Barren Land

Song Demei looked at Liang Chongde in front of her and asked, "You just said you killed that traitor?"

Liang Chongde lowered his head and said, "I tried to persuade him to come back to the village with me, but he wouldn't listen. So I did as you instructed and..." Song Demei smiled slightly and said, "Good job killing him. That scoundrel really deserved to die."

Liang Chongde lowered his head, feeling much more relaxed.

But Song Demei's second son, Yue Congde, couldn't understand what this was all about. "Mother, you killed Tang Xinde, do you think those foreigners will let it go?" Song Demei glanced at her second son. "You still expect them to let it go?"

The second child has been very quiet lately, and when he does speak, he always observes other people's attitudes.

She knew that the second son in front of her was not the real second son, but she never said it out loud, because the current second son had brought her a lot of benefits.

Song Demei targeted Xiao De because she didn't want the stalemate to continue. She wanted to drive Cui Tike crazy; if Cui Tike didn't make a move, she herself would soon collapse. Yesterday, Song Demei received news that Li Qi had sent a batch of grain to Virtue Praise Cliff.

Cui Tike threatened Virtue Praise Cliff with the plague, and Song Demei tolerated that. Li Qi sent away the disciples of various gangs, and Song Demei tolerated that too. She even tolerated Li Qi her son.

But Song Demei couldn't tolerate Li Qi delivering grain to Virtue Praise Cliff.

She knew Dexiu's character very well. If this batch of grain really reached Virtue Praise Cliff, Dexiu and his men would have no worries about food and drink, and there probably wouldn't be many left who would still be able to stick with her in the war.

This soft nail pierced her heart, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe. If she continued to wear down Cui Tike, Virtue Praise Cliff would lose all her spirit, and everything she had done before would be in vain. So she decided to take a risky step.

If she led people to attack Cui Tike on the mountain, it would be difficult to explain if the Peddler investigated afterwards.

She sent Liang Chongde up the mountain, hoping to lure Tang Dexin back to the village and force Cui Tike to come down the mountain and start a war in the village.

The reason she chose Liang Chongde was because the boy was very loyal, and she was certain that Cui Tike was not so wary of the boy.

She had specially given Liang Chongde a Travel Cultivator, Liang Chongde, once used, would allow him to fly directly back to Virtue Source Village, much like being cursed with the "Separation of A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles" Travel Cultivator. Now that Liang Chongde had killed Tang Dexin, Song Demei felt the outcome was quite good. "That scoundrel is dead. Let's see if that foreigner dares to come and fight us." Yue Congde shook his head and said, "Mother, what if that foreigner really comes and fights us?"

Song Demei asked, "Are you afraid of him?"

Yue Congde nodded. "Of course I'm afraid, he's Green Flower's disciple!"

Song Demei sneered, "Go and call all the men, women, and children of Virtue Praise Cliff here. Let him kill as many as he wants, let's see how many he dares to kill!"

Yue Congde Song Demei's thoughts. "Mother, this foreign devil is a disciple of Green Flower. The more people there are, the faster the epidemic will spread. Aren't we just sending him to his death?"

Song Demei didn't want to be too harsh, so she patiently explained, "Do you know why that foreigner came to Virtue Praise Cliff?" Yue Congde blinked and said, "I heard that the Peddler sent him."

Song Demei asked again, "He is Green Flower's disciple, so why would the Peddler let him out to harm people?" Yue Congde shook his head; he really didn't know the answer.

Song Demei said, "I found out about this a long time ago. The Peddler wanted him to work, but he wasn't allowed to kill innocent people indiscriminately. If he killed too many people, it would be breaking the Peddler's rules. That's why he hasn't dared to spread the plague in the village for so long!"

After hearing Song Demei's explanation, Yue Congde understood her intention to some extent.

She exploited Cui Tike's weakness of not being able to kill indiscriminately, summoning men, women, and children and placing them before Cui Tike, forcing Cui Tike to act. If Cui Tike were to go on a killing spree, he would inevitably anger the Peddler, and to avoid Peddler, Cui Tike would certainly have to leave Virtue Praise Cliff.

If Cui Tike hesitates and doesn't dare to make a move, Song Demei should strike hard. It would be best if she could drive Cui Tike away; if she couldn't, she should kill him!

He was the one who came to the village and committed the crime first. Even if the Peddler blamed him, Song Demei could explain it away.

This risky move could both force Cui Zhuoke into a corner and Virtue Praise Cliff in their hatred of the enemy.

