Chapter 110: Wife, Answer Me

In the deep night, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu hid inside a cave, silently watching the entrance.

The Cloak Moth Lady waited outside the cave, quietly awaiting the two to emerge.

The Cloak Moth Lady could have entered, but she chose not to—she enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with her prey, though to her, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu’s hiding tactics were painfully childish.

After several minutes of hiding, the Cloak Moth Lady began releasing silk threads into the cave; Ma Wu completely broke down.

He had already broken down long ago.

He wasn’t a Traveling Cultivator—he lacked such endurance. As a Joy Cultivator, his body was inherently weak; after running all day without food or water, Ma Wu could no longer stand.

More importantly, running like this led nowhere. Ma Wu had read in books that once encountering the Cloak Moth Lady, if you failed to satisfy her demands, there was no escape—unless your cultivation base equaled or surpassed hers.

How high was the Cloak Moth Lady’s cultivation base?

It was nearly at the eighth level; she was one of the most formidable aberrations in the New Lands.

If you encountered the Cloak Moth Lady during a prospecting expedition, it meant the expedition had failed. Prospectors had to split up and flee; whether anyone survived depended entirely on the Cloak Moth Lady’s mood.

Dabo Yins had survived under her claws—most of the time, the Cloak Moth Lady didn’t enjoy killing; she preferred to play with her prey. But after she played with you, whether you lived or died was a matter of fate.

Since escape was impossible, Ma Wu had no choice but to follow the survival method described in the books: satisfy the Cloak Moth Lady’s demands.

But could he endure her demands?

Dabo Yins could. He could not.

Dabo Yins was a Body Cultivator—he possessed not only advanced cultivation but also a physique far beyond ordinary men, neither of which Ma Wu could ever match.

Yet even so, Ma Wu resolved to make one last stand. Even if he died here, he must give Li Banfeng a chance to escape.

“Brother Li, run! I’ll fight her!”

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu. “What will you fight her with?”

Ma Wu said, “She just wants to play. I’ll play with her. I’m a Joy Cultivator—what haven’t I been through?”

Li Banfeng pointed at the Cloak Moth Lady. “You’ve been through this?”

“This… no…” Ma Wu gritted his teeth. “Brother Li, I owe you my life—I’m repaying it now. Go!”

Saying this, Ma Wu rushed to the cave entrance and shouted, “You want to play? Then let’s play properly!”

The Cloak Moth Lady laughed. “Bring out the other one. One isn’t enough.”

Ma Wu shouted, “It’s just me. What more do you want?”

“Little brat, where did you get such anger?” The Cloak Moth Lady burst into laughter, her antennae lashing out to coil around Ma Wu.

She might play nicely with Ma Wu—or she might eat him outright.

She might turn him into her child, nurturing him slowly inside a cocoon.

But Li Banfeng had already seen the trend: no matter what she did to Ma Wu, she would never let him go.

Li Banfeng pulled out a rusted pill and hurled it at the Cloak Moth Lady.

Rust spread rapidly across her body; she felt intense pain.

She ignored Ma Wu entirely and turned her gaze toward Li Banfeng.

Ma Wu was still stunned when Li Banfeng shouted, “Run!”

Ma Wu didn’t hesitate—he bolted.

If the Cloak Moth Lady wanted to chase, Ma Wu couldn’t escape—even with Li Banfeng delaying her, he still couldn’t escape.

But the Cloak Moth Lady no longer wanted to chase. She was angry.

She ignored Ma Wu entirely, her eyes fixed on Li Banfeng.

“You’re disobedient. I don’t like children like you.”

Li Banfeng kept staring at the rust on her body.

In his view, this rust must have injured her.

At the very least, it should have peeled off a layer of her skin.

But the Cloak Moth Lady didn’t shed her skin. She didn’t even shake off the rust.

Beneath her hide, her fluids surged in waves, forming a vortex that devoured every speck of rust on her body.

Since Li Banfeng obtained his first rusted pill on the Misty Mist Mountain, this powerful elixir had nearly always been unstoppable. This was the first time a rusted pill had failed to affect its target at all.

The Cloak Moth Lady gently brushed Li Banfeng’s face with two antennae, speaking calmly: “I can bear you a child, or turn you into my child.

I can turn you into one child, or three children.

I can slice you into a hundred pieces and make a hundred children from you.

I can lay eggs inside you, let them grow by feeding on your flesh and blood, turning you into their home.”

Their home.

Li Banfeng remembered the Cloak Moth’s cocoon.

So that cocoon was made of living flesh too.

The antennae rubbed faster across his face, signaling the Cloak Moth Lady’s worsening mood.

“I think the last option suits you best—you’re neither gentle nor cute.” As she spoke, the Cloak Moth Lady lunged into the cave.

