Li Banfeng turned to look at the man who had spoken, a thirty-something dressed in a leather jacket, wearing a fur cap, with a Short Knife slung across his body and a quiver of arrows on his back.
"Who are you?" Li Banfeng asked.
"A hunter," the man replied. "This is your first time in Sanpan River’s New Land, isn’t it?"
Li Banfeng nodded, then asked, "What did you just say about a tooth monster?"
The hunter slurred his words, and Li Banfeng hadn’t quite caught what he said.
The hunter repeated himself. "The Lin Li Blood Fang Monster. Everyone who has been to Sanpan River knows you can’t go up Bloody Fang Mountain."
Li Banfeng glanced at the lush greenness of Bloody Fang Mountain and asked the hunter, "Have you ever seen the Blood Fang Monster?"
"I have. I always hunt in this New Land."
"What does the Blood Fang Monster look like?"
"That’s hard to say. There are all kinds. Anyway, you should just stay far away from it."
"Not a single distinguishing feature?"
"As for a distinguishing feature..." the hunter thought for a moment, then said, "The Blood Fang Monster has two exceptionally long fangs. It usually keeps them hidden in its mouth, but sometimes they’re accidentally revealed."
"So as long as I don’t go up the mountain, I won’t encounter the Blood Fang Monster?"
The hunter nodded. "The Blood Fang Monster can’t come down the mountain. That’s the rule."
Following Elder Yao’s instructions, Li Banfeng had to follow a fixed route to Hai Chi Ridge without detouring, lest he face greater dangers.
Li Banfeng took out a thousand Huan Country Banknotes and handed them to the hunter; he never let others work for nothing, that was one of his habits.
"Is the Blood Fang Monster’s combat power high?"
Pleased with the money, the hunter answered Li Banfeng’s question seriously. "It depends on who you compare it with. The Blood Fang Monster has Fifth Layer Cultivation. If you’re a master above the Fifth Layer, then you don’t have to be afraid of it."
Li Banfeng was at the Third Layer of Home Cultivation, and his Traveling Cultivator abilities were almost at the Third Layer. Under normal circumstances, he would have difficulty defeating someone at the Fifth Layer.
"How many Blood Fang Monsters are there on this mountain?"
The hunter replied, "One."
"Just one?"
The hunter’s eyes bulged. "Do you think that’s too few? Isn’t one more than enough?"
As he pondered his strategy, the hunter asked, "Why do you have to go up Bloody Fang Mountain?"
Li Banfeng gave an evasive answer, "Like you, I’m also a hunter."
The words had barely left his lips when a loud BANG! resounded.
A Stone next to Li Banfeng suddenly exploded.
A Stone fragment grazed Li Banfeng’s cheek, leaving a bloody scratch.
The hunter shuddered in fright and exclaimed angrily, "You’re lying! Deceiving people!"
"I’m not!" Li Banfeng flatly denied.
CRACK!
Another Stone exploded. This time, Li Banfeng sensed the danger and dodged most of the fragments, but his clothes were torn.
The hunter clutched his head. "You damn Bird Person! Lying again!"
"I really didn’t..."
"Shut up!" The hunter was terrified. "Within the territory of Bloody Fang Mountain, you absolutely must not lie! If you want to die, go do it yourself! Don’t drag me into it!"
Li Banfeng looked around and shouted loudly, "I really came to hunt!"
CRACK!
A Stone exploded.
"I have never seen Teacher Song’s peach!"
CRACK!
Another exploded!
"I have never killed anyone!"
BOOM!
The whole mountain seemed to tremble.
Several Stones around them crumbled, dust swirled, and for a long moment, they couldn’t open their eyes.
Li Banfeng dodged left and right among the Stone fragments, sustaining several scrapes.
The hunter, cowering on the ground with his head in his arms, screamed hoarsely, "What are you doing? What in the world are you trying to do? Didn’t I tell you not to lie on Bloody Fang Mountain?"
Li Banfeng wiped the blood from his body and looked back at the hunter. "You’ve seen the Blood Fang Monster. You must have been up Bloody Fang Mountain, right?"
"I have." The hunter answered. No Stones exploded; he was telling the truth.
Li Banfeng asked, "Are you willing to be my guide?"
The hunter stood up from the ground, dusting himself off, and looked at Li Banfeng. "Why should I guide you? I came here to hunt!"
That was the truth, too.
Li Banfeng took out two stacks of Huan Country Banknotes and handed them to the hunter. "Is this money enough?"
