Chapter 193: Nails

Li Banfeng put down his wine glass and coughed for a while before he recovered.

“Do you know Lu Xiaolan?”

“Yes, we’re acquaintances.”

Li Banfeng picked up his glass and asked, “How well do you know her?”

Ma Wu didn’t know how to describe it. “If you consider the closest connection, she should be my fiancée.”

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Li Banfeng choked again.

Fiancée?

Why had Ma Wu never mentioned this?

Actually, it wasn’t Ma Wu’s fault; he hadn’t intentionally concealed it. This was due to their personalities; they never pressed each other about things the other person didn’t want to discuss.

But this logic completely fell apart.

Li Banfeng asked, “Lu Xiaolan is your fiancée, so what does He Jiaqing have to do with this? Please don’t tell me he’s your fiancé.”

Ma Wu also choked. “What fiancé? How could I be caught between them? There’s… something else going on here.”

Li Banfeng was very curious, but his unspoken understanding with Ma Wu remained. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it, but this is important, so I have to tell you. Lu Xiaolan is two years younger than me. When she was thirteen, she was betrothed to me.”

In Puro Province, engagements between wealthy families were common. However, engagements also required a suitable match.

Were Lu Xiaolan and Ma Wu a suitable match?

No, they weren’t.

She wasn’t a match for Ma Wu, nor for He Jiaqing. The reason she later managed to connect with He Jiaqing was because the Lu family’s influence had risen.

Li Banfeng asked, “I recall you were born to the main wife, and Lu Xiaolan was born to a concubine, right?”

How was Ma Wu supposed to answer that question?

“‘I was the least favored one in the family…’ Ma Wu said awkwardly, then continued, ‘When she turned fifteen, it was almost time for marriage talks. I spent some time with her, and because of that, the Lu and Ma families almost turned against each other.’”

“Why did they almost turn against each other?”

“Lu Xiaolan and I weren’t compatible. Every time we met, we’d argue within three sentences. I couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to break off the engagement. She said I had humiliated her and almost killed me.”

Li Banfeng, cracking sunflower seeds, asked, “How did you humiliate her?”

Ma Wu was a bit embarrassed again. “We were young, you know, in bed…”

Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. “Arguing within three sentences didn’t stop you from sharing a bed.”

Ma Wu sighed. “That just goes to show how young we were back then. If it were now, I wouldn’t touch Lu Xiaolan. Back then, she was a third-level Scrutiny Cultivator, and I was still a novice. I almost died by her hand. The matter escalated, and the two families became estranged until Lu Xiaolan went to study in another province, and the whole thing slowly quieted down.”

Lu Xiaolan already had three layers of cultivation before going to Yue Province?

“How old was she before she went to Yue Province?”

“Sixteen.”

“How could she have three layers of cultivation at sixteen?”

Ma Wu took a sip of wine. “Most people don’t know this, but Lu Xiaolan is different from other prominent family scions. She wasn’t born to be a pampered lady; she was born to be an assassin. Before she was ten, she entered a Taoist sect. As long as her body could withstand it, she continuously took medicinal pills and practiced martial arts, suffering greatly for it. This isn’t just my guess; Lu Xiaolan told me herself. Even though I wasn’t a Huan-cultivator back then, I still had talent, and in that situation, she would never lie. I’ve seen the scars on her body, the calluses on her hands, and even the marks left by beatings on her buttocks.”

“You’ve seen so much…”

Li Banfeng felt regret!

He Jiaqing had snatched the photo away that day, so Li Banfeng hadn’t noticed any of these details.

“Old Five, why were you still a novice at that age?”

How was he supposed to answer that?

As a scion of a prominent family, Ma Wu had indeed started his cultivation very late.

“Because I was the most unreliable one in the family…” Ma Wu said, blushing, then continued, “Lu Xiaolan was raised by her mother to be a ruthless person. You can never let your guard down around her. Now she’s here, clearing land next to our territory. I’d guess there’s an eighty percent chance she’s here for you.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. “Not necessarily. You were the one who broke her heart back then, so she might be here for you.”

Ma Wu took another sip of wine. “No matter who she’s here for, how do you plan to deal with her?”

“What do you think?”

Ma Wu lowered his voice. “I plan to find an opportunity to finish her off.”

Li Banfeng smiled. “I want to finish her off right now.”

Actions spoke louder than words. Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and was about to stand up when Ma Wu stopped him. “Old Seven, you can’t get involved in this. Let me go.”

