The chubby boy looked at Bald Head's corpse. The top of his skull was gone, brains spilling everywhere. It turned his stomach a little. "Brother Li, why are you so ruthless? Why do you always go after the skull?"
Li Banfeng explained, "I'm softhearted. I can't bear to strike their vital spots. The skull is hard and can take it. If I hit somewhere else, I'd be afraid of hurting them."
Wasn't the skull a vital spot?
What kind of crooked logic was that?
Qin Xiaopang felt his comprehension was lacking. He could not understand Li Qi's way of thinking. He looked toward the two women lying in the woods. Cao Ye was crying, while You Tao's condition was unknown.
You Tao was still alive.
Cao Ye gave You Tao two pills, and You Tao gradually regained the ability to move.
She could not believe the sight before her was real.
Bald Head and his three underlings, four people in all, had been dealt with just like that by Bai Sha and the chubby boy?
Just how high was the cultivation of these two young men?
You Tao asked Cao Ye, but Cao Ye could not explain either. She had been terrified and had not seen the fight between the two sides clearly at all.
They were not the only ones who could not make sense of it. The chubby boy could not make sense of it either.
The entire battle had lasted far too briefly. Gold Rimmed Glasses' group had six people in total, yet in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The chubby boy had not even had time to think through what had happened.
What cultivation paths had those six people followed? What methods did they possess?
Other than one Body Cultivator who came with armor, the chubby boy had no impression at all of the others' methods, because Li Banfeng had not given them any chance to act.
The chubby boy had always thought Gold Rimmed Glasses was the most vicious and ruthless person he had ever met.
Looking at Li Banfeng, he was no longer sure whether Gold Rimmed Glasses truly counted as vicious and ruthless.
Bald Head and his three lackeys had robbed quite a few people of their Snake Spot Chrysanthemums, a total of one hundred and seventy-six plants. This included You Tao's thirty-eight plants and Cao Ye's sixty-one.
Having gotten their lives back, You Tao and Cao Ye were both deeply grateful. They had not expected to get their flowers back, but Li Banfeng still returned them.
Of the remaining seventy-seven plants, together with Old Smoke Cannon's ninety-one plants, Li Banfeng and the chubby boy split them evenly.
Qin Xiaopang stared blankly at Old Smoke Cannon's corpse.
Old Smoke Cannon had saved his life. Otherwise, the chubby boy would surely have died at Hu Gaozi's hands. No matter what Old Smoke Cannon's purpose had been at the time, the debt of saving his life was real. The chubby boy did not want to leave him exposed in the wilderness.
Li Banfeng handed the chubby boy a shovel. "Hurry up. We should be heading down the mountain."
While the chubby boy dug a pit, Li Banfeng thoroughly searched Bald Head's corpse and those of his underlings.
Bald Head had over a thousand dollars on him, while the lackeys had anywhere from three to five hundred each. Altogether, it came to more than twenty-two hundred dollars.
You Tao and Cao Ye had both suffered losses, so Li Banfeng gave each of them three hundred dollars as consolation. Of the remaining money, Li Banfeng and the chubby boy each took eight hundred.
Bald Head's knife was a fine weapon, so Li Banfeng kept it for himself. The three lackeys' weapons were all ordinary, and Li Banfeng let the others choose for themselves.
As for what Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi had on them, that would have to wait until they returned to the Portable Abode. Li Banfeng had taken down those two entirely on his own, so he decided to keep everything on them for himself.
The chubby boy buried Old Smoke Cannon, then carried You Tao on his back as the four of them descended the mountain together.
As they walked along the mountain path, waves of bloody stench wafted from You Tao's body, making the chubby boy sniff repeatedly.
"You don't seem like a Body Cultivator," the chubby boy said, deeply doubtful of You Tao's cultivation path. "Body Cultivators can take a beating. How did they wound you this badly?"
Cao Ye knew what had happened but said nothing. One's cultivation path was a cultivator's secret.
