Chapter 50: Unexpected Friction

To his surprise, the scruffy old man pointed at Xiang Lan'er. "This wench, I've seen her at Liyun Brothel too. Looks like she's in cahoots with that madam. You're a good young man, brave enough to confront the demonic path at such a young age. Excellent, truly excellent, I admire you. Can't bring yourself to do it because she's pretty? Come on, I'll do it."

He beckoned, signaling for Xiang Lan'er to be brought over.

"Seen at Liyun Brothel?" Besides being nervous, Xiang Lan'er was also confused. She couldn't have failed to notice someone looking like him at Liyun Brothel.

Shi Chun, however, was overjoyed. It seemed the old man hadn't heard their previous conversation. He immediately forced a fawning smile. "Senior, you've misunderstood. This junior is a gentleman who appreciates beauty but is not lecherous. The reason I kept her is to thoroughly investigate this fiend's background, to unearth her roots, nothing else. She still has great use alive; it would be a pity to kill her directly."

The scruffy old man took another swig of wine, then waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you go dig up your roots. I'll go check on the other one from earlier; don't want her to get away."

With that, he flashed into the forest. Immediately, bewildered sounds came from him: "Did she really run away? Want to run? Not so easy."

His figure could vaguely be seen flickering in the mist before vanishing without a trace.

Shi Chun immediately withdrew the great saber from Xiang Lan'er's neck and slapped Wu Jinliang's face, who was lying on the ground behind him, with the flat of the blade. "Jinliang, Jinliang."

However, the short blade in his hand remained on Xiang Lan'er, as he remained vigilant.

It would have been better if he hadn't slapped Wu Jinliang's face. After two slaps, Wu Jinliang actually started snoring, soft, rhythmic snores, as if he were sleeping soundly.

"Heh," Shi Chun chuckled in exasperation. "In such a tense situation, I was almost scared out of my wits, and you're asleep?"

He couldn't afford to dawdle any longer and immediately gave him two hard kicks.

"Huh?" Wu Jinliang, opening his eyes abruptly, seemed to remember something. He suddenly flipped over and jumped up, not forgetting to drag his great saber along. He looked around and asked, "Chun Tian, where's the madam?"

Shi Chun: "Less nonsense. Grab the money notes and let's go."

As soon as he heard "grab the money," Wu Jinliang's eyes swept over the area. He immediately spotted the scattered targets on the ground and quickly darted over, swiftly picking up the bank notes.

During this process, Shi Chun continued to hold Xiang Lan'er hostage, vigilantly surveying their surroundings. He dared not relax, fearing a trick. What if the previous scene was a rescue ploy by the demonic path?

Xiang Lan'er, this time, was quite cooperative. Even though she could speak, she remained silent, allowing Shi Chun to do as he pleased.

Suddenly, seeing Wu Jinliang, after clearing the ground, about to search the masked man's body pinned to the tree, Shi Chun immediately cursed, "No time! Quick, carry Bian Weikang and let's go!"

Although Wu Jinliang didn't know the situation, he knew there must be a reason for their boss to say that. He immediately gave up the idea of searching, swiftly darted over, scooped up Bian Weikang, hoisted him onto his shoulders, and then sprinted after Shi Chun.

The two of them desperately fled through the mountain forest.

For Shi Chun, not running was not an option. The old man clearly intended to eradicate demons, and he himself was a demon. What if Feng Chi was captured and exposed him? Running was still the safest option.

They ran and ran, for a long time. He didn't even know how far they had run. In any case, by the end, he simply couldn't run anymore.

"Chun Tian, I can't go on," Wu Jinliang gasped. "Let's rest, let's rest first. I really can't run anymore."

Without waiting for Shi Chun's agreement, Wu Jinliang dropped his great saber and Bian Weikang. He collapsed onto the ground, panting like an ox, his clothes soaked with sweat.

It couldn't be helped; his saber alone weighed as much as two or three people. Adding Bian Weikang, he was truly exhausted.

Along the way, Shi Chun wanted to lighten his load and told him to hand Bian Weikang over. But Wu Jinliang replied that a lighter one would be fine, wanting to give Bian Weikang to Shi Chun and carry Xiang Lan'er himself.

"Alright," Shi Chun immediately understood what he was trying to do. He decided he shouldn't be so kind and made him continue carrying Bian Weikang.

It wasn't that Shi Chun wasn't considerate of his brother. It was that this woman couldn't be trifled with by Wu Jinliang. If she was provoked, then all their subsequent plans would be ruined.

Shi Chun, also panting heavily, put down Xiang Lan'er. He walked over to Wu Jinliang, plopped down, patted his belly, and said, "The money, count it."

At the mention of money, Wu Jinliang, no matter how breathless or tired, perked up. He widened his eyes and took a few deep breaths with effort, propped himself up to sit, then continued to pant like a dog as he pulled out the bank notes from his bosom.

Shi Chun snatched them and casually pushed Wu Jinliang back down to the ground to rest. But Wu Jinliang, undeterred by the effort, propped himself up again. He leaned his head close, insisting on counting the money with Shi Chun.

The thing was, neither of them had ever seen this type of note before. They only saw the words "redeemable for fifty thousand Tan Gold" written amidst intricate patterns. There were a total of four notes, meaning a value of two hundred thousand gold.

The two inexperienced men hadn't truly expected Cen Futong to use these notes for the exchange. The five hundred thousand gold they saw outside Liyun Brothel had all been physical currency. If not for this unexpected turn of events, in a normal transaction, they might not have been able to distinguish the authenticity of these bank notes.

Fortunately, these notes were found by Feng Chi, who certainly knew what they were. Since Feng Chi hadn't expressed any doubts, they should be real.

That's good; it's certainly easier than carrying a pile of Tan Gold.

The problem was how to divide them. Shi Chun glanced at Wu Jinliang, who was watching eagerly beside him. According to their prior agreement, giving Wu Jinliang twenty thousand gold would be sufficient. However, the notes in his hand were all in denominations of fifty thousand gold.

He took out one note and said to Wu Jinliang, "This one is for settling the debt."

Wu Jinliang understood what he meant—fifty thousand gold to be returned to Miss Miao. He nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's only proper."

Shi Chun then took out a second note and said, "Half of this goes to them."

Wu Jinliang knew who "they" referred to: Old Dong and the others. The money they had spent on food, drink, and entertainment was all theirs, plus they had promised each of them ten thousand gold as payment for their help. Giving them twenty-five thousand was entirely appropriate.