Chapter 297: Make Him Put Forth More Effort

Ling Miaoying's belly burst open.

Blood, internal organs, shredded flesh, undigested food and digested food all gushed out.

Li Banfeng sprinted all the way, his strength nearly depleted; having been away from the residence too long, his stealth advantage was no longer at its peak, and the first successful use of the Steed's Glimpse technique consumed immense energy.

He stumbled, nearly falling; Tu Yinghong burst out of the room upon hearing the noise, ready to attack Li Banfeng—but Li Banfeng fired first, aiming straight at Tu Yinghong's head.

Bang!

That shot fired.

Ling Miaoying's pistol always hits its target, but because Li Banfeng's marksmanship was poor, it struck only Tu Yinghong's right shoulder, not a vital point.

Tu Yinghong wore armor she had made herself, but Ling Miaoying's pistol was too powerful—the bullet pierced through bone; before Tu Yinghong could steady herself, Li Banfeng fired four more shots in succession.

Only one of the four bullets discharged, and it struck Tu Yinghong's neck.

Tu Yinghong clutched her neck wound, stepped back several paces; Ling Miaoying cast a pleading glance at her, and without hesitation, Tu Yinghong leapt out the corridor window and vanished in an instant.

She fled.

Li Banfeng didn't know what method she used to escape so quickly.

Nor did he know whether this woman would return.

She might have merely gone out to treat her wound, or perhaps found a place to prepare new magic treasures, or even summoned reinforcements.

Li Banfeng knew almost nothing about Tu Yinghong, but he understood Ling Miaoying—Ling Miaoying seemed to possess an endless supply of magic treasures and spiritual objects, always pulling out unexpected counters Li Banfeng could never anticipate.

Rather than wasting time here, he should resolve Ling Miaoying quickly, then return to the Personal Dwelling to restore his strength—assuming the key to the Personal Dwelling was truly in the Free and Easy Grove.

The clash between Li Banfeng and Tu Yinghong lasted only three seconds; during those three seconds, Li Banfeng believed Ling Miaoying had no chance to treat the wound on her belly.

Li Banfeng underestimated him.

Ling Miaoying had indeed treated the wound.

He shoved his organs back into his belly, stuck a bandage over the abdominal skin, and sealed the wound shut.

During this, Tang Dao and the Pendulum launched surprise attacks; a halo of light erupted from Ling Miaoying's back like a shield, blocking both Tang Dao and the Pendulum.

The wine gourd emitted a mist of alcohol, enveloping Ling Miaoying—the shield alone seemed insufficient to hold it back.

All Li Banfeng needed to do was ignite it, and he could burn Ling Miaoying alive.

At the brink of life and death, Ling Miaoying suddenly charged at Li Banfeng.

His shoes were special—this burst of speed was extremely fast.

Li Banfeng was heavily drained, his steps slightly slower.

Ling Miaoying tackled him—he couldn't dodge.

The two grappled together; at this close range, Li Banfeng couldn't set fire without harming himself, and neither could find an opening to use techniques—only superior close-quarters combat skills and desperate maneuvering determined the outcome.

Ling Miaoying pulled hair; Li Banfeng gouged eyes.

Ling Miaoying scratched his face; Li Banfeng choked his throat.

One was severely wounded, the other utterly exhausted—neither possessed the strength to deliver a killing blow.

One was a Seventh-Layer Watcher Cultivator, the other a Sixth-Layer Traveler Cultivator and Fifth-Layer Dweller Cultivator—such a clash between high-level cultivators was this fierce!

Tang Dao and the Pendulum continued battling the shield; the wine gourd tangled with the steel wire; the projector adjusted its angle from the corner—it was a menace!

Although the images it had created earlier had been decapitated by Tang Dao, the phantoms could still fight—but constrained by the projector's projection angle, these phantoms could not enter the corridor, which lay outside the screen's range.

After adjusting its angle, the projector could generate a new phantom capable of moving within the corridor, aiding Ling Miaoying in battle.

Ling Miaoying possessed too many spiritual objects—he was about to gain the upper hand.

In the stalemate, the white glove suddenly tapped lightly against Ling Miaoying's ear.

Ling Miaoying shuddered, giving Li Banfeng the opening to activate a technique.

