Druid Fairy

Chapter 30 The Cannibal Pyramid

Tiger is a ruthless man.

Unlike the ferocity brought about by Zhou Enxian's "Black Tiger Kung Fu," Tiger Brother's ferocity is a raw, primal strength ingrained in his bones from fighting with wild beasts. Just like a butcher who has slaughtered many pigs, he carries an aura of bloodlust, capable of making a pack of dogs tuck their tails and flee at the mere sight of him with a single glance.

He sat with his hands on his waist, his body always taut like a bow, ready to spring up and draw his sword at the slightest disturbance.

This person is extremely wary.

Three years ago, when Li Rongzhou first arrived in Peach Blossom Village, he wanted to go hunting with Brother Hu because his family was short of money. However, he ended up following Xiao Hei to find gold dust to overcome the difficulties, and the hunting trip in the mountains was abandoned.

Li Rongzhou smiled outwardly, but inwardly he was suspicious. Tiger Brother wouldn't come to the temple without a reason.

Tiger took a sip of tea, frowned slightly, and said the tea was too weak, far less flavorful than strong liquor.

"I heard that Brother Rongzhou has broken through to the Bone Realm. Congratulations!" After offering his congratulations, he did not hide his purpose and said frankly, "Being able to hunt salamanders so easily, you are quite capable, brother. I came here this time to invite you to come with me into the mountains to hunt treasure beasts."

"A treasure beast?"

Li Rongzhou was slightly taken aback.

Treasure beasts are even more ferocious than ordinary beasts. Their flesh, bones, and skin are all treasures, incredibly valuable. Furthermore, their bodies exhibit distinct mutations, making them excellent materials for forging or alchemy; even Qi Refining Immortals occasionally favor them.

If they can actually hunt the treasure beast, conservatively speaking, each member of the hunting party could earn a hundred taels of silver.

"But hunting treasure beasts is too dangerous, and my strength is insufficient," Li Rongzhou sighed.

The one who haggles is the real buyer and seller.

Seeing that Li Rongzhou seemed interested, Tiger Brother laughed and said, "Brother Rongzhou, don't worry. This hunt was organized by the Silver Wolf Merchant Guild to satisfy your hobby of hunting."

A doctor will accompany you throughout the journey, so there will be no danger. You only need to accompany the group for ten days to earn a guaranteed fifty taels of silver. All the hunting spoils will be yours to keep. It's a sure-fire way to make money.

"If it weren't for the Rongzhou brothers, I wouldn't have agreed to let anyone else do this business."

He smiled kindly, but the claw marks at the corners of his eyes looked particularly ferocious.

The forest is deep and the beasts are fierce, but having a team can reduce this risk.

Li Rongzhou was tempted, but in the end he said with regret and helplessness, "To be honest, Brother Hu, although I managed to hunt that salamander, I was dragged into the water for too long, which damaged my lungs and internal organs. I'm fine normally, but once I use my powers, I have difficulty breathing and my blood and qi decline."

He activated the Crane Style, secretly reversing the Tree Breathing Technique. Moments later, his face turned flushed, he coughed incessantly, and his qi and blood were depleted.

Seeing that it didn't seem fake, Tiger said with a regretful look, "What a pity, you don't have that blessing."

Li Rongzhou smiled wryly.

After a brief, unproductive chat, Tiger excused himself to leave, and Li Rongzhou quickly told his wife, "Quickly get Tiger five catties of salamander meat."

"No, you can keep it to nourish your body." Tiger waved his hand and walked away without looking back.

Watching Tiger's departing figure, Li Rongzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

This matter is strange in every way.

There is no such thing as a sure-fire way to make money in this world. If someone tells you that you "will definitely make money", then you might just be their business!
All he wants is a warm home with his wife and children, and to watch his children grow up healthy, get married, and establish their own careers. Even if this deal has enormous benefits, it's not worth getting involved in this mess!

…………

"Gah! I'll go scout ahead!"

