The group’s attention soon shifted away from the blind beggar Ji Yuan. After explaining their purpose, they occupied themselves around the temple.
The two large sacks were placed in the corner. Ji Yuan discovered that they contained a small pig and a sheep, based on the bleating and oinking he heard through the cloth.
“Beggar, is the firewood here yours? Can we use it? We can buy it from you at the market price.”
The man carrying the tasseled sword called out from not too far away. Ji Yuan was stunned when he heard the offer. He quickly waved his hand to signal that they could use it as they pleased.
Yan Fei simply asked out of politeness and did not offer again, and Ji Yuan was not stupid enough to ask for money.
None of the others paid any more attention to the beggar in the temple. Some were busy cleaning up the space, while others lit the fire, and soon each found a place to sit down and rest.
Even though he was certain that these people were going to die, Ji Yuan did not immediately come forward to try to correct their goals.
Although they appeared to be good people, they were also far less eager to be considerate to him than Zhang Shilin had been. What if they got annoyed and refused to take him down the mountain?
What if they truly were powerful, and were able to subdue Lu Shan Jun?
Ji Yuan decided to calm down and listen to the sounds made by these nine people. He heard the banging of metal weapons hitting the ground, and understood that as the metal collision of some weapons on the ground, so Ji Yuan understands that they really were armed. Plus, with their strong breath, they should be martial artists.
Were the martial arts masters here similar to those in his previous world, or could they fly over the walls and roofs like they did in films and television dramas? Could they deal with a tiger spirit? Did they carry spells or anything similar?
Ji Yuan was both worried and curious about what this group of people would do.
The campfire was lit once more, and the group of people warmed themselves by the fire. Some had taken off their outer coats and hung them on the same wooden pole nearby to dry. The men and women were not self-conscious of their slightly-undressed states, and treated each other equally.
It wasn’t completely dark yet. Ji Yuan speculated that their plan should be to lure the tiger out with bait, but it didn’t look like they were going to leave right away.
“I heard from the people in Narcissus Town that the tiger has been causing trouble for a long time, and that it has eaten a lot of people by now.”
The woman surnamed Luo, who was sitting by the fire and poking at the charcoal with a stick, hugged her knees and asked in a low voice.
Yan Fei carefully wiped along the blade of his sword with a cloth and answered.
“That’s right. But I don’t think everyone who disappeared in these mountains was eaten by a beast king; after all, the mountains and forests here are treacherously steep. Funnily enough, some people in Narcissus Town said that there might even be evil spirits.”
At Yan Fei’s words, a man with a ghost-head saber1 resting his feet couldn’t help but interrupt.
“No, when Yan Fei and I asked around about the tigers on Niu Kui Mountain, no one in Narcissus Town said anything like that. Only an old superstitious man in the teahouse mentioned that there might be monsters in the mountain. Hahahaha, if there really were monsters in this world, then don’t talk about them and they won’t come.”2
“That would be ridiculous, people are still coming and going through these mountains!”
A man who didn’t seem to posses any weapons added a piece of firewood to the fire and said with a smile:
“Alright, alright, since we got the bounty order, we’ll help them take care of this matter. If there really is an evil spirit, I, Lu Chengfeng, would love to see it!”
“Hahaha, definitely!”
The person sitting next to him laughed. This young man was young and a little goofy but had some martial art skills. At this time, the two of them were traveling together to accomplish their ambitions: they wanted to make a name for themselves in the world!
The more he listened to their chatter, the lower Ji Yuan’s hopes for the group sank. It looked like they had no idea real monsters and spirits existed on this mountain.
Ji Yuan felt that had to at least try to stop them, otherwise he might be blamed when they failed to kill the monster.
The nine young warriors seemed to have forgotten about the beggar, so Ji Yuan had to draw their attention.
“Cough, cough… Are you strong warriors here to fight the tiger?”
Ji Yuan coughed a few times and asked tentatively.
Hearing Ji Yuan’s question, everyone turned to look at him.
