Chapter 356: Revenge

Shen Rongqing wept loudly in Ma Wu's arms.

Ma Wu held Shen Rongqing, as if his single body had lifted the entire sky for her.

In truth, he was not alone.

Huo Ling, Aqin, Zuo Wugang, and Tan Fu were all outside, and the one who truly drove away the white robe was the Insect Cultivator Lu Yuanxin.

To deal with Lu Dongchun, Lu Yuanxin had perfected his bookworm beetles—numerous, voracious, with sharp teeth, and resistant to poison.

The white robe was a high-level Robe Cultivator, yet he could not withstand Lu Yuanxin's bookworm beetles.

These people could only wait outside the teahouse; Li Banfeng had ordered them not to enter and disrupt things.

Others could wait, but Huo Ling and Aqin felt unbearable pain inside.

For Wu Lang, they had come to rescue a fox spirit!

"Ling'er, your ears are sharp—listen, what are they saying?"

Through the charcoal fire in the teapot, Huo Ling heard Ma Wu repeating only one phrase: "I'm here. It's over."

…

"He's here. It's over…"

Seeing the white robe fly back, Li Banfeng exhaled deeply.

The white robe wrapped around Zhong Huaien and flew him out of the alley.

Whether Zhong Huaien lived or died didn't matter for now—the robe was still intact.

As long as the robe remained, there would be no shortage of messengers.

…

That night, Shen Rongqing did not return to the Shadow Film Company, nor did Ma Wu return to Xiaoyao Wu; the two quietly left the teahouse and went to Heping Building, reclaiming their old room.

They slept one night, but in truth, they did not sleep at all.

At dawn, Shen Rongqing touched Ma Wu's cheek and asked softly, "How did you know I was in danger at the teahouse?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "I didn't know you were in danger. I passed by Hetang Teahouse, saw the lights on, and thought I'd go up and take a look—just hoping to run into you."

"Do you know who owns Hetang Teahouse?"

"I know," Ma Wu nodded calmly. "It's Ling family's business. The Lings are my rivals. You're helping them run it."

"You knew I was… yet still…" Shen Rongqing, the foremost talent of Pulu Province, did not know how to articulate her meaning.

"Don't say it," Ma Wu shook his head, pulling Shen Rongqing tightly to him. "It doesn't matter. For you, nothing matters."

Shen Rongqing buried her head in Ma Wu's arms and asked softly, "What level of cultivation are you? How did you defeat that Robe Cultivator?"

This was a crucial question.

Ma Wu secretly used the Joyful Cultivation technique, suppressing his heartbeat and thoughts, and answered calmly: "No matter my cultivation level, you are my woman, I am your man—that's enough."

He had rehearsed this line many times; he was certain it sounded deeply moving.

But after a long silence, Shen Rongqing pulled away from Ma Wu's embrace.

She put on her clothes and said to Ma Wu: "Get a good rest, then forget me."

She did not disbelieve Ma Wu's words—she knew her position and identity.

She could not be with Ma Wu.

Watching Shen Rongqing leave the room, Ma Wu wiped away sweat.

This talented woman was hard to handle. The situation erupted suddenly, and Old Seven didn't let me prepare ahead—what if I slipped up?

…

At first light, Shen Rongqing returned to the Shadow Film Company, sat in her office staring blankly, then contacted He Jiaqing.

"Jiaqing, last night Zhong Huaien sent someone to kill me. This must be the Saint's order."

He Jiaqing, disguised as a cleaner, was sweeping the street. Hearing this, he felt utterly overwhelmed.

"How did things come to this?"

"Jiaqing, I'm saying he wants to kill me!"

Before He Jiaqing could respond, Shen Rongqing cut the connection.

He Jiaqing held his broom, realizing he had spoken wrongly—he had not immediately asked after Shen Rongqing's safety.

"Capable people won't obey; obedient people lack ability. Why can't I find someone who is both capable, resourceful, and truly loyal? Why can't I find…"

"What are you muttering about?" A cleaning aunt nearby shouted at He Jiaqing. "Are you here to work or just stand there daydreaming? Sweep the ground!"

"Yes." He Jiaqing sniffed.

This stretch had heavy traffic—he had to set up the equipment quickly. To catch the morning rush, he endured it.

…

Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyao Wu and found Luo Zhengnan.

The grudge between He Jiaqing and the Saint, Li Banfeng had taken on for them.

But could he just hand over this grudge?

No.

Since arriving in Pulu Province, the first group to disgust Li Banfeng was the Jiangxiang Gang.

Many others had disgusted Li Banfeng before, and he had sent them all away.