Li Pingcan heard Xiao Hei's bark and saw that it had a short-stemmed mushroom on its head, which looked like it was wearing a gray straw hat from a distance.

This is a newly developed next-generation "drone" that doesn't need a small black claw to grab the mushroom and can automatically adapt to various overhead views.

"Go ahead, but be careful not to let Tiger find out."

Li Pingcan cautiously instructed him, perhaps because of his druid constitution, he instinctively disliked Tiger Brother and wanted to find out where he came from, just in case. "Wu Feng."

As Xiao Hei rose into the air, Li Pingcan's perspective also changed.

Tiger ran along the country road at an extremely fast speed. If it weren't for Blackie's high-flying, wide field of vision and the swirling effect of his dance, he might not have been able to keep up with him.

He turned left and right, extremely cautious, and darted into the depths of the dense forest to meet a martial artist dressed in black.

The black-clad warrior asked a few questions, but Tiger shook his head. Then the two parted ways, one returning to the village and the other traveling far away.

Li Pingcan's brows furrowed even more. "Xiao Hei, follow that black-clad warrior."

"Good boss!"

Deep in the dense forest, a black crow flapped its wings and followed the black-clad warrior to a secluded hunter's hut.

Through the cracks in the doors and windows, one could vaguely see the ferocious statue on the lotus platform under the candlelight. Its eyelids were half-closed, but they could not hide its crimson pupils. A three-inch gap was split in the vertical line between its eyebrows, revealing a half-open third eye.

The black-clad warrior prostrated himself in devout worship, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

Li Pingcan's heart skipped a beat.

This is... could it be a cult?!
……

"The local cult is so rude, they actually tried to recruit my dad as a member!"

After thinking it over carefully, Li Pingcan understood Tiger's true purpose.

Tiger is, after all, a martial artist at the Qi and Blood Realm. If he wanted to harm people directly, he wouldn't need to offer such enticement. He's probably just trying to build connections.

Compared to the others in Peach Blossom Village, their family doesn't have a deep foundation here. The father has broken through to the Bone Realm and has some martial arts potential. They also have the family's "weaknesses," making them easy to manipulate. They are the best candidates for recruitment!

"I knew that old Deng had ill intentions!"

Li Pingcan quickly recalled Xiao Hei; that three-eyed evil statue looked strangely twisted and sinister, so it was best to stay away. In his past life, he was a staunch atheist, but in this life, he simply couldn't be a staunch atheist!

The thought of a cult right next to me sends chills down my spine, so he quickly told his father the news.

Li Rongzhou's reaction was not as strong as he had imagined.

"I see. No wonder Tiger invited me so earnestly three years ago."

Li Rongzhou looked slightly surprised, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "It's best to keep these people at a distance. There's no need to get close to them or offend them."

Li Pingcan was shocked. This was a harmful cult. "Father, shouldn't we report it to the authorities?"

“These small fry, why would the government care about them?” Li Rongzhou said, both amused and exasperated. Seeing his son’s confusion, he explained, “With the dynasty’s fortune on their side, these people can’t cause any trouble. The government can’t be bothered with them, and besides…”

He paused, his tone icy, "Once these sects grow and expand, they will also be considered meritorious achievements of the celestial officials."

"What about the ordinary people who were harmed?"

“Religious sects may not necessarily harm people. The common people are their source of income and resources that they need to cultivate. Apart from the fact that they do not worship righteous gods or immortals, some religious sects are actually not much different from orthodox religions.”

Li Rongzhou sighed, "If a sect really harms people, then we can only accept our bad luck."

Just like the calamity caused by the immortals four years ago, didn't he just accept his bad luck?!
Li Pingcan was stunned.

Cults promote their followers, while celestial officials reap the rewards...

The way things unfolded was completely different from what he had imagined. It was as if the entire Great Yu Dynasty, from beginning to end, was a pyramid that devoured people!
'If the immortals knew I was a druid…'

He was suddenly jolted awake, and a great deal of hostility and defensiveness arose in his heart toward the world!

(End of this chapter)