Chapter 709 – You Don’t Mind Eating People, Right? (1/2)

“Heeheehee!” A childish giggle rang out from the basket. Li Qingshan smiled. “You can say I’ve met quite a few people as well. There have been clever ones and foolish ones, deceitful ones and loyal ones. Before I knew it, I developed some ability to judge people. If I really get you to lay down your life from me, I’m afraid you’ll refuse no matter what!”

Goldie A’bao’s face stiffened, becoming rather awkward. He had indeed considered everything before he had said that. No matter what his choice would be in the future, he had to do everything he could to earn the trust of this “strange baby”. If it really would lead to a dead end, he would never choose that path. In this sea of forest, survival had always been the top priority. In comparison, things like revenge or paying back a favour ranked towards the back.

Li Qingshan said, “Since you’re a merchant, then let’s make a deal. If you succeed with this deal, the benefit will outclass a hundred taels of silver a hundred, a thousand fold. It’ll guarantee you that you won’t have to work for another day of your life. If it doesn’t work out, then even if you don’t want to lay down your life, it won’t be for you to decide anymore!”

“In other words, we’ll be partners? May I ask for your name, sir?”

Goldie A’bao laughed dryly, but he was intrigued.

“You can just call me A’yue!” Li Qingshan considered it. Originally, he wanted to come up with a fake name, but he really did not have much naming sense, so he simply used his real name and changed it slightly.

“Yes, sir A’yue. Speaking of which, we also have a Goldie A’yue from our fort!” Goldie A’bao thought, This name sure is ordinary. You can tell immediately it’s fake!

Barbarians did not have much naming sense either. They often took the name of their village as their surname and their names would be A’bao, A’lan, and so on. There was a whole heap of A’yues too, both male and female.

“That sure is a coincidence. We’re almost there. I don’t want to see anyone, so you deal with it!”

Goldie A’bao could already see the flickering firelight between the trees. Feeling that some of his strength had recovered, he strode over.

“Who is it?”

A person growled and drew the blade from his waist with a swish. Everyone by the fire woke up too, grabbing their weapons immediately.

“Is it uncle A’bao of Goldie fort? Please come over. We just heard you made a huge sum in the Fragrant Flower market, so why are you here?” Huangliang Fei stowed his blade away and invited Goldie A’bao over to the fire. Seeing how he was in rags, spattered with blood and even missing an ear, he could not help but become surprised. “What happened? Where are the others?”

“Sigh, we got robbed!” Goldie A’bao glanced around. There were eight people in total, but no pack animals unfortunately. After all, they were not a group of travelling merchants.

“Who’s bold enough to rob merchants from Goldie fort?”

“The Bone Eating tribe!”

The four words that Goldie A’bao spat out made everyone change in expression. Huang Liangfei asked, “The Bone Eating tribe is up ahead!?”

Goldie A’bao told him what had happened, but he skipped over the details regarding Li Qingshan. He only said that a powerful, vicious beast had caused a disturbance, which allowed him to escape by luck.

“That’s retribution against those monsters, as well as the good karma you’ve accumulated from all the good deeds you’ve done, brother. You’re protected by the bodhisattva. C’mon, let’s get some food!”

Only then did Huangliang Fei stop worrying. He did not doubt his story. If it were not for a coincidence like that, how was it possible for him to escape from the mouths of Bone Eating shamans alive? He glanced at the basket on A’bao’s back. Even when he fled for his life, he refused to throw it behind, so who knew what precious things it contained.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely pay you back when I visit Huangliang beach!”

“No, we’re the ones who should thank you, or we’d probably all just run into the mouths of Bone Eating people!”

A lad suggested turning around immediately and returning to the Fragrant Flower market, but Huangliang Fei turned down the suggestion instantly. Not only was travelling at night dangerous, but it took up energy, and they could not travel particularly far. After all, not everyone possessed the same martial arts and experience as Goldie A’bao. They were better off resting up and setting off in the morning.

But after hearing such a thrilling and exciting story, none of them felt sleepy anymore. They huddled around the fire, chiming in with the various, chilling legends regarding the Bone Eating tribe they had heard about.

The flickering firelight poured through the cracks between their figures and landed on Li Qingshan’s intrigued face. He never expected this group of strange people were actually all humans. However, tribes that cultivated through cannibalism could only exist in a place of wilderness like this. If it were the Green province instead, the Hawkwolf Guard definitely would have destroyed them already.

At this moment, he sensed an inquisitive gaze being cast at the basket. As it turned out, it was that Huangliang Fei. More gazes followed.

Even as Goldie A’bao sat beside the fire, he did not take the basket off his back. This attracted a lot of attention.

Huangliang Fei was still deliberating over how he would ask the question when the lad from earlier who suggested turning around asked, “Uncle A’bao, what’s in your basket?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just some goods!”

Goldie A’bao sensed the surrounding gazes begin to change. He thought, Oh no, I actually miscalculated this! If he were to say right now that the basket contained nothing important, probably no one would believe him apart from the naive lad who asked him about it, unless he could get “sir A’yue” to show himself. However, “sir A’yue” clearly had no intentions of doing that.

Li Qingshan sat in the basket quietly and sneered slightly, This labourer of mine just happens to not be strong enough!