Chapter 117: A Generation of Heroes

Li Banfeng ran for over half an hour, covering more than thirty *li* from Greenwater Bay.

The area was desolate, with no villages, no houses, not even a passerby. There was only a stretch of wild grass and a secluded lake.

Li Banfeng felt the spot was suitable and was about to release the person he had rescued earlier. Just as he reached for his keys, a middle-aged man appeared before him, moving as swiftly as the wind.

"Big Beard, where are you from?" The middle-aged man, wearing a grey striped short jacket, had a black-stemmed cigarette clamped between his teeth.

Big Beard...

Although Li Banfeng had a full beard, he was still a bit unaccustomed to being addressed that way.

"Are you looking for me?" Li Banfeng asked, smiling at the middle-aged man.

The man, still holding the cigarette, replied, "Our master wants to meet you."

"Do I know your master?"

"The Lu family of Puro Province, you don't know them?" The middle-aged man was Huang Guangshi, a Traveling Cultivator under Monkey Qiu.

Monkey Qiu's order was to apprehend anyone carrying a phonograph. Li Banfeng didn't have one, so why was Huang Guangshi targeting him?

It was because Huang Guangshi was good at speculation. While others sought the phonograph, he kept an eye out and found Xing Qiushan, a small pincers hand from the Ghost Hand Sect. He asked about Li Banfeng's appearance and learned that his most distinctive feature was a full beard.

Instead of looking for a phonograph, he looked for a beard, which avoided unnecessary conflicts and increased his chances of success.

Li Banfeng said, "I've heard of the Lu family, but your master probably doesn't know me."

"You'll know once you're there. Our master is waiting," Huang Guangshi replied, and without another word, he reached out to grab Li Banfeng, moving so quickly that no afterimage could be seen.

A Traveling Cultivator.

His sudden appearance and the efficiency of his move clearly showed he was a Traveling Cultivator, and at a higher level than Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng, with the physique of a second-tier Dwelling Cultivator and having just left his Portable Residence, instinctively recoiled and stepped back, dodging the attack.

Huang Guangshi smiled. "You have cultivation. It seems I've found the right person."

As he spoke, Huang Guangshi suddenly closed the distance by a step. There was no warning, and his figure was completely imperceptible, as if he had teleported instantly.

How high was his cultivation?

In fact, Huang Guangshi's cultivation wasn't very high; he was only at the second tier.

With that step, a five-inch-long awl emerged from Huang Guangshi's fingertip, thrusting toward Li Banfeng's brow.

Seeing this, Li Banfeng retreated again. Huang Guangshi was patient, pressing forward with the awl, steadily forcing Li Banfeng toward the lake.

This was Huang Guangshi's tactic, a common method used by most Traveling Cultivators.

The wild lake was overgrown with weeds, some foxtail grass growing taller than a person. An ordinary person walking through it could easily trip over roots and stems.

Fighting in such an environment gave Traveling Cultivators a significant advantage.

Although Li Banfeng was also a Traveling Cultivator, his level was inferior to Huang Guangshi's. If he were to fight directly, defeat would only be a matter of time.

Seeing Li Banfeng trapped, Huang Guangshi decided to close in.

He teleported again, circling a step to appear behind Li Banfeng, raising the awl to stab into Li Banfeng's spine.

Huang Guangshi was experienced. If this strike landed, it would incapacitate Li Banfeng but leave him able to speak, ensuring he couldn't escape and wouldn't hinder interrogation.

Li Banfeng neither dodged nor parried. His figure suddenly vanished.

Huang Guangshi was stunned. Did this person possess a magical artifact, or was it an invisibility technique?

As he searched for Li Banfeng, he suddenly felt danger approaching from his right.

By the time he turned, it was too late; Li Banfeng's iron ruler had already pierced Huang Guangshi's cheek.

Li Banfeng used his Portable Residence, moving in and out, completely disrupting Huang Guangshi's combat routine.

Huang Guangshi tried to teleport another step to break free from the iron ruler, but he failed this time. Li Banfeng effortlessly pulled him into the Portable Residence.

Inside the room, Huang Guangshi clutched his facial wound and looked around.

