Chapter 341

Disaster Gate Array.

Neither Li Li Banfeng nor Qiu Qiu Zhiheng had heard of this name.

Yao Lao stood in the courtyard, dazed and muttering to himself, also doubting his own judgment.

"That can't be. If the Disaster Star wants to set up a Disaster Gate Array, he has to act in advance.

He set up an array in my territory, and I actually didn't know?"

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng thought to himself: Yao Lao, no need to doubt, it's very possible you really didn't know.

Compared to other local deities, Yao Lao is clearly not cautious enough; he is too casual in his ways.

Li Li Banfeng asked directly: "What is the Disaster Gate Array used for?"

Yao Lao sighed: "The Disaster Gate Array is a technique of the disaster cultivators on the clouds. They use the blood of disaster cultivators to draw an array in Medicine King Gully, then send living disaster cultivators into the array.

If a disaster cultivator dies in the array, the place where the array is located will be filled with bad luck. In this way, these disaster cultivators cannot be killed.

What should be done about this?

Capture them all alive, and then send them out?"

Yao Lao thought of a countermeasure and was about to set off, but was stopped by Li Li Banfeng.

Yao Lao had drunk a bit too much today, making him prone to acting impulsively.

"Yao Lao, let's clarify things first. Your method is good, but you cannot go deal with the disaster cultivators; you must stay home to deal with the Disaster Star.

Leave the matter of the disaster cultivators to me and Brother Qiu. If the disaster cultivators want to cultivate, they will definitely cause trouble; finding them won't be difficult. When the time comes, we'll think of a way to send them out."

Yao Lao shook his head: "This matter shouldn't implicate you."

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng shook his head: "This isn't implication. Since it's a matter for Medicine King Gully, I definitely can't avoid it; my home is here."

After much persuasion, Yao Lao finally agreed to stay home. Li Li Banfeng and Qiu Qiu Zhiheng went down the mountain, discussing countermeasures as they walked.

First, determine one thing: how Yu Heshan died.

Li Li Banfeng worried that he was acting under the Disaster Star's orders, coming to the Disaster Gate Array to seek death on his own.

If that's the case, and other disaster cultivators seek death collectively, this won't be stoppable.

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng wasn't worried about this: "With the character of those disaster cultivators, how could they be willing to seek death? I'm worried the Disaster Star sent someone to do it."

The two decided on a plan and acted separately. Qiu Qiu Zhiheng went to find the whereabouts of the disaster cultivators, and Li Li Banfeng went to investigate the cause of Yu Heshan's death.

The news was sent out by Yu Nan. Li Li Banfeng went to the Yu family cloth shop first.

The Yu family cloth shop was in chaos; the clerks were busy tidying up the cloth.

The cloth was all moldy. Yu Nan had run the shop for so many years, it was impossible for her to have no anti-mold measures, but now the warehouse was being turned upside down, and almost not a single bolt of cloth was intact.

Li Li Banfeng called Yu Nan to a secluded spot and asked: "How did you know the news of Yu Heshan's death?"

"I heard it from a coachman. Someone saw him walking toward the ticket office in front of the station, and suddenly he vomited blood and died. The corpse was still lying there; everyone thought it was bad luck, so no one collected it. I knew Yao Lao was very concerned about this, so I quickly sent the news to him."

At the station, no one else acted, and he suddenly died.

Was it someone who administered a slow poison, or a technique like a curse?

Li Li Banfeng went to the train station to see Yu Heshan's corpse; apart from a pool of blood, he really couldn't tell the cause of death.

The station is considered the territory of the Garrison Commissioner; does even the Garrison Commissioner dare not send anyone to collect the corpse?

Li Li Banfeng considered whether to bring the corpse back for his wife to study, but for the sake of caution, he had to go back and discuss it first.

Returning to the Leaving Suishenju, Li Li Banfeng mentioned Yu Heshan. Before he could finish, his wife spat twice: "Pah! Pah! Oh, husband, why bring up that bad-luck thing again? Wasn't he handled by a donkey?"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "He's dead, and over a dozen more disaster cultivators have come."

"Over a dozen?" His wife didn't quite believe it, "Husband, look carefully, are they really disaster cultivators? How many disciples does the disaster cultivator sect have in total?"

"I asked the local deity; it should be that the Disaster Star set up a Disaster Gate Array in Medicine King Gully."