Li Banfeng violently broke free from the struggle, circled behind Ling Miaoying, and with unnatural strength, dragged him toward the room.

Ling Miaoying's eyes widened—he couldn't comprehend Li Banfeng's sudden change.

Both were at their last breath—why did this boy still have so much strength?

Did he take a pill?

He had no chance to consume medicine just now.

Why was he dragging him into the room?

Could it be a Dweller technique?

Impossible!

He's a Traveler Cultivator—how could he possess a Dweller technique?

Li Banfeng was indeed using a Dweller technique.

He used the Heart's Arrow technique.

Since running back from Black Stone Slope, Li Banfeng had clung to the Heart's Arrow technique, fearing he might never return to the Personal Dwelling.

Now, with the technique fully empowered, nothing could stop Li Banfeng's return home.

Li Banfeng dragged Ling Miaoying into the room; Ling Miaoying struggled fiercely, but their strength was vastly unequal.

The projector created a new phantom—but constrained by its projection angle, it could not enter Li Banfeng's room.

It adjusted its angle again, attempting to generate a phantom inside Li Banfeng's room.

Li Banfeng reached one hand under the bed, fished out the key from a crack in the floorboards.

The key!

The key was still there!

Li Banfeng was overjoyed—his strength surged further.

Ling Miaoying twisted his neck, biting at Li Banfeng's wrist.

The Heart's Arrow technique reached its peak—Li Banfeng felt no pain; he unlocked the Personal Dwelling and dragged Ling Miaoying inside.

With the master gone, the magic treasures and spiritual objects fell into disarray.

The wine gourd seized the chance to knock over the projector; the newly formed phantom was projected out the window.

The Pendulum and Tang Dao darted back and forth, entangling the steel wire, following Li Banfeng into the room.

The glove, seeing no one was watching, swallowed Ling Miaoying's projector and followed back into the Personal Dwelling.

Back inside the Personal Dwelling, Li Banfeng threw the key outside the door, then collapsed from exhaustion, lying motionless on the floor.

Ling Miaoying suddenly rose, grabbed the steel wire, and raised it to sever Li Banfeng's head.

Li Banfeng smiled.

Ling Miaoying's hand froze mid-air—caught by the wife's needle.

The wife was playing a slow rhythm, preparing to sing a tune, but Li Banfeng sang first: "Du Shiniang."

"Wife, are you hungry? If you're hungry, tell your husband—I'll make you noodle soup!"

The phonograph chuckled: "Hey, husband, this isn't noodle soup—it's premium ingredients!"

Ling Miaoying stared at the phonograph and gasped: "An American steam-powered phonograph—how could it become a magic treasure?"

A burst of steam scalded Ling Miaoying's skin, peeling it open—the wife was furious, her belly growling with hunger.

Li Banfeng laughed: "Your eyesight is sharp—you're truly Ling Miaosheng's brother—but your words are reckless. This is my wife—how dare you call her a magic treasure?"

Wife?

Ling Miaoying couldn't comprehend it, nor could he even begin to think about it.

The phonograph was starving—it devoured its meal hastily.

Watching the wife wolf down her meal, Li Banfeng felt deeply satisfied.

A wife must be fed this way—must be fattened up!

But if they returned to the Outer Province, buying food for the wife would still be troublesome.

Would the wife even like the environment of the Outer Province?

Li Banfeng tapped his forehead, reminding himself not to wander off in thought.

He had some suspicions.

In the future, inside the Personal Dwelling, avoid thinking about locations carelessly.

…

Tu Yinghong returned to the Free and Easy Grove and saw many people standing in the corridor—mostly overnight guests and dancers.

These people had heard the gunshots and fighting; at first, they dared not step out—in Pulu Province, excessive curiosity often led to death.

Only when the sounds gradually faded did a group finally emerge to investigate.

The sleeping gatekeeper was also awakened; Tu Yinghong looked around but saw neither Ling Miaoying nor Li Qi.

She pretended to be a curious onlooker and asked those nearby what had happened.

"We don't know what happened—just heard gunshots."

"There's blood here—don't know whose it is."

"Not just blood—look at this! Is that intestine? And there are vegetable leaves on it!"

No one around could explain clearly.

Tu Yinghong glanced into Li Banfeng's room—it was empty.

