At five in the morning, Youtao was down on all fours, vomiting uncontrollably. She had hit her absolute limit.
"No good... I have to get off this mountain..." Struggling to her feet, Youtao staggered out of the woods on trembling legs.
Ever since Li Banfeng left, she had entertained the thought of heading down. Yet every time she saw the others still harvesting, she couldn't bring herself to leave.
Corroded by the poisonous mist, Youtao's efficiency had plummeted. Over the past eight hours, she had gathered only three snake-spot chrysanthemums, spending most of her time resting.
Even though she knew she was dizzy, half-blind, and could barely walk, seeing everyone else still picking flowers left a bitter pang in her chest.
That was just human nature. Seeing someone else make money felt like taking a massive loss yourself. The pool of gold seemed right within reach, and grit your teeth just a little longer, you might dredge up another handful.
But having held out until now, she truly could endure no more.
Trudging down the mountain path, she faintly heard footsteps behind her.
Startled, Youtao clutched the pouch at her waist and whipped around.
Turning so abruptly set her vision spinning, and she tumbled to the ground.
Someone was indeed running up behind her—it was the young girl, Caoye.
Caoye hurried forward to help Youtao up, then pulled a small porcelain vial from her breast and handed it over. "Sister, I have some cooling powder here. Take a pinch, and you'll feel better. If you don't trust it, I'll take a taste first..."
Youtao managed a smile, took the vial, and swallowed a mouthful. After resting for a moment, she genuinely felt much better.
"All day long, I've eaten so many of your herbal candies and powders. I really feel indebted to you." Youtao untied her cloth bag and drew out five snake-spot chrysanthemums. "Don't look down on them. I don't have many myself, but please, take them."
Caoye shook her head. "I picked more than you did, sister. I have sixty-one stalks. I can't take yours. Sister, let's head down the mountain together. I'll be counting on you to look out for me on the way."
Youtao pinched Caoye's cheek and said with a beaming smile, "Come on, let's go together."
The two headed downhill. They had walked for less than an hour when a figure blocked the path ahead.
Caoye gasped and shrank behind Youtao.
Having walked the jianghu, Youtao still possessed a measure of composure.
She first surveyed the mountain path, then called out to the person blocking their way, "Big brother, are you looking for snake-spot chrysanthemums? I can point you in the right direction. It's a wonderful spot, plenty of fine blossoms to go around."
From within the dense fog, the man chuckled. "I think right here is a wonderful spot. And I think you two blossoms look mighty fine."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Youtao offered a charming laugh. "My, big brother, you certainly have a sweet mouth. Calling me a blossom, I'll just swallow my shame and accept the compliment. But this little chit, how old is she? A budding sprout at best. Would you really have the heart to lay hands on her?"
As she spoke, Youtao reached a hand back toward Caoye, gesturing for the cooling powder.
Swallowing another mouthful of the powder, Youtao felt slightly clearer. She realized there was no skirting around this obstacle.
The man took two steps forward. In the night shadows, an oily, gleaming bald pate emerged.
It was that bald man again!
"I'm not wasting my breath on you two." The bald man wiped his cleaver. "Leave the flowers, and I'll leave you a way out alive."
Even as he spoke, three lackeys emerged from behind him.
Terrified, Caoye clutched the cloth bag at her waist tightly.
Youtao patted her, signaling for her not to panic.
A Medicine Cultivator couldn't fight, but she ought to know how to use medicine. She wondered if the girl had brought any poison.
Why didn't Youtao simply obey the bald man, give up the snake-spot flowers, and save her own skin?
Because she had walked the jianghu and knew precisely what kind of scum stood before them.
This was a desolate, wild mountain, and they were two women.
Even if they handed over the flowers, their lives wouldn't necessarily be spared—and they wouldn't die an easy death, either.
Youtao let out a soft giggle, winked at the bald man, and spoke with dripping tenderness, "Big brother, listen to the way you talk. A big, strong man bullying two helpless women—would you truly have the heart?"
