Chapter 109

In the second wing, Li Banfeng and Tang Dao stood with their backs against opposite walls.

Tang Dao spoke first: “The day of final combat has finally come.”

Li Banfeng’s expression was icy: “What must come will come—this is fate.”

Tang Dao nodded slightly in agreement: “A thousand gold pieces are easy to find, but a true friend is hard to come by. To duel the greatest swordsman in the world today, I have no regrets—even if I die a hundred deaths.”

Li Banfeng’s gaze blazed, as if moved by Tang Dao’s words: “Too bad—you’re not a sword.”

Tang Dao drew his blade: “But I carry sword intent within me!”

The two stood locked in silence for a long while, then Tang Dao asked: “Why haven’t you drawn your sword yet?”

Li Banfeng replied: “I have sword intent in my heart.”

“Ah~”

Tang Dao shuddered twice, cried out in pain, and collapsed to the ground: “Master, I’ve been wounded by your sword intent—I can no longer fight. From now on, I vow to serve you at your side, day and night.”

Li Banfeng was deeply disappointed: “I’ve told you countless times—don’t give up so easily. Fight my sword intent properly!”

Tang Dao explained: “I’ve already fought you with all my seriousness, Master—but I simply lack the strength to resist!”

Li Banfeng was unsatisfied with this excuse: “You didn’t even recite a single poem—do you call that serious combat?”

Tang Dao hurried to defend himself: “Reciting poetry isn’t that important—what matters is the depth of intent.”

Li Banfeng was about to fight again when the phonograph suddenly called out: “Hey, husband, such a beautiful morning—don’t waste it playing indoors. Go buy vegetables!”

Li Banfeng returned to the main chamber, staring in shock at the phonograph, feeling his wife had gone too far.

Yesterday, Li Banfeng had brought back five Spine-Swallowing Pearls, each bearing vengeful spirits—six at the least, nineteen at the most.

The phonograph devoured them all, and now she’s telling him to go buy vegetables—is that fair?

“Wife, though I do like you a bit plumper, shouldn’t we control our diet a little…?”

The phonograph burst into tears: “My husband treats me poorly!” and filled the room with steam.

Lotus shut the door to the second wing; Tang Dao cowered in the corner, not daring to move.

Li Banfeng’s entire body turned bright red from the scalding steam, and he left the portable dwelling.

Today, they were going to Xin Di.

Ma Wu had discovered a massive lump of clay in Xin Di last night, but hadn’t brought a metal jar, so couldn’t retrieve it—he’d set out early this morning to secure the treasure.

…

In Yaowang Gou, Yitang Village, inside a grand mansion, Detective Daboyens sat across from Zhuo Yuling.

The vast estate, three courtyards deep, held only the two of them.

“Madam, why did you summon me so urgently? I’m currently tracking Li Banfeng’s whereabouts.”

Zhuo Yuling shook her head: “Set Li Banfeng aside for now—this is an emergency. Save my daughter.”

Daboyens fell silent for a moment, then said: “As far as I know, Lu Xiaolan was rescued by Lu family’s chief steward, Qiu Zhiheng, and is now safely within the Lu family estate.”

Zhuo Yuling nodded: “That’s why I’m asking you to save her.”

Daboyens fell silent again, then suddenly smiled: “Madam, don’t joke like that—you’re asking me to go to war with the Lu family?”

Zhuo Yuling’s eyes reddened: “I have only this one child. I have no one else to rely on but you. If you bring her back, I’ll agree to any condition.”

Daboyens sighed: “Do you think I’d believe you? Think for yourself—have you ever told me the truth in your life?”

Zhuo Yuling suddenly seized Daboyens’s hand: “At least that night—I was real. I gave you everything that night. Don’t you believe me?”

Daboyens looked into her eyes.

A single tear hung in them, refusing to fall—marked by stubbornness, resolve, yet also helplessness and pity.

Daboyens gently pulled his hand away, smiling: “Madam, let’s speak plainly. If I save your daughter, how much will you pay me?”

“Don’t mention that ten thousand silver dollars again—things have changed. That sum is nowhere near enough.”

