Chapter 522: The Lord of the Green Waters

Inside the top-floor office of Ling Family Film Company, a Western oil painting depicted Ling Miaoying deep in thought by a lake. Beneath the painting was a bed, where He Jiaqing was sleeping.

Early in the morning, He Jiaqing opened his eyes to see a man, rotating two walnuts in his palm, sitting by his bed. In the past, He Jiaqing would have thought it was a nightmare. But now he knew it wasn't; it was far more terrifying than any nightmare.

Zhang Gunli's fingers twitched, and the walnuts spun twice in his palm. "I've granted the lifespan," he said, "shouldn't we discuss the repayment now?"

He Jiaqing smiled. "Brother Zhang," he said, "isn't that a bit too urgent?"

Zhang Gunli pulled out an IOU. "This is the rule for borrowing lifespan," he explained. "Once the lifespan is granted, repayment is due immediately. Otherwise, when you die, who am I going to collect from?"

Indeed, this was the rule for borrowing life. He Jiaqing, having calculated he wouldn't survive, borrowed a month's lifespan from Zhang Gunli, who granted him twenty-seven days.

Why only twenty-seven days? This was also a rule of their trade: borrowing one month (thirty days) meant Zhang Gunli only provided ninety percent, known as 'nine out.' When repaying, one had to return the principal for a full month, plus thirty percent interest, known as 'thirteen back.'

Now that the twenty-seven days of life were granted, He Jiaqing had to repay immediately. Zhang Gunli didn't know how much longer He Jiaqing would live, and if He Jiaqing died before repayment, Zhang Gunli would suffer a significant loss.

He Jiaqing stood up. "Brother Zhang," he said, "look at my current condition. My illness is long gone, and I'll definitely be able to repay the debt."

Zhang Gunli looked him up and down. "I don't diagnose illnesses," he replied, "but your injuries are severe."

He Jiaqing was indeed severely injured; his skull had been cracked by the Green Specter, leaving his head somewhat deformed.

"These are just external injuries; they're nothing serious."

Zhang Gunli chuckled. "Whether they're serious or not is none of my concern," he said. "As long as you're still breathing, you must repay the debt when it's due."

He Jiaqing said, "Brother Zhang, just give me until tonight. By eleven o'clock, I'll pay you back in full, principal and interest."

Zhang Gunli left. He Jiaqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly contacted He Haisheng.

"Third Uncle, everything alright on the road?"

"Smooth sailing all the way. I'll definitely reach Greenwater City tonight."

He Jiaqing got out of bed, tidied his clothes, and left the film company. Ling Miaoying in the oil painting, with a melancholic expression, seemed to be watching He Jiaqing as he departed.

He Jiaqing arrived at Longmen Road, opposite Peace Building, and walked around the roadside twice. On his left index finger was a ring, sharply designed and exquisitely crafted. This was no mere ornament; it was a special lock-picking ring used in their line of work. The ring rotated on He Jiaqing's index finger, guiding him to the entrance of the Unnamable Place, searching for Greenwater Bow's home.

How did He Jiaqing know Greenwater Bow's home was here? Previously, He Jiaqing, disguised as Zhou Changhong, returned to Greenwater City and was cornered by the Green Specter on Longmen Road. He entered the Green Specter's home and nearly lost his life. Of course, He Jiaqing remembered that doorway.

He bought a newspaper, seemingly reading it as he walked, but in reality, he was continuously changing his search location. He tried over a dozen different spots, but the ring remained unresponsive.

He Jiaqing decided to walk a bit further. A woman carrying a paper umbrella approached him. Seeing He Jiaqing engrossed in his newspaper and not watching where he was going, she gave him a disdainful look and walked around him.

At Jixiang Theater, Zhang Gunli was listening to an opera, rubbing his walnuts. On stage, "Tears of the Barren Mountain" was being performed, with the famous actress Cheng Juqing playing Zhang Huizhu. The performance on stage was passionate, and the audience was deeply moved. Tears streamed continuously down Zhang Gunli's face.

The Painting Cultivator, Mu Yuejuan, folded her paper umbrella and sat beside Zhang Gunli, offering him a handkerchief. Zhang Gunli didn't take it, instead wiping his tears with his own sleeve.

Mu Yuejuan frowned. "What's this supposed to mean?" she asked. "Don't you like my handkerchief?"

Zhang Gunli shook his head. "It's not that I don't like your handkerchief," he said, "I'm just afraid I can't afford the price."

"What a face!" Mu Yuejuan sneered. "Do you take me for yourself? Even if you shed a single hair, you'd demand three back!"

