Chapter 133: Single-Handed Rescue of the Lord

Ma Wu’s dance hall had its grand opening, and Chu Huaiyuan specifically came to offer her congratulations. Li Banfeng stood quietly in a corner of the hall, observing Miss Chu II’s appearance.

She had deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, a slightly large mouth with fuller red lips, and a round, soft face without sharp angles.

Her complexion was impossible to discern due to the thick layer of makeup. Her eyes were hard to read, and heavy eyeshadow gave her an alluring, almost妖媚 aura.

The dance began. To the rhythm of a waltz, guests took the dance girls and started dancing.

The waltz was played purely for ambiance. Most of the guests were villagers from Lanyang Village, and few knew how to dance.

The dance girls were also hired from the village and had only two days of intensive training, making it impossible for them to learn the waltz. Everyone was just trying to make a living, swaying aimlessly in each other's arms, and nobody else seemed to mind. But Miss Chu II found it utterly cringeworthy.

As a young lady from a respectable family, she couldn't tolerate such a spectacle.

"Fifth Young Master, this place really isn't suitable for you."

Ma Wu offered a faint smile but said nothing.

Chu Huaiyuan extended her hand and said, "Dance with me."

When a lady invites, a gentleman should not refuse.

However, Ma Wu didn't want to dance with Chu Huaiyuan; he wanted no contact with her whatsoever.

He was afraid.

He had heard about Liu Changyu.

News of Miss Chu II's fierce attack on the bandits had already appeared in the newspapers.

Liu Changyu's face had been taken by Miss Chu II as a trophy and was soaking in a wine bottle.

"I apologize, Miss Chu II, but my leg is injured." Ma Wu touched his own cheek, utterly unwilling to dance with her.

Miss Chu II pouted her red lips and said, "I saw you walking quite quickly when you were greeting guests just now."

Ma Wu explained, "I was forcing myself. My right leg has been injured for days and is terribly swollen; I really can't dance."

Miss Chu II didn't insist further and shifted her gaze to Li Banfeng.

As a third-level House Cultivator, almost no one in the hall noticed Li Banfeng.

However, Wen Hongyan, the Head Steward, had reminded Miss Chu II. She felt that the man in the top hat had a somewhat special identity, and even Ma Wu seemed very attentive to him.

Chu Huaiyuan approached Li Banfeng, a faint smile on her face, and asked, "Sir, may I have this dance?"

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly and replied, "I don't know how to dance."

"Dancing is simple; I can teach you."

Li Banfeng offered a profound smile and once again declined Miss Chu II's invitation.

*Teach me to dance, then claim I took advantage of her, and then demand a 'grease money' fee from me. Do you think I'd fall for that? I've been swindled like that before!*

Miss Chu II was losing face.

In this unorthodox dance hall, having been refused twice in a row, where could she put her pride?

Without another word, Chu Huaiyuan pulled Li Banfeng into the dance floor.

*How overbearing is this woman?*

If it weren't for the special occasion, Li Banfeng would have certainly retaliated. He couldn't stand being blackmailed.

But for the grand opening, it was important to keep things auspicious. Li Banfeng suppressed his anger, but he was absolutely not going to pay any "grease money."

In fact, he had learned some dance steps at the Xianle Dance Hall. Combined with his sturdy steps as a Traveler Cultivator, he danced quite well.

To the rhythm of the music, Miss Chu II spun, bringing them in front of a photographer.

*Oh no, the photographer is going to take a picture!*

*Why does Miss Chu II carry a photographer with her?*

Given his current circumstances, being photographed was one of Li Banfeng's major taboos.

Li Banfeng suddenly lowered his head. His wrist slid down, and he gave Miss Chu II a firm pinch below her waist.

The photographer couldn't press the shutter; the scene was a bit awkward.

Miss Chu II exclaimed, "How dare you!"

Li Banfeng calmly replied, "Since you're going to demand 'grease money' anyway, I might as well secure the 'grease' first."

Miss Chu II was puzzled: "What 'grease money'?"

Li Banfeng smiled profoundly, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes beneath the shadow of his hat brim.

Miss Chu II truly showed no fear of this killing intent. She changed her steps, bringing Li Banfeng in front of the photographer again.

Li Banfeng, without hesitation, gave Miss Chu II's backside a firm twist.

The scene was indecent, and the photographer again failed to get a shot.

A full-body shot was impossible. The photographer tried for a half-body shot, but Li Banfeng moved swiftly, dancing out of the camera's range.

