Chapter 357: Qingyan Hall

Li Banfeng opened the crate and let the children out, then hired a coal cart from nearby and loaded all the children onto it.

He lowered his hat brim and drove the cart forward; Luo Zhengnan also pulled down the brim of his forward cap and followed behind the cart.

He felt deeply satisfied, for his vengeance had been carried out.

Though the mastermind, Xiao Zheng, still lived, killing him was no task to be accomplished overnight; with Pei Yikou dead, at least this bitter air had been expelled.

Working for Li Qi was simply satisfying.

If anyone else had tried to seek revenge, the matter would've dragged on for at least a year or two—perhaps even ten or eight years—until it vanished entirely, which was perfectly normal.

But driving this cart full of children through the streets—wasn't that too conspicuous?

Luo Zhengnan lowered his voice and asked Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master, shouldn't we leave?"

"Not yet. Go get that old man at the street corner."

At the street corner stood an old man, anxiously peering toward them.

His granddaughter had gone missing—how could he not be frantic? He'd searched all night.

He suspected his granddaughter was on the cart, but he dared not approach.

In Qingyan City, the Jiangxiang Gang frequently snatched people off the streets; if the old man rushed forward, he'd be dead.

Luo Zhengnan brought the old man over; Li Banfeng pointed to the children on the cart: "Which one is yours?"

The old man trembled for minutes, then stepped forward, picked up his granddaughter, thanked him, and turned to leave; Li Banfeng frowned: "That's it? You're leaving?"

The old man grew frightened, pulled money from his pocket—all eighty-some dollars—and handed it all to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng pushed the money back: "Who asked for your money? Can you drive a cart?"

"Yes."

"Can you shout loudly?"

The old man paused a moment, then nodded: "I can."

"Shout then. Drive the cart and shout: 'Parents who lost children, come here!'"

The old man didn't understand.

Li Banfeng handed him two hundred-dollar bills: "Shout. Shout as loud as you can!"

Confused, the old man drove the cart forward, shouting as he went: "Who lost a child? Come here!"

Luo Zhengnan looked at Li Banfeng and whispered: "Seventh Master, what are we…?"

"Don't worry. Just follow."

The two trailed far behind the cart; soon, people came to claim their children.

At first they were afraid, but seeing their own flesh and blood on the cart, they no longer cared—they rushed forward, snatched their children, and ran home crying.

More and more people came to claim children; Luo Zhengnan pointed to one: "That man looks like Jiangxiang Gang."

Luo Zhengnan didn't know all Jiangxiang Gang disciples, but this man wore a forward cap and dressed just like them.

He grabbed two children and tried to leave; Li Banfeng blocked his path: "Who are you?"

The man said: "I'm the father."

The two children cried fiercely, struggling; Luo Zhengnan stared at the two: "Which helm? Give your greeting."

The man glanced around, lowered his voice: "Third helm of Qingyan Hall. Tonight something strange happened…"

*Swoosh*

Li Banfeng slit his throat.

Dared you come here looking for business?

Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one.

Soon, all the children were reclaimed by their families; Li Banfeng asked Luo Zhengnan: "Where's the hall?"

"The hall is on the next street."

"You know all the helms?"

Luo Zhengnan paused a moment: "Leave none alive?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Leave none alive."

Luo Zhengnan led Li Banfeng to the nearest helm—a two-story building where several Jiangxiang Gang disciples were packing two children into crates.

These two children had just been kidnapped; they didn't want to keep them, eager to hand them over to the hall master.

"Hurry up!" the helm master shouted from the stairs. "The hall master's leaving soon—if you miss this train, you'll be late!"

Li Banfeng said: "If you miss this one, we'll catch the next."

"You don't understand—this is the last train tonight…" The helm master stared blankly at Li Banfeng—he had no idea when this man had appeared beside him.

"Not tonight. Your last train—for your entire life. You'll make it." Li Banfeng seized the helm master's head and smashed it against the stair railing until it shattered.

Had he not feared harming the two children, Li Banfeng could've crushed the entire room with a single stomp of Tapo Wanchuan.

All members of the helm froze; Luo Zhengnan entered, picked up the two children, and walked out—he knew exactly when to act.

All Jiangxiang Gang members stared at Luo Zhengnan.

Luo Zhengnan greeted them: "Carry on. Don't mind me."

He closed the door, carried the children a short distance, then the helm's building collapsed.

Li Banfeng brushed off the dust, walked over to Luo Zhengnan: "Take these two children home, then we head to the next helm."

Qingyan City had no shortage of helms.

Luo Zhengnan said: "Pei Yikou did many favors for Xiao Zheng, won his deep trust, and with Jianren Gang watching his back, his hall grew larger each year—now he commands ten helms."

Li Banfeng asked: "Such a large hall still survives on child trafficking?"

Luo Zhengnan shook his head: "Child trafficking can't feed so many. Pei Yikou has other businesses in the mines—he doesn't kidnap children just for profit."

Li Banfeng understood: "He's doing it to please Jianren Gang. Isn't that the truth?"

Luo Zhengnan was about to answer when he saw Li Banfeng slap the third helm master's face: "I asked you—was I right?"

The helm master nodded frantically.

