Chapter 376: Ah Xia

The cook interrogated Xiao Feng repeatedly, trying to uncover the source of the information.

But Xiao Feng insisted it was the estate spirit's divination.

Li Banfeng didn't believe the estate spirit had such skill—if it were truly that adept, why hadn't it foreseen that Li Banfeng would expose her secrets tonight?

But Xiao Feng might genuinely not know.

You Tao finished the roasted chicken, ate the squab inside its belly, then ate the quail inside the squab's belly, licked his fingers, and stood up: "Brother, I know you're here to help me. I'll never forget this favor of yours.

From today on, I sever all ties with Xiao Feng. But after all these years, some bonds are hard to forget. I beg you, show mercy—let her go alive."

The cook wouldn't listen to You Tao—he waited for Meng Yuchun's orders.

Meng Yuchun looked at Li Banfeng; Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow at her.

Let her go first, and see if Ah Xia comes for her.

Meng Yuchun understood and used her technique to convey the order to the cook.

The cook stood and said to Xiao Feng: "You may leave."

Xiao Feng struggled to sit up, her stomach still throbbing with pain; she looked at the cook: "Aren't you going to give me the antidote?"

The cook laughed: "You don't want to leave?"

Xiao Feng turned to You Tao, hoping she'd plead for her again.

You Tao turned away, gritting her teeth: "Get far away!"

"Tao'er."

"I told you to get far away!"

Xiao Feng dared not speak again, bowed her head, and left the plot.

Leaving the plot was easy; escaping Li Banfeng's territory was not.

After walking over three li, Xiao Feng's stomach pain worsened; she crouched by the roadside and began retching.

She couldn't vomit anything, only struggled forward, enduring the pain.

After another two or three li, Xiao Feng passed a vine covered in thorns; it tore her clothes and slashed a patch of skin on her back.

Though only a superficial wound, the pain was unbearable; after a few more steps, she saw vines everywhere ahead—nowhere to avoid them.

No path ahead? Then go left—the estate cultivator had no sense of direction; she didn't know where left would lead.

After walking dozens of steps, left was also covered in vines.

Was she seeing things?

Xiao Feng rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand—her eyelids burned as if sliced by knives.

Looking down, she saw vines growing on her own hand.

Not just her hand—her arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, both legs—vines sprouted everywhere on her body.

In terror, Xiao Feng screamed hoarsely: "Ah Xia! Ah Xia, save me!"

Meng Yuchun and Li Banfeng waited quietly, watching to see if this Ah Xia would intervene.

After ten minutes, Xiao Feng's cries grew weak; a cluster of green light flickered in the distance.

Above the green light, a woman's figure slowly materialized—wearing a pale blue robe, a small round hat, black round sunglasses, holding a bucket of counting rods, and carrying a massive abacus on her back.

This attire was common among fortune-tellers, but rare for a woman.

Meng Yuchun paused, then asked: "Gao Shuxia?"

They knew each other.

Gao Shuxia sighed: "I told Xiao Feng to hide from you at all costs, yet you still found her. Who is this man beside you?"

Gao Shuxia looked at Li Banfeng.

Meng Yuchun smiled, linking arms with Li Banfeng: "My lover."

Gao Shuxia stared, stunned: "Your lover is a man?"

Li Banfeng frowned—this question was absurd.

Meng Yuchun was a woman; her lover was naturally a man.

Meng Yuchun nodded: "I wanted to try something new."

You don't even need to switch—your…

Li Banfeng glanced at Meng Yuchun, realizing things might not be as he thought.

Meng Yuchun and Gao Shuxia were old acquaintances; Gao Shuxia had a special bond with Xiao Feng—was Meng Yuchun's relationship with her equally unusual?

Did they both share the same appetite?

He recalled Meng Yuchun's other close friends—Yellow Butterfly, Red Butterfly…

The two women seemed eager to catch up; Li Banfeng glanced at Meng Yuchun, reminding her to get to the point.

Meng Yuchun asked: "How did you know Ba Shan's master was in trouble? Don't tell me you divined it."

