Sun Dagen sighed. "Benefactor, you're far too suspicious. If I truly wanted to harm you, why would I go to so much trouble?"
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "One must never harbor the intent to harm others, but one must always guard against harm. How can you be certain I'm a good man?"
Sun Dagen said, "The face reflects the heart. With your dignified appearance and upright bearing, benefactor, you hardly look like a villain. Besides, you just gave me an antidote."
Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing. "How can you be sure that pill was an antidote rather than poison? This is the Five Immortals Cult Headquarters. Aren't you afraid I belong to the Five Immortals Cult? Do I really need to explain what happens to outsiders who trespass here?"
Sun Dagen shook his head. "You can't possibly belong to the Five Immortals Cult!"
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because..." Sun Dagen never finished. Instead, he explained everything with his actions. Drawing the axe at his waist, he swung it down and cleaved the dead sika deer in two. With a buzz, a cloud of black smoke flew from its belly. That smoke consisted of countless bloodsucking horseflies, which swiftly scattered through the air and swarmed around Hu Xiaotian.
A cold smile curled Hu Xiaotian's lips. He had guessed correctly after all. Sun Dagen had merely been laying a maze of false clues to lure him into taking the bait.
With a spit, Sun Dagen expelled the Blood-Cleansing Pill he had been holding in his mouth. A streak of green light whistled toward Hu Xiaotian's face like a bolt fired from a crossbow.
Hu Xiaotian pushed off with his toes and shot backward, soaring through the air. He twisted in midair and planted both feet against the trunk of a cypress so