“That’s right, the county office has released the bounty list,3 so we came here specifically to eliminate the danger for the people of the county.”
Ji Yuan responded meaningfully. He tried his best not to provoke them with his tone, while still arousing these people’s curiosity.
Sure enough, the beggar’s reaction made Yan Fei and the others frown.
“Beggar, do you have anything to say?”
Yan Fei instinctively asked, and Ji Yuan continued.
“It’s nothing special. I admire all of you aspiring heroes for fighting the tiger. It’s just that the outcome of a battle is determined beforehand, and enacted later. The same is true when eliminating danger for the sake of the people. Do you warriors have a plan?”
Ji Yuan tried his best to sound as sophisticated as possible. As long as he acted very differently than he appeared, he could attract attention even as a beggar.
Sure enough, the beggar seemed to straighten his previous posture and spoke credibly. The key was that his voice was deep and full of energy, which gave everyone the impression that he was extraordinary!
His elders often taught Yan Fei not to underestimate anyone when he went out into the world. Yan Fei glanced at his companions, then stood up and took a few steps towards the beggar. He looked at the beggar carefully once more, and answered with a frown.
“I heard that the man-eating tiger only appears late at night. We plan to use live pigs and sheep as bait in the mountains to lure it, and then attack in groups.”
Ji Yuan was stunned for a moment.
“That’s all? No other strategies or other means?”
These people didn’t even consider things like digging holes or setting up traps or nets.
“All of us have practiced martial arts since we were young, and our skill is extraordinary. Although the tiger may be ferocious, it is still just a beast. With a sword in hand, if we attack in a group, we can still drive it off!”
Okay, sure, this group of people not only came here for nothing, they were also incredibly naive!
Ji Yuan was pessimistic. It seemed that he needed to put on a bit more of a show.
After a moment of thought, he opened his mouth and laughed.
“Clap clap clap clap…”
Ji Yuan laughed in a low voice and applauded.
“Okay, good, you are a brave man, but I still have some doubt. What if the beast that lives on this mountain is not an ordinary tiger, but a monster that has become a spirit? Would you still be so certain?”
“Is he saying the truth…”
“Someone in Narcissus Town mentioned that!”
Several warriors narrowed their eyes and looked at each other, then looked back at the beggar.
“Beggar, don’t be a fool!”
Ji Yuan was now a little more relaxed, and gazed at them with an unchanging smile. His pale eyes made all nine people involuntarily calm down.
“I know that I speak lightly and rashly, which makes you reject my words, but it is merely to persuade you. After observing you for some time, I can see that you all have chivalrous hearts, and could people do so much more for the people of this world. You shouldn’t sacrifice your life here, and so I couldn’t help but speak up.”
Ji Yuan had long discovered that, when trying to persuade someone, flattery was key.
Sure enough, although his words made the 9 people rather unhappy in their hearts, they held back from showing it.
“Beggar… well, we appreciate your kindness, but since we have taken up the bounty, we should at least try our best. I think the rumor of the monster is mostly hearsay. If something unexpected does happen, we won’t blame anyone but ourselves!”
Yan Fei spoke righteous words, and the people around him nodded frequently. Ji Yuan’s compliments touched their hearts. Yan Fei’s declaration met almost unanimous agreement. After all, hadn’t they come here purely to gain a reputation?
After speaking, Yan Fei bowed to Ji Yuan again. Content originally comes from NoveI(F)ire.net
“Thank you for your kind reminder!”
Then he returned to the fire and closed his eyes to rest.
Well, seeing that this group of people seemed even more motivated than before, Ji Yuan decided not to try to continue persuading them. Otherwise, not only would he become very disliked, it would also be easy for Lu Shan Jun to cause misunderstandings as well, and perhaps even make him be misunderstood as some non-human creature.
As for going with them to fight the tiger, he was absolutely not interested. Ji Yuan could only hope that the bluff he had used on Lu Shan Jun the night before was still going strong.