Chapter 140: Orange Garden

Capitalizing on the record player's guilt, Li Banfeng gave her a hard time. After sleeping for a night, Li Banfeng returned to the orange grove the next morning.

Li Banfeng spent half the day wandering through the orange grove, but by noon, he still hadn't found anything.

Feeling hungry and not wanting to eat canned food, he simply climbed a tree, picked two oranges, and ate them right there.

These 50-centimeter oranges were larger than pomelos, yet their skins were remarkably soft and thin.

As he peeled the orange, large, plump segments released a distinctive fragrance. Li Banfeng, with his keen sense of smell, couldn't resist the temptation. He picked up a segment and bit into it.

Sweet and slightly tart juice flooded his mouth, with both its ninety percent sweetness and ten percent tartness stimulating every taste bud.

The initially refreshing aroma seemed to release from his throat into his nasal passages. After that first bite, Li Banfeng found he couldn't stop.

In his home state, he had been a poor man who had never eaten anything good in his life.

But in Lanyang Village, he was living prosperously and had tasted many delicacies, yet none could compare to this orange.

Why was this orange so fragrant?

Fat!

There was fat in it!

It wasn't the greasy fat from animals, but rather a semi-solid fat integrated into the orange juice.

The fat flowed with the juice in his mouth, his tongue catching the delicate texture, but the juice didn't linger, sliding down his esophagus into his stomach along with the fatty substance.

No, that wasn't enough.

Li Banfeng picked up another segment and slurped it down.

The two large oranges were gone in an instant, leaving Li Banfeng's belly round and distended.

He collected the orange peels.

He didn't particularly want the orange peels, nor was he in need of the money they might bring. Besides, the peels were so thin that even from two oranges, they wouldn't weigh a pound.

However, Li Banfeng remembered the old hunter's advice to avoid wasting anything in the orange grove.

Indeed, such excellent oranges shouldn't be wasted. Li Banfeng even carefully buried the orange seeds in the soil.

The scent of oranges from the trees once again piqued Li Banfeng's appetite.

He couldn't eat any more, or his stomach would burst.

He was battling a fierce internal struggle when he suddenly detected a faint smell of smoke amidst the orange fragrance.

Where was this smoke coming from?

To the east of the orange grove, an elderly man was tied to an orange tree, while two young men waved torches in front of him.

"You old geezer, you're so old you're practically a coffin filling. What trouble are you stirring up here?"

The old man gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you afraid of retribution for doing this?"

"What did we do? We haven't cut down any trees or wasted any oranges. What rule have we broken?"

Li Banfeng, also curious, stood silently behind the two young men, listening.

Indeed, what rule had they broken?

The old man ground his teeth. "You're burning the trees! You've burned all those trees to death!"

One young man grinned. "What does us burning trees have to do with you? Or would you prefer we burn you instead?"

The other young man chuckled, waving the torch in front of the old man's face again.

Li Banfeng spoke up. "Why are you burning the trees?"

The two young men were startled, only then realizing someone was behind them.

One young man drew a short knife and shouted, "Who are you?"

Li Banfeng frowned. "I asked first. Why are you burning the trees?"

Without a word, the two young men charged at Li Banfeng, short knives in hand, one from the left and one from the right.

They were quite coordinated, clearly having worked together for some time.

They handled their short knives with exceptional skill, suggesting they were martial cultivators, likely between the first and second levels of cultivation.

It certainly wasn't easy for these two to reach the orange grove; they must have consulted someone for directions beforehand.

But how did they cross the Iron Wire River? This piqued Li Banfeng's curiosity.

Li Banfeng first stepped to the left, swung his sickle, and struck one man's neck. Then he swiftly stepped to the right, reached the other young man, and hooked his chest with the sickle.

"Don't move, or I'll carve out your heart!"

With the blade tip nearly touching his heart, the young man remained perfectly still.

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "I'm asking you one more time: why are you burning the trees?"

The young man gasped with difficulty. "We came to catch elephant beetles. They're inside the tree trunks and hard to catch. Burning the trees forces them out."

Li Banfeng looked around. A dozen or so orange trees nearby were completely scorched. The old man, tears in his eyes, said, "They've ruined all these trees."

The oranges were still on the trees, and Li Banfeng could still smell their fragrance.

Such excellent orange trees, now dead.

Li Banfeng looked at the young man, frowned, and asked, "You're just wasting such good oranges like this?"

"We're here to catch elephant beetles! These bugs are too slippery. The two of us can only catch thirty to fifty a day. By burning the trees, we can catch over a hundred! We went through so much trouble to get here; we just wanted to catch enough to make our trip worthwhile!"

Li Banfeng said, "If it's slow, just catch for a few more days. There are plenty of oranges to eat here. If you keep wasting them like this, this orange grove will be wiped out in a few days."

The young man endured the pain, gritting his teeth. "Buddy, watch your step and don't burn bridges. You don't know who I am. I'm from Lanyang Village, and the fifth young master of the Ma family is my superior. Do you dare to touch me? Have you considered the consequences?"

"You're from Lanyang Village?" Li Banfeng said with a surprised expression. "I see, so we're all brothers from the same place. Come on, let's talk somewhere else."

The one whose neck had been cut wasn't quite dead. Li Banfeng took him along and went to a distant spot, ensuring they were out of the old man's sight. He then threw both men into his portable dwelling.

This time, his 'wife' didn't hold back. Before Li Banfeng could even close the door, she had already begun to eat.

Returning to the old man, Li Banfeng untied him.

The old man stood up, stretched his limbs, and asked, "Where are those two young men?"

