Chapter 347: Who Will Guard Yaowang Gou?

Li Banfeng carried Yao Lao into the portable dwelling.

This was dangerous—the portable dwelling might be exposed—but Li Banfeng did not hesitate.

He moved Honglian beside Yao Lao, and the phonograph cried out: "Master, what are you doing?"

Honglian does not consume the living, but Yao Lao had lost all vital breath; still, her petals slightly unfurled.

Li Banfeng glared at her, and Honglian closed her petals again.

Leaving the portable dwelling, Li Banfeng carried away medicinal herbs from Yao Lao's house.

He did not understand medicinal properties or principles, nor did he recognize most of the herbs.

He grabbed whatever herbs he saw, and whatever medicines too—pills, ointments, all of it went into the portable dwelling.

Honglian understood Li Banfeng's intent and spoke a few words to the phonograph.

Li Banfeng could not hear, but the phonograph relayed: "Master, Honglian cannot wake him—she can only stabilize his soul."

"That's enough."

Honglian unfurled her petals, selected a dozen types of herbs and medicines, and absorbed them into her lotus heart.

Soon after, her petals opened again, and Li Banfeng plucked a single lotus seed; it shattered, transforming into a nearly transparent elixir.

Li Banfeng handed the elixir to his wife; she inspected it, confirmed its purity, and slipped it into Yao Lao's mouth.

Yao Lao showed no reaction. The phonograph sighed softly: "His soul is stabilized. Whether he wakes depends on his fate."

Li Banfeng carried Yao Lao back to the small courtyard and laid him on the bed.

He neatly organized everything inside the courtyard and the house.

The corpse of Sangmenxing must not be wasted; Li Banfeng dragged it into the portable dwelling, expecting some lingering spiritual essence for his wife to consume—but she glanced at it and said: "General Yao struck hard—this fellow's soul is utterly obliterated, nothing remains."

Better that nothing remains—eating such a thing would bring bad luck even to her.

None of the other magic treasures wanted to be eaten either; in the end, all went to Honglian.

Yao Lao's home held many magic treasures—the three-pronged two-edged spear and the four-sided banners were both excellent items of the Cloud Layer; the wine gourd greeted each one, but none responded.

These treasures had remained beside Yao Lao—they did not wish to follow Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng never intended to take them; Yao Lao needed someone to watch over him.

The collapsed wall must be repaired quickly—Yao Lao cannot be exposed to sun or rain; this task can be done together with Qiu Zhiheng.

But the problem is, besides these magic treasures, who else can protect Yao Lao?

If another local deity comes to seize this territory and steals Yao Lao's covenant, how should we respond?

At dawn, Qiu Zhiheng climbed the mountain and saw Li Banfeng gathering bricks and stones; he hurried over to inquire.

Li Banfeng said: "Sangmenxing is dead. The Sangmen Array is broken."

Qiu Zhiheng was delighted—but when he saw Yao Lao's condition, his joy froze.

"What happened to Yao Lao?"

"His injuries are too severe—he's fallen into a deep sleep."

"He…"

Li Banfeng knew what Qiu Zhiheng wanted to ask: "Whether he wakes up, even Yao Lao doesn't know."

Qiu Zhiheng sat beside Yao Lao, his face filled with confusion—he had no idea how to handle this situation.

Li Banfeng asked: "Do you know any other local deities? If you trust them, you could ask them to help watch over Yaowang Gou."

Qiu Zhiheng thought long, then shook his head: "I know some local deities, but none I can trust."

It was deep autumn; the morning wind was cold.

Li Banfeng sighed: "Let's rebuild the wall first."

He had three candidates in mind who could care for Yao Lao's territory, but which one was suitable still needed careful consideration.

To guard Yaowang Gou, one must find a local deity of the same rank—and not a mediocre one.

Meng Yu is inexperienced; she can't even manage her own territory, let alone Li Banfeng's—she's clearly unsuitable.

The best candidate is Shui Yongquan. He is the local deity Li Banfeng knows best; his territory isn't close, but not far either—by a local deity's standards, making round trips should be no problem.

Though Shui Yongquan is a new local deity, he is experienced and shrewd—he can hold things together for several years.

Of course, this cannot be done for free: during Yao Lao's coma, part of Yaowang Gou's spiritual energy will be reserved to sustain Yao Lao's cultivation, and the remainder will serve as Shui Yongquan's payment.

The plan is reasonable—but the problem is, the income of a proper local deity is too great, the temptation too strong.

What if Old Shui, after serving as local deity for a while, refuses to leave?

Though Shui Yongquan is a man of honor, Li Banfeng dares not gamble—even with a covenant written, Shui Yongquan's intelligence might find loopholes.

Option two: find Qiu Luoye.

