Chapter 361: You Really Can't See?

Li Banfeng told Luo Zhengnan to leave first, but Luo Zhengnan refused.

He didn't know what Li Qi had experienced in the past, but the idea of revenge had been Luo Zhengnan's own suggestion. Now that Li Qi was planning to eliminate the Black Rock Hill branch, Luo Zhengnan couldn't possibly let him fight alone.

"Master Qi, you're insulting me," Luo Zhengnan said. "I may not be a good person, but I'm certainly not a coward. As long as you're here, I definitely can't leave."

Li Banfeng wasn't just being polite; he was concerned Luo Zhengnan wouldn't be able to keep up. Luo Zhengnan's investigative and judgment skills were top-notch, but Li Banfeng wasn't yet sure about his combat ability. Luo Zhengnan claimed he could fight too, and Li Banfeng didn't doubt it, but the current situation couldn't be resolved by brute force alone.

The Customs Commissioner had interfered with the Jiangxiang Gang's affairs. Although Li Banfeng wasn't a native of Puluo Province and didn't hold a deep fear of the Commissioner, he needed to be prepared for strategic retreats and maneuvers. To put it plainly, this fight required the ability to engage or disengage at any moment. Dwelling Cultivators excelled at entering battlefields, while Journey Cultivators were skilled at retreating. Luo Zhengnan lacked this capability, making it difficult for him to keep pace with Li Banfeng.

On this point, Luo Zhengnan had a clear understanding of himself. "Master Qi, I won't hold you back. Let's split up. I'll go gather intelligence, and you can make your move when the time is right. For the next day or two, you should rest and conserve your strength, and try not to appear in public."

"Are you saying there won't be a suitable opportunity within the next day or two?" Li Banfeng asked.

Luo Zhengnan smiled. "Master Qi, although the Jiangxiang Gang is a second-rate organization, it has been active in the jianghu for many years. Given how heavily fortified the branch is now, I estimate they can hold out for at least a day or two. It wouldn't be worth our while to confront them head-on within that timeframe. It's best if we do what we did with Pei Yikou: avoid attacking them in their lair. Since they're in the business of kidnapping children, they'll surely have to move their 'goods.' Once I find out more, we can decide on the timing."

Luo Zhengnan was truly intelligent; he always knew what Li Banfeng needed most.

They agreed to meet the day after tomorrow at noon. Li Banfeng found an inn, took a Golden Core Pill to neutralize about seventy to eighty percent of its residual toxins, and then returned to his Portable Dwelling to rest. With that Golden Core Pill, staying in the Portable Dwelling for two or three days wouldn't cause any major issues. It was a good opportunity to accumulate some luck using the "Peaceful Living" technique. His luck had seen a small but noticeable increase after spending thirteen hours in the Portable Dwelling previously.

The Jiangxiang Gang's Black Rock Hill branch was small. According to Li Banfeng's plan, he should have acted immediately upon arrival. However, Luo Zhengnan spotted something unusual near the branch, which was a testament to his good fortune. What effect would staying for a day and a half this time have?

After a day, the gramophone casually asked, "Oh, my dear husband, are you not going out to buy groceries today?"

Li Banfeng stroked the large horn and sang in response, "Oh, my dear wife, your husband is staying home. Are you not pleased?"

The wife replied, "Oh, my dear husband, I am naturally delighted that you are staying home to keep me company. I only fear that you might become too fond of comfort and neglect your grand ambitions."

"Oh, my dear wife, is buying groceries a grand ambition?" Li Banfeng tickled her underarm, and she giggled, shaking all over.

Their playful banter was quite sweet, but Hong Ying found it a little off. She had also served as a Dwelling Spirit for others before; which Dwelling Spirit would urge their Dwelling Cultivator to go out? What did Zhao Xiaowan mean by this? Li Qi was also puzzled, though he seemed to understand Zhao Xiaowan's thoughts.

After staying for another half-day, Li Banfeng left. As he departed, the gramophone advised, "Looking at your complexion, husband, your luck is excellent today. You can be more decisive in your actions."

Excellent luck! Spending over thirty hours there wasn't in vain.

After leaving, Li Banfeng's legs eagerly accelerated, and he quickly found Luo Zhengnan. Luo Zhengnan had indeed gathered information. "Master Qi, yesterday I was investigating child kidnappings but found nothing. Then I changed my approach and managed to uncover something. There's a 'yangpian' showman near Black Rock Hill who leaves before dawn and heads to the distant suburbs, returning at irregular times at night. I have a friend who saw two fortune tellers near his residence. Based on their methods, he knew they were from the Jiangxiang Gang, likely serving as guards for this showman. Using 'yangpian' shows to abduct children is a common trick of the Jiangxiang Gang. Two hours ago, my friend sent word that the showman had gone to the West Suburb."

