Encountered on the Left of the Dao, Hearts as Demons

The tall man heard this and instinctively glanced at his companion before quickly looking away.

This contradicted what the two had discussed in private.

This unnatural movement was keenly captured by Mu Chen.

He looked at the gaunt man suspiciously and confirmed, "Truly?"

"Brother Mu, are you doubting me?"

"I take people's money to resolve their troubles; Rong still possesses that much integrity."

Provoked by Mu Chen's words, the gaunt man's attitude became even more assertive.

He slapped his chest with a loud thud, his tone intense and sincere, as if he were about to swear an oath on the spot:

"If I have spoken a single lie, may I suffer a fate worse than death and have no descendants."

"May I be struck dead by a spirit carriage the moment I step out, or mauled by a fierce beast while walking."

"If not that, then may I be consumed by Black God Lightning."

Each word he spoke was more vicious and chilling than the last.

"Alright, alright, Mu believes you, is that not enough?!"

Mu Chen felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly waved his hand to cut the man off.

Good grief, jumping straight to having no descendants—is this guy impotent or something?

"Many thanks for the information, Brother; Mu is deeply grateful."

Mu Chen thought it over and decided to trust the gaunt man.

After all, they had no past grievances or recent grudges, nor any conflict of interest.

He had also generously gifted him spirit beast essences, so the man had no reason to deceive him intentionally.

Mu Chen offered an apology and hurried away immediately.

Although Luo Li could still manage to hold on, she was injured and had no chance to catch her breath; the situation could collapse at any moment.

He had to arrive as quickly as possible to lend a hand.

"Hmph, he thinks he can get Rong to risk his life for this pittance of points? Bah!"

After watching Mu Chen leave, the gaunt man pulled the ten spirit beast essences he had received from his robe, weighed them in his hand, and spat on the ground in indignation.

"Brother Rong, why did we lie to him? That isn't right."

"Luo Li's old wounds have clearly flared up and she is in mortal danger. If he arrives late, she will surely perish, and he will only be there to collect his friend's corpse."

"Besides, you already took his money."

The tall man spoke, his face filled with confusion.

Earlier, out of respect for his friend, he hadn't exposed him on the spot.

But now, he had to get it off his chest.

"Old Shi, you don't understand."

"These pampered young masters from noble families—it would be a waste not to take advantage of them."

"Have you forgotten?"

"Back in our hometown, those young masters spent their days drinking and playing with women, oppressing the locals, and letting their servants hurt people. They constantly snatched our opportunities and beat us at every turn."

"They are simply parasites of the continent, a disgrace to the Great Thousand world."

"And let me tell you, that Mu Chen is just a hypocrite."

"Since he has so many spirit beast essences, why was he only willing to take out this little bit? Could it be that in his eyes, his friend is only worth this many points?"

Recalling the humiliations of his childhood, the gaunt man became increasingly agitated.

The tall man opened his mouth, attempting to refute him several times, but failed.

Brother Rong, how did you become like this?

What does a random passerby have to do with the local gentry hurting people back home?

No matter how much wealth others have, it isn't ours.

Even if you hold a grudge, you shouldn't take it out on others or disregard human life.

After all, human life is paramount.

We were born into poverty, so we should strive to rise, not wallow in self-pity.

Brother, you have truly changed; you have become someone I no longer recognize.

"Hahaha, I say this Mu Chen is just a stupid donkey."

"He believes whatever I say; I have him running in circles."

Over there, the gaunt man's expression grew increasingly smug, his speech becoming incoherent.

Tossing and turning, it was all the same crooked logic and fallacious reasoning.

At first glance, it sounded quite reasonable, but in reality, it was utter nonsense.

The tall man looked at his increasingly unfamiliar childhood friend and offered a perfunctory laugh.

In truth, the desire to retreat had already taken root in his heart.

I shall leave tomorrow, he thought; continuing to stay with him is truly a path to disaster.

"What are you two laughing at?"

Suddenly, a voice exploded in their ears like a thunderclap on flat ground.

The tall man, having nothing to hide, was merely tense.

The thin man, having just committed a guilty act, was so startled he shuddered violently, his face turning deathly pale. As if to bolster his courage, he roared into the darkness, "Who is it? Get out here!"

Beneath the seemingly extreme toughness of his roar, a trace of weakness was revealed.

"Whoosh!"

In the darkness, someone seemed to be igniting a tinderstick, and a light flickered to life.

The two followed the light and saw that, no more than four or five zhang away, a figure sat quietly upon an ancient bluestone as large as a millstone.

It was Mu Chen, who had been gone for quite some time.

He held the tinderstick, sitting poised upon the large bluestone. His frame was lean, his gaze calm, and his posture graceful as he spoke slowly: "What were you two just laughing at?"

"Uh, this... I just suddenly remembered something happy."

The thin man's reply was stumbling, his appearance that of a man with a guilty conscience.

Mu Chen seemed not to notice and continued to press, "What happy thing?"

"Ah, this... well, my wife is having a baby."

The thin man swallowed hard, racking his brains to fabricate an excuse.

Mu Chen nodded noncommittally after hearing this. Without expressing an opinion, he looked past the man toward his companion, "And what were you laughing at?"

"Um... my wife is probably, perhaps, also having a baby."

The tall man instinctively averted his gaze, not daring to meet Mu Chen's eyes.

Not being good at lying, his mind went blank, and he had no idea what he was saying.

"Why do young people get married and have children so early these days?"

Mu Chen rubbed his chin, muttering to himself, "And you two are from the same continent; even your customs are so similar."

"Yes, yes, we are childhood friends; we have been very close since we were young."

Hearing this, the two felt as if they had been granted amnesty and nodded vigorously.

"Is that so~"

"May I ask when Brother Mu returned?"

The thin man, feeling he had muddled through, asked as if casually.

The large bluestone was only four or five zhang away from the campfire.

For martial artists with sharp ears and eyes, this distance was nothing.

If he had arrived early, they would have to strike first.

Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"I just arrived, starting from the 'stupid donkey' part."

"Oh, that was just my brother and me bickering; please don't mind us, brother."

Hearing this, the thin man completely relaxed; he had indeed just arrived.

He cupped his hands casually: "Now that Brother Mu is back, is there anything else you need to instruct us on?"

"Yes, I am new here and unsure of the direction."

"I wanted to come back and ask you two how to get to the Black Demon Forest."

Mu Chen replied, following the man's lead.

"Head north, keep heading north. If you are fast, you can reach it in three days."

The thin man perked up again and pointed in a direction.

His companion's expression shifted slightly, and he kept his head buried.

"Many thanks," Mu Chen said, then vanished back into the darkness.

"Phew, finally sent that plague god away."

"Hmph, if he really follows the direction I gave him, I'm afraid..."

The gaunt man let out a long, turbid breath, but before long, he grew smug once again.

"Afraid of what?"

At this moment, an exceptionally familiar voice rang out right beside his ear like a ghost.

ps: The plot of this chapter was inspired by the new book Ten Directions Martial Saint by the great Gun Kai, just so everyone knows.

Lime Martial Saint, no, Ten Directions Martial Saint is truly something else; the Martial Saint starts by throwing lime, ten cubic meters of it!