Chapter 428: Madame Wuqin Township

Madame Wuqin Township was a town, smaller than Medicine King Valley and smaller than Pants-Belt Ridge. Among the towns Li Li Banfeng had visited, Madame Wuqin Township was the smallest.

There were not many people in this town, and there wasn't much talk between people. The only thing in abundance was marshland. Li Li Banfeng spent a day wandering here and discovered that the wilderness, forests, farmland, and country roads all had marshland nearby; there were even mud pits between the village houses.

At dusk, Li Li Banfeng ate a bowl of braised meat noodles at a restaurant, and the shopkeeper charged him thirty yuan.

This price was obviously expensive, but Li Li Banfeng didn't haggle. The shopkeeper of the noodle shop was a kind old lady. She had clearly stated the price, saying this bowl of noodles was thirty.

When leaving, Li Li Banfeng gave the old lady an extra twenty and asked how to get to the New Land.

The old lady was very enthusiastic and told Li Li Banfeng: "Child, stick to the wall base and go east. When you reach the second alley entrance, keep walking south. After walking out of the alley, there is a mountain path. Cross the mountain and you will be able to see the New Land."

In Madame Wuqin Township, there weren't many people who could give directions so carefully.

Li Li Banfeng thanked her repeatedly, but there was one sentence he didn't quite understand: "Auntie, why must I stick to the wall base?"

The old lady lowered her voice and said: "Child, there are unclean things on this road. I'm afraid you might bump into them. We are not related, so I can't tell you too much, but you won't go wrong if you listen to me."

What a good person!

Li Li Banfeng gave the old lady another twenty yuan. As soon as he stepped out the door, he sensed danger.

What kind of things were on this road?

Li Li Banfeng walked forward, sticking to the wall base, and activated the Golden Eye Jinjing Qiuhao technique to look at the situation in the middle of the road.

There were occasional pedestrians on the road, but he didn't see any ghosts or the like. Could it be that there were some traps...

Splat!

Li Li Banfeng had stepped into a mud pit.

There was actually a marsh right next to the wall base.

This mud pit was bottomless, and there were no markings around it. The old lady was afraid that passing pedestrians would discover the mud pit, so she had sprinkled a layer of loose soil over it beforehand, making it look no different from the ordinary ground.

Li Li Banfeng was about to get out of the mud pit when he saw the old lady walking over with a wooden pole: "Child, don't struggle. The more you struggle, the faster you sink. Don't worry, I'll pull you out."

This was truly a good person.

Li Li Banfeng didn't need the old lady's help. With his skills, he didn't even need to use a technique; he could get out easily.

But the old lady was so enthusiastic, holding the bamboo pole and saying: "Child, we are not related, so I can't help you for nothing. How about this: give me two thousand, and I'll pull you out."

Li Li Banfeng blinked and asked: "Is two thousand appropriate?"

"You think it's expensive?" The old lady frowned. "I'm telling you, quite a few people have drowned in this mud pit. We are not related; if it were someone else, who would be willing to bother with you? If you think it's expensive, it'll be five thousand."

Li Li Banfeng was stunned and asked: "Is five thousand appropriate?"

"If you ask again, it'll be ten thousand!" The old lady's smile remained kind.

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "Ten thousand is fine."

After saying that, Li Li Banfeng jumped out, grabbed the old lady, and threw her into the mud pit.

The old lady was startled. She turned her toes, curled her body, and rolled out of the mud pit.

No wonder she dared to set traps here. This old lady had cultivation and good skills; she wasn't afraid of others taking revenge afterward.

Out of the mud pit, the old lady stood up abruptly, grabbed a handful of lime from her bosom, and wanted to throw it into Li Li Banfeng's face.

Li Li Banfeng dodged, grabbed the bamboo pole, and casually poked it, sending the old lady back into the mud pit.

