A group of people busied themselves by the lake for half a day. Apart from several dozen empty clam shells, they hadn't caught a thing.
Jiao Po Tian was so furious he howled and roared, as if only now remembering that the villagers had probably mentioned these stone clams couldn't be caught by hand.
Li Qiuchen had hidden in the woods and taken a nap. Opening his eyes, he discovered they were still groping around over there. He couldn't help shaking his head and sighing.
How could people be so stupid?
Those empty clam shells—he had originally buried them. When he buried them, it was because he feared others would discover his pearl-extraction technique from the shells. Later, he had taken White Crane to dig them up and throw them into the water, precisely to let the bandits realize someone had extracted pearls here…
They had indeed found them, but completely failed to consider why the shells were empty, just stubbornly fishing around over there.
This gave Li Qiuchen a sense of helplessness, as if he were fighting wits with thin air.
One could only say that fools have their foolish luck. Because they completely failed to realize this was a trap, they had instead perfectly missed the trap Li Qiuchen left for them.
Fortunately, out of caution, Li Qiuchen had set up more than one trap.
As he watched the sky gradually darken, Jiao Po Tian flew into a rage and kicked Er Laizi around like a ball.
Er Laizi was kicked until blood sprayed from his nose and mouth. He truly couldn't take it anymore and begged for mercy repeatedly: "Boss, spare my life! Perhaps our method is wrong? How about we try the method that old geezer mentioned?"
Jiao Po Tian grew even angrier. Previously, the one who said they couldn't trust the old geezer was you; now the one saying they should trust the old geezer was also you. Are you taking me for a fool?
"Enough, enough, stop fishing! Set up the pots and cook!"
Spring in the Northern Territories appeared warm, but in reality the temperature difference was quite significant. Now that the sun had set, the lake water was as cold as ice. The bandits, who had long been frozen half to death, climbed ashore one after another, hugging their shoulders and starting fires.
Jiao Po Tian grabbed the bloodied Er Laizi and demanded in a cold voice: "What exactly did that old geezer say? Repeat it for me!"
"He… he said if you want to extract pearls, you must lay out a feast, offer the three sacrificial livestock and fruits, and worship the Mountain God Lord, begging the Mountain God Lord to bestow his blessing and open his grace."
The old man spoke with great skill, mixing truth and falsehood together, concealing the most crucial part about the Mountain Lord.
The bandits didn't know about the Mountain Lord, so naturally they didn't know about Li Qiuchen's existence.
There were ready-made stove platforms by the lakeside, with quite a bit of unburned charcoal still inside. No one would disdain such ready-made kindling. Of course, no one would examine whether among that pitch-black charcoal ash there was any strange powder mixed in.
The bandits had looted quite a lot from the village. After a busy day, they were all exhausted. Now they worked together with many hands, wishing they could immediately eat something hot. But just as they finally got the fire going, they were stopped by the leader.
Jiao Po Tian pondered for a moment and ordered someone to slaughter a live chicken, bring a few corn buns, and pile up an earthen altar. He then led his men to kneel with a heavy thud, and without a word, began kowtowing nine times with loud thuds.
"Mountain God Grandfather—!"
They say there's only misgiven names, never misgiven nicknames.
Jiao Po Tian's nickname really wasn't an empty boast. One roar from his throat startled countless birds in the surrounding woods into flight.
"Great Mountain God, bear witness! I, Xue Jia, lost my parents since childhood and lived a life of wandering… wandering destitution. I originally secured an honest position in the county town. Who would have thought my rough speech offended my superior, forcing me to take to the woods as an outlaw? It truly is bitter!
"I beg the Great Mountain God to show great mercy and bestow Profound Pearls, giving me and my brothers a chance to reform and become good! If we brothers have prosperous futures in the days to come, we will return to rebuild your temple and reshape your golden body! I can swear to heaven: if my words prove false, let me be torn apart by five horses!
"Great Lord, show mercy!"
This Jiao Po Tian did have some experience; what he shouted sounded quite proper.
Unfortunately, no one responded.
After shouting himself hoarse for half a day without any movement from the Mountain God Lord, Jiao Po Tian hardened his heart and grabbed Er Laizi's head beside him, stepping on it.
Er Laizi immediately pissed his pants in terror.
"Boss… what are you doing? Don't…"
*Pfft.*
One strike, severed head.
Jiao Po Tian lifted Er Laizi's head and shouted toward the mountain: "Great Mountain God! Look closely! We don't want to harass our countryside neighbors either. It was all this kid who envied the village head's wealth and deliberately ran to tip us off. If you want to blame someone, blame him. Now I've chopped off his head. Are you satisfied?"
The mountains were deathly silent. Apart from echoes, there was no movement at all.
Jiao Po Tian waited a while, then cursed and threw away the head: "What fucking dogshit Mountain God? I've been fucking tricked again!"
He didn't feel anything, but Li Qiuchen hiding in the woods felt somewhat terrified.
The moment he insulted the Mountain God, Li Qiuchen clearly felt the woods where he was hiding tremble slightly.
Something had really come.
The bandits by the lake were still burning their fire. As the flames rose, the powder mixed into the charcoal was also ignited.
