Chapter 421: Learn to Adapt

At dawn, two patrol guards were scouting across the fallen autumn leaves when they spotted a round figure leading a dozen people along a newly built path of the Three-Headed Ones.

The Three-Headed Ones' dwelling lay just ahead—what were they here to do?

Judging by their clothing, these people were clearly not settlers; the patrol guard sensed trouble and hurried off to find Ma Wu.

Ma Wu pushed aside the spotted snake on his bed, dressed himself, and went to the Three-Headed Ones' dwelling.

Seeing the round figure, Ma Wu's heart skipped a beat.

Liao Zihui, the Chief of Border Defense—he had come in person.

He brought over a dozen subordinates, all people of status even within the Border Defense Office; among them was Cai Junshan, the Border Defense Chief of Sinners' City.

Cai Junshan summoned Juanzi and ordered: "You're the leader—get everyone out. It's time to go back."

Juanzi was terrified, struggling to breathe; she recognized Cai Junshan. She had seen his methods—knew he had once made countless Three-Headed Ones wish they were dead. That fear was carved deep into her marrow.

Even the usually impulsive Mengzi fell silent, his forehead sweating more than Juanzi's.

Seeing Juanzi too afraid to respond, Fangyi spoke up: "Chief of Border Defense, if you want us to return, fine—but shouldn't you explain something first...?"

Cai Junshan glanced at Fangyi: "I wasn't speaking to you!"

Fangyi bowed her head in silence. Cai Junshan turned to Juanzi: "This is your final chance. If it weren't for the Chief's presence, I wouldn't even have looked at you—I'd have ordered you all executed on the spot!"

Pack your things and come with me!"

Several Three-Headed Ones looked at Juanzi. She didn't move. They didn't move either.

Cai Junshan frowned: "What's going on? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Ma Wu stepped forward with a smile: "Chief of Border Defense, let's talk calmly. No need to spoil the harmony."

Cai Junshan looked at Ma Wu: "Who are you?"

Liao Zihui smiled beside him: "Junshan, this is my friend."

Cai Junshan glared at Ma Wu but said nothing more.

Did he truly not recognize Ma Wu?

Though Sinners' City was far from Greenwater Bay, Ma Wu's face had surely appeared in the newspapers.

This was Liao Zihui's instruction: first, humiliate Ma Wu upon arrival, so he'd dare not speak up.

Then Liao Zihui would offer a few soothing words to preserve Ma Wu's dignity, ensuring he'd stay silent.

"Chief Liao," Ma Wu said to Liao Zihui, "what is this...?"

Liao Zihui looked at Ma Wu and sighed: "Junyang, don't meddle in this. You shouldn't."

Cai Junshan turned to the group of Three-Headed Ones: "Listen well—today, no one can save you. Only I can.

I give you thirty seconds. Within thirty seconds, gather here—or I won't hold back..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Junshan dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground before the Three-Headed Ones.

Juanzi froze. All the Three-Headed Ones froze.

Why was the Border Defense Chief being so courteous today?

Because his head was being held down by Li Banfeng.

Cai Junshan lifted his head to shout—Li Banfeng pressed his skull down again, forcing another bow.

Several bodyguards rushed forward, but seeing Cai Junshan's head gripped in Li Banfeng's hand, they hesitated, glancing at Liao Zihui. Liao Zihui ordered all bodyguards to raise their steam rifles.

In Pulu Province, gunpowder was unreliable, but steam rifles relied on high-pressure, high-temperature steam—stable and dependable.

Li Banfeng acted as if he saw nothing, pressing Cai Junshan's head into the ground three times, cracking his skull open.

Cai Junshan's eyes reddened—whether from fear or pain, no one could tell.

Li Banfeng tossed Cai Junshan aside and asked: "Xiao Shan, why are you crying?"

Cai Junshan gritted his teeth: "I'm not crying!"

"I wasn't speaking to you," Li Banfeng turned to Juanzi's third head, wiping away its tears. The child was named Xiao Shan. "What's there to fear? Don't cry."

Xiao Shan sniffled: "If Seventh Master is here, I'm not afraid."

Behind Li Banfeng, Cai Junshan snarled: "You just hit me?"

Li Banfeng turned: "Who are you?"

Cai Junshan roared: "I'm the Border Defense Chief of Sinners' City!"

"What's a Border Defense Chief of Sinners' City doing here? Is this Sinners' City?"

Cai Junshan said: "I'm acting on the Chief's orders..."

"Who's your chief? Did no one ever teach you manners? Talking like this?"

Cai Junshan could take no more. He pointed at Li Banfeng: "Li Qi, I'm speaking to you out of respect. What do you think you are..."

SLAP!

Li Banfeng struck Cai Junshan across the face—hard enough to peel off a layer of skin from his left cheek.

"Is this your respect?" Li Banfeng looked at the skin on his palm.

Cai Junshan clutched his face, groaning incoherently.

"I don't like your kind of respect. Keep it."

SLAP!

Li Banfeng swung back and slapped the skin onto Cai Junshan's right cheek.

Cai Junshan finally broke down, howling in tears.

He was a ruthless man—a killer without number.

But after years in Pulu Province, Li Banfeng had learned a pattern: men like Cai Junshan, brimming with cruelty, had rarely been beaten.

Li Banfeng was right. Cai Junshan had never been struck in his life. He wept uncontrollably, the projector diligently recording this precious footage.