Li Banfeng gave him a quick death, slicing his throat.

Near dawn, Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan arrived at the hall; Qingyan Hall members knew their master was dead—they'd heard of the shattered corpses in the warehouse and seen the kidnapped children returned.

But they still didn't know what had happened.

They contacted all helms—only ruins and corpses remained.

They tried to reach Xiao Zheng, but every member who knew the hook signal was gone.

When they saw Luo Zhengnan, they began to understand.

Several members who knew the truth looked at Luo Zhengnan: "Lord Luo, this has nothing to do with us—it's between our master and the boss. Blood debts have blood payers; don't punish us!"

Luo Zhengnan smiled: "Brothers, you say that? Pei Yikou is dead—why would I punish you?"

"I'm not here for you. I'm here to shut your door for you."

With that, Luo Zhengnan closed the front door.

The group sprinted for the back door.

Luo Zhengnan warned: "Don't go to the back door."

Those who rushed toward the back door reached the threshold—their bodies exited, but their heads remained in the courtyard.

The remaining few charged up the stairs; Luo Zhengnan warned again: "Don't go upstairs."

The disciples who rushed up the stairs—bodies stayed upstairs, heads remained downstairs.

Jiangxiang Gang was a second-rate gang; its hall master had only fifth-layer cultivation—how high could his men's quality be?

They never even saw Li Banfeng's face—before they could blink, they were gone.

Blood seeped beneath the door; Luo Zhengnan sat in the hall's courtyard, covering the child's eyes.

This child had been found inside the hall—likely just captured, not yet sent to the warehouse.

Li Banfeng stepped out of the building, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, looked at the child, and asked Luo Zhengnan: "Ask where he lives."

"I already asked—he's too young to explain."

Li Banfeng suggested finding the Border Inspector; Luo Zhengnan shook his head: "Seventh Master, the Border Inspector won't handle this."

"Why not? They collect so much money every year—take him there and try."

Luo Zhengnan disguised himself slightly, carried the child to the Border Inspection Office, waited an hour in the hall, asked dozens of people—no one responded.

Finally, one man asked him a few questions—each word pierced his heart.

"Is this child yours?"

Luo Zhengnan shook his head: "No."

"If it's not yours, why are you carrying it? Are you a child trafficker?"

"I found the child lost—I brought him here."

"How do you know he was lost? How do you know he wasn't just out playing? You look like a trafficker!"

"Sir, have you ever seen a child this age out playing at midnight?"

"What haven't I seen? Some kids love that. Prove he was lost. Without proof, I say you're a trafficker!"

This guy was a stubborn cultivator.

Luo Zhengnan took the child out of the Border Inspection Office and told Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master, I just…"

Li Banfeng waved his hand: "No need to say—I heard it all."

Luo Zhengnan wasn't angry—he'd seen this too many times.

Li Banfeng's hat brim was pulled low; whether he was angry or not, no one could tell.

He picked up the child, found a rickshaw driver, and handed him two hundred Huan Kingdom notes: "I'm En Gong—I found this lost child by the roadside. Can you help me get him home?"

The rickshaw driver heard the child mumble two sentences, guessed the general meaning, and found the child's parents in less than an hour.

The child's parents thanked the driver profusely, but the driver waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me—thank those two gentlemen instead."

Which two gentlemen?

Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan had already vanished.

The driver told the couple, "That gentleman said his name was 'En Gong,' but I don't know if it's real or not."

……

"En Gong?" Xiao Zhenggong's cheek twitched. "En Gong wiped out Qingyan Hall?"

"After my investigation, that man claimed to be En Gong," reported Song Yuwei, the hall master of Haichiling branch, who had gone to visit Pei Yuzeng and found only corpses and ruins.

Xiao Zhenggong gritted his teeth. "Isn't En Gong just He Jiaqing?"

Previously, when Li Banfeng claimed to be En Gong at Jianren Gang, the Saint had already ruled that En Gong was He Jiaqing.

After dismissing Song Yuwei, the white garment hanging on the coat rack spoke to Xiao Zhenggong: "Brother Xiao, this matter has now landed on your shoulders—will you handle it or not?"

Xiao Zhenggong smoked his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "Is He Jiaqing in Waizhou or Puluozhou?"

The white garment was also puzzled: "Perhaps Qingyan Hall wasn't destroyed by him—he may have ordered his subordinates to do it."

Xiao Zhenggong took the white garment off the coat rack and tossed it into the back seat, then drove off to Yuezhou's Three Institutes.

……

He Jiaqing, dressed in a suit and disguised as He Haisheng, was feeding He Haisheng a cigarette in the hospital room: "Third Uncle, this is the last one. When the doctor comes on rounds, we can't smoke in front of him."

He Haisheng exhaled a plume of smoke; the vapor swirled and quickly drifted toward the elevator entrance.

He Jiaqing froze, rubbing his scalp.

My perception has weakened lately—I must moderate my use of human qi.

"Third Uncle, lie still and don't move." He Jiaqing patted He Haisheng's body, found the remaining half-cigarette, and bit it between his own lips.

PS: Can Xiao Zhenggong tell which one is He Jiaqing?

(End of Chapter)