Astral Apostle Chapter 37: Ross: The more melon you have, the more ruthless the knife

"It turned out to be the grain harvesting team. Has this year come to an end?"

Baron suddenly realized.

The villages under the rule of Baiyuan City have to pay agricultural taxes. The grain collection team visits each village every year and removes part of the grain as tax revenue. What the village gets is the protection of the town. The lord is obliged to solve the problems that the village may encounter. Beast attack.

Zhou Jing turned to look at Baron.

"Do we need help?"

"No need, the village chief will call the villagers to carry the grain, so we are not needed." Baron shook his head.

"All right."

Zhou Jing rolled his eyes and responded like this, but he still wanted to take a look and see the situation.

Baron didn't take the food collection team seriously, paused, and said:

"By the way, you should go to the town in two days. Wes will give us the money for selling the prey. Go and get it."

"Aren't you going?"

"I'm too lazy to move, anyway, you already know the way." Baron waved his hand.

He only went to the city when he needed to do errands, and stayed in the village the rest of the time.

Some alien beast hunters have been on the line of life and death all year round and need to vent. Many hunters like to find hotel maids. Baron doesn't know if Zhou Jing has this hobby. .

So Baron doesn't plan to follow this time, lest "Jason" feel embarrassed to have fun.

"Okay, then I'll wait until tomorrow, and Weiss should have received the money by then."

Zhou Jing nodded in response.

In the past three months, he has been to Baiyuan City several times, and he is already familiar with the road, and he is fine alone.

Baron's visit this time was mainly to express his attitude of supporting Zhou Jing to go out and venture out. After the matter was finished, he also left.

Watching Baron leave, Zhou Jing thought for a while and walked to the entrance of the village.

At this time, the entrance to the village was very lively. Pack animals pulled carts and parked at the entrance of the village, guarded by a dozen soldiers from Baiyuan City. The villagers negotiate.

The atmosphere is fairly peaceful, and many villagers don't seem to have much resistance.

The two parties quickly finished their discussions. The village chief organized the villagers to move bags of grain from the mill to the entrance of the village, and the people brought by the tax collector were responsible for counting and loading.

Zhou Jing watched for a while and found that there was no such thing as a villager riot.

When he inquired about the materials of the Middle Ages in the main world, he saw many records of grain collectors being stabbed to death by pitchforks, but the villagers in the world of beasts were very cooperative in paying taxes.

'It seems that it is also due to the threat of alien beasts. The village cannot do without the protection of the town, so it is willing to pay taxes. ’

Zhou Jing nodded, confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, he did not intend to stay here any longer.

Just as he was about to leave, his eyes glanced at a person in the grain collection team, and he stopped suddenly.

In the crowd, a man with a goatee was counting food with a checklist, which made Zhou Jing look familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

"This person..."

Zhou Jing thought for a while, then remembered this person.

When I went to Baiyuan City for the first time, I almost bumped into someone in a pharmacy, and it was this man with a goatee.

If I remember correctly, this person seems to be a clerk in the pharmacy, but now he is not wearing the rough uniform of the pharmacy.

But familiarity is familiarity, it's just a chance encounter, there's no need to come forward to talk.

Zhou Jing took a second look, then walked away, went to the training ground to start a day of exercise, and went to sweat.

……

It was soon afternoon.

The grain collection team finished counting the grain and didn't want to hurry at night. They planned to stay in the village overnight and set off early tomorrow morning.

Although Shuangmu Village is small, there is also a shabby tavern. A few villagers were temporarily hired to help in the back kitchen, barely receiving the staff of the grain collection team, and a dozen or so tables were lined up in the open air to provide meals for the grain collection team. .

The members of the grain harvesting team talked about the mountains while eating and drinking, and the villagers of Shuangmu Village were taken aback for a while.

Reiner and a group of village children gathered around them and listened to the stories outside, fascinated.

When Zhou Jing returned from the sunset covered in sweat, what he saw was a noisy scene.

Glancing at the dozens of members of the grain collection team who were eating and drinking, Zhou Jing ignored them, thinking about how to deal with them directly, and went straight to the back kitchen of the tavern to get two freshly cooked meals. It's something like a potato, steaming hot.

The tavern chef saw that it was Zhou Jing, but he didn't stop him. The beast hunter must have this privilege.

Zhou Jing returned to the house with the meal, dealt with Rose casually, and then stayed in the house, instructing Rose to practice breathing techniques.

This is a must-do every night when he comes in person, and it's almost as painful as helping a child with homework.

The red clouds faded and the moonlight fell.

The grain harvesting team who came to visit were full of wine and food, and took a rest.

The night gradually deepened, the noise outside the house ceased, and it became as quiet as usual.

After a tiring night of counseling, Zhou Jing angrily asked Rose to make the bed, and walked to the window by himself, ready to close the curtains and turn off the lights to sleep.

But when he was about to put down the curtains, Zhou Jing suddenly spotted a few sneaky figures from behind through the window, moving around the village, and just turned around a corner not far away, and disappeared from his sight.

