Chapter 181: I’ll Give You an S

“Awa, Awa, where are you going? Come back, I need to talk to you!”

Outside a small wooden cabin, members of the Tengu tribe were gathered, boiling fish soup. They squatted or stood in small groups, chatting as they sipped their soup.

After listening to the broadcast, the usually silent Awa tipped back his bowl and finished his soup in one gulp, then stood up and headed out.

Masa, who had been dawdling over to talk to him, immediately craned his neck and shouted when he saw Awa leaving.

A tribesman behind him quickly stopped him.

“Chief, don’t shout. Awa’s going to take on that mission. A bottle of Light Elixir, that’s worth 200,000 spirit coins! Who wouldn’t take that job? You’d be a fool not to.”

Realizing he couldn’t stop Awa, Masa glared at the tribesman behind him.

“The broadcast said they’re recruiting S-ranks. Isn’t Awa still just an A-rank? I was planning to have him lead a team to the Black Tiger Tribe.”

“Hahaha, that’s where you’re wrong, Chief. Awa just advanced to S-rank this morning. Talk about luck! I bet it’s so he can save up spirit coins early to find himself a wife.”

“That’s right, Chief. Let someone else lead the team to the Black Tiger Tribe.”

Amid the laughter, Aunt Meifang snorted as she carried her bowl.

“I think Awa left so quickly just to avoid leading the team. Has anyone thought about who’s in the Black Tiger Tribe?”

“Who?” Some of the less quick-witted tribesmen asked curiously.

Aunt Meifang lifted her chin proudly.

“Mana, of course! Ever since our tribe relocated, Mana’s been living it up. I heard from Xiao Liu from the Black Tiger Tribe that the day after we left, Mana went straight to become Blackbeard’s woman. She gets a mid-grade nutrient shot every day now—way better than the low-grade stuff she used to get from Awa.”

“Too bad her luck ran out. Just as she started living the good life, Blackbeard came here and got himself caught by us. Now Mana’s back to being unwanted. There’s no way Awa would go knocking on her door now. If he really led a team to the Black Tiger Tribe, that woman would cling to him for dear life, keep cheating on him, and keep leeching off him to support other pretty boys. Hmph, Mana can dream on!”

Aunt Meifang deliberately raised her voice so everyone could hear.

The tribesmen all agreed she had a point. Masa fell silent, no longer trying to call Awa back. He sat down with a sigh, clutching his big bowl.

Sigh, Mana really brought this on herself!

Awa’s strong, stern face was tense as he strode away. Only when he could no longer hear Masa’s voice did he finally breathe a little easier, then quickened his pace.

Avoiding Mana was part of it, but he also really wanted that Light Elixir.

Even though they were natives of this exile planet and had strong resistance to dark matter, they were still infected. Now that he was S-rank, he could have lived a thousand years, but with dark matter corruption, he’d be lucky to make it to four hundred.

So the Light Elixir was extremely important.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the mission hall.

There were already people inside.

The Tang father and son had arrived before him.

Old Tang, with his handsome face, was beaming as he spoke to the Ming brothers.

“You’re the ones who posted the mission to Senmu Marsh, right?”

“That’s us,” Ming Mu replied, nodding with reserved pride.

Old Tang slapped his thigh and laughed, eager to sell himself.

“Brothers, I fit the bill! Pick me! I’m an SS-rank ability user, and I’ve inherited beast-taming skills. Senmu Marsh is crawling with beasts—perfect for me!”

The Ming brothers’ eyes lit up and they immediately agreed.

“Great, you’re in!”

Old Tang chuckled, not particularly surprised. He was a perfect fit—how could they not pick him?

Then he tugged his son, who he’d dragged along, and rubbed his hands together with a sly grin.

“Now, how about my son? He’s an A-rank water ability user. If I give him one of my spare S-ranks, he’d be S-rank too. What do you think?”

“Uh...”

The brothers’ mouths twitched. You can just hand out S-ranks like that?

Before they could answer, Tang En was already embarrassed.

Face flushed, he shook off his father’s hand and glared.

“Old man, don’t make things hard for them. Are you really going to stoop this low for a bottle of Light Elixir?”

Old Tang wasn’t the least bit ashamed. He argued back,

“How is this shameless? I’m just sharing! I give you an S, you’re S-rank too. And as for whether it’s worth it for a bottle of Light Elixir—of course it is! We’ve been in this Earth Village for over half a month and haven’t even scraped together enough spirit coins for half a bottle. We even owe Village Chief Yun a bottle!”

“If both of us get picked this time, we’ll get two bottles—one to pay back Village Chief Yun, and one for me to drink. Perfect!”

Tang En: ...This old man actually makes some sense.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was being shameless.

Besides, Senmu Marsh was dangerous. Last time he’d gone in with the old man to find a burial spot with good feng shui, they didn’t find the spot, but they did run into a pack of berserk beasts. He’d had the bad luck to stumble right into the middle of them. If he hadn’t been quick-witted enough to use his only bottle of precious beast-repellent, he’d have been dead or crippled.

Just thinking about the time he broke his leg made him shiver.

“No, no, no, I’m not going. I’m staying in the village. Auntie Song Wu already promised to teach me some skills. Once I learn from her, I’ll make a fortune. Besides, you’ve already had a bottle of Light Elixir, your life’s safe now. After you pay back Village Chief Yun, I’ll help pay for the next bottle.”

Seeing Old Tang about to argue, Tang En glared and cut him off.

“If you really make me go, any Light Elixir I earn won’t go to you. You’re the one who said we should each live our own lives, remember?”

Old Tang: ...

Brat, now you remember things so clearly.

He could only sigh and nod heavily.

“Fine, but you better remember to pay half for my next Light Elixir.”

“I will, I will. If you’re worried I’ll back out, we can sign a contract right here in the mission hall.”

“No need, no need. You spendthrift! Signing a contract costs ten spirit coins—that’s enough for two big pancakes. No need to waste it.”

Old Tang waved him off, face long.

Even though he’d shaved his beard and looked handsome—almost like Tang En’s older brother—when he made that face, you could still see the scruffy, bearded old man he used to be.

Some things never change.

Tang En snorted inwardly, annoyed."