Yet unexpectedly, You Tao did not hide it. Smiling, she said, "I'm a Joy Cultivator. We only met by chance, so I didn't tell you the truth at first."
"So you're a Joy Cultivator." The chubby boy sighed. "Looks like those bastards got a bargain."
By the chubby boy's reckoning, after You Tao had fallen into Bald Head's group's hands, she surely had suffered more than just a beating.
"They didn't get any bargain. They wanted to keep me for their boss." You Tao gave a bitter smile. "If they had dared touch me, that would have been better. Standing up, I couldn't beat them. Lying down, not one of them would have survived."
Li Banfeng snorted. "You're injured to this state, and you still won't spare anyone with that mouth of yours."
"You think I'm bragging? My skills weren't blown out of thin air. Aren't you a Joy Cultivator too? How about we have a contest?" You Tao looked at Li Banfeng with an ambiguous gaze.
Li Banfeng looked at Qin Xiaopang. "I already have a partner."
Qin Xiaopang looked at Cao Ye. "I'm a Food Cultivator. I can eat a lot."
You Tao sighed and looked at Li Banfeng. "You've been picking chrysanthemums all the way. Don't you want a change of flavor? I think flat is better than round."
Cao Ye blushed from her cheeks to the roots of her neck.
Li Banfeng had just opened his mouth when he saw Qin Xiaopang explaining to Cao Ye, "I'm a Food Cultivator, a real Food Cultivator. I can eat a lot. In a while, I'll treat you all to a meal, then eat for you to see."
The four of them walked all the way to the foot of the mountain. You Tao took out her Pocket Watch and checked it. It was already eight o'clock.
They had traveled more than twenty li up and down the mountain. Li Banfeng had sensed it long ago: his foundational cultivation as a Travel Cultivator was already sufficient. Not only sufficient, but with quite a bit to spare.
Bitter Mist Mountain was a dangerous place. By Li Banfeng's reckoning, walking one li here was equivalent to walking three or five li in Inner Gully Town. Not only was his foundational cultivation sufficient, he had probably accumulated two extra days of time as well.
In Li Banfeng's memory, dangerous places seemed to hold some special significance for him.
What significance was it again?
The poisonous mist had made Li Banfeng dizzy, and for the moment, he could not remember.
He had slept a night in the house yesterday, and his House Cultivator coursework was sufficient too.
If he could not remember, then he would not think about it. What he needed to do now was quickly exchange the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums for money and buy train tickets back to Yuezhou.
As for exactly how to exchange them, Li Banfeng was still considering it.
He definitely would not sell the flowers directly. What Li Banfeng wanted to sell was pills.
That depended on Copper Lotus's capabilities.
After crossing No Regrets Bridge and leaving the range of the poisonous mist, the four of them desperately gulped down fresh air.
You Tao vomited twice. Qin Xiaopang sat beside the bridge, gasping over and over, beads of sweat streaming down his deathly pale face.
Cao Ye took out all her Cooling Powder and gave some to everyone. After resting for over half an hour, You Tao stood up and could barely walk on her own.
Cultivators' physical constitutions truly were good, but wounds healing quickly did not mean the poisonous mist inside their bodies could be cleared just as fast.
They staggered onward with great difficulty. Even Li Banfeng, who had not been out of the house for long, felt his legs turning weak beneath him.
Cao Ye cautioned them, "Brothers and sisters, once you get home, be sure to rest and recuperate properly for a while. This poisonous mist is very harmful to the body. You mustn't take it lightly."
Li Banfeng sighed. "For a few thousand dollars, is it worth it?"
You Tao snorted. "If you were rich, you wouldn't have come here to risk your life with us. We're all people with cheap lives, yet you still talk about such useless things."
Qin Xiaopang looked at You Tao. "We risk our lives because we have no capital. With your looks and figure, do you need to risk your life? Plenty of men would be willing to support you for a lifetime."
"I don't need anyone else to support me!" You Tao snorted coldly. "Not only can I support myself, I can make money to support my partner too."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Your partner needs you to support her?"
