Chapter 009: A Single Cut

At this moment, Gao Daotou was not in the room, and Zhang Mu interjected, "Xingzi, don't bully the children"

The head of the bandits in Hu Fei desires to obtain a wolfskin blanket, yet few are capable of acquiring one. The difficulty in obtaining a wolfskin blanket does not stem from the scarcity of wolves in Northeast China, but rather from the rarity of wolf pelts that can retain their spiritual essence

My thoughts are quite simple. If Old Yang can negotiate with you, why can't I? Since you wish for me to stay, I will leave you hanging for one night and will negotiate with you again tomorrow morning

Zhang Mu was stunned; he did not expect that after Gao Datou arrived, not only did he not help, but he also made things more complicated.

That dilapidated place, which has been abandoned for many years, seems to have been cleaned up beforehand. The inside of the house is quite tidy and habitable. If I am not mistaken, this is the very place that initially blocked Zhang Mu and the others.

Uncle Guai coughed lightly and said: "Young man, which school do you belong to? Perhaps our elders had some connections. Your grandfather is about the same age as I am, right? Let's have a chat; who knows, we might even become sworn brothers!"

I saw that they had almost finished tidying up, so I took out a wolfskin blanket from my bag and spread it on the kang. Just as I was about to lie down, I heard Old Yang shout, "Wait a minute! Kid, sell me that blanket, name your price."

I can tell that the place was originally a crack, entirely due to the old walnut

Xingzi smiled and said: "I am not refusing to pay, I even pay more, how can this be considered bullying a child?"

Wolves are the kind of creatures that would rather die than submit. The older the wolf, the more cunning it becomes. It is truly difficult to encounter an old wolf and then tame it. The wolfskin quilt made by the old walnut is something he crafted himself, taking half a lifetime to pass it on to me. I even recognized the old wolf as my godbrother, and it is absolutely impossible for me to betray him.

The Panshan Eagle is a desperate figure in the realm of sorcery. It is likely that Old Guai is aware that if pushed to the brink, I would truly dare to kill, and he immediately put on a smiling face.

Zhang Mu jumped down from the kang and exclaimed: "What are you doing? Let the person go!"

I didn't think at all: "Not for sale!"

Old Yang's complexion finally looked a bit better. Xingzi did not wait for him to speak and pulled the person aside, murmuring something that I couldn't quite catch. I saw the two of them gesturing back and forth, probably negotiating the price again

At first, Gao Daotou was unwilling to relent, but later, after being persuaded by Zhang Mu, he became intrigued and said he would come over to see if they could reach an understanding

Zhang Mugan coughed twice and said: "Let's take a break today, and start working tomorrow! Everyone should find a place to rest on their own."

To make a wolfskin blanket, it must be from an old wolf. Only by encountering those wolves that are on the brink of death, rescuing them, and raising them until the old wolf regards you as its master, can you obtain useful wolfskin after it passes away.

Wolfskin blankets are indeed valuable items; apart from the bandit advisors, ordinary people cannot obtain them. The most remarkable feature of wolfskin blankets is their ability to serve as a warning. Whenever there is a murderous intent nearby, the wolf fur will stand on end, waking the sleeper or alerting the owner. Beneath the two front paws of the wolfskin blanket, there are concealed weapons; anyone pricked by the wolf fur should quickly grab a weapon, as it is undoubtedly the right course of action

I stole a glance at Uncle Guai, only to see him standing calmly next to Zhang Mu, looking as if he had known all along where we were going today

After I recounted the events, Gao Datou immediately became furious: "Well done! If I had been there, I would have knocked him out first! What kind of thing is he?"

Before he could pull his hand back, I raised my hand and seized the opponent's wrist. With my right hand, I drew a dagger from my thigh and plunged it into Xingzi's thigh halfway with a soft thud. Then, I yanked the knife back and, in one motion, pressed it against Xingzi's neck: "Boss Da, if your subordinate is not properly trained, I will take it upon myself to train him."

Hu Fei may be the only existence in this world that does not consider feng shui when building a house, focusing instead on being easy to defend and difficult to attack, with a hidden escape route. It is best to have a cave nearby that can provide shelter. In the mountains, the wind is strong and the snow is heavy; when encountering mountain winds, the snow can accumulate more than 1 meter deep. Once the door is blocked by snow, the people inside cannot even get out, so having a cave is just for hibernation.

