Chapter 223: Harmony Between Husband and Wife

“Is this person the lord of Iron Gate Fortress? He wants me to lead an attack on Iron Gate Fortress? What is he thinking? What exactly does he want to do?”

He Zhenlei was conflicted.

His dislodged teeth were still lying on the bed.

Pushing open his room door, he saw that the guards were gone, vanished without a trace, dead or alive.

He Zhenlei was terrified. He huddled in bed, unable to sleep all night.

The next morning, at daybreak, he led his men down the mountain to Iron Gate Fortress.

He had figured it out. This person must have killed Little Pockmark and taken his place as the fortress lord. His intention was likely the same as Zhou Anju's: to use the might of Feiying Mountain to intimidate the house cultivators within Iron Gate Fortress, allowing him to profit. However, his methods were a bit crude.

Nevertheless, the fact that he managed to reach Feiying Mountain and act with such ruthlessness proved he was a resourceful person. Such a person should not be offended. He decided to do as instructed and go to Iron Gate Fortress.

Over a hundred bandit soldiers, led by He Zhenlei, arrived before the gates of Iron Gate Fortress, where a group of house cultivators stood ready. Undeniably, the house cultivators of Iron Gate Fortress were far superior in strength to the bandits of Feiying Mountain. However, they had little combat experience, and seeing such a large formation, the house cultivators were nervous.

The house cultivator on lookout duty kept banging gongs and drums, signaling an alarm to the fortress. Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Yongchao, tell them to stop making a fuss. The enemy is already here, what's there to warn about? Tell the brothers in the boiler room to be ready. If they assault the gate, release the steam immediately. Burn them to death, one by one! Everyone else, grab your weapons. If the gate falls, we'll fight street by street within the fortress. Show them what you're capable of. It's time to get serious!"

Wu Yongchao relayed the message, and all the house cultivators prepared themselves.

The bandit chief He Zhenlei approached the gate and shouted loudly, "Friends of Iron Gate Fortress, we have been neighbors for so many years, always keeping to ourselves! However, you have repeatedly caused trouble for my Feiying Mountain. This matter is your fault first, so you cannot blame me, He, for being dishonorable. I demand that you gather ten thousand silver dollars and send them to my mountain within three days. If it's short by even a penny, don't blame me for my ruthlessness, I'll wipe out every last one of you! Retreat!"

Having said that, He Zhenlei led his men away.

He retreated! Li Banfeng was furious!

That same night, he ascended Feiying Mountain again.

He Zhenlei had thought the matter was resolved and he could finally get a good night's sleep. Instead, Li Banfeng entered his room, dragged him from his bed, and violently beat him on the ground. He Zhenlei was a third-level martial cultivator. Did he truly have no room to resist in front of Li Banfeng? If he had dared to fight back, he could have certainly managed a couple of moves. The key was that he simply didn't dare. Li Banfeng wore Zhou Anju's belt, and the imposing aura he exuded was far more terrifying than Zhou Anju's had ever been.

"What exactly do you want?" He Zhenlei truly didn't know how to communicate with this fortress lord.

"What do I want?" Li Banfeng punched He Zhenlei in the face. "I told you to lead an attack on Iron Gate Fortress, and you didn't even lift a finger, just spouted some nonsense and left? How dare you play games with me? Who gave you the guts?"

"Friend, I was just scaring them, as you wanted…"

"Who's your friend? And who the hell were you scaring?" Li Banfeng slapped He Zhenlei again. "I'm telling you, tomorrow, lead your troops there again and actually fight. Use every ounce of strength you have. If you dare to play games with me again, tomorrow I'll hang your head on your mountain peak."

Li Banfeng left. He Zhenlei, bruised and swollen, sat on his bed, remaining in a daze all night.

The next day, he led his men to Iron Gate Fortress once more. This time, he didn't dare to feign an attack, leading his men directly to charge the fortress.

The three great techniques of deception cultivation: The first technique states that as long as one doesn't make a move, the deception remains true. Now, He Zhenlei had made a move.

The second technique of deception cultivation states that as long as the move is not seen, the deception remains true. Now, all the house cultivators saw them. The bandit soldiers charged to the gate, screaming in agony as they were scalded by steam. Even if they weren't burned to death, they could do nothing against the iron gate.