In particular, a shared sense of hatred for the enemy was of utmost importance to Song Demei. In Song Demei view, if these virtuous men were unwilling to fight for her, it would be better to let them die.

"What are you all standing there for? Call someone over!"

Yue Congde quickly went to call for reinforcements. According to Song Demei's plan, the more people he called, the greater his chances of winning.

The second brother was indeed efficient; in no time, he had summoned all the prominent figures from the surrounding villages.

Song Demei shouted to the crowd, "That wicked foreigner has now revealed his true colors and wants to fight us to the death! We, the people of Virtue Praise Cliff, cannot tolerate his bullying! Everyone, today we just need to..."

Just then, the eldest son, Yue Xingde, ran over and shouted, "Mother, that foreign devil has gone mad! He's brought a lot of DaoLao Ghost into the village!"

Song Demei remained calm; this was all within her expectations. "Don't be afraid of him! Let the elderly and children go first, surround him, and let's see if he dares to make a move!"

Yue Xingde couldn't explain the current situation either, "Several elderly people in the village went up to argue with him, but after only a couple of words, they broke out in rashes all over their bodies. Once the rashes appeared, these people couldn't move."

"What kind of rash?" Song Demei had known Green Flower before, so she knew which color of rash was the most dangerous.

Yue Xingde pondered how to describe it, "The rash was quite a peculiar color, it looked like black..."

"Black rashes?" The old woman had never seen anything like them before. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Just as Yue Xingde was about to speak, he suddenly felt a slight itch on his cheekbone and scratched it twice.

The scratch caused his cheekbone to swell up, and a rash the size of a little fingertip appeared on it.

He was right before; the rash was black, with black fluid beneath the translucent skin, and a few floating red spots within the fluid.

Yue Xingde touched his cheek, trembling all over, and the old lady immediately distanced herself from the eldest son.

She glanced at Liang Chongde, then at her eldest son. "Those foreigners wouldn't dare to kill innocent people indiscriminately."

The eldest brother immediately understood what Song Demei meant.

Since Cui Tike dared not kill innocent people indiscriminately, Song Demei was in a morally advantageous position by handing over the not-so-innocent people to Cui Tike. Not only could she suppress Cui Tike through her virtue and skills, but she could also use this as evidence to support her claim when the Peddler asked about it later.

The leader stepped forward and tied Liang Chongde up. Liang Chongde was so frightened that he cried, "I was just following orders. He wouldn't come with me, so I killed him..."

The eldest brother didn't give him another chance to speak, first silencing Liang Chongde, and then leading his men to the west entrance of the village.

Song Demei instructed her second brother, "Send all your men out to other villages to continue recruiting people."

"Mother, this foreign devil has gone mad. I'm afraid no one will dare to come here."

Song Demei was very confident. "A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men. When you call for people, tell them that everyone who shows up today will receive a silver dollar!"

The second brother quickly went to call for help, while the eldest brother escorted Liang Chongde to the west entrance of the village, where they encountered Cui Tike at the archway road.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. I've brought the murderer here; you can deal with him as you see fit today!" The leader shoved Liang Chongde in front of Cui Tike. Cui Tike removed the gag from Liang Chongde's mouth and asked, "Who told you to do this?"

Liang Chongde cried out, "It's Song Demei, it's her..."

Yue Xingde shouted, "You little beast, you should take responsibility for your own actions. What did my mother tell you? And what did you do? How dare you bite people like this?"

"Our Virtue Praise Cliff doesn't produce people like you. Think before you speak, and don't ruin our reputation for virtue because of your own cowardice!"

The eldest brother used his virtue cultivation technique, and his words were forceful and resounding, but Cui Tike didn't listen to a word of them.

He passed by Liang Chongde and continued walking towards the eldest brother.

Liang Chongde glanced back at his eldest brother, whose face was covered in black blisters. The blisters were growing very fast, squeezing his facial features out of place.

His rash came on fiercely; every new red spot that appeared in the town felt like a steel needle piercing his flesh.

"Please spare me, I was wrong, it wasn't that I wanted to kill him, I was just following orders..." Liang Chongde was still begging for mercy, but Cui Tike didn't even glance at him.

The leader retreated while shouting, "We don't want to fight you. This has nothing to do with us. If you keep killing innocent people here, you're disobeying the Peddler's orders. If you dare to lay a hand on us, the Peddler will definitely not let you off..."

