Translator: 549690339
Feng Jun grimaced at the womanâs words. Did she do this sort of thing often? âHave you killed many people?â he asked.
âNot many,â the woman shook her head, responding crisply, âjust three, but this is the only time I could loot anything.â
As she spoke, a faint, satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Youâve killed three? Feng Jun was taken aback: Damn, this space⦠really is quite brutal.
Seeing him silent, the woman bent down, picked up the corpse from the ground, and with her strong legs moved swiftly, taking the body over to a slope twenty-some meters away and flung it with force.
The naked body traced an arc through the air, flying over twenty meters before tumbling down the slope and into the bushes, eventually disappearing from sight.
After discarding the body, the woman returned with a calm demeanor, âIn a few days, his body will be devoured by insects⦠Donâtyou want his swords?â
Watching her composed manner, Feng Jun shuddered inwardly; this woman had an incredibly strong psyche.
As a law-abiding citizen of Earth Realm, this was his first time killing someone. He thought being able to kill so naturally without much discomfort already made him heartless and exceptionally mentally resilient.
But compared to this woman, he felt like a sorcererâs apprentice facing a grand wizard; her carefree attitude was just incomparable.
However, when it came to spoils of war, he still wanted to stake his claim, âThe knife is yours, but Iâm curious about that sword.â
The woman wasnât surprised. In fact, the rule here was that if two people cooperated in a kill, the spoils should definitely be split between them. Although the man hadnât wanted the clothes before, had he not wanted the swords either, she would have suspected his true intentions.
So she nodded assuredly, âThat sword is indeed better than the knife; it should belong to a martial masterâan imitation war blade. But that also means trouble, which is why I prefer this machete⦠such a large chunk of iron, practical.â
Hearing this, Feng Jun couldnât help but feel as though he was getting the better end of the deal.
He emphasized again, âSince Iâm taking the sword, thereâs no need to give me a share of that Spirit Green Bamboo Shoot.â
âHow could that be?â the woman glared, âMy Lang family always follows the rules. You helped protect the spoils of war, so youâre entitled to half. Without you, I might have lost my life.â
Feng Jun didnât want to dwell too much on this issue and only asked out of curiosity, âThat Spirit Green Bamboo Shoot⦠Itâs not worth more than the sword, is it?â
âThatâs not necessarily the case,â the woman shook her head, âPeak martial masters need the Spirit Green Bamboo Shoot⦠Itâs a consumable, a rare herb, unlike weapons like the Longsword, which can be reforged.â
Feng Jun nodded in understanding, âI see⦠Iâm a stranger in these parts and not too familiar with the lay of the land. Could you perhaps give me an overview?â
At that, the woman responded regretfully, âI donât know much about these things either. Why donât you follow me back to the village, and my father can explain? He has lived in the manor city.â
So the two of them packed up and walked briskly towards the village.
As they walked and talked, Feng Jun learned that the woman was named Lang Dajie, her father Lang Zhen, who traveled extensively in his youth, served in the army, and for several years worked as the head of a convoy in the manor cityâit was during his time as a bodyguard that his left hand had been chopped off.
The village had a simple fence around it. On seeing Lang Dajie return with a strangely dressed young man, more than a dozen villagers came out to watch.
What depressed Feng Jun, though, was that despite having saved Lang Dajie, the villagers werenât particularly warm to him. They merely gazed at him from a distance, their faces expressionless, even somewhat coldâa deliberate distancing.
When Lang Zhen heard the news, he did come out, but his attitude towards Feng Jun was also lukewarm. After hearing his daughterâs account, he gave Fengjunabow, âThank you for your assistance, sir. May I know where you come from and where you are headed?â
After thinking it over, Feng Jun replied, âlam essentially a wanderer, going wherever the road takes me. I was hoping to use the village as a base for a couple of days, but Iâm not sure if thatâs allowed?â
At that moment, a young man in the crowd suddenly shouted, âImpossible, our village does not permit outsiders to stay overnight!â
The man was in his early twenties, with thick whiskers on both cheeks. If it werenât for his young and clear eyes, one might believe him to be thirty.
Lang Dajie immediately grew furious upon hearing this, âJia Xingwang, when your uncle-in-law came to the village, who chased him away?â
Whisker Hu glanced at her and spoke in a hurry, âDajie, I find this man suspicious, you should be wary in case heâs a bandit⦠My uncle-in-law is family, why shouldnât he stay in the village? What is your relationship with this foreigner?â
Lang Dajie grew anxious upon hearing this, âA bandit, how could he possibly be a bandit? He saved me!â
âI would have saved you too,â Jia Xingwang retorted anxiously, âDajie, you are always so naive. Be careful not to be deceived. These foreigners are the least trustworthy. The rule against outsiders staying in the village was proposed by Uncle Lang and established as a village law.â
Feng Jun heard this and looked towards Lang Zhen.