The third technique of deception cultivation states that even if the move is seen, as long as others don't understand it, the cultivation remains true. Now, the house cultivators understood perfectly clear.

After one charge, over a hundred bandit soldiers suffered more than thirty casualties. If it weren't for their chief's presence, they would have disintegrated. This was the true level of Feiying Mountain; their deceptive cultivation had failed.

For years, Feiying Mountain had dominated the region, not through genuine ability, but by leveraging Iron Gate Fortress as a foil. Everyone knew Iron Gate Fortress was easy to defend and difficult to attack, possessing considerable strength. Everyone knew Iron Gate Fortress was willing to endure oppression from Feiying Mountain, not daring to offer the slightest resistance. Everyone assumed Feiying Mountain's strength far surpassed that of Iron Gate Fortress.

Today, the lie was completely exposed.

Seeing that the Feiying Mountain bandits no longer dared to assault the gate, Li Banfeng directly ordered, "Open the gates and go out to fight."

All eight large iron gates creaked open, and Li Banfeng led over a hundred house cultivators charging out. For this first charge, Li Banfeng felt uncertain, and the house cultivators felt even more so. Many of them hadn't left the fortress in years and were disoriented once outside the iron gates. Their formation was disorderly, and their techniques were scattered. The fourth-level house cultivators remained relatively calm, using the "Golden House Hides a Beauty" technique to send mud figures, stone figures, and paper figures to charge ahead. The first and second-level house cultivators relied solely on their physical talents, directly rushing forward. Several third-level house cultivators, seeing that the tactics differed from what was planned, panicked and used the "Heart Returns Like an Arrow" technique, turning to flee back home.

This first battle for the hundred-plus house cultivators was far from glorious; they barely managed to exert less than thirty percent of their true strength. Yet, even with just thirty percent of their strength, they easily repelled the group of bandit soldiers. These bandit soldiers had combat experience, but it was limited to bullying ordinary folk without cultivation.

He Zhenlei fled at the front with his soldiers, while the bandits followed behind, crying out in panic. The house cultivators, eyes bloodshot, wielded their weapons and relentlessly pursued them.

Li Banfeng pushed the windmill phonograph, playing a battle song, as he led the house cultivators forward. "Flags waving, horses neighing, guns on shoulders, knives at waists, blood, hot blood like a raging tide…" This battle song greatly boosted morale, and the mistress's singing could gather wandering souls.

The souls of the slain bandits gathered around the phonograph, and Li Banfeng seized the opportunity to send them all into his portable residence. The mistress feasted heartily, while He Zhenlei made a miserable escape, nearly all of his men wiped out.

Returning to Feiying Mountain, they counted their numbers. Including the gate guards and servants, only seventy-odd people remained on the mountain. He Zhenlei sighed deeply, realizing that this life of banditry was likely over. After this battle, Feiying Mountain's reputation was completely ruined. All they could do now was rest on the mountain for a few days, then find another place to make a living.

However, Li Banfeng gave him no chance to rest. That very night, he returned. "You did well today. Tomorrow, lead your men and continue fighting."

"Fight again?" He Zhenlei dropped to his knees with a thud. "My Lord Fortress Master, I beg you, I can't fight anymore! Please, just spare my life!"

Li Banfeng slapped He Zhenlei. "You won't fight, huh? Don't you miss Little Pockmark? Shall I take you to meet him?"

He Zhenlei cried, "Grandpa, I'll fight! How do you want me to fight? How exactly should I fight for you to spare my life?"

This attitude was acceptable. Li Banfeng agreed that if he fought with all his might tomorrow, the matter would be resolved. He Zhenlei agreed. Li Banfeng took out a blank sheet of paper and said, "Write a contract so I don't have to come looking for you again."

He had to write a contract for this… He Zhenlei held the pen, thinking for a long time, unsure how to write it.

Li Banfeng slapped him. "Write! Don't you know how to read?"

"I… I really…" He Zhenlei sobbed uncontrollably.

Li Banfeng slapped him again. "Cry! Cry harder! It'll be more sincere if you write it while crying!"

The next morning, He Zhenlei left. He didn't know what "fighting with all his might" truly meant, but he knew that if he didn't go, the fortress lord, whatever his name was, would certainly not let him off.