It was pitch black all around; he couldn't discern where he was.

But Li Banfeng didn't need light; this was his own residence.

Even without seeing or feeling with his eyes closed, Li Banfeng knew the layout and furnishings of his home perfectly. He wouldn't step on anything when entering or exiting, wouldn't mistake the chamber pot at night, and wouldn't go to the wrong wife in bed—such was the fundamental understanding of a Dwelling Cultivator.

Before Huang Guangshi could even understand his situation, Li Banfeng used a sickle to sever the hamstring of his right leg.

Huang Guangshi, limping on one leg, still tried to resist. Li Banfeng swung back with another cut, opening a wound over half a foot long on his stomach.

A second-tier Traveling Cultivator entering the home of a second-tier Dwelling Cultivator essentially had no chance to resist.

With a thud, Huang Guangshi knelt on the ground and cried out, "Our master just wanted to ask you a few questions! I was just following orders! Sir, please spare my life!"

Li Banfeng asked, "Did your master specifically name me?"

Huang Guangshi dared not lie or speak in riddles now. He could only tell the truth: "Our master was looking for someone with a phonograph, and a person with a beard."

Li Banfeng smiled. "There are thousands of bearded people in Greenwater City. Can you really arrest them all?"

The phonograph also laughed.

A burst of fire flared up, and the phonograph, playing a slow tempo, sang, "What's wrong with having a phonograph? Which law have I broken? By what right do you arrest people?"

Hearing the phonograph's voice, Huang Guangshi trembled all over.

He had heard phonographs play music, but he had never heard one speak to people.

But what made him tremble even more was yet to come.

On the ground, he saw an overcoat: a yellow wool coat custom-made in the Kingdom of Ingliss.

This coat was specifically tailored for Lu Dongliang by a renowned artisan in the Kingdom of Ingliss. How could it be in this small room?

A phonograph, a big beard, and the Master's coat.

Could it be...

Huang Guangshi looked up at Li Banfeng. "You are..."

He dared not continue.

The person before him might truly be Li Banfeng.

Did Li Banfeng kill the Master?

Impossible.

The Master's cultivation was so high; no one in Puro Province could kill him.

Li Banfeng, not bothering with pleasantries, hooked Huang Guangshi's jaw with his sickle and said to the phonograph, "My dear, it's time to eat."

"Thank you for your consideration, husband. Your humble servant isn't hungry at all."

Li Banfeng was startled. "My dear, please say that again. I didn't hear you clearly."

"Husband, your humble servant truly isn't hungry."

Li Banfeng suspected something was wrong with his wife.

Or perhaps his own hearing was damaged from being stabbed in the stomach.

His wife said she wasn't hungry?

This actually happened!

It seemed his previous injuries hadn't healed after all.

If his injuries weren't healed, he should eat more!

"My dear, I've bought all the food back. Why don't you have a few bites, just as a snack?"

"Oh, husband, you're so considerate to your humble servant. It would be impolite to refuse... But first, let me ask this person, what cultivation path do you follow?"

A cloud of steam puffed onto Huang Guangshi's face.

Huang Guangshi answered truthfully, "I'm a Traveling Cultivator..."

"Traveling Cultivator? Hmph hmph hmph..."

The gongs and drums flared up, and his wife's laughter grew more sinister.

"The ninth-tier cultivator my husband brought back before was a Traveling Cultivator, and you're also a Traveling Cultivator. Why are there so many Traveling Cultivators?" His wife's singing became even more ferocious.

Li Banfeng was taken aback.

Why did his wife harbor such great animosity towards Traveling Cultivators?

What did she mean by saying he brought back a ninth-tier cultivator?

Where did a ninth-tier Traveling Cultivator come from?

Before Huang Guangshi could answer, his wife first peeled off a layer of his soul.

"All Traveling Cultivators in this world deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces!" his wife roared, beginning to suck on the soul.

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Why do Traveling Cultivators deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces?"

The phonograph, laughing as she ate, replied, "Because they deserve to die, husband. You're a Dwelling Cultivator, don't you hate Traveling Cultivators?"

Li Banfeng gave a dry laugh. "Hate them? I hate them quite a bit, I hate them very much..."