Li Banfeng organized his thoughts and formulated a plan. "I'll go to the West Suburb to find the showman. You go to his residence and check the situation. I suspect the children are hidden there. Just observe carefully; don't alert them. Let's both gather all the information first, and then we'll capture them all at once."

Luo Zhengnan nodded repeatedly, finding Li Qi's idea perfectly aligned with his own.

Clang-clatter, clang-clatter!

West Suburb, Liutang Village.

The sound of a rattle-drum reached the village entrance, and several children followed the sound, drawing closer. They thought a peddler had arrived and wanted to buy some candy. But as they approached, they saw it was a 'yangpian' showman. The showman was pushing a four-wheeled cart with a large wooden cabinet on it. The cabinet was noticeably bigger than a peddler's display case.

The cabinet had eight magnifying glass lenses on both the front and back. Spectators would peer into these lenses to view the pictures inside. What kind of pictures were in the cabinet? There were famous scenic spots and storybooks. The 'yangpian' showman had storytelling skills, pulling a rope, shaking a rattle-drum, switching pictures one by one, and narrating stories piece by piece.

What was so special about this? Why not go to the city to watch a film? It depended on the location. Liutang Village was in the distant suburbs; a round trip to Black Rock City took a full day. The cheapest movie ticket cost three units, and including food and drink, a day out would easily cost ten to eight units. Farmers couldn't afford to spend that much. Watching a 'yangpian' show cost only a dime, which was enough, and children in the village especially loved it.

Five children were intently peering into the magnifying lenses. The showman slowly told his story, shaking the rattle-drum in his hand. Today's story was about Wu Song fighting the tiger. Just as Wu Song had finished eighteen bowls of wine and before he even reached Jingyang Ridge, the showman started shooing people away: "Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone go home now."

The onlookers dispersed, but the five children watching the show didn't leave. It seemed like they hadn't seen enough, but in reality, they couldn't move. No one knew what they had seen, but the 'yangpian' pictures inside the cabinet incorporated illusion cultivation techniques. The showman pushed his cart forward, and the five children followed behind it. When they reached a deserted spot, the showman opened the cabinet door, and the five children, standing in a line, all entered inside. The showman closed the cabinet door and pushed the cart out of Liutang Village.

Li Banfeng followed behind the showman, intending to act when they reached a suitable location.

Meanwhile, Luo Zhengnan had arrived at the showman's residence but found no fortune tellers nearby. Luo Zhengnan's heart sank as he realized the situation was not good. He stealthily entered the courtyard, searched all three tiled houses, and found them empty. Had they already moved the "goods"? If so, the situation wasn't too bad. What truly worried Luo Zhengnan was that the information might have leaked, and the other party was prepared. If that were the case, Li Banfeng would be in danger.

Luo Zhengnan immediately left the courtyard, returned to his own lodging, pulled out a dial pad from a box, plugged it into his spine, attached an antenna to the top of his head, and quickly sent a message to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng carried a simple phone without an antenna, so he wasn't sure about the signal strength. As it turned out, the signal was decent; the phone vibrated, but the message arrived a little late. Li Banfeng had already encountered an ambush.

He had been following the showman, looking for a suitable opportunity to extract information from him. However, the showman was prepared and led Li Banfeng directly into an ambush. Five people emerged from the surroundings, joining the showman to make a total of six, who then encircled Li Banfeng.

One of them, a man in his fifties wearing a suit and tie, asked Li Banfeng, "Are you from the He family?"

Li Banfeng didn't answer. He scrutinized the man; his attire was somewhat unusual. In Puluo Province, many people wore suits, but their suits differed from authentic ones, featuring a cinched waist, long lapels, and short collars, exhibiting a strong Puluo style. Li Banfeng himself wore a typical Puluo-style suit, but the middle-aged man clearly wore a traditional Western suit, which was quite uncommon in Puluo Province.

Seeing Li Banfeng remain silent, the middle-aged man revealed his identity: "I am a special commissioner from the Customs Protection Bureau. By order of the Customs Commissioner, I invite you to the Bureau for questioning. You don't need to worry. We will give you an opportunity to clarify the facts. We will not let any villain escape, but we will also never wrongly accuse an innocent person."

Indeed, this man was from outside the province.

Li Banfeng smiled. "You want me to clarify the facts? Aren't the facts right before your eyes?"

The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "I don't know what facts you are referring to."

Li Banfeng suddenly stomped on a pebble, and its shattered fragments struck and broke the showman's cart. Inside the cabinet sat five children. Affected by illusion techniques, they were severely dizzy. Coupled with the bumpy ride, they were disoriented, their faces blank, and various types of vomit hung from their mouths.

Pointing at the cart, Li Banfeng asked, "Can't you see?"

