Chapter 14: The Consequences of Bargaining

Wu Haishan climbed onto the bed without taking off his clothes and told Aguang to sleep on the floor.

Aguang fell asleep immediately, while Wu Haishan tossed and turned on the bed. Who was that old man? His methods resembled a Pill Cultivator, yet also bore traces of a Spell Cultivator…

Who cares? Tomorrow, I’ll wait outside the village. When that boy steps out, I’ll break his hands and feet and take him back to the Holy Maiden.

…

Xu Yuan had just fallen asleep when he was woken by a series of moans and groans from next door.

The man breathed like a raging ox.

Xu Yuan was irritated and restless—how could someone my age be expected to listen to this?

How could anyone endure this?!

He covered his ears with his clothes, but the sounds from next door grew louder, and the woman’s moans grew increasingly unrestrained…

After the unrestrained climax ended, the man still gasped heavily, still not calmed, when Xu Yuan heard another woman’s voice take over.

Xu Yuan clutched his head in agony.

In the middle of the night, from the neighbor’s room on the other side, came a rhythmic tapping—like a hard bird’s beak pecking strips of fresh meat off bone.

“Can’t people even sleep anymore?” Xu Yuan grumbled.

Jiao Erbo’s place was cheap, but as for the environment—don’t expect anything too good.

…

Wu Haishan was woken by loud banging on the door.

“Merchants, everyone’s waiting—get up and start trading!”

Wu Haishan leapt from the bed like a leaping carp, cursing himself for his carelessness—if Xu Yuan had escaped… He rushed to open the door and dashed out to check if Xu Yuan was still there.

But as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he was surrounded by villagers.

They held various mountain goods—furs, herbs, fruits, ores—and as soon as Wu Haishan appeared, they thrust their wares toward him: “What do you have to trade?”

Wu Haishan snapped: “Get out of my way!”

He shoved aside a fat man blocking him, but the fat man didn’t budge—he raised a bundle of long pheasant feathers: “I want two taels of salt.”

Wu Haishan was stunned—he was a ninth-rank Pill Cultivator, yet couldn’t even move a common villager.

“Old Chen! Zhou Qiao, Wang Jiu!” Wu Haishan shouted toward the outside, calling his three subordinates.

The villagers had already encircled him: “Are you going to start or not? Are you some fraud pretending to be a merchant?”

Wu Haishan raised his hands: “We’re real merchants! Wait until my men gather—we’ll begin immediately!”

After a while, a weak voice called from behind them: “Old Wu, I’m here…”

Wu Haishan hurriedly ordered everyone to make way, and saw Wu Xiu Old Chen limping forward, leaning against the wall, his face darkened and emaciated—his once robust, muscular frame had shrunk drastically since yesterday!

Wu Haishan was shocked: “What happened to you…?”

Old Chen nearly wept: “Dozens of them took turns all night—I’d be dead if I weren’t a Wu Xiu!”

The fat man sneered: “Fifty taels of silver per night—you paid only a hundred copper coins. Of course you had to pay another price.”

“There are many widows in the village. Borrowing seed won’t kill anyone.”

Wu Haishan suddenly understood—Aguang said the villagers here were simple and fair, wouldn’t demand unreasonable prices… this was what he meant!

“Where are Zhou Qiao and Wang Jiu?” Wu Haishan shouted. They had also negotiated last night.

The fat man growled: “I already said no one died! Hao Er’s family has too many kids—they need more food. You wouldn’t give it, so you had to help feed them.”

A chill shot from Wu Haishan’s heels straight to the crown of his head!

“What did you do to them?!”

Wu Haishan charged out without hesitation, sprinted to the house where Zhou Qiao and Wang Jiu had stayed, and flung open the door—there they lay in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Hao Er and his wife stood guard nearby: “Sunlight helps it grow back.”

When they saw Wu Haishan, tears burst from their eyes.

Each had lost a leg—amputated at the hip.

A deep claw mark scored their faces.

Last night, their faces had been gripped tight—they couldn’t scream.

Hao Er saw Wu Haishan and immediately said: “I’ve got two baskets of herbs—I want one jin of salt. Too many kids, they eat too fast…”

Wu Haishan erupted in rage and spat a jet of flame: “You still want to trade?! You demons—I’ll burn you alive!”

Hao Er shrieked and shot upward onto the roof—Wu Haishan’s “Abdominal Fire” missed.

Hao Er screeched from the roof: “These men are frauds! They’re not merchants!”

“What?!” The villagers’ eyes turned icy. They surrounded the courtyard from all sides: “Kill the frauds!”

Wu Haishan suddenly calmed—this village was no ordinary place! Not to mention that unfathomable Mountain Runner!

“I’m not a fraud!” Wu Haishan frantically pulled out silver: “I have money—I’ll buy all your mountain goods, fair prices!”

“What do we need money for? We want matches, salt, iron pots…”

Wu Haishan turned his head and saw Jiao Erbo’s door open—several villagers rushed over, assuming yesterday’s arrivals were all the same: “You’re a fraud too…”

“I’m not!” Xu Yuan pulled out salt, matches, and several kitchen knives: “What mountain goods do you have? We can negotiate prices—but I didn’t bring iron pots this time.”

These were all bought from Ying Taipo.

Xu Yuan shot Wu Haishan a cold glance: “I hate these frauds just like you—they’ve ruined our merchants’ reputation. Such scum must not be spared!”

Hao Er landed on the roof, heard this, and his eyes darted—he joined in the shrieking: “Kill them! Kill the frauds! Leave the meat for me…”

The already enraged villagers, stoked by this incitement, surged forward all at once.

Wu Haishan broke into a cold sweat, waving his hands frantically: “We’re not frauds—we’re from the Pingtian Society!”

As the villagers surged like a tide, about to drown him, Wu Haishan’s panic and fear vanished—replaced by a cold, ruthless fury!

BOOM!

His Abdominal Fire erupted violently, blasting from all seven orifices—mouth, nose, eyes, ears.

The villagers, caught off guard, were blasted back eight feet, screaming in agony.

But their screams sounded strange—some like wolves howling, some like pigs squealing, some like birds screeching…

Wu Haishan strode out of the courtyard—Hao Er shrieked and leapt down from the roof—but Wu Haishan, burning with hatred for him, had been waiting.

A pitch-black pill flew through the air!

Hao Er, with many children, was always timid and cautious—he feared leaving his widow and orphans without care. Seeing the Pill Cultivator launch a pill, he twisted midair, trying to retreat to the roof.

But the pill suddenly burst into a cloud of gray mist, from which emerged a giant spider’s phantom.

The spider spat silk, instantly weaving a massive net that engulfed Hao Er from above!

(End of Chapter)