You Know, Some People Are Like Laundry

"What about me, what about me?!" Liu Chenhao hurried over, looking at him hopefully. "I... I helped out too, right? Even if it wasn't much..."

Xu Feng looked at him with a faint smile. "You? You protected me, the fragile archer. That's no small contribution."

Liu Chenhao blushed and gave an awkward smile.

Then he remembered something else and asked, "What about Captain Huang and the others? They ran off, but they were the ones who called us here in the first place..."

Xu Feng's smile faded a little. He glanced at Cheng Xiaoyu, whose eyes had suddenly turned cold, then at Liu Chenhao's innocent expression. His voice carried a hint of amusement that sent a chill down the spine.

"What do you think?"

Liu Chenhao shivered under his gaze and didn't dare ask any more.

Just then—

The rubble blocking the passage was blasted apart from the other side!

Through the dust, Huang Dongshi cautiously poked his head in, accompanied by his seven teammates.

When they saw the spider leader's corpse on the ground and the conspicuous arrows embedded in it, their faces lit up with greed and delight.

Huang Dongshi strode in first, wearing his false smile again, this time with even more smugness.

"Haha! Brother Xu, you really are amazing! No wonder you're a B-class Hunter—you took down that monster all by yourself! Impressive, impressive!"

His gaze swept over Cheng Xiaoyu and Liu Chenhao, and a trace of malice flashed in his eyes before he quickly hid it. Putting on a magnanimous air, he said, "As agreed, we'll split the spoils according to contribution. Brother Xu deserves the lion's share for his outstanding contribution! As for these two..."

He pointed at Cheng Xiaoyu and Liu Chenhao, then lowered his voice as he spoke to Xu Feng. "Brother Xu, keeping these two deadweights around will only cause trouble. How about we..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture, his smile never fading.

"That kid Liu looks like he's wearing some pretty expensive gear. We can split it.

As for the Magic Stone Mine, let's split it twenty-eighty—you take eighty, we take twenty. Sound good? Let's work together!"

Xu Feng looked at them, then at Cheng Xiaoyu and the others. His smile didn't change in the slightest as he spoke a few words.

"You know, some people are like laundry: first, they don't sort it; second, they don't fold it; third, they realize all the hangers are wet."

Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes had turned cold as ice. His fingers tightened around his dagger.

Liu Chenhao, meanwhile, stared in shock at the cold-faced Cheng Xiaoyu and smiling Xu Feng, at a loss for words.

Huang Dongshi didn't understand what Xu Feng meant at first, but soon caught on. His smile froze.

Then he dropped the act, the false smile vanishing as his face twisted with menace. He glared at Xu Feng, but seemed to be directing his words at Cheng Xiaoyu as well.

"Xu Feng! Don't push your luck! You're just an archer! Once we get close, you're useless! Cooperate and help us kill these two, and there'll be something in it for everyone! Otherwise..."

He drew the saber at his waist, its blade flashing coldly.

At that moment, Cheng Xiaoyu moved!

Without the slightest warning, his figure vanished like a phantom.

In the next instant, he appeared on the flank of Huang Dongshi's team!

Black flashes streaked through the air!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three teammates who were still frozen in shock clutched their spurting necks and collapsed, unable to believe what had happened.

"What?!"

Huang Dongshi was horrified. He'd never imagined that the taciturn man he'd dismissed as an E-class loser could move and kill with such terrifying speed!

"Everyone, move! Grab the archer first!"

Huang Dongshi reacted quickly. Knowing Cheng Xiaoyu was too fast to catch, he immediately switched his target to Xu Feng, who looked more vulnerable.

Xu Feng was standing very close to them.

Huang Dongshi and his four remaining teammates immediately rushed at Xu Feng and took him hostage.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu stopped short. He couldn't reach them in time, and was forced to hold back.

Xu Feng had just done him a favor.

He couldn't let Huang Dongshi and his men kill him.

Holding the bloodied dagger in his right hand, he could only keep his eyes fixed on Huang Dongshi and his men, waiting for a chance to save Xu Feng.

Huang Dongshi managed to press his saber against Xu Feng's neck, its sharp edge resting against his skin.

A cruel, triumphant smile spread across his face as he shouted at Cheng Xiaoyu, "Stop! Back off! Or I'll kill him!"

Cheng Xiaoyu stopped, his gaze ice-cold and fixed on Huang Dongshi.

"That's it! Just like that!" Huang Dongshi grew even more arrogant. "So you're Cheng Xiaoyu? I'll remember you! Now go dig out all the raw Magic Stones for me! Hurry!"

But Xu Feng, held at knifepoint, couldn't help laughing.

The sound wasn't loud, but it rang out clearly in the silent cave, carrying a hint of mockery.

"What are you laughing at?! Do you want to die?!"

Huang Dongshi panicked and pressed down harder, ready to sink the blade into Xu Feng's neck.

But in the next instant, he felt an irresistible force push against the blade!

He looked down in horror and saw Xu Feng holding the razor-sharp edge in place with nothing but the side of his index finger!

No matter how hard he pushed, the blade wouldn't move another inch!

Xu Feng tilted his head slightly toward Huang Dongshi, who was stricken with terror, and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"When did I ever say... I was just an archer?"

Before he'd even finished speaking, he gently lifted his right foot, then stomped down as if it were nothing.

