Chapter 35

Wang Lishou shook his head: "Am I the kind of person who would be so petty? Besides, you little stinkard, weren't you also trying to make our journey smoother? But you were a bit too generous... that was a heart core, tsk tsk... it could probably be exchanged for a thousand decapitation knives. The Wang family collects them, and I heard they all get handed over to the Cloud Capital. Even the head steward doesn't know their specific use; probably only the head of the family knows..."

"Just the fact that it can offset three years of supplies is a tremendous wealth for us, the marsh slaves!" Lu Buqi responded solemnly. "But no matter how expensive something is, you need to have the life to use it. We haven't even reached the halfway point of the Guokan Forest, and we're already in this state. Without better weapons..."

"Stinkard, do you really need to explain all this?" Wang Lishou laughed and scolded. "All I want now is to return to Guokan Town safely. Damn, I don't know what I was thinking, following you into this Guokan Forest."

Lu Buqi pinched his nose: "Who knows? Maybe you've been living too comfortably and suddenly wanted some excitement."

"Very likely... but the bigger reason is that your ghostly martial skills attracted me. Of course, I was just saying that. These days with you, the stinkard, have been quite enjoyable. It feels like I've returned to the days when I was a mountain slave, and I feel twenty years younger..."

"Are you that old?" Lu Buqi raised his thick eyebrows. "If you were twenty years younger, wouldn't you be younger than me?"

A hearty laugh echoed: "Buqi, I like the way you talk. Hmm... I'm not that old. If there was a young lady around, I'd still be..."

Wang Lishou suddenly thought of something: "By the way... Buqi, you're still a virgin, right? You don't know what women taste like, do you?"

Lu Buqi fell silent. Come to think of it, he really didn't know what women tasted like—sour, spicy, bitter, or sweet?

"There's no need to be depressed. You're still young and don't understand!" Wang Lishou laughed. "But looking at you, you seem to be developing well, so you should have some feelings, right?"

What could Lu Buqi do with such a disrespectful old man? He could only remain silent, not out of shyness, but because he suddenly realized that, having lived two lifetimes, he was almost forty and still a virgin, which was quite embarrassing.

Wang Lishou continued to tease: "I like your shy side. It reminds me that you're still a young man, ha ha..."

As the hustle and bustle, noise, and the dangers of life and death faded into the past, the night passed.

In the days that followed, Lu Buqi and Wang Lishou were treated like gods. The marsh slaves of Xiyao Village served them like lords, providing them with plenty of water, food, and even standing guard to drive away insects at night.

In just three days, the group returned to Xiyao Village. The hunting team, which had lost two or three out of ten people, was not sad or dejected. Instead, they seemed to be returning in triumph. After all, losing fewer than a hundred people in exchange for three years of good living was, by the standards of the marsh slaves, definitely worth it.

The damaged decapitation knife was taken for repair. Although it couldn't be restored to its original state, it could still be used after being re-sharpened, though the blade would be narrower and its killing power reduced.

Lu Buqi's requests for a large bow, salt, and other items were quickly prepared. What surprised Lu Buqi was that a young girl was sent to his wooden hut that night.

The girl was probably just fourteen, with a rather delicate appearance and a figure that was beginning to develop. She looked shy and clearly inexperienced. Although her skin was a bit dark, she exuded a sweet and innocent charm that was endearing.

In the Guokan Forest, fourteen was considered adulthood. At this age, both boys and girls had to take on responsibilities for their village. Lu Buqi was no longer a child, and the vast amount of information from his previous life on Earth gave him a level of understanding about men and women that was not inferior to that of an average adult in this world.

Looking at the girl's innocent expression, Lu Buqi felt a twinge of sadness: "Go out and tell your headman that I don't need this kind of hospitality!"

"Ah..." The girl trembled, suddenly kneeling down, her body shaking. She looked at Lu Buqi pitifully, clearly not knowing what she had done wrong to make him dislike her.

