Chapter 312: Trick Moves on Women

The Projector displayed an image of Feng Quweng. Li Banfeng examined it carefully but found no flaws.

The Phonograph asked, "My dear husband, why are you showing this old man again?"

"He has an accomplice who is skilled in disguise. When she impersonated the local deity, I couldn't tell the real from the fake at all."

The Phonograph looked at the Projector. "Did you record her?"

The Projector replied, "Only a little was recorded. That woman tried to seduce the Seventh Guide, but failed, and I found it uninteresting, so I didn't record the rest."

"It's fine if it's short," Li Banfeng said, "as long as you can produce the image."

The Projector looked troubled. "Well, I'm afraid I really can't produce that image."

"Why not?"

The Projector displayed the footage of the fake Meng Yuchun. The duration was indeed short, only about twenty seconds, but that wasn't the main point.

The key point was that the fake Meng Yuchun always faced Li Banfeng directly. The Projector could only create a flat image, not a three-dimensional figure; it didn't know what she looked like from other angles.

Li Banfeng said to his wife, "This is the person. She looks exactly like the local deity Meng Yuchun. She must be a high-level acting cultivator."

His wife had the Projector play it repeatedly for a few times, then said to Li Banfeng, "This seems to be a performance enchantress."

"What is a performance enchantress?"

"If she really is a performance enchantress, then this gets interesting," his wife said, turning to the Projector. "How long can you last in front of a sixth-tier acting cultivator?"

The Projector replied, "If I'm far away, I can last two or three minutes. If I'm close, perhaps only about ten seconds."

Li Banfeng arrived at Meng Yuchun's territory, where several hunters were gathered around her, discussing the expansion of land.

Seeing Li Banfeng, Meng Yuchun greeted him warmly, "Li Qi, do you want to expand your territory? You can choose the size yourself!"

Li Banfeng smiled and replied casually, "Maybe another time."

Expand land?

Li Banfeng was hardly in the mood for that.

He was already planning to take his people and leave this realm.

Seeing Li Qi about to leave, Meng Yuchun stepped forward to stop him and said, "I'll take you somewhere to talk."

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Where are you taking me?"

"I'll take you to a good place. In any case, I won't harm you." Meng Yuchun stepped forward and tugged at Li Banfeng's arm, but Li Banfeng quickly dodged aside.

Meng Yuchun was startled. She didn't understand why Li Banfeng was so wary.

Li Banfeng suddenly asked, "How large a territory did I open in your domain?"

Meng Yuchun said in surprise, "Three li in radius. Did you forget?"

"What tribute did I use?"

"Half a chicken. It tasted quite good."

This was the real Meng Yuchun. Many people knew about the three-li territory, but no one else knew about the half-chicken.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere others don't know about."

Meng Yuchun led Li Banfeng into a mountain cave. The cave was narrow but very high; looking up, it seemed to be over a hundred meters tall.

After traversing the cave for a long time, layers of green flames emanated from Meng Yuchun. Her upper body remained human, but her lower body transformed into a ghostly flame. She said to Li Banfeng, "Don't be afraid. I'll take you up."

There was nothing particularly frightening about a ghost; local deities were all spirits, and Li Banfeng already knew this.

Meng Yuchun embraced Li Banfeng, flew up the rock wall, stopped at a height of seventy or eighty meters above the ground, and entered a cave in the rock face.

Li Banfeng asked, "What is this place?"

"This is my home," Meng Yuchun said, putting Li Banfeng down. "Speak softly. Don't provoke my house spirit."

Li Banfeng's heart tightened. "Wasn't your house spirit devoured alive by Neizhou?"

"After arriving in the new territory, I found another house spirit. She doesn't have a very good temper, and I'm afraid she might hurt you."

Li Banfeng stood at the cave entrance and didn't go further inside.

Unless necessary, he was unwilling to easily enter the home of a dwelling cultivator.

"If there's anything, just say it here."

Meng Yuchun said, "I seem to be targeted by someone, and that person seems to be one of your subordinates."

My subordinate?

Li Banfeng chuckled. "You're beautiful; it's no surprise they stare at you every day, is it?"

"We're not talking about the same thing. Last night, I killed a wandering monster near my residence, and my house spirit told me it was a Dao Bi Li. She said it was a very rare wandering monster. Its appearance in my territory means someone must have sent it. Someone might be trying to harm me."

Just as Li Banfeng had speculated, rare wandering monsters were appearing one after another, and they were targeting Meng Yuchun.

