Chapter 415: My Lord, Rest Assured

Li Banfeng walked through the night, carrying Tang Dao.

"My lord, your servant…" Tang Dao hesitated, unsure what to say.

"Since when?" Li Banfeng asked as he walked, "Since when did you start calling yourself your servant? If I recall correctly, it began after we left Tiemenbao."

Tang Dao replied, "My lord remembers correctly. Some things I didn't tell you weren't meant to deceive you—they were too shameful."

"How are they shameful?"

"General Hong and the Marshal said among the Three Vanguard Commanders, only one fled—and that was me." Tang Dao's voice was barely a whisper.

"Back then I didn't know you. Since you joined me, you never fled again."

"I did flee… once."

"At least you cut three times before running. At least when you fought Qiu Luoye, you didn't flee."

"When the Marshal's life hung by a thread and my lord fought to the death, if I had fled again, I would have… " Tang Dao sighed, "Enough of this. I deceived you—there's no defense. Let me fight this battle for you, then do whatever you wish to me."

Li Banfeng fell silent for a moment, then asked, "My wife said you weren't an ordinary magic treasure. Did she already know your true identity?"

"I dare not guess the Marshal's thoughts. When I first met him, I truly didn't know he was the Marshal."

"You never said 'blade takes enemy heads' at home—except that one time, when you were about to fight Qiu Luoye. Did you think my wife couldn't hear?"

Tang Dao whispered, "By then, I couldn't even say she was the marshal—she was different from how she was back then."

"When Gloves tried to take advantage of Xianggua Hongying, you nearly cut him down—you truly protect General Hong."

"General Hong deserves to be entrusted to someone like my lord—not to be defiled by scoundrels!"

Gloves disliked this: "What do you mean by scoundrels? Besides, that's just a melon—not the real Miss Hong."

"Don't interrupt," Li Banfeng continued, "Every time Hong Ying argued with my wife, you urged them not to hold back—always to fight until one won."

"I thought you were deliberately stirring things up—but you were really trying to uncover the truth of the past, weren't you?"

Tang Dao gave a dry laugh: "Nothing escapes my lord's notice."

"You say nothing escapes—but you hid so deeply."

Tang Dao stammered: "I—I'm sorry, my lord. After this battle, give me a rusty pill, and I'll end it myself."

"Stop talking nonsense—it's no big deal," Li Banfeng laughed. "If we swapped places, I became the blade and you became the madman, I'd hide things from you too. Besides, there are things I've never even asked you."

"But there's one thing—you must tell me the truth."

"My lord, since I became what I am now, I've forgotten much. But anything I still remember, I'll tell you."

Li Banfeng asked seriously: "Which do you prefer—Skinny Donkey or Two Blades?"

Tang Dao thought carefully: "Actually, I don't like either—but if you blend the two names together, it's not bad."

Blend them together.

Li Banfeng understood: "Then from now on, I'll call you Two Donkey."

Gloves wiggled his fingers, signaling the name was well chosen.

Tang Dao paused, then said: "When I served in the army, I was thin and skilled with the blade, my lord—what do you think of the name Thin Blade?"

Da Dao objected: "A family's fortune depends on the blade's fatness. Why call yourself Thin Blade?"

Tang Dao said: "You're Da Dao—you're the fat one."

Li Banfeng quickened his pace: "Thin Blade, can you still use Qi Xiu techniques?"

"No. After I lost to the Green Flower Beggar, I lost all my Qi Xiu cultivation. My Wu Xiu cultivation is reduced to this little."

"When you first faced that beggar, you struck first—did you recognize him?"

"No. He must be a Qi Xiu junior. From his methods, he's no higher than Cloud Above First Layer. His techniques feel familiar to me."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Familiar is good. Tonight, kill this beggar. Tomorrow, find the Green Flower Beggar—get you revenge."

Revenge?

Something Tang Dao had never dared to imagine.

The blade trembled slightly: "My lord, do you still trust me?"

"When have I ever not trusted you?"

"If you trust me, can we adjust our tactics tonight?"

"What adjustment?"

"Grand strategy is the Marshal's domain—I can't explain it. But in a single battle, I still understand how to fight.

That beggar doesn't know my lord has two arts open, nor has he seen such strange Geng Xiu methods. According to your plan, he'll be caught off guard at first.

Qi Xiu cultivators have narrow tempers. After being humiliated, they'll inevitably lash out in desperation—that's their nature. If my lord dares to gamble once, this battle is won."

"I'm willing to gamble. Are you willing to gamble with me?"

Tang Dao straightened his blade: "My lord, rest assured—the blade takes enemy heads!"

…

The beggar sat by the roadside, glancing left and right.

It was deep night; no travelers remained. But he dared not relax—his face itched terribly, as if warning him that the Green Flower Beggar could kill him at any moment.

Footsteps approached—fast, swift.

