Seed!

The lighter had a bronze casing, about sixty percent new, with a skull inlaid on the body.

The raised parts of the skull were worn smooth, and even the color had faded by more than half, turning into a mixture of black and yellow.

Lian Feng reached out and took the lighter, examining it for a moment before asking, "Did one of our own people bring this?"

If the lighter had been dropped by Bian Zhenxin himself or his subordinates during the fight, it would have been meaningless.

They were looking for the killer, not for who had been killed.

After all, the corpse was lying right in front of them.

"Probably not," Chen Hu said. "These windproof lighters aren't common nowadays, and they're even rarer in this Hate Mountain settlement. I can tell you for sure it wasn't Bian Zhenxin's. He smokes rolled cigarettes, but he's never used a lighter like this."

"As for the other black robes, it's even less likely they'd have something this nice. Even if they did, they would have already offered it to the Divine Envoy."

If you give it willingly, it's an offering.

If you're forced to give it, you're ungrateful.

Either way, good things always belonged to the Divine Envoy. This was why the members of the Flame Shrine desperately wanted to get promoted.

Once you reached a certain high position, you would be qualified to receive "offerings" from others.

Bian Feng nodded, not taking Chen Hu's subtly critical remarks about Bian Zhenxin to heart. This was how things were in the ruins: the strong preyed on the weak, and the weak paid tribute and submitted to the strong. Wasn't that only natural?

"Then this makes sense," Bian Feng mused for a moment before speaking. "Bian Zhenxin's strength isn't weak; he's considered a top expert in this Hate Mountain settlement. Yet, he was killed with a single..."

Thinking of his son's tragic state, Bian Feng felt a pang in his heart.

It hurt!

"How many people in the entire Hate Mountain settlement could have killed him with a single blow?" Bian Feng's gaze swept across the surroundings, finally landing on the bodies gathered together. "Moreover, he had quite a few gray robes with him. What kind of person or force could have killed so many people so silently?"

"And look at their injuries. Some were brutally killed by sheer force, while others were cut in half by sharp weapons. Who in the Hate Mountain settlement possesses such strength? And who owns such sharp weapons?"

"And look at those wounds... they made sure they weren't dead by delivering finishing blows. Many had their throats slit... What kind of person is so ruthless, with such cruel methods?"

Bian Feng tossed the lighter in his hand. "One day. I'll give you one day. I want an answer."

Chen Hu took the lighter and bowed. "My lord, rest assured. I will investigate this thoroughly and clearly. My brother's blood must be repaid with blood."

Bian Feng nodded, a cruel smile appearing on his lips. "I've been living in the city for too long. It's been a while since I've tasted roasted meat."

"..."

Everyone lowered their heads and bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

"These are men's clothes?" Phoenix asked, holding up the blue jeans and black hoodie.

"They are men's clothes," Tang Fei nodded. "We don't have any women at home, so how could we have women's clothes?"

"But..." Phoenix wanted to say more, but considering her current situation, she immediately nodded obediently and accepted. "Okay, then I'll wear men's clothes. It's the first time I've ever worn men's clothes since I was little..."

"It's my first time too," Tang Fei said.

"Hm?" Phoenix looked at Tang Fei. Was he flirting?

"It's the first time my clothes have been worn by a woman," Tang Fei explained.

"Oh," Phoenix nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Tang Fei. It's my honor."

"You don't need to feel too honored. I can't wear them anymore anyway. Little Fatty can't wear them either, and I was just about to give them away..." Tang Fei said.

"..."

Phoenix fell silent.

With Phoenix silent, Tang Fei didn't know what to say either.

So, they stared at each other, the atmosphere awkward and filled with a sense of embarrassment.

"Are you going to watch me change here?" Phoenix asked, seeing that Tang Fei still wasn't leaving.

Tang Fei was taken aback. He hadn't expected this woman to make such an impudent request.

He looked into Phoenix's eyes and asked with a face full of anticipation, "Can I?"

"Of course not."

"Oh!"

Tang Fei responded, turned around, and walked outside.

When Tang Fei came out, the old man was sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea from a large enamel mug. Little Fatty was shirtless, smashing stones in the yard. With one strike, a large stone split in two, and then he swung his hammer again, tapping and chipping at the edges.

Tang Fei rolled up his sleeves, ready to help, when the old man called out, "Brat, come here."

"Brat" was Tang Fei's nickname, while Little Fatty was called "Fool" and "Glutton."

Tang Fei walked up to the old man and asked, "What? Still don't trust me?"

"How can I trust you? Do you know how serious this matter is?"

"I know."

"Then you're really going to protect her?" the old man said, full of disappointment. "What if she sells us out..."

"What use would she be to us if she sold us out? If they really came looking for us, would the Flame Shrine people listen to our explanation? We'd all be buried together! The situation now is we either all die together or live together."

"But keeping a girl like her around is too conspicuous. The Flame Shrine has had such a major incident; they'll definitely be investigating all outsiders. What if they trace it back to us? What if someone else gets wicked ideas about her?"

"You, a greenhorn who's never tasted good food or seen a decent woman, think she's beautiful. If others are drawn to her beauty, they aren't fools. Can't they see she's gorgeous? A beauty that spells disaster, a beauty that spells disaster! I keep telling you and Little Fatty this phrase every day, why don't you two ever take it to heart?"

Little Fatty looked up, his face full of grievance, and said, "I've taken it to heart."

"Alright, keep smashing rocks. What's it to you?"

"Oh." Little Fatty, even more wronged, went back to smashing rocks.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Tang Fei looked at the old man, made a chopping motion with his hand, and asked, "Are we really going to do that?"

