Chapter 152: Long Time No See

After hiding for half an hour, Li Banfeng went out again. The human head had already vanished.

Li Banfeng calculated that the head appeared approximately every six hours. At his current speed, it was impossible for him to get out of the thorn bush within six hours.

What should he do if he encountered this head without the Portable Abode?

He could only hide in the thorn bushes on either side.

Was it safe to hide in the thorn bushes?

It was not safe.

First, the lower parts of the thorn bushes were scorched black, not by weathering, but by the head.

Moreover, this head liked living people and had developed a strong interest in Li Banfeng.

If Li Banfeng hadn't hidden in the Portable Abode just now, the head would very likely have tracked him.

In this thorn bush, or more accurately, on this wasteland, Li Banfeng's physical strength was severely depleted, and he would soon be caught by the head.

He might be burned to death by the head, or become its plaything. As for whether the head would be gentler than Madam Suo'e, that remained unknown.

It was difficult for a normal person to get out of this thorn bush unless they could defeat the head.

Simply defeating the head might not be enough.

Li Banfeng just wanted to quickly leave this thorn bush, unsure if there were other creatures there.

Li Banfeng trekked through this thorn bush for a day and a night. The head appeared four times, and he evaded it by relying on his ears and nose.

Doing so not only prevented him from replenishing his physical strength but also hindered his practice as a dwelling cultivator.

Why didn't he just hide in the Portable Abode and sleep?

Because it wasn't safe.

He wasn't sure if there would be other creatures in this thorn bush, nor if they would provide a warning like the head did, giving him a chance to hide.

He also didn't want to leave his key in the thorn bush for too long, unsure if strange creatures there might pick it up.

The last time he encountered the head was three hours ago. Exhausted, Li Banfeng had intended to rest for a while when he suddenly heard the sound of wind again.

Was the head coming again?

No, the sound was different.

The sound of the wind didn't grow from faint to loud; it was steady, maintaining the same intensity.

This wasn't the sound of the head approaching.

And Li Banfeng didn't smell smoke.

Li Banfeng ran frantically, knowing what that sound meant.

He was nearing the end of the thorn bush; he was about to leave it.

His body was still heavy, but Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and ran for his life. After more than half an hour, he found the exit of the thorn bush.

A forest! Ahead was a forest!

Li Banfeng was overjoyed. He rushed out of the thorn bush and entered the forest.

He listened carefully with his Silk-Pulling Earring. The wriggling sound was still there, but he couldn't find any trace of the Iron Wire River.

That's strange.

In the thorn bush, Li Banfeng had consistently chosen a path close to the Iron Wire River, and the sound had never stopped. How could the Iron Wire River suddenly disappear after he left the thorn bush?

Just as he was wondering, the Silk-Pulling Earring responded, "Master, the sound is coming from below."

Below?

Li Banfeng squatted on the ground and placed the earring on the surface to listen intently.

The wriggling sound indeed came from below; the Iron Wire River had become an underground river.

This was troublesome.

Had he chosen the wrong tributary before?

Or was there a section of the correct route that was an underground river?

Looking back at the thorn bush, Li Banfeng didn't want to go back the way he came. In his current situation, he could only follow the sound from the earring and continue along the direction of the underground river.

After walking for over thirty li, Li Banfeng's steps became faster and faster. His originally heavy body felt as if it had suddenly shed its shackles, becoming much lighter.

It seemed it wasn't a matter of his physical condition earlier, but that the wasteland possessed some special power.

The reason was unknown, but Li Banfeng ran faster and faster.

However, the sound of the underground river grew fainter, and the Silk-Pulling Earring occasionally reminded him, "Master, the sound is getting deeper."

After walking another fifty li, the sound of the underground river completely disappeared.

Lost?

Completely lost this time?

What to do now?

It's okay, there's still a way...

In the vast, endless forest, an exhausted Li Banfeng opened the Portable Abode, dove onto the bed, and fell asleep.

At Toudao Ridge in Haichi Ridge, the area below the Food Heaven Restaurant was packed with people.

Among them were local magnates, wealthy merchants, members of various gangs from Haichi Ridge, and some emaciated, ordinary citizens.

The Hundred Joys Gate was the landmark of Greenwater City, and the Food Heaven Restaurant was the landmark of Haichi Ridge. The restaurant comprised a five-story main building and two three-story annexes. It covered a vast area and was built by the river. All its halls and private rooms were full, and it was said to accommodate up to three thousand people.

But this restaurant had already closed.

People in Haichi Ridge couldn't even get food. All edible items were hoarded by the powerful families, and the restaurant's ingredients were tightly held by the owner, who refused to give them to anyone.

What did these people intend to do, gathered at the closed restaurant's entrance?

They were waiting for Lu Dongjun.

Lu Dongjun was going to deal with the mosquitoes today.

Wan Jinxian had originally wanted to wait a couple more days, but Lu Dongjun didn't want to wait any longer. The pressure from all sides was immense, and he was eager to prove his strength.

