Chapter 381: Bei Wushuang

Ba Shan Zhu lost to Bei Wushuang in days past, forfeiting ten li of land in the southeast.

Li Banfeng knew Bei Wushuang's territory should be in the southeast; he just hadn't expected to run into him the moment he entered his domain.

Is he here looking for me?

Judging by that peddler's attitude just now, he really has murderous intent toward me.

If Li Banfeng went head-to-head with him, he had no chance of winning at all, but if he only wanted to escape, there might still be an opportunity.

If things really don't work out, he'll go into Leaving Leaving Suishenju; best case, lure him in along with him, and if he can't be lured in, he can at least hide from him for now.

The key is not knowing what Dao Gate he practices, whether he'll still have a chance to pull out the key.

This fight is too hard; best not to clash with him.

The territory belongs to the other party, and they came prepared, while Li Banfeng knew far too little about Bei Wushuang—had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't even have known he was a camel.

Hard as it was to fight, Li Banfeng stayed very calm, and that calmness instead gave Bei Wushuang some worry.

The fellow was quite straightforward, laying things out plainly with Li Banfeng: "You came from Meng Yuchun's turf, and someone told me you're her fancy man."

No need to think about it—Ahsia told him.

Ahsia probably hadn't expected that the claim of Li Banfeng being Meng Yuchun's fancy man had only been heard by Ahsia and Xiao Feng.

The camel went on: "Meng Yuchun's fancy man suddenly shows up on my territory, and that makes me very uncomfortable,

by my temper, no matter what you came here to do, I ought to kill you to cut off future trouble, but looking at it now, killing you doesn't seem so easy,

I've seen a ninth-layer travel cultivator before, and his Galloping Flower-Passing wasn't as ruthless as yours,

I don't know what grade your cultivation is, so I don't really want to cross hands with you. I'll ask you a few things—if you're willing to tell the truth, we'll let today's matter pass."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Go ahead and ask."

"First question: did you come from Hai Chi Ling?"

Li Banfeng shook his head.

Bei Wushuang said: "Pan Lao of Hai Chi Ling is my friend. If you're acquainted with Pan Lao, we'll turn this page over right here."

Am I close with Pan Dehai?

Is this fellow really a friend of Pan Dehai?

In a situation like this, it was best not to randomly claim connections. Li Banfeng shook his head: "I know Pan Dehai, but we're not close."

He called Pan Dehai by name outright, which made Bei Wushuang even more cautious.

"One more question: what did you come to my territory to do?"

Li Banfeng answered truthfully: "To find Tianquan Huantu."

"What do you want Tianquan Huantu for?"

Li Banfeng earnestly made something up: "For Meng Yuchun."

Bei Wushuang stuck out his tongue at Li Banfeng, seemingly laughing at him: "You're so young, and already can't hold up down there?"

This camel always liked sticking his tongue out at people; Li Banfeng didn't know if it was mockery or just his own habit.

Li Banfeng also smiled: "Hard to say if I'm young or not, but everyone has a time when they can't hold up."

Bei Wushuang asked again: "How did you know I have Tianquan Huantu here?"

"I asked the Three-Joy Worm." That part was the truth.

"You can understand the Three-Joy Worm's speech?" Bei Wushuang was deeply skeptical, because even he couldn't understand the Three-Joy Worm's speech.

"I wouldn't say I understand all of it, just vaguely catch a few sentences, and I followed the Three-Joy Worm here," Li Banfeng pointed into the distance and said, "you saw that Three-Joy Worm just now too—it got scared off by you lot."

Up to this point, there wasn't a single flaw in the logic.

Bei Wushuang nodded his camel head: "I believe you. I'll take you to find Tianquan Huantu—take as much as you can carry."

Li Banfeng thanked him and followed Bei Wushuang deeper into the territory.

After walking more than twenty li, there was a mountain cave ahead. The camel led Li Banfeng into the cave, turning east and west, passing more than a dozen forks, until they reached a pit.

Bei Wushuang snorted: "Tianquan Huantu is right below; go get it yourself."

Li Banfeng looked at the pit, then at the camel.

Bei Wushuang stuck his tongue out at Li Banfeng: "What? Don't dare? You're a travel cultivator with the Qu Ji Bi Xiong technique—if I wanted to harm you, wouldn't you be able to tell?"

