Chapter 386: The Running Camel

Li Banfeng rubbed his eyes hard, trying to restore his vision as quickly as possible.

But this wasn't something rubbing could fix; Li Banfeng rubbed his eyes several times, yet his vision remained blindingly white.

His ears heard no sound, only a sharp, piercing hum—but his technique for avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune told him danger was imminent.

Bei Wushuang had gotten up.

His hump had exploded, leaving a massive depression on his back, yet Bei Wushuang could still move.

Objectively speaking, his ability to move posed a grave threat to Li Banfeng.

But subjectively, Bei Wushuang had no intention of attacking Li Banfeng.

Standing beside Bei Wushuang was Pan Dehai; Bei Wushuang didn't even consider attacking Pan Dehai.

Pan Dehai's cultivation base was too high; despite appearing motionless now, killing him was still no easy task.

And Bei Wushuang had now lost nearly all his combat power—he had to cherish this limited opportunity and flee immediately.

Bei Wushuang swallowed a pill and sprinted off, fleeing southeast.

If he could return home, there was still a glimmer of hope.

His residence still had many traps and mechanisms, plenty of elixirs—he could hold out for a while, even if only three or five hours, enough to recover one or two tenths of his strength.

Even if he couldn't hold the territory, at least he could escape with the contract; even if he lost a level, he could still save his life.

Bei Wushuang hadn't run far when Pan Dehai moved.

Wasn't he stunned?

He wasn't stunned.

Meng Yuchun had truly passed out, but Pan Dehai hadn't.

Pan Dehai knew Bei Wushuang was a Sound Cultivator and had prepared thoroughly; the moment he saw the hump swell, he used two magic treasures in tandem with his own cultivation to nullify the technique again.

He pretended to be stunned so he could go to Bei Wushuang's residence.

Pan Dehai had some understanding of Bei Wushuang, but he didn't know where Bei Wushuang lived.

As for Meng Yuchun, there was no point relying on her—she never left home; she didn't even know Bei Wushuang's sect, let alone his residence.

Within a hundred li, finding the dwelling of a Land Spirit was extremely difficult; it was better to let Bei Wushuang lead him there than to waste effort searching himself.

…

Li Banfeng sensed the danger receding and just sighed in relief when suddenly he heard a whistle.

Ooooh~

Is a train coming?

From the whistle came a sweet singing voice: "Little bridal chamber, lantern bright, hand on railing, gaze refined, ivory bed hung with red silk curtains, coral pillows embroidered with mandarin ducks."

"Little Bridal Chamber"!

A song his wife rarely sang—because whenever she sang it, Li Banfeng felt an urge to grease his machinery.

As the song played, the blinding white vanished from his vision, and the piercing hum in his ears disappeared.

Li Banfeng rose and ran back to the battlefield; Bei Wushuang and Pan Dehai were gone.

Where did they go?

Had he won or lost this battle?

Li Banfeng asked Meng Yuchun.

Meng Yuchun didn't respond; she looked dazed, clutching her forehead as she returned to the residence—she truly couldn't hold on any longer.

Li Banfeng looked at the blood and flesh scattered across the ground; he didn't know where they came from, but the bloody mess, thick with fat, reeked of a foul, metallic stench.

He quickly activated the Hundred Flavors Luminous Technique, following the stench through the air.

Not long after, he saw Bei Wushuang sprinting ahead, and behind him, Pan Dehai following at a steady pace.

Bei Wushuang should now be called Bei Wufeng—he'd lost his last hump.

Pan Dehai, that old fox, had been trailing Bei Wushuang all along—he was here to pluck the peaches.

Once he plucked all the peaches, he'd just say, "A man of virtue," and send me and Meng Yuchun packing.

Is it really that easy?

We must snatch back the peaches.

At the very least, we must recover the contract—that was most critical to Li Banfeng.

But then again, why did I just hear a train whistle? And why did it carry my wife's voice?

Did the Personal Dwelling evolve?

…

Zhang Wanlong arrived at the battlefield and gathered up the scattered blood and flesh.

"Good stuff, Genzi—this is truly genuine good stuff."

Genzi anxiously said, "Didn't we agree to go save Seventh Master?"

"Don't rush!" Zhang Wanlong pulled out a seed. "This is the battlefield of a great one—we can't intervene directly, only offer small covert help. Seventh Master is a man of discretion; some things don't need our worry. Isn't that right, Miss He?"