But the most disgusting blow came from the Saint's lowly underling, Jianren Gang.

And now the Saint and Jiangxiang Gang had joined forces.

Kidnapping children, sending them to Jianren Gang, training them into slaves for the Saint.

These two disgusting groups were working together, doing disgusting deeds.

Now it was time to make them suffer.

But this required Luo Zhengnan's help.

Li Banfeng never asked people to act for free—he first gave Luo Zhengnan five hundred silver dollars.

"This is your reward for this battle. More major tasks lie ahead—we'll need to work together. Tell me now: what do you want? Business or territory?"

Luo Zhengnan looked at Li Qi. He knew he still wasn't fully trusted; he knew Li Qi still distrusted and suspected him. But after long hesitation, he spoke his desire:

"Seventh Master, I don't want money or territory. I want revenge."

Some people just click with you.

Their thoughts match yours exactly.

"The man who killed you—his name is Pei Yuzeng?"

Luo Zhengnan nodded. "He's the hall master of Qingyan City."

"Are you familiar with Qingyan City?"

"I've been there a few times. I know all the Jiangxiang Gang halls and outposts. His subordinates have few cultivators, and none of them are formidable—but Hall Master Pei Yuzeng is no easy opponent.

He's a fifth-layer Fire Cultivator. Seventh Master might think his level isn't high, but this man is unpredictable.

If the timing is right, killing him is easy. If the timing is wrong, getting close to him is nearly impossible.

To kill Pei Yuzeng, we cannot strike at his hall. His hall is large, crowded, and no one knows where he'll appear or where he'll strike.

The Chu family, Ma family, and Baihua Gate have all sent assassins to kill him at his hall. Each time they failed, and the assassins were burned alive by Pei Yuzeng's fire. So we must choose the right moment."

"What kind of moment is right?"

"That depends on when Seventh Master is willing to help me take revenge."

"As soon as possible."

"Thank you, Seventh Master!" Luo Zhengnan rose and bowed deeply to Li Banfeng.

He marked a circle on the calendar: "Today is the second. If Seventh Master will help me, we leave tomorrow. By train, we can reach Qingyan City in five days—perfectly timed for their delivery day."

"What are they delivering?"

"Children. Qingyan City is unusual—child traffickers run rampant. Elsewhere they call it kidnapping; there they call it snatching children.

Jiangxiang Gang's traffickers dare snatch people on the street. If anyone resists, they even attack them publicly.

They lock the kidnapped children in their hall, waiting for families to pay ransom. Those who can pay get their children back; those who can't, never see them again."

Li Banfeng frowned. "That's bandit behavior."

Luo Zhengnan nodded. "You're right. The Jiangxiang Gang's actions in Qingyan City are no different from bandits—worse, even.

This is because Qingyan City is unusual: the people who care for children there are all the old and weak."

"Where are the children who can't be ransomed sent?"

"By train to Jianren Gang. Pei Yuzeng calls this 'delivery'—delivering children to the Saint."

"By train?" Li Banfeng was startled. "Don't the border guards intervene?"

Luo Zhengnan said: "That's Pei Yuzeng's skill. There are people at the station who cover for him. He can smuggle these children out via freight trains. Whether it's outsiders or Jianren Gang itself that protects him, no one knows.

But Pei Yuzeng must personally oversee each delivery. He orders all outposts to pack the children into crates and send them to a warehouse east of the station.

He personally leads a team to transport them to the station, and he can bring no more than ten subordinates.

This is the station's rule. Only his trusted men know the truth. This is the perfect moment to kill him."

The greatest virtue of the clever is their ability to use every tool to simplify complex problems.

Li Banfeng lowered his hat brim. "Prepare. We leave tomorrow."

…

On Shengxian Peak, the dying Zhong Huaien was carried into the Saint's mansion.

The Saint emerged from his bedroom.

He looked at Zhong Huaien, battered and bruised, at the white robe covered in holes.

"What happened?"

The white-robed man could not speak; though Zhong Huaien's cultivation base was weak, he must answer first before their Master, for his status was high.

Zhong Huaien struggled to say, "Master, I was ambushed by a traveling cultivator. I fought hard but could not defeat him."

"A traveling cultivator?"

"Is it that He Jiaqing again?"

Zhong Huaien dared not speak lightly—he had not seen the attacker's face.

The Sage looked at the white-robed man and said, "You speak."

How should the white-robed man speak?

Say he came up with the idea to return and ambush Shen Rongqing, failed the ambush, and lost his younger brother in the process.

