Chapter 372: Three-Way Mutual Killing

Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu jumped off the cart midway, returned to Green Water Bay, did not enter Green Water City, and found a place to stay in Taiming Town first.

He Yuxiu was full of admiration for Li Banfeng: "Seventh Brother, where did you hide yourself on the cart? How come even I couldn't find you?"

Li Banfeng said: "This matter mainly depends on one's state of mind. Once your state of mind reaches it, you can merge into one with all things in the world."

He Yuxiu looked at herself: "Does mine not count as merging into one?"

Her whole person was as black as coal.

The key to this matter was not the state of mind, but that Li Banfeng spent most of his time in Leaving Leaving Suishenju, so of course He Yuxiu couldn't find him.

After washing off the coal dust, the two changed into a set of new clothes, and Li Banfeng thought about where He Yuxiu should go.

The Border Commissioner wouldn't let it rest in the short term, so He Yuxiu still had to hide for a while.

The He family had quite a bit of new land near Green Water Bay, but these new lands had already been developed to a certain extent, and with many eyes and ears on the plots, it was hard to hide.

Let alone the He family's plots, with He Yuxiu in her current state, even going to a proper village wasn't suitable.

Li Banfeng did think of a suitable place though—Meng Yuchun's territory.

That place was remote enough, and Li Banfeng still had a three-li plot there. Letting He Yuxiu stay there first, ordinary people wouldn't be able to find their way over.

Moreover, that place had not only Meng Yuchun's territory but also Li Banfeng's own territory. After such a long time had passed, he ought to go back and take a look as well.

Thinking of that plot, Li Banfeng felt a genuine pride in himself. He was the local land god there, that was his foundation after coming to the Cloud Above...

Thud!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. Li Banfeng clutched his chest and collapsed onto the ground.

He Yuxiu was terrified: "Seventh Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Li Banfeng waved his hand, told He Yuxiu to rest at the inn first, and went back to his own room and entered Leaving Leaving Suishenju.

Seeing Li Banfeng's face deathly pale, the Phonograph used steam to support him: "Hey, husband, what happened?"

"My heart suddenly started pounding wildly, about to leap out of my chest." Li Banfeng pointed at his chest. After returning to Leaving Leaving Suishenju, things seemed to improve a little.

The Phonograph thought for a moment and said: "This is palpitations. Does husband have something weighing on his mind?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Nothing weighing on my mind, I just thought of my own plot."

"Plot..."

Hiss~

The Phonograph sang in a slow tempo: "Husband, since you've become the local land god, having a spiritual connection with your own plot is only natural. But what could have happened on this plot that would make husband feel palpitations?"

What happened?

Could it be that people from the Inner Province came?

Has my impersonation of Ba Shan Zhu been exposed?

Li Banfeng grew tense. After waiting for the palpitations to subside, he first went back to the inn, drew a map for He Yuxiu, and told her to find Meng Yuchun's territory on her own.

He Yuxiu had also ventured through new lands before, and nodded: "Don't worry about me, Seventh Brother. You be careful yourself."

Li Banfeng ran like flying to his own plot. When he arrived at the place, he found Meng Yuchun also very anxious.

"You finally came back. Someone is clearing wasteland. How should we handle this?"

"What's so hard about handling wasteland clearing? It's not your first time."

Meng Yuchun shook her head: "They're not clearing wasteland on my land, they're clearing wasteland on yours."

"On my land?" Li Banfeng was speechless with astonishment.

Meng Yuchun said: "Two people set up offering tables on your land. I originally thought that if you didn't respond, they would leave on their own,

but who would have thought these two Misses would be so stubborn, waiting here for several days, refusing to leave."

Whose Misses are they, so stubborn?

Li Banfeng ran to the edge of the land to take a look, and quickly found a Miss in the thicket.

That Miss was bending over picking up firewood, and in the hazy night, two full, rounded curves came into view.

Li Banfeng smiled slightly: "Peach!"

Youtao was startled, whipped her head around, and nearly made a move on Li Banfeng.

After getting a little closer and seeing a bit more clearly, Youtao's face lit up with pleasant surprise: "Brother Baisha, how did you end up in this rundown place?"

