Inside the cave, as the gold was distributed into everyone's hands, the atmosphere grew even more heated. The cave, already filled with endless laughter, rang with even louder mirth.
"HAHAHAHA! If we could run into fat sheep like this every day, it wouldn't be long before us brothers and sisters could wash our hands in a golden basin."
"Isn't that so? If we could buy a grand residence in some prosperous town, then buy a few beautiful wives, spend our idle days tending flowers and teasing birds..."
Before the man could finish, everyone around him fell silent and stared at him with strange looks.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Was there something wrong with what I said?"
"I, hehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HAHAHAHA... So Ninth Brother wants to be a wealthy gentleman! Coming up this mountain to become an outlaw has truly wronged you."
"Oh my, oh my. If that day really comes, Ninth Brother, you must take in your Sixth Sister. If nothing else, Sixth Sister can be your concubine. What do you say?"
"Ah! Sixth Sister, don't joke around!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA~"
After the laughter continued for a while, it gradually died down. One gaze after another turned toward Zhao Xincheng at the head of the table.
Only after Zhao Xincheng drained a cup of wine did he let out a long breath. "Those who roam the martial world grow old in the martial world. Those of us in this line of work have today but no tomorrow. No one knows when we'll die."
"Think less about the future, and don't even think about washing your hands in a golden basin. People in our trade basically never meet a good end."
As his words fell, silence filled the cave, and everyone could not help but feel somewhat dejected.
They knew Zhao Xincheng was not speaking nonsense.
Though Three Fiends Ridge seemed to have a fearsome reputation in this region, in truth, the strength of their eighteen members amounted to little when placed in the wider martial world.
Great Wu was one thing. It sat secluded in one corner and had long since rotted through, while the martial artists of its rivers and lakes were not particularly strong either.
But once they left Great Wu, things would not be the same.
Though they cowered here, there was no guarantee that some expert would not pass by one day and crush them like ants.
Seeing that the mood was off, Zhao Chijiu laughed loudly. "Brothers, worries for another day can wait until another day. Today we have wine, meat, and brothers and sisters. Isn't that enough?"
"HAHAHAHA! Second Brother is right. Brothers, cheer up! Drink, eat—"
Before he could finish the word "meat," the man's expression suddenly froze, and he staggered back into his chair.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, your liquor tolerance is still this poor~"
"Fifth Brother, stop practicing martial arts all day. You need to drink more."
Yet Zhao Xincheng noticed something was wrong with Fifth Brother. Just as he was about to ask, the sound of iron and stone clashing suddenly came from the cave entrance.
Clang, clang, clang...
Everyone turned toward the entrance and saw a young man carrying a curved saber step inside.
"My apologies for disturbing your gathering. I have troubled you late at night; please forgive me."
The instant they saw Li Yan, Ji Sanniang and Zhao Chijiu's expressions changed. They were about to rise, but the moment they moved, their faces turned even uglier.
They finally understood why Fifth Brother had looked that way just now. The True Qi in their bodies had nearly stagnated!
"Big Brother!"
Zhao Chijiu looked toward Zhao Xincheng, only to see his face equally grave. Clearly, his True Qi could not circulate either.
"Damn it! It was the gold! You tampered with it!"
Facing Zhao Chijiu's furious shout, Li Yan shrugged. "They say that among the Eighteen Bandits of Three Fiends Ridge, Zhao Chijiu the Second is the most cautious and quick-witted. Seeing you today, your reputation is well deserved."
"Bastard! There was something wrong with the gold you gave me, but why? I clearly inspected both bags of gold!"
"Though I have no habit of explaining the why of things to others, there's no harm in telling you about a little trick."
"You inspected the gold. What about those two bags?"
"The bags?"
After learning about Three Fiends Ridge from the escort guards, Li Yan had considered what he would do if he encountered Zhao Chijiu.
Thus, he divided this operation into two stages. The first was nominally to force his way through, but in truth it was to deliver the gold. The second was to appear under the pretext of passing by to visit a friend, using an inadvertent little gesture to lure these people into robbing him of his gold.
There was nothing wrong with either bag of gold when taken separately. However, the bags holding the gold had been soaked in a special liquid that released a colorless, odorless gas.
When the gases released by the two bags mixed together, they could likewise form Ice Heart Qi Condensing Powder.
"How did you find this place?"
Zhao Chijiu was filled with unwillingness. He had not expected every one of his actions to be within another's calculations, and it dealt him no small blow. At this moment, he only wanted to salvage something.
"How did I get here? Naturally, you helped lead the way for me."
As he spoke, Li Yan glanced at the feet of Zhao Chijiu and Ji Sanniang.
The two lowered their heads in surprise, then discovered flecks of dark yellow powder hidden inside their shoes.
"Glow powder!" Ji Sanniang cried out. She had not expected that she herself had personally led the other party here!
"Anything else you want to ask? If not, I'll make my move."
As he spoke, Li Yan raised his saber and walked toward the nearest person.
"Wait..."
At last, Zhao Xincheng, the leader, spoke. "Young Hero, you have impressive methods. Today, us eighteen brothers and sisters of Three Fiends Ridge have fallen into your hands. Whatever Young Hero requires, say the word."
"Are these your last words?" Li Yan slowly raised the saber in his hand, clearly having no intention of wasting words on them.
"Wait!"
Seeing that Li Yan's saber was truly about to fall upon one of them, Zhao Xincheng hurriedly spoke again, and this time, his voice carried a trace of panic.
He looked as though he feared his own family would be harmed.
"Young Hero, Three Fiends Ridge has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years. So long as you spare us, I can tell you where it is."
"I'm not interested." Li Yan swung his saber to strike.
"Please stay your hand, Young Hero! We eighteen of Three Fiends Ridge are willing to submit!"
"Submit?" Li Yan sneered. "The eighteen of you have committed countless evils. Over these years, from eighty-year-old men down to wailing infants still at the breast, few have escaped your poison hands. Why should I take people like you into my service? And how would I dare use you?"
"Compared to your submission, I'm more interested in killing you!"
The next instant, the blade hacked down with savage force.
BANG!
With one strike, the long table was split cleanly in two, displaying the unstoppable sharpness of Waning Moon.
Everyone stared at Li Yan in terror, their heads drenched in cold sweat. Especially the man closest to Li Yan—his saber strike had just grazed past the man's face. He felt as though he had already walked through the gates of hell once.
"Still, your words did remind me of something." Li Yan looked at Zhao Xincheng, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "Though I can't possibly take you into my service, it wouldn't hurt to have you do a few things for me!"
"Please speak, Young Hero!"
Zhao Xincheng answered without the slightest hesitation. "So long as you spare the lives of us brothers and sisters, we'll do anything!"
"Very good~"
As he spoke, Li Yan took another porcelain bottle from his robes.
"This is the Three Corpses Brain God Pill. I don't mind telling you—it's a good thing I found in Treasure Official's Manor. You're all in luck~"