The bald man chuckled. "Actually, I really would be a little reluctant. How about this: you two serve me together. Whoever pleases me best, I'll reward her with a flower."
"Big brother, how could one flower ever be enough? If I put in a little extra effort, couldn't you reward me with a few more?" Youtao swayed her hips, her voluptuous curves radiating alluring charm.
Her voice in particular was like a goose feather dipped in honey, brushing back and forth along the spine.
The bald man's heart began to race, and the hearts of his three lackeys quickened as well.
"Smelly bitch, so you're the Joy Cultivator! You're the one who pulled that trick earlier today!" The bald man spat. "Playing those games with your granddaddy? Today, granddaddy's going to make you taste what's coming to you!"
All four men charged together. Youtao drew a pair of short daggers from her waist.
***
In the small woods, Lao Yanpao packed the last shred of tobacco into his pipe bowl, lit it, and took two deep, greedy pulls.
"That's enough for me. Until we meet again, everyone." Lao Yanpao had harvested ninety-one snake-spot chrysanthemums in total. Among their group, he had earned the most.
Yet he could hold out no longer, either.
He had used tobacco resin to coat his throat and filter out a great deal of the toxic mist. But in the end, he was up in years. After spending nearly twenty hours on Bitter Mist Mountain, he had reached his limit.
Just as Lao Yanpao stood to leave, Hu Gaozi stepped forward and blocked him. "Old man, what's the rush? The sky isn't even light yet. Wait a while before you go."
Sensing something amiss, Lao Yanpao looked Hu Gaozi up and down. "What, looking to pull a fast one?"
Hu Gaozi smiled. "Old man, don't make it sound so ugly. We formed a partnership, so shouldn't we look out for one another along the way? Heading down the mountain with so many fine blossoms, you're bound to run into trouble halfway through. Why not leave them with us for safekeeping? We'll return them to you once we're down the mountain."
"Leave them with you for safekeeping?" Lao Yanpao chuckled. "Thanks for the thought, but we were only passing acquaintances. Our paths part here."
Hu Gaozi blocked his way again. "Old man, just leave the bag behind. I'm truly doing this for your own good."
The old man sneered. "You little bastard, I figured out long ago that you and that bespectacled fellow were bad eggs.
"Earlier, when that bald fellow came, the two of you made plenty of noise without lifting a finger, bouncing off each other like a comedy duo.
"The fight was practically over before you two rushed in to play the heroes. You're in cahoots with the bald bastard, aren't you!"
These words were meant for Qin Xiaopang's ears.
Qin Xiaopang was standing in place dumbfoundedly, having no idea why Hu Gaozi and Lao Yanpao had started arguing.
Hearing Lao Yanpao lay it out, he began to grasp the picture.
Lao Yanpao continued, "On our way up the mountain, that bald fellow tried to rob us once. When we reached the harvesting grounds, he tried to rob us again. You acted like the good guy in the middle, but in truth, you wanted him to test our mettle.
"If we were weak, you'd let the bald fellow rob us first. Once we lost our flowers, we'd desperately scramble to make up the loss, and by nightfall, you'd sweep in and take the whole haul.
"If we proved capable, you wouldn't let him make a move. You'd wait until nightfall, wait for us to split up, and then pick us off one by one.
"Fatty, that fellow Baisha who came with you is probably already dead on the road, and those two chits are likely dead as well. If we don't fight back right now, we'll end up dead at the hands of these two bastards!"
Hearing this, Xiaopang hurriedly hitched up his bag and hefted his hatchet.
Gold-Rimmed Glasses adjusted his spectacles and looked at the two with a mild smile. "Don't be rash. Take my advice.
"Lao Yanpao, you have sharp eyes, but unfortunately you were too greedy. With your cultivation, if you had headed down earlier, we wouldn't have been able to stop you.
"Yet you insisted on holding out until now. I doubt you can even stand steady, can you?
"I can see you've walked the jianghu, but this must be your first time on Bitter Mist Mountain.
"Did you really think that bit of tobacco resin could block out all the poison of Bitter Mist Mountain? If that were true, Bitter Mist Mountain would have become paradise for Smoke Cultivators long ago!"