After a glimpse, he recognized one of them, the man with the goatee he found this morning.

"Huh? Why are you wandering around the village without sleeping these few nights?"

Zhou Jing's heart skipped a beat.

After thinking for a while, he beckoned Rose to follow him, and the two came out through the window, quietly following these people.

Zhou Jing's agility is astonishing, it is difficult for ordinary people to spot. And Ross has stealth characteristics such as [Night Camouflage] and [Light Step], and is better at tracking. Sometimes Zhou Jing can't detect his existence, let alone no problem.

The two followed Goatee and the others along the way, and soon discovered that these people were heading out of the village.

The direction of advancement is the pharmacist's hut where the witch doctor lives outside the village.

"Oh, there is a situation!"

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up, and he regained his energy immediately.

After staying in Shuangmu Village for half a year, the witch doctor Jia Ma has been keeping a low profile. He has never had any problems, and he is not easy to trouble others. He did not expect to encounter a clue today.

After leaving the village, there is a continuous field, and it is not easy to hide. Zhou Jing and Rose stopped and walked, and waited for a few people to enter the sparse woods surrounding the pharmacist's hut before they followed in.

Zhou Jing hid behind a tree and saw the scene of the pharmacist's hut.

The man with the goatee knocked lightly on the door, and Jia Ma quickly opened the door and welcomed them in.

The door is closed again.

Zhou Jing rolled his eyes, dodged and hid under the window, hid in the blind spot of vision, pricked up his ears, and listened carefully to the movement coming from the room.

The alien blood enhancement slightly enhanced his perception, and the conversation in the room was captured by hearing.

"Gamma, where's the product this time?" It seemed to be the voice of a man with a goatee.

"Here."

Jia Ma spoke, her voice was no longer old-fashioned as usual, but full of spirit.

There was a sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the room, followed by the sliding sound of some kind of mechanism, and then the sound of several boxes being placed on the ground, mixed with the crisp clanging of bottles and cans.

After a while, the man with the goatee said in dissatisfaction, "Why are there so many? It's far from the previous amount."

Jia Ma's tone was helpless: "The hunters in the village have lost a lot, and they are busy training new recruits during this period, so there are fewer opportunities to bring me medicinal herbs. There are not enough materials. I can only do so much."

Man with goatee: "Forget it, the price of each bottle is still the same."

Jingle bells...

There was a sound of coins colliding.

Jia Ma chuckled a few times, and then whispered: "When you came here, no one noticed, right?"

The man with the goatee didn't take it seriously: "Don't worry, the whole village is asleep, no one saw it."

Jia Ma was not happy: "You should be more cautious. There are outsiders in the village. A guy named Jason Wood came to live in the village half a year ago and became a beast hunter. He is an unstable factor... "

The man with the goatee sneered: "Looking at your timid appearance, what about outsiders? Will people definitely notice you?"

"I..." Jia Ma was in distress.

The man with the goatee shook his head: "If you're so afraid, then we don't need to make a deal. Anyway, I have other pharmacists to supply."

"Don't!" Jia Ma hurriedly said, "I'll do it."

Zhou Jing listened to the corner for a while. Although he didn't see the scene, he almost understood the situation.

If I'm not mistaken, Gamma was reselling the potion to the man with the goatee, and this transaction may have lasted for several years.

'Shuangmu Village supports Jia Ma, and Jia Ma provides medicines and medical services. Extra money? ’

Zhou Jing probably guessed it.

In the interstellar era, similar things may be very common, and it is even possible to turn a blind eye.

But in the simple concept of the villagers of the world of strange beasts—for you to eat and drink, you also cut corners and enrich your own pockets, you are not human at all.

The villagers definitely couldn't accept it. As long as something happened, even if Jia Ma was a rare pharmacist who was willing to stay in the village, he would probably be driven away.

Various thoughts flashed by, but Zhou Jing didn't jump out immediately.

He gestured to Rose, who was hiding not far away, and motioned for Rose to show up and make some noise.

Rose got up silently, came to the door of the pharmacist's cabin, and slammed his head against the wall.

Bang!

Very loud.

The sound in the room disappeared, and it was so quiet that a needle could be heard in an instant.

Wow!

The door opened suddenly, and the man with the goatee didn't see anyone at first glance. His eyes moved down, and he saw Rose squatting at the door and covering his head.

"Catch him!"

The man with the goatee said in a frightened tone.

Three followers beside him rushed forward and grabbed Ross.

Rose raised his eyes to look under the window sill, but Zhou Jing, who was originally here, had disappeared and quietly hid.

Seeing this, Ross was pressed to the ground silently without any resistance.

Seeing that the uninvited guest was restrained, the man with the goatee heaved a sigh of relief and frowned as he looked at Ross:

"Who is this person?"

At this time, Gamma hurriedly followed, seeing Rose's face clearly, she was taken aback:

"This man is the follower of that alien hunter Jason, and he is a dumb man with a problem in his mind."

