Chapter 156: Blood Tooth Mountain

Li Banfeng turned to look at the man who had spoken—he was around thirty, wearing a leather coat, a fur cap, a short knife at his side, and a bow and arrows on his back.

"Who are you?" Li Banfeng asked.

"A hunter," the man replied. "You're new here in Sanpan River, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded, then asked: "What did you just say about a tooth monster?"

The hunter spoke with slurred diction; Li Banfeng hadn't clearly heard him before.

The hunter repeated: "Dripping Blood Tooth Monster—everyone who's been to Sanpan River knows: don't climb Blood Tooth Mountain."

Dripping Blood Tooth Monster—what a mouthful of a name.

Li Banfeng looked at the lush, overgrown Blood Tooth Mountain and asked the hunter: "Have you ever seen the Blood Tooth Monster?"

"Seen it? I've hunted here long enough."

"What does the Blood Tooth Monster look like?"

"Hard to say—it comes in all shapes. Just stay far away."

"Nothing distinctive at all?"

"If you want distinctive…," the hunter thought a moment, "the Blood Tooth Monster has two unusually long fangs. He usually keeps them hidden, but sometimes they slip out."

The trait is in the teeth.

By the time you see his teeth, it'll be too late to prepare.

"If I don't climb the mountain, I won't meet the Blood Tooth Monster?"

The hunter nodded. "The Blood Tooth Monster can't leave the mountain—that's the rule."

The Blood Tooth Monster can't leave the mountain—meaning he's always up there.

Following Yao Lao's instructions, Li Banfeng must follow the fixed route to Haichi Ridge—no detours, or he'll face greater dangers.

Which means Li Banfeng must climb the mountain.

But before climbing, he needed more information.

Li Banfeng pulled out a thousand Huan State banknotes and handed them to the hunter—he never let others work for free; it was his habit.

"How strong is the Blood Tooth Monster?"

The hunter took the money, delighted, and answered seriously: "Depends who you're comparing to. The Blood Tooth Monster has fifth-layer cultivation. If you're above fifth layer, you've got nothing to fear."

Fifth-layer cultivation…

A bit troublesome.

Li Banfeng was third-layer Zhai Xiu, plus quasi-third-layer Lv Xiu—under normal circumstances, he couldn't defeat a fifth-layer.

Especially on Blood Tooth Mountain, the monster's own territory—fighting him here would be disadvantageous for Li Banfeng.

All of this assumes the hunter was telling the truth.

"How many Blood Tooth Monsters are on the mountain?"

The hunter answered: "One."

"Just one?"

The hunter widened his eyes. "You think one's not enough? Isn't one plenty?"

Such a vast mountain, and only one monster—if I don't wander blindly, I can avoid him easily.

But the key problem was: Li Banfeng had never climbed this mountain before—he didn't know its terrain.

As he pondered his strategy, the hunter asked: "Why must you climb Blood Tooth Mountain?"

Li Banfeng gave a vague reply: "Same as you—I'm here to hunt."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a thunderous crash echoed.

A rock beside Li Banfeng suddenly exploded.

A shard of stone grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody scratch.

The hunter flinched, shouting angrily: "You're lying!"

"I'm not!" Li Banfeng denied it outright.

Crack!

Another rock exploded. This time Li Banfeng sensed the danger and dodged most of the shards, but his clothes were torn.

What's going on?

The hunter clutched his head. "You damn liar again!"

"I really didn't…"

"Shut up!" the hunter panicked. "Once you enter Blood Tooth Mountain's territory, never lie! If you want to die, die alone—don't drag me down with you!"

No lying allowed on this mountain? And this place has such magic?

Li Banfeng looked around and shouted loudly: "I really am here to hunt!"

Crack!

Another rock exploded.

"I've never seen Song Laoshi's peaches!"

Crack!

Another exploded.

"I've never killed anyone!"

Boom!

The entire mountain seemed to shake.

Several nearby rocks collapsed, dust swirling—both men couldn't open their eyes for minutes.

Amid the falling debris, Li Banfeng dodged left and right, but still suffered multiple scrapes.

The hunter crouched on the ground, clutching his head, screaming: "What are you doing? What are you really doing? Didn't I tell you not to lie on Blood Tooth Mountain?!"

Li Banfeng wiped the blood from his skin and turned to the hunter: "You've seen the Blood Tooth Monster—you've climbed this mountain before, right?"

"I have," the hunter answered. No rock exploded—he spoke the truth.

Li Banfeng asked: "Will you guide me?"

The hunter stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and looked at Li Banfeng: "Why should I guide you? I'm here to hunt!"

That was also true.

Li Banfeng pulled out two stacks of Huan State banknotes and handed them to the hunter.

The hunter took the money, counted it, and accepted: "I'll only show you the way. I won't handle anything else."

"You don't need to—just lead me across this mountain."

"And don't you dare lie again—someone could die!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "You better not lie either—or someone really will die."

"Follow me!"

The hunter had taken two steps forward when Li Banfeng called from behind: "Are you the Blood Tooth Monster?"

The hunter turned back. "Are you crazy? I'm not the Blood Tooth Monster—I run from him!"