He Yuxiu had also arrived.

She sized up Zhang Wanlong: "Do you know me?"

Zhang Wanlong smiled. "I've seen you in the papers—I was afraid I'd mistaken you."

You Tao was tense; she didn't know what Zhang Wanlong meant by "Miss He."

There was no time to explain now—Zhang Wanlong had to find a suitable spot immediately to plant this seed, which he'd poured immense effort and precious resources into.

…

Bei Wushuang's residence wasn't in a house or a cave—it was inside a sand pit.

At the edge of the sand pit, the severely wounded Bei Wushuang leapt down without hesitation.

Pan Dehai pushed his concealment technique to its limit, hovering in midair, silently observing the pit's structure.

The pit wasn't deep—less than five meters by sight—and the bottom was perfectly flat.

This couldn't be the core of the residence; at best, it was just an entrance.

Bei Wushuang stood at the pit's bottom, stomping his front hooves as if activating some mechanism.

After two stomps, the mechanism didn't trigger—he paused.

Pan Dehai thought he'd been exposed and prepared to hide deeper, when he noticed something strange on the pit's walls.

Bei Wushuang called out: "Come out."

A woman's figure emerged from the wall; from her attire, she resembled a fortune-teller, with a massive abacus strapped to her back.

"Gao Shuxia," Bei Wushuang sneered, "you've come. Where's your sister?"

Another woman's figure appeared—wearing a silver robe, her waist swayed dramatically with each step.

"Baimuyu, you're here too!" Bei Wushuang laughed—he seemed to already see his fate.

Gao Shuxia looked at Bei Wushuang: "Brother, you're injured."

Baimuyu's tone was even more concerned: "Brother, how severe is your wound? Let little sister take a look."

Bei Wushuang stared at the two and spat a wad of saliva: "So you both want to steal my contract?"

Gao Shuxia shook her head rapidly: "Brother, you misunderstand us—we heard you went to deal with that old villain Pan Dehai, and feared someone might cause trouble at your home, so we came to guard it for you."

Bei Wushuang laughed: "How kind of you both—after searching so long, have you still not found the contract?"

Baimuyu praised: "Brother hides it so well, little sister feels reassured just thinking of it."

Bei Wushuang looked at Gao Shuxia: "You're good at divination—didn't you calculate it?"

Gao Shuxia shook her head again: "Brother's skills are profound; little sister simply cannot divine it."

Bei Wushuang glanced around; no need to ask—his subordinates had long since fled.

"Enough talk," Bei Wushuang snorted, "do you two attack together, or one at a time?"

Gao Shuxia sighed: "Brother, why the haste? Just tell us where the contract is—we'll guard it for you and return it the moment you recover."

Bei Wushuang kicked off his hooves and suddenly charged at Gao Shuxia.

Gao Shuxia dared not resist; she knew Bei Wushuang's strength was terrifying.

Bei Wushuang had impersonated a Body Cultivator for so many years not just because of his camel appearance—he was exceptionally skilled, with thick skin and tough flesh, possessing many traits of a Body Cultivator.

Gao Shuxia dodged Bei Wushuang, who turned and attacked Baimuyu.

Baimuyu twisted her waist and laughed softly, effortlessly circling behind Bei Wushuang.

Bei Wushuang was too badly wounded; both women's cultivation bases were at Earth Skin level, yet he couldn't gain even a sliver of advantage.

Gao Shuxia drew an abacus rod and stabbed it into Bei Wushuang's body.

Baimuyu lifted her robe—her leg was covered in eyes; she brushed against Bei Wushuang and tore off a large chunk of flesh.

Pan Dehai sighed inwardly—these two women were truly cruel; their attacks weren't lethal, yet they inflicted unbearable pain.

In the midst of battle, Bei Wushuang's steps grew erratic, his howls unceasing.

Ooooh~ Thud! Thud! Thud!

Oo~ Thud-thud!

Wait—this isn't that chaotic.

Pan Dehai froze; within the howls and footsteps, he detected a faint rhythm.

This camel is about to unleash a technique.

Oo~

Bei Wushuang let out a long howl—and suddenly, a sand eye appeared on the ground.

The sand eye spun like a vortex, and Bei Wushuang plunged beneath the flowing sand.