“What are you afraid of? My injuries are healed.” Li Banfeng really wanted to go. His enmity with Lu Xiaolan ran deep; he had almost died at her hands right after arriving at Yaowang Gully.

“I know your injuries are healed, but I’ve already shown myself to Lu Xiaolan. She knows I’m here, but she might not know you are. For that reason alone, you shouldn’t act. Besides, even if she knows I’m here, she can’t do anything to me. My identity is openly known: I’m just a discarded pawn of the Ma family. You’re different. Your identity can’t be revealed to the Lu family, nor can Lu Xiaolan trick you into showing yourself. So, you can’t make a move; I have to do it.”

No matter the situation, Ma Wu always considered things from Li Banfeng’s perspective. He truly was a good brother.

But could Ma Wu kill Lu Xiaolan?

Before university, Lu Xiaolan was a third-level cultivator. Now, he heard she was already fourth-level. Relying on Ma Wu, a second-level cultivator, he certainly wouldn’t be her match.

If he couldn’t kill Lu Xiaolan alone, what should Ma Wu do?

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to take Madam Suomou to kill Lu Xiaolan.”

That would be a huge scene.

Ma Wu shook his head. “Yanzi and the others are too conspicuous. I plan to take A-Qin.”

“Who’s A-Qin?”

Ma Wu led Li Banfeng to A-Qin’s room.

A-Qin was playing the piano in the room.

She looked like a woman in her late twenties.

She should be a woman, right?

She had large eyes, slender eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and was quite pretty. There was a single antenna on each temple, but it didn’t detract from her overall beauty. Her lower body was a bit more robust, but she had two long, shapely legs. These legs were very well-formed, though a bit thin.

Li Banfeng asked Ma Wu, “Is this a katydid?”

At the word “katydid,” A-Qin became displeased. She glared at Li Banfeng and said, “Fifth Brother, who is this person?”

Ma Wu reminded Li Banfeng to watch his tone. “A-Qin is an elder; she’s a genuine sixth-level Body Cultivator and cultivated at Three-Headed Fork.”

Body Cultivator?

Had a human become a katydid, or a katydid become a human?

Li Banfeng whispered, “Her original form was human?”

Ma Wu remained silent.

That question was difficult to answer.

A-Qin stood about 1.6 meters tall and looked very much like a human, but her original form was indeed a katydid.

Ma Wu reminded Li Banfeng again, “Elder A-Qin’s identity is extraordinary; she’s Wen Hongyan’s master.”

Wen Hongyan?

Chu Er’s main aide?

In Li Banfeng’s impression, Wen Hongyan was in her early forties. So how old must this elder be?

How could he lay a hand on her?

What would Wen Hongyan call Ma Wu in the future?

“Old Five, you’re something else.”

Ma Wu explained the situation to A-Qin.

A-Qin wiggled her antennae and said calmly, “When do we act?”

“The sooner, the better.”

A-Qin immediately stood up, making no preparations.

“Fifth Brother, just tell me who that woman is later. You don’t need to do anything; leave the rest to me.”

Ma Wu was a little uneasy. “Should I bring Old Zuo with us?”

“No need for him. Zuo Wugang keeps staring at me; I find him disgusting.”

Zuo Wugang was interested in A-Qin?

He was one of Greenwater City’s most famous aides, and he was interested in a katydid?

Like master, like aide.

If this got out, it would definitely make the front page of the newspapers.

Ma Wu set off with A-Qin. When they reached the land being cleared, Ma Wu didn’t see Lu Xiaolan, nor did he see the other land-clearer. But he saw the land lit up.

Qiu Luoye had responded?

So quickly!

“It doesn’t matter,” Ma Wu said, gritting his teeth. “We’ll wait until they start clearing tomorrow, then we’ll act. We absolutely cannot let them successfully clear this land.”

A-Qin shook her head. “Fifth Brother, I can do whatever I want before they start clearing, or I can find an opportunity to act after they succeed. But during the clearing process itself, I can’t mess around. Qiu Luoye and I have an agreement.”

“What agreement?”

“I’m considered a subordinate of Qiu Luoye. If someone is clearing land on his territory, I can go and inspect them, but only with his permission. Otherwise, I cannot enter the land freely.”

A-Qin’s situation was the same as that of the wild boar and the centipede woman. They could come and assess Li Banfeng and Ma Wu, but only if Shui Yongquan permitted it.

Could A-Qin go and assess Lu Xiaolan?

Qiu Luoye would most likely not permit it.

