Chapter 375: 阿霞

The cook repeatedly questioned Xiao Feng, trying to find out the source of the information. But Xiao Feng insisted it was divined by the House Spirit. Li Banfeng didn't believe the House Spirit had such divination skills; if she were truly so capable, why didn't she foresee Li Banfeng exposing her secrets tonight? However, Xiao Feng might genuinely not know.

Youtao finished the roast chicken, then ate the squab from its belly, and the quail from the squab's belly. She licked her fingers, stood up, and said, "Sir, I know you came to help me. Youtao will never forget your kindness. Xiao Feng and I are breaking off all ties from today. But after all these years, some feelings are hard to forget. I beg you, please be merciful, spare her life, and just let her go."

The cook couldn't possibly listen to Youtao; he was waiting for Meng Yuchun's instructions. Meng Yuchun looked at Li Banfeng, who raised his eyebrows at her. "Let her go first and see if Ah Xia comes looking for her." Meng Yuchun understood and conveyed the order to the cook using a special technique.

The cook stood up and told Xiao Feng, "You may leave."

Xiao Feng struggled to sit up, her stomach still throbbing with intense pain. She looked at the cook and asked, "Aren't you going to give me an antidote?"

The cook smiled. "Don't you want to leave?"

Xiao Feng looked at Youtao, hoping she would plead for her again. Youtao turned her face away and gritted her teeth. "Get lost!"

"Tao'er."

"I told you to get lost!"

Xiao Feng dared not speak further, lowered her head, and left the plot of land.

But leaving the plot was easy; exiting Li Banfeng's territory, however, was difficult. After walking over three *li*, Xiao Feng's stomach pain intensified, and she crouched by the roadside, dry heaving. Unable to vomit, she could only endure and stumble forward. After another two or three *li*, Xiao Feng passed a vine covered in sharp thorns. It tore her clothes and then cut a patch of skin on her back. Although it was just a scratch, Xiao Feng felt excruciating pain from the wound. A few more steps, and she saw vines everywhere ahead, impossible to avoid.

With no way forward, she decided to detour to the left. House cultivators were extremely poor with directions, so she had no idea where going left would lead her. After a few dozen steps, the left side was also completely covered in vines. Was she seeing things? Xiao Feng rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, only to feel a searing pain in her eyelids, as if cut by knives. She looked down and saw vines growing on the back of her hand. Not just her hand, but also her arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs—vines were sprouting everywhere on Xiao Feng's body.

In terror, Xiao Feng shrieked and wailed, "Ah Xia, Ah Xia, save me!"

Meng Yuchun and Li Banfeng waited quietly nearby, observing whether Ah Xia would appear. After waiting for about ten minutes, Xiao Feng was almost too exhausted to call out. A cluster of green light flashed in the distance. Above the green light, a woman's figure slowly emerged. She wore a light blue robe, a small domed hat, round-framed black sunglasses, held a bucket of counting sticks, and carried a large abacus on her back. This attire was common among fortune tellers, but it was rare to see a woman dressed in such a manner.

Meng Yuchun paused for a moment, then asked, "Gao Shuxia?" They actually knew each other.

Gao Shuxia sighed. "I told Xiao Feng to do everything possible to avoid you, but she still couldn't escape. Who is this man beside you?" Gao Shuxia looked at Li Banfeng.

Meng Yuchun smiled and linked her arm through Li Banfeng's. "This is my beloved."

Gao Shuxia was startled for a moment, then asked, "Your beloved is a man?"

Li Banfeng frowned, finding the question surprisingly crude. Meng Yuchun was a woman, so naturally, her beloved would be a man.

Meng Yuchun nodded. "I wanted a change of pace."

"A change of pace? You..." Li Banfeng thought, trailing off. Li Banfeng looked at Meng Yuchun, realizing the situation might be different from what he'd assumed. Meng Yuchun and Gao Shuxia were old acquaintances. Gao Shuxia's relationship with Xiao Feng was very unusual. Could Meng Yuchun's relationships be just as peculiar? Were their preferences the same? Then he remembered Meng Yuchun's close friends: Huang Die, Hong Die... It seemed the two women wanted to reminisce, so Li Banfeng glanced at Meng Yuchun, reminding her to get to the point.