Li Banfeng replied, "They've gone home. I told them to reflect on their actions, and they promised not to do it again."

The old man sighed, seemingly understanding Li Banfeng's meaning. He walked over to the burned orange trees and touched their scorched bark.

"These beasts, what a sin! Are you also from Huazi Bay?"

Huazi Bay?

What place is that?

"I'm from Greenwater Bay."

The old man smiled upon hearing this. "Greenwater Bay is what you call it. When I was young, that place was called Huazi Bay, and it was full of beggars."

"Elder, are you sure you haven't mistaken the place?" Li Banfeng blinked. "Greenwater Bay is full of wealthy people."

The old man gently stroked the bark, seemingly lost in recollection. "When I was young, there was a beggar in Huazi Bay who contracted a strange disease from who knows where. His entire body broke out in sores, first oozing white pus, then red, and finally the pus turned green.

"At that time, Huazi Bay, aside from the beggars, was mostly populated by poor people. Getting a full meal was considered lucky, and if they fell ill, they certainly had no money for treatment.

"This beggar's illness was terrifying. His body was covered in green fluid, and no one dared to approach him. No one would give him food; even if he picked garbage from a ditch to eat, people would throw stones at him.

"Even then, he couldn't die, continuing to live in a state neither human nor ghost."

The beggar with green pus!

Li Banfeng had seen this person before.

That person's voice echoed in his ears again: "Pity me."

"Young man, what are you thinking about?"

Startled, Li Banfeng replied, "He's been alive all this time? He must have a very tough life."

"Tough! Really tough! Because his cultivation was high enough."

"What Daoist sect did he belong to, and what was his cultivation level?"

"His Daoist sect was self-created; others couldn't explain it clearly, and no one knew his exact cultivation level. Unfortunately, he fell ill and couldn't use any of his abilities.

"One day, as heavy snow fell, he was starving. He begged for food along the streets, but not a single person gave him anything.

"He starved to death. On the very day he died, many people in Huazi Bay contracted a strange illness. They first broke out in rashes, which then burst into sores. The sores initially oozed white pus, which turned green after a few days.

"After a few days of green pus, those afflicted died. Then people around them started breaking out in rashes, and soon they, too, began oozing green pus.

"People died in waves; almost everyone in Huazi Bay perished. From then on, Huazi Bay became Greenwater Bay."

The more Li Banfeng listened, the more a chilling dread crept over him. He carefully studied the old man before him and cautiously asked, "When did this happen?"

The old man shook his head. "Many years ago. I don't remember exactly how many."

"Have you been to Huazi Bay?"

The old man chuckled. "How can you say 'been to'? I am from Huazi Bay. I fled to this new land to escape that great disaster."

Greenwater Bay was originally called Huazi Bay.

It all originated from a beggar who oozed green pus.

Medicine King Gorge got its name from the Medicine King.

Greenwater Bay got its name from the beggar.

So this beggar was the master of Greenwater Bay?

Li Banfeng had never heard anyone mention this before.

The old man before him was from the same era as the beggar who oozed green pus.

How old must he be, then?

Anyone who comes to the orange grove and damages the trees dies.

Could it be connected to this old man?

Is this old man the owner of the orange grove?

"Elder, have you always lived in this orange grove? Have you never returned to Greenwater Bay?" Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes of Autumn Hairs, wanting to know if the old man was human or ghost.

The old man showed no ghostly aura, so he seemed to be human.

The old man nodded. "I don't dare to go back. Although that beggar died, I heard his soul is still there. Every so often, he comes out, carrying a begging bowl, and asks for food.

"If three people give him alms, the matter is considered passed. If fewer than three people do, he will unleash a disaster, identical to the one before he died."

Li Banfeng's scalp tingled. He had given the beggar a few steamed buns back then; that should count as alms.

Xiaochuanzi had given the beggar two eggs, which also counted as alms.

Had anyone else given him alms?

In a place like Lanyang Village, with its simple customs, would anyone give alms to a beggar? Especially one covered in green pus!

Greenwater Bay was this beggar's territory, so why did he choose Lanyang Village to beg?

Did he deliberately intend to bring disaster?

Did he intentionally destroy his own territory?

Was Lanyang Village about to suffer a plague?

So much time had passed, and there seemed to be no unusual activity...

As his thoughts raced, the old man suddenly asked, "Young man, did you just bury seeds in the soil?"

Li Banfeng froze, then answered truthfully, "Yes."

The old man nodded and then asked, "What did you come to the orange grove for? Are you looking for orange peels, or orange maggots? Or something else?"

Li Banfeng replied, "I wanted to eat oranges."

The old man shook his head and chuckled. "Young man, tell the truth. You must always tell me the truth."

Li Banfeng answered truthfully, "If I come here again, it will certainly be to eat oranges, because they are simply too delicious."

The old man nodded, believing Li Banfeng. "Then what did you come for this time?"

"This time, I came to find Blue-Leaf Poplar."

"What do you want Blue-Leaf Poplar for? To forge weapons?"

"No, I want Blue-Leaf Poplar for alchemy." Li Banfeng simply told the truth, as he felt any lie would be seen through by the old man.

The old man pondered for a moment. "You want to use Blue-Leaf Poplar to counteract pill toxins, don't you?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

The old man sighed. "Don't even think about it. The toxicity of Blue-Leaf Poplar can indeed counteract pill toxins, but for many years, no one has successfully refined it. Even the Medicine King of Medicine King Gorge couldn't do it.

"You're a good young man, but please don't risk your life on this. Once Blue-Leaf Poplar enters your mouth, you'll surely die."