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I truly cannot see it. I only saw you just now attacking an honest and law-abiding businessman."

Li Banfeng pointed at the showman and asked, "You call him an honest and law-abiding businessman?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "I know who is honest and who isn't. You must come with me to the Customs Protection Bureau immediately, or I will have to take extreme measures."

Li Banfeng remained silent, contemplating his next move. The showman was from the Jiangxiang Gang, and his methods were highly professional, which went without saying. The man in the suit was indeed from the Customs Protection Bureau; there was no doubt about that either. The four people around him were his subordinates. Their cultivation levels were certainly not low, but how high could they be?

Li Banfeng hadn't sensed any danger before entering the ambush, proving that these four individuals could conceal their malevolence. Was it through a disparity in cultivation levels that they concealed their ill intent? Li Banfeng was a seventh-level Journey Cultivator. If they relied solely on cultivation disparity to conceal malevolence, their opponents' cultivation would have to be at the ninth level. A ninth-level cultivator wouldn't debase themselves by acting as someone else's thug. Therefore, they most likely used magical artifacts or spiritual items to conceal their ill will. Of course, this was just Li Banfeng's own speculation; perhaps these people were merely tools specially trained from outside the province.

The wisest course of action now was to escape immediately. The opponents outnumbered him, making a direct confrontation too difficult. For a seventh-level Journey Cultivator, escaping would be much easier. However, judging by the opponent's demeanor, he didn't seem worried about Li Banfeng escaping at all. The four subordinates were positioned closely around the middle-aged man, and their attention was focused on him rather than on Li Banfeng. They didn't look like thugs; they looked more like bodyguards. One of them kept his hand in his pocket, seemingly ready to operate some mechanism. If he chose to escape, would he fall into their trap? What if he didn't escape?

As soon as the thought emerged, a strong sense of danger filled his mind. This was a warning from his "Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity" technique: the opponent's strength was considerable, and rushing forward would entail immense risk.

While his thoughts raced, Li Banfeng heard the middle-aged man's warning again: "I believe you've merely been misled by others. I even believe this matter has nothing to do with you. Come with me to the Customs Protection Bureau, and everything can be clarified. I assure you..."

Before he could finish, Li Banfeng's figure suddenly blurred. He had activated his "Short Step" technique. The four subordinates were experienced and reacted extremely quickly. Upon realizing Li Banfeng used "Short Step" and was a Journey Cultivator, two of them immediately positioned themselves in front of the middle-aged man, and one behind him. They watched Li Banfeng intently, simultaneously blocking his line of sight to the middle-aged man. This was to guard against "Passing Glance," a Journey Cultivator technique. They knew the fifth-level technique of a Journey Cultivator!

Another subordinate operated a mechanism in his pocket, and a halo of light appeared around them. Boundary! Li Banfeng recognized this! Meng Yuchun had used a similar boundary to fight the Mountain-Pulling Master, who had nearly lost half his life upon colliding with it. Luckily, Li Banfeng hadn't chosen to escape; otherwise, he would have collided with the boundary and suffered severe injuries, if not death. The four guards watched Li Banfeng, waiting to see what action he would take, adopting a strategy of passive defense. These four individuals had responded very thoroughly. Confronting them directly would indeed involve immense risk.

Yet, Li Banfeng still charged directly at the middle-aged man. This was a crazy move. The cultivation levels of these four subordinates were indeed not low: two were at the seventh level, and two at the sixth. The moment Li Banfeng charged, they adjusted their positions, giving him almost no chance to strike.

A huge thud! A cloud of dust rose from the ground. The four subordinates, along with the middle-aged man, were knocked to the ground by a powerful surge of energy. The force of this "Stepping Through Ten Thousand Rivers" technique filled the four men with an indescribable dread. What level of cultivation did this man possess? Was it the seventh-level technique of a Journey Cultivator?

All four subordinates were injured. They immediately got up and surrounded Li Banfeng, but didn't dare to make a move. Li Banfeng now clutched the middle-aged man's hair. The middle-aged man's face was covered in blood, two of his front teeth missing. He mumbled indistinctly, "Young man, don't be impulsive. I admire your courage and your character. The fact that you haven't killed me yet shows you still wish to negotiate with me. I can give you that opportunity. But this is your last chance. Release me immediately, and I can overlook what just happened!"

"You've misunderstood," Li Banfeng said. "I didn't kill you because I have something to ask." He pointed at the showman's cart and repeated his question to the middle-aged man, "Can you truly not see these five children?"

The middle-aged man replied, "Why are you fixated on this? What does it matter if I can't see them? Is it that important? You've injured me, which is a disaster for you. My offer of a chance is a sign of my leniency..."

"If you can't see, then what use are your eyes?" With a swift movement, Li Banfeng scooped out the middle-aged man's eyes.