Seeing what you said... how could I dare!" Xingzi said with a smile: "If I had your abilities, would I still need to invite you out of retirement? I could just solve it myself. I knew this place was haunted, I really don't know what a place of great misfortune it is...

Zhang Mu was rendered red-faced by my words, and simply chose not to respond. He shouted directly: "Put the person down! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"

I did not expect Gao Datou to be so quick, directly exposing the bottom of the old walnut, and I couldn't even intervene in time

I saw that it was about time, so I simply lay down on the wolfskin rug, pretending to be asleep. When the tall man came in, I did not pay him any attention

In just a short while, Gao Datou hurriedly ran over and said: "Nephew, what do you mean by this?"

Gao Datou did not give Zhang Mu any face this time: "Master Li has been kind to me. If it weren't for Master Li, my family would have long been extinct. Master Li's grandson is my own nephew! You all think he is too young, and I won't say anything about that; but if you want to bully him, that is not acceptable! You all are capable, and if this place cannot accommodate me, I will leave tomorrow!"

After I stabbed Xingzi, his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt before me, crying out in a wailing voice: "Big brother, big brother—save me, save me!"

Zhang Mu fell silent, and I glanced at the other party: "You are not deaf, are you? Did you not hear me say that I am not selling?"

Just as I was about to speak, Lao Yang turned hostile first: "Xingzi, why didn't you mention before coming that you were heading to the land of great misfortune? Were you deliberately playing me for a fool?"

I twisted Xingzi's wrist with great force, turning his hand about half a circle. Although I did not break it, it caused Xingzi pain and made him break out in a cold sweat. Zhang Mu wanted to say something, but was stopped by the old man beside him, who raised his hand and said: "That kid has practiced Eagle Claw Kung Fu. If he is truly pushed to his limits, breaking Xingzi's hand would be just a blink of an eye. Go find Datou."

"Alright, alright... then you take a rest..." The old man gave Zhang Mu a glance, and the latter waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to clear the area for me, before following the old man out.

Old Guai was indeed not mistaken; there are very few true martial arts masters among those with beards, and even fewer who have practiced internal martial arts. Most practitioners have trained in external styles. What Old He taught me were techniques such as Eagle Claw and Iron Shirt.

After a while, Zhang Mu waved for Gao Datou to come out. The three of them were whispering, and I couldn't tell what they were saying, but they kept pointing in my direction.

Little brat! You really need to be taught a lesson... Xingzi raised his hand and slapped my face

The place where Zhang Mu brought us has everything; it is not the old rascals who are to blame.

Old Walnut taught me how to read population types. Although I haven't mastered it well, I can generally understand what they are saying. Zhang Mu and Uncle Guai are both persuading Gao Datou to find a way to keep me here, saying that the methods of the Pan Mountain Eagle are different from theirs. If there were a Pan Mountain Eagle present, at least half of the matter could be resolved.

"Gangzi, how can you speak like that?" Zhang Mu's anger also flared up: "We are all brothers, what do you want to do?"

And the * picture * book "Forget it!" Gao Datou directly said for me: "Have you ever had a mustache? Lord Li is a serious and upright pillar of support, a mountain eagle! You have no relationship with him at all!"

The expression on Uncle Guai's face changed immediately, and his gaze towards me shifted as well: "I said, how come this young brother is so skilled? It turns out he is the Eagle of Panshan! I am truly sorry, truly sorry... This matter is our fault, and I will arrange for someone to host a banquet to apologize right away. How about you release the person first?"

The old walnut has lived a long life, yet he always tells me: leave a line in everything. The old man is already in his seventies or eighties, coming over to me with a smiling face; I cannot truly take back his face. I loosened my grip and tossed the matter aside: "Old man, today I will give you this face; there is no need for a banquet to make amends, I cannot afford it. Uncle Gao said that we will leave tomorrow, so tonight we will borrow your place to sleep, and tomorrow we will owe each other nothing."

Most of the area in that section is a dormitory, with only a few single rooms, which are likely reserved for the manager and the key personnel. Zhang Mu and the others did not go to the single rooms, but instead squeezed in with us in the dormitory.

Xingzi did not pay attention to these: "Kid, don't push your luck! If you need money, just say it directly, how much do you want, name your price!"

I looked at Zhang Mu coldly: "What were you doing when he was bullying others? With your bear-like appearance, how dare you call yourself a leader? Bah—if I were one of your mountain folks, I would challenge you for the leadership position tomorrow! With such a biased heart, do you still expect to win the people's support? Are you even qualified to be a leader?"