Xiao Qiang was never a kind person. In his past life, he cultivated himself from a minor monk with no sect all the way to becoming a top monk in the Great Perfection phase. If he had merely relied on his extraordinary talent, he would have long been devoured and reduced to a pile of rotting bones. He would scheme, sucker punch, trip others up, whatever it took to survive in the brutal world of cultivation, Xiao Qiang left no stone unturned.
When he came to this world initially, Xiao Qiang planned to lay low and quietly accumulate his strength. However, at this moment, the actions of the Shi Bao brothers had already touched upon his bottom line. For him, he might not have felt that saving the stranger - Feifei, was worthwhile, but when it came to his own life, he had to put his mind to dealing with the Shi brothers.
As everyone came to a halt in front of a towering Qiao Mu tree, Xiao Qiang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's your deal, brat?" Seeing Xiao Qiang halt, Third Shi, who was following him, cursed under his breath.
Xiao Qiang gave a bitter smile, "Boss, can I go to the toilet?" pointing towards a few trees ahead of him, their foliage was not high, but their trunks were straight and tall, with lush leaves that looked like green umbrellas. The base of the largest tree had three plank roots, the biggest one being several square meters in size.
Everyone was flabbergasted. Going to the toilet?
Glancing at Xiao Qiang, Shi Bao asked with a gloomy expression, "What kind of play are you trying to pull, punk?"
Xiao Qiang hastily waved his hands, "I'm not up to anything, I just need to take a shit. I've just been released from prison today and hadn't had the chance to go."
Hearing this, Shi Bao gave Xiao Qiang a surprising look: "You've just been released from jail? What got you in there in the first place?"
Bearing arms, sharing a cell, splitting loot, frequenting brothels - the four iron laws of life. Although Shi Bao hadn't served time in jail with Xiao Qiang, hearing that the kid also came out of jail, he instinctively classified him as a bad guy like himself. His attitude softened slightly, but he still remained alert. After all, this young man was a stranger, and it was impossible for Shi Bao to trust Xiao Qiang completely.
Upon seeing Xiao Qiang starting to get familiar with these baddies, Feifei's face changed instantly. She never thought that Xiao Qiang could be such a person.
However, Xiao Qiang didn't pay attention to her, he simply looked at Shi Bao and said calmly, "Just killed someone."
Shi Bao looked Xiao Qiang up and down in surprise, "You killed someone with that frail body of yours?" It was clear he didn't believe that Xiao Qiang with that physically weak appearance could kill someone.
"Right, with your wretched look, I could knock you down with one hand." Third Shi laughed behind Xiao Qiang, he despised the likes of these white-faced young men; none of them were any good.
Xiao Qiang shrugged, "I didn't mean to kill, but his car did kill my brother. He was powerful and wealthy, whereas I was just an ordinary citizen. Besides seeking an eye for an eye, what else could I do?" He wasn't a fool, since these people valued brotherhood so much, he could only try to manipulate their emotions.
Shi Bao paused, he and his brothers looked at each other, then back at Xiao Qiang, "Then how did you survive?"
Xiao Qiang gave a sly smile, "I was underage at the time, and met an influential person, so I was spared. Before I knew it, ten years had passed. Who would have thought that upon my release, I'd run into you guys, talk about bad luck."
After a pause, he continued: "But it isn't all bad, since keeping my life doesn't really mean much anymore. To see you guys exacting vengeance for your brother right before I'm going down, it's a life not wasted."
Feifei stared wide-eyed, watching as the Shi brothers were manipulated into feeling emotional by Xiao Qiang's words, and suddenly thought of him as cunning as a fox. She had heard about Xiao Qiang from Wang Ming, and she knew very well that Xiao Qiang hadn't been in any jail. She had initially thought of Xiao Qiang as an honest man, but seeing how he was playing the Shi brothers, she almost mistook him for a con artist.
It has to be said that Xiao Qiang's manipulation worked quite well. After hearing Xiao Qiang's words, Shi Bao nodded in approval and said, "Thanks for the compliment, kid. We're not into shady dealings. The only thing we're doing today is dealing with Qian Hu. You were caught in the crosshairs unintentionally. But as you said, we can't risk it. So, no hard feelings on your way to the other side."
Xiao Qiang kept a polite smile on his face, but internally, he wished he could kick this guy to death. All he wanted was to use the toilet, why the endless babbling?
After venting his feelings, Shi Bao looked at Xiao Qiang and chuckled, "Old Three, uncuff this young fellow so he can do his business."
As he spoke, he gave Xiao Qiang a meaningful glance, then pointed at the gun in his hand; the message was clear—if you dare run, I'll shoot you dead.
Xiao Qiang didn't respond, he just walked towards the back of the bushes and squatted down.