Huff! Huff!

The gongs and drums became urgent.

Before the phonograph could speak, Xiang Xiang Hongying spoke first: "Forget about this matter, let's leave quickly."

Li Li Banfeng asked back: "What if we don't leave?"

"One disaster cultivator dying is called the first array; another dying is called the second array. The more disaster cultivators die, the fiercer the bad luck of the Disaster Gate Array becomes.

Once the bad luck gains momentum, you won't be able to leave even if you want to. The Disaster Gate Array is very evil; don't bring disaster upon yourself and then bring the bad luck home."

Li Li Banfeng didn't speak.

The phonograph was familiar with Li Li Banfeng's temperament and said to Xiang Xiang Hongying: "Stop talking."

Xiang Xiang Hongying was unconvinced: "I'm doing this for his own good."

"Wench, looking for a beating? I told you to stop talking!"

The phonograph scolded, and Xiang Xiang Hongying stopped talking.

"Precious husband, how do you plan to handle this?"

"I want to bring back Yu Heshan's corpse to see how he actually died; perhaps I can find the Disaster Star's whereabouts through this."

"That won't do, husband. A disaster cultivator's corpse is too unlucky. If you bring it back, not only will it ruin our fortune, but I'm afraid it will also anger the house."

Li Li Banfeng sighed: "Very well, let's just send this group of disaster cultivators away."

"Husband must think of a good place to dispose of this group of disaster cultivators. Since the Disaster Star has already acted, he will inevitably entangle us in the future. This matter is also to blame on Old Yao for being too careless, knowing only to soak in the wine vat every day. Someone set up such a large array in his territory, and he didn't even know it himself. Let's see if he can learn a lesson from this."

Li Li Banfeng left the Leaving Suishenju, and Xiang Xiang Hongying asked: "The Old Yao you mentioned just now, which one is it?"

"Just a local deity surnamed Yao."

"You said he soaks in a wine vat, could it be..."

His wife scolded again: "Why so much talk? Hurry up and apply your rouge; look how ugly you've drawn your eyebrows?"

"Ugly is ugly; anyway, I can't see it."

Li Li Banfeng returned to the Qiu Family Pharmacy. The pharmacy was even more chaotic than the Yu family cloth shop, and the medicinal herbs were also moldy.

Mao Caoye said with tears in his eyes: "Master Qiu, Madam, the medicine I delivered was all good; it shouldn't be moldy."

Madam comforted him: "Ye Zi, this isn't your fault, don't be sad."

Li Li Banfeng walked on the street; the entire Paifang Street was in a mess.

The goods in Shopkeeper Feng's house were moldy, the grain in the Zou Rice Shop was moldy, the tea in the Pinming Tea House was moldy, the steamer cloth in the bun shop was moldy, and even the diapers Liu Er's wife prepared for her child were moldy.

The entire Li Ditch emitted a moldy smell; is this the so-called 'bad luck permeating'?

If another disaster cultivator dies, what will the situation be?

Disaster cultivators look for bad luck everywhere, so they should be easy to find, but things were not as expected.

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng had his clerks search Li Ditch, but they didn't find a single disaster cultivator.

Where did they go? Did they all run to Outer Ditch to find trouble?

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng contacted various connections to search everywhere. Li Li Banfeng had the newspaper publish a reward, and Yu Nan and Shopkeeper Feng mobilized their channels to search for the disaster cultivators.

After searching for a day and a night, they didn't find a single living disaster cultivator, but they did find a corpse.

This corpse appeared at the train station again; it was the old woman who had made things difficult for the coachman at the station. The cause of death was exactly the same as Yu Heshan's—both died vomiting blood in front of the station.

Not long after the old woman died, the medicinal herbs in the major pharmacies began to grow insects, and moths appeared in the cloth shops and grocery stores.

This wasn't even the big event; the real big event happened in Outer Ditch, where a large number of pests appeared in the fields.

Li Li Banfeng's cheeks tightened; seeing the insects, he seemed to see the tragic state of Haichi Ridge in the past.

Fortunately, these insects weren't that fierce. A heavy rain fell that night, and when the rain stopped the next day, the pests disappeared. The medicine gourd looked at the appearance of the pests and confirmed they had been poisoned to death.

"This poison only kills insects and doesn't harm people; it must be Yao Lao who acted."