"Miss Mu," Zhang Gunli said, "if you have something to say, say it quickly. I paid for this ticket, and it's getting to the heart-wrenching part." He seemed to really enjoy the play.

"Heart-wrenching? Do you even have a heart?" Mu Yuejuan asked. "Does He Jiaqing owe you money?"

Zhang Gunli didn't answer directly. "Does that concern you?" he asked.

Mu Yuejuan smiled. "Yes, it does. I'm going to kill him soon, and once he's dead, you'll have nowhere to collect your money."

Zhang Gunli nodded. "Go ahead and kill him. Those few small coins of mine aren't worth worrying about."

The two spoke in the theater, yet no one around them could hear a word.

Mu Yuejuan took out a scroll painting and handed it to Zhang Gunli. "This is a new one I painted," she said. "What do you think of its quality?"

Zhang Gunli unrolled the painting and glanced at it. "Are you looking to pawn this?" he asked. "What's your price?"

"No money," she replied. "The painting is a gift. I just want some information from you: why did He Jiaqing come to you to buy lifespan?"

"Because he was afflicted by the Green Specter's disease," Zhang Gunli said.

"Is he cured now?"

"It's hard to say right now. If he survives until tomorrow, then he'll truly be cured."

Mu Yuejuan asked again, "The Green Specter's disease is extremely difficult to dispel. Do you think the Green Specter spared him, or is there another reason?"

Zhang Gunli said, "I'm not the Green Specter, so I can't say for sure. But I haven't seen him for several days and don't know where he's gone."

"Do you think the Green Specter is still alive?"

"That's also hard to say. However, I think if the Green Specter were still alive, He Jiaqing wouldn't dare loiter near his doorstep."

Mu Yuejuan fell silent for a moment, then smiled sweetly. "I'd like to take over this business venture," she said. "You won't compete with me, will you?"

Zhang Gunli unrolled the painting again and examined it. "Considering this painting alone," he said, "its quality is still a bit lacking."

Mu Yuejuan lit a cigarette, took a puff, then twirled the cigarette in her hand, transforming it into a paintbrush. "Name your price," she said. "Once we've settled this, you can no longer interfere with the Greenwater City business, nor can you sell any information about He Jiaqing to anyone else."

The Gramophone had made some improvements to Greenwater Bow's begging bowl and handed it to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng stared at the bowl for a long time. The bowl was still dirty and speckled, making it hard to distinguish between mud and oil stains. Inside lay a spoon, resting flat on the bottom of the bowl.

Li Banfeng looked at the direction of the spoon handle and asked his wife, "This must be a compass, right?"

The Gramophone praised him. "Husband, what keen eyesight you have," she said. "It does look like a compass, but it doesn't point south. It points to the entrance of the Unnamable Place."

Li Banfeng turned the bowl, and the spoon inside turned with it. "Wife," he asked, "how do I use it to find the direction?"

"It won't work here," she explained. "It only registers within a hundred feet of the entrance. Once the entrance is found, the spoon will spin once on its own. Then, husband, you push the handle to make it spin further, first slowly, then quickly, until it reaches the right speed. That's when you can enter the Unnamable Place."

After his wife had explained everything clearly, Li Banfeng took the bowl and prepared to go to Longmen Road. On second thought, he realized that an ordinary person wandering the streets with a begging bowl might arouse suspicion. The Pendulum, being sensible, brought over a paintbrush. "Master," it said, "let me give you a disguise." With a few strokes, Li Banfeng's face was covered in mud, giving him the distinct air of a beggar.

His wife puffed out a cloud of steam that hovered around Li Banfeng's head for a moment, making his hair sticky and messy. After sprinkling some dust on top, his matted hairstyle was complete. "Husband," she said, "get another set of tattered clothes, and I'll help you arrange them. Go out dressed like this, and no one will suspect a thing."

Li Banfeng looked in the mirror, then reached back and pulled out the Projector. "If we're going to put on a show," he said, "let's do it right. Since I'm dressed as a beggar anyway, why not just be a Green Specter?"

The Projector cast an image of Greenwater Bow onto the wall. His wife observed it for a moment. "This will be a bit difficult," she said. "The Green Specter's face is too long; we'll need to extend yours, husband. And those pustules all over his face will require careful work."

The Gramophone and The Pendulum busied themselves for over an hour. Once they felt it was satisfactory, they allowed Li Banfeng to leave.

Li Banfeng carried the bowl all the way to Longmen Road, where the spoon inside began to move. The spoon handle pointed east. Li Banfeng walked east along the roadside, the spoon handle trembling back and forth, its direction somewhat unstable.