Li Banfeng truly hadn't sensed any malice, but Bei Wushuang's level was far above his, so it was only natural that he couldn't sense his malice.

But if Li Banfeng didn't go down now, it would very likely expose the fact that his cultivation was far inferior to Bei Wushuang's, and might even make Bei Wushuang suspect his motives.

If he went down now, at worst he'd fall into Bei Wushuang's trap; Li Banfeng could hide in Leaving Leaving Suishenju, and could even use Leaving Leaving Suishenju to escape Bei Wushuang's territory. As for how to get the key back, he'd discuss it with his wife when the time came.

After weighing it, Li Banfeng went down the pit. The pit wasn't deep, only three or five meters. Li Banfeng took a pouch from his waist, shoveled half a bag of soil with a trowel, and turned back to the cave mouth.

Bei Wushuang looked at the bag in Li Banfeng's hand and asked: "Is that enough? If not, you can take more."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Thanks for the offer, it's plenty."

If used to repair the station, this much soil was far from enough.

But if used as medicine, by his wife's description, this soil was indeed enough.

The reason Li Banfeng only took this much was that he didn't want to arouse Bei Wushuang's suspicion.

As for the soil for repairing the platform, Li Banfeng didn't need to fetch it himself—he already had experience with that back at Oil Lake.

Li Banfeng thanked Bei Wushuang again. The matter should have ended there, but unexpectedly Bei Wushuang raised another request: "At this hour, Meng Yuchun is probably waiting for you to come back to sleep,

now that you've got the Tianquan Huantu, why not eat a pill right here? Once the medicine takes effect after you go back, you can show off nicely in front of Meng Yuchun."

Li Banfeng held the half-bag of soil: "Just eat it like this?"

"How else would you eat it? Tianquan Huantu is a medicine you take directly—were you planning to take it back and make soup? Or does it have some other use for you?"

Bei Wushuang really was suspicious.

Li Banfeng smiled: "Fine, I'll eat it right here."

He pinched up a pinch of soil, rolled it into a pill, and swallowed it.

Bei Wushuang snorted again: "If you ever need more joy-soil in the future, just come to me for it, but give me a heads-up beforehand.

Today's matter is settled. We'll meet again someday — I won't see you off."

Li Banfeng clasped his fist, shouldered half a bag of soil, and left Bei Wushuang's territory.

He had killed Bei Wushuang's subordinate right in front of him, thinking a fierce battle was inevitable — he never expected the matter to pass so easily.

After crossing the boundary, before he'd gone far, Meng Yuchun came up to meet him: "Li Qi, I've been looking everywhere for you. The cook found out some news — Ah Xia might be in collusion with Bei Wushuang."

Li Banfeng said tensely: "So that's how it is."

"He also found out one thing — Bei Wushuang might have a conflict with the local earth god of Ha Chi Ridge, Pan Dehai. The two of them might go to war."

Li Banfeng said, breathing rapidly: "There's such a thing?"

Meng Yuchun sighed: "I didn't expect this either. Let's go to my place first and discuss a plan."

"I won't go to your place for now — I have urgent business." Li Banfeng hurried on, shaking off Meng Yuchun. His intuition told him it was best not to go to Meng Yuchun's residence right now.

Finding a suitable place to hide the key, Li Banfeng hurried back to Leaving Leaving Suishenju.

Something was wrong.

Shortness of breath, heart pounding, waves of numbness all over his body — it seemed like he'd been poisoned.

What on earth had he eaten just now?

No matter — once he got back to the residence, he could detox.

Just as he entered the house, his wife said joyfully: "Husband, it's done — we have enough Tianquan joy-soil."

"Enough?" Li Banfeng opened the third room. Last time, when he'd stolen oil from Lian Buda, it had been stored in the third room.

The moment the door opened, the third room was piled full of soil.

The gloves nearby sighed in admiration: "When it comes to being quick-handed, it has to be our old man — even I feel ashamed of myself."

"Cease your nonsense!" Leaving Leaving Suishenju trembled and shouted sternly, "This old man is nothing like you!"