Land-clearing assessment is about testing whether someone has the ability to take on a territory. A plot of one li isn’t a large territory to begin with, and Qiu Luoye wouldn’t allow a sixth-level cultivator to assess a land-clearer; that wouldn’t conform to the rules of land-clearing.

A-Qin couldn’t go, but Ma Wu had another plan. “Tomorrow, I’ll have Yanzi come. She’s a wandering fiend, so she doesn’t have to obey the land-clearing rules.”

A-Qin was worried. “Yanzi is still young. That girl lacks refinement; I’m afraid this matter won’t be handled properly.”

Ma Wu was stunned. “Young? Lacks refinement? A-Qin, which Yanzi are you talking about?”

“Wen Hongyan, of course, my disciple. She got a lot of beatings when she was learning from me. Her buttocks were covered in welts. I’ll have her show you sometime.”

Ma Wu laughed. “I was talking about our Yanzi, not Chu family’s aide.”

A-Qin became displeased. “Why do you keep bringing up that shameless hussy!”

Ma Wu quickly put his arm around A-Qin, coaxing her. “We’re all family; we should be more harmonious.”

A-Qin shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t be harmonious with her.”

“Alright, A-Qin, don’t dwell on it. I’ll go back and listen to you play the piano.”

“Fifth Brother, I couldn’t help you with this, but you mustn’t be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry, but you’ll have to make it up to me properly.”

“Then you’ll have to cherish me more.”

The next day, the land-clearing began.

Ma Wu took Yanzi and A-Qin to the plot.

Lu Xiaolan might not be there, as land owners could hire people to clear land. Ma Wu was prepared for this. If Lu Xiaolan was clearing the land herself, he’d have Yanzi drive her out and A-Qin finish her off. If Lu Xiaolan wasn’t there, he’d have Yanzi disrupt the land-clearing.

All the way there, A-Qin and Yanzi argued.

“Little Brother Lang, why do we have to bring this katydid along? I can handle such a small matter myself.”

A-Qin snorted coldly. “Isn’t it because you’re too stupid, afraid you won’t get things done?”

“Woman, who are you calling stupid? Do you believe I’ll rip off your legs?”

“Come on, try it. I’ll break your teeth first.”

Ma Wu chuckled awkwardly. “Let’s take care of business first, business first.”

Near the plot, several land-clearers were gathered around a bonfire, eating. Ma Wu didn’t see Lu Xiaolan among them.

Ma Wu ordered, “Yanzi, drive them out!”

This land-clearing absolutely had to be disrupted. Allowing Lu Xiaolan to clear land right in front of their doorstep, where she could watch them whenever she pleased, and hide in her territory if trouble arose, would be like driving a nail into the hearts of Li Banfeng and Ma Wu.

Yanzi shot A-Qin a glare. “Woman, it’s not your turn this time.”

A-Qin twitched her antennae but said nothing.

Yanzi wriggled her way into the plot, scaring the land-clearers, who trembled. Yanzi, smiling, approached the group. She used an antenna to flip over one of the land-clearers. “You young men are quite handsome. If this lady weren’t already taken, I’d really like to have some fun with you. While I’m in a good mood, scram. If you’re slow, you’ll lose your lives.”

The group of land-clearers scattered and fled. Yanzi returned to Ma Wu, rubbing against him with a charming expression.

A-Qin lowered her head, silent. Ma Wu gazed at the plot and smiled faintly.

Lu Xiaolan, I don’t believe you won’t show yourself.

As soon as you do, I’ll take your life!

That evening, Shui Yongquan came knocking. “Brother Ma Wu, I heard you brought a bagworm and drove away the land-clearers?”

Ma Wu neither admitted nor denied it. “Shopkeeper Shui, bagworms don’t have to abide by the land-clearing rules. Whether this matter concerns me or not, if a bagworm disrupts the land-clearing, there’s no fault, right?”

Shui Yongquan took a sip of tea. “That’s the logic, but that’s not how things are.”

Li Banfeng, from the side, said, “Then enlighten us, how are things?”

Shui Yongquan said, “I finally managed to negotiate with Qiu Luoye that we wouldn’t fight anymore. No one has ever successfully cleared land on his territory before, and now that someone has finally come to clear land, you go and cause trouble. Isn’t that forcing him to turn hostile? Let me make it clear to both of you: if Qiu Luoye truly turns hostile, he’ll definitely attack again. If he attacks, you two brothers will be the first to suffer. I’ve said my piece; weigh it yourselves.”

Soon after Shui Yongquan left, Chuanzi ran over with a message. “Someone else is clearing land, also in Qiu Luoye’s territory.”