Miss Chu II looked surprised, seemingly finding the previous twist rather enjoyable, and wanted Li Banfeng to twist again. So she led Li Banfeng closer to the photographer once more.

Li Banfeng spun Chu II around, directly colliding with the photographer. The photographer couldn't dodge in time; the camera fell to the ground, broke, and all the film inside was ruined.

Miss Chu II got angry and pulled Li Banfeng towards the gramophone.

The gramophone was expensive and couldn't be broken. Li Banfeng changed direction mid-move, causing Miss Chu II to collide with a pillar in the hall.

The impact was significant, and Miss Chu II swayed, almost falling.

Yang Yanzheng frowned. The Head Steward, Wen Hongyan, licked her arm, ready to act at any moment.

Li Banfeng sensed the danger, and the murderous intent in his eyes intensified.

Miss Chu II gestured for others not to act rashly. The two continued dancing in the center of the hall.

Ma Wu felt a cold sweat for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng also had sweat streaming down his face.

Miss Chu II's fingernails suddenly elongated, tearing his clothes and digging into Li Banfeng's flesh.

Li Banfeng executed another wide spin, crashing Miss Chu II into the pillar again.

Their movements were extremely fast, unnoticed by ordinary people. One only heard the pillars occasionally thudding.

When the song ended, Miss Chu II was covered in bruises. Li Banfeng's back was bleeding profusely.

The two bowed and returned to their respective seats.

Wen Hongyan asked, "Miss, should we kill that fellow?"

Miss Chu II rubbed the bruises on her shoulder and said, "It was just a dance. It was quite exhilarating; no need to make an issue of it."

Li Banfeng drank a glass of wine, then stood up and left the dance hall.

*This wicked woman is not only vicious but also poisoned me.*

Li Banfeng felt a tingling itch on his back and quickly returned to his portable dwelling.

He entered the room, took off his clothes, and was about to ask his wife to heal him. To his surprise, his wife suddenly roared, "Hey, madman, where did those scratches on your back come from?!"

Li Banfeng explained, "A woman scratched me."

"Hmph! So you admit it! Those scratches are so deep; it seems you put in quite an effort too!"

Li Banfeng pointed to his back: "I've been poisoned."

"You even used poison? What kind of tricks are you playing now?"

Li Banfeng picked up his clothes and said, "My clothes are torn too."

"The clothes are torn..."

Clang-clang-clang!

The gramophone calmed down slightly, emitting a cloud of steam that rubbed against Li Banfeng's back.

If the clothes weren't torn, and only Li Banfeng was, then the matter would be serious.

Now that both the clothes and Li Banfeng were "torn," it proved that Li Banfeng was at least wearing clothes at the time.

Under the steam fumigation, Li Banfeng broke into a sweat. Once the sweat dried and the itching disappeared, the poison was completely removed.

Li Banfeng lay on the bed; the wounds on his back quickly scabbed over. A House Cultivator's recovery ability within their dwelling was truly astonishing.

The steam continued to gently caress his back. The gramophone softly sang, "That wicked woman is so vicious. Let your little servant deal with her. Your little servant will avenge my husband."

Li Banfeng scoffed, "Do you want revenge, or do you want to eat?"

"Oh, how my little servant dotes on her husband; how can you mock me like that?"

The gramophone felt very wronged, using steam to lift Li Banfeng's clothes and meticulously mend them.

Click-clack-clack!

Having integrated the functions of a sewing machine, the wife's gramophone needle could thread. The mending speed was incredibly fast.

Once the clothes were mended, his wife asked, "By the way, that wicked woman was a person, wasn't she?"

"Of course, she's a person. Why do you ask, my dear?"

"My golden eyes discern yin and yang, and my keen nose senses all flavors. It seems my husband was so enchanted by that woman today that he forgot his techniques. You have a faint scent of incense on you."

"Really?"

Li Banfeng picked up his clothes and sniffed them. The clothes had an extremely strong smell of makeup, but upon careful distinction, there indeed was a faint scent of incense.

*How could I have overlooked this scent?*

It wasn't that Li Banfeng was careless. In the dance hall, the smells of smoke, alcohol, and makeup were too mixed and overpowering, masking the faint scent of incense. Li Banfeng truly hadn't been able to distinguish it.

*Could Miss Chu II be a ghost?*

*That shouldn't be the case.*

Li Banfeng had been on guard against Miss Chu II the entire time. If she were a ghost, Li Banfeng would have at least seen ghost fire.