When it encountered something it liked, Leaving Leaving Suishenju really was quick — not only was the third room full, the sixth, seventh, and eighth rooms were all full too. Even Hong Lian had been squeezed into the fifth room.

He looked at the quality of the soil — it was exactly the same as what was in Li Banfeng's bag.

Bei Wushuang hadn't lied — what Li Banfeng had eaten was Tianquan joy-soil.

He felt waves of heat all over his body, his head was a bit dizzy, and he lay on the bed gasping for breath.

His wife touched Li Banfeng's forehead and cried out in alarm: "Husband, how did you get a fever this bad?"

Li Banfeng said: "I ate joy-soil."

"Why would you eat that?"

"I ran into Bei Wushuang — I couldn't get away without eating it."

"How much did you eat?"

Li Banfeng gestured the size of the pill. The phonograph sucked back a puff of steam.

"Husband, just sleep now, sleep." Under the steam's gentle caress, Li Banfeng slowly fell asleep.

But the phonograph knew he wouldn't sleep for long.

The amount in that one pill was too much — something terrible was about to happen.

Not only was something terrible about to happen to Li Banfeng, something terrible was about to happen to her too. If she let Li Banfeng have his way, this one night would surely break her apart.

"Yingying," the phonograph called affectionately, "go fetch some water for husband — he's burning up terribly."

The water was in the second room. Xiang Xiang Hongying had long grown used to being ordered about. She put down her eyebrow pencil and lipstick and went to the second room to fetch water with a bucket.

The phonograph used steam to push itself off the ground and silently came up behind Xiang Xiang Hongying.

Xiang Xiang Hongying sensed the danger and whipped her head around — but it was too late.

She hadn't expected the phonograph to suddenly launch a sneak attack. Two needles pierced into her flesh; as the needles trembled, steam was injected into her body, and Xiang Xiang Hongying couldn't move.

"You evil woman — what are you doing?"

The phonograph didn't answer. She folded Xiang Xiang Hongying's body — knees and palms down, head in front, buttocks behind — and stuffed her into the wooden cabinet.

She took three speakers off other phonographs and installed them on the wooden cabinet, slightly adjusting the size.

Then she took some lacquer and touched up the wooden cabinet. A fake phonograph that looked ninety percent like her was thus made.

"Yingying, you're a proper Miss with a door in front and a household behind — today I'll grant your wish."

"What wish are you going to grant me?"

Two streams of steam were injected into Xiang Xiang Hongying's body, and Xiang Xiang Hongying couldn't speak anymore.

Although the phonograph had the advantage of a sneak attack, Xiang Xiang Hongying hadn't expected the phonograph's strength to have already recovered to this point.

Once everything was arranged, the phonograph sent the "fake phonograph" to the main room and quietly hid herself in the second room.

After not too long, Li Banfeng opened his eyes, his face flushed red, and looked at the "phonograph" beside the bed.

Xiang Xiang Hongying in the wooden cabinet heard the movement, but her body couldn't move.

What does this madman want to do?

What is he doing behind me?

How did he open the cabinet?

What's this smell?

Machine oil?

Greasy and slippery — is this machine oil?

Why is he smearing machine oil here?

There's only one door and one household — could he have gotten the wrong place?

He — he — he really did get the wrong place here…

This machine oil business is pure torture!

Xiang Xiang Hongying was in so much pain that her whole body trembled, yet she couldn't cry out.

The phonograph sighed quietly in the second room.

Xiang Xiang Hongying, you wretched woman — this time I've let you off easy. To say I'm not angry would be a lie, but my husband has taken so much joy-soil, I definitely can't bear it. You have a door and a household, so you bear it first…

The main room suddenly went silent.

The phonograph heard Li Banfeng muttering to himself: "The taste isn't right."

The phonograph gave a shudder and suddenly saw Li Banfeng open the door to the second room.

"Wife, I told you it wasn't you!" Li Banfeng strode over, oil can in hand, his expression savage.

The phonograph tried to flee, but Li Banfeng caught it from behind.

Amid the gong and drum, a piercing singing voice rang out: "Husband! Make do! Just make do with her for now! Husband, oh husband~"

PS: Li Banfeng once said that getting into bed you must know your wife, getting out of bed you must know your shoes — that's the basic cultivation of a Yu Zhaixiu.

(End of chapter)