Hearing this.
The burly man's gaze flickered slightly. He stopped beneath the tree, looking at the youth trying to claim credit, Chen Yushan, and the other youth who wanted to divide the spoils here, Xiao Hanlin. After a moment of thought, he asked,
"Do you really want to divide it here?"
"Brother Hanlin makes a good point. Elder Brother, let's just divide it here to avoid drawing envious eyes once we leave." Chen Yushan rubbed his hands together, his burning gaze fixed on the burly man.
The slender youth named Xiao Hanlin also looked at the burly man with anticipation. He had not contributed much on this trip, but fortunately, the three of them frequently roamed the mountains together. They had an established agreement: the burly man would take four parts, while he and Chen Yushan would each take three.
This was because the burly man, Hong Daqiang, was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, while the two of them were only at the fourth level.
"Alright."
Hong Daqiang smiled and agreed, though he was in no hurry to take out the items. He slung an arm around Chen Yushan's shoulders, looked at Xiao Hanlin, and said with a laugh,
"Brother Hanlin, wait a moment. After all, the Buddha-Heart Fruit was discovered by Yushan. I shouldn't treat him poorly this time. Let me discuss with him to see what split would be most appropriate."
Chen Yushan froze for a moment, then his face lit up with delight. "Thank you, Elder Brother Hong!"
"Hehe, we're all brothers, no need to be polite. Come, let's head over there to discuss."
Saying so, Hong Daqiang ushered Chen Yushan along, walking further away.
Xiao Hanlin stood alone in his spot, unknowingly feeling excluded. He could not help but feel a bit bitter inside. However, he did not have the thick skin to chase after them. He merely thought that he should not team up with them again.
Boom!
Just as Xiao Hanlin was lost in thought, an explosion suddenly erupted five zhang away to his right.
He turned his head to look.
He saw Hong Daqiang wearing a sinister grin as he watched Chen Yushan stagger, blood spurting wildly from his body. Seeing that Chen Yushan was not yet dead, Hong Daqiang grabbed the youth by the hair, drew the dagger at his waist, and began stabbing him frantically.
The sickening thuds of the blade piercing flesh and the hiss of spurting blood made Xiao Hanlin's scalp go numb from a distance.
Without hesitation, he turned and tried to flee.
"Brother Hanlin, where are you off to?" Suddenly, the wind howled. The five-zhang distance was crossed in the blink of an eye, and Hong Daqiang grabbed Xiao Hanlin by the back of his collar.
At the same time, an earthy-yellow light flared upon his right fist. He raised his hand, aiming to smash it into the back of Xiao Hanlin's head. The strike was ruthless and utterly decisive; it was clear he intended to swallow all their gains alone.
"No!"
Xiao Hanlin was terrified out of his wits. In his panic, he backhandedly threw out a Talisman.
Boom!
A cloud of black smoke rose as Hong Daqiang was forced back five steps. Although Xiao Hanlin barely escaped danger, he was blasted backward over a zhang by his own Talisman.
"Hehe, is that it?!" Hong Daqiang's face was covered in black soot. He licked his lips, flashing another sinister grin.
Pfft! Xiao Hanlin spat out a mouthful of blood, his face etched with deep despair. He looked pleadingly at Hong Daqiang, "Elder Brother, I don't want those things anymore. I-I beg you, can you please let me go?"
"Hehe, let you go? How about... you hand over all the trump cards on you, and then I'll spare you? Doesn't your younger sister know how to draw Talismans? You should have more than just that one Talisman, right?" Hong Daqiang closed in on Xiao Hanlin step by step. He appeared relaxed, but he was actually highly vigilant of the youth's movements.
Xiao Hanlin's expression turned bitter. His sister could indeed draw Talismans, but she was merely a half-baked amateur. Calling her skills terrible would not be an exaggeration.
It was precisely to help his sister practice her craft that he had taken the risk to come into these mountains, hunting Demon Beasts to extract their essence blood.
Seeing Hong Daqiang pressing closer and closer, Xiao Hanlin grew increasingly desperate. He did have one more mid-grade Explosion Talisman on him, but his opponent was already on guard. Whether it could injure him was completely uncertain.