As Li Banfeng carefully observed the spoon's movement, a wave of malice suddenly assailed him. He looked up and saw a familiar face. He Jiaqing was standing beneath a streetlight, his right hand rubbing the lamppost. He had searched all day and finally found the entrance to the Unnamable Place, but opening it wasn't easy. He had been trying for an hour with no success.

Now, the two had encountered each other like this. He Jiaqing was shocked, and Li Banfeng felt a little nervous.

What was happening? Why had he run into him here? Was he also going to visit the Green Specter's home? Should I greet him, or should I fight him?

Li Banfeng forced a smile, shook the bowl in his hand, and silently watched He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing saw the Green Specter, his face covered in pustules, shaking a bowl at him. For about a second, their gazes met. The next second, He Jiaqing turned and fled, disappearing from sight.

Li Banfeng was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected He Jiaqing to run so fast. Was he doing something shady just now?

Li Banfeng walked over to the streetlight and examined it carefully for a while, finding nothing unusual. There seemed to be some movement in the bowl. Li Banfeng looked down at the bowl in his hand, and the spoon inside slowly spun once.

Had he found the entrance to the Unnamable Place? Was it really that simple?

Li Banfeng turned the spoon, first slowly, then quickly, until it was spinning at over five hundred rotations per minute. Still, Li Banfeng didn't feel any change. But the Earring detected a change. "Master," it said, "the surrounding sounds have quieted."

Li Banfeng looked around. Longmen Road was bustling with pedestrians: some walking, some riding in vehicles, some standing around chatting, others talking as they walked. They had been on this road before, but now they suddenly seemed much further away.

Li Banfeng patted the Projector. "Shine a beam of light," he instructed.

The Projector asked, "Where should I shine it?"

Li Banfeng pointed to a man on the street who was hailing a rickshaw. The Projector shone the beam on the man, but it left no visible mark on him. Li Banfeng walked up to the man and waved his hand in front of his eyes. The man showed no reaction. Li Banfeng stepped forward and touched the man directly; his hand passed right through the man's body.

This was a different space.

Li Banfeng had walked through Greenwater City countless times. He was extremely familiar with Longmen Road: Peace Building across the street, Muyuan Teahouse behind him, Tongde Pharmacy to his left, and Rongfa Fabric Store to his right. These buildings were self-evident; he even knew exactly how many lampposts were along the road. Yet, these things were visible but intangible because they were not in the same space.

Why was this happening? On Suichen Road in another prefecture, when Li Banfeng fought Greenwater Bow, he had also been pulled into a dark dimensional space. There, Li Banfeng could only see complete darkness. So why, upon arriving here, did he see a scene identical to the outside world? Because these were different dark dimensional spaces. The dark dimensional space of Longmen Road was the Green Specter's home, while the dark dimensional space of Suichen Road was a temporary combat location chosen by the Green Specter.

Li Banfeng groped around under the streetlight. He couldn't feel the lamppost, but he seemed to have touched a table. He then fumbled around the entrance of the teahouse; he couldn't feel the door, but he seemed to have touched a clay pot. The Green Specter's home was truly bizarre, and Li Banfeng didn't know how to explore it. From a visual perspective, Li Banfeng felt like he was standing in the middle of the road. From an olfactory perspective, it seemed he had stepped into the Green Specter's chamber pot. Blundering about like this was not a good approach. The Green Specter was cunning and insidious; there was no telling if he might leave Li Banfeng with some "surprises."

Li Banfeng took out the Projector and instructed it to record the surroundings, hoping that it might reveal something later in his portable dwelling. As the Projector was recording, the Glove shouted, "Master, there's treasure!"

"Where's the treasure?"

"I can't say for sure; this place is disorienting. Let me go check again."

He Jiaqing stood on the balcony of his private room, looking down at the lamppost below. The Greenwater Bow he had just encountered on the roadside had vanished in an instant. Without a doubt, he had returned to his dwelling.

Why would Li Banfeng let the Green Specter go? That move, 'A Step Across a Thousand Miles,' had clearly been used. Why didn't it send Greenwater Bow to the most lethal spot? On second thought, He Jiaqing felt something was amiss. When Greenwater Bow fought Li Banfeng, he had kept demanding the bowl from him. At that time, Li Banfeng was preparing to use his 'A Step Across Ten Thousand Miles' technique, and Greenwater Bow's bowl seemed to be lost. Yet, when they just met, Greenwater Bow still held a bowl. When did he get it back?

Was that person truly Greenwater Bow? Greenwater Bow was the last person He Jiaqing wanted to see. After much deliberation, He Jiaqing didn't dare take the risk and decided not to show his face on Longmen Road for the foreseeable future.

