Chapter 435: Come on, Let's Go All Out

The person coming for Qiu Luoye is a Cloud Realm cultivator. He will bring two helpers who might also be Cloud Realm cultivators, and even if not, they are likely at the eighth or ninth level.

Li Banfeng would give his all outside the Portable Abode to hold his own against a first-level Cloud Realm cultivator, but to win, he would have to trick that first-level Cloud Realm cultivator into the Portable Abode. According to Qiu Luoye's description, the person sent by Inner State was clearly not a first-level Cloud Realm cultivator; their cultivation might even surpass Qiu Luoye's. Relying solely on Li Banfeng, the chances of victory were slim, let alone dealing with the two helpers.

Doesn't Li Qi have any helpers?

He Yuxiu was one; she was truly skilled in combat and shared a natural understanding with Li Banfeng. This was a life-or-death situation. It would be best if He Yuxiu was willing to help; if not, Li Banfeng wouldn't force her. Furthermore, he couldn't let Xiuer help for nothing; in Seven Autumn City, He Yuxiu should be given some assets.

Huo Ling was at the seventh level, barely able to hold on for a while. Zuo Wugang, A-qin, the Scolding Woman, Duan Wuchou, Liang Wucai, Bai Bilian, Kui Bafang, and Chi Liuhe were all at the sixth level of cultivation. Combining them and placing them under He Yuxiu's command might be enough to withstand one Cloud Realm cultivator.

Currently, they could probably handle two Cloud Realm cultivators, but what if there was another Cloud Realm cultivator on the opposing side? Did Li Qi have any more combat strength? Tan Fucheng's cultivation was unknown, but given his unique Daoist sect background, he might be able to participate in battle. Lu Yuanxin was an insect cultivator, also with a unique Daoist sect background, but only at the fourth level of cultivation. Ma Wu was about to advance, but even if he did, he would only be at the fourth level; sending him to fight a Cloud Realm cultivator would be suicide.

This combat strength was insufficient.

Go back to Proper Village and invite Shui Yongquan? The place was too far; Shui Yongquan might not be able to arrive in time. Transport him using the Portable Abode? The music box alone probably wouldn't be enough to subdue him. The key issue was that Shui Yongquan greatly feared Inner State, and he might not even be willing to help with this matter.

In his mind, various suggestions arose and were constantly rejected. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead and shouted, "Observe the speaking order!"

Juanzi had just finished cooking a pot of dumplings, but before she could serve them, half were eaten by a few greedy individuals. Before the New Year, Li Qi had sent people to deliver rice, flour, wine, meat, sugar, and tea. For this group of three-headed people, it was the happiest New Year they had ever experienced.

Li Banfeng knocked on the door and entered Juanzi's home. Several three-headed people stood up, inviting Li Banfeng to sit. Someone poured wine, someone offered a cigarette, and someone came to offer New Year's greetings. He looked at the lanterns outside the window and the paper-cuts on the window, and at the table laden with fine food and drink. On such a good day, Li Banfeng didn't know how to begin.

He untied his satchel and poured out a bag of silver dollars.

Juanzi was stunned. "Seventh Master, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Banfeng said, "It's New Year's, so these are red envelopes for everyone. Also, there's something I need to trouble you with."

"Seventh Master, please take this money," Juanzi said, pushing the silver dollars back. "If there's anything, just give the order."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's not an order, nor am I qualified to order you. I just want to ask, among you, who wants to earn some quick money?"

His words were awkward, but Li Banfeng didn't know how else to phrase it.

Juanzi didn't understand. "Seventh Master, are you asking us to go rob someone?"

"No, not robbery. I rarely do that now, and well, I didn't do it much before either... Tomorrow, some ruthless people are coming to seize this territory. I need to fight them and I want to hire some helpers. The price will certainly be generous. Anyone who wants to go, find me in the woods tomorrow night."

Juanzi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Seventh Master, do you have weapons?"

"Yes, I can provide one or two hundred weapons. Just help me find thirty to fifty people; ten or twenty would also be fine. It doesn't matter if you can't find anyone. Those who are willing to go will be greatly rewarded after the battle."

Li Banfeng took out the contract and handed it to Juanzi. This was a matter of life and death, and there could be no ambiguity about how much each person should be paid.

Juanzi took the contract, nodded, and said, "Seventh Master, wait for my news."

