Chapter 250: Won Half

The Saint held the teacup, shaking it gently in his hand.

Li Banfeng's prestige struck in waves, making the Saint feel both surprised and familiar.

"Have you been on the battlefield?" the Saint asked.

"I suppose so." Li Banfeng's answer was very vague, and he didn't need to answer too clearly.

Moreover, this could be considered the truth; whether one has been on the battlefield depends on the specific definition of the battlefield.

The battle between Qiu Luoye and Shui Yongquan, logically speaking, was also a proper battlefield.

The Saint asked again: "How old are you this year?"

Li Banfeng thought for a while: "I can't remember. Perhaps about the same as you."

This was half the truth. Li Banfeng's age could not be the same as this Saint's, but he really couldn't remember his age; he was an orphan.

The Saint's domineering aura was still confronting Li Banfeng's prestige. A disciple couldn't help but be curious; he wanted to know what kind of person could be on equal footing with his master.

He looked into the house, and this small action was discovered by the Saint.

The Saint waved his sleeve, and the face of the disciple outside the door who had looked up twisted, the blood vessels on his head suddenly bulged, and in the blink of an eye, they burst. Amidst the spraying blood, the disciple lost his breath.

The Saint looked at Li Banfeng and asked: "Do you see clearly now?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "I don't see clearly."

"I let him kneel here, so he must kneel properly. This is my rule.

If he kneels badly, it means he doesn't listen to my rules, so he deserves to die. Do you understand now?"

Li Banfeng looked outside the door and pointed to a disciple: "He is also kneeling badly. Look at his posture, loose and slack, obviously without sincerity. Kill another one for me to see; maybe I'll understand after watching a few more times."

The tea shook again. The Saint was very annoyed but had to restrain himself.

Li Banfeng sipped his tea. He was very nervous inside, but he couldn't show it on his face.

The Saint put the teacup on the table and looked at Li Banfeng: "Do you know my identity?"

Li Banfeng asked back: "What do you think?"

"Do you know that even peddlers don't dare to easily come to my territory?" The Saint was not lying; peddlers indeed rarely came.

Li Banfeng took the opportunity to say: "I came here for this very reason. As a senior brother, I have to regain some face for my junior brother."

Even if it was nonsense, it had to be said convincingly. Although he had the prestige of Hong Ying, if he couldn't bluff the other party, Li Banfeng's situation would be dangerous.

The Saint suddenly laughed, and his ferocious expression eased: "Do you think you can regain this face?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "I can't regain it. I lost half, but I didn't lose to you!"

Lost half.

The Saint was silent for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. He highly approved of this statement:

"What you said makes sense. You indeed didn't lose to me.

I can agree to the conditions you proposed. Tomorrow night, at this same time, you take people and leave. In this village, take as many people as want to follow you.

Before ten o'clock, you must set off, walk south, keep walking, until you see a way out.

After you leave, this matter will be over. If you can think of a way to regain your face in the future, I'll still be waiting for you here!"

Li Banfeng nodded and said: "It's a deal."

"Meeting is fate. I have something else to give you." The Saint waved his hand, and the white-clothed disciple held a book box, crawling on his knees all the way to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng took the book box and looked at the white-clothed youth: "You can walk on your knees, and you're quite skilled at it. It seems you've practiced it often.

But you weren't attentive when you walked just now; the steps of your two knees were obviously uneven. I think this is due to a lack of respect. Walk a few more laps for me to see your sincerity."

As he spoke, cold sweat streamed down the white-clothed youth. He was truly afraid that his master would believe Li Banfeng's words and take his life directly.

The Saint did not make things difficult for the white-clothed disciple and waved his hand, letting him exit the wooden house.

Li Banfeng took the book box and didn't open it rashly. He weighed it and estimated there were four or five books inside.

The Saint said to Li Banfeng: "These are historical materials, true historical materials. Don't you want to open them and take a look?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Reading books is not that urgent. If I don't recognize some characters, I'll let you make fun of me."

These history books must not be opened in front of the Saint.

Li Banfeng claimed to be about the same age as this Saint, but if he wasn't familiar with historical materials, or even unable to judge the authenticity of these history books, it meant Li Banfeng would inevitably show his ignorance. The price of showing ignorance was obvious.

The Saint smiled: "Even if you don't like reading, you should know the price of historical materials from Puluo Continent. Just these few volumes are enough for you to exchange for a fortune. This gift is not thin."

Li Banfeng thanked him and put the book box aside.

The Saint stood up and said: "I have given enough sincerity. I hope you keep your promise. Tomorrow night at ten, I will come to see your situation. If you deceive me, I will keep you here forever. We'll see who regrets it then."

After speaking, the Saint left.

Li Banfeng asked at the Saint's back: "Not leaving a contract?"

The Saint laughed: "A gentleman's agreement doesn't need that thing."

The domineering aura struck again, and Li Banfeng forcibly restrained himself from shaking.

Was Li Banfeng really afraid of him?

Afraid!

But was there really no way to deal with him?

Not necessarily.

He could continue to rob, continue to fight, turn the entire Jianren Ridge upside down, and thereby gain more benefits.

Even if the Saint wanted to strike hard, Li Banfeng could escape back to the Suishenju to avoid it for a while.

