Chapter 436

The person who came to find Qiu Qiu Luoye was at the level above the clouds.

He would bring two helpers, who might also be at the level above the clouds, or even if not, they were probably at the eighth or ninth layer.

Li Li Banfeng could use all his means outside the Leaving Suishenju to entangle with one person at the first layer above the clouds, but to win, he had to trick this person into the Leaving Suishenju.

According to Qiu Qiu Luoye's description, the person sent by the Inner Provinces was clearly not at the first layer above the clouds; his cultivation might even be above Qiu Qiu Luoye's. Relying on Li Li Banfeng alone, the chances of winning were slim, and the two helpers would be even harder to deal with.

Did Li Qi have no helpers?

He He Yuxiu counted as one; she was truly capable of fighting and had a natural rapport with Li Li Banfeng.

This was a life-and-death matter. It was best if He He Yuxiu was willing to help, but Li Li Banfeng wouldn't force her if she wasn't, and he couldn't let Xiu'er help for nothing; he had to give He He Yuxiu some industry in Seventh Autumn City.

Huo Ling was at the seventh layer and could barely hold on for a while.

Zuo Seeing Seeing Zuo Wugang, A-Qin, the Cursing Woman, Duan Duan Wuchou, Liang Liang Wucai, Bai Shou Hong Lian, Kui Guan Bafang, and Chi Chi Liuhe—all these people were at the sixth layer. If they were all put under He He Yuxiu's command, they might be able to hold off one person above the clouds.

They could barely handle two people above the clouds now. If there was another one on the opposite side, how should they deal with it?

Did Li Qi have any more combat power?

Tan Tan Fucheng's cultivation was unknown, but his Daoist sect was special, so he might be able to go to the battlefield.

Lu Lu Yuanxin was an insect cultivator, and his Daoist sect was also special, but he only had fourth-layer cultivation.

Ma Wu was about to advance recently, but even if he did, he would only be at the fourth layer. Letting him fight someone above the clouds would be sending him to his death.

This combat power was not enough.

Go back to Zhengjing Village and invite Shui Shui Yongquan?

The place was too far away; Shui Shui Yongquan probably wouldn't be able to make it in time.

Use the Leaving Suishenju to transport him here?

It was feared that the music box alone wouldn't be able to take him down.

The key was that Shui Shui Yongquan was extremely afraid of the Inner Provinces; he might not even be willing to help.

In his mind, various suggestions kept coming, and so did the rejections. Li Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead and shouted loudly: "Pay attention to the order of speaking!"

Juanzi had just finished boiling a pot of dumplings, and before she could plate them, half of them had been eaten by a few gluttons.

Before the New Year, Li Qi had sent rice, flour, wine, meat, sugar, and tea. For this group of three-headed people, this was the happiest New Year they had ever had in their lives.

Li Li Banfeng knocked on the door and entered Juanzi's house.

Several three-headed people stood up one after another, greeting Li Li Banfeng to sit down.

Some poured wine, some handed out cigarettes, and some came over to wish him a Happy New Year.

Looking at the lanterns outside the window and the window flowers on the glass, looking at this table of sumptuous food and wine.

On such a good day, Li Li Banfeng didn't know how to bring it up.

He took off his backpack and poured out a bag of silver dollars.

Juanzi was stunned, "Seventh Master, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Li Banfeng said, "It's New Year's; this is a red envelope for everyone. Besides, there is one thing I need to trouble everyone with."

"Seventh Master, you take this money back," Juanzi pushed the silver dollars back, "If you have anything to say, just give your orders."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head, "It's not an order, and I don't have the qualifications to give orders. I just wanted to ask, among everyone, who wants to earn some quick money?"

This sounded awkward, but Li Li Banfeng didn't know how else to express it.

Juanzi didn't understand, "Seventh Master, are you asking us to go rob someone?"

"It's not robbery. I have very little, well, I haven't done much of this before...

Tomorrow, some ruthless people are coming to grab this territory, and I'm going to fight a battle with them. I want to hire some helpers.

I definitely won't treat everyone unfairly regarding the price. Whoever wants to go, come find me in the woods tomorrow night."

Juanzi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Seventh Master, do you have weapons here?"

"Yes, I can come up with one or two hundred weapons. It's fine if you can help me find thirty or fifty people; ten or twenty is also fine. It doesn't matter if you can't find anyone. For those who are willing to go, there will be a heavy reward after the battle."

Li Li Banfeng took out the contract and handed it to Juanzi. This was a life-and-death matter; there couldn't be the slightest ambiguity about how much everyone should be paid.

Juanzi accepted the contract and nodded, "Seventh Master, wait for my news."

