's reply, Boris stretched out five fingers and let out a low growl.

"At least one hundred gold coins in compensation—I'll pay!"

Then he spoke softly with a sincere expression.

"Doctor Ji, I'm sorry; this matter is my fault—take this money and hurry out of Sunshine City."

Perhaps feeling it was too expensive, Mi Yang opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his words.

After all, he had already made Boris concede so much; questioning it further would be impolite and could backfire.

Ji Ming fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine."

He thought it through more thoroughly; since Boris couldn't settle this, it was time to cut losses.

Soon there will be over a thousand players to support; this money is not to be refused.

Besides, I have many alternate identities; even if I don't want to leave, I could just switch to the alias Ji An and keep wandering—there are plenty of roads to take.

But he was still waiting to take the money and leave when a heavy footsteps sounded from outside the door.

"Who dares to bully my big brother?"

The door was flung open violently, and a hulking wild boar-man, as huge as a dark cloud pressing over the city, burst into the office.

Its hair was dark black, its mane stiff, its dagger‑curved teeth bared outside its lips, and even its thick armor couldn't contain the explosive muscles rippling over its whole body.

All that can be said is that the difference between one beastman and another is even greater than the difference between a human and a beastman.

Compared to this pig‑headed gentleman, Boris, who just seemed rather tall, looks at least two sizes smaller.

No need to guess; since Boris and Mi Yang are both here, the third person before us must surely be the head of the Truffle Family, a 26th‑level warrior—Gred Truffle.

He panted heavily, his iron‑like arms swinging wildly.

"I heard my big brother ran into trouble—who's so blind!"