That night, ten young men followed Li Banfeng and Ma Wu to New Land.
Along the way, each of the ten carried a hemp sack full of stinky fish. These were the dead fish Li Banfeng had bought from the market the previous night. He had tied them up in bags, left them out in the sun all day, and even against the wind, they stank for over ten meters.
The journey was not easy for the ten young men. A tall, dark-skinned fellow turned pale from the smell before they had even walked a kilometer.
"These two must be going to New Land to fish for peaches, right? Otherwise, why would they bring such smelly fish?"
Another handsome young man in blue clothes nodded. "Considering the season, they’re probably going to fish for peaches, but they can’t handle this job; they won’t make any money!"
A lean young man in a yellow shirt said, "What do we care if they make money or not? As long as we do, it’s fine. Later, we’ll talk to them about the price. Picking peaches must be at the market rate, or we won’t do it."
The Earth Jade Peach was one of the most common prey in Blue Poplar Village’s New Land. Ma Wu was indeed bringing them to fish for peaches.
The group finally reached the southernmost part of the village, which was devoid of houses, with only a few tents visible here and there. Many people didn’t even have tents, simply laying out beds on the ground. On the edge of New Land, it was hard to tell what might emerge. You could go to sleep peacefully one night, and by the next morning, not even a corpse might be left. These people had essentially lost all hope of survival. Having food to eat was already a stroke of good fortune. They lived on the edge of New Land because there was nowhere else to sleep; they couldn’t even find a spot under a bridge.
Exiting the village, they ventured into a forest.
This forest seemed ordinary, its foliage merely a bit lusher than usual. Reaching the center of the forest, five young men, under Ma Wu’s command, opened the ten hemp sacks of stinky fish and laid them on the ground.
The twelve individuals took their positions: the ten young men upwind, and Li Banfeng with Ma Wu downwind.
Ma Wu kept reassuring Li Banfeng, "Brother Li, the peach tree will definitely come from downwind. We need to keep watch here to give them commands later."
Li Banfeng, pale-faced, said, "Don’t talk. Another word and I’ll throw up."
"Brother Li, it can’t be that bad. It smells alright to me!"
"Talk again, and I’ll puke all over you."
It was not that Li Banfeng was being finicky; his sense of smell was particularly acute. In the downwind position, the stench of the fish flooded his nostrils, nearly claiming his life.
By four-thirty in the morning, as dawn approached, something began to stir in the forest.
SQUEAK... KREEEAAAK...
Something was moving between the trees.
Li Banfeng quietly put on the Silk-pulling Earrings and activated the Insightful Spirit Sound Technique, trying to discern the approaching sounds.
SHRIEK!
A piercing cry made Li Banfeng’s eardrums throb in pain. Once the pain subsided, he heard roaring beneath the piercing shriek.
"Fragrant, so fragrant~"
Li Banfeng really wanted to have a thorough discussion with the entity.
RUSTLE!
The leaves shook loudly.
Ma Wu alerted everyone to be ready.
An Earth Jade Peach Tree was approaching them. Amidst the nauseating stench, Li Banfeng could faintly smell the fragrance of peach blossoms.
KREEE KREEE KREEE~
The continuous sound of bark rubbing was heard as a ’giant python’—a tree root over a meter in diameter—slowly slithered along the forest floor.
Anyone new to Blue Poplar Village’s New Land, seeing such a hefty serpent, would be scared out of their wits. But many of these young men had experience fishing for peaches; they knew this was not a snake but a root of the Earth Jade Peach Tree.
This thick root seemed to function as the tree’s nose, probing for scents everywhere.
When it passed Li Banfeng, the root showed no reaction; his Second Layer Home Cultivation was automatically ignored.
However, when it passed Ma Wu, the root reacted. It climbed up the nearby branches and approached Ma Wu, fine, dense rootlets slowly growing on his body.
