If You Don't Eat Others, You Can Only Be Eaten (please keep reading~)

"Quick! A Detoxification Pill! Give me a Detoxification Pill, now!!"

Only the martial artist clutching his arm spoke. He headed toward the Wang Family steward, his eyes fixed on the steward's sleeve, his gaze brimming with urgency.

The other man had already collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, his eyes vacant. Only his limbs still twitched occasionally. Clearly, he had no hope of surviving.

"Don't panic!! Here's your Detoxification Pill! Take it, quick."

Seeing the man approach, the Wang Family steward hurriedly took a porcelain bottle from his sleeve. Apparently realizing that the man's injured arm made it difficult for him to take the medicine himself, the steward opened the bottle, poured out a pill, and immediately shoved it into the wounded man's mouth.

"Whew... thank goodness you brought Detoxification Pills. I never imagined this little creature would be so fast, or its venom so potent. If we hadn't ambushed and wounded it beforehand, all three of us would probably have met our end here."

The poisoned man swallowed the pill in one gulp and finally let out a long breath of relief, though fear still lingered on his face.

At that, Zhao Er let the grass in front of him close again. He was already preparing to retreat.

Although he did not know exactly what prey the Wang Family steward had captured, at his current cultivation level, he stood no chance of fighting two martial artists who had, at the very least, entered a cultivation realm.

Now was the best time to retreat.

"Hahaha! No matter how fast it is or how potent its venom, isn't it still caught in our Golden Silk Net?"

Behind him, the Wang Family steward's laughter rang out, filled with smug satisfaction.

"We're going to be rich! If we sell this little creature, it should fetch at least five hundred taels of silver... uh... what's happening? I... I feel... it's getting harder to breathe."

The wounded man was equally excited, but before he could finish, his voice abruptly changed. His words became halting, his voice growing fainter and fainter, as though someone were squeezing his throat.

"Five hundred taels? Heh, it's worth much more than that. An elder of the Clear Source Sect specifically asked for this Venom-Eating Marten, so it's worth at least two thousand taels of silver..."

The Wang Family steward's sinister voice came from behind him. At those words, Zhao Er could not help stopping to listen. He had never expected that, just as he was about to leave, another great secret would seemingly be waiting for him.

He heard the Wang Family steward continue behind him:

"I heard long ago that a Venom-Eating Marten had been spotted here, but the miasma in the woods was troublesome, and buying Detoxification Pills and these Golden Silk Nets was too expensive, so I never planned to come.

"But then I learned that practicing the Five Poisons Art lets you withstand the miasma. That was why I invited you brothers to come and try our luck. All I originally wanted was to save some silver on Detoxification Pills. Who knew there would be an extra surprise... hahaha..."

The more the Wang Family steward spoke, the more pleased he became, until he finally laughed aloud.

"You... that... that wasn't a Detoxification Pill..."

The sound of someone collapsing came from behind him, and it brought Zhao Er to a complete halt. For a moment, even he could not tell whether it was the impending clash between the two men or the two thousand taels of silver the steward had mentioned that had stopped him.

Zhao Er lay back down in his previous spot and continued watching the woods. Now he was beginning to look forward to what would happen next. If their infighting left both men badly wounded, that would be ideal.

"Heh... you two brothers are far too naive. Capturing a Venom-Eating Marten costs so much silver. If I had money left to buy extra Detoxification Pills, why would I have invited you brothers along? Couldn't I have simply come with the Wang Family's own people?"

Things did not develop as Zhao Er had anticipated. Just as he parted the grass, he saw the Wang Family steward drive a punch at the poisoned man.

There was no resistance whatsoever. The steward's punch struck the poisoned man directly.

"Pfft!!"

Before Zhao Er's stunned eyes, the poisoned man's back burst open after taking the steward's punch, spraying out a cloud of bloody mist.

Clearly, the steward's punch was immensely powerful. The force contained within it had driven straight through the poisoned man's body.

A single punch completely extinguished the poisoned man's last spark of life.

At the sight, Zhao Er's gaze sharpened involuntarily. He had already made some guesses about the strength of a full-fledged martial artist.

But he had never imagined that a true martial artist could be so powerful. At least as he was now, his own punch could never produce such force.

"Two thousand taels of silver! With that money, who would still bow and scrape, letting others order him around? Once I have the money, all I need to do is silence everyone who knows.

"Then I can buy a wealth of martial cultivation resources. Not only will I be able to advance further, I'll even be able to train my son into a martial artist and have him join the Clear Source Sect.

"That way, establishing a new martial Lineage might not be beyond me...

"Don't blame me. If you must blame something, blame this world. If you don't eat others, you can only be eaten!"

The Wang Family steward withdrew his fist and looked down at the poisoned man, who had crumpled to the ground. His eyes were filled with viciousness.

Silence everyone who knows?

Lying on the sand and gravel, Zhao Er took in everything that happened in the woods. He had also heard every single word the Wang Family steward had said.

With the matter settled, he had originally intended to slip away, but now he stopped. He did not know whether the steward's plan to silence everyone included him.

Only the Wang Family steward remained in the woods now. By all rights, Zhao Er had no chance of defeating him.

But just as the steward assumed the Venom-Eating Marten trapped beneath three Golden Silk Nets was already in the bag and focused all his attention on the poisoned man, Zhao Er saw the little creature beneath the nets tearing at them with its teeth.

The little creature's teeth were exceptionally sharp. In that brief span of time, it had already bitten through two layers of netting and was now gnawing at the third. Perhaps with just a little more time, it could bite through the third layer and escape.

But by now, the Wang Family steward had finished dealing with the poisoned man and was about to turn around to inspect the nets...

I can't wait any longer. It has to be now!

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhao Er's mind in an instant, and a plan quickly took shape.

Zhao Er stared fixedly at the Wang Family steward, taking the bamboo basket from his waist with one hand while reaching for the woodcutting saber beneath the hem of his clothes with the other.

The instant the steward turned, Zhao Er hurled the bamboo basket in his hand.

"Who's there!"

The Wang Family steward had not expected trouble to arise just as he was about to claim his prize. Hearing the noise, he turned and threw a punch without a second thought.

Even after seeing that it was only a bamboo basket, the steward did not relax in the slightest. His fist continued forward all the same, while his eyes turned toward Zhao Er's hiding place.

Crack!

The Wang Family steward's fist punched through the bamboo basket, shattering it in all directions. Even the four snakes inside were shredded by the force of his punch.