Lu Buqi felt a headache: "What's your name?"

"X...Xiaocao," Xiaocao replied, her voice barely audible.

"Oh, Xiaocao." At that moment, Lu Buqi's thoughts were a bit muddled. He thought there might be an older girl named Xiaocao in Xiyao Village: "Don't be afraid, look at me, and listen to what I'm saying."

Xiaocao looked up at Lu Buqi, but quickly lowered her head again. Lu Buqi asked, "I just want you to leave. Why are you so scared?"

"They said you are... the headman of Itah House, a hero... and they want me to serve you. Yunni also went to serve... I don't understand that... please don't be angry..."

Lu Buqi sighed: "I'm not angry. I am the headman of Xibei House, but I don't want to do what they think I want to do, so I don't need you to serve me. Do you understand?"

Xiaocao shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes: "You don't want me... they will say I'm useless... maybe I won't have food tomorrow..."

Lu Buqi's brows furrowed. Xiaocao's concern was real. As an adult marsh slave, if she couldn't complete the assigned work, being penalized with reduced rations was common.

Thinking about this, Lu Buqi pulled Xiaocao up and, with her startled gaze, left the wooden hut. As he stepped out, he heard a seductive moan from the adjacent hut, making his heart flutter and almost breaking his mental defenses.

But Lu Buqi was not someone who would indulge himself. He took Xiaocao to Ming Yan and said, "Xiaocao is still young. You can arrange for her to do something else, don't make it hard for her."

After saying this, Lu Buqi turned and left, leaving Ming Yan and Xiaocao staring at each other in confusion.

What puzzled Lu Buqi was that just as he was about to rest, the wooden door was pushed open again, and a woman with a full figure, like a ripe peach, walked in, swaying her snake-like waist and smiling seductively.

"What is it?" Lu Buqi was annoyed. What was Ming Yan thinking?

The woman looked slightly surprised: "The... headman said you like older women, so he sent me to serve you..."

Lu Buqi was taken aback. When had he shown a preference for older women? Before he could react, the woman, with her practiced movements, sat down next to him, her body as agile as a martial arts expert, making it hard to guard against.

Lu Buqi stood up abruptly, grabbing her hand before it could slip into his clothes, and dragged her out of the hut again. This time, he could clearly hear the wanton moans from the adjacent hut.

"Brother Buqi, this isn't to your liking either?" Ming Yan looked conflicted. "Apart from Yunni, this is the most beautiful and skilled mother in Xiyao Village..."

Lu Buqi clenched his jaw: "Ming Yan, I appreciate your kindness, but I don't need a woman to accompany me. Also... a piece of advice, if you want to break through to the Bone Resonance stage, try to avoid women as much as possible. Don't exceed seven times a month."

The reason he added this was not out of kindness to guide Ming Yan, but because he was worried that Ming Yan, with his strong "deduction" skills, might think he was useless or had some other preferences, which would be ridiculous.

No matter how indifferent a man was to other concepts, he didn't want to hear such rumors. As Lu Buqi resolutely left, Ming Yan suddenly realized: "Avoiding women can make you stronger..."

"Headman, should I stay with you then?" The woman, who had been left behind, looked at Ming Yan with a seductive smile, but he glared at her: "Can't you see I'm missing a piece of flesh on my leg? How can I do it with you?"

The woman shook her head and knelt down, supporting Ming Yan's leg: "It's okay, I'll move, and I promise not to touch your wound."

"Is that so?" Ming Yan was moved. He had been so busy arranging women for Wang Lishou and Lu Buqi that he had forgotten to reward himself for his injured heart: "Then come on..."

The sound of undressing echoed... Clearly, not everyone could control their desires like Lu Buqi. Ming Yan believed that avoiding women could increase his strength, but in the face of temptation, he still succumbed.

This small incident perhaps revealed why Lu Buqi, in his previous life, could achieve such high martial arts accomplishments and not become an ordinary person.