Really unexpected. After parting at Mazhu Village, a full year had passed, and the two actually met again in this place.

"This place... rundown?" Li Banfeng looked around and asked, "I came here to hunt. What did you come here for?"

Youtao lowered her head slightly: "I also came to hunt."

She had traveled the jianghu, lying and deceiving people was commonplace, but for some reason, upon seeing Li Baisha, she became a bit flustered when speaking.

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly: "You came all the way from Mazhu Village to hunt here?"

Youtao explained: "Actually, this isn't that far from Mazhu Village."

Not that far.

Depends on how you count.

If taking the new land route, at Li Banfeng's speed, it wasn't that far.

But Youtao wasn't a travel cultivator, she was a pleasure cultivator.

Besides, how would she know the new land route?

Li Banfeng nodded: "Hunting is easy to talk about. I'm familiar with this place. Come with me, I know where the good stuff is."

Youtao shook her head: "No need, I've already gotten quite a haul this time. If I hunt any more I won't be able to carry it."

Li Banfeng took out his wallet: "Since you can't carry it, hand it over to me. I have plenty of people with me. I'll buy the haul at market price."

"That won't do, wouldn't that make you take a loss..."

"I won't take a loss. I have channels for selling goods. Let me see what quality the prey are first."

"No need, really..." Youtao's voice grew smaller and smaller. What prey did she even have.

"A year without seeing each other, and we've grown distant after all — you won't even tell me the truth." Li Banfeng pulled his hat brim down and turned to leave.

Youtao endured for a long time, but still called out: "Brother Bai Sha, I— I came to pioneer new land."

Li Banfeng stopped walking and said: "Why did you come here to pioneer?"

"Because other places won't work — only this place can take us in."

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long while.

Is my place really that special?

Li Banfeng walked back to stand in front of Youtao and said in a calm tone: "Youtao, we're friends. If you want my help, you have to at least tell me the truth."

Youtao considered for a moment and said: "I'll take you to meet someone."

Deep in the forest, there was a tent, and a slender woman was boiling a few fruits the size of two fists.

These were a specialty of Meng Yuchun's territory, and one of the few things on her land that could attract people.

The water for boiling the fruits was taken from Meng Yuchun's territory — there were already opened plots of land there, and the owners of those plots wouldn't refuse a pretty girl like Youtao.

Smelling the steam rising from the pot, these two fruits were probably taro-flavored; once boiled through, they'd be ready to eat.

Youtao called out to the woman: "Miss Xiao Feng!"

The slender woman was just about to answer when she saw Li Banfeng had come, and quickly hid inside the tent.

Li Banfeng asked: "Is this your partner?"

Youtao nodded: "You've seen her before, in Ma Zhu Village."

Youtao was mistaken here — Li Banfeng hadn't seen her at the time. This home cultivator named Miss Xiao Feng was very unfriendly toward Li Banfeng, and had even quarreled with Youtao over Li Banfeng's affairs.

Yet now Youtao had brought Miss Xiao Feng to the new land, which left Li Banfeng thoroughly puzzled.

As a home cultivator, how could she have come all the way this far from home?

Youtao called out several times, but Miss Xiao Feng still refused to come out. With no other choice, she stood outside the tent and told Li Banfeng the whole story:

"Miss Xiao Feng, Ah Xia, and I were living together in Ma Zhu Village. Those few days, maybe because of the elixir I'd taken, I was feeling especially… wanting, and got a bit closer to Miss Xiao Feng. I accidentally neglected Ah Xia, and as a result…"

"You're still protecting her even now!" Miss Xiao Feng walked out of the tent. "Originally none of us were going to bring her along — she clung to us shamelessly before we took her along. Those two days Taor needed someone to look after her, but Ah Xia only cared about her own pleasure. Taor didn't want to deal with her — was that wrong?"

Li Banfeng listened for a long while, not knowing where the point was, yet feeling that everywhere was the point.

"Well then, let's not talk about who's right or wrong for now — this Ah Xia you mentioned, what kind of person is she?"

Youtao lowered her head and said nothing; she seemed to have more than one partner.

Miss Xiao Feng hemmed and hawed for a long while, then spoke: "She's my home spirit."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then shouted angrily: "Is that what home spirits are for?"