No rock moved—the hunter wasn't lying.

Li Banfeng smiled and climbed the mountain with the hunter, chatting casually.

"What other monsters are on this mountain?"

The hunter shook his head. "Only the Dripping Blood Tooth Monster. Other monsters can't climb Blood Tooth Mountain. Occasionally there are birds and beasts—no need to worry, I can handle them."

If they were merely ordinary birds and beasts, Li Banfeng could handle them himself—no need for the hunter.

The path was treacherous, with waist-high wild grass. As he walked, Li Banfeng asked: "Does the Blood Tooth Monster usually appear around here?"

The hunter shook his head. "I don't know. I've walked this path before."

"You'll help me avoid the Blood Tooth Monster, right?"

"I'll avoid him for sure—I don't want to meet him either."

No rock moved—this was true.

The higher they climbed, the thicker the vegetation became. The hunter swung his curved blade ahead, clearing the way.

They chatted all the way, but the hunter's speech was so slurred that Li Banfeng found it exhausting to understand.

Yet every word the hunter spoke was true—the mountain's rocks remained silent.

At mid-mountain, the hunter turned right: "We won't go to the summit. The Blood Tooth Monster's den is close to the top—let's circle around here."

Li Banfeng nodded, then suddenly asked: "Do you have cultivation?"

The hunter nodded. "I do."

"What sect? What layer?"

The hunter frowned. "Why should I tell you? We're not even acquainted!"

Li Banfeng remained calm. "I'm a good person."

The hunter flinched, immediately clutching his head.

The mountain's rocks didn't move.

Li Banfeng was telling the truth.

"You scared me half to death!" the hunter exhaled. "I thought you were about to pull another trick!"

Li Banfeng remained calm. "I really am a good person."

The rocks stayed silent.

In Li Banfeng's own understanding, he truly was a good person.

This gave Li Banfeng some insight: the Blood Fang Mountain judged whether someone lied not by objective facts, but by the individual's own perception.

A barren mountain in a newly claimed land could not possibly gather so many objective facts, let alone clearly define whether a person was good or evil.

But if a person spoke words contrary to their own perception, they violated the Blood Fang Mountain's rule, causing the rocks to shatter.

The more severe the contradiction, the more violently the rocks shattered.

What if someone exceptionally skilled at lying came here—would they blow the entire mountain apart?

If anyone truly dared to do that, they'd likely die along with it.

This reminded Li Banfeng of a magic treasure used along the border by border guards—the De Xiu magic treasure.

That treasure could test whether someone lied; if a person falsely claimed their name, they would instantly split apart.

Even if someone had just changed their name and hadn't fully accepted it, they would die on the spot before that treasure.

This precisely exploited the nature of lies.

You can deceive others with lies, but it's hard to deceive yourself—that must be how De Xiu detected lies.

Of course, this was merely Li Banfeng's speculation.

As he pondered, the hunter suddenly turned and asked: "You just said you never killed anyone—the rocks exploded. You lied. So you've killed before."

"I have." Li Banfeng answered honestly.

"You've killed people—and still call yourself a good person?"

Li Banfeng replied calmly: "Everyone I killed deserved to die."

The rocks remained still, further proving Li Banfeng's speculation.

Whether someone deserved to die was hard to judge, but in Li Banfeng's perception, they truly did.

The surrounding wild grass grew taller and taller; some weeds reached Li Banfeng's shoulders.

The stones beneath his feet grew more numerous—if not for his Traveler cultivation base, he'd easily twist his ankle.

This was unusual: where vegetation thrived, there shouldn't be so many stones.

After circling halfway up the mountain, they should be ready 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 sat down too.

He sensed no danger nearby, but the Blood Fang Monster had a fifth-layer cultivation base, while Li Banfeng's Traveler base was only second-layer—if the Blood Fang Monster deliberately concealed its malice, Li Banfeng would struggle to detect it.

The hunter traced his curved blade and said to Li Banfeng: "Rest a bit—we'll be on the move soon."

Li Banfeng pulled out his wine gourd, took a sip, and asked: "Which path are we taking?"

The hunter frowned: "What other path could there be?"

Li Banfeng looked earnestly at the hunter: "I genuinely don't know."

The hunter frowned: "Are you really insane?"

"I'm not insane." Li Banfeng smiled naturally—the rocks showed no reaction; this was the truth.

The hunter frowned: "Then what exactly do you want?"

Li Banfeng said: "I just want to know—what path are we taking?"

"You came to Blood Fang Mountain yourself—you must know your own path."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"Aren't I already with you?"

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Li Banfeng's eyes turned icy.

The hunter spoke slowly: "I told you—I'm not a Blood Fang Monster."

Li Banfeng nodded: "You're right—you're not a Blood Fang Monster. You also told me that only the Dripping Blood Fang Monster can ascend Blood Fang Mountain."

"Yes, I said it—there are no other monsters on this mountain besides the Dripping Blood Fang Monster." The hunter nodded calmly.

Li Banfeng smiled: "So you're the Dripping one, aren't you?"

PS: Is Blood Fang Mountain especially fun?

(End of Chapter)