Chapter 109: Wife, Respond to Me

Late at night, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu hid inside a cave, silently watching the entrance.

Madame Suo'e was just outside the cave, patiently waiting for them to emerge. Madame Suo'e could enter, but she chose not to. She enjoyed playing a game of hide-and-seek with her prey, although, to her, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu's attempts at hiding were incredibly clumsy.

After a few minutes of hiding, Madame Suo'e began releasing silk threads into the cave, and Ma Wu completely broke down.

In truth, he had already reached his breaking point much earlier. He wasn't a journey cultivator, so he lacked that level of endurance. Pleasure cultivators were inherently weak, and after running all day without food or water, Ma Wu could barely stand.

The crucial point was that running offered no solution. Ma Wu had read in books that once one encountered Madame Suo'e, there was no escape unless her demands were met, or if one's cultivation was equal to or superior to hers.

How high was Madame Suo'e's cultivation? It was almost at the eighth layer. She was one of the New Land's most formidable aberrations.

Encountering Madame Suo'e during reclamation was tantamount to a failed expedition. The pioneers had to scatter and flee, and whether anyone survived depended entirely on Madame Suo'e's mood. Dabo Yiens had successfully survived an encounter with Madame Suo'e. Most of the time, Madame Suo'e didn't enjoy killing; she preferred to toy with people, but whether one lived after being played with was a matter of sheer luck.

Since he couldn't escape her, Ma Wu could only follow the escape methods described in the books: satisfy Madame Suo'e's demands. But the question was, could he withstand Madame Suo'e's demands?

Dabo Yiens could, but he couldn't. Dabo Yiens was a body cultivator, possessing not only advanced cultivation but also an extraordinary physique, none of which Ma Wu could hope to achieve.

Even so, Ma Wu decided to take a chance. Even if it meant his end, he had to give Li Banfeng a chance to escape.

"Brother Li, run! I'll fight her!"

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu and said, "What will you fight her with?"

Ma Wu replied, "She just wants to play. I'll simply play along. I'm a pleasure cultivator; what haven't I experienced?"

Li Banfeng pointed at Madame Suo'e, "And this kind?"

"This kind, no..." Ma Wu gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Li, I owe you my life. Consider it repaid. Hurry and leave!"

Having said that, Ma Wu rushed to the cave entrance and shouted loudly, "If you want to play, then let's play properly!"

Madame Suo'e laughed, "Call out the other one too; you alone aren't enough."

Ma Wu yelled, "It's just me! What more do you want?"

"Little one, why such a temper?" Madame Suo'e burst into laughter, swinging a tentacle from her head, ready to entangle Ma Wu.

She might have played with Ma Wu properly, or she might have simply eaten him. She might even have turned Ma Wu into one of her children, to be slowly nurtured inside a cocoon. But Li Banfeng had already recognized the pattern: no matter what she did to Ma Wu, she would never let Li Banfeng go.

Li Banfeng pulled out a Rust Pill and struck Madame Suo'e with it. Rust quickly spread across Madame Suo'e's body, and she felt intense pain. She ignored Ma Wu, turning her gaze towards Li Banfeng.

Ma Wu was still in a state of shock when he heard Li Banfeng shout, "Run!" Ma Wu didn't dare delay and immediately took off. If Madame Suo'e wanted to pursue, Ma Wu wouldn't escape. Even with Li Banfeng delaying her, Ma Wu wouldn't get away.

But Madame Suo'e no longer wanted to chase; she was angry. She ignored Ma Wu entirely, her gaze fixed on Li Banfeng.

"You're very disobedient. I don't like children like you."

Li Banfeng continued to stare at the rust on Madame Suo'e's body. In his view, this rust would surely cause Madame Suo'e harm. At the very least, it should make her shed a layer of skin. But Madame Suo'e didn't shed her skin. She didn't even shake off the rust. The fluids beneath her skin surged in waves, then formed a whirlpool, completely devouring the patch of rust on her body.

Since Li Banfeng obtained his first Rust Pill on Mount Kuwu, this powerful elixir had been virtually unstoppable. This was the first time a Rust Pill had had almost no effect on an opponent.

Madame Suo'e provocatively stroked Li Banfeng's face with two tentacles, and in a calm tone, said, "I can bear children with you, or I can turn you into my child. I can turn you into one child, or three children. I can slice you into a hundred pieces and turn you into a hundred children. I can even lay my children inside you, let them feed on your flesh and blood to grow, and make you their home."

Their home.

Li Banfeng thought of the Moth's cocoons. So, those cocoons were also made from living beings.