Zhuo Yuling wiped her tears: “One hundred thousand. I’ll give you one hundred thousand.”

“Not enough.”

“Two hundred thousand.”

Daboyens paused, then said: “Two hundred thousand silver dollars, three round-trip permits to Waizhou, two round-trip permits to Neizhou—no time limit.”

Zhuo Yuling frowned: “Waizhou permits are manageable, but Neizhou permits… they’re nearly impossible to get.”

Daboyens smiled: “I only want two. Can’t you even get those? If you’re this reluctant, your daughter’s dead.”

Zhuo Yuling bit her lip: “The silver can be delivered within three days. Waizhou permits at most five. For Neizhou permits, I’ll go inquire first…”

Daboyens sighed again: “Hurry and ask. I’ve already heard rumors in Yaowang Gou.”

“Many say Li Banfeng is dead—that he died in Lu Xiaolan’s hands after arriving in Yaowang Gou. If those rumors reach Lu Dongliang’s ears, you know what will happen.”

Those rumors had already reached Lu Dongliang’s ears.

Some had even made it into the newspapers.

Zhuo Yuling didn’t know where the rumors originated, but they were spreading across Pulu Province—many now believed Li Banfeng had long been killed by Lu Xiaolan.

…

In Yuezhou’s Three Hospitals, on a hospital bed.

The unconscious He Jiaqing, sensing no one nearby, let slip a faint smile.

…

Li Banfeng wiped the spiderwebs from his face, scanning his surroundings.

Traveling through the jungle, two things were hardest to endure.

One: mosquitoes clinging to the skin.

Two: spiderwebs stuck to the face.

Ma Wu’s face was also coated in webs: “Spiderwebs are the least of it—don’t let a spider touch you. New Di’s spiders could be deadly.”

Li Banfeng asked: “Do you remember this place? How far from the clay you mentioned?”

Ma Wu nodded: “I remember the spot. Another ten li north should get us there. Finding the clay won’t be hard—the problem is carrying it back. If the Song family finds out, we’re in trouble.”

The Song family was a truly strange entity.

They knew little about Xin Di, yet tightly controlled its resources. Without Ma Wu’s special channels, every item harvested from Xin Di would be ruthlessly exploited by the Song family.

Li Banfeng sighed: “No matter what business you do, you can’t escape the Song family. Are they really that solid?”

Ma Wu shook his head: “Brother Li, the Song family isn’t solid—they’re harder than iron, because they have patrons above them.”

“From what I know, their highest cultivator is their patriarch, Song Jiasen—he’s a Level Three Wu Xiu. That’s a strong level, but nowhere near enough to hold onto Blue Willow Village.”

Li Banfeng asked: “Are his family members powerful?”

Ma Wu shook his head: “Though some can accumulate time through rare opportunities, for ordinary people, cultivation is always a matter of years. The Song family has no talent. Song Jiasen swallowed countless tonics, yet at fifty, he only reached Level Three. His two sons—Song Zhigang, in his thirties, and Song Zhiyi, in his twenties—still haven’t broken past Level One.”

The Song family’s natural talent was poor; Song Jiasen consumed countless tonic pills, yet by his early fifties, he had only reached the third layer of cultivation. His two sons, Song Zhigang in his early thirties and Song Zhiyi in his twenties, had both remained at the first layer to this day.

Ma Wu sneered: “He has only one Level Four expert—and even he isn’t truly his subordinate, just a hired hand. How many Level Three cultivators would settle in this backwater when Green Water City lies just ahead?”

“Then what holds the Song family together?”

“The Song family has patrons: the Liu family above them, the Si family above the Liu family, and above the Si family—the Four Great Families, the Lu family. Over eighty percent of the Song family’s income flows upward through this chain. Thanks to these connections, they’ve rooted themselves deeply and firmly control Blue Willow Village.”

The Lu family—again, the Lu family.

In Pulu Province, escaping the Lu family’s grip was no easy feat.

After a brief rest, the two resumed their journey when someone called out: “Brother, watch your step.”

Both replied in unison: “What’s wrong with the ground—”

After speaking, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu stared at each other.

