Chapter 416

"Given, already given—then give some more…"

Xiang Hongying chopped off the beggar's hand and shoved it into his mouth: "Is that enough?"

Li Banfeng was curious—Xiang Hongying couldn't see, yet she'd shoved it in with perfect accuracy.

Whether from having been beaten so often or not, the beggar truly could endure—he spat out the hand and tried to speak again: "Given, already given…"

A cloud of steam rose from his feet to his head, stripping away a layer of skin; under searing pain, the beggar gave up resisting.

"Spare my life! I'm a land god! I was sent here! I was sent here! I never meant to harm you!"

Xiang Hongying paused, then said to Li Banfeng: "Qi Lang, this isn't Yuan Shoulu."

Li Banfeng feigned surprise: "Oh? Really not?"

Xiang Hongying shook her spearhead: "Yuan Shoulu may have fled, but he's not a coward."

Tang Dao straightened his posture at this.

Xiang Hongying asked: "Who sent you?"

"I, I…" The beggar coughed violently.

"Won't talk?" Xiang Hongying sneered, and wave after wave of steam washed over the beggar's bare flesh.

"Ugh, ugh…" The beggar kept coughing—he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

Xiang Hongying shouted: "Wicked woman, don't go so hard—he hasn't answered yet!"

"Seems he can't answer anymore," Xiang Hongying probed the beggar's throat with her needle. "He can't speak—someone tampered with him."

"Can't speak? Then write!" Xiang Hongying roared. The beggar dipped his fingers in his own blood and tried to write on the ground.

His fingers instantly rotted away.

"Something's wrong!" Xiang Hongying boiled the beggar alive with steam. "Husband, keep your distance from him!"

Li Banfeng scratched his cheek—it seemed things had already gone wrong.

…

In the wasteland, Cui Ti was still searching for the beggar's trail when Li Banfeng called from behind: "Doctor Cui Ti, it's this late—are you out for a stroll?"

Cui Ti turned slowly, smiling at Li Banfeng: "You can see me."

He bore the power of Green Water Beggar—Li Banfeng should not have been able to see him.

But through the Golden Eyes' Microscopic Skill, Li Banfeng had seen him.

To Cui Ti, this was proof of Li Qi's strength.

Cui Ti shrugged his shoulders: "Looks like I underestimated you. To be honest, I'm here looking for that beggar."

Li Banfeng feigned ignorance: "Which beggar?"

Cui Ti smiled: "There's no point pretending anymore. Given the situation, he's probably dead in your hands."

"Li Qi, I've always wondered—at the Medicinal King Gully, when we first met, both I and Da Boyins wanted to capture you. Neither of us was your match, yet why did you hide from us then?"

Li Banfeng wouldn't admit he'd truly been outmatched—he chose another answer: "Because I truly wanted to be friends with you."

Cui Ti nodded: "Your false sincerity moves me deeply. If I'm not mistaken, the beggar I'm looking for is already dead in your hands."

"And I appeared at the wrong time, in the wrong place. Now you must kill me to silence me."

"But I don't want you to kill me. Can't we find a middle ground?"

Li Banfeng thought a moment: "That depends on how deep our friendship runs."

"I don't trust friendship. But I trust business. Let's make a deal—what do you say?"

"Go on."

Cui Ti said: "I truly don't know where the beggar went. I'll assume you killed him."

"I must report his death to someone very important—but I won't say it was you. I'll say it was a man in white clothes. That's what I saw. Will you accept that?"

The man in white clothes—he meant Xiang Hongying in her white robe.

It would be hard to connect that to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng thought a moment, then replied: "Whether I accept it depends on what you're willing to offer."

Cui Ti said: "I can cure your illness. Don't you feel some itching on your face?"

He was right—Li Banfeng's face itched terribly.

No one else in the household showed any abnormality—not even Xiang Hongying, whose flesh had regrown.

Only Li Banfeng's face burned with unbearable itch—that's why he'd temporarily left the Residence.

Cui Ti explained: "This illness comes from my Dao sect's ancestor. It's deadly, but far stronger than the abscess I originally contracted."

"I can cure you. Is this enough as leverage?"

"Your Dao sect's ancestor? Green Water Beggar?" Li Banfeng tensed, but kept his expression calm. "As far as I know, Green Water Beggar's illness has no cure except from him himself."

Qiu Zhiheng had once told Li Banfeng—even Yao Lao couldn't break Green Water Beggar's technique.

But Cui Ti was confident: "I now have the power to do it. You can distrust me—or kill me now."

"Perhaps you have another way to cure yourself—but it will take time. Meanwhile, as long as the ancestor's illness lingers on you, he can lock onto your location. He could find you at any moment."