Li Banfeng retreated swiftly, opened his Personal Dwelling, and threw the key out.

In this situation, taking refuge inside his Personal Dwelling was his only option.

How to get out again? He’d have to figure that out later.

The door slammed shut with a clang; Li Banfeng exhaled deeply.

He had escaped this peril—for now. But what next?

If the Cloak Moth Lady left, fine. But if she stayed blocking the doorway, how would he ever get out?

If she took the key, it would be worse.

He must prepare for a long-term refuge.

First, check his supplies.

There was plenty of food: canned goods, compressed biscuits, sausages…

Where did the sausages come from?

Why are these sausages moving?

What is this?

These are antennae!

The Cloak Moth Lady’s antennae.

She followed him in!

How did she get in? Did I not close the door properly?

Li Banfeng raised Tang Dao, aiming to sever the antennae.

The antennae flicked lightly, flinging Li Banfeng across the room.

When Li Banfeng struggled to his feet, the door was already open.

A massive green worm surged into the Personal Dwelling, filling the entire main room.

“What is this place? So strange.” The room was too narrow; the Cloak Moth Lady couldn’t turn around.

Chit-chit-chit~

The singing machine awoke, singing cheerfully: “Husband, you’ve come back with groceries! You bought, you bought—what exactly did you buy…?”

The Cloak Moth Lady turned, surveying the room. “This room is nice. I’ll leave it to my children—it can hold many of them.”

Li Banfeng pulled out Tang Dao and hurled it at the Cloak Moth Lady.

Clang! Tang Dao unsheathed, slashed three times at the Cloak Moth Lady’s head, then returned to Li Banfeng’s pocket.

Three strikes were done. The Cloak Moth Lady hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Not even a mark remained on her head.

No wonder Tang Dao fled so quickly—the gap between them was too great.

Li Banfeng pulled out the Blood-Soaked Pendulum, aiming to strike the Cloak Moth Lady—but the pendulum shrank back: “Master, no! Spare my life!”

The pendulum refused to attack—it would only be wasted.

What about the teapot?

Would the teapot help?

She’s trapped in this small room—maybe I can scald her to death!

Li Banfeng was about to search for the teapot.

Shhh~

A bundle of silk threads shot toward Li Banfeng; in the cramped room, he had little room to dodge.

Huh!

A burst of steam flew in, burning the silk threads to ash.

The singing machine called out: “Master, wait outside. Today’s ingredient is tricky—let your humble servant handle it first.”

Before Li Banfeng could speak, a wave of steam pushed him into the outer room, and the outer door slammed shut, sealed tight by steam.

The Cloak Moth Lady roared at the singing machine: “What are you?”

Chit-chit~

The singing machine laughed. “How bold of you. Even if I’m fallen on hard times now, do you dare speak to me like this, you mere insect?”

Huh!

Scalding steam filled the entire room.

The Cloak Moth Lady opened her enormous mouth, thrust forward, and swallowed every last wisp of steam.

Squeeeee~

The phonograph emitted a shrill song, and the steam inside Madam Su’e’s body began swelling rapidly.

Madam Su’e screamed repeatedly, spewing silk threads that wrapped around the phonograph’s record and stuffed its horn, silencing it.

Two massive crab claws pierced the phonograph’s casing and embedded themselves into its body.

……

Minutes later, the fighting outside the door gradually subsided.

Li Banfeng rushed into the main hall and saw that Madam Su’e’s body had shrunk drastically, curled motionless on the floor.

The phonograph was battered and silent.

The front door panel was shattered, the horn deformed, and what distressed Li Banfeng most was that two gears had fallen out from inside the phonograph’s body.

Li Banfeng panicked—he had never been this frantic before.

He caressed the phonograph, calling out again and again: “Wife, wife, answer me just once…”

Wuuu~

There was a sound.

His wife made a sound.

Though faint, Li Banfeng heard it.

He looked toward the phonograph’s horn and saw it was blocked by silk threads.

The horn was scalding hot, but Li Banfeng didn’t care about the pain—he pulled the threads out with all his strength.

Zzzit~ zzzit~

The horn was clear again, but the phonograph could only emit strange scraping noises.

Inside the casing, many gears were also jammed by silk threads.

Li Banfeng fetched tools and carefully cleaned them, spending over an hour to slowly free the gears until they began turning again.

Huff~ huff~

Steam began to vent in rhythmic bursts.

“Wife, answer me!” Li Banfeng stared anxiously at the phonograph.

“Whee~ Husband, what’s wrong? Why so frantic?” the phonograph replied.

PS: The phonograph is injured, and Shala is heartbroken. Dear readers, if you’re heartbroken too, please cast a vote for Shala and speak to her.

(End of Chapter)