Could it be Li Qi?

Probably not—he just suffered defeat; he wouldn't return so soon.

Did he bring help?

The beggar tensed. Li Qi himself was no weakling; his ally must be formidable.

If he couldn't win, he couldn't fight head-on. But if he didn't fight, the Green Water Beggars wouldn't spare him.

After hesitation, the beggar pulled out his bamboo tube and began to play.

For a Qi Xiu, initiative was everything. Li Qi had already fought him—he couldn't use Begging Pity. Playing the chi to beg became critical.

With his cultivation, two musical phrases would be enough to trap Li Qi. But this bamboo tube was new—lacking quality.

The music sounded. A white-robed figure flashed before him, lunging to snatch the bamboo tube.

What immense presence! Such speed! Li Qi's ally was truly formidable!

As the white-robed figure drew near, the beggar instantly retracted the tube, causing the man to stumble—this tactic was second nature to him.

"Given, given—give a little more!" As he spoke, he tore a piece of cloth from the man's robe!

The Steal and Seize technique succeeded.

The Take More technique succeeded.

This was the nuisance of Qi Xiu: if you listened to his music, you were trapped. If you tried to stop him, he stole your alms.

The white-robed man ran off. The beggar rose and chased: "Given, given—give me a tendon now!"

Why didn't the beggar just kill the white-robed man outright?

That was battlefield experience.

The success of the Take More technique depended on the cultivation gap. The greater the gap, the more the Qi Xiu could take. If the gap was small, demanding too much would break the technique.

The beggar was Cloud Above, but he didn't know the white-robed man's cultivation. If he demanded too much, he might get nothing.

Since Take More had already succeeded, the next step was to trigger the Escalate Cycle—no need to risk overextending Take More.

Demanding a tendon first was wise. A traveler's tendon severed, his combat power collapsed. The beggar secured victory and prevented escape.

The white-robed man limped ahead, fleeing desperately. The beggar chased close behind.

Cui Ti woke from his nap, wanting to follow—but he couldn't catch them.

It was so late—he thought nothing would happen. He just wanted a nap. Yet here it came.

He hurried to drive nails into his heels—only to see the beggar vanish into the night.

How could he run so fast?

The beggar was puzzled too. The white-robed man had lost a tendon—why was he still running so fast?

Did he get the tendon?

He looked at his bowl. Though small, it could hold a living person. Inside lay a tendon, flat and still.

It looked like human tendon—but no blood. It carried a fragrance.

The scent of a melon.

Was this a technique?

Even if it was a technique, he wasn't afraid!

The beggar didn't investigate the technique's origin. Qi Xiu arts had time limits. He immediately activated Escalate: "You gave me the tendon—now give me an eyeball!"

Thud. An eyeball appeared in the bowl.

No matter what technique you used—I'll dismantle you entirely!

The beggar shouted again: "One eyeball isn't enough—give me another!"

With both eyes gone, the white-robed man couldn't run.

When the bowl gained another eyeball, the white-robed man stopped running.

Not only did he stop—he stood still, back turned to the beggar, and spoke: "You've taken so much from me. Now, pay me back."

Feng Xiu!

The beggar froze—he'd met his nemesis.

Feng Xiu and Qi Xiu were mutual antipathies—each fought to be crueler.

Had he known the man was Feng Xiu, he shouldn't have been so cautious.

Now the Feng Xiu demanded payment—what should he do?

Flee immediately?

This cultivation base practitioner runs so fast, proving he has also trained as a Traveler cultivator.

When demanding payment, a cultivator of the Offering path runs even faster—he certainly won't outrun him.

The beggar threw out his bowl; it expanded midair and trapped the white-clothed man beneath it.

Doesn't he fear the white-clothed man will use the Unobstructed Passage technique to escape?

He truly isn't afraid.

This bowl is specially made—it slows down the Unobstructed Passage technique. As long as the opponent's cultivation base isn't too high, escaping will take time.

Using that window, the beggar can first evade the Offering cultivator, then seek an opening to strike.

Learning the bowl had fallen, Li Banfeng smiled.

Half the tactic had succeeded.

After trapping the white-clothed man, the beggar turned and ran. He hadn't gone far when the white-clothed man appeared beside him and shouted: "You've taken so much from me—I demand payment!"

Escaped already?

So fast?

The beggar grew flustered—his bowl shouldn't have been pierced so easily.

In truth, the earlier white-clothed man hadn't escaped—he was still trapped inside the bowl.

That was Xianggua Hongying, enhanced by the Hidden Concubine technique, inheriting only two traits from Hongying: presence and speed—she couldn't use Unobstructed Passage.

Then why was this white-clothed man beside the beggar?

Because this was another Xianggua Hongying.

Originally, Li Banfeng's tactic was to use himself as bait to lure the beggar into striking.