The house cultivators had seen through Feiying Mountain's true strength. This time, they abandoned defense entirely, attacking upon leaving the fortress. The battle lasted just over ten minutes, and Feiying Mountain's forces were completely annihilated. He Zhenlei was killed by Wu Yongchao. In his dying moments, he didn't seem to be in much pain; his face even held a hint of relief and release.

Li Banfeng was very satisfied with the house cultivators' performance. He personally paid Wu Yongchao to purchase ingredients for a victory banquet that evening.

Upon returning to his portable residence, Li Banfeng was enveloped by a cloud of warm steam.

"Oh, my dear husband, ever since I ate the Xuanxun Pill last time, my body has been a bit weak. But now that you've brought so many crisp, refreshing ingredients, I feel much stronger. It's time for us to show our affection, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm ready," Li Banfeng said with a faint smile, extending his head into the phonograph's horn.

Half an hour later, Li Banfeng's face was flushed. Wiping sweat from his brow, he sat beside the phonograph, listening to his mistress sing "Song of the Four Seasons."

"When spring arrives, green fills the window pane,A young maiden embroiders mandarin ducks beneath the window,The grand mansion's scenery is fine,Husband sings, wife follows, love long endures!"

He had reached the fifth level of house cultivation! Li Banfeng burst out laughing.

He first went to the fifth room, and at the end of it, he found the entrance to the sixth room. Red Lotus resonated, sending blessings to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng smiled knowingly and moved Red Lotus into the sixth room. Red Lotus felt that it would never be able to reach the main chamber in this lifetime. It probably wouldn't even be able to return to the second chamber.

Returning to the main chamber, Li Banfeng asked his mistress, "The 'Grand Mansion' technique allows me to carry your strength outside the residence. What kind of strength do you want me to take out?"

The phonograph sang slowly, "My dear husband, your cultivation has just reached the fifth level. Among ordinary beings, you are already high-ranking. But I'm not boasting when I say you cannot yet use many of my techniques. Cultivation must proceed step by step. Let me first teach you how to sing, my dear husband, as this is my signature skill."

Li Banfeng knew his mistress's singing was formidable. If he could learn this technique, he wouldn't have to push the windmill phonograph around everywhere anymore.

"Mistress, let's learn 'Pretentious,' I really like that song."

The phonograph taught him line by line, and Li Banfeng sang line by line. After half an hour of singing, the mistress's breathing became somewhat rapid. *Hiss, hiss*

"Husband, please stop singing for now. My chest hurts."

Li Banfeng was startled. "Mistress, do you dislike my singing?"

"Your singing is very good, husband, it's just the sound…" the phonograph replied reluctantly. "It's not your fault, husband. Perhaps the song 'Pretentious' is not suitable for you."

Li Banfeng stood up and said, "Just singing indeed isn't quite my style. I can also dance. I'll dance a song for you to see…"

Seeing Li Banfeng dance, the mistress's condition worsened. "Husband, please don't dance, put down the feather duster first… Just looking at you, husband, my chest hurts again. Husband, please learn a different song another day. This song is truly not suitable for men. For the fifth-level technique, husband, you have already grasped the key. When performing the technique, you must visualize my singing style in your mind. As long as you visualize correctly, you will naturally sing correctly."

"Visualize correctly, then sing correctly…" Li Banfeng seemed to grasp something. He picked up the feather duster and said, "Mistress, I'll sing it one more time with the dance. If anything is wrong, please point it out."

"Don't rush, another day, husband, another day…"

The next day, Li Banfeng walked out of his portable residence and was strolling around the fortress when he suddenly noticed how unusually quiet it was. Wu Yongchao approached Li Banfeng. "Fortress Lord, the vendors didn't come today. Not a single one."

Li Banfeng asked, "Is it because the fighting over the past two days scared them away?"

Wu Yongchao replied, "Yesterday, when I went to the market to buy food and drinks for the victory banquet, I told the merchants that the matter was over, and they even promised to come today to do business."

Li Banfeng stood before the iron gates, looking at the empty road ahead. He seemed to detect a familiar scent. He had smelled this scent before, outside Yu Nan's cloth shop.

"Tell everyone in the fortress to intensify their guard. Don't go out casually for the next couple of days."

Wu Yongchao asked, "Should we close the main gates?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "No, we can't close the gates. Once they're closed, it'll be difficult to open them again. Call a few fourth-level house cultivators. We'll have some fun with these scoundrels."