"You don't want him to find you. So this deal is your best option. What do you think?"

Using Yu Zhaixiu's talent, combined with the Residence and its spirit's power, might truly break Green Water Beggar's technique—but Cui Ti was right: it would take time.

Li Banfeng nodded: "I think this deal is fair."

Cui Ti stepped close to Li Banfeng, staring into his cheek: "Don't worry—I won't ambush you. That would be foolish. Give me a moment—the problem will be solved quickly."

After a few minutes, Li Banfeng no longer felt the itch.

Cui Ti's face twisted violently—his cheeks erupted with dense, raised bumps. He had transferred Green Water Beggar's illness onto himself.

"The taste of the ancestor… is unlike any other…" Cui Ti struggled to speak. "I've kept my promise. May I go now?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Before you go, can you reveal anything about your ancestor's intentions? Was the beggar sent by him?"

"Yes. He's deeply troubled by your land reclamation."

"Why does he care about my reclamation? Is it because I've gathered many laborers in Green Water City?"

Cui Ti shook his head: "I don't know the exact reason. But my advice is: keep doing what you're doing."

"Why say that?"

"Because Green Water Beggar is that kind of man. Even if you wanted to stop now, he wouldn't let you go."

"Farewell, friend. Don't touch the beggar's corpse again."

That wasn't a concern—the beggar was already inside his family's stomach. The few remaining scraps had been cleaned by Honglian, and after the meal, everyone had been sterilized by steam.

What truly worried Li Banfeng was what Green Water Beggar would do next.

…

Cui Ti returned to the hospital and immediately prayed to Green Water Beggar: "Great Ancestor, as you commanded, I've monitored the beggar's movements. He no longer exists in this world."

Soon, Green Water Beggar appeared before Cui Ti: "Be clear—did he die?"

"Yes," Cui Ti nodded.

"Where's the body?"

"I destroyed it."

"Why?"

"Because his body carried your power. If others found it, they might trace your whereabouts."

Green Water Beggar smiled: "You did well. Do you want to know who the beggar was?"

"Only if the Ancestor is willing to tell me—and if I'm permitted to know."

Green Water Beggar chuckled: "I still find your speech tiresome—but you speak well. The beggar's name is Dogtail Grass. He was the land god of the newly reclaimed land beside Blue Willow Village."

"Over the years, we've clashed several times. I took over more than seventy percent of his territory. His cultivation was about to drop below Ground Skin."

"Now that he's dead, there's no need to leave him even that little. I'll take it all."

"In the future, if you ever ascend to Cloud Level, you may come to me for a plot of land."

"Thank you, Ancestor, for your grace."

Green Water Beggar shook his head: "Don't thank me yet—the matter isn't finished. Did you see who killed him?"

Cui Ti answered honestly: "I didn't see the fight. I only saw a figure in white."

Green Water Beggar laughed: "That woman on Filth Hill—she sent Zhong Huaien and that robe to protect Li Qi. How powerful is that robe now, to have killed Dogtail Grass?"

"Looks like I can't sit idle—I must respond."

Cui Ti bowed deeply: "I will do everything in my power to help the Ancestor win this war."

"War? You use words I'm not used to," Green Water Beggar chuckled. "I've already acted. I suspect Chu Shaohong won't hold out—he never could."

…

In a villa beside Sheep Horn Garden, Chu Shaohong, former head of the Chu family, sat on a sofa wearing a gray-white coat, listening as the white-robed youth Zhong Huaien reported his findings.

"Mr. Chu, Li Qi has returned to Green Water City. He's contacted the He family and seems very close to He Yuxiu. He's recruited more laborers for reclamation. Should we act against him?" Zhong Huaien rubbed his chin.

Chu Shaohong shook his head: "Not yet. I'd rather speak with Qiu Luoye—he still holds his contract under Inner State's control."

"I've heard the Border Warden has taken action—seems aimed at me."

Zhong Huaien knew of this—he'd planned to tell Chu Shaohong: "Director Liao sent word to the Pure Guard Society, requesting to meet you."

"Refuse," Chu Shaohong said flatly. "I'll warn you too—avoid him. You've heard some of my past."

Zhong Huaien scratched his cheek: "But my Master says we can't reclaim Jiangshan without the Border Warden's support."

Chu Shaohong shook his head and smiled: "The Border Warden won't support you. Only Inner State can."

"But my Master says—" Zhong Huaien scratched harder—tiny, glistening blisters slowly swelled on his face.

Chu Shaohong frowned and stepped back: "Have you met Green Water Beggar?"

Zhong Huaien shook his head in confusion: "I've never seen him. I followed your instructions and kept hiding from him."

"Looks like you didn't hide well enough!" Chu Shaoqiang prepared to leave the villa immediately.