But Li Banfeng decided to leave.

Just as he said, he didn't lose to the Saint, but in this battle, he had already lost half. There were some things he couldn't change.

He also understood one thing: why peddlers didn't easily come to Jianren Ridge.

After seeing the Saint off, Li Banfeng called Xiao Yeci: "Have you decided? Are you going to leave with me, or stay here?"

Xiao Yeci puffed out her chest and said: "I'm going to follow the Benefactor. I won't stay here."

Li Banfeng confirmed again: "Leave as soon as we say so, no ambiguity?"

Xiao Yeci answered very sincerely: "If the Benefactor says leave, I leave, without the slightest hesitation."

Lu Chunying said on the side: "Let my mom change her pants first in a while. That doesn't count as hesitation, right?"

Li Banfeng answered very seriously: "Changing pants doesn't count. After you change your pants, go to the village and help me ask how many people want to stay and how many want to leave. You must tell me before eight o'clock tomorrow night."

Xiao Yeci naturally dared not neglect what Li Banfeng ordered.

She went from house to house and asked.

She knew that these people didn't want to go robbing again, nor did they want to take risks again.

But she thought that if they could leave this place, these people would certainly agree without hesitation.

But she was wrong.

She asked around, and not a single person agreed immediately to follow the Benefactor and leave. Their answers were also very vague.

"Sister Xiao, I injured my foot while pushing the cart, I need to rest for two more days."

"Madam Xiao, we can't leave these two days. As the saying goes, troops and horses move, but food and fodder go first. If we want to leave, we have to wait until the next crop of grain is harvested."

They didn't want to leave; they tried every possible way to drag it out.

But if you ask carefully, there are mainly three reasons for this.

First, those who were abducted, even if they left this place, had nowhere to go.

Second, those who were sent by their families, even if they returned home, were afraid they would just be sent back.

Third, those who didn't believe in Li Banfeng thought that Li Banfeng couldn't be the Saint's opponent, nor could he take them out alive.

In Xiao Yeci's view, these three reasons all made some sense.

But in Li Banfeng's view, these three reasons were not the point.

The point was that their lives could get by now.

As long as they could get by, they were willing to keep going.

This was within Li Banfeng's expectations.

This place was different; it was different from Yaowang Valley, Green Water City, and Iron Gate Fort. People who stayed here for a long time were completely different from those in other places.

At eight o'clock the next night, Li Banfeng set off immediately, without the slightest hesitation or delay.

At the entrance of the village, Niu Guangda tied his cow aside, carried his luggage, and walked behind Li Banfeng: "Benefactor, I'm going to herd cattle, I don't want to attract attention. I'm determined to follow you. Wherever you go, I go. I don't want to stay here and suffer."

Li Banfeng smiled; this kid could still be saved.

After walking for a while, more than twenty people followed.

They were all young, and they believed Li Banfeng could take them out.

The rest who didn't leave continued to stay in the village to live a stable life.

Unfortunately, this life was not stable. Not long after Li Banfeng left, the Saint's disciples came.

He made a demand: Engong Village's harvest had to be handed over by seventy percent to Sage Peak, whether it was grain, livestock, or silk, it was all seventy percent.

Seventy percent?

Wasn't that too high?

The residents of the village originally didn't intend to agree, but this disciple had cultivation. After killing several people in succession, this disciple patiently explained to everyone:

"Your benefactor has already left. Now no one is protecting you, and the Saint's patience is running out. If you don't repent, you really won't have your lives."

The benefactor had already left. Except for him, no one dared to challenge the Saint.

Why did the benefactor just leave like that? Why couldn't he stay with us?

Handing over seventy percent...

That's fine too.

The remaining thirty percent was barely enough to live on. Back in the village, sometimes even thirty percent of the harvest couldn't be kept. Now life was considered much better.

Outside the village, the Saint watched everything that happened in the village.

He watched with his own eyes as these residents in the village went from trying to resist, to daring to be angry but not daring to speak, and finally, not even daring to be angry.

Another village would soon appear here; such scenes had appeared before.

They would forget the origin of this village, they would hand over more harvests, the Saint's disciples would soon come to lecture, and before long, the Saint would become the most important existence in their lives.

As for that benefactor, people here would no longer easily mention him.

A young man had just mentioned him, his tone full of disdain: "He left as soon as he said so, without even looking back. He never intended to take us with him."

The Saint looked south and asked the white-clothed disciple: "Do you think he will come again?"

The white-clothed disciple respectfully replied: "He has already lost to Master, he will never dare to come again."

The Saint shook his head and said: "I think he will come back, and he didn't lose. He won half. Except for the peddler, only he could escape from my territory so quickly. Just for this point, he counts as winning.

As for the remaining half, he did lose, but he didn't lose to me; he lost to this group of lowly people, lowly people who are beyond saving."

The Saint continued to watch every move in Engong Village. He felt that this place, Jianren Ridge, was so cute.

He turned his face and looked south again, saying to the white-clothed disciple: "Tell your second senior brother that this person's identity must be investigated clearly."

PS: No break on the first day of the Lunar New Year, give all monthly tickets to Shala!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 251 =====