Ma Wu began to sweat. He was afraid. Although he had experience fishing for peaches, experience didn’t guarantee safety. The Earth Jade Peach Tree was a tree without much spiritual wisdom, but its combat strength was not low. If the roots entangled Ma Wu, a Lust Cultivator who hadn’t advanced in level, he would be nothing more than an appetizer to the peach tree.
After a short wait, the roots released Ma Wu and rushed towards the pile of stinky fish on the ground. The peach tree knew a person was nearby, but that person’s allure couldn’t compete with the stinky fish.
The thick roots plunged headfirst into the pile of stinky fish, sucking them in voraciously.
Continuous cries of "Fragrant, so fragrant!" came through the Silk-pulling Earrings.
Soon, more roots bored into the stinky fish, and the pile shrunk visibly.
Seeing the time was right, Ma Wu led the group, following the roots to find the peach tree hidden nearby.
The peach tree was so large it would take three people to encircle its trunk, and its vast canopy was roomy enough to easily build a wooden hut on. Below it, its exposed root system formed a dense network spreading far beyond a normal person’s field of vision. This tree had only recently arrived in this forest.
Li Banfeng wondered. But now was not the time to ponder such things, as time was short.
The twelve people, each carrying a cloth bag, took advantage of the peach tree’s distraction with the stinky fish to climb onto it as quickly as possible. Their goal: the fist-sized Earth Jade Peaches nestled beneath the peach leaves in the tree’s crown.
The peach tree trembled violently a few times, like a person suddenly infested with fleas and feeling rather uncomfortable. Two young men nearly fell from the tree but were pulled back up by Li Banfeng and Ma Wu.
When fishing for peaches, the more hands, the better—not only for picking efficiency but also for mutual support. One must never fall among the roots, for a living person could be eaten in an instant, leaving not even bones behind.
The peach tree quickly settled down, ignoring the nuisances on its body and focusing on devouring the stinky fish. Now was the prime time to pick peaches, and speed was of the essence. How many peaches they could gather before the tree finished the stinky fish depended on their skill.
Li Banfeng was the fastest. Not just his hands, but his feet too. As a Traveling Cultivator, he moved effortlessly between the branches. In no time, he had picked two full bags of peaches.
The others weren’t as quick. They had to be careful with each peach they picked, steadying themselves or needing a pull or a steadying hand from those nearby. Each person barely managed to fill one bag by the time the peach tree had consumed over seventy percent of the stinky fish.
Ma Wu glanced at the remaining fish and shouted, "Retreat!"
Everyone quickly gathered their bags and left the peach tree. They had to leave quickly; any later and it would have been too late. The Earth Jade Peach was omnivorous. It had a particular fondness for stinky fish, but it wasn’t picky and would happily eat other things too.
The group left the forest at a brisk pace. Halfway out, Li Banfeng stood atop a tree to look back at where the peach tree had been. It had vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.
The answer remained unknown.
Their hunt tonight was a success; they were fortunate to have encountered the Earth Jade Peach Tree. Then the trip would have been in vain. They would still have to pay their hired help, and though they could perhaps save the stinky fish for the next night, the venture would still be considered a loss.
「Upon returning to Blue Poplar Village」
On their way, they encountered a vendor selling breakfast. Ma Wu bought fried dough sticks and cakes and distributed them to the group.
Watching Ma Wu and his party leave, the vendor quickly packed up and went to deliver a message to Tang Tianjin, the Song Family’s chief steward. Upon receiving the news, Tang Tianjin immediately relayed it to the head of the Song Family—Song Jiason.
The breakfast wasn’t the issue—the peaches were.
"Master," said Tang Tianjin, "that Young Master Wu from the Ma Family has taken people to New Land to hunt."
In Blue Poplar Village, hunting was one of the most important sources of income for the villagers. However, Blue Poplar Village was Song Family territory. Anyone who wished to hunt in New Land had to inform the Song Family in advance, and anything hunted there also had to be sold through the Song Family. Ma Wu had gone hunting without informing the Song Family, which the Song Family considered an offense.