Back in the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng said to his wife, "My dear, I'm about to fight three Cloud Realm cultivators. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Three Cloud Realm cultivators?" Hong Ying was stunned.

The gramophone hissed steam and said, "My darling husband, what are you doing on New Year's?"

"Someone has come to my doorstep. If I don't drive them away, this New Year won't pass peacefully."

"Three Cloud Realm cultivators attacking your doorstep at once? What's their background?"

"They're from Inner State, and they want to seize the territory I just opened."

A silence fell over the room. Hong Ying said to the Portable Abode, "Old thing, let me out. I'll fight alongside Qilang against them. How can you expect Qilang to fight three Cloud Realm cultivators?"

The Portable Abode remained silent. Although Hong Ying couldn't see, she felt as if someone was scrutinizing her.

"You don't trust me?"

"Yes, I don't," the Portable Abode gave a simple answer.

The gramophone sneered, "Harlot, you stabbed me in the back! How can the Old Master trust you? Old Master, let me out to help my husband!"

"I don't trust you either."

The gramophone was speechless. Hong Ying burst into laughter. "Evil woman, what makes you think you're a good person?"

The Portable Abode sighed deeply and asked, "A-Qi, must this battle be fought?"

"It must be fought!"

The Portable Abode sighed, "Since you've made your decision, I cannot stop you. At the critical moment, I will make an adjustment."

The gramophone said, "My darling husband, in battle, you can't be stubborn. If you can't win, please retreat immediately. First, tell me what methods your opponents have; your little servant will help you strategize."

Methods?

Li Banfeng only knew that there was a craft cultivator on the opposing side.

First day of the New Year, nightfall.

In Qiu Luoye's residence, the Contract Guardians were all busy. Yesterday, the Contract Guardians were all tending to Qiu Luoye and hadn't focused on New Year's matters. By the first day, everyone had put up couplets, hung lanterns, and changed into new clothes.

Qiu Luoye tightened his wounds, carrying a pair of wolf-tooth clubs. He stood in the courtyard, smiling, and said, "New Year's must be celebrated like New Year's. Even if this is the last one, it must be celebrated properly."

A python lit a pair of lanterns, hanging its body and flicking its tongue, then said, "Lord Qiu, let's not talk about such unlucky things. Tonight, let's fight them, eat their flesh with wine, and celebrate the New Year lively!"

"Well said!" Stone shouted from the side. "A tiger doesn't fall even in death, let alone our Lord Qiu who is an elephant!"

Those words were...

Qiu Luoye and Tiger each kicked Stone.

Qiu Luoye lowered his voice and said to Tiger, "Did you check carefully? Did Old Qi and his people really leave?"

Tiger nodded and said, "Clearly, yes. He took his people and, as you instructed, went to hide in Wuqin Village."

"It's good that they're hiding. I was just afraid this kid would act foolishly and throw his life away." Qiu Luoye gritted his teeth, tightened his bandages, and then said to Tiger, "You should all be leaving soon too."

"Lord Qiu, we're not leaving! If we die, we die together!" Tiger roared, and his body stood up.

"Nonsense! If there's good fortune, we share it. Death isn't a good thing, why would you come with me? Hurry and leave!"

Tiger didn't leave. There was something he still dared not say. Li Banfeng hadn't left either. He was ambushed in the woods in front of the residence; Qiu Luoye's injuries were too severe for him to sense it.

He Yuxiu, squatting on a tree, said, "Old Qi, didn't you recruit the three-headed people? None of them came? You were kind to them back then."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "If it weren't for them back then, this territory wouldn't have become proper land. I've thought it over repeatedly; they probably accounted for ninety percent of the popularity of this territory, and that favor, they've already repaid it. Xiuer, that small favor you owed me, you've long since repaid it. If things go wrong later, take them and run immediately."

"Nonsense!" He Yuxiu glared at Li Banfeng. "If they want to run, let them run. We've bowed our heads and sworn oaths; how can it be the same!"

On Junyang Avenue, Ma Wu settled Lu Chunying and the others, instructing them, "I've spoken with the Border Guard Commander. If those bastards come charging later, you go hide in the Border Guard Office; they definitely won't dare to cause trouble there."

Lu Chunying said, "Fifth Brother, where are you going?"

"To the mountain."

"Seventh Brother doesn't want you to go."

