Qin Xiaopang opened his eyes, still hearing the sounds of fighting nearby.
He turned his head and saw Old Smoker still locked in combat with Gold-rimmed Glasses, his body already covered in bloodstains.
Old Smoker’s movements were sluggish, and behind him, Hu Gaizi was waiting for an opportunity.
Just as Qin Xiaopang picked up his axe and struggled to his feet, he saw Gold-rimmed Glasses move behind Old Smoker and grab him by the hair.
As Old Smoker’s head was yanked up, Hu Gaizi stepped forward and cut Old Smoker’s throat with a dagger.
Blood spurted out, and Old Smoker’s body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Hu Gaizi, looking at the blood, laughed excitedly, his laughter interspersed with coughs.
But Gold-rimmed Glasses was in excellent condition.
As a practitioner of Poison Cultivation, he had strong resistance to poisonous fog.
Of course, this didn’t mean he could stay on Kuwu Mountain indefinitely; his current cultivation level wasn’t yet enough to withstand prolonged exposure to the poison fog.
But a single day wasn’t too long for him; it barely affected him.
He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the blood off his hands, and walked over to Qin Xiaopang.
"You must have heard what I said. I hate talking to idiots; I don’t want to waste a single extra word.
"Compared to that old guy, you shouldn’t be an idiot. At least you’re young and not so stubborn.
"Give me the flowers, and I’ll let you go."
"I won’t give them to you!" Little Fatty clenched his pocket tightly.
"Why must you be so stubborn?" Hu Gaizi said with a laugh. "I’ve counted for you; you only picked twenty flowers. Selling them at the foot of the mountain, they’re worth a little more than one thousand yuan. Is it worth losing your life over a little more than one thousand yuan?"
"I just won’t give them to you!" Little Fatty gripped his axe tightly.
"You’re really asking for it!" Hu Gaizi stepped forward and kicked hard at Little Fatty’s chest.
Little Fatty was prepared this time and blocked the kick with the handle of his axe, then turned and swung the axe at Hu Gaizi.
Hu Gaizi dodged the axe, but it was a close call. After being affected by the smoke toxin, he might not be a match for Little Fatty in a one-on-one fight.
But he didn’t need to fight alone, for Gold-rimmed Glasses was standing beside him.
Gold-rimmed Glasses stepped close to Qin Xiaopang and, shaking his Folding Fan, said, "Brother, I advise you: leave the flowers and hurry down the mountain."
"You’re dreaming!" Little Fatty spat. "To think I actually trusted you! You backstabbing bastard, you’ve been deceiving me all along!"
"Backstabbing?" Gold-rimmed Glasses shook his head. "I think I’ve been quite forthright."
"Bullshit!" Little Fatty spat again. "Meeting a bastard like you is my bad luck!"
"It isn’t bad luck. Even if it wasn’t me, you would have run into someone else," Gold-rimmed Glasses said with a smile. "You carried such a big axe; obviously, it was your first time on the mountain. Since you left the inn, many people have had their eyes on you."
Little Fatty was startled, remembering Shopkeeper Feng from the grocery store.
Gold-rimmed Glasses continued, "I know you feel unwilling. You’ve worked all day to pick those flowers, and losing them just like that would upset anyone.
"But think about it. Do these twenty flowers truly belong to you? Do you deserve them?
"It’s your first time on Kuwu Mountain and you expect to make money? Do you have the right?
"You don’t understand anything. You don’t recognize the path, you don’t know the rules. You don’t even know what Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemums look like.
"I taught you a lot. At least next time you come, you’ll know where to pick flowers, what kind to pick, how many you can gather yourself, and how many you can actually take away. You’ll know who to trust and who not to.
"You’ve learned so much and even kept your life, all for just over a thousand yuan. Do you really think it wasn’t worth it?"
Hearing this, Little Fatty took out a piece of dry rations from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.
Gold-rimmed Glasses was very disappointed.
"Young brother, I’ll give you five minutes to think it over carefully." Gold-rimmed Glasses took out his Folding Fan and slowly began to fan himself. The scent from the fan, released by mechanisms within its ribs, slowly began to spread.
The fragrance wafted out, but Little Fatty didn’t notice anything because he didn’t know Gold-rimmed Glasses practiced Poison Cultivation.
"I’ll say it again: talking to a fool is a waste of breath, every extra word is wasted. I believe you are not a fool." Gold-rimmed Glasses continued releasing the poison when he suddenly saw someone running over from a distance.
"Chubby Brother, friends, I’ve found a great spot! There are lots of Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemums there!"
Little Fatty turned his head and saw Li Banfeng running over.
Gold-rimmed Glasses was taken aback and retreated two steps, while Hu Gaizi quickly grabbed his dagger.
Li Banfeng rushed over and said to Little Fatty, "We’ve struck it rich this time! There’s a patch of bamboo not far ahead, with Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemums all underneath. Quick, let’s go see!"
Little Fatty grabbed Li Banfeng’s arm. "Brother, there’s trouble."
"What trouble?"
"Old Smoker is dead."
"Dead? How did he die?"
"They killed him!" Little Fatty pointed towards the distant corpse.
When Li Banfeng saw the blood covering the ground and Old Smoker’s corpse, his legs turned to jelly.
"Wh-what happened? What are you guys doing? Didn’t we team up? Weren’t we supposed to look out for each other?" Li Banfeng stammered, terrified.