Returning to the Leaving Suishenju, Li Li Banfeng said to his wife, "My heart and treasure, I have to fight three people above the clouds now. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Three people above the clouds?" Xiang Xiang Hongying was stunned.

The Phonograph spat out steam and said, "My precious husband, it's New Year's, what are you doing!"

"Someone has fought their way to my doorstep; if I don't beat them away, I won't be able to get through this New Year."

"Three people above the clouds fought their way to your doorstep together? What is their background?"

"They are from the Inner Provinces, wanting to grab the territory I just opened."

There was silence in the room. Xiang Xiang Hongying said to the Leaving Suishenju, "Old thing, let me out. I'll fight a battle with Seventh Brother. How do you expect Seventh Brother to fight three people above the clouds?"

The Leaving Suishenju didn't make a sound, but although Xiang Xiang Hongying couldn't see, she felt someone scrutinizing her.

"You don't trust me?"

"That's right, I don't trust you." The Leaving Suishenju gave a simple answer.

The Phonograph sneered, "Vixen, you stabbed me in the back; how could the old man trust you? Old man, let me out to help my husband."

"I don't trust you either."

The Phonograph was speechless, and Xiang Xiang Hongying laughed loudly, "Evil woman, do you think you're a good person yourself?"

The Leaving Suishenju sighed and asked, "A-Qi, must this battle be fought?"

"It must be fought!"

The Leaving Suishenju sighed, "Since you've made your decision, I can't stop you. At the critical moment, I will make some adjustments."

The Phonograph said, "My precious husband, you can't be stubborn in battle. If you can't win, you must retreat. Tell me what means the opponents have, and I'll help you act as a consultant."

Means?

Li Li Banfeng only knew there was a Craftsmanship cultivator on the opposite side.

The first day of the New Year, nightfall.

In Qiu Qiu Luoye's residence, the Contract Spirits were all busy.

Yesterday, the Contract Spirits were all taking care of Qiu Qiu Luoye and didn't have time to worry about New Year's matters.

By the first day, everyone had put up couplets, hung lanterns, and changed into new clothes.

Qiu Qiu Luoye tightened his bandages, carried a pair of wolf-tooth clubs, stood in the courtyard, and said with a smile, "New Year's should look like New Year's. Even if this is the last New Year, it must be spent properly."

A python lit a pair of lanterns, hung its body, and flicked its tongue, "Qiu Master, let's not talk about such inauspicious things. Let's fight them tonight, drink their meat with wine, and spend the New Year lively!"

"That's well said!" The Stone shouted from the side, "A tiger doesn't fall even when it dies, let alone our Qiu Master is an elephant!"

That was...

Qiu Qiu Luoye and the tiger each kicked the Stone.

Qiu Qiu Luoye lowered his voice to the tiger: "Look carefully, did Lao Qi and the others really leave?"

The tiger nodded, "I saw it clearly. He took his manpower and, as you instructed, went to hide in Wucheng Township first."

"It's good that they're hiding. I'm just afraid this kid will be foolish and throw his life away for nothing." Qiu Qiu Luoye gritted his teeth, tightened his bandages, and said to the tiger again, "You guys should be leaving too."

"Qiu Master, we aren't leaving. If we die, we die together!" The tiger roared and stood up.

"Nonsense! We enjoy blessings together, but death isn't a good thing. What are you doing following me? Get out of here!"

The tiger wouldn't leave.

There was one thing he didn't dare to say.

Li Li Banfeng hadn't left either.

He was lying in ambush in the woods in front of the residence. Qiu Qiu Luoye's injuries were too severe, and he hadn't sensed it.

He He Yuxiu crouched on a tree and said, "Lao Qi, didn't you find those three-headed people? None of them came? You were kind to them back then."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head, "If it weren't for them back then, this territory wouldn't have become a Proper Land. I've thought about it repeatedly; they should have occupied ninety percent of the human energy of this territory. That kindness, they can be considered to have repaid it.

Xiu'er, the little kindness you owe me has also been repaid long ago. If the situation isn't right in a moment, take them and run."

"Nonsense!" He He Yuxiu glared at Li Li Banfeng, "If they want to run, let them run. We knelt and swore an oath; can that be the same!"

On Ma Junyang Avenue, Ma Wu settled Lu Lu Chunying and the others and instructed, "I've already agreed with the Commissioner. If those bird-men kill their way over in a moment, you go hide in the Commissioner's Office; they definitely won't dare to run wild there."

Lu Lu Chunying said, "Fifth Brother, where are you going?"

"Up the mountain."

"Seventh Brother won't let you go."

Ma Wu smiled, "Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion. If Lao Qi can come back, I'll come back with him; if he can't come back, then none of us will come back."