Gao Shuxia fell silent, then said: "Ba Shan hired several wandering monsters to seize your territory, correct?"

"Correct."

"One of them was an old friend of mine, hired by Ba Shan. He was supposed to fight you,

but when the time came, he panicked and didn't accompany Ba Shan to your territory.

Afterwards, fearing Ba Shan's revenge, he prepared a generous gift to apologize—but after waiting days, Ba Shan never appeared,

so he deduced Ba Shan was dead. I used his lead to perform a divination and confirmed Ba Shan was indeed dead, then sent Xiao Feng to investigate.

To be honest, I did want this land—but since you've taken it, I'll let it go.

I can't abandon Xiao Feng. If you still cherish our old friendship, spare her life. If you don't, let's fight now!"

Meng Yuchun hesitated for a long while—whether out of sentiment or fear of Gao Shuxia's power, she ultimately chose not to fight.

"Take her away. Never come back to my territory."

Gao Shuxia summoned a gale, swept up Xiao Feng, and vanished into the night.

Li Banfeng asked Meng Yuchun: "What realm is this Gao Shuxia in? Has she reached Cloud Level?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head: "When I knew her, she was at Level Nine. We both attempted the ascent together—I succeeded, she didn't. She became a Wounded Demon Spirit."

Wounded Demon Spirit: a failed ascender from Level Nine to Ten, with soul damage exceeding two-tenths but under five-tenths.

Due to severe soul damage that cannot be repaired, they survive indefinitely, among the most formidable evil spirits in Pulu Province.

"Can a Wounded Demon Spirit become a territory lord?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head: "Technically, she lacks the rank—but I haven't seen her in years; I don't know what changes she's undergone.

From just now, she didn't show fear before me—perhaps her cultivation isn't below mine."

"Her soul is severely damaged and irreparable—how could she still ascend?"

Meng Yuchun looked awkwardly at Li Banfeng; her knowledge on this was extremely limited.

This wasn't urgent—ask his wife later. Right now, the key question: did Gao Shuxia tell the truth? Was her information really from the wandering monster?

Did such a monster even exist? First, verify this with the cook.

Li Banfeng went to You Tao's plot; You Tao sat on the ground, eyes vacant, like a clay statue.

Meng Yuchun frowned: "Look at her pitiful state—if a monster came to test her now, one slap would kill her. Someone like this can't succeed in opening new land; she doesn't deserve it."

Meng Yuchun was right—You Tao's condition made her utterly unworthy of this one-li plot.

But Li Banfeng wanted Tian Guang.

For the sake of a good omen, he didn't want his first land opening to end in failure.

He stood outside the boundary and nodded to the projector on the tree.

The projector adjusted its lens, revealing Li Banfeng's figure.

Seeing Li Banfeng, You Tao stood up, stumbling toward him like a soulless ghost.

"Bai Sha brother, you've come."

"I've come."

"What do you think of my face? Is it pretty?"

"Pretty."

"My figure? She always said my figure was good—said holding me in her arms, she never got tired of it."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Yes, definitely not tiring."

"Bai Sha brother, do you like me? Do you want me? I'll go with you—I'm yours. Do whatever you want."

You Tao spoke calmly, like a soulless person muttering to herself.

She stepped slowly toward Li Banfeng; he signaled her to stop: "Don't come any closer—cross the boundary and your land opening fails."

"Land opening? Hahaha," You Tao laughed, her face blank, her spirit shattered. "What's the point of opening land? I've been fooled—I was just a rag to shield her from the wind and rain. She treated me like a rag. Do you understand, brother?"

Li Banfeng said: "What she treated you as—I don't know, and it doesn't matter. I treat you as a friend. I brought this cook to help you open land. This favor—you owe me."

"Fine, I'll repay you. I give you everything." You Tao stepped toward Li Banfeng again.

Li Banfeng shook his head urgently: "Don't say you'll repay me with your body—that degrades you and degrades me.

If you don't want to open land, leave. Let's pretend we never met."

