Chapter 323: Gong Xiu

Behind Xiaoyao Wu there is a warehouse, most of the storage rooms have fallen into disrepair and been abandoned; I heard Ma Wu plans to build a tavern there, but he hasn't started yet.

My spies have seen Ling Miaoying there more than once; at first I thought he was after Li Qi, but now it seems he frequently visits that warehouse—I can't help but suspect Ling Miaoying is colluding with Li Qi.

As he spoke, Wan Jinxian watched Tu Yinghong's reaction closely; if Tu Yinghong leapt to defend Ling Miaoying, it would prove she had genuine feelings for him.

But Tu Yinghong remained utterly calm, confirming He Jiaqing's suspicion—that her repeated attacks on Xiaoyao Wu were for that object.

Tu Yinghong lit a cigarette and looked at Wan Jinxian: "What good is telling me this? I don't believe Ling Miaoying is colluding with Li Qi. I want to confront him face-to-face, but I can't even leave this building."

"You truly can't leave, because I won't let you go. I'm just telling you this." With that, Wan Jinxian left.

Tu Yinghong sat in the room, lost in thought.

Is Ling Miaoying still alive?

Why would he collude with Li Qi?

Is it for my iron ruler?

Is he lying to me?

Are he and Li Qi lying to me together?

Ling Miaoying has shown interest in the iron ruler more than once; the entire mobility of the Shadow Play Building relies on this pair of iron rulers.

But Tu Yinghong never let him touch the iron rulers—they were treasures she obtained at great cost.

When she met Li Qi in the cinema, the iron rulers were lost.

Later, when she and Ling Miaoying went to Xiaoyao Wu to search for Li Qi, both vanished.

Li Qi took my iron rulers; Ling Miaoying knows how to use them—they may have reached some agreement to use my iron rulers for something.

What are they trying to do?

What could possibly be worth Ling Miaoying abandoning his business—and even faking his death?

Did they discover the origin of the iron rulers?

The more Tu Yinghong thought, the more tense she became.

She pulled a cloth bag from her skirt, fumbled inside for a moment, and withdrew an iron elbow guard.

Then came knee guards, then shoulder guards, an iron helmet, a breastplate…

She pulled out over a dozen pieces, assembled them together, forming a full suit of armor.

Tu Yinghong hadn't worn this armor in a long time—it was too heavy.

But tonight she must wear it; the moment to fight for her life had come.

She could give up everything—but she would never let go of these iron rulers!

She took out a hairpin from the cloth bag.

This was a spiritual object of a Kui Xiu; to confront Ling Miaoying, she needed this item.

She pulled out a fishing net from the bag—this was specially prepared for Li Qi.

She opened the hidden compartment in her sleeve and slipped in various weapons and magical artifacts one by one.

After organizing all her weapons and spiritual objects, Tu Yinghong quietly left her room.

Standing in the corridor, she could clearly see the guards at the building's entrance.

These guards alone couldn't stop Tu Yinghong—there were multiple exits from the building, some known only to her.

But since that outsider arrived, all the exits vanished.

Now that the outsider has left, has his spell been lifted?

Tu Yinghong stared out the window, thinking of what Wan Jinxian had just said.

Wan Jinxian told me this for a reason—he must have his own plan.

He wants to uncover the truth about Ling Miaoying and Li Qi, but doesn't want to get involved himself—so he wants me to act for him?

So I've been used by him…

Tu Yinghong doubted Wan Jinxian's motives, but she had no choice.

No matter the cost, she must recover the iron rulers.

As she thought, Tu Yinghong traced the corridor wall and soon found a hidden door.

Found it! It's really here!

Wan Jinxian really meant to let me out!

But he never imagined that once I'm out, he'll never find me again.

Tu Yinghong slipped through the hidden door; as she touched her breastplate, a layer of gauze appeared over her body.

Under the gauze, her body gradually turned transparent; after a minute, she vanished completely.

Outside the Shadow Play Building, Wan Jinxian stood motionless, gripping a blind man's bamboo cane.

This cane was a spiritual object of a Kui Xiu; through it, Wan Jinxian clearly heard Tu Yinghong's footsteps.