"What did that Dao Bi Li look like? Hand him over to me; I'll examine him first."

"Never mind the Dao Bi Li for now; I need to find out who's trying to harm me!"

Li Banfeng was also investigating this matter. "That depends on who you've offended recently."

"I haven't met anyone recently, apart from you."

"Are you suspecting me?" Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat, preparing to leave the cave immediately.

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "I trust you; otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you to my home. I've been a local deity for so long, and I haven't even met a single person. I originally thought I would never get ahead in this life, but heaven pitied me and let me meet you. I genuinely want to be your friend, but someone among your subordinates really wants to harm me. If I deal harshly with them, please don't turn against me when that happens."

Isn't that a joke?

My subordinates are all poor hunters. How could any of them harm you?

Li Banfeng chuckled. "This matter definitely wasn't done by my subordinates. I can help you investigate, but not for free; we can negotiate the price. If you agree, we'll start immediately. If you don't agree, I'll take my people home right away. I don't want to fall out with you, and I certainly don't want to be implicated by you."

Meng Yuchun nodded. "Alright, as long as it's a price I can afford, we can discuss it."

Li Banfeng said, "First, give me the corpse of the Dao Bi Li, then set up some traps, and then we can discuss the price."

As he spoke, his Silk-Tether Earing trembled. "Master, I hear footsteps."

Li Banfeng looked at Meng Yuchun. "Does anyone else know your residence?"

"There are three familiar sisters who occasionally come for a couple of drinks. They never enter my room. Apart from them and you, no one else knows my residence. You stay here for now and don't move."

Meng Yuchun flew down the rock wall alone. After waiting for a moment, three women approached, carrying wine jars and various dishes.

One woman, dressed in red with a slender waist, bowed to Meng Yuchun and said with a smile, "This is freshly brewed hundred-flower wine, specially brought for you, Sister, to taste."

This woman was named Hong Die.

Behind her, a woman in yellow, whose appearance and figure resembled Hong Die, was named Huang Die.

The last one was a plump girl with a round face and a full figure. She wore a large green fur cloak and was named Xiao Die.

Xiao Die seemingly hadn't transformed into a butterfly yet.

Meng Yuchun said to the three women, "My three sisters, I have something to attend to today. Let's gather another time."

The three women were a bit disappointed. Meng Yuchun chatted with them for a bit, then sent them off, and returned to the rock face.

Li Banfeng watched their retreating figures and quietly asked, "Are those three always together?"

Meng Yuchun nodded. "Almost inseparable."

Inseparable?

Unlikely, isn't it?

Everyone says butterflies love flowers, but who's heard of a caterpillar loving a flower?

Li Banfeng asked, "Have you heard of a performance enchantress?"

"'Xi what fu'?" Meng Yuchun looked confused.

Consistent with the Big Toad's description, Meng Yuchun was a pure dwelling cultivator. She hadn't visited the new territory much before reaching the tenth tier, and her knowledge of wandering monsters wasn't much better than Li Banfeng's.

After lunch, Li Banfeng carried a man into his portable dwelling.

The man was dressed in a long robe, the embroidery on which was already blurred. It looked like an official's robe, but he didn't know from what dynasty.

He held a writing brush in his hand, with a bit of ink on its white tip. Seeing this, his wife joyfully exclaimed, "It's a Dao Bi Li! What a treasure, my husband, you care for..."

The joyous gongs and drums abruptly ceased, and her singing was filled with desolation: "Oh, my husband, why did you bring back a corpse? Don't you cherish your little servant anymore?"

Hong Ying burst out laughing. "You can't eat it, but I can! May you starve, you wicked woman!"

A wave of power spread out. Hong Ying rushed forward and feasted heartily.

After finishing eating, Hong Ying returned to sit silently in front of the mirror. Her bodily changes became increasingly apparent; her formerly gaunt spear-body showed a hint of plumpness.

The Phonograph murmured, "That wretched woman is almost becoming human. How can she have such good luck? And I don't even know if this is truly luck..."

Other magical artifacts eagerly stepped forward to share the food. Li Banfeng comforted his wife, "Once this business is done, I'll catch some live ones for you, my dear."

His wife shook her horn and suddenly spewed steam, forcing the other magical artifacts back.

"That's enough for now. Leave the rest for Hong Lian."

More than half of the Dao Bi Li remained, and it was to be left for Hong Lian?

His wife was very considerate towards Hong Lian today.

Li Banfeng moved Hong Lian over. Its petals bloomed, and a lotus seed in its heart was fully ripe.