Ma Wu chuckled, "Don't worry, I know my limits. If Old Qi can return, I'll return with him; if he can't, then none of us will."

"Fifth Brother..." Lu Chunying gritted her teeth and said, "I'll go up the mountain with you too."

"You take care of these people first. Where's Chu Er?"

"Sister Huaiyuan said she wanted to see your newly built tavern."

"Why does she have to see it now, of all times!" Ma Wu frowned and said, "Besides, that tavern only has a foundation; what's there to see?"

Lu Chunying said, "Sister Huaiyuan looked at the blueprints before, and she said that tavern was unusual."

At the mention of blueprints, Ma Wu paused, momentarily lost in thought. He almost forgot, where was the person who drew the blueprints?

The Gazer cultivator, Kui Bafang, extended three fingers towards Li Banfeng. People were coming from the opposite side, three in total. Indeed, there were three, thankfully, not more.

Chu Shaoqiang possessed a Gazer cultivation artifact and also sensed the ambush. He slowly walked towards the ambush. Behind him followed two people: one wore a diagonal-collared long gown, a round hat, and held a folding fan, dressed like a scholar—this person was named Scholar Guo. The other wore a short jacket with an overlapping front. Appearing simple and casual, it was actually made of light, finely crafted material with no excess—superior clothing for a martial artist. This person was a martial cultivator named Tian Dasong.

Scholar Guo, the literary cultivator, walked and said, "Previously, I only knew of gentlemen on the rafters, but now I see gentlemen in the trees. Since you are gentlemen, you should be open and upright. Whoever still has courage, come down and let's meet and talk."

As his words fell, everyone had the urge to jump down from the trees.

The Art of Shared Text and Common Rules. Judging by the intensity of the technique, this literary cultivator was no lower than the eighth level; whether he was Cloud Realm or not was debatable. Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu could still barely resist, while others gritted their teeth and endured, their flesh and skin feeling as if they were being torn apart inch by inch.

Scholar Guo, the literary cultivator, stood at the edge of the ambush circle, not moving further in and seemingly without any precautions. This was a blatant mockery of everyone.

"Oh, even insignificant people call themselves gentlemen! When did gentlemen become so worthless?" As soon as the Scolding Woman spoke, everyone's condition significantly eased.

The Scolding Woman continued to curse, "What's all this about being open and upright? Show me how open you are! I'll see if you can brazenly expose your face!"

These curses were so satisfying that the Art of Shared Text and Common Rules was dispelled.

Scholar Guo smiled, "So, you are of the same path."

The Scolding Woman was a literary cultivator? Li Banfeng had thought there were specialized cursing cultivators.

"Pah!" the Scolding Woman spat. "Who the hell is of the same path as you? You are truly shameless. What kind of Daoist sect does a thief like you belong to? Do you, a thieving cultivator, even deserve to be of the same path as this old woman?"

Scholar Guo chuckled and said, "You hide in the dark, afraid to show yourself, yet you dare to call me a thief?"

The Scolding Woman shouted, "Breaking into a civilian's house at night makes you a thief!"

"Which civilian's house did I break into? Is this mountain forest your home? Gathering in the mountain forest, aren't you a mountain bandit?"

The two cursed at each other, seemingly discussing the definition of "thief," but it wasn't that simple in reality. The Scolding Woman was fighting for her life. The two were competing in techniques. The Scolding Woman wanted to provoke the literary cultivator opposite to make him enter the ambush circle. Scholar Guo, on the other hand, wanted to use his literary cultivation technique to force Li Banfeng and the others out of the ambush circle.

During their verbal exchange, the Scolding Woman vomited blood; her cultivation was inferior to her opponent's. Seizing this opportunity, Scholar Guo launched an attack, intending to finish off the Scolding Woman directly: "Shameless shrew, nearing your end, full of foul words, like an old dog losing its fur, baring its teeth and barking madly, Old dog, save some strength. I know your time is short. There's a bowl of hot soup in the latrine down the mountain; go and eat a full meal while it's hot. Don't become a hungry ghost on the road to the underworld, Old dog, why are you silent now? Old dog, don't just die like this..."

"Hoo-ya-ya-ya-ya!"

Li Banfeng suddenly leaped from the tree, his long shouts interrupting Scholar Guo.