Tu Yinghong emerged from the rainwater drain outside the Shadow Play Building; Wan Jinxian couldn't see her, but could judge her direction by her footsteps.

An old woman collecting garbage stared at Wan Jinxian for a long time.

This man clearly isn't blind—why does he insist on carrying a blind man's cane?

Wan Jinxian smiled at the old woman and pulled a hundred-dollar Huan Nation banknote from his pocket, handing it to her.

The old woman froze; she wanted to say she wasn't a beggar.

But a hundred yuan was no small sum to her—even if mistaken for a beggar, she very much wanted to take the money.

She thanked Wan Jinxian repeatedly; by then he had already walked away.

The old woman held the Huan Nation banknote and examined it carefully, again and again.

It was real money.

She'd had good luck today.

She carefully tucked the money into her pocket and resumed collecting garbage.

The dust in the trash pile was thick; the old woman coughed twice without meaning to.

Once she started coughing, she couldn't stop.

Her throat itched, her chest felt tight; even a shallow breath made her entire body tremble.

The old woman sat beside the trash pile, clutching her chest as she coughed uncontrollably.

She coughed until her throat tasted salty, until blood streamed continuously from the corner of her mouth.

What's happening?

Is she sick?

Why did she suddenly fall ill?

She felt fine today—someone even gave her a hundred yuan; wasn't that good?

With money, she could eat something nice today…

The old woman collapsed into the trash pile; after violent coughing, she stopped breathing.

…

At one a. ., Li Banfeng shivered in the warehouse.

Danger was approaching—his ability to avoid misfortune and seek fortune was warning him.

He knew Tu Yinghong would strike at night; he slept in Suishenju in the morning, searched for information in Lüshuicheng in the afternoon, completed his Lv Xiu cultivation, and spent the entire night guarding the warehouse.

He had laid the bait—he knew Tu Yinghong would come.

He expected to wait several days, but she came tonight.

Is she truly here to avenge Ling Miaoying?

Could their bond be this deep?

He checked all his magic treasures and weapons once more, then whispered: "All of you, you've had plenty of rich meals lately—your skills have improved. Tonight, strike fast and decisively—no one can lag behind."

The projector had warned Li Banfeng: never get locked in a stalemate with a Gong Xiu.

There's a saying on the battlefield: "A Gong Xiu has a hundred blades."

Gong Xiu fear being caught off guard—they lack adaptability.

But once they establish their footing and begin striking methodically, their superior weapons emerge endlessly; every moment of prolonged combat increases Li Banfeng's peril.

The projector spoke: "Seventh Director, Tu Yinghong isn't ordinary. For safety, we should summon more help."

The glove slapped the projector's casing: "Foolish! Xiaoyao Wu has spies—we haven't found them yet. We absolutely cannot leak this information, or we'll suffer greatly."

Tonight, the glove was unusually eager.

He had to be—unless he killed Tu Yinghong quickly, his theft of the iron rulers might be exposed.

Less than ten minutes passed when the earring whispered in his ear: "Master, footsteps."

Li Banfeng pressed his palm downward, signaling all his magic treasures to fall silent.

The footsteps drew nearer, then stopped outside the door.

Tu Yinghong's hairpin also sensed something—she had observed footprints outside the door.

Someone is inside this warehouse.

How many people?

If only one, is it Li Qi or Ling Miaoying?

Tu Yinghong knew every one of Ling Miaoying's combat techniques, weapons, and spiritual objects intimately—she was confident she could capture him alive.

If it's Li Qi, she must prepare for a fierce battle; Lv Xiu strike swiftly—she mustn't be crushed by a single assault. She must prolong the fight and prevent Li Qi from fleeing.

If both are present, it proves Ling Miaoying and Li Qi are truly colluding.

In that case, Tu Yinghong would retreat—facing two opponents, she had virtually no chance of victory.

Tu Yinghong listened carefully at the door, but her hairpin could not detect how many people were inside.

Why couldn't she tell?

According to Tu Yinghong's judgment, there should have been only one Ling Miaoying in the room.

Ling Miaoying was a seventh-layer Seer Cultivator; he had heard the disturbance, suppressed his aura, and prepared defenses, causing the hairpin to sense nothing of him.