Li Banfeng plucked the lotus seed, which immediately burst open, and a pair of mandarin duck axes landed in his palm.

No wonder his wife was so caring; Hong Lian had come with sincerity today.

But these seemed no different from the previous mandarin duck axes.

Li Banfeng squatted beside Hong Lian and said, "Ah Lian, are you trying to trick me again?"

"Oh, my husband, you're doing this wretched thing an injustice. This pair of mandarin duck axes has a sweet scent on them. Please smell them carefully, my husband."

Li Banfeng sniffed for a moment using his Hundred Flavors Exquisite technique, and indeed, there was a faint sweet scent.

"Let me smell too!" Hong Ying sniffed for a long time beside him. After being deaf and blind for so many years, her nose was exceptionally keen, but she couldn't smell any sweetness.

Li Banfeng twitched his nose. His Hundred Might Exquisite technique was not just about a keen sense of smell; it seemed to have other functions too.

"My wife, how do I use this magical artifact?"

"This item isn't spiritual enough to be considered a magical artifact; at most, it's a spiritual item. It's a pair of mandarin duck axes, one male and one female. The one in your left hand, my husband, is male, and the one in your right hand is female. If the male one strikes a woman, it will make her favor you. If a woman appears within one li, the male one will sense her. The same applies if the female one strikes a man."

Li Banfeng nodded. "It's a useful item. Let's call them the Male-Female Axes!"

"Oh, my husband, wouldn't 'Yin-Yang Axes' be better?"

"My wife, what splendid literary taste!" Li Banfeng put away the Yin-Yang Axes, took the Projector, and left his portable dwelling.

At ten o'clock at night, Xiao Die, having eaten her fill of leaves, crawled down from the tree and lazily wandered through the deep forest.

Li Banfeng and Meng Yuchun followed closely from a distance, and due to the nature of dwelling cultivators, who are easily overlooked, Xiao Die never noticed them.

After walking for over an hour, Xiao Die seemed hungry again and climbed another tree to munch on leaves.

Li Banfeng hid beneath the earthen slope and said to Meng Yuchun, "Didn't you say they were inseparable? How come I don't see the other two women?"

Meng Yuchun replied, "Xiao Die's habits are different from theirs, so they can't be together all the time. Huang Die and Hong Die both feed on nectar, so they rarely separate."

Li Banfeng's judgment was correct: Xiao Die had not yet transformed into a butterfly.

After the battle with Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye, Li Banfeng learned a crucial detail: a local deity's residence was their lifeline. A contract was hidden within the residence, and if unearthed, it would pose a severe threat to the local deity. This was why both Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye had fiercely defended their residences.

The exact nature of the threat was unknown for now, but Li Banfeng knew the best way to deal with a local deity was to target their home.

Feng Quweng, the performance enchantress, the Dao Bi Li, the Love-Lost Slug... Rare wandering monsters were arriving one after another in Meng Yuchun's territory. They weren't there to directly confront Meng Yuchun. The Dao Bi Li proved with its death that they couldn't possibly defeat a local deity.

Their purpose was to investigate Meng Yuchun's residence.

The Love-Lost Slug was parasitic on Cao Zhida, and Cao Zhida persistently pursued Meng Yuchun, with a certain probability of finding Meng Yuchun's residence.

But he failed and died at Li Banfeng's hands.

The Dao Bi Li successfully located Meng Yuchun's residence but failed to escape and died at Meng Yuchun's hands.

Feng Quweng and the performance enchantress teamed up, one responsible for fighting, the other for deceiving; their chances of success were highest.

Now Feng Quweng was dead, but the performance enchantress probably didn't know yet and would most likely not give up.

Besides Li Banfeng, only three people knew Meng Yuchun's residence: Hong Die, Huang Die, and Xiao Die.

Because Xiao Die hadn't transformed into a butterfly, her habits were different from the other two women, and she spent more time alone, making her the most likely target for impersonation by the performance enchantress.

Li Banfeng focused his target on her.

Meng Yuchun whispered, "It might not be one of my sisters. That 'xi what fu' could also be one of your subordinates."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "If it truly is a performance enchantress, it definitely won't be one of my subordinates. All my subordinates are men."

"Can't she disguise herself as a man?"

"No, she can't."

Li Banfeng took out the Projector and projected Feng Quweng's image.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Xiao Die crawled down from the tree, slowly walked over to "Feng Quweng," and whispered, "I succeeded."

Capture the performance enchantress and torture her?