Chapter 409

"Whore, don't you think I'll really cut you down?" The Singer raised his longsword.

Hong Ying extended her spearhead, motionless: "Go ahead. Make it quick."

The Singer snarled: "You feel no remorse at all?"

Hong Ying laughed: "Nothing to regret. If I had to choose again, I'd still kill you."

"You bitch!" The Singer smashed the hilt of his sword into Hong Ying, sending her stumbling.

Hong Ying steadied herself and said slowly: "I'm not a whore. The vilest thing I ever did in my life was believe you."

"From the day we met, I followed your every order—even when I was thrown into prison, walked through the gates of death, and came out to fight on the battlefield, I still followed you."

"Until you ordered the march to Yan Sha Plain. I knew then I couldn't follow you anymore. The peddler and the mad craftsman were there—you were leading us straight to our deaths."

"I told you, I could win!"

Hong Ying laughed aloud: "Even if you won, what good would it do? Cong Shixiang holds an imperial decree, clearly stating:"

"If you lose, he'll force us to die on the battlefield. If you win, he'll immediately read the decree and drag you and me back to the capital, throw us into the death cell, and wait for execution!"

"Who told you this?"

"It came from Prince Chun. He saw the decree with his own eyes. We're dead either way—do you understand now? If you were ordering me to die, I wouldn't blink. But to die for them? I can't. I'm not that vile. Zhao Yanwan, I'm not a whore. The vilest whore is you. You walked out of prison without a shred of remorse. I begged you with my life to turn back—you wouldn't listen. A whore like you deserves to die!"

The Singer calmed slightly and asked: "What did you plan to do? Kill me, and you wouldn't die?"

Hong Ying nodded her spearhead: "Yes. After killing you, I intended to surrender immediately to the peddler. I wouldn't die, and neither would our soldiers!"

"But you were too hard to kill. To kill you, I gave my own life—and still failed to save them."

The Singer sneered: "How stupid you are. I'm an actor—death ends it all. If you killed me and surrendered, what about your family in the capital? What will become of them?"

Hong Ying spat: "At that point, did you think I still cared about them?"

The Singer asked again: "You don't care for your own family—what about the soldiers' families?"

Hong Ying answered calmly: "I couldn't care for them. That's all the ability I have."

"No ability, yet you still had such bold ideas!" The Singer swung his sword, smashing the hilt into Hong Ying again.

"I marched to Yan Sha Plain because I'd learned the peddler planned to take his troops through Tie Mang Valley. If we reached Yan Sha Plain, we wouldn't meet the enemy at all!"

Hong Ying froze: "Impossible. The peddler already decided to fight you at Yan Sha Plain—that's the intelligence we received."

The Singer said: "That was a decoy. His real target is the capital. He doesn't want to waste strength fighting us at Yan Sha Plain."

"Tie Mang Valley is treacherous, but it's a shortcut. He'd long planned to detour—fearing we'd ambush him there."

"He spread false intelligence. The spies fell for it. But I saw through it—because one of his men is my informant."

"The day you killed me, the peddler had already marched into Tie Mang Valley. Had you not killed me, I would've led you to Yan Sha Plain—you'd have found nothing."

"This was my tactical error. I would've kept the army stationed at Yan Sha Plain. No matter how many imperial decrees came, I'd hold them there. If Cong Shixiang dared move against me, I'd kill him on the spot."

Hong Ying stared, stunned: "You knew Cong Shixiang planned to move against you?"

The Singer sneered: "What kind of scum is that man? Do you think I couldn't see? Yao Xin was manipulated by him—do you think I didn't know?"

"I hoped that once we reached Yan Sha Plain, our campaign would be over. The peddler would pass through Tie Mang Valley and strike the capital. Whether he won or lost was his affair."

"If he won, you could surrender later. If he lost, the blame would fall on me—I'd flee, but at least I'd save you."

"But you, you whore, conspired with other officers and struck me first. You didn't even save your own life—and handed the entire army over to Cong Shixiang!"

"This blood debt belongs to you. Tell me—are you not a whore?"

Hong Ying fell silent for a long while, shaking her head repeatedly: "You're lying. You never told me."

"Every officer in the army is Cong Shixiang's spy. Every move you made was watched. How could I tell you? If word leaked, would the plan have succeeded?"

"I… I don't believe you…" Hong Ying's voice trembled.

"You don't have to believe me. You've been deaf and blind for years—no wonder you know nothing. But there are still survivors. Go ask them: which path did the peddler take?"

"I… I can't leave. I can't ask…" Hong Ying trembled all over.

"You don't need to leave. Ask our house—what path did the peddler take?"

A silence filled the room.

After a long while, an old voice spoke: "I remember. It was Tie Mang Valley."

Hong Ying collapsed to the ground with a thud.

She tried to rise, but failed—every joint in her body shook.

"Kill me," she extended her spearhead toward the Singer. "Have mercy. Kill me."

The Singer snorted: "Cutting off your spearhead counts as killing you?"

"You can consume souls—eat mine," Hong Ying groped for the Singer. "Eat me. Now. Eat me."

