novelraw Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17 : The Hunters
No one is unafraid of death.
For animals in the natural world, death is the most terrifying thing.
Even the more advanced humans have the fear of death deeply carved into their genes, but what makes humans human is that they have rationality that transcends instinct.
There are always some things that can make them overcome their fear of death.
Those things are sometimes lofty sentiments for home and country, sometimes brotherly loyalty that reaches the clouds, and sometimes unforgettable love etched into one's bones.
But more often than not, it just takes enough money.
Su Wantian's gaze slowly swept over the dozen or so people before him.
He followed his residence's steward to find Lao Xuetou, who had a close relationship with the Su Residence and often had financial dealings with them.
He was from out of town and had made a name for himself in Xinyang City in his youth.
It was said that he had once hunted five great beasts alone within a month, and he had a great reputation among the local hunters in Xinyang City.
Both the old and the young respected him greatly.
After explaining the matter openly and giving Lao Xuetou fifty taels of silver as a "deposit," he very readily found the dozen or so people before them.
They were all local hunters of good skill and reputation, and most importantly, they were either not yet married, or were relatively short on money.
With Lao Xuetou's help, Su Wantian saved a lot of effort at once.
He had originally estimated that he would have to run around the city for at least a day to find suitable people, but unexpectedly, it was resolved in an hour although it was already late at night, no one could be uninterested in the big business Lao Xuetou spoke of.
What was losing a little sleep?
“Lao Xuetou, are all the people who should be here, here? What's this big business you were talking about?”
Someone couldn't help but ask.
“We know this Young Master Su. What, does Master Su have some important business to attend to again? Making a miser like you willing to pull us in to make money together?”
Lao Xuetou was a short, sturdy middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties.
His hair was dark black and his eyes were full of spirit, not looking as old as his actual age.
He glanced at the hunter who had spoken and replied irritably:
“Bullshit! When have I ever not thought of you little brats first when something good comes up? This matter is very complicated, let Young Master Su tell you about it!”
His voice was extremely loud, full of vigor, and carried the characteristic roughness of a martial artist.
Su Wantian was not very used to dealing with such people.
He always felt that Lao Xuetou could kill him with one punch, but the other party's demeanor did indeed give him a bit more confidence.
He cleared his throat and recounted the general gist of the matter as it was, only omitting many unnecessary details, such as Xun Qiu being a woman disguised as a man.
As Su Wantian had expected, most of the hunters showed an expression of “you've got to be kidding me,” but he didn't say these things in the hope that these people would believe him.
It was only out of a sense of morality, believing that it was necessary to tell the truth to these people who might have to risk their lives.
After speaking, he paused and scanned the crowd:
“I know that you all definitely don't believe these words, but I think you all always recognize money. Saying grand words about sacrificing oneself for the country and the people, no matter how nice they sound, are not as useful as this.”
Su Wantian glanced at the steward.
He immediately understood and opened the wooden chest placed behind the two of them.
The light from the oil lamp in the house was dim, but the gold, silver, and jewels within shimmered with an indescribable luster, making it impossible for people to look away!
After a good while, someone finally regained their senses.
The person swallowed his saliva and said:
“This, this is…”
“A deposit.”
Su Wantian's face was calm, as if the money he was giving away wasn't his.
“Anyone who is willing to come and hunt that demonic beast can divide this chest of gold and silver equally, and afterwards, regardless of success or failure, each of your families will receive a final payment of three hundred taels of silver.”
Many people's breathing became heavy.
Three hundred taels of silver!
What kind of concept was that!
An ordinary family of three in Xinyang City could only earn about thirty taels of silver a year!
Many people were directly swept off their feet and were about to agree immediately, but Su Wantian raised his hand to press down and said:
“This is a business that might cost you your life. You might as well make a decision after you've calmed down. Regardless of whether you are willing to accompany me or not, my father and I will not take it to heart. If there are other things to be done in the future, we will certainly not exclude you.”
His words brought the hunters back to their senses to some extent.
They looked at each other, then walked out of the house and began to discuss and persuade each other.
Lao Xuetou had not said a word from beginning to end, and only now did he finally speak:
“Young Master Su, if you really want to find people to send to their deaths, you shouldn't have said that.”
Su Wantian looked at the sturdy old man and shook his head:
“Even if one is to send people to their deaths, they should be told why they are dying and for what cause. What's more, I only want their help, so it is only right to clearly state the pros and cons, the risks and rewards. To take a step back, for people who are tricked into hunting a demonic beast, I wouldn't dare to trust their performance at a life-and-death moment, would I.”
“Young Master Su, sometimes even they themselves don't know what they will do at a life-and-death moment.”
Lao Xuetou shook his head with a smile.
“But I like what you said very much, it's very good. Scholars should be like this. If all the scholars in the world were like you, there would be much less injustice and wrongful matters in the world.”
Is he praising me or insulting me?
Su Wantian, who had failed the exams three times, was now very sensitive.
About a quarter of an hour later, the discussion outside gradually ended.
There were eight hunters who cherished their lives and left.
The number of those willing to “risk their lives to accompany a gentleman,” including Lao Xuetou, was only six.
This number was more than enough to face a great beast, but it was slightly insufficient for hunting a demonic beast.
Lao Xuetou looked at them one by one.
No one flinched under his gaze, and this performance made him nod with satisfaction:
“Very good. Now, let's talk about how to find and how to catch that demonic beast… First, who is willing to die?”
Recovering from the shock of Xun Qiu's astonishing cultivation speed, the Tai Xuan Sect disciple secretly calculated how long it would take for Xun Qiu to step into the Middle Four Realms.
Although the hardships and obstacles in the path of cultivation were difficult to quantify, there was always a general boundary, and each realm had a certain amount of true qi.
The answer he got was that it was uncertain whether Xun Qiu could cultivate to the Middle Four Realms in three days, but it was definitely impossible to achieve this feat today or tomorrow.
Because she didn't understand the Tai Xuan Heart Sutra, and if he were to tell her the subsequent circulation routes in detail, it would definitely slow down the speed of his healing.
He secretly calculated the time in his head.
If he squeezed it and timed it very precisely, he could at least finish explaining the cultivation methods of the Lower Five Realms, because they formed a self-contained system and complemented each other.
With Xun Qiu's comprehension, she could easily draw inferences from one case.
A cultivation base of the Fifth Realm was also enough to turn the tide of battle at a critical moment.
The Tai Xuan disciple briefly explained his speculations and conclusions, and then said:
Our plan is simple.
I will lure him here, pretend that I know death is unavoidable and want to make a desperate gamble.
You will then suddenly appear at a critical moment, pretend to be a Tai Xuan Sect disciple, and launch a sneak attack from behind.
If he turns back to defend, then I can seize the opportunity and kill him with one blow.
If he ignores it, then you will turn the pretense into reality and attack him with all your might.
I can barely block one of his attacks, and afterwards, the two of us will join forces.
As long as we fight steadily, it will not be difficult to force him back or even kill him.
“In other words, that is, the advantage is mine!”