Chapter 370: Xiu

He Yuxiu was captured by the Jiangxiang Gang at the soda kiln.

This was quite surprising.

Not only did He Yuxiu herself not expect it, but even the boss of the soda kiln didn't expect it.

He Yuxiu had just survived a bloody battle, nearly losing her life, and went to a soda stall for something to eat; the stall was remote, its owner belonged to the Jiangxiang Gang, and seeing this woman was beautiful, he slipped poison into her soda.

He Yuxiu was desperately thirsty and drank over a dozen bottles in one go.

It was also her fault for not having visited the soda kiln in years—she didn't recognize the altered taste, and thus was taken down.

The stall owner dared not act rashly on such a beautiful woman and first offered her up to the boss.

The boss hadn't even begun to act when he spotted her name on the pocket watch she carried.

Is this He Yuxiu?

The He family's eldest daughter?

The head of the He family?

The boss found it hard to believe, so he compared He Yuxiu's appearance with the photo sent by the Border Guard.

She did look similar, but some details didn't match.

First, the age didn't match.

According to the boss's intelligence, He Yuxiu was in her forties, but this woman looked barely thirty.

He Yuxiu was a top-tier beauty, and with years of martial cultivation, excellent physical condition, and a good mindset, her upkeep was truly exceptional.

But her clothing didn't match either.

He Yuxiu wore this outfit—low-grade fabric, crude workmanship—how could the head of the He family go out dressed like this?

The boss bound He Yuxiu with iron chains specially made for Gong Xiu, and beat her for half a day, but He Yuxiu remained stubborn and refused to confess.

Since she wouldn't confess, the boss was uncertain and didn't know whether he should report this to the Border Guard.

The Border Guard had issued a secret order for the Jiangxiang Gang to watch for He Yuxiu's whereabouts; now that he had captured her, delivering her to the Border Guard would surely be a great achievement, possibly earning him entry into the Border Guard Office, or even an official identity in Waizhou.

But what if he had captured the wrong person?

If he sent her over hastily, word leaked out, and he angered the Border Guard, how would he explain it?

But keeping her locked up indefinitely wasn't an option either—what if the He family came looking? He couldn't withstand that.

This boss was eager for glory but lacked courage, so he dared not act rashly and locked He Yuxiu away for now.

He planned to interrogate her all morning tomorrow; if she still refused to confess, he would inform the Border Guard Office.

But by keeping her one more night, trouble broke out in the back courtyard.

This time, it was real fire—Li Banfeng had set it himself.

The boss was shocked and immediately sent men to put out the fire; it was ignited by Yao Lao's liquor, and despite hours of effort, the flames only grew fiercer.

A Gong Xiu intervened.

This Gong Xiu was not a disciple of the Jiangxiang Gang; he was a friend of the boss and often stayed at the headquarters, assisting him.

Of all the people in the soda hall, Li Banfeng feared this man the most—the fortune-teller had mentioned his cultivation might have reached Level Six.

With Level Six cultivation, why would he do menial work for the Jiangxiang Gang?

There must be another reason—he might be sent by the Border Guard.

This Gong Xiu gathered some simple parts and quickly built a sand projector.

The machine's principle was simple: using belts and paddle wheels to throw sand from the ground into the air.

The craftsmanship was crude, requiring over a dozen Jiangxiang Gang disciples to turn the wheels together to make the belts and paddles move.

But it worked well—the sand thrown up quickly controlled the fire.

Within such a short time, to build such a device—Li Banfeng, hiding in the shadows, was astonished.

While the Gong Xiu was busy, Li Banfeng crept toward the dungeon by sound, knocked out several guards, and entered the cell.

Where did this handsome woman come from? Why did she look familiar?

He Yuxiu thought it was another interrogator and prepared to fight to the death, but after a moment's observation, she felt this person seemed familiar.

"Li Qi?" He Yuxiu asked cautiously.

Li Banfeng smiled: "Xiu'er, what are you doing here?"