The hunter took the money, counted it, and accepted it. "I must tell you, I’ll only lead the way. I won’t handle anything else."
"You don’t need to handle anything else. Just guide me over this mountain, that’s all!"
"And also, you must not lie again. You could really lose your life!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "You’d better not lie either, or it really could cost a life."
"Come with me!"
The hunter had taken only two steps forward when he heard Li Banfeng ask from behind him, "Are you the Blood Fang Monster?"
The hunter turned around. "Are you crazy? How could I be the Blood Fang Monster? I can hardly even escape from it!"
The Stones on the mountain did not stir; the hunter had not lied.
Li Banfeng laughed and chatted idly with the hunter as they climbed the mountain.
"What kind of monsters are there on this mountain?"
The hunter shook his head. "There’s only the Lin Li Blood Fang Monster. Other monsters can’t get onto Bloody Fang Mountain. Occasionally, there are some birds and beasts, but don’t worry about them; I can handle those."
The mountain path was difficult to walk, with wild grass reaching knee-high. Li Banfeng asked while walking, "The Blood Fang Monster generally doesn’t roam around here, does it?"
The hunter shook his head. "I wouldn’t know about that. In any case, I’ve walked this path before."
"You’ll help me avoid the Blood Fang Monster, right?"
"Of course I’ll avoid it. I don’t want to encounter it either."
The Stones on the mountain remained still. This was the truth.
As they climbed higher, the vegetation became thicker, and the hunter led the way with a Curved Blade in hand.
The two of them chatted as they went. The hunter was not very articulate, and Li Banfeng found listening to him quite taxing.
But every word the hunter said was true, as the Stones on the mountain never stirred.
Upon reaching mid-mountain, the hunter started to turn right. "We won’t go to the summit. The Blood Fang Monster’s nest is quite close to the top, so let’s detour around from here."
Li Banfeng nodded, then suddenly asked, "Do you have a cultivation level?"
The hunter nodded. "Yes!"
"Which Taoist Sect, and what level?"
The hunter frowned. "Why should I tell you that? We’re not even acquaintances!"
Li Banfeng replied calmly, "I am a good person."
The hunter shuddered at Li Banfeng’s words and hurriedly clutched his head.
There was no reaction from the Stones on the mountain.
Li Banfeng was telling the truth.
"You scared me to death!" The hunter exhaled sharply. "I thought you were going to pull some other stunt!"
Li Banfeng replied calmly, "I really am a good person."
The Stones remained still.
Amidst his thoughts, the hunter suddenly turned and asked, "You said earlier that you hadn’t killed anyone, but the Stones exploded. You lied. It seems you have killed people."
"I have," Li Banfeng answered truthfully.
"You’ve killed people, and you still say you’re a good person?"
Li Banfeng calmly responded, "Those I’ve killed, deserved to die."
The Stones remained still, further proving Li Banfeng’s speculation.
The wild grass around them grew higher and higher, some of it reaching Li Banfeng’s shoulders.
After bypassing the mid-mountain area, it was about time to descend.
The hunter wiped his sweat, set down his Curved Blade, and asked Li Banfeng, "Rest a bit?"
Li Banfeng didn’t feel tired, but seeing the hunter sit down, he also sat down.
The hunter touched his Curved Blade. "Let’s rest a bit, then we get going."
Li Banfeng took out his Wine Gourd, took a sip, and asked, "Which way should we go?"
The hunter looked puzzled. "What other way could there be?"
Li Banfeng stared at the hunter earnestly. "I really don’t know."
The hunter frowned. "Are you really crazy?"
"I’m not crazy." Li Banfeng smiled naturally. The Stones showed no reaction; this sentence was true.
The hunter frowned. "Then what exactly are you trying to do?"
Li Banfeng said, "I just want to ask, which way should we go?"
"You’re the one who insisted on climbing Bloody Fang Mountain. Surely, you’re the one who needs to get on your way."
"Aren’t you coming with me?"
"Haven’t I been with you all this time?"
"You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?" Li Banfeng’s eyes glinted coldly.
The hunter said slowly, "I told you, I’m not the Blood Fang Monster."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Indeed, you’re not the Blood Fang Monster. You also told me that apart from the Lin Li Blood Fang Monster, no other monsters can get onto Bloody Fang Mountain."
"Yes, I said that. Apart from the Lin Li Blood Fang Monster, there are no other monsters on this mountain," the hunter calmly nodded.
Li Banfeng smiled. "So, you’re Lin Li, aren’t you?"