The eldest brother's voice grew softer and softer, his face was covered in more and more rashes, and his mouth was full of rashes as he gasped for breath. He stopped talking and could no longer walk.

He sat down against the archway, his entire body collapsing to the ground like a lump of mud. He was still alive; his eyes could still move.

Cui Tike walked into the village, and more and more people gathered around him. They didn't dare approach Cui Tike, only daring to stand at a distance and point and whisper, "What do you want with us? Go find whoever did it!" "We didn't offend you, aren't you just bullying honest people..."

Their voices were barely audible, and the second brother, Yue Congde the side, "Speak louder! Speak louder, so that the foreign devil can hear us!" They were using the Dexiu technique, Seeing Virtue, Think of Equaling It.

Yue Congde hoped they could use their techniques to temporarily suppress Cui Tike, but this seemed pointless. No matter how loud the sound, it didn't matter; Cui Tike couldn't hear it.

A group of virtuous cultivators broke out in rashes on their faces, and like their leader, they all turned into clumps of living mud, piled up on the ground.

Cui Tike fought his way to the mansion, killing so many people that the Peddler's side would surely find it unacceptable. Song Demei felt the time was right, and led her men out of the mansion. "Foreign villain! A life for a life, we've handed the culprit over to you, what more do you want? Do you want to wipe out our Virtue Praise Cliff?"

Cui Tike walked towards Song Demei with a blank expression.

He didn't hesitate or waver at all, which was quite different from what Song Demei had planned. Seeing that verbal pressure had no effect, Song Demei simply took action against Cui Tike directly.

A direct confrontation between Virtuous Cultivator and Disease Cultivator would certainly be disadvantageous, but Song Demei, being a cultivator from the clouds, was highly skilled in her techniques. She first used the move "Great Virtue Carries All Things" to press down on Cui Tike.

Everyone thought Cui Tike would dodge, but Cui Tike didn't even flinch, taking the hit head-on and staggering to the ground. Has this foreigner lost his mind?

He's lost his mind, so he'll be even easier to deal with!

Song Demei looked down at Cui Tike: "Let's leave it at that for today. I'll let it go since you were just confused for a moment."

"Quickly cure the villagers' ailments and leave Virtue Praise Cliff as soon as possible. Even if the Peddler blames you, I can still put in a good word for you..." With Great Virtue Carries All Things, Cui Tike got up from the ground.

His bones cracked and popped, sounding as if several had snapped. Yet, his face remained expressionless as he continued walking towards Song Demei.

Song Demei was afraid of contracting the disease, so she tried to keep her distance from Cui Tike.

She kept increasing the intensity of her technique, hoping to discourage Cui Tike.

Cui Tike made no move to react, continuing to tough it out, dragging his heavy steps slowly towards Song Demei. What's wrong with this foreigner? Is he out of his mind?

This reckless fighting style took Song Demei by surprise, and her previously planned tactics were thrown into disarray. She had many helpers around her, but seeing Cui Tike's appearance, they were too frightened to step forward.

After a brief standoff, a dozen DaoLao Ghost suddenly attacked Song Demei, Song Demei realized the situation was dire.

Despite all her calculations, she overlooked one crucial point: what if Cui Tike really didn't care about his life? Even the Peddler's intimidation was no longer effective, rendering Song Demei's schemes meaningless.

She tried to fend off the DaoLao Ghost, but once distracted, she lost control of Cui Tike. Should she exert more force, crush Cui Tike, and at least trade one for one?

No!

The thought flashed through her mind for a moment, then vanished. Song Demei had the courage and determination to risk everything on Virtue Praise Cliff.

She absolutely couldn't bear to risk her own life for this.

"Take a step back and leave this place. We'll deal with the Peddler when he arrives. "Song Demei wanted to leave, but Cui Tike pressed on relentlessly, giving her no chance. A DaoLao Ghost reached out and grabbed Song Demei's face.

Song Demei barely managed to dodge, leaving a scar on her face.

Song Demei's heart sank; there was no cure for DaoLao Ghost's poison!

In the midst of the panic, Song Demei noticed black rashes on the DaoLao Ghost. She herself felt a tingling, itchy sensation on her face, and rashes were appearing on her cheeks. Could he really spread the disease through the DaoLao Ghost?

Song Demei had lost all will to fight. Having already contracted the disease, she abandoned her techniques, stopped controlling Cui Tike, and ran away. "Go ahead and kill," she thought, "You can kill as many people as you want in Virtue Source Village! We'll talk about the price after you've killed your fill."