The pest problem was solved, but the disaster cultivators still weren't found.

Two days later, several friends sent news to Qiu Qiu Zhiheng that they were leaving Medicine King Gully.

These friends were people of status who could get travel permits, and they were preparing to go out to avoid the disaster.

Those who couldn't get travel permits couldn't escape Medicine King Gully, so they all went home to hide. Restaurants, tea houses, inns, and dance halls all closed down. Before dusk, not even a pedestrian could be seen on the streets of Li Ditch.

Li Li Banfeng now witnessed the power of the Disaster Gate Array; the human Qi of a place could actually wither to this extent in such a short time.

The Qiu Family Pharmacy also closed its doors. During dinner, Qiu Qiu Zhiheng advised Li Li Banfeng: "Brother, go back to Green Water City. I've never encountered a Disaster Gate Array before. To be honest, I don't know how to deal with the next step."

Li Li Banfeng looked at Qiu Qiu Zhiheng.

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng shook his head: "I can't leave, not just for Yao Lao, but because my family business is here."

With Qiu Qiu Zhiheng's means, is it difficult to set up another family business?

Not difficult.

But he cherished the Qiu Family Pharmacy very much.

Li Li Banfeng lowered his head and continued eating: "I can't leave either."

"Why?"

Li Li Banfeng didn't answer.

Some principles are hard to explain.

He entered the Daoist sect in Medicine King Gully.

He received the Leaving Suishenju in Medicine King Gully.

He married his wife and brought her home in Medicine King Gully.

He met Ma Wu and Little Pang in Medicine King Gully, climbed Bitter Fog Mountain, picked Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums; the foundation for his survival in Puluo Prefecture was all accumulated in Medicine King Gully.

"I'll go out and look again." Even if he had to walk through every inch of Medicine King Gully, he had to drag out all the disaster cultivators!

Li Li Banfeng put down his bowl and chopsticks, and just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard someone knocking at the door.

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng opened the pharmacy gate and couldn't help but frown.

Since coming to Medicine King Gully, he had been to every mountain head, but Qiu Qiu Zhiheng had never visited the Jiang Xiang Gang; he looked down on this group of people from the bottom of his heart.

Standing in front of him was the hall master of the Medicine Yao Yao Wang Tang of the Jiang Xiang Gang, Luo Zhengnan.

"Hall Master Luo, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing that Luo Zhengnan had arrived, Li Li Banfeng quickly went to the back hall.

To this Hall Master, Li Li Banfeng is the master of Iron Gate Fort, surnamed Fort, named Master.

Luo Zhengnan cupped his hands at Qiu Qiu Zhiheng and said: "Master Qiu, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Just say it here." Qiu Qiu Zhiheng didn't return the salute, nor did he intend to let Luo Zhengnan in.

Luo Zhengnan waved his hand behind him, and two stick-men brought over a man. The man was trembling with fear. Qiu Qiu Zhiheng recognized him; this was a disaster cultivator who had also made things difficult for the coachman at the station.

Luo Zhengnan said: "I heard Master Qiu is searching for disaster cultivators, so I caught one. This kind of person brings bad luck. I came here to discuss with Master Qiu whether to keep this person with me or leave him with you?"

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng looked at the disaster cultivator and asked Luo Zhengnan: "Is this doing me a favor?"

Luo Zhengnan shook his head: "This is for Medicine King Gully. A good Medicine King Gully cannot be ruined by this group of bastards."

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng cupped his hands at Luo Zhengnan: "Hall Master Luo, please come in!"

Luo Zhengnan had the disaster cultivator left outside the gate and entered the pharmacy alone. The two sat opposite each other, drank a cup of tea, and Luo Zhengnan said: "I've been in the Jianghu for many years. I've heard of this situation from others before. If I'm not mistaken, this is a Disaster Gate Array, right?"

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng nodded: "Hall Master Luo has a good eye."

"Master Qiu wants to send all the disaster cultivators out of Medicine King Gully?"

Qiu Qiu Zhiheng nodded.

Luo Zhengnan put down his teacup and said: "All the brothers of the Medicine Yao Yao Wang Tang will go all out to search for the disaster cultivators. As for travel permits and train tickets, we'll think of a way together."

PS: Luo Zhengnan is a man with guts, and also a man who can get things done.

(End of chapter)