The man with the severed arm nodded and spoke in a deep voice, âOutsiders are not like locals; they commit misdeeds and simply run away. I donât agree with them moving into our village.â
After the period of adaptation, Feng Jun had become fairly proficient in understanding the local dialect. Hearing this, he became furious, âUncle Lang, I did save your daughter, and this is how you repay your savior?â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThe Lone Wolf might have a point,â a loud voice came from a distance, and a burly middle-aged man approached. This man bore a strong resemblance to Jia Xingwang.
He laughed loudly, âForeigner, if you want to stay, live outside the village. We wonât chase you away. Fierce beasts are unlikely to come close, so you will be safe⦠This is the mountains; anything could happen.â
âFine,â Feng Jun nodded indifferently, âI rescued her as a matter of conscience, expecting nothing in return. Since Iâm not welcomed here, Iâll just leave.â
Whisker Hu sneered at him, âHa, wishful thinking. Come when you please and leave when you wish, what do you take Small Lake Village for?â
âXingwang!â Lang Zhen snorted coldly, his face also darkening, âWhile your father is still the head of this village, itâs not your turn to speak!â
âUncle Lang,â JiaXingwangâs face immediately flushed red, âIâm looking out for my sisterâs best interests. This stranger looks peculiar; we canât be sure he isnât a spy for the bandits.â
It was clear he had an uncommon concern for Langâs sister.
âA spy for the bandits? Hmph!â Lang Zhen glared at him with annoyance, âWould a spy carry around the quill of a Spiritual Hedgehog?â
âHmm?â Feng Jun gave him a curious glance and felt the roughly one-meter- long quill on his back.
He had found this quill next to an electric fence; after the hedgehog had broken through the fence and gotten terribly frightened, it had run off, leaving behind one of its quills.
Feng Jun played with the quill for a while and found it to be exceptionally hard, capable of piercing a stone. Its sharpness was not much less than that of a Swiss Army Knife, and in terms of strength, it was even superior.
So he carried the quill on his back; it could serve as a Longsword, and it wasnât too conspicuousâperfect for his travels.
However, Lang Zhenâs insight was remarkable; from a distance, he had recognized the origin of the item.
Feng Jun, seeing that he knew his stuff, couldnât help but draw the Spiritual Hedgehogâs long quill from his back, smiling as he said, âI picked this up.â
âIt canât be picked up,â Lang Zhen shook his head, firmly stating, âIâm not yet blind. This quill is suffused with a strong life force and resentment; it must have been taken while alive. Young man, thereâs no need to be obstinate.â
âImpressive,â Feng Jun said with a smile, bowing slightly, âIndeed, I took it alive, but it was really by chance⦠I couldnât havebeaten that creature.â
Lang Zhen snorted irritably, âOf course you couldnât beat it; itâs a Spiritual Hedgehog. If the whole village went up against it, it would be like delivering vegetables to it.â
Feng Jun no longer wished to leave upon hearing this and asked with interest, âSo are there Spiritual Hedgehogs in the mountains nearby?â
Before Lang Zhen had a chance to respond, Jia Xingwang began to mock loudly, âHa-ha, Spiritual Hedgehogs in the mountains? If there were such things, would we dare live here? What an idiot.â
Feng Jun was truly tired of this person, and it seemed like the people in the village didnât have any good feelings towards him either, not even the Lang family, who didnât appreciate his act of rescue.
At that moment, he really felt fed up, so he turned and walked out of the village, âSince you donât welcome me, Iâll just rest next to the village.â
That evening, as dusk approached, light rain began to fall. Feng Jun, who was resting out in the open next to the village, took out a tarp and set up a shelter, sprinkling some insect repellent around. He made up his mind that as soon as the weather cleared up, he would leave this wretched place.
Of course, he could feel the curious eyes of the village on him, but that didnât matter anymore; he didnât like this indifferent village.
However, not long after he had set up his shelter, Langâs sister arrived, followed by two children, one about twelve or thirteen, the other around seven or eight; they were her two younger brothers.
In her hands, she carried a clay pot with a lid, still steaming at the mouth.
Braving the rain, she walked under the shelter and offered the pot with a smile, âThis is meat porridge from our house. The weather is so cold; have some to ward off the chill and avoid getting sick.â
In Feng Junâs large backpack, he indeed had a gas stove, but it wasnât very convenient to use right then, even for boiling water.
Hence, without declining, he took the clay pot and set it on a flat stone, taking out a pair of chopsticks from his backpack.
Langâs younger brothers were curiously inspecting the rain shelter, and the older boy, seeing the water roll off the tarp, even tugged at it, very lightly.
The younger boy also wanted to tug at the tarp but couldnât reach; quickly, though, he was lured by the aroma of the meat porridge, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the clay pot, as if unable to look away.