That evening, a button on his chest vibrated, and He Haisheng sent a message: he had arrived in Greenwater City. He Jiaqing prepared a welcoming dinner with wine at Yideju for his Third Uncle. Looking at the table full of food and wine, He Haisheng shook his head slightly. "Jiaqing," he said, "let's just eat something simple. I want to return to Yuezhou tonight."

"What's the rush?" He Jiaqing asked.

He Haisheng sighed. "Han Mingqi was arrested by the Dark Star Bureau, and Big Head was also imprisoned. Although Zhu Junlong and the others relocated in time, Han Mingqi knows a lot. If he reveals everything, we'll need to figure out another response."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I was worried about this too, which is why I don't think you should return to Yuezhou. I'm afraid the Dark Star Bureau will come looking for you."

He Haisheng laughed. "Don't worry, I've been in other prefectures for so many years; finding me won't be easy. But there's one thing you must tell me truthfully: is the Green Specter really dead?"

He Jiaqing sighed. "I truly can't say for sure now."

He Haisheng's face darkened. "You scoundrel, can't you say for sure, or are you not telling me the truth?"

He Jiaqing gave a wry smile. "Uncle, you don't even believe me? My life depends on this; would I lie to you?"

He Haisheng was somewhat worried. "If you're unsure, try to stay as far away from the Green Specter as possible. Anyone who has dealt with him knows that Greenwater Bow always seeks revenge. Unless he's dead, the past matters will definitely not be over."

The uncle and nephew had a few drinks. He Haisheng insisted on returning to Yuezhou, and He Jiaqing couldn't stop him, so they parted ways.

Back at the film company, He Jiaqing waited in his office. A little past eleven at night, Zhang Gunli silently entered the room.

"Do you have the items ready?" Zhang Gunli didn't waste words. He sat down in a chair and pulled an abacus from his pocket.

If one borrowed life, what was used for repayment? The simplest way was to return life itself. Zhang Gunli had loaned He Jiaqing a month's lifespan and given him twenty-seven days. Including interest, He Jiaqing owed him thirty-nine days of life. The interest was a bit exorbitant, but this had always been Zhang Gunli's rule. They had signed an IOU, and these terms were agreed upon, so there was no need for pretense between them.

"If you're ready, I'll collect the debt!" Zhang Gunli rubbed the walnuts in his hands twice, preparing to take the life from He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing waved his hand. "Brother Zhang, don't rush. I can't give you life."

Zhang Gunli frowned. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to default on the debt?"

He Jiaqing chuckled. "Thirty-nine days of lifespan is well within my means, so defaulting isn't an option. However, I'm currently injured, and returning life would damage my vital energy, which I fear I can't withstand. Could we exchange it for something else as payment?"

Zhang Gunli rubbed his walnuts. "What do you want to use as payment?"

"Elixirs. Elixirs can be exchanged for cultivation, and cultivation can be exchanged for time. Saving time means saving life, so the values on both sides are equivalent."

Zhang Gunli chuckled. "You've thought this through well. Elixirs can indeed substitute for lifespan, but our exchange rate isn't one-for-one. Lifespan is more valuable than cultivation, and different grades of elixirs have different calculations. If you use Golden Essence Elixirs, the exchange rate is one for twenty." One for twenty meant owing thirty-nine days of life would require seven hundred and eighty days' worth of elixirs, which, when converted to Golden Essence Elixirs, was nearly eight pills. Even if one killed a seventh-level cultivator and handed them over to Red Lotus for refinement, it might not yield eight Golden Essence Elixirs. Zhang Gunli was truly ruthless.

He Jiaqing pulled eight Golden Essence Elixirs from his pocket and placed them before Zhang Gunli. Zhang Gunli examined their quality, nodding repeatedly. "Good stuff," he said, "the quality is impeccable. I'll just need some small change from you."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "Brother Zhang, mentioning small change is being too formal. If I seek your services again in the future, please extend some extra consideration to your younger brother."

Zhang Gunli laughed. "Straightforward! Brother He, if you ever face difficulties again, just come find me. Keep the IOU. I'll take my leave now."

He Jiaqing verified the IOU, confirmed it was genuine, and then saw Zhang Gunli to the office door. After exchanging a few polite words, Zhang Gunli departed. He Jiaqing intertwined his fingers, burned the IOU, mixed the ashes with the dust in the room, opened the window, and let the night breeze scatter them into the distance.