If he told the truth outright, he would never leave the mansion alive.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and recounted the events differently: "Master, we went to meet Shen Rongqing. My younger brother asked why He Jiaqing wasn't there—wasn't this man too arrogant?"

Shen Rongqing said we had no right to meet He Jiaqing. My younger brother, furious, said a few harsh words, and we left. But on the way, we were ambushed by a traveling cultivator and a bug cultivator."

This account had no flaws—it was all true, just omitting part of the facts.

Bug cultivators are the natural enemies of robe cultivators; the holes in the white robe were indeed left by cloth-moths.

The Sage fell silent for a long while, then said to Zhong Huaien and the white-robed man: "Go tend to your wounds. Once healed, lead a team to Waizhou, contact Xiao Zhenggong, and spare no cost to kill He Jiaqing."

The white-robed man gathered courage and said, "Master, Brother Xiao may not listen to me."

"Tell him it's my order. I'll see if he has the nerve to defy me!"

The white-robed man dared not speak.

Xiao Zhenggong's intentions are hard to fathom. Even if he doesn't openly defy the order, he could just delay—what could we do?

…

In Qingyan City, a faint smoke always drifted through the air.

It was also an industrial city, but its layout differed sharply from Heishipo.

Heishipo emphasized manufacturing: factories filled the city, residences clustered near them, and most workers lived inside the factories.

But Qingyan City emphasized smelting: smelting plants stood near mines, and no one wanted to live near mines—this created Qingyan City's unique north-south divide.

The south was the residential district; homes were built there.

The north was the mining district, filled with mines and factories. Workers labored there by day and returned to the south to live at night.

This raised a problem: if workers' workplaces were far from home, who would care for their children?

With their meager income, hiring someone was unrealistic.

If elders couldn't be relied upon, children were left with neighbors, and once older, they helped care for the younger ones.

Under these conditions, human traffickers found ample opportunity.

As night fell, Pei Yuzeng personally arrived at the warehouse with ten trusted men.

Several captains had already delivered children; two had not yet arrived. Pei Yuzeng checked his pocket watch—there was still time; he waited.

He inspected each crate, instructing his men: "Cut two more holes in this crate—don't let them suffocate on the way."

A cry came from one crate. Pei Yuzeng frowned: "Sew their mouths shut—don't let them cause trouble at the station."

This wasn't empty threat—his men actually fetched needles. Any crying child had their mouth sewn shut.

A burly man brought needle and thread, opened the crate—this task, he was best at.

Li Banfeng took the needle and thread from the man, threaded it from Pei Yuzeng's lower lip to upper lip, pulled it back and forth several times, and sewed his mouth shut.

Pei Yuzeng was stunned—Li Banfeng moved too fast; he hadn't reacted.

He tried to spit fire, but his mouth wouldn't open—and then he saw Li Banfeng was gone.

Pei Yuzeng tore the thread from his mouth and shouted, "Who are you?"

"An enemy." Luo Zhengnan slowly walked toward Pei Yuzeng from the warehouse entrance.

Pei Yuzeng froze.

Wasn't Luo Zhengnan dead?

Pei Yuzeng had burned him himself, collected his ashes.

How was he alive?

And who was the man who just vanished?

Luo Zhengnan stared at Pei Yuzeng, eager to see if he could still spit fire—eager to see if there was truly no warning at all.

Pei Yuzeng wanted to spit fire—he could do it without warning, but he had no chance now.

His forehead swelled, then his cheeks, chest, belly, limbs—all bulged.

Boom! A muffled explosion—Pei Yuzeng burst into bloody flesh.

Boom! Boom!

A series of muffled explosions—nine of his ten men burst into bloody flesh one after another.

Traveling cultivator technique: Galloping Through Flowers.

The last survivor, a Jiangxiangbang disciple—the burly man who had opened the crate—stood trembling, knowing Li Banfeng was behind him.

Li Banfeng asked, "Where did these children come from?"

"I—I don't know."

Luo Zhengnan sighed, "If only you knew—it might have saved your life."

"Master Luo, I've never wronged you…"

"But you have wronged me." Li Banfeng smiled behind the burly man.

"Sir, I've never offended you—I've never even seen you…" The man dared not turn, weeping uncontrollably, worse than the children in the crates.

From the crate he had just opened, a child quietly poked out its head.

Li Banfeng signaled Luo Zhengnan to cover the child's eyes.

Luo Zhengnan covered the child's eyes: "Come, Uncle has candy. Tell Uncle where your home is?"

As he spoke, the burly man's sobs ceased.

PS: Luo Zhengnan's vengeance is complete, but Li Qi's vengeance has only just begun.

(End of Chapter)