There were originally twelve cacti, but now there were thirteen; what they had been waiting for had arrived.
Which one was the additional cactus?
According to Li Banfeng’s memory, it was between the fifth and sixth cacti.
Li Banfeng prepared to use his Tang Sword, but Ma Wu signaled for him to wait a moment longer.
Both men turned away simultaneously, not looking at the cacti.
The cactus was currently consuming a Snakehead Eel. It had opened its pouch and, using its spiky arms, had skewered an eel.
Then, it sliced open a wound on its own body and stuffed the eel inside.
That was how it fed, the entire process utterly silent.
Ma Wu was estimating the speed at which the cactus was eating the fish.
The more it ate, the better, but they couldn’t wait until it finished everything. Otherwise, the cactus might flee, and even more terrifying things could happen.
There was a larger number of Snakehead Eels this time, and Ma Wu wanted to wait a bit longer. But Li Banfeng’s ears twitched; using the Insightful Spirit Sound Technique, he heard a voice: "There’s still more over here."
Li Banfeng suddenly turned around to find a nearly two-meter-tall cactus standing right in front of them.
Ma Wu had been too complacent. The cactus had finished the fish and was ready for its next course.
This type of cactus was called Swallowthorn. It usually hid beneath the yellow sand and rarely showed itself.
The Swallowthorn’s diet was diverse; it ate insects and snakes in the sand. However, in this New Land, only two kinds of food could lure them out from beneath the sand.
The first was the Snakehead Eel, the fish Li Banfeng and Ma Wu had caught from the lake. Dead or alive, the Swallowthorn liked them all.
The second kind of food was people; it only ate them alive.
The Swallowthorn’s combat power was strong. Once it attacked, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu would very likely die at its hands.
But the Swallowthorn had a fatal weakness: it couldn’t move while someone was watching it.
That’s why Ma Wu and Li Banfeng had initially turned their backs on the Snakehead Eels on the ground; only then was it possible to lure it out from underground.
The Swallowthorn arrived silently and was indistinguishable from the other cacti, its shape extremely difficult to recognize. Ma Wu had to rely on counting to confirm the Swallowthorn’s appearance.
The Swallowthorn likewise made no noise when eating, so Ma Wu had to rely on experience to estimate the time.
The estimation was slightly off this time because this cactus had a voracious appetite and finished the fish quickly. It was all thanks to Li Banfeng’s Insightful Spirit Sound Technique that they avoided becoming its next meal by not waiting any longer.
Now, there was no need to worry. Ma Wu and Li Banfeng watched the cactus together; as long as they didn’t both blink at the same time, it wouldn’t move.
"Coming to this desert, you need at least two people to avoid a Swallowthorn’s attack," Ma Wu said, brandishing a short sword over a foot long. He leaped and cleaved the cactus open.
From the split cactus, a colorless, clear liquid flowed out. Within that liquid, Ma Wu found eight peanut-sized beads.
"This cactus has recently consumed quite a few people..." Ma Wu’s expression grew somber. He took a water bottle and washed the sticky fluid off the beads, revealing six of them to be dark red and two bright red.
Seeing the two bright red beads, Ma Wu showed a hint of a smile.
He had won his bet.
"Brother Li, look," Ma Wu said. "These are Swallowthorn Pearls, formed from the Swallowthorn’s not-yet-fully-digested food. These six beads formed after consuming people. Resentful Spirits are attached to them, making their quality poor.
But these two beads were formed just now from eating the fish. These fish have been dead for a long time, so there are no Resentful Spirits on them, making their quality excellent.
With just one of these two beads, you could get three hundred thousand yuan at Greenwater Bay! That’s more than all six of the others combined!"
That was why Ma Wu had waited for the Swallowthorn to finish eating the Snakehead Eels—one more bite might result in another pure bead.
Li Banfeng looked at the six dark red beads, asking, "Does each bead have a Resentful Spirit on it?"
He used his Yin-Yang Eyes but saw no Ghost Fire.
Ma Wu shook his head. "Not just one. When it eats people alive, the beads grow slowly; three to five people might not yield a single bead. Judging by the color of these beads, I estimate five or six Resentful Spirits are attached to each.