"Fifth Brother..." Lu Lu Chunying gritted her teeth, "I'm going up the mountain with you."

"You take care of these people first. Where did Chu Er go?"

"Sister Chu Huaiyuan said she wanted to see the restaurant you're building."

"When can't you see it? Why do you have to see it now!" Ma Wu frowned, "Besides, that restaurant only has a foundation; what's there to see?"

Lu Lu Chunying said, "Sister Chu Huaiyuan looked at the blueprints before; she said that restaurant is extraordinary."

At the mention of blueprints, Ma Wu was stunned.

He almost forgot, where did the person who drew the blueprints go?

The Insight cultivator Kui Guan Bafang stretched out three fingers toward Li Li Banfeng.

People had come from the opposite side, three in total.

It really was three; fortunately, the number hadn't increased.

Chu Shaoqiang had an Insight cultivation magic treasure and also sensed the ambush, so he slowly walked toward the ambush circle.

Following behind him were two people. One was wearing a long gown with a diagonal collar, a round hat on his head, and holding a folding fan—a scholar's attire. This man's name was Guo Metropolitan Graduate.

The other was wearing a short jacket with a front opening, seemingly simple and casual, but the material was actually light and the workmanship fine, with no excess—it was a high-class garment for a martial artist. This man was a martial cultivator, and his name was Tian Tian Dasong.

The literary cultivator Guo Metropolitan Graduate walked while saying, "I only knew of the gentleman on the beam before, but now I see the gentleman in the tree.

Since you are gentlemen, you should be open and honest. Whoever hasn't had their guts scared out of them yet, come down and meet me, and say a few words."

As the words fell, everyone had the urge to jump down from the trees.

The technique of "Same Text, Common Rules."

Looking at the intensity of the technique, this literary cultivator was no lower than the eighth layer. Whether he was above the clouds was another matter. Li Li Banfeng and He He Yuxiu could barely resist, while the others gritted their teeth and held on, their flesh feeling as if it were being torn apart inch by inch.

The literary cultivator Guo Metropolitan Graduate stood at the edge of the ambush circle, not walking in, and seemingly not making any preparations—this was a blatant mockery of everyone.

"Oh my, what kind of bird-man calls himself a gentleman? When did gentlemen become so worthless?" As soon as the Cursing Woman opened her mouth, everyone's situation eased quite a bit.

The Cursing Woman continued to curse, "What kind of 'open and honest' are you? Show me your openness, let me see if you can even save that face of yours!"

These few curses were refreshing, and the "Same Text, Common Rules" technique was dispersed.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate smiled, "So it's a fellow traveler."

Was the Cursing Woman a literary cultivator?

Li Li Banfeng had thought there were specialized cursing cultivators.

"Pah!" The Cursing Woman cursed, "Who the hell is a fellow traveler with you? You're truly shameless. What kind of Daoist sect are you, a thief? You're a thief cultivator, and you're worthy of being a fellow traveler with this old lady?"

Guo Metropolitan Graduate laughed, "You're hiding in the dark and don't dare to show your face, yet you dare to call me a thief?"

The Cursing Woman shouted, "Breaking into a private residence at night makes you a thief!"

"Which private residence did I break into? Is this mountain forest your home? Gathering in the mountain forest, aren't you mountain bandits yourself?"

The two started cursing each other, as if they were discussing the definition of "thief," but it wasn't that simple in reality.

The Cursing Woman was fighting for her life.

The two were competing in techniques.

The Cursing Woman wanted to enrage the literary cultivator opposite her and make him enter the ambush circle.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate wanted to force Li Li Banfeng and the others out of the ambush circle through literary cultivation techniques.

During the cursing, the Cursing Woman vomited blood; her cultivation base was inferior to the opponent's.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate took this opportunity to launch an offensive, wanting to directly solve the Cursing Woman: "Shameless shrew, you are nearing the end of your life, full of filthy words, like an old dog losing its hair, baring its teeth and barking wildly,

Old dog, save some energy. I know your days are numbered. There is a bowl of hot soup in the latrine down the mountain; go eat a full meal while it's hot. Don't become an evil ghost on the road to the Yellow Springs,

Old dog, why aren't you speaking anymore? Old dog, don't just die like this..."

"Whoo-ya-ya-ya-ya~"

Li Li Banfeng suddenly jumped over from the tree, his long roar interrupting Guo Metropolitan Graduate.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate smiled when he saw this, "Well come, let me see where you..."

Before he could finish, the literary cultivator suddenly felt his throat tighten.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! *

A dense sound of drumbeats suddenly rendered Guo Metropolitan Graduate speechless.