Pan Dehai judged correctly: Bei Wushuang was about to unleash a technique.

But this technique was not meant to fight the Hundred-Eyed Fish or Gao Shuxia—it was meant to trigger a mechanism.

This sand pit was indeed Bei Wushuang's front door.

But to open the gate, one must play a melody using Sound Cultivation technique.

The steps and wails Bei Wushuang had made earlier formed a melody; only by using the correct method could one truly enter Bei Wushuang's dwelling.

Bei Wushuang slipped into the sand eye, and the Hundred-Eyed Fish quickly followed after her.

Not long after, she floated back up alone.

"He's gone!" the Hundred-Eyed Fish spat out sand. "He's so badly wounded, yet he ran so fast!"

Gao Shuxia picked up her abacus and moved the beads up and down, calculating for over half an hour before finally arriving at an answer.

She drew a mark on the ground with her wooden sword and said to the Hundred-Eyed Fish: "We dig here—we'll find him here!"

The Hundred-Eyed Fish used her technique to tunnel underground, and Gao Shuxia followed right behind.

Pan Dehai, the Great Virtue, still hovered in midair, waiting for results.

These two women came at just the right time—saved me the trouble of risking myself.

If they kill Bei Wushuang and dig up the contract from her home, it'll be much easier—I can just take it from them directly.

If they can't beat Bei Wushuang, or even get killed by her, I'll simply go after Bei Wushuang myself—by then, her combat strength will be greatly weakened, and I'll have eliminated these two women as future threats. A perfect solution!

Pan Dehai watched from midair; Li Banfeng hid behind the sand dune, watching too.

Within the sand pit, waves of sand rose layer upon layer, showing the battle raged fiercely inside.

The Technique of Avoiding Misfortune and Seeking Fortune kept warning Li Banfeng not to approach the battlefield.

What should I do?

What Li Banfeng most wanted was Bei Wushuang's contract—now, whether she lived or died, it seemed impossible for him to get it.

After another hour passed, Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyed Fish crawled out of the sand eye, battered and bruised.

They sat in the sand pit, gasping for breath—clearly, they had lost to Bei Wushuang and failed to retrieve the contract.

The battle must have ended in mutual destruction; according to Pan Dehai's estimation, Bei Wushuang's combat strength was now nearly gone and posed no further threat to him.

He slowly appeared in midair and smiled at the two women: "Ladies, you've worked hard."

The moment they saw Pan Dehai appear, Gao Shuxia nearly wet herself; the Hundred-Eyed Fish actually did.

They grabbed their weapons, preparing to fight, but Pan Dehai pressed his palm downward and said: "Ladies, calm down. I have no grudge against you. I'm here only to take Bei Wushuang's life."

Gao Shuxia pointed to the sand eye on the ground: "Bei Wushuang is right inside—go find her yourself!"

Pan Dehai smiled: "This sand tunnel is labyrinthine. You two are virtuous women—please, do me the favor of guiding me."

The Hundred-Eyed Fish shook her head: "We don't have the strength. If we go down again, we won't survive."

Pan Dehai said: "Ladies, don't be modest. If we compare pure combat skill, I'd be ashamed to stand against you."

The Hundred-Eyed Fish swayed her waist and laughed: "Senior Pan, thank you for your high regard, but we truly don't want to fight Bei Wushuang again. You'd better go yourself."

Pan Dehai's face darkened and he barked: "A woman speaking so lightly and carelessly—this is immoral!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Hundred-Eyed Fish staggered, nearly crushed under invisible pressure.

Gao Shuxia gritted her teeth: "Old villain, we'll fight you to the death!"

The Hundred-Eyed Fish grabbed Gao Shuxia, signaling her not to act rashly—they had no chance against Pan Dehai.

As the three stood locked in tension, a sound of flowing sand came from afar.

Pan Dehai looked up and saw a camel without humps sprinting across the desert.

Bei Wushuang has fled!

Pan Dehai transformed into incorporeal form and chased after her.

Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyed Fish, unwilling to give up, followed after him as well.

The sand pit stood empty—no one remained.

Wan Long, on his own one-li plot, said to Xiao Genzi: "Brother, see how long you can hold out. The longer you last, the more you help Seventh Master."

PS: Wan Long has invested heavily—these seeds are unlike any before.

(End of Chapter)