The tentacles rubbed against Li Banfeng's face with increasing speed, indicating Madame Suo'e's worsening mood. "I think the last option suits you best, because you are neither gentle nor lovely." As her words fell, Madame Suo'e lunged headfirst into the cave.

Li Banfeng rapidly retreated, opened the Portable Dwelling, and threw the key out. In this situation, taking refuge in the Portable Dwelling was his only option. As for how to get out, he would have to figure that out later.

The door slammed shut with a thud, and Li Banfeng let out a long breath. He had escaped this peril for now, but what was he going to do next? It would be fine if Madame Suo'e left, but if she stayed blocking the entrance, how would Li Banfeng get out? And if she took the key, it would be even worse. He needed to prepare for a long period of refuge.

First, he should check his supplies. There was plenty of food in the dwelling, including canned goods, compressed biscuits, and sausages... Where did these sausages come from? Why were these sausages moving? What was this thing? These were tentacles! Madame Suo'e's tentacles. She got in! How did she get in? Did I not close the door properly?

Li Banfeng swung his Tang Blade, intending to sever the tentacles. With a gentle flick, the tentacles flicked Li Banfeng far away. By the time Li Banfeng struggled to his feet, the door was already open. A gigantic green worm burst into the Portable Dwelling, filling the entire main room.

"What is this place? How strange?" The room was too narrow for Madame Suo'e to turn around easily.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss*

The Phonograph awakened, singing cheerfully, "Husband, you've returned with groceries! You bought, you bought, what in the world did you buy..."

Madame Suo'e turned around, surveying the room, and said, "This room is nice. I'll keep it for my children; it can house many of them."

Li Banfeng pulled out his Tang Blade and threw it at Madame Suo'e.

*Clang!* The Tang Blade unsheathed, struck Madame Suo'e's head three times, and immediately returned to Li Banfeng's pocket.

The three strikes were finished just like that, but Madame Suo'e's defenses weren't breached at all. Not even a mark was left on her head. No wonder the Tang Blade retreated so quickly; the disparity between them was quite significant.

Li Banfeng pulled out the Blood-Stained Pendulum, intending to strike Madame Suo'e with it, but the pendulum recoiled instantly, crying, "Master, no! Spare my life!" The pendulum dared not approach; it would be a futile sacrifice.

What about the Teapot? Would the Teapot be useful? She had nowhere to hide in this small room. Let's see if it can scald her to death!

Just as Li Banfeng was about to look for the Teapot, a ball of silk threads shot towards him. In the cramped room, Li Banfeng had little space to dodge.

A puff of steam flew out, incinerating the silk threads.

The Phonograph declared, "My lord, please wait in the outer room. Today's ingredient is a bit troublesome; allow this humble servant to handle it first."

Before Li Banfeng could speak, a burst of steam pushed him into the outer room. The outer room's door then closed tightly, sealed completely by the steam.

Madame Suo'e roared at the Phonograph, "What are you?"

The Phonograph scoffed, "You have quite the nerve. It's just that I've fallen on hard times now, and even a mere insect like you dares to speak to me like this."

Searing steam filled the entire room. Madame Suo'e opened her enormous maw and, with a powerful lunge, swallowed all the steam in the room, leaving nothing behind.

*Screech!*

The Phonograph let out a high-pitched hum, and the steam inside Madame Suo'e's body began to rapidly expand. Madame Suo'e roared repeatedly, spitting out silk threads that wrapped around the Phonograph's record, blocking its horn to prevent it from making sound. Two enormous pincer-like teeth bit through the Phonograph's casing, embedding themselves into its body.

A few minutes later, the sounds of fighting from beyond the door gradually subsided.

Li Banfeng rushed into the main hall and saw Madame Suo'e's body, greatly shrunken, curled motionless on the floor. The Phonograph was battered and bruised, silent. Its front panel was shattered, its horn deformed, but what truly pained Li Banfeng was that two gears had fallen out of the Phonograph's body.

Li Banfeng panicked; he had never been so distraught. He caressed the Phonograph, calling out repeatedly, "Wifey, Wifey, answer me..."

There was a sound. Wifey was making a sound. Although very faint, Li Banfeng could hear it. He looked at the Phonograph's horn and saw it was blocked by silk threads. The horn was scalding hot, but Li Banfeng disregarded the pain and strenuously pulled out the silk threads.

*Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak*

With the horn cleared, the Phonograph could only emit strange grinding sounds. Inside the casing, many gears were also jammed by the silk threads. Li Banfeng fetched tools and carefully cleaned it, working for over an hour until the gears slowly began to turn.

*Hiss, hiss*

Steam began to emit rhythmically.

"Wifey, answer me!" Li Banfeng looked at the Phonograph anxiously.

"Oh, my lord, why are you so anxious?" The Phonograph replied.