"I'm willing, and I have the ability!" You Tao rolled her eyes at Li Banfeng. "If you could support your partner, would you still let him come out here and risk his life alongside you?"
Sweat broke out on the chubby boy's head. "I'm a Food Cultivator. How am I supposed to explain this to you all...?"
"I know you're a Food Cultivator. It's not something shameful." You Tao smiled. "My partner isn't a Joy Cultivator either. She's a House Cultivator."
Cao Ye suddenly understood. "No wonder you asked me about House Cultivators, Sister. That really is difficult for you. It isn't convenient for House Cultivators to go out and earn money."
"Whether she earns money is secondary." You Tao shook her head. "She's a young woman. I don't want her showing her face in public."
Li Banfeng suddenly understood. "So your partner is a young woman."
Everyone nodded. "So she's a young woman."
After taking a few more steps, Li Banfeng turned his head and looked at You Tao. "Your partner is a young woman!"
"So what if she is? What's wrong with a young woman?" You Tao's brows drew together slightly. "You think round is better than flat. I think flat is better than long. What's wrong with that?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "There's nothing wrong with it."
You Tao turned and pinched Cao Ye's cheek. "Tell me, is Sister right?"
"Sister, um, yes..." Cao Ye pulled away from You Tao.
Qin Xiaopang looked somewhat dazed. "Um, I'm a Food Cultivator."
There were gradually more pedestrians on the road. Li Banfeng heightened his vigilance, worried that someone might come to steal the flowers.
He suspected this was a place with no legal restraints whatsoever.
You Tao looked quite relaxed. "Don't worry. Once you're at the foot of the mountain, everyone has to follow the rules. At least they can't do it openly. Otherwise, they can forget about ever gaining a foothold in Medicine King Gully!"
Amid the thick fog, banners of every color fluttered.
The major pharmacies were right before them. It was time to make money.
Qin Xiaopang and You Tao's eyes gleamed. Even the shy Cao Ye could not hide her excitement.
The shopkeepers of every pharmacy had set up their stalls to buy flowers, but when they approached the stalls, Li Banfeng heard bursts of argument.
"Twenty-five dollars? Do you think you're buying cabbages?"
What was twenty-five dollars?
Cao Ye looked at the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums in the bag, unable to believe it was real.
Qin Xiaopang went forward to ask around. Before long, he returned with gritted teeth.
"Let's go! We're not selling!"
The people around them shouted too. "Not selling! We won't sell even if they rot in our hands!"
"This is too damn insulting! We absolutely can't sell!"
The Liu Family Pharmacy shopkeeper bared a mouthful of yellow teeth and smiled. "Fine, don't sell. If you think my price is too low, go check the other shops."
The other pharmacies were the same. The proprietress of Chu Family Pharmacy adjusted the powder on her face as she said, "Twenty-five dollars a plant. That's this year's price. Sell now if you want to move your goods. If not, I'm packing up."
Why had it become twenty-five dollars a plant?
Wasn't it eighty-five dollars a plant?
This was what had happened.
Several major pharmacies had sent people up the mountain and found a Broken Cliff where Snake Spot Chrysanthemums grew in great swathes.
They gathered those Snake Spot Chrysanthemums, and each pharmacy got over a thousand plants.
With those thousand-plus plants as their base, the pharmacies did not panic. They discussed it together and pushed the price down.
But they had pushed it down far too viciously.
Twenty-five dollars a plant. Four flowers made one Snake Spot Pill, meaning the cost was one hundred dollars, yet it sold for ten thousand—a hundredfold windfall profit.
You Tao sat on the ground without speaking for a long while.
Cao Ye lowered her head, tears falling despite herself.
The chubby boy stamped his feet in fury. "Not selling! I'm damn well not selling! I refuse to believe there aren't other buyers."
"Don't say that in anger!" You Tao gritted her teeth. "Who else can you sell to if you don't sell to them? All the major pharmacies in Medicine King Gully are here!"
Qin Xiaopang glared. "Then we won't sell in Medicine King Gully. We'll go somewhere farther away!"
