Chapter 420: Learn to Adapt

Early morning, two guards were patrolling the territory of Autumn Falling Leaves when they suddenly saw a plump figure leading more than a dozen people, walking on the newly built path of the Three-Headed People.

Not far ahead was the residence of the Three-Headed People. What were they going to do?

Judging by their attire, these people were clearly not pioneers. The guards sensed something was wrong and quickly went to find Ma Wu.

Ma Wu pushed aside the speckled snake on his bed, got dressed, and came to the Three-Headed People's residence.

Seeing the plump figure, Ma Wu was startled.

It was Liao Zihui, the Chief Inspector of Security; he had actually come in person.

He brought more than a dozen subordinates, all high-ranking figures in the Security Department. Cai Junshan, the Security Inspector of Sinner City, was also among them.

Cai Junshan called over Juanzi and ordered, "You're the leader, aren't you? Tell everyone to come out. It's time to go back."

Juanzi was terrified, even breathing was difficult for her. She recognized Cai Junshan; she had witnessed his various methods. She knew Cai Junshan had made countless Three-Headed People wish they were dead. This fear was deeply etched into her bones.

Even the usually reckless Mengzi fell silent. He had more sweat beads on his forehead than Juanzi.

Seeing that Juanzi dared not respond, Aunt Fang interjected, "Security Inspector, it's fine if you want us to go back, but shouldn't you explain some things first...?"

Cai Junshan glared at Aunt Fang. "I wasn't talking to you!"

Aunt Fang lowered her head and remained silent. Cai Junshan looked at Juanzi and said, "This is your last chance. If the Chief Inspector hadn't come, I wouldn't even bother to look at you. I would have ordered you to be killed on sight!

Pack your things and come with me!"

The Three-Headed People all looked at Juanzi. Juanzi didn't move, so neither did they.

Cai Junshan frowned and said, "What's going on? Didn't you understand what I just said?"

Ma Wu stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Security Inspector, let's discuss things calmly and not ruin the good atmosphere."

Cai Junshan looked at Ma Wu and said, "Who are you?"

Liao Zihui smiled from the side. "Junshan, this is my friend."

Cai Junshan glared at Ma Wu and said nothing more.

Did he really not know Ma Wu?

Although Sinner City was quite far from Green Water Bay, he must have seen Ma Wu in the newspapers.

This was Liao Zihui's instruction: to first intimidate Ma Wu upon meeting him so he wouldn't dare interrupt.

Liao Zihui would then step forward to offer a few conciliatory words to save Ma Wu some face, and Ma Wu would then keep silent.

"Chief Inspector Liao," Ma Wu said, looking at Liao Zihui, "you see, this is..."

Liao Zihui looked at Ma Wu, sighed softly, and said, "Junyang, don't get involved in this. You shouldn't be involved."

Cai Junshan turned to the Three-Headed People and said, "Look closely, no one can help you today but me.

I'm giving you thirty seconds. Within thirty seconds, gather here immediately. Otherwise, I won't be polite..."

As soon as his words fell, Cai Junshan suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed once to the Three-Headed People.

Juanzi was stunned. All the Three-Headed People were stunned.

Why was the Security Inspector so polite today?

Because his head was being held down by Li Banfeng.

Cai Junshan lifted his head, just about to shout, when Li Banfeng pressed his head down for another kowtow.

Several bodyguards rushed forward. Seeing Cai Junshan's head in Li Banfeng's grip, they didn't know what to do and looked towards Liao Zihui. Liao Zihui ordered all bodyguards to raise their steam guns.

In Puro Province, gunpowder was unreliable, but steam guns, powered by high-temperature, high-pressure steam, were very stable.

Li Banfeng acted as if he hadn't seen them, pressing Cai Junshan's head, made him kowtow three times on the ground, breaking Cai Junshan's skin.

Cai Junshan's eyes turned red, unclear whether from fear or pain.

Li Banfeng threw Cai Junshan aside and asked, "Xiaoshan, why are you crying?"

Cai Junshan gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not!"

"I wasn't talking to you," Li Banfeng said, turning to one of Juanzi's three heads, wiping away his tears. The child was named Xiaoshan. "What's there to be afraid of? Don't cry anymore."

Xiaoshan sobbed. "As long as Grandmaster Qi is here, I'm not afraid."

Cai Junshan, behind Li Banfeng, gnashed his teeth and said, "Did you just hit me?"

Li Banfeng turned his head and said, "Who are you?"

Cai Junshan angrily replied, "I am the Security Inspector of Sinner City."

"What is the Security Inspector of Sinner City doing here? Is this Sinner City?"

Cai Junshan said, "I was acting under the Chief Inspector..."

"Who is your 'adult'? Hasn't your 'adult' ever disciplined you? Why are you speaking so disrespectfully?"

Cai Junshan could no longer tolerate it. Pointing at Li Banfeng, he said, "Li Qi, I'm talking to you here out of respect. Who do you think you are...?"

Li Banfeng slapped Cai Junshan. His hand was a bit too strong, tearing off a layer of skin from Cai Junshan's left cheek.

"This is your 'face'?" Li Banfeng looked at the skin in his hand.

Cai Junshan covered his face, humming and whimpering in his throat, mumbling unintelligibly.

"I don't like this 'face' of yours. You keep it."

Li Banfeng slapped him again, pasting Cai Junshan's skin onto his right cheek.

Cai Junshan could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

He was a ruthless person, one who had killed countless people.

But having been in Puro Province for so long, Li Banfeng had discovered a pattern: ruthless people like Cai Junshan, with a look of ferocity on their faces, usually hadn't been beaten before.

Li Banfeng was right. Cai Junshan had never been beaten since childhood. He cried copious tears, and the projector diligently recorded the precious scene.