As the dance approached its end, Miss Chu II rose to take her leave. Ma Wu had a carriage ready to take her to the village entrance, then returned to the dance hall to calculate the day's expenses.

As he watched Chu II and her entourage's carriage disappear, Liu Liangyi appeared at the village entrance.

He held an incense stick, its smoke curling upwards and drifting all the way to Dream Spring Garden.

Inside the dance hall, Ma Wu was calculating his accounts. On the first day of business, he had only invited guests, so the expenses were considerable.

Just as he reached a critical point in his calculations, he heard a dance girl exclaim, "What are you doing? Aren't you watching where you're going?"

He looked up to see a man walking into the dance hall, causing the dance girl to stumble.

The man wore a traditional Chinese jacket, a round felt hat, and a scarf across his face, obscuring his features.

Xiao Chuan stepped forward to help the dance girl. He told the man, "We're closed. If you want to dance, come back tomorrow."

The man remained silent and walked straight ahead.

Xiao Chuan frowned and said, "Don't you understand what I'm saying? We're closed!"

The man suddenly drew a knife and slashed at Xiao Chuan.

Xiao Chuan was an Artisan Cultivator, not yet at a higher level, and couldn't react in time.

Ma Wu was a step faster, pushing Xiao Chuan aside, dodging the knife, and kicking the man.

Crunch!

It sounded as if the man's bone had broken.

But this did not affect his offensive; he raised his knife and attacked Ma Wu again.

Ma Wu calmly dodged. Others tried to help but were stopped by Ma Wu.

The opponent's moves weren't particularly fast, but his body was exceptionally strong. He was likely a body cultivator without a higher cultivation level.

Such a person was probably just a rogue; a beating would be enough. There was no need to spoil the auspicious opening because of him, and certainly no need to let his subordinates get injured.

He glanced at the man, intending to subdue him with an illusion technique.

The man showed no reaction, slashing at Ma Wu again and again.

*He can defend against illusion techniques?*

*Does this man have a cultivation level?*

For a grand opening, Ma Wu truly didn't want bloodshed.

But this opponent clearly couldn't be underestimated.

Ma Wu drew the short sword from his back, intending to disarm the man by removing an arm.

Snap!

The arm came off, but the man didn't bleed.

Looking at the broken joint on the shoulder, Ma Wu's brows furrowed tightly.

The break was hollow; he could see a bamboo frame inside.

*It's a paper figure!*

His first thought was Liu Liangyi, the shopkeeper of the Liu Family Paper Horse Shop.

Liu Liangyi was a fourth-level Nightmare Cultivator, and these paper figures were his renowned technique.

*He's here for revenge!*

Xiao Chuanzi also realized it was a paper figure, pulled out a box of matches, and shouted, "Young Master, step aside, I'll burn him!"

"Don't be reckless!" Ma Wu shouted, stopping Xiao Chuanzi.

*Set him on fire?*

Paper figures didn't feel pain; they would instead rush at people while ablaze.

Ma Wu swung his short sword, cutting the paper figure into pieces. Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew from outside the window, extinguishing all the candles in the room.

"Quick, let's go!" Ma Wu ordered an immediate evacuation of the dance hall. Reaching the door, they found they couldn't get out.

Hundreds of figures were densely packed at the entrance, and more were continuously emerging from the wilderness.

The dance hall was surrounded.

Even Ma Wu couldn't break out, let alone the unarmed staff and dance girls.

After cutting down two paper figures, Ma Wu retreated back into the dance hall. He called two staff members to brace the main door.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The pounding on the door from outside was incessant, and Ma Wu was trying to figure out how to respond.

These paper figures were likely controlled by Liu Liangyi's ghost servants.

Ghost servants were spirits of the deceased, and high-level techniques of Joy Cultivators could restrain them.

But Ma Wu's cultivation level wasn't high enough; unless he had a magic artifact or a spiritual item, he couldn't even touch the spirits. This was the most troublesome aspect of Nightmare Cultivators.

*If only I had that fur coat.*

When Ma Wu was driven out of his family, the fur coat was taken back. With that coat, he wouldn't have had to scavenge for food in garbage piles, and he could have made a good living by driving away ghosts.

He had no magic artifacts on hand right now. What else could counter ghost servants?

*Filth!*

Ma Wu remembered: the books said that spirits abhorred filth and could be temporarily repelled by it.

"Spit, spit saliva! Spit at the main door!"

Over a dozen staff members and more than twenty dance girls spat at the main door. The pounding on the door from outside gradually subsided.

It seemed to work.