You Tao sneered. "What nonsense are you talking? Where can you go? Have you ever even left Medicine King Gully?"
Qin Xiaopang sat down on the ground. "Then I'll wait for a Peddler!"
"Wait for a Peddler?" You Tao gave a bitter smile. "That man with glasses said the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums would rot in less than a day after being picked. If you don't sell them today, they won't be worth a cent tomorrow."
Qin Xiaopang snorted. "That man with glasses isn't a good person either."
Cao Ye sobbed, "What he said is true. These flowers really will rot tomorrow, and then they'll be useless."
You Tao sighed. "Forget it, sell them. Something is better than nothing. I have thirty-eight flowers, which can sell for nearly a thousand dollars. It's better than getting nothing. We're just people with cheap lives!"
"Either way, I'm not selling!" The chubby boy threw his bag onto the ground, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly looked at Li Banfeng.
He moved close to Li Banfeng and asked in a low voice, "Brother Li, do you still have that pill?"
Li Banfeng nodded and handed the chubby boy a Snake Spot Pill.
The chubby boy looked around, led everyone to a secluded spot, and handed the Snake Spot Pill to Cao Ye. "Little sister, take a look. Is this real?"
Cao Ye was a Medicine Cultivator. She could not refine Snake Spot Pills, but she could distinguish genuine from fake.
After looking for a while, Cao Ye's eyes widened. "Brother Xiaopang, this really is a Snake Spot Pill. Where did it come from?"
The chubby boy looked at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng said, "I saw an old woman on the mountain. She said she would trade pills for chrysanthemums with me—one pill for ten flowers."
"Ten flowers?" Cao Ye could not believe it was true, nor could You Tao.
Ten flowers could only refine two pills. The old woman only made double?
The pharmacies here wanted to make a hundredfold profit!
"This pill is fake, isn't it..." Cao Ye was starting to doubt her own eyesight.
The chubby boy snapped, "Didn't you just say it was real?"
"I'm afraid I saw wrong. How could there be such a price in this world? I think I should..." Cao Ye looked toward the pharmacies' banners.
"I believe you!" You Tao handed her bag to Li Banfeng. "You gave me my life, and you gave me the flowers. Whether it's real or fake, I believe you! Even if I lose everything, I accept it!"
The chubby boy also handed his bag to Li Banfeng.
After hesitating for a moment, Cao Ye handed her bag to Li Banfeng as well.
The chubby boy turned to look at Bitter Mist Mountain. "I wonder if that old woman is still up there. Brother Li, could you help us...?"
Asking Li Banfeng to return to Bitter Mist Mountain, the chubby boy felt embarrassed about it too. "Brother Li, I'll go with you."
Li Banfeng raised his brows. "I'll go try my luck. Don't follow along and make trouble."
Li Banfeng retraced his steps and, deep within the thick fog, opened the Portable Abode.
He knew doing this carried risks and might draw unnecessary suspicion.
But if he kept holding onto the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums without selling them, he would likewise draw suspicion.
When it came time to sell Snake Spot Pills in the future, Li Banfeng had neither connections nor helpers. It would very likely bring even more trouble.
Seeing the expressions on those pharmacy people's faces, it was hard to say what they might do. Li Banfeng truly did not want to sell Snake Spot Pills to the pharmacies.
He would help the chubby boy and the others out, and see if he could ask about other channels.
After this deal, I'm heading back to Yuezhou anyway. I'll never come to this place again, and I'll never meet these people again.
After entering the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng held the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums and was just about to see how Copper Lotus opened when he discovered that Copper Lotus was already open.
There were three Lotus Seeds atop the seven-holed Lotus Heart.
Where had these three Lotus Seeds come from?
Li Banfeng froze.
Holding up a candle, he looked around and discovered that the room seemed to be missing some things.
What was missing?
Where had Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi's corpses gone?
PS: Two updates today, nine thousand words. Salad did not want to split the chapters too much, since that would affect the reading experience.
(End of Chapter)
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