She wanted to enter and examine it closely, but the gatekeeper blocked her: "Go back to sleep! Don't cause trouble here!"

Tu Yinghong was shoved.

If she wanted to kill this gatekeeper, a single finger movement would suffice.

With a few more finger movements, she could slaughter everyone in the corridor, then enter the room for a thorough inspection.

But she did not do so.

She knew this would not help Ling Miaoying; it would only bring trouble upon her.

Tu Yinghong slipped away from Xiaoyao Wu and returned to the small house, silently waiting for news from Ling Miaoying.

…

Lu Chunying and the others waited quietly at Lu Maoxian's home for news from Ling Miaoying.

By nearly seven o'clock, the sky had brightened completely, and the spy finally brought word.

The Garrison Commander had left the Shuyu, but Ling Miaoying was nowhere to be seen.

Lu Dongtang lost his temper and cursed his men: "The Garrison Commander's already out—what are you still waiting for? Go search inside the Shuyu!"

"The Shuyu belongs to the Chu family; we can't just…"

"So what if it's the Chu family? Do you think I'm afraid of them?"

The men went to the Fusheng Shuyu, and soon ran back.

"We searched the whole Shuyu—no sign of Ling Miaoying."

Lu Dongtang had no reply.

Lu Chunying stood up and sighed: "No wonder Uncle Grandpa was outmaneuvered by Ling Miaoying—this kind of cunning runs in the family."

Lu Dongtang could take no more; he rose to shout—but Qiu Zhiheng glanced at him, and Lu Dongtang's blood surged upward, pooling in one place, bursting forth and tearing open his trousers.

Lu Dongtang clutched his pants and sat back down, quickly lowering his head.

One more look from Monkey Qiu, and he'd be left without heirs.

The Zong family left; the other families followed one after another.

Lu Maoxian sat in his bedroom, gritting his teeth in silence.

…

Outside the estate, Ma Wu said to Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng: "Uncle Qiu, Uncle Tan, if you're not too busy, come to Xiaoyao Wu for a drink."

Tan Fucheng glanced at Qiu Zhiheng; Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Lu Chunying.

Lu Chunying smiled: "Brother Qiu, Fifth Brother has this thought—let's not refuse his face."

Qiu Zhiheng nodded: "Alright, let's sit together."

Ma Wu gestured: "Uncles, after you."

Tan Fucheng frowned: "Miss Chunying already calls you brother—why are you still calling us uncle? From now on, we're all peers."

…

The group headed toward Xiaoyao Wu; before they even reached the gate, the gatekeeper rushed forward.

"Fifth Master, something happened last night—somebody came, broke into Seventh Master's room, and fired shots—everything was a mess…"

The gatekeeper's expression was clumsy, and his words were jumbled.

Ma Wu told everyone to rest in the dance hall, then hurried to the back building.

On the second floor, Ma Wu's heart tightened—he saw bloodstains, scorch marks, and some unmentionable things; clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.

Could Seventh Master be in trouble?

Beads of sweat broke out on Ma Wu's forehead.

At Li Qi's door, two men stood guard, barring all unauthorized entry.

"Fifth Master, it's a mess inside—still bloody. Should you go in and take a look?"

Ma Wu pushed open the door and entered—only to find the room perfectly orderly.

The gatekeeper was stunned: "Fifth Master, it wasn't like this just now—it was…"

Splash~

A sound of running water.

Li Banfeng stepped out of the washroom.

The gatekeeper trembled: "Seventh Master, when—when did you come back?"

Li Banfeng wiped his hands: "I came back last night."

Ma Wu let out a breath of relief, wiped his cold sweat, and sent the gatekeeper away. "Did something happen last night?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Something happened."

"What happened?"

"I haven't made up the story yet."

Ma Wu sighed helplessly: "What's there to make up between us? Can't you tell me the truth?"

"I can tell you—but not others." Li Banfeng pulled out a bundle and handed it to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu unwrapped it—and saw Ling Miaoying's severed head.

"Old Qi…" Ma Wu opened his mouth, then closed it slowly. "The Lu family waited all night for Ling Miaoying—and you just brought him to them like this?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Exactly—so we need to make up a good story. He can't just die like this. He needs to earn his keep."

PS: The projector was taken by the glove—will he give it back?

(End of Chapter)