Chapter 429: Bloodbath in the Desolate Village (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Qiao Shaofen hurried forward, Li Banfeng closely following behind.

Along this path, Li Banfeng walked with heart pounding and fear gripping him.

This woman's Dao gate was strange, her strikes ruthless; one misstep, and Li Banfeng could die.

He dared follow her because he'd judged her perception weak—she'd buried the "Li Banfeng" in the swamp and hadn't realized "Li Banfeng" was made of cabbage.

He trailed her to a desolate village, where Qiao Shaofen entered a large mansion; Li Banfeng stopped following.

This was Qiao Shaofen's residence; the "No-Relative Lady" she mentioned likely lived here too.

Li Banfeng didn't linger, leaving the desolate village at once and returning to Xin Di, wandering all night without finding a viable route.

He'd planned to detour through Xin Di back to Qiuluoye's territory, but the journey proved far harder than expected—even knowing the direction, he couldn't find a passable path.

Near dawn, Li Banfeng circled back to Wuqin Township, used a mechanism to open the boundary, and returned to Qiuluoye's territory from Zheng Di.

The territory lay silent; after returning to Zheng Di, people quickly resumed their normal day-night routines.

At daybreak, households rose one by one; reclamation folk sought exits, Three-Headed folk repaired homes and tended fields.

The morning was calm, but by afternoon, reclamation folk grew desperate to return home, still unable to find exits; arguments erupted across the territory.

Qiuluoye informed Li Banfeng of the Wan Nianlao's situation; Li Banfeng wished to meet him, but Shui Yongquan urged him to wait.

"Old Seven, you want to detour through Xin Di to Wuqin Township—this won't help to seek Wan Nianlao. The territory has changed; even Wan Nianlao doesn't know where Wuqin Township is now. He once mistook us for people from Wuqin Township."

"Qiu Daxiang fought him once—he was outnumbered and lost. If we go to him now, he'll be on guard, might even set traps. We must proceed with caution."

Li Banfeng weighed it repeatedly, yet decided to venture into Wan Nianlao's territory; just as he prepared to leave, Juanzi summoned him inside.

"Young Master, there's something I've been hesitating whether to tell you…" Her expression showed deep distress.

Mengzi urged from beside: "What time is this? Can't you see Young Master's in a hurry? Just hand it over!"

Xiaoshan added: "Sister, just show it to Young Master."

Li Banfeng rose: "If it's not meant for me to see, don't show it. Don't put yourself in a bind."

He didn't blame Juanzi—he spoke sincerely. Everyone has secrets; Li Banfeng never demanded unconditional honesty from those around him.

Juanzi stopped him, pulling out a map from her bosom: "Young Master, this was given to me by my benefactor. I swore I'd never show it to anyone else."

"But I'm breaking that vow now, showing it to you. All blame is mine—if my benefactor finds out, punish me alone."

Li Banfeng glanced at it and immediately understood its importance.

It was a route map of Xin Di—Juanzi had used this very map to travel from Zui Ren City all the way to Qiuluoye's territory.

Now the map was outdated, for Qiuluoye's territory had become Zheng Di, wedged between Wuqin Township and Moxiang Shop.

Yet it recorded the surrounding Xin Di layout; some mountains and rivers on the map, Li Banfeng had seen last night in Xin Di.

With this map, Li Banfeng could find the way!

Who gave this map to Juanzi?

Juanzi refused to reveal her benefactor's identity; Li Banfeng had no intention of pressing.

Traveling cultivators were sensitive to maps; Li Banfeng returned it to Juanzi. He'd seen it only once, yet remembered every route clearly.

Shui Yongquan was still discussing with Qiuluoye how to borrow a path from Wan Nianlao.

Li Banfeng drew out the route for Shui Yongquan: "Brother Shui, if you're eager to return, we won't keep you."

Shui Yongquan waved his hand: "Don't keep me—I'm truly desperate. Your territory's become Zheng Di, but mine? Even reclamation folk don't respond."

Li Banfeng smiled: "I was just about to discuss Zheng Di with you. If you're not in a rush, stay and do business."

Shui Yongquan blinked in surprise: "Business? Forget that for now—first find your people a way out."

"The business lies in the way out, Brother Shui. Look at Brother Qiu's Zheng Di—don't you want a piece? I don't have a whole piece, but half a piece? We can negotiate."

"Half a piece of Zheng Di?" Shui Yongquan didn't understand Li Banfeng's meaning.

Qiuluoye smiled beside him.

Shui Yongquan frowned: "What are you smiling at? Did you understand?"

Qiuluoye shook his head: "I don't understand, and I don't need to. I follow Old Seven."

Li Banfeng said: "Whether it succeeds depends on you, Brother Shui. The key is we mustn't reveal our trail."

Qiuluoye chuckled: "Don't worry. Brother Shui has no other talent, but hiding his form? That's real skill. When he attacked my place, I felt not a single stir."

