Chapter 33: I Am Extremely Afraid

Qin Xiaopang opened his eyes, the sounds of fighting still echoing in his ears.

He turned his head to see Old Smoker still locked in combat with Gold-Rimmed Glasses, his body already covered in bloodstains.

Old Smoker's movements were sluggish. Behind him, Hu Gaozi waited for an opportunity.

No, he had to go help quickly. Old Smoker wouldn't last much longer.

Just as Qin Xiaopang picked up his axe and stood up, he suddenly saw Gold-Rimmed Glasses circle around Old Smoker and grab his hair.

Old Smoker's head was pulled back. Hu Gaozi stepped forward and slit Old Smoker's throat with a dagger.

Blood gushed out, and Old Smoker's body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

Hu Gaozi looked at the blood and laughed wildly with excitement, his laughter punctuated by a few coughs.

He had been affected by the poisonous mist and Old Smoker's smoke poison, so his current condition wasn't very good.

But Gold-Rimmed Glasses was in excellent condition.

As a poison cultivator, he had strong resistance to the poisonous mist.

Of course, this didn't mean he could stay on Bitter Mist Mountain indefinitely; with his current cultivation, he couldn't withstand prolonged exposure to the poisonous mist.

But a single day wasn't too long for him; it had almost no effect.

He took out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from his hands, and walked over to Qin Xiaopang.

"You should have heard what I said earlier. I hate talking to fools and refuse to utter a word more than necessary.

"Compared to that old man, you shouldn't be considered a fool. At least you're young and not so stubborn.

"Give me all the flowers, and I'll let you go."

"No!" Xiaopang clutched his pocket tightly.

"Why bother?" Hu Gaozi chuckled. "I counted them for you. You only picked twenty flowers in total. Selling them down the mountain would only get you a little over a thousand yuan. Is losing your life for a thousand yuan worth it?"

"I'm not giving them to you!" Xiaopang tightened his grip on the axe. He knew his life was worth far more than a thousand yuan, and he wouldn't allow anyone to easily take what belonged to him.

"You're really asking for it!" Hu Gaozi stepped forward and kicked Xiaopang in the chest.

Xiaopang was prepared this time and blocked the kick with the axe handle, then turned and swung the axe at Hu Gaozi.

Hu Gaozi dodged the axe, but barely. After being poisoned by the smoke, he might not be a match for Xiaopang in a one-on-one fight.

But he didn't need to fight alone, because Gold-Rimmed Glasses was standing beside him.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses walked closer to Qin Xiaopang, fanning himself with a folding fan. "Brother, I'll advise you one last time: leave the flowers and quickly go down the mountain."

"You're dreaming!" Xiaopang spat. "I can't believe I trusted you, you bastard! You've been deceiving me this whole time!"

"Deceiving?" Gold-Rimmed Glasses shook his head. "I think I've been quite open and honest."

"Bullshit!" Xiaopang spat again. "Running into a bastard like you is my bad luck!"

"This isn't bad luck. Even if you didn't meet me, you would have met someone else," Gold-Rimmed Glasses smiled. "You brought such a large axe; it's obvious this is your first time on the mountain. Many people have been watching you since you left the inn."

Xiaopang was stunned, remembering Manager Feng from the general store.

No wonder he said not to bring the Azure Dragon Blade up the mountain.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses continued, "I know you feel unwilling to accept this, working your butt off all day to pick twenty flowers, only for them to be gone. Anyone would feel bad about that.

"But think about it, do these twenty flowers truly belong to you? Do you deserve them?

"This is your first time on Bitter Mist Mountain, and you want to make money. Do you have that qualification?

"You understand nothing. You don't know the way, you don't know the rules, you don't even know what a Snake Spot Chrysanthemum looks like.

"I've taught you many things. At least next time you come, you'll know where to pick flowers, what kind of flowers to pick, how many you can pick, how many you can take, who can be trusted, and who cannot.

"You've learned so much and saved your life, all for just a little over a thousand yuan. Do you truly think it's not worth it?"

Hearing this, Xiaopang pulled out a piece of dried food from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.

This was his last piece of dried food, and his last bit of capital.