Compared to Shui Yongquan, Qiu Luoye is weaker, but also less cunning; if the covenant is written clearly, the chance of him cheating is low.

But Qiu Luoye acts recklessly—he might stir up trouble. Others might be manageable, but Yaowang Gou lies near Lüshui Bay—if Qiu Luoye provokes the Lüshui Beggars, matters will become troublesome.

The third option: Feng Daiku.

Ma Wu has a good relationship with her; asking her to watch over Yaowang Gou is another possibility.

This is the last resort, because Li Banfeng does not trust Feng Daiku—not only distrusts her, but their relationship is strained; it was because of her that Li Banfeng nearly died on the Ironwire River.

Besides these three, who else is there?

Ku Po Po?

The Peddler?

These major figures—Li Banfeng has no idea how to contact them.

As he pondered, Li Banfeng suddenly began shaking his leg.

Qiu Zhiheng blinked: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Nothing. I walked too far yesterday—my leg hurts."

Qiu Zhiheng knew Li Banfeng was a Traveling Cultivator; seeing his body tremble with his leg and sweat pour from his brow, he recalled Lu Dongliang's similar state: "Are you about to ascend?"

Ascend?

It's possible!

Traveling cultivators ascend rapidly in peril. Yaowang Gou was caught in the Sangmen Array—a great calamity. Li Banfeng rode the train nearly the entire length of Yaowang Gou, then spent this time running back and forth without rest, all while secretly consuming elixirs—he's definitely reached the threshold for ascension.

Qiu Zhiheng steadied Li Banfeng: "Come home with me and rest."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "First, let's finish rebuilding the wall."

"Leave it to me."

"No one can know Yao Lao's location."

"Don't worry—I bought a spiritual artifact from a Craft Cultivator last month. It's more than enough."

Qiu Zhiheng still tried to take Li Banfeng down the mountain, but Li Banfeng said: "I must stay here, guarding Yao Lao's home. Don't worry about me—ascension isn't a big deal. I'll rest here."

Qiu Zhiheng could not persuade him, and hurried down the mountain.

This ascension came violently; Li Banfeng could barely hold on—he ran dozens of laps around the courtyard before returning to the portable dwelling.

Seeing Li Banfeng's pale face, the phonograph asked: "My beloved master, what's wrong?"

"I suppose I've just been too exhausted these past two days."

"Come, lie down and rest."

Li Banfeng lay on the bed, a wisp of steam clinging tightly beside him.

Li Banfeng stole a glance at Hongying, wondering how to extract the Seventh-Level Technique.

…

Jiangxiang's Yaowang Hall, Hallmaster Luo Zhengnan sat on a reclining chair on the rooftop, leisurely listening to the radio.

The weather was clear today; Hallmaster Luo was in good spirits. He plugged the antenna into his skull and carefully sensed the surroundings.

The ill omen had dissipated—indeed, it was gone.

Who broke the Sangmen Array?

Monkey Qiu?

He lacks the ability.

The cart-puller?

That man isn't in Yaowang Gou; no one knows where he went.

Probably a local deity acted personally.

How did that old drunkard break the Sangmen Array?

After so many years as a local deity, he must have his methods.

Perhaps this incident can be used to establish contact with him.

Forget it—his status is too high; connecting with him brings me no benefit, and might invite trouble.

As long as Yaowang Gou remains peaceful, I'll continue my tranquil life.

Luo Zhengnan was half-asleep to the radio when Peddler Sun Xingbing suddenly climbed onto the rooftop: "Report, Hallmaster!"

"Report what?" Luo Zhengnan snapped.

"Han Jinwei has arrived."

Why did this bird come again?

Does he want to go to Huangtu Bridge again?

"Show him in!"

Han Jinwei climbed onto the rooftop—just as expected, he indeed wanted to go to Huangtu Bridge.

Luo Zhengnan forced patience: "Hallmaster Han, don't rush—wait a little longer—"

Yaowang Gou still has some matters to settle; once they're handled, I'll go with you.

Han Jinwei nodded and left the terrace.

Luo Zhengnan didn't brush him off—he truly planned to visit Huangtu Bridge in a few days, and if Han Jinwei truly wished to stay there, he could remain.

Luo Zhengnan didn't care about the land at Huangtu Bridge, but keeping Han Jinwei close made him uneasy.

But Han Jinwei didn't think that way.

He gritted his teeth all the way back to his residence and summoned the newly appointed helmsman, the Yin Cultivator Mo Jiansheng.

Mo Jiansheng was nearly sixty, and before Han Jinwei, he bowed and stammered, lacking even the courage to raise his head when speaking.

Han Jinwei said: "Pack your things, bring the ghost of that Death Cultivator, and leave tonight with me for Waizhou."

Mo Jiansheng froze: "To Waizhou? That travel permit won't be easy to get."