Beads of such low quality sell for over two thousand yuan at the Song Family. If brought to Greenwater City, getting thirty thousand for them would be good."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "If we remove the Resentful Spirits from the beads, won’t they become high-grade ones?"
Ma Wu gave a wry smile. "That’s difficult. People eaten by a Swallowthorn experience thousands of spikes piercing their bodies before they die—an extremely painful death. Their souls lose their Primordial Spirit, and they carry immense resentment.
To eliminate the Resentful Spirits, you would need either a Magical Treasure or a Nightmare Cultivator. Such treasures are rare, and Nightmare Cultivators are scarce.
Completely purifying the Resentful Spirits would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan. If you make a mistake and damage the bead, you’ll lose everything. That’s why hardly anyone attempts it."
Li Banfeng said, "Hand the beads over to me; I have a way."
"You have a way?" Ma Wu was skeptical, but since this venture was to repay a favor, he unhesitatingly handed all eight Swallowthorn Pearls to Li Banfeng.
"Brother Li, you must keep them safe. Make sure the people of the Song family don’t find out on the way back. The Song Family also often hunts Swallowthorn, but they don’t use Snakehead Eels; they use live humans as bait to lure the Swallowthorn."
"Live humans as bait?" Li Banfeng was startled.
Ma Wu nodded. "In Blue Poplar Village, those who truly can’t make a living will sign a contract with the Song Family. For twenty thousand yuan, they wager their lives to become bait for the Song Family.
The people of the Song family would tie the ’bait person’ securely and leave them in the desert. Since Swallowthorn are afraid of being watched, the bait person’s eyes would also be covered.
If the Song Family members act in time when the Swallowthorn appears, the bait person might survive. However, the Song Family is focused on hunting the Swallowthorn. They only consider the best moment to strike, not the bait person’s life or death. Hence, becoming bait is a nine-in-ten chance of death."
Li Banfeng heard yet another new term.
"Brother Ma, how did you know Swallowthorn like Snakehead Eels?"
"It’s all learned from family heirloom books. The Ma Family has more books than any major family in Puluo State. Disciples of the Ma Family—some love to study literature, others love to practice martial arts—can all find texts in the Ma Family Library.
I also love reading, but I only read books about making money. Sadly, I’ll never be able to return to the Ma Family. There are so many good books in that library, and so many money-making methods I haven’t fully learned."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "From Earth Jade Peach, to Tiger Head Louse, to Snakehead Eel, then to Swallowthorn Pearl—is the entire process written in one book?"
Ma Wu shook his head. "There is no such process. These things couldn’t possibly be in the same book.
The Earth Jade Peach eats hundreds of foods, and stinky fish is the easiest to get, so that method is well-known. There are also hundreds of types of insects on the Earth Jade Peach, but the Tiger Head Louse is one of them, and not many people know that.
Snakehead Eels are extremely cunning. Without the right bait, you definitely won’t catch them. Going into the lake to catch them is extremely dangerous. Even if you do catch them, they can only be used by Poison Cultivators for Poison Refining and don’t sell for a good price, so very few people are willing to catch them.
But the Tiger Head Louse is one of the baits for fishing Snakehead Eels, and in Blue Poplar Village’s New Land, it’s the only such bait you can find. Hardly anyone knows this.
The Swallowthorn cactus is extremely indiscriminate in its diet; books record over sixty kinds of bait for it, with the Snakehead Eel being just one. In the New Land of Blue Poplar Village, aside from live humans, it’s the easiest bait to find.
I mentally deconstructed and reassembled all the books I’d ever read, then I spent several days observing at the Song Family’s Granary to figure out what this New Land produced. Only then did I piece together this strategy."
Li Banfeng said, "Then from now on, we’ll follow this process every day: fishing for peaches, fishing for eels, hunting Swallowthorn."
Ma Wu shook his head. "That won’t do. If we continue like this for a long time, the Song Family will definitely become suspicious. This strategy is precious, but I know more than just this one."
Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly.
The two returned to Blue Poplar Village. To avoid drawing attention, Ma Wu still carried the bag of stinky fish on his back.