At first, no one noticed anything amiss. Even if someone kept hugging his shoulders and shivering, eyes staring blankly, his companions assumed his body had been frozen by the lake water and completely paid it no mind.
Until someone looked at the lake surface and giggled foolishly. Someone beside him asked curiously: "What are you looking at?"
"Watching two little people fighting!"
"Where? Let me see."
"Right over there!"
Jiao Po Tian vaguely sensed something was wrong and was about to rise to investigate when he suddenly felt dizzy and swayed, plopping back down on his rear.
Someone else who felt something was wrong was the instigator himself, Li Qiuchen.
The medicinal powder I scattered had such strong toxicity? How come I didn't know?
Could it be that I'm some kind of poison-refining prodigy?
That was naturally impossible.
If anything, this looked more like they had received "retribution."
Could there really be a Mountain God here?
Whether there was a Mountain God or not, Li Qiuchen didn't know. But in the present situation, the unprepared bandits were poisoned one after another, falling into frenzied hallucinations.
This was the perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Li Qiuchen gestured toward two bandits kneeling and dry-heaving in a secluded spot, signaling to White Crane.
A vicious gleam flashed in White Crane's eyes. Spreading its wings and lightly flicking them, two feathers transformed into streaks of light and silently flew out.
The sharp feathers slashed their throats. The two men collapsed without a sound.
With one successful strike, Li Qiuchen didn't rush to add to his tally, but instead quietly relocated with White Crane.
Three minutes later, he found suitable targets once again. Raising a hand and pointing, the feathers shot out. In a dark corner where no one was paying attention, two more people clutched their throats and fell.
After changing positions once more, Li Qiuchen noticed White Crane's body was trembling slightly, even its footsteps somewhat unsteady.
"First time killing someone?"
He had only asked casually, never expecting the stupid bird to actually nod.
Then why was your killing intent so heavy, making me think you'd murdered people like cutting hemp?
Li Qiuchen irritably patted White Crane's shoulder: "Don't be nervous. It's my first time too."
Wait, I didn't kill anyone. I only instigated; it was the one who moved its claws. What does it have to do with me?
White Crane stared at Li Qiuchen with full suspicion. The meaning was obvious.
You don't look like it.
What kind of kid plans so meticulously their first time killing?
I played too many games in my previous life, is that not allowed?
Li Qiuchen wasn't guilty in the slightest.
He even felt a little excited.
Watching one fresh life after another disappear before his eyes, a faint sense of irritation surfaced from the depths of his heart.
Not fear of death, but regret for the passing of life.
Just like seeing leftover bird's nest and shark fin soup poured into a trash can.
Too wasteful.
How can life be squandered like this?
Quietly suppressing this restless mood, Li Qiuchen selected a third group of targets.
"If you feel uncomfortable, we'll withdraw. Killing four of them already counts as avenging the villagers."
White Crane shook its head, raised its wing, and shot out two more feathers.
The bandits caught in hallucinations completely failed to notice their companions disappearing one by one beside them. They were immersed in their illusions, unable to extricate themselves, even treating each other as enemies and drawing weapons to kill one another.
The hallucinogenic power of this powder far exceeded Li Qiuchen's expectations.
Jiao Po Tian screamed himself hoarse, hacking the bizarre enemy before him into two pieces. The scalding hot blood splashed on his face, finally restoring a bit of clarity to his mind.
The strange silence around him made him feel a chill to the bone.
Turning his head to look, he saw that the thirty to fifty subordinates he had brought had already been completely wiped out.
Li Qiuchen had directed White Crane to launch sneak attacks seven times in the dark, killing a full fifteen people.
As for the remaining bandits, they had all killed each other in their hallucinations. Among them, six or seven unlucky ones had even died directly beneath Jiao Po Tian's blade.
The night wind blew. Jiao Po Tian only felt the back of his head was ice-cold, and he suddenly shuddered.
"Ghosts! GHOSTS—!"
He threw down his knife and ran toward the foot of the mountain without looking back.
It seemed he had been driven mad by this bizarre scene.
Needless to say him; even Li Qiuchen and White Crane were hiding in the woods, trembling with fear.
White Crane stumbled out of the woods, flapping its wings once. All its feathers instantly retracted, but the bloody smell on the feathers made it vomit on the spot.
It's just a bit of blood, acting like a woman.
Li Qiuchen also felt quite disgusted, but he had seen far more disgusting things long ago.
For example, an Old Hulk who lived to be one hundred eighty years old and had eyeballs growing all over his body.
So he could barely endure this physiological discomfort.
Suppressing his nausea, he walked into the pile of corpses and began delivering the final blows.
Some people weren't dead yet. Either their injuries weren't severe and they hadn't breathed their last, or they had fallen unconscious and instead escaped calamity.
Though they appeared motionless on the surface, the life energy flowing within their bodies couldn't escape Li Qiuchen's eyes.
For these bandits who drew their blades to kill at the slightest disagreement, he dared not harbor the slightest feminine mercy.
Once he let them live, his own small frame couldn't withstand their retaliation.
Either don't do it, or do it thoroughly.
This is called the wisdom of survival.