Meng Yuchun asked, "How did you know something happened to Mount Puller? Don't tell me you divined it."

Gao Shuxia was silent for a moment. "Mount Puller hired many roaming monsters, trying to seize your territory. Is that true?"

"Yes!"

"One of the roaming monsters is an old acquaintance of mine. She was hired by Mount Puller and was supposed to fight you. However, when it was time to act, she got scared and didn't follow Mount Puller to your territory. Afterward, fearing retaliation from Mount Puller, she prepared a generous gift to apologize, but after waiting many days, Mount Puller didn't appear. She surmised that Mount Puller was dead. Using her clue, I performed a divination and learned that Mount Puller had indeed died. So, I sent Xiao Feng here to investigate. To be honest, I truly wanted this territory, but since you've already taken it, I won't dwell on it anymore. I can't abandon Xiao Feng. If you still remember our past friendship, then let her live. But if you truly don't care, then let's fight now!"

Meng Yuchun hesitated for a long time. Unsure whether it was out of consideration for their old friendship or apprehension of Gao Shuxia's strength, she ultimately chose not to fight her. "Take her and leave. Don't come back to my territory again."

Gao Shuxia conjured a gust of wind and disappeared with Xiao Feng into the night.

Li Banfeng asked Meng Yuchun, "What is Gao Shuxia's cultivation level? Has she reached the cloud realm?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "When I knew her, she was still at the ninth level. We both attempted to advance together; I succeeded, but she didn't and became a 'Demonic Scourge.'" A Demonic Scourge is a failed aspirant from the ninth to tenth level, whose soul suffered more than twenty percent but less than fifty percent damage. Due to severe and irreparable soul damage, they can survive for a long time, making them one of the most formidable types of malevolent spirits in Prolix State.

"Can a Demonic Scourge also be a local guardian deity?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "Logically, her status isn't high enough, but I haven't seen her in years, so I don't know what changes she's undergone. From what just happened, she wasn't afraid to fight me, so perhaps her cultivation isn't below mine."

"With such severe and irreparable soul damage, could she still continue to advance?"

Meng Yuchun looked at Li Banfeng awkwardly; her knowledge in this area was very limited. This wasn't urgent; he could ask his wife later. The immediate concern was whether Gao Shuxia was telling the truth. Did she really get her information from a roaming monster? Did the roaming monster she mentioned even exist? This needed to be verified by the cook first.

Li Banfeng went to Youtao's plot. Youtao sat on the ground, her gaze vacant, resembling a clay figure.

Meng Yuchun frowned. "Look at her sorry state! If some strange monster came to test her now, it could slap her to death. Such a person shouldn't be allowed to succeed in developing new land; she doesn't deserve it!"

Meng Yuchun was right; in Youtao's current condition, she truly didn't deserve this one-mile plot of land. But Li Banfeng wanted a clear sign. For a good omen, Li Banfeng didn't want his first land development attempt to end in failure. He stood outside the boundary and nodded at the projector in the tree. The projector adjusted its lens angle, revealing Li Banfeng's figure.

Seeing Li Banfeng, Youtao stood up and walked towards him, looking distraught. "Brother Baisha, you're here."

"I am."

"What do you think of my face? Is it pretty?"

"It is."

"What about my figure? She always said I had a good figure, that she'd never get tired of holding me."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, definitely not tiring."

"Brother Baisha, do you like me? Do you want me? I'll go with you, I'll be all yours, you can do whatever you want." Youtao's tone was calm, like someone talking to herself after losing her soul.

She walked step by step towards Li Banfeng, who motioned for her to stop. "Don't go any further. If you cross the boundary, the land development will fail."

"Land development, heh heh heh," Youtao laughed, a foolish, despairing laugh. "What's the point of me developing land? I was used, I was just a tattered cloth used to shield someone from the wind and rain. She treated me like a tattered cloth, do you understand, brother?"

Li Banfeng said, "I don't know what she thought of you, and it's not important. I consider you a friend. I invited this cook here to help you develop the land. You owe this friendship, don't you?"

"Okay, I'll repay it right now, I'll give you everything." Youtao started walking towards Li Banfeng again.