It seemed as if a knife was churning back and forth in his brain. Guo Metropolitan Graduate couldn't stand steadily and almost fell.

Chu Shaoqiang and the martial cultivator also felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, not knowing what technique the opponent had used.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate was injured, his eyes and ears bleeding. Before he could recover, Li Li Banfeng was already riding on him, swinging his sickle and hacking at his face.

Knowing full well the extreme danger, Li Li Banfeng still acted recklessly. The sickle chiseled into Guo Metropolitan Graduate's face like rain.

Chu Shaoqiang and Tian Tian Dasong wanted to go up to help, but a momentum suddenly attacked, forcing the two back. Guo Metropolitan Graduate's body was stiff, and he suffered heavy injuries again.

The drum sound came from the wife, and the momentum came from Xiang Xiang Hongying.

The Leaving Suishenju opened its door for a split second and then closed it again. It could only open for this brief moment, otherwise, the Leaving Suishenju itself might be exposed.

The Leaving Suishenju said to the Phonograph and Xiang Xiang Hongying, "I have already made adjustments; for the rest, look at your man's ability."

In this split second of adjustment, both the wife and Xiang Xiang Hongying exerted all their strength, and most of the damage was borne by Guo Metropolitan Graduate alone.

And now Li Li Banfeng was hacking away at Guo Metropolitan Graduate's face without stopping. Guo Metropolitan Graduate didn't know how many slashes he had taken; he couldn't resist, but he also couldn't break free.

This is a traveling cultivator?

Why does a traveling cultivator fight like this?

He doesn't use techniques, doesn't maneuver, but fights like a madman?

This was a tactic formulated jointly by the wife and Li Li Banfeng.

If the enemy enters the ambush circle, the terrain is advantageous, the distance is suitable, and they can win through the coordination of techniques.

If the enemy doesn't enter the ambush circle, the terrain and positioning are unsuitable, and the techniques won't form coordination, which will be resolved one by one by the Craftsmanship master.

Under such circumstances, one cannot act according to the rules. The best choice is to follow the help of the wife and Xiang Xiang Hongying and fight to finish one off first, relying on the speed of a traveling cultivator.

Li Li Banfeng chose the literary cultivator Guo Metropolitan Graduate; he had to finish him off first.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate wasn't lightly injured, but his cultivation base was high enough that the injuries weren't fatal yet, and he still had the strength to counterattack.

He dipped his own blood and wrote the character "Blade" on Li Li Banfeng's body.

Literary cultivation sixth-layer technique, "A Character Worth a Thousand Gold!"

This "Blade" character really turned into a blade and stabbed into Li Li Banfeng's body.

Li Li Banfeng didn't dodge, didn't block, and took the slash head-on. He used his sickle to hook Guo Metropolitan Graduate's left eye.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate wrote another "Blade" character.

Li Li Banfeng took another slash and swung his sickle to hook Guo Metropolitan Graduate's right eye.

Trading blood for blood, what kind of fighting style is this?

Tian Tian Dasong came up to grab Li Li Banfeng but was kicked away by He He Yuxiu.

Tian Tian Dasong knocked He He Yuxiu over, Zuo Seeing Seeing Zuo Wugang and Bai Shou Hong Lian hugged Tian Tian Dasong from behind, and everyone went up to besiege him together.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate wrote the character "Seize," seizing Li Li Banfeng's sickle. Li Li Banfeng took out a shovel and shoveled it onto Guo Metropolitan Graduate's skull.

Tang Dao took the opportunity to stab Guo Metropolitan Graduate in the back of the heart, and the Pendulum drilled into his collar to cut Guo Metropolitan Graduate's neck.

Guo Metropolitan Graduate used all his strength and wrote twelve "Prohibit" characters in one breath. This move was powerful; all magic treasures and weapons were rendered unusable.

Li Li Banfeng bit into Guo Metropolitan Graduate's neck, biting until blood spurted out.

Chu Shaoqiang remained calm; he quickly saw through the opponent's tactics and prepared to use magic treasures to solve the madman on Guo Metropolitan Graduate first.

Chu Chu Huaiyuan appeared in front of Chu Shaoqiang with a smile.

Chu Shaoqiang said expressionlessly, "What are you doing here?"

Chu Chu Huaiyuan smiled, "I'm here to fight you to the death."

Chu Shaoqiang was very calm, "You don't know who I am, and you don't need to know now. Leave here quickly."

"I know who you are," Chu Chu Huaiyuan suddenly stopped smiling, her eyes rolling up to look at Chu Shaoqiang, "Dad, I really am here to fight you to the death."

(End of chapter)