Tang Dao changed the tactic: "Lord, beggars deal only with ordinary people. They won't recognize such a rare Farming cultivator technique."

Li Banfeng thought a Cloud-Ascendant cultivator couldn't miss the flaw—but Tang Dao understood beggars better. The beggar truly believed the white-clothed man had broken free and was chasing him.

The beggar stopped running. Seeing a cultivator demanding payment, he was certain he couldn't outrun him.

He waited for the demand, ready to block it with Thick Face and Thick Skin. If he could endure this one blow, he could then beg for alms and turn the tide.

Now the key was how harsh the payment demand would be—could Thick Face and Thick Skin withstand it?

The beggar was fully prepared. Based on combat experience, he could activate his technique at any moment—he wasn't afraid of ambush.

Puff!

Xianggua Hongying stabbed the beggar with a knife.

A wound appeared on the beggar's face.

That's it?

Just this much payment?

The beggar stared in shock, realizing disaster was near.

Li Banfeng's tactic had succeeded.

Finding flaws in a sequence of techniques—begging, wailing, playing the flute for food, seizing by force, inching forward, escalating—was too difficult.

Trap the beggar with the Closed Door technique, then capture him with Traveler technique?

The idea was good.

But Li Banfeng wasn't skilled with Closed Door, and the beggar's Thick Face and Thick Skin might resist its aura entirely.

If he lost something or played a tune, Li Banfeng would be ruined.

To defend against a Cloud-Ascendant beggar's attack, with Li Banfeng's current cultivation base, it was nearly impossible. In direct combat, he'd be captured within a few rounds.

If you can't attack his offense, attack his defense.

Throwing out the Thousand-Pound Bowl—half the tactic succeeded!

The remaining half was Thick Face and Thick Skin.

This technique was troublesome—because the beggar was experienced and always ready to activate it.

There was only one moment he couldn't prepare it.

Right after he had just activated it.

Thick Face and Thick Skin had been used, his face was wounded—that gap was Li Banfeng's best opportunity.

A shadow flashed past the beggar.

The beggar hadn't yet prepared Thick Face and Thick Skin—he had to lock his gaze on the opponent, or he'd fall for the Galloping Horse technique.

He didn't realize he was locking onto Xianggua Hongying again—the third Xianggua Hongying.

Li Banfeng suddenly appeared behind the beggar.

This was dangerous—the beggar might seize something from him.

Li Banfeng gambled everything!

He stomped down with Step Through Ten Thousand Rivers—the beggar's flesh and blood sprayed everywhere.

He was wounded, but not mortally—Cloud-Ascendant cultivation could withstand this stomp.

Li Banfeng lifted his leg and stomped again.

The beggar braced again—Cloud-Ascendant cultivation, even without Thick Face and Thick Skin, still had formidable physical strength.

He turned and grabbed Li Banfeng's clothes. Li Banfeng didn't dodge—he pulled out the key to the portable dwelling.

"Every blade takes a head!" Tang Dao roared, slashing down at the beggar's forehead.

The strike was perfectly aimed—if the beggar didn't dodge, the blade struck his brow; if he dodged, Li Banfeng would immediately use Galloping Horse.

But the beggar had another choice—a choice familiar to all beggars.

"I've given it all!" Without hesitation, the beggar grabbed Tang Dao's blade.

The opponent counterattacks by seizing the weapon—that's the beggar's fixed tactic: the Inch-by-Inch technique has succeeded.

This time, he wouldn't hold back—he wanted only Li Qi's head.

"Fine, take it!" Li Banfeng grabbed the beggar and activated the Heart Like an Arrow technique.

Such strength!

The beggar was startled—what technique is this?

"Give me your head!" The beggar activated Inch-by-Inch—but it failed.

Li Banfeng forced his Home cultivator technique to level nine, two levels above the beggar's Cloud-Ascendant level one—the beggar couldn't pluck Li Banfeng's head.

He might have succeeded if he'd tried for a hand instead.

Li Banfeng dared to gamble because he'd listened to Tang Dao: the beggar had suffered losses before—he'd strike hard this time.

"Fight!" Tang Dao shouted.

Dozens of Xianggua Hongyings rushed forward together.

Level Nine Heart Like an Arrow, combined with Tang Dao's pulling force, the crushing pressure of the Hongyings, and the beggar's injury—all forces dragged the beggar toward the door of the portable dwelling.

Is this a residence?

Is this strength from a Home cultivator technique?

How could this man be a Home cultivator?

How could a Traveler cultivator also be a Home cultivator?

The beggar couldn't comprehend it—he had no time to think. He refused to enter a Home cultivator's residence.

"I've given it all…" The beggar clung to Li Banfeng's clothes, preparing to activate Inch-by-Inch again.

"Wooaaaah!" The wife inside the residence roared—the beggar suddenly felt the world spin, lost all strength, and was dragged into the portable dwelling.

(End of Chapter)