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Please don't say you'll repay me with your body; that would demean both you and me. If you don't want to develop the land, then just leave. Let's pretend we never met."

After saying this, Li Banfeng looked at the cook, pulled down the brim of his hat, and turned to leave.

The cook took another dish from his food box. "Miss, eat. These tenderly stir-fried meat slices are refreshing and appetizing. Once your stomach is full, there's no knot in your heart that can't be untied." Youtao stood motionless. The cook placed the food box on the ground, put the tenderly stir-fried meat slices inside it, and then went to find Li Banfeng.

Youtao looked at Li Banfeng's retreating back, then at the food box on the ground, and couldn't help but sob, tears slowly trailing from the corners of her mouth.

Li Banfeng asked the cook, "How many roaming monsters did Mount Puller hire to go after Meng Yuchun back then?"

The cook thought for a moment. "Besides Old Teng and me, there was also the Playful Seductress, the Offering Elder, and a Hundred-Eyed Fish. The rest were people from her own territory."

"What is the Hundred-Eyed Fish? A creature from the river?"

The cook shook his head. "She's not a river fish. She's a type of vermin, resembling a silverfish, but she eats everything, not just clothes. If you ask about her origin, I can't explain it clearly, nor have I inquired about her cultivation level. But I saw her make a move once; in the blink of an eye, she devoured one of Old Teng's arms. Since then, none of us dared to provoke her. Her cultivation should be above ours."

According to Gao Shuxia, it must have been this Hundred-Eyed Fish who leaked the information. But was that really the truth?

Li Banfeng asked the cook, "Can you find out any information about the Hundred-Eyed Fish?"

The cook pondered for a moment. "I can try. Since I've been following Manager Meng, I've been less aware of outside news."

Li Banfeng never asked anyone to do something for free. He took out two Profound Scarlet Pills and gave them to the cook.

Finding the Hundred-Eyed Fish's whereabouts wouldn't solve the problem at its root. The news of Mount Puller's death had already spread; even though Gao Shuxia was dealt with today, who knew who else would come to seize territory tomorrow. Meng Yuchun could still handle opponents on the ground, but what if opponents from the cloud realm arrived? And what if the Inner State learned of this matter?

In the year and a half he'd been in Prolix State, Li Banfeng had achieved dual seventh-level cultivation. His promotion speed could make countless people envious. Yet now, Li Banfeng felt his advancement wasn't fast enough. Dual seventh-level cultivation, for a local guardian deity, was not only insufficient but even a bit embarrassing. He found a quiet spot and consumed a pill. There weren't many Golden Yuan Pills left. According to Li Banfeng's calculations, reaching the eighth level was certainly possible, but he still needed about ten more to reach the ninth level. He wasn't sure what was going on with Honglian; recently, she either produced Profound Scarlet Pills that Li Banfeng didn't want or Profound Essence Pills that he didn't need. He needed to find a source for these ten or so pills quickly. Furthermore, merely advancing his own 'traveler' cultivation wasn't enough; he also needed to find some supplements for his wife to boost her 'house' cultivation.

Gao Shuxia carried Xiao Feng and flew out of Li Banfeng's territory, arriving at a mountain cave where she found a woman dressed in a silver long gown. The woman looked at Xiao Feng's disheveled state and asked Gao Shuxia, "Did you fail?"

Gao Shuxia nodded. "The plot of land has been taken by Meng Yuchun."

"Couldn't you defeat Meng Yuchun, or did you simply not want to act against her?"

"It's easy for you to say. Meng Yuchun's cultivation is at the cloud realm; she's not that easy to deal with."

The woman in white sighed softly. "Then we'll have to wait. However, there's good news from Bei Wushuang."

Gao Shuxia paused, startled. "You want me to go find Bei Wushuang? He's even harder to deal with than Meng Yuchun."

"I heard he provoked someone he shouldn't have. Before long, there will likely be a fierce battle. Whether we can seize an opportunity then will depend on our abilities."

"'Our' abilities?" Gao Shuxia sneered. "When have you ever exerted yourself?"

"Ah Xia, why are you still bickering with me?" The woman in white stroked Gao Shuxia's hair, saying tenderly, "It's not that I don't want to put in effort, it's just not the right time yet."