He Yuxiu didn't know how to answer.

In truth, He Yuxiu and Li Qi had very little connection.

They knew each other only through Ma Wu and Qiu Zhiheng, and had barely exchanged words before.

Meeting here today, He Yuxiu didn't know whether Li Qi had come to harm her or save her.

"I've made a fool of myself," He Yuxiu said, head bowed, saying no more.

Li Banfeng walked behind her and unlocked her chains.

He Yuxiu asked: "You really came to save me?"

Li Banfeng replied: "Just passing by—you're lucky."

"These chains are heavy and hard—you'd need a good blade to cut them; pulling won't work."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Even a good blade might not cut them—this craftsmanship is rare indeed."

"Then don't waste your effort," He Yuxiu gritted her teeth. "Just get me some water. Leave quickly—don't get caught too."

Feeling Li Qi hadn't moved, He Yuxiu grew frantic: "I told you to go! You can't save me here—I'm Level Eight Wu Xiu, and I can't break these chains. What can you possibly do..."

Clank—the chains opened.

He Yuxiu stared at Li Banfeng, face flushed.

How did he open them?

How strong is he?

This chain consists of two parts: the lock and the links.

The links were indeed hard—could not be cut even with a sickle.

But the lock was opened by his gloves.

"Boss, this lock isn't ordinary—I had to work hard."

Li Banfeng patted his gloves, signaling a substantial reward.

He Yuxiu felt embarrassed: "I—I haven't eaten all day. If I'd had a meal, I could've broken these chains with two pulls."

"Hmm." Li Banfeng nodded.

He Yuxiu picked up the chain: "I really could—I'd break them with two pulls!"

"I believe you. No need for two—just one. Can you fight now?"

He Yuxiu stretched her limbs; she'd been beaten all day, starved all day, and the poison hadn't fully cleared—her condition was truly unfit for battle.

Li Qi lowered his hat brim: "If you can't fight, find a hiding spot first. I don't hold grudges overnight."

"Hide?"

He Yuxiu reached out, grabbed a leather whip, and asked Li Banfeng: "Got any smoke?"

Li Banfeng pulled out a cigarette and lit it for her.

He Yuxiu bit the cigarette, lifted the whip, and strode out of the dungeon.

Never mind anything else—the aura of the He family's eldest sister was overwhelming: her face scarred, her clothes stained with blood, her steps fierce and sharp, not a trace of weakness.

Thud!

He Yuxiu stepped on a trap and fell into a pit.

Li Banfeng quickly pulled her out: "Go slower—there are traps everywhere. Here's the map—study it carefully; when you get upstairs, follow this line."

In the courtyard, the boss and others were still busy fighting the fire.

He Yuxiu marched straight toward the boss; one disciple stepped forward to block her—she cracked him with a whip, splitting half his skull.

She kicked aside the corpse and kept advancing.

The whip whirled, spraying blood and flesh around—Li Banfeng still didn't understand the principle of Wu Xiu; this Dao sect was truly unreasonable.

This leather whip was clearly a soft weapon, yet in her hands, it was deadlier than any blade.

After walking ten steps, over a dozen corpses lay on the ground; Jiangxiang Gang disciples panicked and fled.

One ran, Li Banfeng caught one, dragged them to a hidden spot, and tossed them into his Personal Dwelling.

Madam's palate has grown picky lately—she won't touch food of this caliber; consider it a snack.

If she really doesn't want to eat, there are plenty of magic treasures at home—some have unusual properties.

One fought, one captured; soon, the boss was left alone.

He Yuxiu whipped out her lash, wrapping it around the boss's neck.

The boss puffed his cheeks and spat a stream of blood at He Yuxiu.

This blood wasn't ordinary—the boss was a Level Five Poison Xiu; ordinary people would have died instantly from this single spit.

He Yuxiu was reckless—she didn't even dodge, letting the poison blood splash all over her.

She grabbed his head, twisted her wrist, and snapped it clean off at the neck.

