Chapter 13: Add Money
The battle on Maple Leaf Island had ended, and the fishermen who had gone to seize treasures began to return one after another.
Naturally, the injured Liu the Leper was among them.
He had known that he had offended many people over the years, but he had not expected that so many would dare to seize the opportunity to gang up and kill him!
Three to five of them had joined forces. If he had not saved up quite a bit over the years, he would have lost his life there this time.
After returning to Zengtou Market, he had rested for two days before his injuries improved considerably.
However, whenever he thought about the encounter, he still felt deeply unsettled.
And what to do when unsettled?
When troubled, one should kill!
That had always been Liu the Leper’s way. Speaking of killing… he inevitably thought of the person Old Huang had mentioned last time.
Ji Yuan.
Old Huang had already been fed to the fish, and Liu the Leper had watched it happen with his own eyes.
So if he wanted to kill Ji Yuan again, he could no longer rely on Old Huang.
Who should he look for then?
Liu the Leper closed his eyes in thought. His usual method over the years had been to find one of his target’s close friends, then bribe them with spirit stones.
The two would conspire together and take the target’s life.
If this were elsewhere, this method might not be as effective.
But unfortunately, this was Zengtou Market, on the shores of Yunyu Marshlands.
Here, the principle that "men die for wealth and birds die for food" was amplified to the extreme.
Back then, Ji Qingyun had fallen to this very trick—Liu the Leper had bribed Old Huang, who had then lured Ji Qingyun into a pre-set trap, resulting in his death.
Now, this same trick was about to be used on Ji Yuan.
But who to target this time… Liu the Leper did not know much about Ji Yuan, but that was not a problem.
There was always someone who did.
After spending a day out seeking information, Liu the Leper quickly gathered what he needed and identified a suitable candidate.
Ji Yuan, of all people, just had to befriend someone like Qiu Qianhai… and what kind of person was Qiu Qianhai?
He was one of the most notorious desperadoes in Zengtou Market.
The saying "barefooted men fear no one in shoes" described Qiu Qianhai perfectly.
So finding him was absolutely reliable.
"Don——"
"Don don——"
That night, Liu the Leper knocked on the gate of Qiu Qianhai’s courtyard.
Anyone coming at such a time likely had urgent business, yet even so, Qiu Qianhai pinched a Water Arrow Talisman before opening the door.
Standing before him was a middle-aged man with a face full of pockmarks.
"What are you here for?" Qiu Qianhai frowned.
Liu the Leper’s infamous name was known to everyone in Zengtou Market.
"Naturally, I’ve come to offer you a way to make some money." Liu the Leper glanced around, ensuring no one had spotted him, then motioned toward the inner room and said, "Let’s talk inside."
Qiu Qianhai hesitated for a moment but eventually allowed Liu the Leper to enter. The two sat down without any tea or courtesy, just staring at each other.
Liu the Leper cleared his throat and asked:
"Cough cough, Qiu Qianhai, what do you think is more important—spirit stones or life?"
"Life, of course."
Qiu Qianhai instinctively reached for his waist, where his magical weapon was hidden.
Liu the Leper noticed this obvious move and chuckled before adding, "And what if it’s someone else’s life?"
"Then spirit stones are more important."
Qiu Qianhai replied without hesitation.
Liu the Leper laughed and then leaned in slightly, whispering, "So, do you think Ji Yuan’s life is more important, or the spirit stones?"
"Ji Yuan?"
Qiu Qianhai was slightly taken aback, but he quickly realized the implication. "You want to kill him?"
If Liu the Leper had his sights on someone, there could be no other reason.
If there were, Liu the Leper would have gone straight to Ji Yuan himself instead of coming to him.
"Sigh."
Liu the Leper shook his head. "How can you call it killing? I’m clearly helping him escape the misery of Zengtou Market."
"Heh."
Qiu Qianhai sneered openly.
Seeing this, Liu the Leper spread his hands and said, "Just be straightforward—what’s more important, spirit stones or Ji Yuan’s life?"
Qiu Qianhai stared directly into Liu the Leper’s eyes without the slightest hint of fear.