Scholar Guo smiled upon seeing this. "Good timing, now I'll see where you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the literary cultivator suddenly felt his throat tighten.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A rapid drumbeat suddenly silenced Scholar Guo. It felt as if a knife was stirring back and forth in his brain. Scholar Guo couldn't stand steadily and nearly fell. Chu Shaoqiang and the martial cultivator also felt tightness in their chests and shortness of breath, unsure what technique the opponent had used.

Scholar Guo was injured, blood flowing from his eyes and ears. Before he could recover, Li Banfeng was already astride him, swinging his sickle down at his face. Fully aware of the immense danger, he still acted stubbornly. Li Banfeng's speed was so great that Chu Shaoqiang couldn't discern his level for a moment as the sickle rained down on Scholar Guo's face like a chisel.

Chu Shaoqiang and Tian Dasong wanted to go help, but a surge of immense power suddenly struck, forcing them back. Scholar Guo's body stiffened, suffering further heavy blows. The drum sounds came from his wife; the powerful aura came from Hong Ying. The Portable Abode opened its main gate for a fleeting moment, then immediately closed it. It could only be opened for such a brief time, otherwise the Portable Abode itself might be exposed.

The Portable Abode said to the gramophone and Hong Ying, "I have made the adjustment. The rest is up to your man's ability."

In this momentary adjustment, both his wife and Hong Ying gave their all, and most of the resulting damage was borne by Scholar Guo alone. Now, Li Banfeng ceaselessly slashed at Scholar Guo's face. Scholar Guo didn't know how many slashes he had endured; he couldn't resist, yet he couldn't break free.

Was this a journey cultivator? Why was a journey cultivator fighting like this? He wasn't using techniques, nor was he maneuvering; was he just fighting like a madman? This was a tactic jointly devised by his wife and Li Banfeng. If the enemy entered the ambush circle, with advantageous terrain and suitable distance, they could win through coordinated techniques. If the enemy didn't enter the ambush circle, with unsuitable terrain and positioning, their techniques wouldn't coordinate and would be individually countered by a master craft cultivator. In this situation, they couldn't attack systematically. The best option was to leverage his wife's and Hong Ying's help and use the journey cultivator's speed to take down one opponent first.

Li Banfeng chose Scholar Guo, the literary cultivator, intending to take him down first. Scholar Guo was severely wounded, but his cultivation was high enough that his injuries were not yet fatal, and he still had strength to counterattack. He dipped his finger in his own blood and wrote the character "刀" (knife/blade) on Li Banfeng's body. Literary cultivator's sixth-level technique: A Single Word, a Thousand Gold! This character "刀" actually transformed into a knife and stabbed Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng didn't dodge, evade, or parry; he took the stab head-on, and with his sickle, hooked Scholar Guo's left eye. Scholar Guo wrote another character "刀". Li Banfeng took another stab and swung his sickle to hook Scholar Guo's right eye. Knife for blood, knife for blood—what kind of fighting style was this?

Tian Dasong came up to grab Li Banfeng, but was kicked away by He Yuxiu. Tian Dasong knocked down He Yuxiu, then Zuo Wugang and Bai Bilian desperately tackled Tian Dasong from behind, and the others charged forward to attack him together. Scholar Guo wrote the character "夺" (seize/take), seizing Li Banfeng's sickle. Li Banfeng pulled out a shovel and struck Scholar Guo on the head. Tang Dao seized the opportunity to stab Scholar Guo in the back of his heart, while Pendulum slipped into his collar, slashing Scholar Guo's neck. Scholar Guo exerted all his strength and in one breath wrote twelve "禁" (forbid/prohibit) characters. This move was formidable; all artifacts and weapons became unusable. Li Banfeng bit Scholar Guo's neck, causing blood to gush out.

Chu Shaoqiang remained calm; he quickly discerned the opponent's tactics and prepared to use his artifact to first deal with the madman on Scholar Guo. Chu Huaiyuan, smiling, suddenly appeared before Chu Shaoqiang.

Chu Shaoqiang said expressionlessly, "What are you doing here?"

Chu Huaiyuan smiled, "I've come to fight you to the death."

Chu Shaoqiang was calm. "You don't know who I am, and you don't need to know now. Leave here quickly."

"I know who you are," Chu Huaiyuan suddenly stopped smiling. She looked at Chu Shaoqiang, rolling her eyes upwards, and said, "Dad, I really have come to fight you to the death."