Chapter 43: Deep Mountain Old House

Li Banfeng knocked on the door. A man in his mid-thirties, not tall but quite sturdy, opened it. He wore a patched vest and trousers, covered in mended spots from head to toe. His dark face, thick eyebrows, and full lips gave him an honest and simple appearance.

Xiao Pang had once told Li Banfeng that outside Ligou in Yaowanggou, restaurants were very scarce. If one got hungry on the road and needed a meal, they could ask for food at someone's home. A payment of three to five yuan for the meal was usually sufficient, and most families wouldn't refuse.

Li Banfeng explained his purpose, and the man warmly welcomed him into the house.

Although the host's clothes were plain, his courtyard was quite large; the front yard alone was about the size of a basketball court. There were three tiled houses and a storeroom in the courtyard. The buildings were old but meticulously clean. Based on the layout and walls, it was clearly the front yard, suggesting there was likely a sizable backyard as well. As a house cultivator, Li Banfeng felt a touch of envy seeing such a spacious and tidy residence.

"We only have some leftover rice at home, not much in terms of dishes, but please make do," the man said. He lit an oil lamp in the courtyard, and a woman brought out a bowl of rice and a small dish of pickled cucumbers. The woman wore a cloth blouse with a diagonal opening, also full of patches. From her age, she appeared to be the man's wife. Li Banfeng didn't look closely, nor should he have. After setting down the bowl and chopsticks, the woman quickly returned inside.

Li Banfeng first pulled out thirty yuan and put it into the man's hand. The man repeatedly waved his hand, saying, "That's too much." Li Banfeng waved his hand, "Please take it. I feel bad for bothering you so late."

The rice was coarse and contained many husks, but Li Banfeng didn't mind. He was genuinely hungry and ate large mouthfuls of rice with the pickled cucumbers. The man clutched the money, looking very apologetic, as if he owed Li Banfeng something.

He quietly went back inside, and soon after, a white-haired old woman emerged from the house. The old woman carried a wine jar and approached Li Banfeng, smiling. "Young man, try our homemade sorghum wine," she offered.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Elder, I don't drink alcohol." This wasn't merely politeness; Li Banfeng genuinely couldn't get used to the local liquor. For such a poor family, a jar of wine was very precious. Since the old woman had even been brought out, Li Banfeng felt he shouldn't waste their good intentions if he didn't like it.

Yet, the old woman insisted on pouring Li Banfeng a bowl. "Young man, please drink a bowl. It's not fine wine, so don't be particular. My son took your money, and we feel truly bad about it." Since the old woman had personally poured it, Li Banfeng found it difficult to refuse again. He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. To his surprise, the wine was mellow and fragrant, better than the wine served at the steamed bun shop.

He finished the bowl of rice, the pickled cucumbers, and emptied the wine bowl, then let out a satisfied burp. The old woman smiled. "Young man, have you found a place to stay for the night? If not, you can stay with us."

"I've found a place," Li Banfeng replied. "I'll be leaving now. Thank you for your hospitality." He needed to leave quickly after eating. Li Banfeng was being pursued by the Jiangxiang Gang and couldn't involve this honest family.

Just as he stood up, Li Banfeng suddenly felt dizzy. The figures of the mother and son seemed to sway up and down before his eyes. Had he drunk too much? No! This was poisoning!

The old woman looked at Li Banfeng with a smile. "Young man, don't run around. I think you should just stay."

What was going on? Li Banfeng turned to run out the door, only to see the man's "wife" blocking the way. The "woman" raised her head and punched Li Banfeng squarely on the chin. Li Banfeng tried to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey, and he took the full force of the punch. What strength this "woman" had! Li Banfeng staggered back two steps and fell to the ground.

He looked carefully at the "woman's" face. In the candlelight, this time he saw clearly: there was a ring of dark stubble around the person's lips. This was a man. This was a black inn! Impossible, I didn't sense any danger just now!

Li Banfeng put his hand to his forehead, rubbed his eyes, wiped the blood from his mouth and nose, and slumped to the ground, slowly closing his eyes. Though his eyes were closed, he hadn't lost consciousness. His mind was still clear, and he could hear the conversation of those around him distinctly.

The eldest son, who had appeared simple-minded, looked at the old woman. "Mother," he said, "did we really need to waste a whole jar of my good wine on a simpleton like him? That plate of pickled cucumbers would have been enough." So, the pickled cucumbers were poisoned too! Li Banfeng was furious. He had survived Bitter Mist Mountain, only to be ambushed in this gutter!

Strange, I can sense malice. At the station, I could sense Chu Yunlong's malice. Why couldn't I sense any malice from this family while eating? Could this family's cultivation levels be exceptionally high? With such high cultivation, why resort to such despicable methods?

The old woman chuckled. "Foolish boy, look closely. He's no simpleton. His way of walking is peculiar. He's a wandering cultivator, and one who has reached a certain level. He's just reached that level recently and hasn't learned to control it perfectly. If we hadn't poisoned him with the wine, he would have vanished in an instant. Moreover, wandering cultivators are aware of danger. If I hadn't made a move, he would have caught on the moment he stepped inside."

So, the old woman had acted first, preventing him from sensing their malice. What level of cultivator was this old woman? What caliber of ability did she use?

Hearing this, the eldest son looked somewhat pleased. "Mother, isn't my wine getting better and better?" The old woman snorted. "You reached the first level two years ago. It's been a year and a half since then. If you can't even take down someone of similar cultivation, what right do you have to be in this line of work?" From the old woman's words, Li Banfeng gathered that the man was a poison cultivator, with a cultivation level equal to his own, both at the first level.

Li Banfeng tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy. He tried several times, but couldn't open them.

The second son, disguised as the woman, said, "Mother, since he's not a simpleton, why don't we just finish him off now that he's down?" The second son had never encountered a wandering cultivator either, but he believed it was best to kill those with cultivation.

Hearing this, Li Banfeng's heart tightened. In his current state, he had few means of resistance. But even with few options, he had to fight back. He couldn't die here like this!

The old woman poked Li Banfeng with her walking stick. Seeing no reaction, she instructed her two sons, "Strip him clean, shackle his hands and feet, and put him in the 'seedling room'. We'll deal with him at midnight."

The second son didn't understand. "Mother, why do we have to wait until midnight?" Yes, why wait until midnight? Li Banfeng didn't quite understand either, though he was already prepared for a desperate fight. Did they want to strike when he was off guard? That was her miscalculation; he wouldn't let his guard down.

"I told you to wait until midnight, so wait!" the old woman snapped. Her two sons stepped forward and searched Li Banfeng, taking his sickle, shovel, and wallet. Even the spicy strips Li Banfeng had hidden in his clothes' lining were taken.

But they missed one item. When Li Banfeng had wiped his mouth and nose earlier, he had hidden a key in his mouth. He had originally wanted to immediately open his portable residence and escape, but under the gaze of the three of them, Li Banfeng wasn't confident he could hide the key, let alone successfully turn it.

The old woman truly didn't want to kill Li Banfeng right now. What was her reason for insisting on waiting until midnight? Why, even now, could he not sense the danger here?

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