Only the Level Six Gong Xiu remained in the courtyard—he panicked.

He Yuxiu was wounded and poisoned; if properly prepared, the Level Six Gong Xiu might have held his ground for a while.

But now he was unprepared.

Moreover, he knew there was another person beside He Yuxiu—someone whose speed was too fast to see, whose strength matched He Yuxiu's.

Can't see? Must see!

If the opponent were a Lv Xiu, and he used the "Horse-Viewing-Flower" technique, everything would be lost.

As she pondered, He Yuxiu lashed out with her whip.

Since there was no dodging it, the Wu Xiu chose to take the blow head-on.

He didn't use his head to block it—he wore an iron helmet on his head.

When dealing with Tu Yinghong, the Ji Chang had once spoken a battlefield proverb: "Wu Xiu's hundred blades," meaning Wu Xiu were poor at adapting but excellent at wearing down enemies; on the battlefield, Wu Xiu never ran out of effective weapons, and fighting them demanded swift victory—never allow stalemate.

He Yuxiu had no intention of stalling; one lash cracked the Wu Xiu's helmet, denting it deeply.

The helmet was damaged, but the Wu Xiu remained unharmed.

One lash wasn't enough—she struck again, the whip slamming into the Wu Xiu's head.

The Wu Xiu's helmet was truly hard; though dented and pitted, he still suffered no injury.

If the head wouldn't break, strike elsewhere.

Elsewhere wouldn't break either—the whip lashed from all sides, yet the Wu Xiu calmly parried, clad in full armor.

The chains he forged had bound He Yuxiu beyond escape; this armor was meant for survival, and thus was exceptionally sturdy.

Taking advantage of He Yuxiu's furious assault, the Wu Xiu pulled a handful of glass beads from his pocket and silently dropped them on the ground.

The glass beads rolled toward He Yuxiu's feet; she was already poisoned, her mind hazy, consumed by rage and focused solely on killing the Wu Xiu—she paid no heed to the ground.

Her foot slipped on a bead, and she crashed to the ground with a thud.

Seizing the moment, the Wu Xiu leapt over the wall, trying to flee—then suddenly realized something.

Where was the Lv Xiu?

A shadow flashed before his eyes, and his brain rang hollow.

Boom!

The Wu Xiu exploded, reduced to a bloody pulp.

Li Banfeng tossed the Wu Xiu's remains and armor into his Personal Dwelling, then leapt back over the wall.

He Yuxiu sat on the ground, eyes glazed, expression vacant—her poison had taken full effect.

She curled her lips into a weak smile. "Li Qi, thank you. I don't know how to repay you."

"You definitely will repay me," Li Banfeng said, pulling her up. "A life saved—can such a debt be ignored?"

The cigarette was finished. He Yuxiu dropped the butt on the ground and asked Li Banfeng, "Got another?"

Li Banfeng gave her another.

He Yuxiu struggled to her feet, swaying as she stumbled toward the door.

Li Qi asked, "Aren't you going to find somewhere to treat your wound first?"

"There's one more. This man can't be spared." He Yuxiu staggered down a narrow alley.

In the alley, a man sold soda from a stall; seeing He Yuxiu, he turned pale with fear.

It was his soda that had poisoned He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu could barely stand, her hand trembling.

Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Let me handle it."

"No—you can't! This is mine to do!"

The soda vendor bolted. He Yuxiu took two steps and swung her whip.

The whip's tip slashed from the man's crown down to the ground.

Crack!

The man split cleanly in two, his body scattering across the ground.

He Yuxiu swayed, then collapsed beside the stall.

"I've crawled through life for decades—and fallen to these scum!" She gave a bitter laugh, looking at Li Qi. "I've made a fool of myself in front of you."

"Not funny," Li Banfeng shook his head, offering her another cigarette. "You're a real one. You've got grit."

He Yuxiu shook her head.

PS: She really didn't have any grit.

(End of Chapter)