The two remained silent for a long while before Qiu Qianhai slowly spoke, "I don’t have many friends in this lifetime… do you not know, Liu the Leper, that Ji Yuan is like a brother to me, closer than blood?"
"You, Qiu Qianhai, having a brother?"
Liu the Leper laughed out loud, as if he had just heard the biggest joke.
"Alright, just tell me—what will it take for you to agree to help?"
Qiu Qianhai did not blush or flinch. He rubbed his thumb and index finger together on the table and said with a light chuckle, "Gotta pay more!"
"Fine. After the job’s done, I’ll give you three extra spirit stones. How about that?"
Three spirit stones were enough to cover a month’s Immortal Residence Fee, so Qiu Qianhai had no reason to refuse.
"Deal."
Liu the Leper then laid out his plan.
The plan was extremely simple—Qiu Qianhai only needed to bring Ji Yuan to a specific location in Yunyu Marshlands, where Liu the Leper would be lying in wait to ambush him.
After killing Ji Yuan, they would split the spoils seventy-thirty.
Liu the Leper would take seventy, and Qiu Qianhai would take thirty.
In addition, Liu the Leper would give Qiu Qianhai three extra spirit stones.
"Make it fifty-fifty. I’ll be taking action too."
Qiu Qianhai spoke decisively.
"Alright."
Liu the Leper agreed readily. To him, Ji Yuan was just a small fry in the early stage of Qi Refining. How much treasure could he possibly have?
Whether he took two extra shares or not might only mean a few more broken spirit stones.
"Alright, when do we act?"
"Tomorrow." Liu the Leper, eager to settle this quickly, said, "The sooner the better for this kind of thing."
"Fine. I’ll go find him first thing tomorrow. Where’s the location?"
"Yunyu Marshlands, Turtle Rest Island."
"……"
"Pfft——"
Ji Yuan withdrew his hand from the ground, looking at the smooth, rounded… hole in the ground with great satisfaction.
After a few days of practice, using the Water Drop Finger Technique no longer caused him any pain.
In fact, as the spiritual energy condensed into water droplets shot from his finger, it brought an inexplicable sense of delight.
As for the number of times he could cast it, judging by the spiritual energy storage of a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator…
He should have no problem firing it forty to fifty times in succession.
After all, this technique had low energy consumption to begin with, and water-element cultivators had more abundant and lasting spiritual energy.
"Don don——"
Someone was here?
Ji Yuan instinctively reached to check for the Lightning Strike Talisman on his chest. Finding it still there, he felt reassured and went to open the door.
"Qiu Qianhai? What brings you here?"
Since they had met, this was the first time Qiu Qianhai had come to visit him, so Ji Yuan was naturally quite surprised.
"Of course, I’ve come to discuss something with you."
Qiu Qianhai forced a smile and nodded.
"Come in, let’s talk."
Ji Yuan first closed a few building effects in his mind before leading Qiu Qianhai into the house.
Unlike Old Huang, who had looked around curiously upon entering, Qiu Qianhai sat down quietly in the main hall after entering.
Ji Yuan even specially brewed a cup of tea for him.
Qiu Qianhai stared at the fresh tea leaves swirling and unfolding in the cup, seeming somewhat lost in thought.
Ji Yuan did not rush him, simply waiting patiently. After a long while, he finally heard Qiu Qianhai ask, "Ji Yuan, do you still remember how we met?"
"Of course I remember."
Just as Ji Yuan was about to continue, Qiu Qianhai spoke first, "Back then, my parents had just passed away. I didn’t believe in fate and went out to sea alone."
"As a result, I encountered one of the most dangerous stormy days in Yunyu Marshlands. I was knocked unconscious and washed ashore, and it was you who saved me."
Seeing that Qiu Qianhai seemed a bit off, Ji Yuan restrained his smile and nodded slightly.
Indeed, it had happened just as Qiu Qianhai described.
After Qiu Qianhai finished speaking, he sat in silent contemplation for a while before slowly opening his eyes and saying, "Liu the Leper wants to kill you. Let’s join forces and take him down first."