Wait, just because their cultivation paths clash, his wife hates Traveling Cultivators?

That shouldn't be it.

It seemed there was another reason.

"He is also..." Amidst the excruciating pain, Huang Guangshi tried to yell that Li Banfeng was also a Traveling Cultivator.

Li Banfeng broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, he saw the Copper Lotus spit out a dewdrop, which entered Huang Guangshi's mouth, preventing him from speaking further.

The Copper Lotus and the phonograph were old acquaintances. She knew it was best not to frequently mention Traveling Cultivators in front of the phonograph.

The phonograph angrily retorted, "No manners! I haven't even finished eating, and you're already digging in!"

The Copper Lotus spat at the phonograph. As the two brawled, the topic of Traveling Cultivators was temporarily forgotten.

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the yellow wool coat on the ground, feeling as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Many strange things were happening today: the phonograph didn't want to eat, and she mentioned a ninth-tier Traveling Cultivator.

Now, even when she forced herself to eat a bite, she was distracted, only focused on fighting with Lotus.

"My dear, what exactly did you eat to make yourself so full?"

"Oh, husband, did you forget so quickly that you just came back with groceries?"

Groceries?

Li Banfeng didn't recall buying groceries. He only remembered bringing back three phonographs, which the Copper Lotus refined into a gear-shaped pill for his wife to consume. And honestly, the refining effect was quite good...

Wait a minute.

"What about the person I rescued?" Li Banfeng finally remembered the origin of the yellow wool coat.

"Ate him," his wife admitted frankly. "We sisters ate him together."

"How could you just eat him so casually? Do you know who that was? That was someone who could bring good fortune!"

The phonograph, with cheerful gongs and drums, sang loudly, "There was indeed good fortune, and our whole family benefited from it."

A cloud of steam drifted over, and two stacks of old newspapers entered the phonograph's casing.

*Click*, the flat mirror inside the casing rotated, projecting a fiery glow into the phonograph's horn.

A beam of light shot from the horn, projecting onto the wall, and the screen hanging there unfurled.

His wife had inherited the functions of a projector.

A photograph appeared on the screen, taken from news about the Lu family's successful land reclamation. The photo featured many important members of the Lu family, and his wife had specifically drawn a circle around Lu Dongliang's face.

The second photo showed the Lu family acquiring two pharmacies in Yaowang Ditch, and his wife again drew a circle around Lu Dongliang.

The third photo showed the Lu family acquiring the Bailemen from the Chu family.

The fourth photo showed the Lu family acquiring the He family's bank.

The fifth photo showed the Lu family acquiring the Ma family's land.

The sixth photo showed Lu Dongliang, covered in mud, lying inside the Portable Residence.

Li Banfeng stared at the screen in horror. "Just now, the person I brought back, was that Lu Dongliang?"

"Your humble servant doesn't know who he is, only that he looked exactly like the man in the newspaper. He was a ninth-tier Traveling Cultivator, a rare level of cultivation in Puro Province.

It's good he died! Traveling Cultivators deserve to be killed!

Your humble servant is full from this meal, and the Bloody Pendulum is also full. That hussy Red Lotus is still eating. This meal will probably last us a few more days."

Full, all of them full...

Li Banfeng was momentarily stunned.

Suddenly, he heard a sobbing sound nearby, coming from the Threaded Earring.

Li Banfeng listened carefully and only heard one phrase: "Master, my life is bitter, so bitter..."

The Threaded Earring had been with Li Banfeng all along, but she missed this meal.

The earring's expressive abilities were limited, so she could only cry. Li Banfeng hadn't yet understood the source of her bitterness when he suddenly heard a long, indignant sigh:

"Wasted immense talent, never fulfilling grand ambitions. To miss such a rare opportunity, just like that..."

The Tang Blade cried, weeping miserably.

In the previous battle against Madam Moth, the Tang Blade struck three times, then promptly slipped into Li Banfeng's pocket.

After returning to the Portable Residence, the Tang Blade hid in the second room and fell into a deep sleep.

Sleeping through that period, it had missed such an important meal.