After resting for a moment, the two resumed their journey when suddenly someone said, “Brother, watch your step.”

Li Banfeng looked up and saw a massive cocoon slowly descending from a tree.

In an instant, Li Banfeng recalled his most terrifying experience in Jiangyue Mountain’s Xin Di.

“Run!” Li Banfeng grabbed Ma Wu and bolted, behind them echoing voices:

“Don’t go—did I guess right?”

“If I guessed right, you stay and play with me.”

“If I guessed wrong, you guess next.”

Three voices followed one after another; Li Banfeng ran faster.

Ma Wu struggled to keep up: “What is that thing?”

Li Banfeng replied: “Suo Mo!”

“Suo Mo? That… what’s that again…?” Ma Wu had read about it, but couldn’t recall.

The book’s description didn’t match what he’d just seen.

They ran a short distance when a giant willow tree ahead shook violently—Li Banfeng knew disaster was coming.

“Sleeve moth? This… what was it again…” Ma Wu had seen it in a book, but couldn’t recall for the moment.

The description in the book didn’t seem to match what he had just seen.

The jungle was thick with vines and thorns—where was there to detour?

As Li Banfeng searched for a path, a fat, emerald-green figure dropped from the tree.

“This—that’s Madam Suo Mo? The one you can’t shake off?” Ma Wu remembered the book’s description.

The green worm’s appearance matched the book’s description almost exactly.

Li Banfeng was still searching for the path when a plump, emerald-green figure dropped from the tree to the ground.

“This—this—is the Cloak Moth Lady? The Cloak Moth Lady who can’t be shaken off?” Ma Wu recalled the description in the book.

The green caterpillar’s appearance matched the book’s description almost exactly.

Li Banfeng was plunged into despair in an instant.

Why did I encounter this thing?

Why is there such a creature in the new land of Lanyang Village?

Does every new land have creatures like this?

“Run! Run fast!” Li Banfeng and Ma Wu bolted away, the giant caterpillar chasing them closely behind.

“Don’t run, stay with me. My child likes you, and I like you too.”

Li Banfeng realized the Cloak Moth Lady was a strange creature—he had only seen her twice, and both times, she looked identical, had the same build, spoke in the same way, said the same things, and even had the exact same voice.

Is this thing mass-produced in some workshop?

“Stop running. If you don’t want to play with my child, play with me instead—I have so many tricks.”

After running for a long time, Li Banfeng spotted a fork in the path. According to his judgment, taking the left branch would lead back to Lanyang Village.

As soon as he took one step left, a bundle of silk blocked his way.

Just like before, the Cloak Moth Lady wasn’t in a hurry to kill. She allowed her prey to flee—but not to leave the new land.

Ma Wu couldn’t run anymore; his Wu Xiu body was weak, and he coughed and gasped uncontrollably.

Even if you can’t run, you still have to run!

Li Banfeng dragged Ma Wu and sprinted desperately, while the Cloak Moth Lady followed calmly behind: “Don’t run away. Are you really abandoning me? Have you forgotten all the feelings we once had?”

Who ever had feelings with you? Cloak Moths always try to get close—old or young, they’re all the same!

Li Banfeng kept running, and the Cloak Moth Lady spoke again behind him: “We played together all day in the forest back then. I lost three children to you, yet I never blamed you. Have you forgotten me so quickly?”

Wait.

What does that mean?

What kind of situation is this?

Li Banfeng’s head buzzed.

The Cloak Moth Lady sighed: “You’re truly heartless. Your friend was different—he spent three whole days in loving embrace with me, and I bore him many children.”

My friend?

The one who turned into a spider?

Detective Daboyens?

He bore many children with you?

Is that true?

Daboyens’ fate can wait for now.

What matters now is another question.

Is this Cloak Moth Lady the same one from the Jiangyue Mountain new land?

How is that possible?

Jiangyue Mountain’s new land is a thousand li away from Lanyang Village!

How did this worm get here?

PS: Dear readers, please vote, vote! Banfeng is aiming for the top one hundred—your support is everything.

(End of Chapter)