Chapter 143: The Love of Seeking Favor

Upon hearing that Rayan was going to give the Sixth Rank Fire Scorpion's heart to his female slave as lunch, all the bounty hunters present were stunned into silence.

A Sixth Rank Feral Beast was equivalent to the level of a human Junior Hero, and its intrinsic value was immense. Its skin could be used to make various leather goods and blank enchantment scrolls, its meat could be used to enhance Battle Qi strength, its blood could be used in alchemy, and even its teeth could be used as decorations to enhance fighting spirit.

The value of this particular Sixth Rank Fire Scorpion was even more expensive. It was the Phoenix Lady's quest, the reward for which was a thousand gold coins, and it also provided an opportunity to meet with nobility. Gaining an extra thousand gold coins and the chance to promote one's team in front of nobility was something every bounty hunter leader dreamt of.

Yet now, Rayan was generously giving a Fire Scorpion's heart worth a thousand gold coins to his female slave, how could these bounty hunters not be shocked? This was a genuine, non-negotiable Fire Scorpion's heart!

However, Eta also understood that a Sixth Rank Fire Scorpion was really nothing to Rayan. Rayan was powerful, and power was money, a wealth that no one could steal. He was secretly glad that he had not treated sola like an ordinary female slave, otherwise...

"Thank you, Master!"

Sola smiled happily, and immediately held the Fire Scorpion's heart up to Rayan, "Master, please take the first bite!"

Rayan couldn't help frowning, he had almost forgotten about this peculiar ritual of the barbarian tribes. At this point, he could not refuse, so he carefully took a small bite at the tip of the Fire Scorpion's heart.

The fire flowed down his throat like strong liquor, causing a warm sensation in his abdomen, and this feeling spread to his limbs, even his penis stirred slightly, growing warm.

Rayan immediately thought of the Deer penis and Tiger penis liquor that Duke had given him. And this was just a small bite of the Fire Scorpion's heart, already more potent than a whole bottle of Tiger penis liquor—if he actually ate a whole Fire Scorpion's heart—

By the time he opened his mouth to stop Sola, she had already eaten more than half. Seeing that Sola showed no discomfort, Rayan felt slightly relieved, thinking that the aphrodisiac effect might only work on men, and women would not have any particular reaction.

He looked at the shocked faces of the bounty hunters nearby, waved his hand, "Anyway, I'm going to kill another Fire Scorpion soon, you guys eat this one, consider it revenge for your deceased brothers."

Just as Eta was about to decline, since Fire Scorpion meat was also valuable and they couldn't afford it, hearing about avenging the dead brothers, he nodded heavily, "Thank you, Master! Brothers, set up a fire, eat this Fire Scorpion, and avenge our fallen brothers!"

The other bounty hunters busily began to work, finding some broken tree roots in the cave to make a simple bonfire, and using torches to light it, they placed the body of the Sixth Rank Fire Scorpion directly on the fire.

Sola had already finished the Fire Scorpion's heart, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said contentedly to Rayan, "Master, let's go straight to the fourth floor."

Rayan nodded, no longer paying attention to the emotionally charged bounty hunters, and took Sola directly to the lower level.

The second floor had been thoroughly cleared by the Mad Dog Group, and the few remaining low-grade Fire Scorpions posed no threat, easily shattered by Rayan's casual sword strikes.

Unobstructed, they moved down to the third floor, where Fire Scorpions became more numerous and had risen to the Fifth Rank. They mostly grouped in threes or fives and rushed up once battle commenced.

However, for Rayan, this was simply a training ground. He could use his Battle Qi and sword gang power without reservation, enhancing his combat capabilities. Clearing his way to the entrance to the fourth floor, Eta came up panting.

"Master... in such a short time, you could..."

Rayan, full of fighting spirit, didn't want to hear Eta's sentiments, waved his hand, and bluntly asked, "What are you doing here, has the scorpion meat finished?"

Eta quickly replied, "No, without you, we brothers didn't dare to start eating."

"No need to wait for me, just eat on your own, after you're full, come down along the way and collect the valuable parts of any Fourth Rank and above Fire Scorpions, and send them back to sell—remember, the Fire Scorpion's eyeballs must be left for me."

"Yes, I understand!" Eta bowed deeply and hurriedly ran back.

Rayan then said to sola, "Let's go," and immediately took the lead into the fourth floor of the cave.

The fourth floor of the cave had no firelight, but luckily, sola had prepared a torch, which she lit with true fire stamps, providing much more brightness than ordinary torches.

The number of Fire Scorpions on the fourth floor was also astonishingly large. This area was the territory of Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions, rarely trodden by humans, so the Fire Scorpions were densely packed together. As soon as they saw the light from the torch, dozens of Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions roared and charged.

