Chapter 31 (1/2)
Chapter 31: Acted Like Pretentious Pricks and Got Slapped in the Face
Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales
“Uncle, excuse me, may I ask whether there are wild animals strolling around this hill?” Tang Xiu respectfully asked a farmer at Walled Hill Village’s foot.
“Do you want to eat game meat? There are a lot of wild games on the hill. On the ground, you can find pheasants, hares, and wild boars. In midstream, you can find wild turtles, alligators, and giant salamanders. You can find more for flying games.” The old farmer inhaled his tobacco pipe and spat out a thick smoke as he answered leisurely.
Having heard the old man’s words, it made Tang Xiu overjoyed. The locals sure are the ones more familiar with the situation in the surroundings. He had spent half a night in the hilltop and couldn’t find anything. He didn’t expect to get such a big harvest by asking the locals.
After Tang Xiu asked where to find these wild animals, the old farmer took a long sigh, “But alas, that was the situation in a few years ago. Because there are too many people hunting the wild animals in this hill, they scared them away, and now there only a few of them on the hill. Even if there are some, people can’t find any traces of them now…”
The old farmer’s words were just like cold water from the sky, making Tang Xiu’s heart turn cold. The smile that just emerged on his face instantly vanished.
After having said goodbye politely to the old farmer, Tang Xiu started asking the other locals.
But he didn’t expect that even though he had asked a dozen of farmers on hill’s foot village, he didn’t get the answers he wanted, causing him to nearly fall into despair. If even the locals hadn’t heard of any rumors about fierce beasts here, didn’t this mean that Walled Hill Village really didn’t have any fierce beasts?
Tang Xiu was a perfectionist in nature. He had always been pursuing everything to perfection and reached the ultimate peak. He didn’t find any traces of fierce beasts last night, which meant that the Body Refining Liquid he wanted to concoct lacked one last ingredient. He didn’t want to accept this fact and finally decided to leave a note to ask for a leave, as he left school in the afternoon and visited Walled Hill Village again.
Since he didn’t get any useful information from the farmers in the village at the hill’s foot, Tang Xiu directly headed straight to the hilltop and explored the hill by himself.
Steep overhanging cliffs surrounded Walled Hill Village. It was more than 500 meters above sea level and 200 meters above flat ground. The high terrain was surrounded by different raised flat lands, giving off the feeling of a terraced mountain. This kind of terrain was extremely rare in the Shuangqing Province.
Zhang Xianzhong once occupied Walled Hill Village and declared himself king of this place. He built the city walls, city gates, as well as constructed the Li Family Ancestral Hall, the fence split stone, official buildings, a fort, The Goddess of Mercy Temple, and other buildings. Therefore, the hill had a winding and complicated path all the way to the top.
However, because the path was too winding and long, Tang Xiu didn’t traverse along the road but chose to climb up the hill.
Along the way, Tang Xiu saw a few turtledoves in the depths of the wood. He was also almost bit by vipers and scorpions, which could make other people overjoyed when they saw them.
Unfortunately, the one that Tang Xiu wanted to find were fierce beasts, rather than sate his appetite for game meat. So these wild animals didn’t interest him in the slightest bit.
Half an hour later, Tang Xiu successfully climbed to the top with a few turtles, hares, and a dozen of snakes. His schoolbag was also filled up with scorpions and a variety of rare and precious medicinal herbs.
At first, Tang Xiu didn’t plan to hunt the games on the hill, but since he thought about his family’s restaurant and his mother’s malnourished body, he took and carried these games although he didn’t need them. He just conveniently hunted the wild animals he could see.
“Hey kid, you’re good. The five of us could only hunt 2 rabbits, but you actually caught a lot of turtles and snakes?”
“Kid, how about you sell those games in your hand? Say the price, we’ll buy all of them!”
“Kid, from your clothes, you must be one of the locals. Give us the games, we’ll buy it!”
****
When Tang Xiu had just stood and straightened up his body, 5 people surrounded him and looked at the turtles and vipers in his hands with hot and boiling eyes, the only things that they didn’t do yet was rob them from his hands.
Upon seeing that Tang Xiu climbed up from under the overhanging cliff and didn’t seem to have a car, these people subconsciously thought that Tang Xiu was one of the local farmers that hunted games in the hill for pocket money, and talked to him with an arrogant manner and words. They looked at Tang Xiu in a condescending manner and didn’t even have the slightest respect for him.
“I’m sorry, but these games are for my humble home. I can’t sell them to you.” Tang Xiu faintly glanced at the 5 people that surrounded him and didn’t hesitate to refuse.
Tang Xiu could clearly see 3 cars off-road—the all-terrain vehicles parked near the roadside. The Wrangler, the Land Rover, and the Mercedes-Benz. Thus, it could be seen that these people were wealthy and had high statuses. Tang Xiu didn’t want to provoke them and simply cut off their words as to not to tangle him again.
However, Tang Xiu underestimated these people’s determination to get his game.
“Hey boy, how much do you sell these games to others for? We’ll double the price. Name your price and we’ll pay you!” A young man in a flowered pattern shirt stared at Tang Xiu and spoke confidently.
“A man must keep his own words. Even if you give me a lot of cash, I will not sell these games to you!” Upon seeing the flowered pattern shirt’s youth’s gaze that it was just like he wanted to eat him, Tang Xiu subconsciously knitted his brows and frowned, “Please make way, I’m going down the hill.”
Previously, Tang Xiu also intended to practice in the Spiritual Vein in this place for a while, but since the vein’s spot was being occupied, he gave up the thought and planned to do it another day.
“Oh, we’ll only buy some then, and you can take the rest to your home. And we’ll also buy it from you for a high price, so you can make money as well as keep your words to your family.” The youth in the flowered pattern shirt gave his advice and smiled.
Having heard the youth’s reasoning, as well as he didn’t want to get pestered anymore by these people, Tang Xiu was about to nod and comply with him.
But a rude voice interrupted him when he was about to nod, “Xue Renfei, you’ve been getting more and more boring lately. Why must you haggle with this dirty kid? It’s just some games, we don’t need to pay it, just take it from him!”
The one who was talking was a guy with a fierce-looking face and with 1.9 meters in height, looking like an iron tower.
“Zhang Yongjin is right. The whole Walled Hill Village is ours. Let alone these games, even though he doesn’t want to, he must hand over those games to us.”
“Hey kid, those turtles are protected animals by the State’s laws. It’s illegal to catch them. Do you want us to drag you out to the police station?”
****
The other three youths burst into loud laughter along with the towering Zhang Yongjin’s speech, whilst also looking at Tang Xiu with a ridiculing expression. They wanted to see how Tang Xiu dealt with the current situation.