The Consequences of Haggling

Wu Haishan lay on the bed without changing, letting Ah Guang sleep on the floor.

Ah Guang fell asleep as soon as he lay down, while Wu Haishan tossed and turned on the bed. Who was that old man? His methods were like a Pill Cultivator, yet also a bit like a Law Cultivator...

Why bother with so many questions? Tomorrow, he would wait outside the village and break the kid's hands and feet as soon as he came out, then take him back to report to Saint Aunt.

Xu Yuan had only been asleep for a short while when he was woken by the sounds of moaning and groaning from next door.

The man's breathing was like a bull's.

Xu Yuan was annoyed and restless. At my age, what should I be listening to?

How could I possibly listen to this?!

He covered his ears with his clothes, but the sounds from next door grew louder, and the woman gradually became more unrestrained...

After the unrestrained sounds ended, the man was still panting, not yet recovered, when Xu Yuan heard another woman's voice pick up.

Xu Yuan hugged his head in pain.

In the latter half of the night, from the neighbor's room on the other side, came a sound of pecking, like a hard bird's beak gnawing flesh off bones.

"Can't people even sleep?" Xu Yuan complained.

Jiao Erbo's place was indeed cheap, but one shouldn't have too high expectations for the environment.

Wu Haishan was woken by the loud banging on his door in the morning.

"Merchant, everyone can't wait any longer, get up and do business."

Wu Haishan sprang off the bed like a carp, cursing his carelessness. If Xu Yuan had escaped... He quickly opened the door and rushed out, wanting to see if Xu Yuan was still there.

As soon as he reached the courtyard, he was blocked by a group of villagers.

They held various mountain goods, pelts, herbs, fruits, and ores in their hands. When Wu Haishan came out, they thrust their goods in front of him: "What do you have to trade?"

Wu Haishan was anxious: "Get out of the way!"

He pushed aside a fat man blocking his path. The fat man didn't budge and held up a bundle of wild chicken feathers: "I want two taels of salt."

Wu Haishan was startled. He was a Nine Streams Pill Cultivator, after all. He shouldn't be unable to move an ordinary villager.

"Old Chen! Zhou Qiao, Wang Jiu!" Wu Haishan shouted to his three subordinates outside.

The villagers had already surrounded him: "Aren't you going to start? You're not a fake merchant, are you, trying to trick us?"

Wu Haishan raised his hands: "We are indeed merchants. Everyone, please wait until my people gather, and we'll start immediately!"

After a while, someone behind the crowd weakly called out: "Old Wu, I, I'm here."

Wu Haishan hurriedly told everyone to make way. He saw Martial Cultivator Old Chen walking over, leaning against the wall, his face ashen and weak. Compared to his robust and imposing appearance yesterday, he had lost a lot of weight!

Wu Haishan was greatly shocked: "What happened to you..."

Old Chen almost burst into tears: "Dozens of people took turns all night. If I wasn't a Martial Cultivator, I would have died here!"

The fat man sneered: "Fifty taels of silver for a night, and you only paid a hundred coins. Of course, you had to pay some other price.

There are many widows in the village. Borrowing some seeds won't kill you."

Wu Haishan was enlightened: Ah Guang said this place had simple folk and wouldn't arbitrarily overcharge. So this was what he meant!

"Where are Zhou Qiao and Wang Jiu?" Wu Haishan shouted. They had also bargained last night.

The fat man impatiently said: "We already said it won't kill them! Hao Erge's family has many children. Staying at his house should mean providing more food. If you're unwilling, then you have to help feed their children."

Wu Haishan felt a chill crawl up from his heels to the crown of his head!

"What did you do to them?!"

Wu Haishan charged out recklessly. In a few steps, he reached the house where Zhou Qiao and Wang Jiu were staying. He pushed open the door and saw the two of them lying in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Hao Erge and his wife stood by: "Sunbathing will help them grow."

When the two men saw Wu Haishan, tears immediately welled up in their eyes.

Each of them was missing a leg, severed from the thigh up.

There was a deep claw mark on their faces.

Last night, their faces were held so tightly that they couldn't even let out a scream.

Hao Erge saw Wu Haishan and immediately said: "I have two baskets of medicinal herbs here. I want to trade them for a pound of salt. There are too many children, they eat too fast..."

Wu Haishan was furious, spitting out a stream of flame: "You still want to trade!? You evil spirits, I'll burn you to death!"

Hao Erge let out a strange cry and shot up onto the roof. Wu Haishan's "Inner Fire" missed.

Hao Erge shrieked from the rooftop: "These people are con artists, they are not merchants!"

"What?!" The villagers' eyes immediately turned cold, and they surrounded the courtyard from all directions: "Beat the con artists to death!"

Wu Haishan suddenly calmed down. This village was definitely not simple! Not to mention that unfathomable Mountain Runner!

"I'm not a con artist!" Wu Haishan hurriedly took out silver: "I have money. Whatever mountain goods you have, I'll buy them all at a fair price!"

"What do we need so much money for? We need matches, salt, iron pots…"

Wu Haishan turned his head and saw that Jiao Erbo's door was open. Several villagers rushed over, thinking that yesterday's visitors were all birds of a feather: "You're a swindler too…"

"I'm not!" Xu Yuan took out salt, matches, and a few cleavers: "What mountain goods do you have? We can discuss the price, but I didn't bring any iron pots this time."

These were all bought from Granny Ying.

Xu Yuan shot Wu Haishan a cold glance: "I hate these swindlers as much as you do. They've ruined the reputation of us merchants. Such scumbags must not be let off lightly!"

Hao Erge, perched on the rooftop, heard this and his eyes darted around. He then joined in the shouting: "Kill them! Kill the swindlers! Leave the meat for me…"

The villagers, already stirred up, couldn't stand such incitement and surged forward together.

Wu Haishan broke out in a cold sweat and waved his hands repeatedly, explaining: "We are definitely not swindlers, we are people from the Pingtian Society…"

Seeing the villagers like a tide about to engulf him, the panic and fear in Wu Haishan's eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a fierce glint!

Boom!

His Inner Fire erupted, spewing out from his mouth, nose, and all seven orifices.

The villagers were caught off guard and were blasted back seven or eight feet, crying out in pain.

The screams were strange, some like wolf howls, some like pig grunts, some like bird chirps…

Wu Haishan strode out of the courtyard. Hao Erge let out a strange cry and leaped down from the rooftop—but Wu Haishan, who hated him to the bone, had been waiting for him.

A pitch-black pill shot through the air!

Hao Erge had many children and had always been timid and cautious, afraid that his orphaned children would have no one to raise them if he died. Seeing the Pill Cultivator send a pill flying, he spun in mid-air, intending to fly back to the rooftop.

Unexpectedly, the pill exploded into a cloud of gray mist with a poof, revealing a giant spider phantom within.

The spider spat silk, instantly forming a large net that captured Hao Erge from above!