Li Banfeng smiled: "Brother Qiu understands. Brother Shui—do you get it?"

…

Night fell. Qiao Shaofen inspected the Xin Di entrance, then circled the border.

She gazed at Qiuluoye's territory, her expression as cold as ever.

The Border Warden had enemies among this group; Qiao Shaofen wanted no part in their troubles.

One out, one dead—she made her stance clear, and her method too.

Wuqin Township was small; after completing her circuit, she found no outsiders and returned to the desolate village.

At the village entrance sat a man, tall and broad, carrying two baskets of sweet potatoes, resting on a stone.

Qiao Shaofen stepped forward: "Where are you from?"

The man looked up, simple and honest: "From this township."

Qiao Shaofen didn't believe him: "From this township? You dare come to this village?"

This desolate village was a forbidden zone in Wuqin Township.

The man blinked: "I've never been here before. I was walking at night, didn't know how I ended up on this road. I planned to head to the market at dawn."

Qiao Shaofen asked: "You say you're from this township. Which village do you live in? What's the village chief's surname? How many in your household?"

"I live in…" Qiuluoye stared grimly at Qiao Shaofen, refusing to continue.

There had been lines prepared—Li Banfeng had scripted them for Qiuluoye in advance.

But there were too many lines; Qiuluoye hadn't memorized them.

Qiao Shaofen sneered: "Can't answer? Then don't blame me."

Even if he could answer, it wouldn't matter—since the moment she saw him enter the desolate village, she'd decided he wouldn't leave alive.

Qiao Shaofen coughed, spat a wad of saliva at Qiuluoye's feet.

Before the saliva hit the ground, Shui Yongquan darted beneath Qiuluoye's feet, hissed, sucked the spit into his mouth, then spat out a lump of mud.

Qiuluoye laughed: "Brother Shui, taste good?"

Shui Yongquan cursed: "This thing's a mud cultivator—I'm deeply aggrieved. Qiu Daxiang, when this is over, let me pick the spot first!"

Qiao Shaofen froze, sensing danger. She turned to flee—when suddenly a shadow flashed before her.

Who was that?

Boom!

Qiao Shaofen felt her chest shake, spewed blood, as if something inside her belly exploded.

Li Banfeng hid afar, frowning silently—he'd just used Zou Ma Guan Hua on Qiao Shaofen.

Was this the full extent of Zou Ma Guan Hua's damage? What realm was Qiao Shaofen?

Li Banfeng thought the damage insufficient, but for Shui Yongquan, this brief window was enough.

He unslung his water gourd and hurled it at Qiao Shaofen—countless water droplets struck like bullets, riddling her body with bloodied holes.

This was Di Shui Shi Chuan, Water Cultivation Level Three Technique.

The technique's tier was low, but its lethality was precise.

Qiao Shaofen bled heavily, yet the holes healed rapidly. Li Banfeng was stunned by her recovery speed—but Shui Yongquan showed no surprise.

This was the hallmark of a high-level mud cultivator: Di Shui Shi Chuan striking a mud cultivator was like piercing rotten mud with a blade.

Shui Yongquan swung his gourd again—a curtain of water enveloped Qiao Shaofen.

Li Banfeng recognized this technique: Shui Xie Mu Feng, Water Cultivation Level Eight Technique.

Once trapped in the water curtain, never move—it sliced like blades, turning flesh to paste.

Qiao Shaofen didn't hesitate—she dashed straight through the curtain.

Even with her high cultivation, the moment she passed through, she became a pile of minced flesh.

The minced flesh writhed on the ground, swelled, reshaped, and reformed into Qiao Shaofen once more.

Though somewhat torn and missing patches of skin, Qiao Shaofen remained unharmed.

She plucked a hairpin from her head and hurled it at Shui Yongquan—mud cascaded down, nearly trapping him.

Shui Yongquan broke free; his sleeves suddenly lengthened, wrapping around Qiao Shaofen.

Qiao Shaofen tried to tear them apart, but the sleeves were made of water—her hands sank into the liquid, and no matter how she pulled, she couldn't generate force.

Yet when she tried to escape the sleeves, they solidified, binding her from head to toe, as if ready to strangle her at any moment.

This was Shui Xiu Level Nine Technique: Yi Yi Dai Shui. Whether the sleeves were solid or liquid depended entirely on offensive or defensive need.

Boom!

A muffled crack—Qiao Shaofen's body burst from the pressure of Shui Yongquan's sleeves, exploding once more into sludge.

The sludge still wriggled, about to reform—Qiuluoye stepped forward to crush it, but Shui Yongquan stopped him.

"Brother Shui, I've watched you two trade blows for ages," Qiuluoye could no longer bear it. "You go back and forth, calm as ever. Are you taken with her?"

Shui Yongquan laughed: "That was just foreplay—now for the real thing!"