After a while, a weak voice came from behind the bushes, "Um, do you have any paper?"
Shi Bao looked surprised, glanced at his brothers, then Third Shi barked angrily, "No! Deal with it yourself!"
Without paper, how do they solve the toilet problem?
I believe many people have already thought of an answer. They saw the green grass shake a few times, then Xiao Qiang came out from behind the grass with a satisfied face, casually tossing a tree branch aside.
Everyone who understood what he just did took a step back, and Shi Bao coughed: "Let's go, let's rest ahead."
He didn't mention tying up Xiao Qiang again, and Xiao Qiang was smart enough to walk obediently in the middle of the Shi family brothers, without any intention of trying to escape.
After a while, Shi Bao stopped: "That'll do it, Old Three, you stay here with Four and Five, watch them while I head back to see if that Qian's arrived."
He glanced sideways at Xiao Qiang and Hu Feifei and coldly said, "If I don't get a call in half an hour, old three, send this little girl and this young man on their way."
Xiao Qiang's face changed. He didn't expect Shi Bao to be such a ruthless character. He clearly intended to kill him and Hu Feifei.
"Don't blame me, little brother. Your luck just sucks." Shi Bao watched Xiao Qiang, while ordering his men to tie him and Hu Feifei together and continued in a calm voice. Despite having some affection for this guy, Shi Bao wouldn't slack when it comes to getting the job done.
Xiao Qiang didn't say anything more to bridge the gap. His goal had been achieved, so playing this kind of trick was meaningless.
Shi Bao left with his men, leaving Xiao Qiang and Hu Feifei tied together. Old Three and the other two formed a triangle around them. They all held guns in their hands, revealing a trace of brutality from time to time.
"I'm so sorry, Xiao Qiang." Hu Feifei appeared to realize that she likely couldn't escape this time, and apologized to Xiao Qiang with a bitter smile: "I didn't mean to involve you."
At this moment, Xiao Qiang wasn't in the mood to engage in sorrowful conversation with her. He was focused on how to implement his plan. He encountered the rare curare plant in such a place—how could he not send these guys before him to meet the King of Hell?
That's right! Going to the toilet was just an excuse for Xiao Qiang, his real goal was those not quite fully grown tree seedlings.
The curare plant is a type of large evergreen tree in the Moraceae family. It's bark is gray and it flowers in the spring. The milky white sap it secretes is highly toxic and contact with a wound can cause victims to suffer heart paralysis, blood vessel closure, and blood clotting leading to asphyxiation and death in 20 to 30 minutes. This is why it is also called "throat-closing upon sight of blood."
When Xiao Qiang was practicing in his previous life, he had studied potions that included curare, so he had quite a deep memory of this wild poisonous plant. He didn't expect to encounter it in the wilderness of this world. As soon as he saw those seedlings, Xiao Qiang decided to make good use of the curare plant to teach the Shi brothers that not everyone can be kidnapped at will.
Seeing that Xiao Qiang did not speak, Hu Feifei thought he was really blaming her and whispered, "Or I'll use going to the toilet as an excuse to fight with them, so you can run."
This was the best solution she could think of to help Xiao Qiang. After all, she was the Shi's main target, and Xiao Qiang was just an unsuspecting victim.
Xiao Qiang glanced at her and finally said, "Ms. Hu, do you think I would risk my life to trust you? What if your plan is discovered, wouldn't I die anyway?"
Hu Feifei paused, and then said, "Then you distract them, and I'll escape and report to my uncle."
Xiao Qiang looked at her even more helplessly: "Do you think you can escape their pursuit with your skills? I'm afraid you won't even get to see your uncle before we meet on the Bridge of Helplessness."
Seeing him like this, Hu Feifei couldn't help but burst out: "If this won't work and that won't work, what the hell do you want? Should we just fight against them?"
Xiao Qiang looked lost for words: "Can't you just calm down a bit? Don't you see what they're holding? If we fight, do you believe that we combined couldn't even overtake one of them?"
Hu Feifei fell silent. She knew that what Xiao Qiang said was true. The situation was clear, the Shi brothers were here for revenge and as soon as she showed any signs of trying to escape, they would surely shoot.
Looking at the calm Xiao Qiang, Hu Feifei finally lowered her proud head and asked softly, "What should we do?"
Thanks to Chen Jie Yutian, xiadayu100, Pipi Zhuzhu, 々Feng★Ai→Fang々 and others for their support. Chen Guang thanks all of you. Today I have to take my son to the hospital to collect blood tests and hearing tests, hoping that he can get better soon. Lastly, I still have the old saying that during the new book period, I ask for collection, recommendation votes, and click support! All you need to do is click to join the bookshelf, thank you all!