Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1316 616: Calamity of Bloodshed (Part 4)

To be honest, you might not believe this, but among all the Food Cultivators I've seen, I've never seen talent as good as Qin Tianjiu's. When you come across a piece of uncut jade and painstakingly carve and polish it, that's a good karmic deed, and an act of virtue as well!

Li Banfeng activated his Golden Gaze Autumn Hair, fixed his eyes on Pan Dehai, and carefully sized him up. He really couldn't believe these words were coming out of Pan Dehai's mouth.

"You took Little Fatty as a Disciple because of the De Song Cliff matter, didn't you? Are you planning to have me help you fight for that territory?"

Pan Dehai smiled and said, "I'll tell you another truth. After what happened at De Song Cliff, I've come to see my own Taoist Sect clearly again. The way I cultivated before, that was me walking down the wrong road. From now on, as for De Song Cliff, I won't meddle anymore."

"You really mean that?" Li Banfeng was deeply skeptical.

Pan Dehai took out a piece of Contract Paper. "If you don't trust me, we can sign a Contract Book right here on the spot."

"The Contract Book has to be signed." The two of them discussed it for a while and then set down a Contract Book.

Pan Dehai truly only wanted to pass the Food Cultivator techniques on to Qin Xiaopang; he genuinely wanted to do a good deed.

Li Qi still couldn't figure it out. "But if you're doing a good deed, you could've just had Ah Xia speak clearly about it at De Song Cliff. Why make me run this trip?"

Pan Dehai laughed. "Brother Li Qi, to be honest with you, I asked you to come so I could save your life."

Li Banfeng froze. "You're saving me?"

"That's right!" Pan Dehai had Ah Xia bring out the Counting Rods and did a divination right on the spot.

"The hexagram is very clear," Ah Xia explained. "By direction, this hexagram points to De Song Cliff. De Song Cliff is facing a great calamity, and it's a violent bloodbath. Old Pan invited you here precisely to help you avoid this disaster."

Pan Dehai stroked his beard and chuckled. "Brother Li Qi, when one is favored with a drop of water, it should be repaid with a spring. What I've given you is a life-saving grace. How do you intend to repay it?"

Before he could finish, Li Banfeng rushed out of the tavern.

Pan Dehai was stunned. "Brother Li Qi, you haven't even finished your meal. Where are you going?"

Li Banfeng sprinted all the way, running straight toward De Song Cliff.

...

Cui Tiq cured Light Bulb, Preserved Fruit, and Crabapple Fruit, then handed them the newly cultivated toxic strain. "The method of cultivating the virus and its usage and dosage, I've written it all in this notebook. Whether you can cure the others will depend on whether you can successfully bring these things back to the Outside Provinces."

Luo Zhengnan said to Light Bulb, "I can send you to the train station, and at the same time bring back the grain Seventh Master sent."

Cui Tiq cupped his fists to Luo Zhengnan. "Brother Luo, I'll have to trouble you with the distribution of the grain."

Luo Zhengnan returned the salute. "It's a small matter. All my Brothers are here, and the Sha Snake Alliance people can help too. Once we finish handing out the grain, I'll let you look over the account book.

If you feel the amount isn't enough, I'll tell Seventh Master to add some more for you. If you feel the amount is sufficient, then the account between you and Seventh Master will be settled."

Cui Tiq nodded. "A fair trade. Our friendship is even stronger than before."

Luo Zhengnan was getting ready to escort the three of them down the mountain, but the three were reluctant to leave—they couldn't bear to part with the child.

The child had prepared a big loaf of bread for the three of them, and had also gotten a can of food ready.

Crabapple Fruit held the child tightly and wouldn't let go. "Good child, how about big sister takes you to Yuezhou? It's really fun over there."

Cui Tiq was watching from the side; Preserved Fruit glared at Crabapple Fruit. "Don't talk nonsense!"

Light Bulb wanted to give the child a present. He searched himself all over and couldn't find anything suitable, so in the end he stuffed all the cash in his wallet into the child's hands.

The three of them followed Luo Zhengnan down the mountain. Cui Tiq left some fungal strains inside his own body; he tried to control these fungi, but every attempt ended in failure.

Cui Tiq was quite helpless. "They really are a bunch of stubborn lives, even more stubborn than the people at De Song Cliff. Maybe I'll have to give them more of a shock before these fungi change their survival habits."

At noon, Cui Tiq made bread for the child. The child wanted noodle soup, so Cui Tiq made noodles as well.

Around two in the afternoon, a child of twelve or thirteen, covered in wounds, ran up the mountain and cried to Cui Tiq, "Doctor Cui, something's happened to our village. They were fighting at the village entrance over the grain you sent us, and a lot of people in the village have died."

