Chapter 220: Straightforward Dao Gate, Ruthless Combat Tactics

Li Banfeng was controlling a record player to play a vinyl when suddenly the thread earrings shouted, "Watch out!"

Without hesitation, Li Banfeng used Kuibu to leave his spot—just as a beautiful woman stabbed at him from behind, the blade missing his back by mere inches.

Li Banfeng whipped around and threw his sickle, striking the woman.

Ding!

A sharp clang!

The sickle flew off, leaving only faint scratches on the woman's body.

Stone woman!

Li Banfeng stopped attacking her and quickly used Kuibu to vacate his original position.

He was familiar with this combat style.

Golden Chamber, Hidden Beauty!

This is a fourth-layer technique of a Zhai Xiu.

The Stone Beauty can fight and take punishment—engaging her head-on is pointless, and Li Banfeng would fall into an ambush.

An ambush from the Zhai Xiu himself!

He was a steward, a Zhai Xiu of at least fifth layer, higher than Li Banfeng—no wonder his ability to sense danger failed to detect his malice.

Old He knows this building well—is this his residence?

Probably not.

A few days ago, when I came to steal the vinyl, Old He didn't notice—if this were truly his residence, his Zhai Ling would've sensed me then.

Even if it's not his residence, he knows this building intimately—fighting here will definitely work against me.

Li Banfeng pushed open the window to escape immediately—when suddenly, Old He hung upside down from the windowsill, slashing his long blade toward Li Banfeng's face.

This old bastard is ruthless!

Using the Zhai Xiu's tendency to be overlooked to ambush others!

This is my own trick—I'm the one who ambushes people, and now he's using it against me! Look at his character!

The window was blocked, so Li Banfeng bolted for the door.

Just as he reached the doorway, another Stone Beauty appeared and slashed at his face.

Li Banfeng barely dodged, shouting curses: "You're so damn dishonorable—someone's lying in wait by the door? Have the guts to fight me face-to-face!"

Most Zhai Xiu are honest people, but their combat methods are anything but honest.

The purest-minded cultivators use the most treacherous techniques.

Shaking off the Stone Beauty, Li Banfeng sprinted toward the staircase.

He ran all the way to the end of the corridor—but found no staircase.

What's going on?

Where did the staircase go?

The staircase was there when I came in.

Why look for stairs? The corridor has windows—jump out the window!

Li Banfeng turned around—the corridor's windows were gone.

The windows were clearly there when I entered—how did they vanish so fast?

What technique is this?

The corridor suddenly grew much quieter.

The Stone Beauty vanished; all the other doors disappeared too.

A door opened at the end of the corridor—it seemed the only exit.

Near that door, Li Banfeng sensed no danger.

Will he walk in?

Of course not!

Such an obvious trap—you think I'm stupid enough to walk right in?

If I enter your house and you lock the door and unleash your Zhai Ling, do you think I'll survive?

Only a Zhai Xiu can understand the cruelty of another Zhai Xiu.

Li Banfeng targeted the wall and used Kuibu, crashing straight through.

Traveler's fourth-layer technique: Unimpeded Passage.

Li Banfeng had long wanted to break through the wall—but this was a newly learned technique; he feared unforeseen complications and avoided using it unless absolutely necessary.

He passed straight through the outer wall of the building, landing from the fifth floor and stumbling.

Fortunately, his Traveler body was agile—he wasn't hurt. He turned to study the entire residence's layout, pondering Old He's intentions.

Judging from the position of that door in the corridor, he'd just tried to lure me toward the eastern annex—perhaps that's where Old He's residence lies.

Entering his residence means facing his Zhai Ling—that's the last outcome I want.

Don't enter the annex, and avoid staying inside this compound—forcing a Zhai Xiu out of his familiar environment is the first rule for a Traveler fighting a Zhai Xiu.

Li Banfeng tried to leave the compound—when a storm of flying stones erupted, blocking his path.