The still-recovering Tang Blade leaped out of Li Banfeng's pocket, transformed into a dagger, and began slashing at the Bloody Pendulum. "You ate the meat, you could at least let me have some soup! You've drunk your fill of blood, so why won't you share a drop with me!"

"No! I won't!" The Bloody Pendulum resisted fiercely, and the two began to fight in the main room.

The Bloody Pendulum, having consumed the ninth-tier blood, fought against the Tang Blade without falling behind.

Li Banfeng paid no attention to the fight between the Pendulum and the Tang Blade. A single sentence echoed repeatedly in his mind:

Lu Dongliang was dead. Lu Dongliang was already dead.

In truth, he didn't know much about Lu Dongliang; today was the first time he had ever met him.

He didn't know why Lu Dongliang was face down in the mud, but it seemed unimportant now.

He was dead.

The Lu family's head was dead.

The powerful man who had been searching for Li Banfeng was dead!

Li Banfeng stepped out of his Portable Residence and, under the cover of night, sped toward Lanyang Village.

Upon reaching the village and entering the wooden house, Ma Wu finally relaxed. "Brother Li, you're finally back! Did you buy the phonograph?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I bought it, but I didn't like it, so I left it by the roadside."

"Left it? You took such a big risk to go into the city, bought a phonograph, and then just left it?" Ma Wu was utterly bewildered. "Brother Li, you truly are..."

The next morning, Ma Wu took two pieces of game hunted from New Land, preparing to sell them at the village entrance. Li Banfeng, in high spirits, went with him.

The steamroller had just started. Workers were laying stones and spreading asphalt, beginning to repair the road.

After Ma Wu delivered the goods and was about to leave, Li Banfeng climbed onto the steamroller and asked Chuanzi, "Can I drive it for a bit?"

In his childhood memories, Li Banfeng initially thought excavators were the most powerful of all construction vehicles.

It wasn't until he saw a steamroller for the first time that Li Banfeng changed his mind; he believed the steamroller was the ultimate machine.

Chuanzi looked at Li Banfeng, his face troubled. "Sir, I told you, I really can't let you!"

Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of banknotes. "I'll pay!"

"It's not about money..." Chuanzi became even more hesitant.

Ma Wu gave young Chuanzi a wink, and young Chuanzi frowned, saying, "What if the foreman sees?"

"What time is it? The foreman won't be here this early, don't worry!"

Young Chuanzi took Li Banfeng's money and let him sit in the driver's seat.

There was no accelerator, no brake. The driver's seat only had a steering wheel, a large lever, and a few air valves.

Under young Chuanzi's guidance, Li Banfeng pulled the lever, engaged the forward gear, and the steamroller slowly began to move.

All the workers stopped what they were doing and temporarily stepped aside, watching Li Banfeng enthusiastically operate the steering wheel.

Young Chuanzi carefully instructed from the side: "Good, very good, you're driving steadily, sir. You can add a little speed, yes, open the air valve wider."

Li Banfeng opened the air valve wider.

He never expected that a steam-powered roller wouldn't be slow; with the air valve fully open, it could probably reach thirty miles per hour!

*Puff! Puff!*

Li Banfeng felt as if he were driving both a train and a steamroller, and the sheer joy surged from his toes all the way to the top of his head.

Young Chuanzi panicked. "No, you can't open the valve that wide!

You, you, you need to slow down, you can't drive like this!

Sir, what did you just say? You said brake? What's a brake? This doesn't have brakes! Quickly release the steam, open the exhaust valve!

Quickly open the air valve, disengage the lever! No, it's going to fall into the ditch!"

*CRASH!*

The steamroller fell into the ditch.

Li Banfeng got out of the driver's seat and looked at Ma Wu. "Hire a few people, quickly pull the steamroller out."

Young Chuanzi sat on the steamroller and started crying. "What are we going to do? The foreman will be here soon!"

The foreman arrived. Ma Wu greeted him and discreetly gave him some money. Suddenly, someone shouted, "A wild duel is happening at Azure Field! Come and watch!"

Li Banfeng was excited. "Let's go, Brother Ma, let's go watch!"

Ma Wu frowned. "You shouldn't go."

"I can go now! I think I'm ready!" Li Banfeng said, his face beaming.