The seriously injured Cui Tike did not give chase. Instead, he ordered all the DaoLao Ghost around him to scatter and search every corner of the village.

One of the DaoLao Ghost raised its head and let out a long, mournful howl, causing the other DaoLao Ghost from the other villages to scatter.

Luo ZhengNan was still waiting for news about the grain at the station when he suddenly received a call from Li Qi: "Lao Luo, call me in a minute." To be honest, this action was puzzling, but Luo ZhengNan was already used to it.

A minute later, Lao Luo found a secluded spot and called Li Qi. After waiting for a while, Li Qi flew to Luo ZhengNan's side.

Li Qi originally wanted to run back to Virtue Praise Cliff, but he was worried that he would be too late. He found a suitable person at Sea Eat Ridge, gave the person a sum of money, and sent the person to Belt Ridge with the promise of "a farewell of A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles". He then flew to Virtue Praise Cliff himself.

Upon meeting, his first question to Luo ZhengNan was, "What happened at Virtue Praise Cliff?"

Luo ZhengNan was taken aback. "Nothing happened, I've been waiting here for food..."

As they were talking, Luo ZhengNan's head trembled. It was a call from one of his men, "Master Luo, something bad has happened! That foreigner has gone too far. The whole village has broken out in rashes, and some of our brothers have been affected too."

"What happened?"

"I heard that something happened to that child."

Li Banfeng was shocked. "Xiao De? Which bastard did this?"

Luo ZhengNan looked at Li Banfeng, his expression somewhat bewildered. This matter had come too suddenly, Lao Luo didn't know how to handle it Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Tell me where our own people are, and I'll go rescue them."

"Seventh Master, I'll go with you!"

"Don't go anywhere, wait here for my news."

Song Demei ran from Virtue Source Village to Virtue Filial Village. At the village entrance, under a big tree, sat a person covered in rashes. Several other people sat on the village road, also covered in rashes. Where did their rashes come from?

Two DaoLao Ghost emerged from a courtyard, silently watching Song Demei; they were the ones who brought her to the scene of the illness. This foreigner has truly gone mad; he really wants to wipe them all out!

Song Demei had no desire to continue the fight and hurried to Virtue Grace Village.

The situation in Virtue Grace Village is the same as that in Virtue Filial Village. All the surrounding villages are haunted by the DaoLao Ghost, and everyone in the village has contracted herpes.

At first, Song Demei was able to kill a few DaoLao Ghost, but as her illness worsened, Song Demei became weak all over and no longer had the ability to evade DaoLao Ghost. She then ran to Virtue Peace Village, where she could leave the territory of Virtue Praise Cliff by passing through the village, but she was blocked by two DaoLao Ghost.

She tried to get around DaoLao Ghost, but her legs, covered in rashes, wouldn't obey her, and she finally collapsed into the farmland. DaoLao Ghost picked up Song Demei and took her to Virtue Source Village.

Song Demei still wanted to escape, but the layers of blisters on her body rendered her unable to fight DaoLao Ghost.

Dragging his heavily wounded body, Cui Tike approached Song Demei step by step. Song Demei screamed, "I didn't kill him! I didn't kill him! Spare my life, Virtue Praise Cliff is all yours!"

Cui Tike asked expressionlessly, "What do I need this place for?"

Song Demei shouted, "There's something else! My second son, Yue Congde, he's not Yue Congde anymore. He's a different person. I'll tell you what happened, just let me go!"

Li Banfeng walked from Virtue Peace Village to Virtue Filial Village, and all the people he saw along the way were covered in black rashes and red spots. Some of these people were still alive, while others had completely turned into mush.

Those who were alive were unable to move and lay on the ground like rotten mud. The entire Virtue Praise Cliff was in the same condition.

De Xiu ignored everything else; Li Banfeng only remembered the locations of his own people: Luo ZhengNan's group of subordinates and the Sand Snake Gang members who had stayed behind to help—they were all still alive. Along the way, Li Banfeng broke out in rashes several times, but he returned to his Portable Abode each time, using his Carefree Sleep technique to dispel them.

Li Banfeng walked all the way to the Virtue Sincerity Mountain and saw Cui Tike. Cui Tike and DaoLao Ghost dug a grave together and buried the child.

"Hmph~" DaoLao Ghost, who could not cry, let out a deep, hoarse groan beside the graveyard.

