Hilly grassland.
In a hollow.
Two n sat on the ground, gasping for air laboriously.
If Miao Kuangfeng were here, he would have recognized the identities of the two n at a glance. One of them was a man of short stature with an ugly face, and he was the fleeing bandit leader, who had a very badass na, Hao Niu.
The other man was burly and rugged-looking, an assistant that the bandit leader Hao Niu had recruited from elsewhere. His na was Ma Wei.
"Damn it," cursed Hao Niu, "the two of us tead up and still weren't a match for that Miao Kuangfeng. If we hadn't run away so quickly, we might well be dead by now." For the first ti in his life, Hao Niu had been so close to the God of Death.
"Miao Kuangfeng is a respectable adversary," said Ma Wei in a deep voice, "To fight against two and still win, impressive indeed."
"Bullshit," scoffed Hao Niu, "In terms of cultivation, Miao Kuangfeng is only a bit stronger than us. If it were one-on-one combat, neither of us would be his match, but the two of us together should have easily pressed him down."
"Then why did we lose?" Ma Wei asked.
"Because... because Miao Kuangfeng is fierce and fearless, fighting for his life against us. To beat us, he didn't hesitate to use self-harming secret techniques... In this regard, we were inferior to him," said Hao Niu.
"So what you're saying is... Miao Kuangfeng isn't afraid to die, but we are, and that's why we lost, right?"
"You could see it that way. As the saying goes, 'In a narrow pass, the brave one wins.' When the strength of both sides isn't much different, the more courageous one will win."
"Even if we know the reason for our defeat, if we encounter Miao Kuangfeng again, we'll still lose," Ma Wei said slowly, "Because we're afraid to die."
"Miao Kuangfeng is a huge threat, and we must think of a way to get rid of him," muttered Hao Niu, still fuming.
"Getting rid of Miao Kuangfeng is easier said than done," Ma Wei shook his head.
Hao Niu got up from the ground and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, "Even though we were repelled, Miao Kuangfeng must be suffering too, right?"
Ma Wei curled his lip, "No shit, the wounds Miao Kuangfeng suffered are more severe than ours."
"What do you think..." Hao Niu's eyes glead with a crafty light, "If we were to strike back, what chances do we stand of getting rid of Miao Kuangfeng?" He paused, and then continued, "I'm talking about a sneak attack, not an honorable fight! With our abilities, if it cos to ambush, even if Miao Kuangfeng is on his guard, he would still likely fall into our trap, wouldn't he?"
"Hit back?" Ma Wei was startled, "Have you gone mad? We have no clue about Miao Kuangfeng's condition. What if his injuries aren't that severe? We would be unlucky then. It would truly be a one-way trip!" Having narrowly escaped, Ma Wei certainly didn't want to return and court death.
"Could you please show so backbone?"
"What's more important, backbone or life?"
"Of course, backbone is more important!"
"Fine, then. You go back by yourself. I definitely can't go back. I need to keep my life and enjoy myself."
"You…"
"You what? I'm not your subordinate, you have no right to order around."
"With the whole force of a hundred thousand bandits wiped out, if we go back like this, the clan leader will certainly not let us off lightly. But if we can kill Miao Kuangfeng, perhaps the clan leader might turn a blind eye!"
"That's your problem, not mine," Ma Wei shook his head.
Hao Niu beca anxious, "How can it be unrelated..."
"It was your mistake to underestimate the strength of the governnt troops, leading to the total annihilation. That has nothing to do with ," Ma Wei said, "Once back, I will explain things clearly to the clan leader. The leader will certainly not punish . But you... heh, whether you can survive is the question."
"So I've decided to go and kill Miao Kuangfeng," Hao Niu said through gritted teeth. "By killing Miao Kuangfeng and redeeming myself with a great deed, I'm sure the family head won't make things difficult for anymore."
"If you want to go back and seek your own death, I'm definitely not stopping you," Ma Wei shrugged. "But if you're thinking of dragging into this, heh heh... forget about it."
Hao Niu felt a burst of anger inside, wanting to rush up and give Ma Wei a good beating, but the last of his rationality held him back. He took a deep breath and suppressed his voice, "We've known each other for so ti, you can't just stand by and watch die, right?"
"Quit playing the sentint card, it doesn't work on ," Ma Wei said dismissively. "To be honest, our friendship isn't that deep."
"You…" Hao Niu's face twitched several tis. "Help , and I'll give you a big reward."
"A reward? What can you offer ?" Ma Wei asked with a light chuckle.
"Ten athysts," Hao Niu squeezed out the words through his clenched teeth.
"Uh... what did you say?" Ma Wei sat up straight, eyes wide open, "Ten athysts? You're not joking with , are you?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Hao Niu huffed. "Help kill Miao Kuangfeng, and I'll give you ten athysts. How about it? Are you in or not?!" In order to persuade Ma Wei, Hao Niu was truly making a costly offer. Athysts were the supre cultivation resources in Elysium, with each one containing the Spiritual Energy of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
Most importantly, athysts were monopolized by the major powers and were simply nonexistent on the market.
A single athyst could ignite a bloody battle, and ten athysts... could pierce the heavens. It may sound exaggerated, but that was indeed the case.
Any cultivator would covet athysts, fighting to the death for them was a common occurrence.
Didn't you notice? Just at the ntion of athysts, Ma Wei's breathing beca heavier.
"You... are you serious?" Ma Wei licked his dry lips.
"Absolutely true! Truer than gold!" Seeing Ma Wei's interest, Hao Niu imdiately let out a sigh of relief.
"Let think about it," Ma Wei was indecisive. He was eager for the athysts, but... going back to assassinate Miao Kuangfeng was too dangerous... He might end up leaving his life behind.
"What's there to hesitate about? Just co with and you'll get ten athysts. What a great deal," Seeing that Ma Wei still hadn't agreed, Hao Niu beca anxious.
"I could agree to you... but..." After hesitating for a long ti, Ma Wei finally made up his mind, "You have to give twenty athysts."
"How much?" Hao Niu almost bit off his own tongue, glaring with wide eyes, "Ma Wei! Don't push your luck!"
"Twenty athysts, not one less," Ma Wei was firm. "Give twenty athysts, and I'll go with you. But let's make one thing clear, whether we succeed in killing Miao Kuangfeng or not, you have to give the athysts."
"No way, twenty is too many, I can only give you ten."
"Twenty is my bottom line."
"I can give you eleven at most!"
"No, it has to be twenty."
...
After so intense bargaining, they finally reached an agreent on fifteen athysts.
"Hand them over," Ma Wei stretched out his hand.
"What?" Hao Niu was taken aback.
"The athysts!" Ma Wei's eyes bulged, "You're not planning on reneging, are you?"
"I can't give them to you now," Hao Niu shook his head. "After we kill Miao Kuangfeng, I'll give them to you." He added, "I don't trust you. What if you run off after getting the athysts?"
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