Liao Zihui's bodyguards stood still. Cai Junshan's two personal guards wanted to charge, but knew they couldn't match Li Qi—they'd only get hurt.

Getting hurt wasn't the issue—it was their duty. But Li Qi looked dangerous; provoking him might mean unbearable suffering.

Why become a bodyguard if you must endure so much pain?

The Border Defense Office didn't pay well. Was it worth enduring this? What if they were seriously injured—or killed? Was it worth it?

Why were these two bodyguards thinking so much? Protecting Cai Junshan was their duty—these thoughts weren't theirs to have.

Chu Er, watching from afar, raised an eyebrow at Li Banfeng. Just now, she had used the Fourth Layer Skill of Sorrowful Reflection on the two guards, silently plunging them into despair and pessimism.

Liao Zihui ordered Cai Junshan taken back to the carriage—his crying was too humiliating.

He looked up at Li Qi on the hillside and said calmly: "I may have come uninvited today, but we must clarify the facts.

If our tone was poor, we can apologize—but you harboring Sinners' City's fugitives is your fault."

Li Qi looked down at Liao Zihui: "What crimes did they commit?"

Liao Zihui smiled: "Let's not discuss their crimes first. Let's discuss why you shouldn't harbor fugitives."

Li Qi shook his head: "Let's not discuss whether I harbored them. I'll ask you again—what crimes did they commit?"

Li Banfeng rejected the "let's not discuss" tactic—it put Liao Zihui at a disadvantage.

He had to rephrase: "Whether they're guilty or not isn't up to me—it's..."

"If you can't decide, why are you talking to me?" Li Banfeng cut him off. "Send your superior. Find the one who actually decides."

Liao Zihui's veins throbbed. The words were infuriating—but not as infuriating as he'd feared.

Why was he so enraged?

Because Ma Wu was beside him, urging him on.

"Chief Liao, calm down. Old Qi isn't exaggerating—he's right. Who actually decides here?"

He was using the Joyful Cultivation Technique.

"Chief Liao, don't just dominate the conversation. Tell us plainly—what crimes did they commit?" Lu Chunying arrived with Tan Fucheng and Lu Yuanxin.

"I slept late last night, thought I'd catch a nap this morning—and now this chaos," He Yuxiu yawned as she joined Li Qi's side.

Seeing Liao Zihui, He Yuxiu smiled: "Oh my, if it isn't Chief Liao. Haven't seen you in days—you still haven't killed me. Are you in a hurry?"

The He family, the Lu family, the Ma family, the Chu family.

Ma Wu wasn't a traditional Ma family member, but Liao Zihui knew: today, Ma Junyang's status in Pulu Province surpassed even his father Ma Chunting's.

All four families stood beside Li Qi. Liao Zihui felt an oppression he'd never known before.

Liao Zihui shouted: "Is the Land God here?"

"Here!" Qiu Luoye responded.

"Can you speak?"

"I can!" Qiu Luoye replied a second time.

Liao Zihui said: "I previously declared no one may shelter fugitives from Sinners' City. Now they've all gathered on your land. Aren't you obligated to explain?"

"Get lost!" Qiu Luoye gave him his answer.

Liao Zihui wasn't done: "Are you saying these fugitives must leave your land?"

"I told you to get lost!" He forced Qiu Luoye to spell it out.

Liao Zihui's veins throbbed again. Everyone around him readied for battle.

Li Qi advised him: "Zihui, go home. It's embarrassing to be here."

Liao Zihui's eyes glinted coldly as he stared at Li Qi: "For these three-headed people? For these monsters? You're willing to push things this far?"

Li Banfeng said: "Don't casually call others monsters. It reveals your own lack of refinement."

Liao Zihui raised his voice: "They are monsters! In Pulu Province, they've been called that for years! You still have much to learn about the rules! You know nothing!"

He was deliberately provoking Li Qi.

Li Banfeng didn't anger. He spoke with solemn gravity: "Pulu Province has changed. You haven't kept up."

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "I don't like change, and I'm not good at adapting to it."

Li Banfeng added, "People can't expect the environment to adapt to them—they must actively adapt to the environment. Zihui, you really must learn to adapt."

Liao Zihui's cheek twitched; he had often said this himself in the past, and he'd always thought it was both reasonable and powerful.

Now, hearing these words, he found them hateful—and yet they refused to leave his mind.

Liao Zihui gave the order and led his men away from Qiuluoye's territory.

Juanzi fell to her knees before Li Banfeng and bowed her head to the ground.

Li Banfeng pulled Juanzi up; the other three men also moved to kneel, but Li Banfeng snapped, "No kneeling—stand straight and speak!"

He Yuxiu looked up at the sky. "Dawn is coming." The light grew stronger; the gloomy mist had nearly vanished.

Lu Chunying said, "Seventh Brother, Mother has been searching for many books and reading extensively about the transition from new land to official land. We need to prepare early."

Xiao Ye Ci nodded. "Your Grace, we must gather all ten thousand people as soon as possible—and settle the original inhabitants of the new land without delay."

Qiuluoye appeared beside Li Banfeng. "Is there any way I can keep a few of my old brothers? I can't bear to leave them."

Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Ye Ci, who nodded. "There is a way—but the rules make it complicated."

PS: Thank you to our patron, Bomb Expert Hao Ren, and to Shala for your encouragement and support.

(End of Chapter)