Boom—!!!

An invisible, unstoppable shockwave erupted from Xu Feng!

The ground surged like a wave and cracked apart!

Huang Dongshi and his four teammates were struck by an invisible giant hammer. Screaming, they flew dozens of meters before slamming into the rock wall. The sound of their bones breaking rang out loud and clear!

They slumped to the ground, spitting blood, their eyes filled with boundless terror and disbelief.

What... what kind of power was that?!

Just from a stomp?!

Before they could recover from the pain and shock, a streak of black flashed past their necks, swift and light as the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Thwack, thwack, thwack...

Five heads rolled across the ground, their faces frozen in terror.

Cheng Xiaoyu withdrew his dagger and stood beside the bodies, looking at Xu Feng with a gravity and shock he'd never felt before.

The power Xu Feng had just unleashed—and the speed that had left him able to catch only a fleeting blur—

No, he hadn't even seen how Xu Feng had broken free, let alone how he'd stomped to unleash the shockwave!

His strength was unfathomable!

If Xu Feng wanted to harm him, he probably wouldn't even have time to react.

Liu Chenhao was completely stunned.

He felt that the excitement of the past hour had surpassed everything he'd experienced in the last twenty years combined.

He'd gone from being abandoned to die, to witnessing an E-class freak kill a boss, to seeing a B-class glass cannon turn into a human beast and send a group of people flying with one stomp...

His heart was about to leap out of his throat. His mind had gone blank, and all he could do was stare at Xu Feng and Cheng Xiaoyu.

It was as if he were looking at two beasts wearing human skin.

Xu Feng's smile remained warm. He bent down, picked up a mostly intact saber from beside one of the corpses, and tossed it at Liu Chenhao's feet.

Clang.

The sound of metal hitting the ground made Liu Chenhao shudder.

"Go," Xu Feng said calmly, but with an unmistakable edge. "Give each of them another stab. In the chest or neck. Make sure they're dead."

Cheng Xiaoyu had already cut off Huang Dongshi and his men's heads, so they probably weren't coming back to life.

His main purpose in doing this was to get Liu Chenhao firmly on their side.

Liu Chenhao's face went deathly pale as he looked at the bloody corpses and severed heads. His stomach lurched.

He wanted to refuse, but when he looked up and met Xu Feng's smiling eyes, cold to the core, all his courage vanished.

Trembling, he picked up the saber and walked over to the bodies like a puppet. With his eyes shut, he stabbed each corpse haphazardly.

When he was done, he collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had left him. The saber fell beside him.

Only then did Xu Feng nod with satisfaction. His tone softened as he watched Liu Chenhao with an amused smile.

"Remember, in the Hunter business, showing mercy to your enemies is being cruel to yourself.

Especially when it comes to people who stab you in the back. You can't leave them alive to cause trouble later."

Liu Chenhao seemed to understand. All he could do was nod frantically.

Suddenly...

"B-Brother... I... I'll dig! I'll help you dig up the ore! I don't want any money! I don't want anything!"

As if suddenly remembering something, he scrambled to his feet, grabbed a pickaxe that Huang Dongshi's team had left behind, and rushed over to the pile of raw Magic Stones. He began digging with all his might.

He forced a fawning smile onto his face, though it looked more like a grimace.

Xu Feng and Cheng Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, amusement and understanding passing between them. Neither said a word.

Soon, they finished tallying the spoils.

They carefully processed the spider leader's materials and dug up and packed the raw Magic Stones.

After leaving the dungeon and returning to the unfinished building, Xu Feng made a phone call.

Less than half an hour later, a special transport vehicle from Wanbao Auction House arrived, along with a professional appraiser.

They appraised all the materials on the spot and set their total value at 35 million.

Xu Feng didn't even look at the amount. He simply told the auction house to transfer all of it to the account Cheng Xiaoyu had provided.

"Xu Feng..."

Cheng Xiaoyu stared at the deposit notification on his phone in silence for a long time. Then he looked up at Xu Feng, his expression serious.

"This money means a lot to me. Thank you... I'll repay you for this."

"Don't worry about it too much."

Xu Feng smiled and handed him a simple yet elegant business card.

"I'm Xu Feng, a manager at Wanbao Auction House.

"If you ever have materials to sell, or run into trouble, you can contact me. We're in S City, after all—more friends mean more options."

Cheng Xiaoyu took the card with both hands, put it away carefully, and nodded.

Liu Chenhao hurried over too, pulling out his phone.

"Brother Xu! Brother Cheng! Let's exchange contact info! I'm Liu Chenhao. My family... uh, my family's got a bit of money. If you ever need funds, just call me! I'll be there whenever you need me!"

He wore an ingratiating smile. The shock of what had happened seemed to have turned into a determination to cling to them.

Xu Feng and Cheng Xiaoyu didn't refuse. They exchanged contact information with him.

"Until next time."

Xu Feng nodded to Cheng Xiaoyu, glanced at Liu Chenhao, who was still bowing and scraping, then turned and walked toward the car waiting for him from the auction house.

Cheng Xiaoyu watched him leave, thoughtful.

Liu Chenhao let out a long breath and patted his chest. He felt like he'd just cheated death—and somehow managed to cling to two powerful allies...

Though the whole experience had been a little too intense.