As he spoke, Qiao Shaofen had already regained her form. Shui Yongquan stood still, palms open, mist rising around him.

Seeing Qiao Shaofen about to flee, Li Banfeng used Kui Bu to close the distance and stomped with Ta Po Wan Chuan beside her.

Shattered rocks flew, striking Qiao Shaofen. Li Banfeng didn't expect to wound her—Shui Yongquan's techniques had failed, so his own wouldn't work either. He only needed to buy Shui Yongquan time.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Shaofen was wounded—the rocks pierced her body, leaving countless holes, but this time, the wounds didn't heal quickly.

Qiao Shaofen sensed something wrong: she bled little, but the wounds burned fiercely, and her joints grew stiff and sluggish.

She pried out a bit of flesh from the wound, trying to smear it on Li Banfeng, but Li Banfeng dodged aside.

If he hadn't dodged, Li Banfeng would have been instantly engulfed by mud.

As Li Banfeng moved away, Qiao Shaofen tried to flee, but Qiu Luoye kicked her from behind, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Logically, Qiu Luoye's kick couldn't harm Qiao Shaofen.

If Qiao Shaofen transformed into mud, she could have trapped Qiu Luoye instead.

But now Qiao Shaofen couldn't transform into mud.

She spat at Qiu Luoye, trying to create a mud pool for one final struggle.

But what she spat out wasn't saliva—it was dry ash.

Having held her own against two Earth Deities and Li Banfeng this long, Qiao Shaofen's cultivation base was high, and her combat strength was truly formidable.

But she had fallen into Shui Yongquan's trap, and her tactics had been completely outmaneuvered.

After hearing Li Banfeng's description, Shui Yongquan immediately suspected Qiao Shaofen was a Mud Cultivator, but he wasn't sure whether this was her own ability or the result of some magic treasure.

So he had Qiu Luoye act as bait, luring Qiao Shaofen to strike first.

After Qiao Shaofen struck, Shui Yongquan swallowed her spit, aiming to confirm her Dao path.

Once he confirmed she was a Mud Cultivator, Shui Yongquan's strategy was set.

First came Water Dropping Through Stone, then Water Curtain Seal, then One Robe Across the River—none of these techniques could deliver a fatal blow to a Mud Cultivator; in Shui Yongquan's words, these were just preliminaries.

The sole purpose of the preliminaries was to replace the water—slowly replacing the water in Qiao Shaofen's body with Shui Yongquan's own.

The essence of a high-level Mud Cultivator is a mass of mud; extracting all the water from mud isn't easy, so Shui Yongquan continuously applied techniques.

When about half the water had been replaced, the main act began.

When the main act came, it was time for the killing blow: Shui Yongquan used the Cloud-Top Technique, Water to Water and Water That Can Be Recalled.

First, he mixed his water thoroughly with the remaining water in Qiao Shaofen's body until their properties became similar and could respond to Shui Yongquan's call—this was the Cloud-Top Technique, Water to Water.

After the technique succeeded, Shui Yongquan reclaimed most of the water; the mist surrounding his body was the water he had recalled—this was the Cloud-Top Technique, Water That Can Be Recalled.

Li Banfeng moved quickly, helping Shui Yongquan buy time during this period.

After using these two techniques, Qiao Shaofen changed from a sludge creature into a dry mud creature, her combat strength plummeting.

Shui Yongquan could no longer engage Qiao Shaofen directly, for any technique he used would simply feed her water.

Even with his current cultivation base, Li Banfeng couldn't kill Qiao Shaofen quickly; if she bought time and found water, she might still recover.

But neither Shui Yongquan nor Li Banfeng needed to fight Qiao Shaofen anymore, because now it was Qiu Luoye's turn.

Qiao Shaofen shook her head, her loose hair turning into wriggling worms in the mud, gnawing at Qiu Luoye and injecting venom into his body.

Qiu Luoye wasn't afraid of worms biting him, nor of this little poison.

He walked forward with a smile and crushed half of Qiao Shaofen's body under his foot.

Qiao Shaofen screamed: "Hero, spare my life! I'll do anything you ask—I'll apologize, I'll kowtow to you!"

Qiu Luoye smiled: "We're not kin or acquaintances—why should you kowtow to me? I'm not worthy of it!"

Qiao Shaofen desperately wriggled her half-body, still searching for water.

If she could just buy a little time, if she could find water, she could recover.

But with Qiu Luoye, time wasn't easy to buy—Li Banfeng knew this well.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Continuous screams, muffled impacts.

Qiu Luoye pounded her with fists and kicks until Qiao Shaofen was reduced to a pile of shattered fragments.

Banfeng felt heartbroken—his wife's meal was gone, and he didn't know if these fragments could even be used to brew an elixir.

But the deal was nearly done.

The three of them exchanged glances and laughed, their excitement growing.

PS: Dear readers, all monthly votes go to Shala!

(End of Chapter)