Song Jiason was taking his morning stroll in the village. Seeing Ma Wu, he smiled and said, "Young Master Wu, you should throw away that bag of stinky fish. The smell is too strong; it looks like it’s swarming with maggots."
Ma Wu let out a cold laugh. "If Boss Song would give a little more for meals, I wouldn’t have to live so meagerly."
Song Jiason looked surprised. "Why would Young Master Wu say such a thing? Are you still holding a grudge over the peach incident? I can only do so much; it has been the rule in Blue Poplar Village for many years, and I can’t break precedent just for Young Master Wu.
How about this? If Young Master Wu doesn’t mind, come to my humble home for dinner tonight. As long as I have something to eat, Young Master Wu certainly won’t go hungry."
In just a few words, the sarcasm was profound.
Ma Wu stayed silent. The two of them returned to the wooden hut. Ma Wu went downstairs to catch up on sleep, and Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence.
Seeing Li Banfeng return, the Phonograph let out a puff, spewing a cloud of steam that shrouded the entire main room. "Oh, Husband, we can’t go on like this! Little Servant is almost starving to death."
Li Banfeng waved his hand, dispersing the steam in front of him, and took out a Swallowthorn Pearl. "Wife, see if you can eat the ingredients on this?"
"This thing... can actually be eaten!" The Phonograph’s Yin-Yang Eyes were clearly superior to Li Banfeng’s. After examining it for a moment, she said, "This is a Swallowthorn Pearl, right? It’s been ages since I’ve seen one of these."
"What use is this bead?"
"It’s an auxiliary material for the Refinement of Magical Treasures. Swallowthorn Pearls can lock away Spirit Attribute, and very tightly at that. The purer the Swallowthorn Pearl, the more suitable it is for refining treasures because it can lock a single Spirit Attribute without interference from miscellaneous spirits.
This bead of yours contains eight Lost Souls. Such beads are impure; their locked Spirit Attribute will be disrupted, and they won’t sell for a good price. Just let Little Servant eat it."
Li Banfeng sat beside the Phonograph and coaxed gently, "My dear wife, such a fine bead would be a waste to ruin. Could you eat the Lost Souls and leave the bead?"
HISS.
CLATTER.
The Phonograph was reluctant. "Husband, you are truly greedy. Even when eating, you won’t let Little Servant enjoy it fully. Very well, Little Servant will give it a try.
Swallowthorn Pearls can lock Spirit Attribute very tightly; that’s no exaggeration. Even Husband’s Yin-Yang Eyes can’t see where these Lost Souls are.
These Lost Souls have already lost their Primordial Spirit and have merged with the bead. Although Little Servant has a way to strip out the Resentful Spirits, if the bead gets damaged, Husband mustn’t blame Little Servant."
"No blame, no blame, Wife. Go ahead and use your skills. If it gets damaged, it’s on me!"
As long as a single bead was saved, Li Banfeng considered it a huge profit.
The Phonograph caressed the bead with steam for a moment. One Lost Soul was stripped from the bead and sucked into its horn.
Despite the Phonograph’s claim of difficulty, it took less than five minutes to deal with one bead. The dark red turned bright red; all Resentful Spirits were cleaned out.
Seeing water droplets all over the horn, Li Banfeng tenderly wiped them off. "You’ve worked hard, Wife."
"Oh, it wasn’t really hard work. It’s just that these Lost Souls were so full of resentment, they were rather spicy."
"Do you like spicy food, Wife? I have more!" Li Banfeng took out the remaining five beads.
The Phonograph giggled, and the steam it exhaled carried a blush. "Oh, Husband, I knew you cherish Little Servant."
In less than half an hour, all the Swallowthorn Pearls were dealt with.
The Phonograph gave a contented burp and went to sleep.
Li Banfeng, holding the superior quality Swallowthorn Pearls, lay down on the bed and also fell asleep.
「...」
In the evening, Li Banfeng gave the six superior-grade Swallowthorn Pearls to Ma Wu.
Ma Wu was greatly astonished, utterly unable to imagine what method Li Banfeng had used.
He didn’t ask further, knowing such a method would not be shared lightly.
"Brother Ma, I’ll leave the selling to you."
Ma Wu nodded. "Brother Li, accompany me to the village entrance. I’m afraid I might be ambushed."
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