Ma Wu was overjoyed and instructed everyone, "Smear saliva on your faces, the more the better. If anyone has thick phlegm, share some. In a moment, listen for my command, and we'll charge out!"

Everyone quickly spat into their hands and smeared it on their faces. Even the dance girls forgot their modesty; a pretty young woman blew her nose and smeared snot all over her face.

Ma Wu was just about to open the door when he suddenly heard two sharp cracks!

The windowpanes shattered!

The paper figures outside weren't repelled by the saliva. Under Liu Liangyi's control, they had simply changed their attack route.

Dozens of paper figures climbed in through the windows.

"Ah!"

A staff member screamed as a paper figure slashed him in the back.

"Oh, mama!"

A dance girl was seized by a paper figure, and a large chunk of her hair was ripped out.

The room was pitch black, filled with ceaseless screams. Ma Wu couldn't even distinguish the paper figures.

"Spit saliva!" In his panic, this was the only move Ma Wu could think of.

*Would it work?*

With so little filth, its effect was truly limited.

These were ghost servants of a fourth-level Nightmare Cultivator. A mouthful of saliva spat on a paper figure's face caused it to pause briefly, then continue hacking at people with its knife.

Ma Wu swung his sword, shattering one paper figure. The ghost servant inside emerged, possessed another paper figure, and continued fighting, completely unharmed.

Liu Liangyi, hiding at the village entrance, paused for a moment and shook his head.

He hadn't expected Ma Wu to be so lacking in strength.

He thought that since Ma Wu had killed Song Jiasen, his cultivation should have reached the third level, and he would possess at least a few magic artifacts.

If he had known Ma Wu only had this much ability, he wouldn't have even bothered with the paper figures. He could have just sent a dozen ghost servants and dealt with them all.

Ma Wu was cornered. He called out to everyone, "Urine! Urinate! Spray them with it!"

In this critical moment, men and women alike, forgetting their modesty, pulled out their "equipment," got into position, and prepared to fire.

But the paper figures didn't give them a chance to "fire," immediately slashing with their knives!

Just as everyone was cornered and about to be chopped into mincemeat, suddenly, a large, dark figure burst out from the latrine, shouting, "Young Master, don't be alarmed, follow me!"

The large, dark figure had a two-foot iron bucket on his back and a 1.5-meter long spoon in his hand. He sprayed a stream of paste-like substance at the paper figures, causing some to freeze in place, while the rest huddled against the walls.

*Xiao Genzi is here!*

*He came with the bucket!*

*This is proper filth!*

Feces soup was the king of all filth. Feces soup refined by a Metal Cultivator was the ultimate form of defilement!

Xiao Genzi had a tough time. To save Ma Wu, he fought his way in and out seven times outside the dance hall before finally jumping in through the toilet window.

After replenishing his "ammunition" in the toilet, Xiao Genzi charged into the center of the dance floor again.

After some fighting, Xiao Genzi stood by the window and unstrapped the feces bucket from his back.

With one lift of the bucket, a group of paper figures was stunned.

With one flourish of the long spoon, he splattered Ma Wu's face.

"Young Master, this way!"

Ma Wu wiped his face, gathered everyone, and followed Xiao Genzi towards the window.

Metal Cultivators restrained Nightmare Cultivators. If it were Du Hongxi, a second-level Nightmare Cultivator from the Jiangxiang Gang, even if they couldn't win, they could at least fight their way out.

Unfortunately, these were ghost servants of a fourth-level Nightmare Cultivator.

Liu Liangyi scoffed, "I thought Metal Cultivators were extinct. I didn't expect there to be any cultivators left in the world. Fine, I'll send you on your way, so you don't continue to bring shame to the world."

He put down the incense he was holding and lit a candle. Using the candle to transmit his mental commands, he ordered the ghost servants to launch a forceful attack.

Xiao Genzi hadn't yet reached a higher level, and the amount and quality of filth in his bucket weren't enough. If the ghost servants charged directly, they could easily break through his filth.

Liu Liangyi's combat strategy was that cautious.

Ambush had the lowest cost and greatest benefit. He wouldn't show himself personally; Ma Wu wouldn't see his face until the moment of his death.

The candle flame flickered, and his mental command was about to unleash.

Ding-a-ling!

*What was that sound?*

Li Banfeng stabbed Liu Liangyi in the back of the head, then blew out the candle.

The third-level House Cultivator had been ignored by Liu Liangyi, and also by his ghost servants beside him.

Ambush was indeed the most advantageous tactic, and Li Banfeng heartily agreed.