Cui Tiq frowned. Luo Zhengnan had always handled things steadily; why would something like this happen?

This was most likely caused by his men being too careless.

Cui Tiq had always kept the number of killings under control; he wanted to solve problems with the least amount of slaughter. He hadn't expected that after all the tough problems were dealt with, many people would end up dead because of the grain distribution.

"Child, what's your name?"

The child sobbed as he said, "My name is Liang Zhongde."

"What's the name of your village?"

"Dexiao Village."

Cui Tiq knew where Dexiao Village was. "I'll take you home now. Come with me."

Liang Zhongde shook his head, crying. "I don't dare go home. My parents were killed by them, and I'm afraid they'll kill me too! Doctor Cui, let me stay here for two days. Once they're done fighting, I'll go to my relatives. I'm begging you."

Cui Tiq turned his head and said, "Little De, take good care of this older brother. I'll be back soon."

The child answered happily.

Before leaving, Cui Tiq glanced at the two Knife Labor Ghosts at the cave entrance.

The Knife Labor Ghosts nodded slightly at Cui Tiq.

...

Luo Zhengnan waited at the train station, and went to ask the station master several times: "When exactly is this train coming?"

The station master poured tea and handed over cigarettes: "Brother Luo, I've asked quite a few times myself. They said it would be here right at one o'clock, now it's already half past two, I don't know what went wrong."

Luo Zhengnan was getting a bit angry: "It's just sending a few trainloads of grain, it's not some backbreaking task. If it's not coming today, then just say it straight and stop making me wait here for nothing!"

Sha Jianfeng tried to calm him down at the side: "Brother Luo, don't get angry. Let's play a few hands of cards together, that way the time will pass faster."

...

The child led Liang Zhongde back to the cave. Liang Zhongde lowered his voice and said to the child: "Come back to the village with me. Grandma De Mei said your sins aren't fully atoned yet, but you're still one of De Song Cliff, De Song Cliff can still accept you."

The child said nothing.

Liang Zhongde glanced at the Knife Labor Ghosts at the cave entrance: "You don't need to be afraid of them. I have a Magical Treasure, the two of us can both go back to the village, they won't be able to catch us."

The child shook his head: "I'm not going back to the village."

Liang Zhongde's face sank: "Then what are you staying with these Foreign Devils for? You want to be a traitor? I knew you were no good!"

The child thought for a moment, picked up the bowl and handed it to Liang Zhongde: "Here's some noodle soup for you."

Liang Zhongde glared and said: "Did you understand what I said or not? I'm taking you back to the village, you dog-spawned little thief! If you won't go, then I'll see you die here!"

...

Cui Tiq had only just gone down the mountain when he realized something was wrong.

The train hadn't come at all, the grain hadn't started being distributed, how could there possibly have been a brawl over snatching grain?

That child called Liang Zhongde had lied!

Cui Tiq ran back with all his might, and when he reached the cave, he heard a strange sound.

"Hmph, hmph hmph~"

The two Knife Labor Ghosts were standing inside the cave.

One Knife Labor Ghost made no sound at all, just stood there in silence.

The other Knife Labor Ghost kept letting out a strange breathy noise from its throat.

"Hmph hmph~"

He wanted to cry, but he didn't know how.

Cui Tiq stepped closer. He saw a bowl of noodle soup spilled across the ground, he saw blood all over the floor.

He cradled the child's icy body in his arms and dropped to his knees, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Hmph, hmph~" One Knife Labor Ghost was still weeping.

The other Knife Labor Ghost, the one that had remained silent, stared fixedly at Cui Tiq.

Cui Tiq's body was shaking, and beads of tears slid slowly down from the corner of his eyes.

He held the child with one arm, and with the other wiped at his tears, but no matter how he wiped, he couldn't get them off.

The tears stayed on his cheeks. They had been clear, but somehow were stained black by something.

The black tears turned into welts, and red spots grew out of the welts.

One welt after another spread rapidly across Cui Tiq's face.

The Knife Labor Ghost that had kept quiet slowly lifted its head and let out a low roar.

"Hoo!"

Thunder rolled, layer upon layer of dark clouds surged over Decheng Mountain. It was the dead of winter; it should have been snowing, but today it rained.

Torrential rain poured down, the roars of the Knife Labor Ghosts never stopped, and neither did the rain.

Under the watering of the rain, the Knife Labor Ghosts on the mountain burst from the earth one after another.

Cui Tiq held the child in his arms and, in the pouring rain, followed the mountain path, slowly descended the mountain.