No matter what the other party said, Xiaopang would never hand over the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses was disappointed. He wanted to wait until Xiaopang gave up resistance before effortlessly taking his life.

But since Xiaopang was resisting to the end, he would have to use a different approach.

"Little 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 fragrance from the fan, released by a mechanism on its ribs, slowly diffused.

The scent drifted out, but Xiaopang remained oblivious because he didn't know Gold-Rimmed Glasses was a poison cultivator.

When Old Smoker discovered Gold-Rimmed Glasses was a poison cultivator, Xiaopang had already fainted.

"My words remain the same: talking to a fool for even one extra sentence is a waste of effort. I believe you are not a fool." As Gold-Rimmed Glasses continued releasing the poison, he suddenly saw someone running from a distance.

"Brother Pang, everyone, I found a great spot! There are tons of Snake Spot Chrysanthemums there!"

Xiaopang turned his head and saw Li Banfeng running towards them.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses paused, then took two steps back. Hu Gaozi quickly grabbed his dagger.

How did he come back? Didn't he go down the mountain?

Li Banfeng rushed over and said to Xiaopang, "We're rich this time! There's a bamboo grove not far ahead, and under the bamboo are all Snake Spot Chrysanthemums! Go take a look quickly!"

Xiaopang pulled Li Banfeng back. "Brother, something's happened."

"What happened?"

"Old Smoker is dead."

"Dead? How did he die?"

"They killed him!" Xiaopang pointed to the distant body.

Li Banfeng saw the bloodstains all over the ground and Old Smoker's body, and his legs immediately went weak.

"W-what's going on? W-what are you doing? Didn't we team up? Weren't we supposed to look out for each other?" Li Banfeng was so frightened he could barely speak.

Qin Xiaopang pulled Li Banfeng. "Brother, it's useless to talk about this now. They wanted to steal our things from the start. We have to fight them!"

"F-fight... fight them..." Li Banfeng trembled all over.

Hu Gaozi chuckled. "Big Brother, you said we should be wary of this guy, but look what kind of person he turned out to be."

Gold-Rimmed Glasses sighed. "I guess I misjudged. Tell me, you're called Baisha, right? You found a good spot?"

"I-I saw it..." Li Banfeng's eyes were nearly brimming with tears.

"You really saw it?"

"I really did, I'm not lying," Li Banfeng unfastened the pouch from his waist. It was bulging with a large quantity. "I picked all these over there."

Gold-Rimmed Glasses smiled. "You've done a great service. You squat here for a moment, then lead us there later."

"Okay, okay..." Li Banfeng stood frozen in place.

Hu Gaozi stepped forward and kicked Li Banfeng. "I told you to squat. Didn't you hear me?"

Li Banfeng quickly squatted down on the ground.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses looked at Qin Xiaopang and chuckled. "What now? Your friend here is useless!"

"You good-for-nothing coward!" Xiaopang saw Li Banfeng squatting on the ground, wiping away tears, and knew he couldn't rely on him. He tightened his grip on the axe, preparing to fight Gold-Rimmed Glasses to the death.

Hu Gaozi rolled up his sleeves, ready to team up with Gold-Rimmed Glasses to take down Xiaopang.

Li Banfeng was still sobbing on the ground. "Didn't we team up? We said we'd look out for each other! How can you kill people? Why do you have to kill people?"

*Swoosh!*

Hu Gaozi suddenly felt a chill in his ankle. Before he registered the pain, a warm liquid began to flow from his ankle.

He was bleeding. Someone had cut him.

The cut was deep, as if it had severed his Achilles tendon. His foot wouldn't move.

Hu Gaozi looked down at Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng was still squatting on the ground, wiping away tears.

"Don't you just want the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums? There are plenty over there. Can't I just give them all to you? Please don't kill me."

With that, Li Banfeng took out his pouch, seemingly about to hand it to Gold-Rimmed Glasses.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses was momentarily stunned, then saw Li Banfeng throw the pouch directly at him.

The pouch wasn't aimed at Gold-Rimmed Glasses's hand, but at his head.

Within five meters, he never missed.

As the cloth pouch flew towards his face, Gold-Rimmed Glasses tried to block it with his hand. The pouch was open, and an entire bagful of vomit splattered all over Gold-Rimmed Glasses's face.