The stones varied in size—some as big as fists, others slightly smaller than eggs—pelted him like machine-gun fire.

This scene felt strangely familiar…

Li Banfeng relied on his nimble steps to dodge behind a large tree.

The tree's twisted branches coiled around him, twisting him into a spiral and dragging him close to the flying stones.

First, the building's layout changed.

Then, the stones in the courtyard turned into weapons.

Now even the trees are under his control?

Is this Old He's technique?

Is this a skill or a magic treasure?

Li Banfeng broke free from the tree, desperately dodging the stones—there was a moment he truly wanted to retreat into his Personal Dwelling.

No.

He couldn't open his Personal Dwelling here—if he failed to defeat Old He, it might expose too much.

Li Banfeng ran for the front gate—the stones hammered at him.

Li Banfeng ran for the back gate—the stones still hammered at him.

He ran toward the wall—the stones kept hammering.

There was only one place the stones didn't strike.

The eastern annex!

Old He wanted Li Banfeng to enter that annex.

He twisted his methods, exhausted every trick, deployed all these techniques—all to get Li Banfeng into his residence.

Don't go in—not under any circumstances!

Li Banfeng dodged frantically—then the stones suddenly stopped.

What's happening?

Did Old He exhaust his strength?

Did he show mercy?

Neither.

A bird-man flew toward Li Banfeng.

This wasn't an insult—it was literal: he had wings, a tail, and a beak.

Ma Dingfu, cornered by a room full of Zhai Xiu, panicked and transformed into a bird to escape.

He was the fortress lord—Old He couldn't harm him, so the flying stones ceased.

If Ma Dingfu had fled immediately, it would've been fine—but enraged, he decided to ambush Li Banfeng.

That was his own folly.

Li Banfeng didn't dodge or hide—he stood still, waiting.

As the distance closed, Li Banfeng suddenly drew his sickle and drove it straight into Ma Dingfu's forehead.

Within five meters, he never missed.

After striking, Li Banfeng immediately left his spot—he'd guessed Old He would strike from behind.

This deduction came from his understanding of Zhai Xiu.

Sure enough, a Stone Beauty emerged from behind him, aiming to stab him in the back—but too slow.

Li Banfeng picked up Ma Dingfu—he wasn't dead, still struggling—and whispered in his ear: "You took five hundred yuan—this debt must be repaid. You'll be my shield."

Carrying Ma Dingfu, Old He's attacks were now restricted.

The flying stones could no longer be used; ambushes required perfect timing.

A Stone Beauty emerged from behind a rockery, swinging to slash Li Banfeng—he blocked it with Ma Dingfu, the blade striking Ma Dingfu's chest.

Ma Dingfu screamed in agony; Old He flinched.

No more Stone Beauties.

Golden Chamber, Hidden Beauty is a Zhai Xiu's specialty, and Old He's skill is indeed refined—but such constructs have limited awareness; to subdue Li Banfeng, Old He must rely on his own abilities.

The Stone Beauties withdrew; the courtyard fell silent again.

Li Banfeng patted his wine gourd—the gourd understood and quietly opened its spout.

A group of Zhai Xiu burst out of the hall, seeking to settle accounts with Ma Dingfu, when Li Banfeng roared: "All of you, get out!"

This compound is too sinister—they must leave immediately. Delay even a step, and Old He might cook them all in one pot.

Wu Yongchao, following the "Peddler's" lead, urged everyone to leave at once.

As the crowd scrambled toward the courtyard gate, Old He silently appeared within the yard, preparing to act himself.

Old He's goal was clear: kill Li Banfeng, rescue Ma Dingfu, seize control of all the Zhai Xiu, and wait for Ma Dingfu's orders.

As he neared Li Banfeng, he suddenly felt searing pain in his eyes.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

Old He's cultivation base surpassed Li Banfeng's; had he approached closely, Li Banfeng likely wouldn't have noticed.