This was within Tu Yinghong's expectations.

No matter how Ling Miaoying defended himself, Tu Yinghong was certain he could not escape her grasp.

Tu Yinghong first tugged at her collar to conceal herself.

Then she pulled a wooden puppet from her left sleeve.

The puppet unfolded its curled body, stood on the ground, and stood at nearly the same height as Tu Yinghong.

How could such a large puppet fit inside a sleeve?

This was the technique of a high-level Artisan Cultivator.

According to Tu Yinghong's tactic, the puppet would push open the door, and Ling Miaoying would strike it immediately.

In that moment, Tu Yinghong would seize Ling Miaoying directly.

Ready, the puppet reached out and pushed the door.

The moment its hand touched the door, a thunderous boom echoed—the door shattered, the puppet exploded into splinters, and a pile of broken wood slammed into Tu Yinghong.

Tu Yinghong was startled, thinking Ling Miaoying had fired his pistol.

Ling Miaoying's pistol had immense power, but Tu Yinghong was wearing heavy armor this time; though her movements were slower, it could block Ling Miaoying's bullets.

Strange—this didn't feel like bullets. It felt more like buckshot.

Countless stones and sand flew at her face, striking her armor with metallic clangs.

Tu Yinghong was stunned—this was the Traveler Cultivator's technique, Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers!

The person inside wasn't Ling Miaoying—it was Li Qi!

He was a Traveler Cultivator—how could he have evaded her hairpin's scrutiny?

Tu Yinghong never imagined Li Banfeng was a high-level Home Cultivator with the trait of being overlooked; under proper preparation, he could evade the spiritual senses of Seer Cultivators at the same level.

The tactic must change!

Tu Yinghong had prepared specifically for Li Qi—the best way to counter a Traveler Cultivator was to control his footsteps.

This was where the fishing net came in!

If she could successfully cast the net over Li Qi, seventy percent of the tactic would succeed.

The problem now was how to throw the net.

Li Banfeng gave Tu Yinghong no chance to catch her breath.

Though he couldn't see Tu Yinghong, the impact of stones and sand had confirmed her position.

He fixed his gaze on Tu Yinghong and burst out of the warehouse.

Tu Yinghong stared intently at Li Banfeng, not daring to divert her attention for an instant—she feared he would use the Step-Through-Flowers technique.

Li Banfeng swung his sickle, slashing horizontally and vertically, cutting Tu Yinghong's invisibility robe into tatters.

Tu Yinghong revealed herself—Tang Dao seized the moment and slashed down from behind her.

This heavy armor had taken Tu Yinghong immense effort to forge; in the past, Tang Dao could not have pierced it—even if he had tried, he might have shattered his blade.

But Tang Dao was no longer what he once was—he had consumed too many fine elixirs with Li Banfeng. He was far beyond his former level; one strike carved a half-foot-long gash into the armor.

The armor cracked, but Tu Yinghong remained calm—the sickle was stuck in the fissure, unable to exert force, leaving her only with minor superficial wounds.

Tang Dao pulled the blade free and swung again at the same spot, only to find the wound had vanished.

Had the armor healed itself?

Tang Dao didn't pause—he swung the second blow immediately.

The gash remained half a foot wide; as Tang Dao withdrew the blade, the Pendulum of Blood followed, striking Tu Yinghong while the armor was still open.

The armor snapped shut, clamping down hard on the Pendulum of Blood.

The Pendulum endured the agony and began to suck blood.

Tu Yinghong had no time to care for this minor wound.

Li Banfeng's figure flickered before her eyes—any lapse in focus would cost her life to his Step-Through-Flowers.

But as long as she blocked Step-Through-Flowers, she wasn't worried about Li Qi's other techniques—even if Li Banfeng used Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers again, this armor would surely withstand it.

The most urgent task now was to trap Li Qi with the fishing net.

Eyes locked on Li Banfeng, Tu Yinghong reached into her sleeve to feel for the fishing net.

Where was the fishing net?

After searching for a long time, she realized the net was gone.

Had Li Qi stolen it again?

Is he a Traveler Cultivator—or a Thief Cultivator?

While Tu Yinghong fumbled for the net, the wine gourd rose into the air and spat a mist of wine.

