Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Morning arrived pretty quickly. Leo stayed up all night and finished his task.

Astrid had woken up and found him waiting for her.

"Morning, leader." She greeted, her voice a bit sleepy.

"Good morning."

Leo nodded, greeting her back.

"Are you ready to return to Chengdu?"

Hearing him saying that, she smiled wryly and her eyes squirmed around as if she didn't want to hear what he had to say next.

Still, she nodded and didn't refuse.

"Yes, I'm ready. Umm... please be gentle on the way back."

"Hahaha, I will try."

With that, the two mercenaries packed up and said goodbye to the villagers. They received many thanks and good wishes as well as many vegetables and fruits.

These gifts were mostly for Astrid, but Leo kept it for now as he was the one having Mock Reo instead of mock Roby.

Even the village chief had come to see them off, and Leo thanked him for his cooperation.

"It was a pleasure to meet you. We will settle everything in the village first before moving to Chengdu one by one to avoid suspicion. There are a few... a rat that we have to take care of first. Don't worry, we will keep our end of the deal."

"That's good. As for the rat, please tell me if you need my help."

"Thank you. Have a nice trip."

After that, he left the village. Astrid was silent, and Leo guessed that she was still drunk and didn't want to throw up on the way back.

However, as they went further, the girl started speaking.

"Um, Leader. About the words you speak about... Is the rat really among the villagers? They are so nice and kind."

She couldn't believe that someone like them could hide their true self and pretended to be friends with everyone.

"Don't worry. Even the most cunning fox or the most innocent-looking bunny can't hide their true nature. And I assure you, there is a mole among the villagers."

It was pretty refreshing to see her grow. From the sheltered and naive princess that only cared about her clan, she became someone that had a more open mind and started questioning things.

'That's a good start. This way, she can adapt better to the harshness of the world and gain more experience.'

And just as he said, there was no way the Murim Alliance didn't plant any mole among the villagers. He had seen their strength and was sure that they could hold their own against small forces.

But, that wasn't enough.

There were many factors that the village had to consider.

For instance, if a powerful sect or clan wanted to take advantage of their situation and use their power, the Murim Alliance couldn't just sit and allow it. They were always about balancing this and balancing that.

So, it was understandable that they planted a mole to monitor the situation.

'Well, since the mole has no real power, then there's no problem to leave it to the villagers. They must've wanted to get rid of the mole themselves.'

Once they managed to exit the forest, Leo took out his bike and donned his helmet with a simple voice command. Without hesitation, he sat in his position and looked at Astrid.

"Hop on. It's faster this way."

"U-Understood."

Astrid nodded and sat behind him. Her arms wrapped around his waist tightly, and her legs pressed against his.

"Please be gentle, Leader."

"Heh." He smirked, "Of course. Just enjoy the ride."

With that, he started his bike and left the forest, leaving the Outcast Village behind with a scream of its engine and his passenger.

The two of them were heading back to Chengdu.

In a large estate located in the heart of the city, a meeting was held. Many leaders from different Clans and sects were gathered together.

They were all sitting at a large round table.

On the table, a scroll was spread out, and everyone was discussing the content.

"Mercenary Union. Tang Clan and Hao Sect worked together to establish this together."

"And, they are accepting all kinds of martial artists and not just the Orthodox one. What are they thinking?"

"Are they trying to try and gain more power?"

"Maybe, but they are still young. The Union is still weak and can't even form a branch. They have no real power or even leadership! They let their members work by themselves and not even organize them."

"Still, their actions are suspicious. I heard they accepted many kinds of requests from villagers and normal people. This is not normal behavior for a group of martial artists."

"Then, maybe they are gathering resources or information. It's not that hard to make connections and gain information."

"I doubt that."

A debate started, and everyone was arguing back and forth. Many expressed their displeasure and concerns, while some were just curious.

As the discussion was going nowhere, a man suddenly spoke up.

"Enough."

The man's word was enough to stop everyone's debate. He was a tall and muscular man with a cold and fierce look. His body was wrapped in a black robe and his entire figure exuded the air of authority.

He was the Murim Alliance's leader, Xue Wang.

His voice echoed through the room, and everyone shut their mouths.

"We need to stop wasting our time. We already made the decision, so let's focus on the important thing." He said, "I don't care if the Mercenary Union is suspicious or not. There is only one reason why we're here today."

The man looked at everyone and smiled meaningfully.

"That is to get rid of the Tang and Hao Clan. By creating something as unsightly as that group of clowns, they are insulting the entire Murim."

His words caused the others to nod.

"Yes, yes. How could a clan with a long standing such as the Tang Clan work together with an Unorthodox Sect? Not to mention, it's Hao Sect!"

"Yes, it's strange. They must've been planning something."

Everyone agreed.

Xue Wang nodded and looked at the scroll once again. At that moment, another person in the room noticed that he ordered them to continue and speak.

"From what's reported by the Beggar Sect, there is a central point that might have influenced the two Sect and Clan to create this wretched organization that challenges our authority and tradition."