It was sour and sticky.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses couldn't open his eyes for a moment.

"I've given you all the flowers, just spare me." Li Banfeng cried as he stood up, revealing a small sickle hidden in his sleeve. He raised his hand and slit Hu Gaozi's throat.

Hu Gaozi didn't react at all.

A journey cultivator's speed was very fast.

At the same time, as a house cultivator, Li Banfeng was easily underestimated.

He had just come out of his dwelling, and his combat power was at its peak.

Moreover, the poisonous mist on Bitter Mist Mountain had largely dissipated, so Li Banfeng's physical condition was far superior to Hu Gaozi's.

More crucially, Li Banfeng's mental state was beyond Hu Gaozi's comprehension.

Not only Hu Gaozi, but even Qin Xiaopang couldn't understand.

He was crying, he was begging for mercy.

He was swinging his blade, he was killing people.

His actions didn't conform to normal human understanding.

Hu Gaozi clutched his throat and fell to the ground.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses had just wiped the vomit from his eyes and hadn't yet realized what was happening when he suddenly felt everything go dark.

Li Banfeng had put the cloth pouch over Gold-Rimmed Glasses's head again.

"I beg you, don't kill me! I'll give you all the flowers!" Li Banfeng cried miserably, then swung his sickle.

"Let go! I won't kill you, I really won't kill you!"

Gold-Rimmed Glasses struggled desperately, but Li Banfeng held the cloth pouch tightly. The pouch was over Gold-Rimmed Glasses's head, and he couldn't break free.

"I'll really give you the flowers, just don't kill me." Li Banfeng's sobs continued as the sickle descended, piercing through the cloth pouch and hooking into Gold-Rimmed Glasses's skull.

"I won't kill you, I definitely won't!" Gold-Rimmed Glasses couldn't break free. With brain damage, his limbs began to disobey him.

Li Banfeng yanked the sickle out forcefully, then hooked it in again. "I told you I'd give you the flowers, so why are you still trying to kill me?"

"I really didn't mean to kill you, I definitely won't kill you!" Gold-Rimmed Glasses shrieked, his voice hoarse.

What in the world was happening?

His severely damaged brain had also lost the ability to think.

"Do you really have to kill me?" Li Banfeng was still crying, but the sickle didn't stop, going in and out of Gold-Rimmed Glasses's skull again.

"I really didn't mean to kill you!" Gold-Rimmed Glasses's voice changed pitch.

"Can't you just *not* kill me?" *Thwack!* The sickle entered Gold-Rimmed Glasses's skull again.

"I definitely won't kill you!"

"I beg you, don't kill me!" *Crunch!* Li Banfeng, crying, pulled the sickle out.

"I, I..." Gold-Rimmed Glasses couldn't speak.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses tried to wave his fan, but it just stayed suspended in mid-air, trembling erratically.

Li Banfeng hooked the sickle into Gold-Rimmed Glasses's skull six times in succession.

The red stained the cloth pouch.

The white flowed out of the cloth pouch.

Gold-Rimmed Glasses's entire body was convulsing.

Li Banfeng sobbed, "I'm so scared! Why do you have to kill me?"

Qin Xiaopang stared, dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say.

Li Banfeng's body was thin and didn't look like someone capable of fighting.

Even Old Chen from the Dark Star Bureau couldn't understand how Li Banfeng could have won a one-against-five fight and severely injured his opponents.

If he could have seen this scene, perhaps he would have understood.

Watching Li Banfeng strike blow after blow until he had pried open Gold-Rimmed Glasses's skull, Qin Xiaopang quickly advised, "Brother Li, he seems to be dead."

"Dead?" Li Banfeng blinked, stopped crying, his expression became normal, and his voice returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had happened moments before.

He looked at Qin Xiaopang and said with a serious expression, "You know, brother, I was extremely scared just now."

He said he was extremely scared.

He said, very seriously, that he was extremely scared.

Qin Xiaopang felt a momentary daze and cautiously asked, "Brother Li, are you insane?"

Li Banfeng shook his head firmly. "No, I'm not insane. I went to the hospital, and the doctor said I'm not."

PS: Banfeng is extremely scared, everyone quickly come and comfort Banfeng.