The old lady wanted to roll out again, but Li Li Banfeng held the pole. Seeing her roll out, he sent her back. He did this several times, and the old lady, exhausted, stopped moving in the mud pit.

Li Li Banfeng held the bamboo pole, stood by the mud pit, watched the old lady sink little by little, and asked unhurriedly: "You told me to stick to the wall base just to plot against me here?"

The old lady shouted: "Who plotted against you? Who told you to stick to the wall base? Ask around and see who heard it!"

No need to ask. In this place, where everyone was unrelated, no one could hear it.

Li Li Banfeng didn't speak either, just watched quietly by the mud pit.

The old lady sank deeper and deeper, unable to help shouting: "I admit defeat, spare my life!"

"Ten thousand." Li Li Banfeng stated the price.

The old lady said angrily: "You still want money?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "Isn't this the price we just agreed on? We are not related; if you don't give me money, why should I spare you?"

The old lady shouted to the people around: "Someone help me! I'll pay, I'll give two thousand!"

Two thousand wasn't a small amount, but no one dared to come up.

Everyone could see that Li Li Banfeng wasn't a good person to mess with. Since they were unrelated, who would dare to risk their lives? Even the few waiters in the shop were watching the fun from the side.

The old lady gritted her teeth and said: "Ten thousand, I admit it. Let me out first."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "Give me the money first."

The old lady said to the waiter in the shop: "Get ten thousand yuan!"

A waiter took ten thousand yuan and handed it to Li Li Banfeng. Li Li Banfeng put it into his pocket and asked: "I want to go to the New Land. Was the path you pointed out earlier correct?"

"Correct!" The old lady answered crisply and loudly.

Li Li Banfeng stood still. Watching the silt submerge her waist, the old lady finally told the truth: "It's the third alley. Walk along the third alley, walk to the mountain path, cross the mountain, and that's it."

"How many entrances to the New Land do you have here?"

"Just one!"

Li Li Banfeng left. The old lady struggled for a long time before she managed to break free from the mud pit.

"Just wait, you just wait!" The old lady gritted her teeth incessantly. "The Lady definitely won't spare you!"

Li Li Banfeng didn't trust the old lady and asked for the entrance to the New Land all the way.

In Madame Wuqin Township, asking for directions was really difficult. Li Li Banfeng never let people do things for nothing; he gave money. But even after giving money and asking seven or eight people, they gave seven or eight different places, and none of them were the same.

How was this folk custom formed? Lanyang Village wasn't bad to this extent.

It was dark. Li Li Banfeng found a quiet place, prepared to hide the key, and went back to the Leaving Suishenju to have a sleep, when he suddenly sensed danger approaching.

Li Li Banfeng put away the key and saw a woman carrying a lantern walking over from afar.

The woman was around fifty, wearing a dark blue floral jacket with a slanted placket. Her hair was tightly tied on top of her head with a hairpin, and her temples were smeared with something shiny.

Such an old-fashioned style was rare in Puluo Continent. The woman stepped forward and said to Li Li Banfeng: "My name is Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen. By the order of our Lady, I invite you to our residence for a meeting."

"Who is your Lady?"

"Lady Madame Wuqin, the master of Madame Wuqin Township."

Listening to her description, she should be an Earth Deity.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "We are not related, why do you want to see me?"

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen said: "Our Lady appreciates your great skills and wants to make friends with you."

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Has your Lady met me?"

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen nodded: "Just now in the town, you fought with the Lady's maid, Lu Dehua."

"Lu Dehua's cultivation is not low, but she had no power to fight back in front of you. Our Lady values young talents like you very much."

"The Lu Dehua you mentioned, is she the one who runs the noodle shop?"

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen nodded.

Li Li Banfeng cupped his hands and said: "Thank you for the Lady's favor. It's this late, and it's not appropriate for a man like me to meet your Lady. I will prepare a gift another day and come to pay a visit."