"You think you can't live, so you think you can die?" The Singer sneered. "Is it that simple? Extend your hand!"

Hong Ying didn't know what the Singer intended, but she extended her hand anyway.

Death was death. How she died didn't matter to her.

The Singer pierced Hong Ying's palm with his needle, drew some blood, and dripped it onto the seed Li Banfeng had just brought back.

It's just death; how she dies doesn't matter to her.

In the desert, Li Banfeng watched a lizard, battered and scarred, and smiled: "Will you help me now?"

The lizard gasped for breath: "Hero, tell me first what you want me to do. Don't keep beating me."

Li Banfeng pulled out a contract: "Do you know this person?"

"I know him. That's Diaoneng Sou—a monkey. I know where he lives. I'll take you to him."

The lizard led Li Banfeng to a pond, where they found an old white-furred monkey living beside it.

Li Banfeng asked: "You're Diaoneng Sou? Do you recognize this?"

He waved the contract before Diaoneng Sou—it was the contract he'd signed with the Earth God. He recognized it instantly.

Diaoneng Sou asked: "How did this end up in your hands?"

"Beiwushuang sold you to Meng Yuchun. You need a new place to live."

Diaoneng Sou nodded: "Fine."

"Bei Wushuang sold you to Meng Yu, so you need to move somewhere else to live."

You don't even resist?

"Didn't you hear me? The Earth God sold you. You must sign a new contract, find a new master."

"Where's the contract? I'll sign it now." Diaoneng Sou prepared to cut his palm.

"Didn't you understand what I said? The Earth God sold you; you must sign a new contract and take a new master."

Li Banfeng expected a fight.

He pulled out a contract he'd written himself—no name of the Earth God on it. He thought Diaoneng Sou might ask questions—but the monkey said nothing, and signed immediately.

Li Banfeng pulled out another contract left by Beiwushuang: "Do you know this person?"

Diaoneng Sou nodded: "I know him. I'll take you to him."

"Will he agree to change masters?"

"Probably. I'll persuade him."

"Can he fight? If he refuses, I'll use force."

"He's not that strong. I'll beat him for you."

"Can he fight? If he refuses, I'll resort to force."

Is he hiding something?

Diaoneng Sou had no hidden motives. With his help, Li Banfeng brought over thirty strange beings onto his territory.

He couldn't bring too many at once—it would raise suspicion. Beiwushuang wouldn't sell all his creatures.

But some clever ones needed no explanation. Diaoneng Sou was clever. After one day's observation, Li Banfeng realized he was practical and capable.

Li Banfeng handed Diaoneng Sou two Xuan Chi Pills: "I still have many contracts—all sold by Beiwushuang to Miss Meng. I don't want to handle this anymore. I'm giving it to you. Is that fine?"

But some clever people need no lengthy explanations—Diaoneng Sou was one such clever man; after a day of observation, Li Banfeng found him practical and capable.

"Do well. When it's done, there'll be extra rewards!" Li Banfeng gave Diaoneng Sou a hundred contracts—just to test his efficiency.

Diaoneng Sou took the contracts and, as instructed, delivered Beiwushuang's creatures to Li Banfeng's territory at a rate of twenty to thirty per day.

With matters settled, Li Banfeng prepared to return to Qiuluye's territory to repair the station.

He went home first to inform his wife of his plans and ask her to prepare.

His wife pulled out a seed: "Dear husband, plant this seed. Don't leave until it bears fruit."

Hong Ying, sitting before the mirror combing her hair, dropped her comb.

Li Banfeng looked at the seed: "Wife, what's special about this seed?"

The Singer smiled: "You'll see when it grows. It'll grow a useful person."

Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow, picked up a spade, and went out to plant.

Hong Ying turned her head and looked at the Singer: "Yanwan, you're going to…"

The Singer snorted: "I'm just testing the seed. Don't overthink it."

Hongying turned back and looked at the phonograph: "Xiao Wan, what are you trying to…?"

Li Banfeng sprinkled the seed, dripped medicinal water, then poured clean water. Soon, the seed sprouted, sending out leaves.

It grew slower than cabbage. Zhang Wanlong had coated it in a shell—it looked like a black bean. Li Banfeng had no idea what fruit it would bear.

After two hours, the fruit finally formed—a white-and-green melon.

This seed grew slower than cabbage; Zhang Wanlong coated it with a shell, making it look like a black bean, and Li Banfeng had no idea what fruit it would bear.

After waiting two hours, the fruit finally ripened—a melon with white skin tinged with green.

Fragrant, truly fragrant.

The enticing scent made Li Banfeng truly want to take a bite.

The melon grew whiter and whiter until it ripened and burst open, from which stepped a woman clad in a white robe.

Tang Dao emerged from his waistband to examine it closely.

The projector popped out from his chest and focused its lens.

The glove crawled out of Li Banfeng's pocket, all five fingers wiggling together.

"Master, she's too beautiful."

PS: Though not as lovely as my wife, Hongying is a top-tier beauty.

(End of Chapter)