Lao Yanpao sneered. "Tobacco resin can't block all of it, but it blocks the better part. It's far better than you lot enduring it bare until now. If you don't believe me, come and try!"
Gold-Rimmed Glasses sighed, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his lenses. "I really shouldn't waste my breath talking to a fool like you. It takes too much effort."
Hu Gaozi pulled out a dagger. "Just butcher him and be done with it. If he wants to die, who's going to stop him?"
Lao Yanpao glanced at Xiaopang.
Qin Xiaopang was still debating the right moment to strike.
To his surprise, Hu Gaozi suddenly lunged forward and kicked Xiaopang squarely in the face.
A Food Cultivator, provided he was well-fed and watered, possessed extraordinary physical gifts—he could run, fight, take a beating, and had decent resistance against poisons and the like.
Yet isolate any single trait, and he was not the best.
When it came to pure combat prowess, he was clearly inferior to Hu Gaozi, who was a Martial Cultivator.
The kick landed flush on Xiaopang's face while he was completely off guard. Hu Gaozi followed up with a thrust toward his belly, which Xiaopang barely managed to dodge.
Even having dodged the blade to his gut, a punch caught him in the chin. Losing his footing, the plump youth crashed to the ground, and Hu Gaozi followed through with a vicious boot to his face, kicking him cold.
Just as Hu Gaozi moved in to deliver the finishing blow, a cloud of yellow smoke swirled behind him.
Hu Gaozi hastily scrambled away from the smoke, but a shower of sparks flew straight into his face.
Both Hu Gaozi and Gold-Rimmed Glasses claimed to be Level 1 cultivators, but that had only been a bluff to intimidate others; neither had attained a level. Lao Yanpao, on the other hand, was a genuine Level 1 cultivator.
Gold-Rimmed Glasses could not handle Lao Yanpao on his own, and Lao Yanpao gave Hu Gaozi no chance to finish Xiaopang off.
Lao Yanpao held a favorable opinion of the plump youth because back when they clashed with the bald man, only the fatty had truly stepped forward to fight.
Once he dealt with Gold-Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi, he might run into the bald man on the way down. Having this young fellow around would make for a good helper.
Seeing that he couldn't kill Xiaopang right away, Hu Gaozi rushed to join Gold-Rimmed Glasses in besieging Lao Yanpao. Wielding his long-stemmed pipe with bursts of smoke and fire, Lao Yanpao held off both men, initially seizing the upper hand. He believed he could finish them off in the time it took to smoke a single bowl.
Yet by the time that bowl was finished, Lao Yanpao had not won, and his predicament turned dire.
A Smoke Cultivator cut off from his smoke suffered a drastic drop in combat capability.
The old man fought as he retreated, while Gold-Rimmed Glasses brandished his folding fan with increasingly ferocious strikes.
This shouldn't be. Gold-Rimmed Glasses had also spent an entire day on the mountain; why didn't he show the slightest sign of poisoning?
Pincer-attacked from front and back, Lao Yanpao had nowhere left to retreat. He exhaled his final held breath of smoke, which surged toward Gold-Rimmed Glasses' face like a sharp blade.
Gold-Rimmed Glasses gave his folding fan a wave, dispersing the smoke.
Dispersing it was useless—the smoke was poisonous. Lao Yanpao had simultaneously spat out poison concealed within his false teeth.
Hu Gaozi clutched his nose and mouth, stumbling backward as tears and snot poured down his face.
Gold-Rimmed Glasses coughed twice, largely unaffected.
Lao Yanpao was stunned. Why hadn't the toxic smoke brought him down?
Could it be that he was a Poison Cultivator?
Disaster!
His final puff of smoke was spent, yet it hadn't bought him an opening to escape.
The folding fan whipped gusts of wind before his face, carrying a strange, sweet fragrance to Lao Yanpao's nostrils.
Not good!
There was poison on his fan!
Lao Yanpao's vision blurred, and he realized he had been poisoned!
Chapter 32