"Do you think I need you to worry about the travel permit?" Han Jinwei had often traveled to Waizhou on official business—he held a permit to enter Waizhou and could bring several attendants.

Mo Jiansheng was frightened—he'd never been to Waizhou in his life: "This is too big a matter; you should tell Master Luo first."

Han Jinwei frowned: "Tell him what? Am I not the hall master?"

"But, but I've served under Master Luo for all these years..."

"You were loyal to him—then why didn't you go to him in the first place? You've lived this long and still haven't made it to helmsman. If not for my recommendation, you'd still be a patrol officer! Aren't you ashamed?"

Mo Jiansheng dared not speak.

"Go home and pack!"

Mo Jiansheng returned home and packed his luggage.

His son, Mo Linping, asked: "Father, where are you going?"

"Don't ask. Stay home these two days and wait for my news. If I haven't returned in ten days, go to Master Luo and tell him our local deity has met with trouble."

"Local deity?" Mo Linping gasped.

"Don't shout!" Mo Jiansheng glared at his son. "This matter must not be mentioned to anyone except the hall master."

Han Jinwei and Mo Jiansheng secretly boarded the train that night.

The next day, Luo Zhengnan received word that Han Jinwei had vanished.

He summoned the club-wielder Sun Xingbing and ordered him to the station immediately to find acquaintances and trace Han Jinwei's whereabouts.

Sun Xingbing quickly found the information: "Master, Han Jinwei went to Waizhou."

"Waizhou?" Luo Zhengnan blinked. "Why would he go there?"

Sun Xingbing didn't know: "Probably on a mission for the boss—he's often been sent to Waizhou before."

"Unlikely. There wasn't even a whisper of this before?" Luo Zhengnan furrowed his brow, sensing trouble was coming.

In Yuezhou, Xiao Zhenggong was napping in his villa when his bodyguard reported Han Jinwei's arrival.

Xiao Zhenggong's face darkened—he didn't want to see him.

He had long despised Han Jinwei for his failure at Tiemenbao.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided Han Jinwei must have urgent business to travel so far—he put on his clothes and went to the main hall.

"What do you want?"

Han Jinwei glanced around. Xiao Zhenggong dismissed everyone else.

"Boss, I received word—the local deity of Yaowang Gou is in trouble."

"Local deity? Old Yao? What happened?"

"He fought a fierce battle with the Death Star. The Death Star set up a Death Gate Array in Yaowang Gou—this old man won't last much longer."

Xiao Zhenggong froze: "Is this reliable?"

"Reliable. The Death Star had a Death Cultivator's ghost, which escaped during their clash. This ghost was seen firsthand—it was captured by my helmsman, Mo Jiansheng."

"Where is this Mo... whoever?"

"Waiting outside."

"Bring him in!"

Mo Jiansheng, carrying the Death Cultivator's ghost, trembled as he approached Xiao Zhenggong.

Xiao Zhenggong smiled faintly: "Helmsman Mo, don't be afraid. Tell me everything."

Mo Jiansheng dared not speak—he released the ghost and let it speak directly to Xiao Zhenggong.

The ghost recounted the events. Xiao Zhenggong nodded: "Who else knows?"

Han Jinwei said: "Helmsman Mo told only me."

Xiao Zhenggong looked at Mo Jiansheng: "You didn't tell Luo Zhengnan?"

Mo Jiansheng didn't know how to answer. Han Jinwei had already prepared his reply: "Master Luo has been getting too close to Qiu Zhiheng lately. Some things—I dare not let him know."

"Qiu Zhiheng? Monkey Qiu? What's his connection to Luo Zhengnan?"

"Hard to say." Han Jinwei gazed meaningfully at Xiao Zhenggong.

Xiao Zhenggong nodded: "Well done. As long as the news hasn't leaked, you've both done great service. You deserve rewards—come, have a drink with me."

Xiao Zhenggong took a bottle of champagne from the bar. Han Jinwei's face broke into a smile.

With this achievement, his restoration to his former rank was certain. Soon, he could ask the boss for a better posting—and even the deputy boss position wouldn't be far off.

Xiao Zhenggong shook the champagne—CRACK—the cork flew out and pierced through Han Jinwei's skull.

Han Jinwei still stood on the floor. Mo Jiansheng was paralyzed with terror.

He wanted to run, but his legs turned to water—he couldn't move.

"Don't be afraid. Drink." Xiao Zhenggong poured a glass of champagne and tossed it to Mo Jiansheng.

The champagne glass embedded itself into Mo Jiansheng's skull.

The Death Cultivator's ghost vanished instantly. Xiao Zhenggong pulled out a copper coin, flicked it casually—it struck the ghost, which dissolved into ash.

(End of Chapter)