At the burly man's words, the gaunt man instinctively glanced at his companion, then quickly looked away.
That didn't quite match what the two of them had said to each other in private earlier.
Mu Chen keenly caught the unnatural movement.
He eyed the gaunt man suspiciously and asked for confirmation. "Is that really true?"
"Brother Mu, are you doubting me?"
"I took his money, so I'll see his troubles through. Rong still has that much honor."
The gaunt man's attitude grew even more resolute after Mu Chen's words provoked him.
He slapped his chest so hard it boomed, his voice impassioned and sincere. He was practically swearing an oath on the spot.
"If I've told a single lie, may my life be worse than death, and may my family line die out."
"May I be hit by a hearse as soon as I step outside, and mauled by a ferocious beast the moment I walk down the road."
"Or, failing that, may Black God Lightning envelop me."
Each curse was harsher than the last, each sentence more chilling than the one before.
"All right, all right. I believe you, Brother Mu believes you, okay?!"
A chill ran through Mu Chen as he listened, and he hurriedly waved to cut the man off.
Good grief, he was always going on about his family line dying out. Was the man impotent or something?
"Thank you for the information, brother. I'm deeply grateful."
After thinking it over, Mu Chen chose to trust the gaunt man.
After all, they had no old grudges or recent enmity, and their interests didn't conflict.
He had even generously given him Spirit Beast Essences. The man had no reason to deliberately deceive him.
Mu Chen apologized and hurried off at once.
Although Luo Li was still managing to hold on, she was injured and had no chance to catch her breath. The situation could turn against her at any moment.
He had to get there as soon as possible and lend her a hand.
"Hmph! Those few points he gave me, and he expects Rong to risk his life for him? Pah!"
After watching Mu Chen leave, the gaunt man pulled out the ten Spirit Beast Essences he had accepted earlier. He weighed them in his hand a few times, then spat indignantly on the ground.
"Brother Rong, why did we lie to him? That wasn't right."
"Luo Li's old injuries had clearly flared up again, and she was on the brink of death. If he went too late, she'd be dead, and all he'd be able to do was collect her body."
"Besides, you took his money."
The burly man spoke, his face full of confusion.
Earlier, he hadn't exposed his friend out of consideration for his dignity.
But now, he couldn't hold his tongue any longer.
"Old Shi, you don't understand."
"You don't pass up a chance to take advantage of those damn young masters from noble families."
"Have you forgotten?"
"Back home, those young masters spent all day drinking and chasing women, bullying the locals, and letting their servants hurt people. They'd even seize our opportunities by force, and beat and berate us whenever they pleased."
"They're parasites on the mainland, a disgrace to the Great Thousand."
"And besides, if you ask me, Mu Chen's a hypocrite."
"He has so many Spirit Beast Essences. Why was he only willing to give me this much? Does he think his friend is worth only a few points?"
Whenever the gaunt man recalled the humiliations of his childhood, he grew even more agitated.
The burly man opened his mouth. He tried to argue several times, but couldn't get a word out.
Brother Rong, how did you become like this?
What did the local gentry and powerful families back home have to do with an innocent stranger?
Even if someone else had plenty of possessions, that didn't make them ours.
We might have grievances, but we shouldn't take them out on others and disregard their lives.
After all, a human life is no small matter.
We came from humble backgrounds. We should work hard to catch up, not wallow in self-pity.
Brother, you've changed completely. I barely recognize you anymore.
"Hahaha! If you ask me, Mu Chen's a stupid donkey."
"He believed whatever I said. I led him around by the nose."
The gaunt man looked more and more pleased with himself as he spoke, his words all jumbled up.
Over and over, he trotted out the same crooked arguments.
At first glance, they sounded reasonable, but in truth, they were complete nonsense.
The burly man looked at his childhood friend, who felt more and more like a stranger, and forced a laugh along with him.
But in his heart, he had already decided to leave.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll leave. Staying with him any longer is asking for trouble.
"What are you laughing about?"
Suddenly, a voice rang beside them like thunder out of a clear sky.
The burly man had nothing to hide, so he merely tensed up.
The gaunt man had just done something shameful. He jolted in fright, his face turning pale, then shouted into the darkness as if to steel himself. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
His roar sounded utterly defiant, but a hint of weakness slipped through.
"Rustle!"
It seemed someone was lighting a firestarter in the darkness. A glow flared up.
The two followed the light with their eyes. On an ancient, plain blue stone as large as a millstone, just fifteen or twenty feet away, a figure sat quietly.
It was Mu Chen, who had left a while ago.
He held a firestarter and sat upright on the great blue stone, slender, calm-eyed, and composed. He spoke slowly. "What were you laughing about just now?"
"Uh, well... Rong just suddenly thought of something funny."
The gaunt man stumbled over his answer, looking every bit like a man with a guilty conscience.
Mu Chen didn't seem to notice and pressed on. "What was so funny?"
"Ah, well... my wife just had a baby."
The gaunt man swallowed and racked his brains for an excuse.
Mu Chen merely nodded without comment. He looked past the man to his companion. "And what were you laughing about?"
"Um, my wife is probably... maybe... having a baby too."
The burly man instinctively turned his gaze aside, not daring to meet Mu Chen's eyes.
He wasn't good at lying. His mind had gone completely blank, and he had no idea what he was saying.
"Why do young people these days get married and have children so early?"
Mu Chen rubbed his chin and muttered to himself. "And you're from the same mainland. Even your customs are so similar."
"Right, right. We grew up together and have been close since we were little."
The two men nodded repeatedly, as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"I see~"
"May I ask when you returned, Brother Mu?"
The gaunt man felt he had gotten away with it and asked as if the question had just occurred to him.
The great blue stone was only fifteen or twenty feet from the campfire.
To a martial artist with sharp eyes and ears, that was no distance at all.
If Mu Chen had been there the whole time, they would have to strike first.
A glint of viciousness flashed in his eyes at the thought.
"I just got back, around the time you called me a stupid donkey."
"Oh, my brother and I were just bickering. Forgive us for making you witness it."
Hearing this, the gaunt man relaxed completely. Mu Chen really had just arrived.
He casually cupped his hands. "Now that you're back, Brother Mu, is there anything else you need to discuss?"
"Yeah. I'm new here and don't know my way around."
"I came back to ask you two how to get to the Black Demon Forest."
Mu Chen answered in keeping with the man's question.
"Head north. Keep going north, and you can get there in three days if you're quick."
The gaunt man rallied and pointed in a direction.
His companion's expression changed slightly, and he buried his head again.
"Thank you," Mu Chen said, then vanished into the darkness once more.
"Whew. We finally got that plague god out of here."
"Heh. If he really goes where I pointed, I'm afraid..."
The gaunt man let out a long breath, then soon began to look pleased with himself again.
"Afraid of what?"
Just then, an eerily familiar voice spoke beside his ear, ghostlike.
P.S. The inspiration for this chapter's plot came from Rolling Open's new novel, Ten Directions Martial Saint. Just so you know.
Lime Martial Saint—no, Ten Directions Martial Saint—is so damn good. Martial Saints start by throwing lime powder. Ten cubic meters!
Before you continue