Only then did Zhong Huaien realize he might have fallen victim to the Green Water Beggars' technique.

He hurried after him: "Mr. Chu, tell me what to do! Can the illness inflicted by the Green Flower Beggars be cured?"

Chu Shaoqiang gave advice: "Steam it for several hours with boiling water—that should fix it."

"Steam it?" Zhong Huaien shook his head. "I can't withstand steaming. My cultivation base isn't strong enough."

Chu Shaoqiang kept as much distance as possible from Zhong Huaien: "I'm speaking to your clothes."

The white robe immediately left Zhong Huaien and ran to the kitchen to boil water.

…

Wan Jinxian contacted He Jiaqing: "Jiaqing, the Green Flower Beggars want to ally with us."

"The Green Flower Beggars? Isn't he an imperial dog from Neizhou? How could he possibly ally with us?" He Jiaqing was riding his electric scooter delivering food; several nearby neighborhoods were bustling with activity.

"He's broken ties with Neizhou. Neizhou sent Chu Shaoqiang over—apparently to fight him."

"Aren't you saying Chu Shaoqiang is dead?"

"He's not dead. He reached Cloud Above realm, and he's had some contact with Li Qi."

"How could Li Qi possibly have contact with Chu Shaoqiang? What's he been busy with lately?" He Jiaqing doubted Wan Jinxian's information.

"Li Qi's been busy clearing new land. He returned to Green Water City last night. Someone saw him enter the He family mansion—He Yuxiu personally welcomed him inside, and he didn't come out until the next morning."

Crash!

He Jiaqing crashed into the curb. His food delivery box tipped over, spilling its contents all over the ground.

Wan Jinxian waited for a reply: "Jiaqing, what about the Green Flower Beggars?"

"Stall him. Don't give him a definite answer. I'll investigate first, then decide."

He Jiaqing cut the call and stood beside his scooter, cursing: "Disgusting. Two disgusting people. Don't they know the age gap? Truly shameless!"

His phone buzzed with repeated alerts: "Your order has expired."

…

Zhong Huaien arrived at Yao Wang Gou, deep in the mountains, at Yao Lao's residence.

He knew Yao Xin was in trouble, and he knew Xu Han lived here.

This was Chu Shaoqiang's suggestion: if he wanted to live, he must seek out the ancestor of the Golden Cultivators—only if Xu Han helped him might there be a glimmer of hope.

Seeing Zhong Huaien covered in blisters, Xu Lao frowned: "Child, you've been struck by the Green Flower Beggars' technique?"

Zhong Huaien wept: "I'm just an ordinary citizen of Green Water City. One day I met a beggar covered in pus-filled sores—I gave him some money. Then I came home and became like this."

"Later, a high-ranking cultivator told me to come here to Yao Wang Gou to find you—I might still save my life. That's why I've come..."

Xu Han cut him off: "Child, don't rush. Clarify your story first. You say you're an ordinary person, but that doesn't seem right. If I'm not mistaken, you're a disciple from Sacred Sage Peak, aren't you?"

Zhong Huaien, realizing his identity was exposed, dared not deny it: "Master Xu, I know you and my master have had past grievances."

"I know nothing of your affairs. Please, have mercy—save my life."

Zhong Huaien knelt on the ground. On Sacred Sage Peak, he was well-practiced in this ritual—he could kneel for days without issue.

Xu Han quickly helped him up: "What does our old feud have to do with you, a child? You've come here—how could I refuse to save you?"

"Stay here two days. When I finish my current tasks, I'll prepare medicine for you."

Zhong Huaien refused to rise from his knees: "Master Xu, I can't wait. The itching is unbearable—I can't go on living."

Xu Lao sighed, then immediately prepared a large barrel of golden fluid.

"Come, child. Soak in this for three days. The illness will heal."

Soak in this...

Zhong Huaien found it difficult.

Xu Han frowned: "Child, this is treatment—how can you be so picky? If you can't endure this, how will you survive?"

Zhong Huaien gritted his teeth, stripped off his clothes, stepped into the barrel, and submerged his entire body in the golden fluid.

"That's right. Lower your head further. Submerge your mouth and nose. When you need to breathe, let your nose out—but never your mouth."

Zhong Huaien, bubbling through the fluid, asked weakly: "Will this really cure me?"

"You came to me—do you still doubt me? Child, soak here. I'll go up the mountain to gather more herbs for you."

Xu Lao stepped out of the courtyard, sighed softly, and muttered to himself: "The world misunderstands me too deeply. Why does everyone think I'm a good man?"

PS: Zhong Huaien, the most arrogant disciple of the Sage, sank into the golden dream.

(End of Chapter)