Chapter 29

Xu Dong was almost exhausted when he arrived at the rendezvous point. He could hear his lungs greedily drawing in the murky air, like a nearly broken bellows, continuously emitting a muffled sound. Although his physical strength far exceeded that of an average person, and he had pre-designed several escape routes, it still required a great deal of energy and mental effort to truly escape the pursuit of the bayonets, which was extremely tormenting.

Xu Dong leaned against a tree, panting. Soon, Dalang's voice floated over, "Brother Dong, is that you?"

After he finished speaking, a similarly breathless figure soon emerged from the forest ahead—it was Dalang. This young man was also quite exhausted, his face drenched in sweat from the intense exertion, and his clothes were soaked through. Seeing Xu Dong, he was very surprised: "Brother Dong, how did you get here faster than me?"

As he got closer, he noticed the bloody wounds on Xu Dong's body, and his mouth formed an O in shock. "Brother Dong, did you really encounter Lord Bayonet? By Mondo, you actually managed to escape?!"

In fact, it was no wonder he was so surprised and shocked. In the minds of ordinary people, even a first-rank, first-star Armored Warrior was like a battle-hardened special forces soldier to a common civilian. Though not to the point of worship, they could only look up to them. When Xu Dong was setting up his escape routes, Dalang was present. At that time, he did not believe that mere traps could save his life. He even thought that even if there were many such childish traps, he would likely still be caught.

From this, one can imagine why he was so surprised. Looking at Xu Dong, it was clear that he had gone through a bloody escape. Dalang could see that his hand was completely broken. The way Dalang looked at Xu Dong suddenly had a lot more admiration—because this young man had accomplished what he thought was impossible!

Xu Dong's wounds looked truly gruesome, but in reality, they were mostly superficial, with the most serious being the broken arm. Seeing Dalang, he naturally felt a sense of relief and said, "Did you encounter any other problems on the way?"

Xu Dong had once saved Dalang's life, and now, by demonstrating such formidable strength, he had made a profound impact on Dalang's mind. If the previous help was out of gratitude, and the other out of the young man's curiosity and impulsiveness, then now, Dalang had an almost fanatical admiration for Xu Dong, similar to a fan's enthusiasm for a celebrity in his past life.

Hearing Xu Dong's question, the young man straightened his back, "I followed your instructions, went west first, then turned south, and only came here after confirming no one was following me."

Xu Dong nodded slightly and instructed, "My hand is broken. Find me a branch to immobilize it."

While Xu Dong was bandaging his broken hand, the long-absent Winding finally trotted back. The dog, possibly due to hunger, had even caught a mountain chicken. After a period of intense exertion, the two of them were exhausted and decided to find a safe place to have a late-night snack.

After completing everything, the two men and the dog finally set off for Beijiao Village.

When they returned to Beijiao Village, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Although young, Dalang could not resist the urge to sleep and collapsed on a pile of firewood at his parents' borrowed place, snoring loudly. As for Xu Dong, he was also extremely tired but still checked on the three South Corner Village Self-Defense Team members who had been captured.

The three team members were so terrified by Xu Dong's thunderous methods that they were trembling with fear. Dalang's parents, who had deep-seated hatred for these three, made sure they had a miserable journey to Beijiao Village, where they were bound and restrained. Even after arriving, they were given only a bowl of water and three large pancakes a day, which was far from enough. After three days of hunger and cold, even a tiger would become a sick cat, and upon seeing Xu Dong, they were almost ready to beg and cry.

As for the place of confinement, Beijiao Village had a large area and many abandoned houses, so finding a sturdy cellar was not difficult. To gain Shengnan's trust and arrange everything accordingly was not a big problem.

Xu Dong had not planned to do anything to the three, but the plan required that they not be released too early. He reiterated that as long as they did not escape, they would not be killed, and then returned to his room to rest. However, he overlooked the fact that a pickaxe was hidden in a corner of the cellar.

This sleep was not restful, and Xu Dong woke up after only four or five hours.

Xu Dong met Beijiao Daxiong in the courtyard.

Beijiao Daxiong showed no signs of anger—of course, he had every reason to be angry. First, Xu Dong had brought back six people, and six people meant six mouths to feed, drink, and care for. Second, three of these people were imprisoned in a cellar in Beijiao Village, which could be considered illegal detention or even a crime. As the village's security officer, Beijiao Daxiong knew this was no laughing matter.