The bodyguards behind Liao Zihui didn't move. Cai Junshan's two personal bodyguards wanted to rush forward but felt they were no match for Li Qi and would surely suffer if they did.

Suffering a bit of loss was fine; it was a bodyguard's duty. But Li Qi seemed to have a heavy hand. Offending him would likely lead to considerable suffering.

Why endure so much suffering just to be a bodyguard?

The Security Department's salary wasn't particularly high. Was enduring so much suffering truly worth it? If they ended up severely injured, or even lost their lives, was it worth it?

Why were these two bodyguards thinking so much? Protecting Cai Junshan was their duty. These were clearly not things they should be thinking about.

Chu Er raised her eyebrows at Li Banfeng from a distance. Just moments ago, she had used her fourth-level 'Bitter Cultivation' technique, 'Sorrowful Thoughts and Bitter Longing,' on these two bodyguards, silently plunging them into negativity and pessimism.

Liao Zihui had someone take Cai Junshan away. His continuous crying was simply too embarrassing.

He looked up at Li Qi on the hillside and calmly said, "My presence here today might be a bit presumptuous, but we need to clarify things.

If our attitude was bad, we can apologize to you. However, harboring criminals from Sinner City, that's something you did wrong."

Li Qi looked down at Liao Zihui and asked, "What crime have they committed?"

Liao Zihui smiled. "Let's not talk about their crimes yet. Let's first talk about how you shouldn't harbor criminals."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about whether I harbored criminals or not. I'm asking you, what crime have they committed?"

Li Banfeng didn't fall for the "let's not talk about that first" tactic, which put Liao Zihui at a disadvantage.

So he had to change his approach. "Whether these people are guilty or not isn't for me to decide, that's..."

"If you can't decide, what's the point of telling me?" Li Banfeng directly interrupted Liao Zihui. "Have your 'adult' come find me—the one who can actually make decisions."

Liao Zihui's veins pulsed. These words were infuriating, but he hadn't expected them to be *this* infuriating.

Why was he so enraged?

Because Ma Wu was standing nearby, encouraging him.

"Chief Inspector Liao, calm down. What Old Qi said isn't excessive at all; it's very reasonable. Who among you actually makes the decisions?"

He was using a Joy Cultivation technique.

"Chief Inspector Liao, you can't always just talk big and not let others speak. Please explain clearly, what crime have they committed?" Lu Chunying walked over with Tan Fucheng and Lu Yuanxin.

"I went to bed late last night and was planning to catch up on sleep today, but it's been so noisy since morning." He Yuxiu yawned as she came to Li Qi's side.

Seeing Liao Zihui, He Yuxiu smiled. "Oh, isn't that Chief Inspector Liao? So many days have passed, and you still haven't managed to kill me. Are you perhaps very anxious about that?"

The He family, the Lu family, the Ma family, and the Chu family.

Ma Wu wasn't considered part of the Ma family in the traditional sense, but Liao Zihui knew well that Ma Junyang's current standing in Puro Province surpassed that of his father, Ma Chunting.

With these four major families standing beside Li Qi, Liao Zihui felt a sense of oppression he had never experienced before.

Liao Zihui shouted loudly, "Is the local deity here?"

"Present!" Autumn Falling Leaves responded.

"Can you speak?"

"Yes!" Autumn Falling Leaves responded a second time.

Liao Zihui said, "I said before that no one should harbor criminals from Sinner City. Now they are all in your territory. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Get lost!" Autumn Falling Leaves gave Liao Zihui an explanation.

Liao Zihui was still not giving up. "Are you saying you want these criminals to get out of your territory?"

"I told *you* to get lost!" He had to force Autumn Falling Leaves to spell it out so clearly.

Liao Zihui's veins pulsed again. Everyone around him prepared for battle.

Li Qi advised him, "Zihui, go home. It's quite embarrassing here."

Liao Zihui's eyes flashed coldly. He looked at Li Qi and said, "Just for these three-headed people, just for these monsters, do you have to push things this far?"

Li Banfeng said, "Don't casually call others monsters; it easily reveals your lack of manners."

Liao Zihui raised his voice. "They are monsters! That's what they've been called in Puro Province for so many years. You still have many rules to learn, and there's still too much you don't understand!"

He was deliberately trying to provoke Li Qi.

Li Banfeng didn't get angry and earnestly advised, "The environment in Puro Province has changed, and you're a bit behind the times."

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "I'm a person who dislikes change and doesn't adapt well to it."

Li Banfeng continued to advise, "People can't expect the environment to adapt to them; they must actively adapt to the environment. Zihui, you really need to learn to adapt from now on."

Liao Zihui's cheek twitched. He used to say this very sentence himself, believing it was both reasonable and powerful.

Yet, hearing these words now, he found them so hateful, but they lingered in his mind.

Liao Zihui gave the order and led his people away from Autumn Falling Leaves' territory.

Juanzi suddenly knelt before Li Banfeng, intending to kowtow.

Li Banfeng pulled Juanzi up. The other Three-Headed People also wanted to kneel, but Li Banfeng ordered, "No kneeling! Stand straight when you speak!"

"It's almost dawn," He Yuxiu looked up at the sky. The light grew, and the dim mist had almost dissipated.

Lu Chunying said, "Seventh Brother, my mother has been looking for many books recently and has read a lot about the transition of new lands into official territories. Some things need to be prepared for early."

Xiao Yeci nodded and said, "Benefactor, ten thousand people need to arrive quickly. And the original beings in the new land also need to be settled quickly."

Autumn Falling Leaves appeared beside Li Banfeng. "Is there a way for me to keep a few of my old brothers? I can't bear to part with them."

Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Yeci. Xiao Yeci nodded and said, "There is a way, but it's a bit troublesome regarding the rules!"