"Sigh, it's not like she did anything wrong. The only mistake is that her appearance is just too beautiful, and she doesn't look like she's from our Old Land. It's too hard to hide her identity."

"We can't just kill her then," Tang Fei said. "If we do something like that, what's the difference between us and those Predators?"

"We haven't done it yet, have we? You've convinced me, haven't you?" the old man said indignantly. "But we have to come up with a foolproof plan, or we could just run away!"

"No," Tang Fei refused. "Running away now would be like admitting guilt. Originally, they wouldn't have found us, but if we run... hey, wouldn't that be like us jumping out and admitting we did it?"

"Even if they knew, they couldn't catch us. I'm confident that when it comes to running, no one dares claim to be better than me," the old man said proudly. "But you have a point. The Flame Shrine is powerful, and another black robe died this time. If we truly clash with them head-on, we'll never have peace in the future. Since things have come to this, we can only be extremely cautious."

Tang Fei nodded and looked at the old man. "Why did you say that to her?"

"Say what?" the old man asked, feigning ignorance.

Tang Fei narrowed his eyes. "About marriage. Why did you tell her to marry me?"

"What? You don't like it?"

"It's not about whether I like it or not. We just met, we don't know each other at all, and there's no emotional foundation..."

"Alright, alright, stop making useless excuses," the old man interrupted Tang Fei, cutting straight to the point. "Don't you think you're just a Drifter from the Old Land, and she's a distinguished guest from New Star? You feel you're not good enough for her, you're afraid of rejection, and you'll lose face, so you don't want me to mention it, right?"

"I didn't think that," Tang Fei denied.

"Alright, alright. Can your little schemes fool me?" the old man sneered repeatedly. "If I hadn't mentioned it, do you think she would have thought about this? Would she have thought about being with you in the future?"

"No," Tang Fei said decisively.

He might be shameless, but he was honest.

"And you? Would you have thought about it?"

"No."

He was honest, but also shameless.

"So, what's the harm in mentioning it?" the old man chuckled foolishly. "It's not like you'll lose a piece of flesh or grow an extra wrinkle. What's wrong with saying it? If it works out, that's even better. If not, at least you can plant a seed in her heart."

"A seed?" Tang Fei looked bewildered.

Don't seeds usually get planted in soil or flesh? How could they be planted in the heart?

"You don't understand," the old man shook his head and looked at Tang Fei. "But you will in the future."

"..."

When they were having dinner, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

"Tang Fei!" someone called from outside the gate.

"It's Teacher," Tang Fei said.

As he spoke, he walked over and opened the courtyard gate.

Because of the incident last time, the Phoenix was unwilling to interact with strangers, so she hid in the room.

The teacher came in carrying a wine gourd. Smelling the stewed meat in the house, he chuckled and said, "It's better to arrive early than on time. Are you stewing meat? I'm just in time."

"Teacher, please come in quickly," Tang Fei respectfully invited Teacher inside.

"Teacher is here," the old man also came over to greet Teacher. Seeing the wine gourd in Teacher's hand, his eyes lit up instantly. "Teacher, are you here to have a drink with me?"

Teacher shook his head, looking as if he had something to say but hesitated.

Seeing Teacher's troubled expression, Tang Fei instantly guessed his thoughts and smiled. "Teacher, you've come at the perfect time. I hunted quite a lot today and was planning to send you a red-eyed rabbit. Your family is large, so it should last you a few days."

Teacher looked at Tang Fei with gratitude, shame, and unease. "To be honest, Brother Yousheng's legs are not convenient, so for this period, An has been going out hunting... As you know, his personality is soft, and his movements are not agile. He hasn't been able to bring back any prey..."

"We've eaten all the food at home, and today we really have nothing to eat. I was thinking of trading this gourd of wild fruit wine I brewed earlier for some food from you."

"No need to trade," Tang Fei said with a smile. "Take this wine back, and I'll have Little Fatty carry a rabbit over for you."

"No, no," Teacher waved his hands repeatedly, his expression serious and earnest. "If you don't accept this wine, I won't accept the rabbit either. What reason is there to take things for free? It's not written in any books."

"Teacher taught me so many books and helped me recognize so many characters. What's wrong with me giving you a rabbit?"

"Are the things you've given me few?" Teacher said with shame. "Although I've led you through a few books and taught you a few words, you've helped our Old Huang Family a lot over the years. My children have poor health and are not good hunters. If it weren't for you constantly sending food and meat to our home, several of us might have starved to death."

Tang Fei knew Teacher's temperament, so he said, "Alright then, I'll trade meat for your wine. We've been craving wine anyway."

"That's good, that's good..." Teacher quickly handed over the wine.

Tang Fei took the wine gourd, uncorked it, and took a sip, praising, "Teacher's fruit wine is superb."

"I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it. When spring comes, I'll have Brother Yousheng collect more fruit, and I'll brew some more."

"Don't trouble Brother Yousheng, his legs aren't convenient. If you want fruit, I'll go pick some for you. But, we have an agreement, you have to give me a pot of the fruit wine you brew."

"A pot? No, I'll give you half." The Mister readily agreed.

The Mister left, and Little Fatty left with him.

Little Fatty left with a red-eyed rabbit.

Tang Fei held his wine gourd and called out, "Phoenix, come out for a drink."

Seize the day, drink today, worry about tomorrow's troubles tomorrow.

After drinking this pot of wine, tomorrow I'll go collect heads.

(ps: Thanks to the little girl from Tangtangtangtangguowu for becoming our new patron. Old Liu casually opened her picture and looked at it seven or eighty times; she's indeed quite sweet.

Also, there's another chapter coming early tomorrow morning.)