Qin Xiaopang pulled Li Banfeng. "Brother, it’s useless to talk now. They’ve been after our things from the start. We have to fight them!"
"Fight... fight..." Li Banfeng trembled all over.
Hu Gaizi laughed. "Boss, and you said to be wary of this guy. Just look at him, what kind of person is he?"
Gold-rimmed Glasses sighed. "I suppose I misjudged. Tell me, you’re Bai Sha, right? You found a good spot?"
"I... I saw it..." Li Banfeng was on the verge of tears.
"You really saw it?"
"I really did. I’m not lying to you." Li Banfeng untied the bulging bag from his waist. "These are all I picked over there."
Gold-rimmed Glasses smiled. "You’ve made a great contribution. Just squat here for now. Later, you can lead us there."
"Okay, okay..." Li Banfeng stood there, dumbfounded.
Hu Gaizi stepped forward and kicked Li Banfeng. "I told you to squat. Didn’t you hear me?"
Li Banfeng hurriedly crouched on the ground.
Gold-rimmed Glasses smiled at Qin Xiaopang. "What now? Your friend is useless!"
"You freaking coward!"
Hu Gaizi rolled up his sleeves, preparing to help Gold-rimmed Glasses take down Little Fatty.
Li Banfeng was still sobbing on the ground. "Weren’t we partners? We agreed to look out for each other. How could you kill someone? Why do you have to kill?"
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, Hu Gaizi felt a chill on his ankle. Before he could feel the pain, a warm liquid began to flow out.
The cut was deep, as if his Achilles’ tendon had been severed, rendering his foot immobile.
Hu Gaizi looked down at Li Banfeng, who was still crouching and wiping away tears.
"You just want the Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemums, right? There are plenty over there. I’ll give them all to you, just don’t kill me."
After speaking, Li Banfeng took out a pouch, seemingly ready to hand it to Gold-rimmed Glasses.
Gold-rimmed Glasses was momentarily distracted when he saw Li Banfeng throw the pouch directly at him.
As the cloth bag flew towards his face, Gold-rimmed Glasses raised his hand to block it. The bag was open, and an entire pouch full of vomit splattered onto Gold-rimmed Glasses’s face.
"I’ve given you all the flowers, now please spare me." As Li Banfeng cried, he stood up, revealing a small Sickle hidden up his sleeve. He raised his hand and slashed Hu Gaizi’s throat.
Hu Gaizi made no reaction whatsoever.
Hu Gaizi, clutching his throat, fell to the ground.
Gold-rimmed Glasses had just wiped the vomit from his eyes and hadn’t yet realized what had happened when darkness suddenly enveloped him.
Li Banfeng had pulled the bag over Gold-rimmed Glasses’s head again.
"I begged you not to kill me! I’m giving you the flowers!" Li Banfeng cried miserably as he swung the Sickle.
"Let go! I won’t kill you! I really won’t!"
Gold-rimmed Glasses struggled fiercely, but Li Banfeng grasped the bag tightly. With the bag pulled over his head, Gold-rimmed Glasses couldn’t break free.
"I really gave you the flowers; please don’t kill me." As Li Banfeng’s cries continued, the Sickle fell, piercing through the bag and hooking into Gold-rimmed Glasses’s skull.
"I won’t kill you! I definitely won’t!" Gold-rimmed Glasses struggled, but his brain was damaged, and his limbs began to disobey him.
Li Banfeng forcefully yanked the Sickle out and hooked it back in. "I said I’d give you the flowers, so why do you still want to kill me?"
"I really didn’t want to kill you! I definitely won’t!" Gold-rimmed Glasses screamed himself hoarse.
"You just have to kill me?" Li Banfeng was still crying, but the Sickle didn’t stop, moving in and out of Gold-rimmed Glasses’s skull.
"I really didn’t want to kill you!" Gold-rimmed Glasses’s voice cracked.
"Can’t you just not kill me?" SQUELCH! The Sickle entered Gold-rimmed Glasses’s skull again.
"I definitely won’t kill you!"
"I beg you not to kill me!" CRACK! Li Banfeng, still crying, pulled the Sickle out.
"I... I..." Gold-rimmed Glasses could no longer speak.
Gold-rimmed Glasses tried to wave his Folding Fan. He held it in mid-air, but it only shook erratically.
Li Banfeng had hooked the Sickle into Gold-rimmed Glasses’s skull six times in succession.
Gold-rimmed Glasses’s entire body convulsed.
Li Banfeng sobbed. "I’m so scared. Why do you insist on killing me?"
Qin Xiaopang was stunned, unsure of what to say.
Watching Li Banfeng strike again and again, until he pried open the top of Gold-rimmed Glasses’s skull, Qin Xiaopang hurriedly advised, "Brother Li, he seems to be dead."
"Dead?" Li Banfeng blinked. He stopped crying, his expression returned to normal, and his voice became normal too.
He looked at Qin Xiaopang and said seriously, "You know, Brother, I was terrified just now."
Qin Xiaopang felt dazed and asked cautiously, "Brother Li, are you... crazy?"
Li Banfeng shook his head firmly. "No, I’m not crazy. I’ve been to the hospital. The doctor said I’m not crazy."
PS: Ban Feng was extremely scared; let’s all come and comfort Ban Feng.