Rayan could not be careless, so he elevated his Battle Qi and sword gang power to the extreme, engaging in fierce combat with the Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions using Blood Crow Strike.

With each pass of Blood Crow, a Fire Scorpion's life was inevitably taken. After the battle, not a single one of the dozen or so Fire Scorpions survived.

These Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions primarily used fire attacks, already at a disadvantage, so despite the dozens charging at once, they all ended up perishing under Blood Crow Strike.

But this was the most severe battle Rayan had faced in this period. His fire spirit affinity gave him an inherent advantage in the fight, making the Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions equivalent to only about a human Ninth Tier in strength, but attacking more than a dozen such opponents still took its toll on him.

Once the fight was over, he knelt on the ground, using the Crow Sword to support his body, struggling to regulate his breathing. The experience gained from this battle was quite substantial, and he felt the gap with Trevor narrowing further, thus the physical exertion was quite worthwhile.

Moreover, he had an infinite recovery ability.

"Sola…"

Rayan looked at the scattered corpses of Fire Scorpions on the ground and called out to his female slave, "I need to recuperate."

This was the news sola most wanted to hear. She properly placed the torch, obediently walked over to Rayan, and embraced the kneeling Rayan. Her breasts had reached the standards of an adult woman, soft and with firm nipples, perfectly serving as a pillow for Rayan to rest on.

Rayan struggled to suppress his wandering thoughts and quietly felt the recovery ability of the fire spirit affinity.

It's uncertain how long they embraced, but only when Eta rushed into the fourth floor with his brothers did Rayan awaken from the endless comfort. He moved his face away from the partially exposed breasts of sola, his face flushing red.

Probably because sola had warmed him, otherwise why would his face be red?

Sola then covered her chest, not letting anyone see the spring scenery on her front.

"Master, I'm sorry for disturbing you…"

Eta and the bounty hunters all bowed their heads, barely holding back their smiles.

"It's fine, I've rested enough."

Rayan exhaled, noticing that most of his depleted energy had returned. He then instructed Eta, "You guys take these Sixth Rank Fire Scorpion corpses away, pick out a Fire Scorpion's heart to send to the Firebird family."

Eta and the bounty hunters then noticed the Fire Scorpion corpses. He gasped, "Master, there are so many, we might need several trips to transport them all."

Rayan nodded, "Then you'll have to make a few more trips. The guide was killed by me, and the mists he deliberately created should have dissipated by now."

Eta was astonished, "So it was he who created those mists! No wonder only he could lead the way!"

"Alright, go ahead, I'll continue clearing this place."

Rayan no longer paid attention to them and continued towards the deeper parts of the fourth floor, with sola following closely with the torch.

The second battle soon began. Rayan had absorbed the experience from the previous fight, his attack techniques were more skilled, and the dozen or so Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions effortlessly died under Blood Crow Strike, while his own consumption of Battle Qi significantly reduced.

However, to better cope with the next fight, Rayan still chose to let sola provide recovery with fire spirit.

In this way, they recovered after each battle, until most of the fourth floor was cleared. Rayan had significantly improved his overall combat capabilities, Blood Crow Strike's proficiency had advanced from integration to mastery, and each battle's consumption of Battle Qi had reduced to the point that he could continue to the next battle without needing recovery.

Although he had not yet broken through to the Tenth Tier Battle Qi to advance to Junior Hero, seeing the gap with Trevor continue to narrow, Rayan was in high spirits.

"Master, sola is hungry."

Sola held her flat belly, whispering, "This time I'm really hungry."

Rayan couldn't help but tap her on the forehead, "So the last time you said you were hungry and ate the Fire Scorpion's heart, were you tricking me?"

"No!"

Sola quickly explained, "Sola was just... just..."

"Just greedy, right?"

Sola slightly opened her mouth, biting on her plump lips, leaving a row of faint teeth marks. She wanted to argue but eventually gave up, her face blushing as she admitted, "Being greedy was just one aspect, but what Sola really wanted was the favor from Master. Sola knows a female slave shouldn't seek such favor, but she can't help it, Sola..."

Rayan really wanted to embrace Sola and tell her that he was willing to do these things for her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He pursed his lips, silent for a little while, then said, "You've made me hungry too. The next wave of Fire Scorpions will be our lunch, let's go."

Sola nodded vigorously and followed Rayan's steps.

They continued forward and saw a large swarm of Sixth Rank Fire Scorpions gathered together, one of which was larger than the others, with a redder and shinier tail spike, and its chitinous shell shimmered with a distinctive copper light.

"Seventh Rank Fire Scorpion."

A spark of battle desire flashed in Rayan's eyes, "This lunch is definitely going to be delicious."