After speaking, Li Banfeng glanced at the cook, pulled his hat down, and walked away.

The cook took another dish from his food box: "Miss, eat. Soft-braised pork slices—refreshing and appetizing. Once your stomach is full, no heartache can't be solved."

You Tao stood still; the cook placed the food box on the ground, set the pork slices inside, then went to find Li Banfeng.

You Tao stared at Li Banfeng's back, then at the food box on the ground—she couldn't hold back her sobs; two tears slowly traced down her cheeks.

…

Li Banfeng asked the cook: "How many wandering monsters did Ba Shan hire to find Meng Yuchun?"

The chef thought for a moment and said, "Besides me and Old Teng, there's Bai Mu Yu, Feng Qu Weng, and a hundred-eyed fish—the rest are all her people."

"What's the origin of this hundred-eyed fish? A creature from the river?"

The chef shook his head. "She's no river fish. She's a kind of pest, looks like a silverfish, but she doesn't just eat clothes—she eats anything."

As for her origins, I can't explain it. As for her cultivation base, I've never bothered to find out."

But I saw her act once—in the blink of an eye, she devoured one of Old Teng's arms."

Since then, no one dares provoke her. Her cultivation base must be higher than ours."

According to Gao Shuxia's account, it must have been this hundred-eyed fish who leaked the news."

But is that really the case?"

Li Banfeng asked the chef, "Can you find out anything about the hundred-eyed fish?"

The chef pondered a moment. "I'll try. Since I've followed Master Meng, I've learned less about what's happening outside."

Li Banfeng never asked anyone to do something for nothing—he pulled out two Xuan Chi Dan and gave them to the chef."

Even if we find the hundred-eyed fish's whereabouts, it won't solve the root problem—the news of Ba Shan's death has already spread. Today we sent Gao Shuxia away, but tomorrow someone else will come to seize the territory."

On the ground, Meng Yu can handle rivals—but what if someone from above comes?"

What if the Neizhou finds out about this?"

In one and a half years in Puluozhou, Li Banfeng reached Double Seven Level—his advancement rate could make countless others envious."

But now Li Banfeng feels his advancement is too slow. Double Seven Level is not just insufficient for a Land God position—it's almost embarrassing."

He found a quiet spot and swallowed an elixir."

He had few Jin Yuandan left. According to his calculations, he'd definitely reach Upper Eight Level, but he still needed about ten more to reach Upper Nine Level."

Hong Lian didn't seem to be functioning properly lately—either she produced Xuan Chi Dan he didn't want, or Xuan Yun Dan he couldn't use."

He needed to find a source for those ten or so pills quickly. And raising his own cultivation wasn't enough—he needed to find tonics for his wife, so her Earth Cultivation could catch up too."

…"

Gao Shuxia flew out of Li Banfeng's territory with Xiao Feng, arriving at a cave where she found a woman dressed in a silver robe."

The woman looked at Xiao Feng's disheveled state and asked Gao Shuxia, "Did you fail?"

Gao Shuxia nodded. "The land has been seized by Meng Yu."

"Did you lose to Meng Yu—or are you just unwilling to act against her?"

"You speak lightly. Meng Yu's cultivation is above the clouds—how easy do you think she is to deal with?"

The white-robed woman sighed. "Then we must wait. But there's good news from Bei Wushuang."

Gao Shuxia froze. "You want me to go to Bei Wushuang? He's even harder to deal with than Meng Yu."

"I heard he provoked someone he shouldn't have. A fierce battle is coming soon—whether we can pick up any spoils will depend on our own skill."

"We?" Gao Shuxia sneered. "When have you ever lifted a finger?"

"Ah Xia, why are you holding a grudge?" The white-robed woman stroked Gao Shuxia's hair, her voice tender. "It's not that I'm not helping—it's just not the right time yet."

PS: Bei Wushuang seized Ba Shan's territory, an event recorded in the contract. To Li Banfeng, this man remains a threat—see Chapter 318.

(End of Chapter)