Even if he landed a lucky hit, it would at most make the burly man suffer for a while. It could not take Hong Daqiang's life.
"What, unwilling to hand it over? Then I won't hold back."
Hong Daqiang was now less than five chi away from Xiao Hanlin. True Qi surged from his body, instantly enveloping him in an earthy-yellow aura. With a swing of his fist, he smashed down toward Xiao Hanlin on the ground.
"Even if I die, I won't leave it for you!"
At this critical juncture, Xiao Hanlin still threw out his final Explosion Talisman.
After a rumbling explosion, without even looking back, he forced himself up through the heart-wrenching pain and ran.
From within the black smoke, the yellow True Qi around Hong Daqiang dissipated. He swayed on his feet, then let out a strange laugh and charged toward the fleeing Xiao Hanlin like a wild beast. "Go to hell!"
"No!" Feeling the rush of wind aimed at the back of his head, Xiao Hanlin felt a deep sorrow in his heart. If he died, what would his sister do all alone?!
"That's enough."
Just as Xiao Hanlin thought his death was certain, a cold voice rang out from behind him. Then he heard a crisp snap, like the sound of shattering bone.
"Ah...!"
Immediately after, Hong Daqiang's pig-slaughtering scream of agony tore through the air.
Puzzled, Xiao Hanlin turned around. He saw a tall, straight back facing him. The black-clad figure had Hong Daqiang's fist clenched in his right hand.
Hong Daqiang was wailing desperately, huge beads of cold sweat rolling down his face. "Spare me! Spare my life, Senior. Spare my life!"
Lu Li loosened his right hand, and Hong Daqiang immediately clutched his arm, stumbling back two steps. "Th-thank you, Senior."
"Hand over the Storage Bag, then get lost," Lu Li said indifferently as he looked at Hong Daqiang.
"This..."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, Senior." A flash of hatred darted through Hong Daqiang's eyes as he unwillingly reached into his robes with a resentful expression.
"Unrepentant until death. Even Heaven would find it hard to spare you." Before Hong Daqiang's hand could even emerge from his robes, an iron fist smashed into his forehead. With a muffled thud, a bloody hole was punched straight into his large skull.
Hong Daqiang collapsed backward. The large hand that had reached into his robes fell limply to the ground, dropping a mid-grade Explosion Talisman along with it.
Xiao Hanlin watched in shock, thinking to himself, This guy actually still wanted to turn the tables?
Filled with apprehension, he glanced at Lu Li's back. Then, clutching his chest, he slowly stepped forward and spoke respectfully, "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life. Xiao Hanlin will never forget this."
As he spoke, he kept a highly vigilant gaze fixed on Lu Li.
Lu Li found this amusing. He glanced at Xiao Hanlin and said, "You're afraid I'll kill you, aren't you?"
"Uh..."
Called out by Lu Li, Xiao Hanlin could only nod awkwardly. "I-indeed."
At the same time, he was deeply shocked. This black-clad youth seemed about the same age as him, yet his cultivation was terrifyingly formidable. Even Hong Daqiang at the fifth level of Qi Refining could not withstand a single move from him.
"You're rather honest."
Lu Li smiled faintly. He walked forward, rummaged through Hong Daqiang's corpse, and retrieved a Storage Bag. Then, he picked up the mid-grade Explosion Talisman from the ground. Looking at Xiao Hanlin, he asked, "These belong to me. You have no objections, right?"
"No, no objections, Senior."
Xiao Hanlin nodded repeatedly, terrified that Lu Li might get displeased and kill him as well.
Lu Li inspected the bag. Inside, there were indeed ten Buddha-Heart Fruits, along with a few bottles, jars, and the corpse of a fiery red fox. Aside from that, there was nothing else of value.
Helplessly watching Lu Li stow away the Storage Bag and the Explosion Talisman, Xiao Hanlin opened his mouth several times as if to speak, but he ultimately held himself back.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Isn't keeping it bottled up uncomfortable?"
Lu Li had long noticed that Xiao Hanlin wanted to say something. As it happened, he also had some questions of his own to ask.