Standing beside the cemetery, Cui Tike said to Li Banfeng, "When I first came to Virtue Praise Cliff, I actually thought things were very simple. I just wanted to kill everyone and then let the Peddler do whatever he wanted with me."

If the Peddler let me go, I'd be rich; if Peddler killed me, at least I'd taken another big step toward my dream! But when I got to the entrance of Virtue Source Village, I saw him there, being bullied and tortured by a group of people.

I initially thought I shouldn't get involved, but I did anyway. After taking him in, I wanted to find a different way to resolve this conflict. I wanted to try my best to avoid killing because I believe that being alive is a beautiful thing.

If only I hadn't met him back then, the outcome would have been the same anyway... At this point, Cui Tike gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Li Banfeng asked, "Did you succeed with that technique?" "Which technique are you referring to?"

"It's that technique, which is somewhat similar to a contract, that only kills those who deserve to be killed."

Previously calm, Cui Tike remained silent for a long time, then suddenly became uneasy. He struggled to explain his techniques to Li Banfeng:

"That technique, that technique, is called, 'Give me the noodle soup'..."

The noodle soup, you know, it's the noodle soup I make. He really likes it. But the technique... I... I can't learn it anymore, I'll never learn it again..."

Cui Tike seemed to have forgotten the language of Pro State; he spoke each sentence with great difficulty. From the cave entrance, he picked up a tin can containing a wildflower.

He held the tin can and looked at Li Banfeng, saying, "He was an angel. Even DaoLao Ghost liked him so much. But those most moral people... they..."

Cui Tike struggled to speak more and more, and he could no longer utter a complete sentence.

Li Banfeng said, "I reckon his soul hasn't gone far. I have some ways to bring him back to life." Cui Tike saw a glimmer of hope. "You mean, bring him back to life?"

The child's spirit had not gone far; he sat beneath the petals of the tin can, looking up at Cui Tike in silence.

He saw that Cui Tike was trembling and thought Cui Tike was hungry or thirsty. He had nothing to eat, so he tried to catch a dewdrop and give it to Cui Tike. The child's soul was very weak, and Cui Tike could not sense it. Even with his Golden Eyes Autumn Down, Li Banfeng could only barely see it.

Li Banfeng didn't know what force had kept the child's soul in the mortal world, nor did he know that he couldn't bring the child back to life using his Fool Cultivation Skill. But he knew that this was different from what Cui Tike understood as resurrection.

"To be precise, if I succeed, after his resurrection, he won't be considered alive, nor will he be considered dead; he'll be a kind of Living Dead." Cui Tike's eyes dimmed. "You mean, similar to the Nightmare Cultivator's Ghost Servant?"

"Pretty much." Li Banfeng couldn't find a more suitable analogy.

Cui Tike held the canned food box, hesitated for a long time, and then shook his head.

"Don't let him be insulted anymore, don't let him suffer anymore. If there is reincarnation, let him enter a better cycle. If there really is a heaven, I am willing to go to heaven to find him."

"What are you going to do?" Li Banfeng turned to look at Cui Tike.

"The Peddler is coming soon, and he won't let me go," Cui Tike said, tucking the canned food into his pocket. "Friend, you have quite a few men, and they've probably been infected too. I'll take you to rescue them."

Even at this point, Cui Tike still considered Li Qi his friend. The two were walking along the road when they encountered Song Demei was sitting by the roadside.

Song Demei had turned into a lump of mud, with only her head intact. She was still pleading, "Virtue Praise Cliff is yours now. Spare me. You can have everything. I know where my second son is. I'll tell you and take you to him."

Li Banfeng looked at Song Demei: "She's not dead yet?"

"Not so fast," Cui Tike said. "She'll hold on for a long time." "What about the others?"

"They'll all die sooner or later than her, except for her second son, Yue Congde." Li Banfeng asked, "What's so special about Yue Congde?"

According to Song Demei, the current Yue Congde is not the real Yue Congde. He is from Inner State. Song Demei knows Yue Congde's true identity, but she has been pretending to be confused. Yue Congde is a spy sent by Inner State. He has given Song Demei a lot of help, including financial and material resources. Otherwise, Song Demei would not have been able to survive until today.

Li Banfeng said, "Where did Yue Congde go? This man cannot be kept alive."

"He's already back in Inner State, carrying the gifts I gave Inner State." Cui Tike crouched down and saw one of Luo ZhengNan's subordinates. He looked away from the ailment, and the subordinate's condition improved somewhat.