Not only Li Banfeng—he wouldn't have been detected by Tang Dao, the Pendulum, the Wine Gourd, or even the Thread-Earring.

Not noticing was fine.

Li Banfeng had summoned a mist of wine around him, a haze one chi thick, extending three chi outward.

Beneath the pungent wine mist, Old He's eyes burned fiercely, his breath grew ragged—and finally, Li Banfeng spotted him.

"You old ghost! Let's go play outside!"

Li Banfeng seized Old He and sprinted toward the courtyard gate.

Old He's eyes bled as he screamed: "No, no…"

He unleashed the technique "Heart Longing for Home Like an Arrow," his strength surging violently.

Just one more second, and he could break free from Li Banfeng's grip.

But the courtyard wasn't large, and Li Banfeng, a Level Four Traveling Cultivator, was already outside in a flash.

Old He was highly cultivated and battle-hardened, yet Zhou Anju never took him outside.

That proved Old He couldn't leave the compound—once outside, his combat power would plummet.

Based on this, Li Banfeng's strategy against Old He was to drag him out of the house.

But once outside, how would he deal with him?

If the other Zhai Xiu realized the danger and helped, they'd surround and crush him.

If they didn't help, he'd keep harassing him, luring him toward treacherous terrain and exploiting his Traveling Cultivator advantages to kill him.

As Li Banfeng pondered his next move, a woman's voice shrieked from within the compound: "Where are you going? Are you abandoning me? Don't leave!"

Old He heard it too.

He instantly wrenched free from Li Banfeng's grasp, desperate to rush back inside—but it was too late.

His skin split layer by layer, blood spraying everywhere.

His skeleton collapsed rapidly, organs scattering across the ground.

Old He truly could not leave the compound.

Leaving wasn't about losing power—it was about death.

Astonished, Li Banfeng used Jinjing Qiuhao to scrutinize closely, and saw a glowing aura rise from the flesh, drifting aimlessly.

It was Old He's soul.

His soul sought to escape Tiemenbao.

From the eastern annex of the master's compound, countless vine-like glows surged forward, binding Old He's soul tightly.

"Don't go, don't go, you can't leave me, you can't…"

Hss~

A cold wind swept through—the ropes and the soul vanished into the annex.

Jinjing Qiuhao was a special technique given to Li Banfeng by his wife; no other Zhai Xiu possessed such a method. They only saw Old He die suddenly, in a gruesome manner.

Li Banfeng ordered the crowd: "None of you enter this courtyard without my permission!"

The Zhai Xiu exchanged glances; a few nodded at Li Banfeng.

Old He was dead—who could they ask about what happened next?

Ma Dingfu was still alive.

Despite the sickle embedded in his forehead, he hadn't died.

He feigned death with eyes shut, but Li Banfeng leaned down, grabbed him, and yanked the sickle from his head.

The pull made Ma Dingfu flinch—he could no longer pretend.

Li Banfeng smiled: "You owe me five hundred cash. You'll pay it back."

Ma Dingfu gasped: "Didn't I just pay you back… just now?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Taking a blade for me counts as repayment? Don't be ridiculous. None of you just stand there—someone help me tie him up!"

Wu Yongchao stepped forward first, pinning Ma Dingfu down.

Others brought ropes and bound him tightly.

Li Banfeng slashed a cut across Ma Dingfu's face, then kindly warned: "My blade's poisoned. You've already taken two cuts—speak fast."

"First, tell me: what's your connection to Feiyingshan? Don't say you have none—or you'll get another cut."

Ma Dingfu answered truthfully: "I was a covert agent on Feiyingshan, assigned to patrol below, scout locations, and gather intelligence. Few on the mountain knew me—only our Grand Boss."

Li Banfeng was satisfied with this answer and asked: "What number boss is Zhou Anju on Feiyingshan?"

Ma Dingfu shook his head: "I don't know. Only our Grand Boss knows that."

PS: Old He's Zhai Spirit is of great use!

(End of Chapter)