After saying that, Li Li Banfeng said goodbye and turned to leave. Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen shouted: "You are looking for the path, right?"

Li Li Banfeng looked back and asked: "How did you know?"

"The east side of Madame Wuqin Township originally bordered the Ink Fragrance Shop. I don't know what happened, but a piece of unknown territory suddenly appeared."

"The people in that territory are trapped inside and can't get out. You are here to rescue them. Our Lady saw it long ago."

There was a deviation in the process; she thought Li Li Banfeng came from somewhere else.

But the result was unaffected; Li Li Banfeng was indeed out looking for the path.

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen continued: "Our Lady can help you point out a path, but if you refuse to even meet, you are looking down on our Lady too much."

"That makes sense," Li Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Can I trouble the Lady to come here and meet me?"

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen frowned: "What kind of talk is this? Is it appropriate for my Lady to come and meet you in the middle of the night?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "It's not appropriate for me to go to the Lady's house either. It doesn't matter if the Lady doesn't want to come; just give me a map, and I will be very grateful."

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen said with a dark face: "You wait here; I'll go report to the Lady."

She left, looking back from time to time along the way, seemingly afraid that Li Li Banfeng would follow.

Li Li Banfeng didn't intend to follow Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen either.

Following someone depends on timing and methods. The other party was full of vigilance, so even the best methods were prone to mistakes.

Li Li Banfeng returned to the Leaving Suishenju and asked the Phonograph: "My Lady, have you heard of Lady Madame Wuqin?"

The Phonograph replied: "I have heard of her. She is the Earth Deity of Madame Wuqin Township, but I know nothing about her. She doesn't easily associate with others."

"She doesn't easily associate with others, so why did she come looking for me?"

Chirp chirp~

The Phonograph laughed: "I suppose it's because my husband is handsome!"

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "When I was peeing yesterday, I looked at the puddle. Don't say, I really am quite handsome."

The couple frolicked for a little while. Li Li Banfeng took a knife, cut his palm, and dripped blood onto the seed.

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen returned, seeing Li Li Banfeng waiting by the roadside.

"Our Lady said that it is indeed inconvenient to meet at this hour, so I will just lead the way for you. Since the two families are neighbors, it will be convenient for us to help each other in the future."

Li Li Banfeng nodded and said: "Thank you."

"The road is hard to walk in the dark; you'd better follow closely."

Li Li Banfeng bowed slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."

The two walked one after another, along the mountain path, crossing a small mountain. There was heavy fog on the territory ahead. Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen said: "We have arrived at the New Land."

Li Li Banfeng nodded and said: "Thank you for your trouble."

Walking more than ten miles along the path, Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen pointed to an old tree stump ahead and said: "Sit here and rest for a while."

Li Li Banfeng nodded and said: "Thank you."

Before Li Li Banfeng could sit down, Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen suddenly spat at Li Li Banfeng's feet.

Li Li Banfeng was startled, only feeling that the ground beneath his feet became wet, sticky, and soft. The originally hard ground turned into a mud swamp, and Li Li Banfeng's body began to sink rapidly.

What kind of sect technique was this?

He wanted to break free, but Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen spat again.

The mud swamp became stickier and softer. Li Li Banfeng couldn't break free, and in the blink of an eye, his chest was submerged by the silt.

He looked at Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen in astonishment. Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen said with a cold expression: "We are not related. You let me lead the way for you—what do you think you are?"

Seeing Li Li Banfeng completely submerged in the silt, Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen took a breath and sucked the two mouthfuls of spit back into her mouth. The mud swamp on the ground disappeared, and it was the hard, cold ground again.

Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen turned and left. After walking a few steps, she concealed her figure and traveled rapidly in the night.

Li Li Banfeng activated the Golden Eye Jinjing Qiuhao technique and followed silently behind Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen.

PS: Lan Qiao Lan Qiao Shaofen first appeared in Chapter 418; Juanzi knows her.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 429 =====