"Mute?" The man with the goatee relaxed slightly, and then asked, "Then why did he appear here?"

"I, I don't know, this fool usually follows Jason, but occasionally runs around... Maybe he just ran to us?"

Jia Ma looked surprised.

Immediately, he thought of something, his face changed, and he murmured: "That Jason has been staring at me, maybe he sent this person to watch me... No, it doesn't make sense, this is a dumb, or a fool, Jie Even if Sen suspects me, it is impossible to send him over."

"Doubt you?" The goatee man was puzzled: "What else did you not tell me? Why is that Jason staring at you?"

"I... I just didn't cure his brother,"

Gamma faltered.

"So simple? Impossible!" The man with the goatee looked suspicious: "You still want to hide it from me now?"

Hearing this, Jia Ma had no choice but to explain:

"Half a year ago, the hunters picked up a lost man in the forest, named Will, who happened to be seriously injured. Because he was an outsider with unknown origin, I was worried about affecting the transaction, so I intentionally left him dead... I didn't expect him to have an older brother, that Jason, who actually found him."

Hearing this, the man with the goatee twitched his mouth and said angrily:

"You are more courageous than a hamster, so afraid of outsiders, why don't you poison that Jason together?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! I never thought it would turn out like this!" Jia Ma shook her head hastily.

At most, he dared not to treat the seriously injured on purpose, as long as the condition deteriorated, it would be enough, and there was no need to do anything, so he didn't mind dying.

But poisoning is of another nature, he doesn't have the guts.

The man with the goatee took a deep breath and didn't want to dwell on this issue any longer. He pointed to Rose on the ground and asked in a deep voice:

"How bad is this fool's brain? Are you sure he won't reveal what's going on here?"

"I, I don't know." Jia Ma swallowed, and said with luck: "Maybe he didn't hear anything?"

The man with the goatee changed his face, hesitated for a few seconds, and suddenly made up his mind.

"You can't risk letting him go, kill him!"

After the words fell, a follower immediately drew out his dagger.

"Don't kill anyone!" Jia Ma was taken aback, and quickly grabbed the goatee man's clothes.

It's just reselling medicine, and it's not a big business. Is there a need to silence it? !

The man with the goatee turned his head and said in a dark voice: "As long as we kill him, find a place to bury him, and make him look like he disappeared, then nothing will happen."

"But that Jason..." Jia Ma hesitated.

"Anyway, this is a fool. It's normal to get lost, right? You're just too guilty. You always feel that Jason will suspect everything you do, but if your follower is lost, he has no reason to doubt you, right?"

The man with the goatee kept talking, and continued to say in a cold voice:

"And you should think clearly, if this idiot accidentally reveals what happened here in a certain way, you will definitely be kicked out by Shuangmu Village, and you won't be able to earn this money. With your crappy potion level, you can still Can you find another village that is willing to support you? Can you still retire?"

Jia Ma's brain was in a mess, and his heart was in a mess, but he involuntarily let go of his hand.

The man with the goatee snorted, looked at his follower, and cut his throat.

The servant nodded, his face turned hard, and he wiped the dagger towards Rose's neck.

Crack!

At this moment, Rose broke free with all his strength, throwing off the person who restrained him with strong force.

He sprang up and squeezed the dagger-holding palm of the servant.

In the shocked eyes of the other party ~IndoMTL.com~ Rose turned expressionlessly.

Click!

"Ah!"

The servant screamed while clutching his broken wrist.

However, before he yelled a second time, Rose quickly pulled out the dagger hidden in his waist, stabbed it into the man's abdomen, and pulled it up forcefully without hesitation.

Crackling... The intestines fell to the ground in an instant.

The disemboweled body fell to the ground, only convulsions remained, and the eyes were wide open, freezing fear.

The ruthless look on the goatee man's face instantly turned into panic, utterly horrified, he staggered back, desperately staying away from Ross, who was covered in blood and had an expressionless face.

Rose didn't change his face, and was about to continue killing, when Zhou Jing's voice suddenly came from the woods.

"That's it."

Rose stopped immediately and stood still.

Everyone present looked at Ross in horror, but still no one dared to move, they were all intimidated by Ross who was ruthless.

At this time, Zhou Jing came out of the woods Shi Shiran.

He didn't show up at the beginning because his identity as a beast hunter was too intimidating. He probably got scared as soon as he came out. Most of them were begging for mercy, justifying, prevaricating, and looking for reasons, so they couldn't hear the truth.

So he simply hid and let Ross, who had already established a "fool" image, be the bait to seduce this group of people and catch some fish.

On the other hand, I secretly waited and watched the situation to see the actions and attitudes of these people, and at the same time, be careful.

I didn't expect that there was a little harvest. As a buyer, this man with a goatee was more excited than Jia Ma, and his killing intent was so decisive... I'm afraid it's not that simple.

"Looks like we have a lot to talk about."

Zhou Jing squinted at the man with the goatee and Jia Ma, whose expressions changed drastically, with a lot of meaning.