Lu Dongjun stood at the main entrance of the building and instructed people to unload the goods.

Dozens of servants carried twenty iron boxes and placed them in front of the restaurant.

As soon as the boxes were opened, the onlookers became agitated.

The boxes were filled with white rice, and everyone stared intently. Especially the starving commoners, many of whom tried to rush forward and snatch the food.

The guards shouted and kicked to maintain order, but the starving people weren't afraid of being beaten; they just wanted to grab something to eat.

Seeing the situation was getting out of control, Lu Dongjun waved his hand, and a powerful surge of pressure forced everyone to retreat.

"Everyone, this grain is not for eating. It contains medicine specifically designed to kill these pests. Today, I, Lu Dongjun, will use this grain..."

Before he could finish speaking, a swarm of dark mosquitoes, obscuring the sky, rushed towards them.

Lu Dongjun had said the various families weren't diligent in eradicating the mosquitoes, and it wasn't truly a lack of diligence. It was because these mosquitoes were not ordinary; as soon as they smelled grain, mosquitoes from several li around would quickly gather.

They rushed towards the iron boxes, grabbed the rice grains, and began to suck. In less than ten minutes, all twenty boxes of white rice were empty shells.

This was Haichi Ridge's insect plague, a terrifying scourge that struck fear into people's hearts.

A woman, holding a child and enduring the guards' punches and kicks, rushed to the boxes, grabbed a handful of white rice, and tried to put it into her child's mouth, but all she held were crumbs.

The woman burst into tears, and the child wailed along with her.

The full mosquitoes scattered, seemingly unaffected.

The onlookers started cursing.

"What the hell is this for? Not a single mosquito is poisoned!"

"So much grain wasted! Why didn't you give us some to eat?"

"This man is too evil! He doesn't deserve to be the head of the Lu family!"

The shouts grew louder and louder, and the uncontrolled crowd wanted to attack Lu Dongjun.

Lu Dongjun wasn't worried about such a scene.

He coughed twice, and everyone present quieted down again.

Lu Dongjun scanned the crowd, his expression calm as he said, "I, Lu Dongjun, live in Toudao Ridge. I believe many of you know where I live. Three days from now, if the insect plague in Toudao Ridge has not been contained, you may come to my home to claim my life!"

Everyone was intimidated by his demeanor, except for one beggar.

This beggar wasn't looking at Lu Dongjun. He was staring at the mosquitoes flying in the air, watching them circle, land, and mate.

There were many beggars in Haichi Ridge now, but this particular beggar looked especially chilling.

His body was covered in pustules: some oozed white fluid, some discharged red water, and others seeped green pus.

His face was completely deformed, his features unrecognizable. If one didn't look closely, he was almost identical to the Greenwater Beggar.

The only difference was that he had golden hair; he was a foreigner.

A bleeding pustule oozed a bit of green fluid.

Cui Tike's cheek twitched. He was nearing his breaking point; he had consumed the Greenwater Beggar's pus, and it was eroding his body.

He glanced again at the mating mosquitoes and muttered to himself, "So my fellow disciple is here. He was the one who made He Haiqin severely ill back then."

After sleeping for a full eight hours, Li Banfeng woke up, but his wife was still asleep.

Li Banfeng drank some water, ate something, and then went out again.

His food supply was plentiful, but he didn't have much water left and needed to save some for his wife. He had to find a way out of the New Land as soon as possible.

What if he couldn't find one?

Li Banfeng still had a plan: if he still couldn't find a way out after two days, he would set up the offering table and open up another New Land.

The local deity near the orange orchard disliked Li Banfeng very much.

But other local deities shouldn't know Li Banfeng yet.

He had only opened up a one-li square plot near the orange orchard, and the local deities wouldn't spread tales about such a minor matter. As long as the local deity here accepted him, he would have water, and he could figure out food later.

After walking for an entire day in the forest, Li Banfeng stopped.

He stood there stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up.

This place... it seemed he had been here before...

Not "seemed," he really had been here. He had too deep an impression of this place.

It was exactly at this spot that something had hung down.

Madam Suo'e's child!

A journey cultivator would never forget the direction to a place they had visited.

He continued to walk forward, following his memory, walking faster and faster.

Ahead was a wilderness, and in the middle of it, there was a light.

Beneath the light were two rows of wooden cabins, with seven or eight cabins in each row.

At the end of the first row of cabins stood a woman, draped in a red cotton coat, with a lady's cigarette between her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

The woman saw someone approaching in the distance. At first glance, his figure seemed familiar, but she couldn't recall his name.

As the man drew closer, the woman then felt that this bearded man wasn't that familiar after all.

It wasn't until Li Banfeng took off his top hat that the woman finally recognized him.

"Seventh Master, you're back!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "It's been a long time, Shopkeeper Yu."

This time, Li Banfeng finally understood something.

Why the same Madam Suo'e appeared in Jiangyue Mountain's New Land and also in Lanyang Village.

(End of this chapter)