He was not angry because he trusted Xu Dong.

Seeing Xu Dong, Beijiao Daxiong was startled by his injuries. Most of the flesh wounds had stopped bleeding but looked like gaping fish mouths, giving a tragic impression. The broken and immobilized arm was the most frightening, appearing to be completely shattered.

His face showed concern, and he could not help but ask, "Xiao Dong, what did you do to end up like this?"

Xu Dong had not planned to hide anything and thus recounted the events with a bitter smile. When he mentioned his encounter with the bayonets of South Corner Village, even Beijiao Daxiong was visibly shocked, and his gaze became more and more like that of someone staring at a freakish monster. In the end, he blurted out, "Xiao Dong, I think you're a freak!"

After Xu Dong finished, Beijiao Daxiong suddenly had a thought and looked at him suspiciously, "I'm curious, why did you cause so much trouble? It doesn't seem like you intended to create problems, right?"

Beijiao Daxiong was not stupid, and this question was natural.

Xu Dong did not want to hide much from this man. He lightly smiled and said, "After much thought, Beijiao Village is not lacking in land, houses, or resources to support a family, but it has never been able to change its situation. One reason is the mountain guard dogs, but I have already killed them all, eliminating this threat. The second reason is..."

At this point, he glanced at Beijiao Daxiong, who was deep in thought.

The village security officer suddenly looked enlightened, "You mean... the villagers?"

Xu Dong nodded, "Exactly, the only resource Beijiao Village is lacking is the villagers!"

Daxiong finally understood, "You deliberately created a disturbance in South Corner Village to incite public anger and then lure the homeless villagers over here!" Imagining the prosperity of Beijiao Village, this burly man could not resist slapping Xu Dong's shoulder hard, much to the pain of Xu Dong's broken arm.

Beijiao Daxiong's excitement quickly subsided, and he suddenly frowned, "I have two questions. First, the annual tribute day is approaching, and Beijiao Village needs to pay at least fifty gold coins in tribute. Where will the money come from? Second, your idea is interesting, but South Corner Village has the bayonets. Even if I haven't met him, from what you say, even two of me might not be able to handle him. After all, no matter how strong you are, if you can't hit the target, it's useless."

After speaking, Beijiao Daxiong looked at Xu Dong, expecting to see a look of frustration on his face. However, Xu Dong remained calm, and his expression even showed a hint of confidence. This left Daxiong completely baffled, unable to understand where Xu Dong's confidence came from.

At this moment, Xu Dong turned and returned to his room. When he reappeared, he held a bamboo tube filled with water.

As Beijiao Daxiong looked on in confusion, Xu Dong poured out a red fruit from the bamboo tube. The fruit had the shape of a fish bladder, was as red as fresh blood, and even after being separated from the tree, it still pulsed weakly like a heart. More importantly, it contained a powerful life force that accelerated the heartbeat!

Beijiao Daxiong had seen this before, but he was still stunned and shocked, his eyes wide open, and his breathing quickened. He pointed at the divine fruit and stammered, "This, this is a divine fruit, right? By Mondo, am I seeing things? You actually managed to get this thing!"

Taking a deep breath, then another, Beijiao Daxiong finally calmed down. His eyes quickly cleared, and he firmly shook his head, "We can't sell it. This is a gift from Mondo to you. You should cherish it, not give it up for Beijiao Village!"

Xu Dong, who had been closely observing Beijiao Daxiong's expression, finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit ashamed. He had not taken out two divine fruits at once because he was worried that Beijiao Daxiong might be tempted by the profit. After all, they were too close, and if the other man suddenly attacked, he would not even know how he died. It turned out that he had misjudged Beijiao Daxiong, which made him feel ashamed.

After Beijiao Daxiong finished speaking, Xu Dong lifted the bamboo tube again, and another white divine fruit rolled into his palm. The appearance of this divine fruit left Beijiao Daxiong stunned, standing there in shock for a full minute before he suddenly sighed, "You must be a messenger of Mondo sent to walk among humans!"

Xu Dong smiled, also to hide his inner shame, "It's just luck. How could I be a messenger of Mondo? By the way, Uncle Daxiong, I have a question."

"First, you must have a way to sell the divine fruits, right? Second, these divine fruits have been picked for about four days. They should still be fresh, right?"

"Finally, and most importantly, how should I consume them to achieve the best effect?"

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