"He will be back to normal after an hour. The antibodies in his body will last for five hours, allowing him to leave Virtue Praise Cliff within those five hours."

Li Banfeng gave his subordinates a few instructions and then went to find the next person.

Cui Tike looked at Li Banfeng: "You don't have many lesions." "Yes, I have ways to deal with them."

Cui Tike said, "It will be extremely difficult to resist this lesion. You are stronger than I expected."

Li Banfeng looked around and shook his head, saying, "You are stronger than I expected. Virtue Praise Cliff is different from Thousand Liang Workshop. The environment here is not as isolated, but you still managed to clean it up. What is the name of this rash? I have never seen you use it before."

Cui Tike replied, "This is called 'No Grass Grows,' a technique I created. The people of Virtue Praise Cliff will rot here until they turn into mud."

Due to the lesions, anyone who comes here will contract herpes. Unless they can remove the lesions themselves, they will be unable to leave Virtue Praise Cliff will decay into a part of it.

Unlike the Corpses Everywhere, the key element of this technique is not rapid spread, but persistence. The lesions here can persist for many years, much like fungal spores. During this period, it is difficult to find any living creatures on Virtue Praise Cliff.

Li Banfeng noticed a blade of grass on the ground, its Cao Ye covered in black spots. "Can plants be infected with this kind of virus?"

"Yes, that's why it's called 'Bareland.'" Cui Tike said this very calmly, as if he were seriously recounting some knowledge. "What level of technique is this?"

Cui Tike said, "The Cloud Above Skill may be the last technique I create."

As per my agreement with the Peddler, if this operation succeeds, he will give me a piece of land to secure my position.

Now that things have turned out this way, forget about the reward; I'll definitely be severely punished by the Peddler, and this Disease Cultivator sect might become extinct."Li Banfeng was surprised: "You never had a territory? Then how did you advance to the Cloud Realm?"

"My Grandmaster once promised me a piece of land, but that land has never been delivered. I used some ancient magic from my hometown, along with some special properties of Sage Peak, to temporarily stabilize my status."

I persisted for a long time, but the spells had limited effect, and now my condition is becoming increasingly unstable.

The people of Virtue Praise Cliff weren't all dead yet. As long as Cui Tike was willing to take back the lesion, they could still be saved. There might also be room for negotiation with the Peddler. But Li Banfeng didn't try to persuade Cui Tike. He knew that Cui Tike wouldn't let this group of Dexiu go.

After rescuing Luo ZhengNan and Sha Jianfeng's group of men, Cui Tike escorted Li Banfeng to the edge of Virtue Praise Cliff, then put the tin can into his pocket. "If one day you see my body, remember to take out this tin can and plant this flower next to my grave."

After speaking, Cui Tike bowed to Li Banfeng. "Wait a moment," Li Banfeng called out to Cui Tike.

He had many territories, and he wanted to give one to Cui Tike to help him secure his position.

Before Li Banfeng could speak, a Pellet Drum sounded, and Li Banfeng saw the Peddler's figure. Cui Tike remained calm; he neither wanted to escape nor resist.

"Things happened a bit too fast!" Cui Tike chuckled, pointing to his clothes. "Friend, don't forget our promise, don't forget to help me plant the flowers." The Peddler walked up to Cui Tike, his expression icy, and asked, "Killed them all?"

"More or less." Cui Tike nodded, though quite a few people at Virtue Praise Cliff weren't quite dead yet. The Peddler sighed, "Then don't blame me."

Cui Tike calmly shook his head. "I don't blame anyone."

Just as Li Banfeng was thinking about how to dissuade the Peddler, he saw the Peddler take out a pair of contracts and hand them to Cui Tike: "I originally wanted to give you a good piece of land, but since you've handled things like this, I'll just give you Virtue Praise Cliff."

Cui Tike was stunned, and Li Banfeng didn't understand either.

The Peddler looked at Li Banfeng and sneered, "Are you envious of others? I even wanted to give you Virtue Praise Cliff back then, but who told you not to do things for me?" Cui Tike asked in astonishment, "You even paid me?"

"Why won't you pay?" The Peddler leaned against his cart, lit a cigarette, and said, "We're even, we make a profit or a loss. There's no such thing as a sure thing in this world. I'll consider this a loss for me, but since you did the job, I have to pay you."

PS: The Peddler didn't seem surprised by this result.