Sipping his tea and nibbling on a pastry, Song Jiason inquired, "What did he hunt?"
"Earth Jade Peaches. He hired ten people and brought back over a dozen bags," Tang Tianjin reported.
Song Jiason pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "Why would he hunt for peaches? That’s not a business he can profit from. He won’t make any money."
The steward replied, "Master, whether he makes money or not isn’t our concern. But his actions go against the rules. He didn’t inform us and just picked the peaches; it’s as if he has no regard for us at all."
Song Jiason chuckled. "A few days ago, Ma Junyang was so broke he couldn’t pay rent and ended up in a shack. Recently, he somehow scraped together some money and moved back into a small building.
"This pampered young master just can’t tolerate hardship. His living conditions have improved, but after paying rent, he’ll soon find it hard to make ends meet.
"Let him take those peaches. When he comes to us to sell them, we’ll pay him the market rate. He’ll realize there’s no profit to be made and won’t try this again."
"Master, the Ma Family has quite a few connections in town. Although Ma Wu has been kicked out of his family home, his connections aren’t entirely severed. If he doesn’t come to us to sell, what should we do?"
Song Jiason picked up his teacup, took another sip, and said indifferently, "In that case, we cannot tolerate it. If he doesn’t come to us to sell, he shouldn’t even think about taking a single peach out of Blue Poplar Village."
「Back with Ma Wu and the others」
Ma Wu led the group back to their lodging, where each person weighed their bags of peaches one by one.
Ma Wu paid 100 yuan per pound of peaches, the going rate for picking peaches in Blue Poplar Village’s New Land.
Some who were quick picked fifty pounds, earning 5,000 yuan. Others who were slower picked ten pounds, earning 1,000 yuan.
The dozen or so bags of peaches weighed over 380 pounds in total. Excluding Li Banfeng’s and Ma Wu’s shares, the total payout to the hired men was over 30,000 yuan.
The flesh of the Earth Jade Peach served as an adjunct in alchemy, while the peach pit was a top-grade medicinal herb.
According to the Song Family’s purchase price, 100 yuan per pound.
This business was rather comical. Buying for 100 yuan per pound and selling at the same price meant Ma Wu wouldn’t make any profit. Not only did he make no profit, but he also incurred a loss. Buying stinky fish costs money!
In Blue Poplar Village, only the Song Family profited from picking peaches because they could sell them in the city for 500 yuan per pound, reaping a fivefold profit.
No, he couldn’t. The Song Family would never stand by and watch Ma Wu walk out of the village with over a dozen bags of peaches. That would be cutting into the Song Family’s revenue and, in effect, slapping their faces.
The handsome young man in blue clothes asked, "Bosses, you aren’t thinking of reselling the peaches to the Song Family, are you? I must warn you, there’s no profit in that."
Ma Wu smiled. "Boss Song is my friend. You might not make a profit, but it’s different for me."
The young man didn’t dare to ask further. Everyone, having received their money, left one after another.
Inside the wooden house, only Li Banfeng and Ma Wu remained. Li Banfeng fetched water while Ma Wu soaked the peaches.
After more than an hour of soaking, 700 to 800 worms floated to the water’s surface. The high sugar content in Earth Jade Peaches made them prone to worm infestation. From these, Ma Wu picked out more than fifty speckled green worms and handed them to Li Banfeng.
"These are called Tiger Head Lice. Brother Li, make sure to take good care of them."
Li Banfeng carefully stored the worms and went to the market to buy fish. Ma Wu took the peaches to sell to the Song Family.
PS:
Ban Feng possesses the Hundred Flavors Delicate Skill; for him, the destructive power of stinky fish is truly formidable.
The Lord of Puluo has successfully advanced to Level 2. Thanks to all readers for their support along the way!