Li Banfeng struck a match, flicked it with a single finger—he wanted to see if her armor could withstand fire.

She actually blocked it.

She pulled a cloak from her sleeve; the cloak deflected the flames back onto Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng dodged the fire, stepped forward, and slashed the cloak to shreds with his sickle.

The old teapot flew through the air and poured tea water onto Tu Yinghong.

A porcelain bottle shot out from Tu Yinghong's sleeve and absorbed every drop of tea.

Li Banfeng used Step-Through-Flowers again, trying to slip out of Tu Yinghong's line of sight.

Tu Yinghong's hairpin constantly monitored Li Banfeng's movements, keeping her gaze locked on him.

The porcelain bottle spat a wave of scalding heat at Li Banfeng—he dodged, and the heat struck the warehouse behind him, igniting it instantly.

The bottle hovered midair, the heat wave covering dozens of meters around, leaving Li Banfeng nowhere to flee.

Li Banfeng wasn't afraid of this move—he was used to being scalded by his wife. He envisioned a steam locomotive and used the Technique of the Benevolent Home Cultivator to endure the blow.

He endured it—but lost the initiative.

Dozens of weapons—long spears, short knives, meteor hammers—flew from Tu Yinghong's sleeves, surrounding Li Banfeng in a whirlwind attack.

Tu Yinghong pulled out a needle-and-thread box; over a dozen spools of thread darted across the ground—any moment Li Banfeng was tripped, he'd be struck by the weapons.

The battle reached a stalemate, gradually tilting in Tu Yinghong's favor.

Li Banfeng remained calm, leaping through the threads while dodging the surrounding weapons.

Tu Yinghong dared not slacken—her gaze never left Li Banfeng.

Wan Jinxian watched the battle from afar, a smile curling on his lips.

Li Banfeng was at a disadvantage.

Tu Yinghong had used nearly all her techniques.

Whoever won or lost, he would reap the benefits.

Tonight, he must capture Li Qi—capture him, and he'd obtain the Red Lotus.

He Jiaqing always said the Red Lotus would soon be within reach, but Wan Jinxian didn't want to wait any longer.

Perhaps the Red Lotus no longer mattered much to He Jiaqing, but to Wan Jinxian it was vital—he was no longer young, yet his cultivation remained at the seventh layer.

As the battle raged, Tu Yinghong—who held the upper hand—suddenly felt her vision blur.

The cause: excessive blood loss.

The Pendulum of Blood, lodged in the armor, had been sucking blood continuously; since it caused almost no pain, Tu Yinghong had ignored it.

She tried to pull it out, but it was jammed tight—the armor healed itself, but could not tear open on its own.

She must end this battle quickly!

Tu Yinghong prepared to unleash all her remaining weapons—when suddenly Li Qi shouted loudly: "Huyayaaya!"

Her hairpin snapped—Li Banfeng's shout inflicted severe damage on Seer Cultivator spiritual tools.

Already blurred, Tu Yinghong's vision now lost all tracking of Li Qi's movements.

In a daze, Li Qi vanished.

Damn—Step-Through-Flowers!

Tu Yinghong gasped in horror—but it was too late. Her skull exploded, brains and blood spraying in all directions.

Wan Jinxian froze—he hadn't expected Li Qi to win.

Better that he won—he wouldn't have to wrestle her away from Tu Yinghong.

Wan Jinxian observed the scene: Tu Yinghong had scattered weapons everywhere—Li Qi would surely go to retrieve them. This was the perfect moment to capture him.

But Li Qi didn't pick up the weapons—he hoisted Tu Yinghong's corpse and fled.

Wan Jinxian frowned, realizing the truth.

He had revealed his malice—and Li Qi had sensed it.

Traveler Cultivators moved fast, but Wan Jinxian wasn't slow—he drove a nail into his heel: a spiritual artifact forged from the soul of an eighth-layer Traveler Cultivator, enough to catch Li Qi.

He chased for dozens of meters—Li Qi vanished.

Where did he go?

Not even a shadow—he couldn't have moved that fast!

PS: If you fight, fight to the death. If you watch, watch with full satisfaction!

(End of Chapter)