Miss Xiao Feng gave a start and quickly hid behind Youtao.

Youtao stared at Li Banfeng in bewilderment, not knowing exactly what he was angry about.

Li Banfeng calmed his tone and said: "So then you two ran away?"

Youtao said: "We had no choice but to run — Ah Xia was going to make a move on Miss Xiao Feng."

Li Banfeng was silent for a long while.

He had heard of cases where home spirits killed their masters, but had never imagined such a thing would actually happen.

A female home spirit, for the sake of a female pleasure cultivator, was going to kill a female home cultivator.

How had these three women managed to bring things to this point?

Was there some misunderstanding in all this?

Li Banfeng asked Miss Xiao Feng: "You said the home spirit wanted to kill you — did she let something slip, or did she come right out and say it?"

Miss Xiao Feng, hiding behind Youtao, said: "I divined it."

"Divining again!" Hearing this, Li Banfeng got angry all over again — he thought of those fortune-tellers from the Jiang Xiang Gang.

Youtao explained: "This is Miss Xiao Feng's technique — she can cast hexagrams, and very accurately too. Ah Xia was definitely going to make a move on her."

Miss Xiao Feng tugged at Youtao's lapel, signaling her not to say too much.

Li Banfeng was also very curious — how could a home cultivator have a divination technique?

He thought for a moment, then remembered.

Li Banfeng's first-layer techniques Jin Jing Qiu Hao and Hundred Flavors Exquisite were both given to him by his wife; this was probably also a technique given to her by a home spirit.

Youtao said: "Miss Xiao Feng really didn't divine wrong. That very night, the east wall of the bamboo house collapsed — that was the house trying to protect Miss Xiao Feng, fighting it out with the home spirit."

A home spirit going head-to-head with the house itself — even Luo Yuni hadn't had that kind of ability back then.

Of course, there was another possible factor: Luo Yuni's house was inherently stronger than Miss Xiao Feng's bamboo house.

Youtao said: "The house had already been beaten into submission. If we didn't leave, Miss Xiao Feng would surely be dead."

"So you abandoned the home spirit and ran?"

Youtao looked a little ashamed: "Miss Xiao Feng did it all for me."

Miss Xiao Feng sobbed once and said: "The one she wanted to kill was me. It's you who stuck by me and wouldn't leave."

"This whole thing started because of me in the end. If it weren't for me, Ah Xia could still have cultivated with you."

"Without you, what's the point of cultivating for me? I don't want anything anymore."

Li Banfeng kept a straight face and silently watched the two of them.

The two wiped away each other's tears and temporarily set aside their tender affection.

Li Banfeng asked: "Since you escaped the house, why did you come to this place?"

Miss Xiao Feng said: "To hide from Ah Xia — she broke free from the house."

"Why hide this far away?"

"We didn't want to either, but the more we hid, the more Ah Xia chased!" Youtao said. "Miss Xiao Feng and Ah Xia share a connection — when Ah Xia gets close to us, Miss Xiao Feng will definitely sense it."

"Why did you have to hide all the way to the new land?"

"This was divined by Miss Xiao Feng. Every time we move to a new place, Miss Xiao Feng has to cast a hex, and every stretch of road was divined by Miss Xiao Feng."

Li Banfeng said, "Reclaiming land in this territory was also divined?"

Miss Xiao Feng nodded.

Li Banfeng pointed at Meng Yuchun's territory: "That territory isn't bad either — there's food, water to drink, and plenty of land-reclaimers looking out for each other. Why didn't you reclaim land there?"

Miss Xiao Feng shook her head and said, "I've divined it. We can't stay in that territory for long. Otherwise, when A'Xia arrives, the local earth god there won't be able to protect us."

Meng Yuchun can't protect you?

"You think the local earth god here can protect you?" Li Banfeng harbored deep doubts about Miss Xiao Feng's divination.

Miss Xiao Feng nodded and said, "That's what the hex signs say. A capable local earth god won't let us open a plot; the local earth gods of plots that can be opened can't protect us. The only one who can protect us and still let us open a plot is this one."

"There really is only this one?"

PS: Is Li Banfeng really such an outstanding local earth god?

(End of chapter)