Rubbing his forehead at the desk, He Jiaqing felt a little tired and was about to fall asleep when he suddenly caught a whiff of cosmetic powder. Who could this be, coming to flirt in the middle of the night? Shen Rongqing also lived in this building, but she wasn't of that temperament, nor did she possess such methods.

He Jiaqing stood up and scanned the room. His ears twitched, and he faintly heard the sound of water. He looked up. Inside the Western oil painting on the wall, Ling Miaoying, who had originally been sitting by the river in contemplation, had transformed into a woman holding an umbrella. The woman closed her umbrella and stepped out of the painting to stand before He Jiaqing. "Young Master He," she said, "it's been a long time."

He Jiaqing paused, then asked, "Esteemed senior, have we met before?"

The woman's lips curved slightly, and she spoke with a hint of reproach. "We were acquainted on Sage Peak back then. How can you turn your face and not recognize me?"

He Jiaqing looked at the woman, then at the Western oil painting on the wall, and bowed to her. "If this junior isn't mistaken," he said, "you must be the Painting Cultivator Grandmaster, Mu Yuejuan, Senior Mu."

Mu Yuejuan became even more displeased. "The word 'senior' is already grating on my ears," she said, "and you just had to add 'old.' Can't you just call me 'older sister'?"

Observing Mu Yuejuan's appearance, her figure, her expressions of joy and anger, listening to her laughter and playful chiding, any ordinary person would have their soul captivated by her. Yet, He Jiaqing remained calm. He first clarified a fact to Mu Yuejuan. "The person you saw on Sage Peak back then wasn't me," he explained. "Someone was impersonating me, and I suffered a lot of injustice because of it."

Mu Yuejuan chuckled. "Young Master He, saying such things is pointless. I'm not here to ask you for the Saint or for the Imperial Seal. What good does bringing up old matters do with me?" Indeed, it was pointless. He Jiaqing had been wronged, and Mu Yuejuan, having been involved in the matter, naturally knew the truth.

Mu Yuejuan continued, "I've also heard that you had a dispute with Greenwater Bow over the Sage Peak matter. That old Specter is quite ruthless and even tried to take your life. I'm here this time to help you resolve this. The Green Specter and I are on good terms; if I advise him, he should listen. How about we go to his dwelling now for a visit?"

He Jiaqing repeatedly waved his hand. "Senior, please don't scare me. Greenwater Bow tried to kill me. If I went to his dwelling, how would I ever come back alive?"

Mu Yuejuan looked surprised. "Oh, Young Master He, you actually get scared? I saw you lingering around the Green Specter's doorstep for most of the day today, and by your appearance, you weren't trying to avoid him."

The person he met on Longmen Road was indeed Mu Yuejuan. He Jiaqing's smile remained, but he stayed silent.

Mu Yuejuan came closer to He Jiaqing, gently lifted his chin, and softly whispered, "Young Master He, your older sister knows everything you've done. The Green Specter's home has quite a few good things, doesn't it? You must have gained a lot this time, didn't you?"

He Jiaqing shook his head slightly. "Older sister, you think too highly of me. I couldn't even get into Greenwater Bow's home; I simply don't have the means."

Mu Yuejuan chuckled. "Young men should be a bit more boastful; there's no need to speak with such maturity. If you didn't enter the Green Specter's home, then what did you use to repay Zhang Gunli? Golden Essence Elixirs of that quality shouldn't be easy to find, should they? If I'm not mistaken, those Golden Essence Elixirs were likely collected by the Green Specter to reward his disciples. Wouldn't you agree?"

He Jiaqing's heart tightened. Mu Yuejuan had been in the room since he started repaying Zhang Gunli. He hadn't even noticed. Wait, if he hadn't noticed, had Zhang Gunli not noticed either? Zhang Gunli must have known Mu Yuejuan was there and why she had come. It was possible that Zhang Gunli had brought her! That scoundrel Zhang Gunli!

He Jiaqing controlled his emotions and explained to Mu Yuejuan, "Senior, the eight Golden Essence Elixirs I gave to Zhang Gunli were refined by me using the Red Lotus. The Profound-life Red Lotus was once in my possession; you should have heard this news. I truly haven't been to Greenwater Bow's dwelling, nor have I taken any of Greenwater Bow's contracts. Senior, I am not lying to you."

Mu Yuejuan's fingers still glided across He Jiaqing's face. "Young Master He, that lie might fool others, but trying to fool me is rather uninteresting. The Profound-life Red Lotus was previously in the hands of Ye Songqiao, the local deity. I've known this for a long time. All those lies you concocted—about Lu Xiaolan, about Li Banfeng—they're all fake!"

He Jiaqing was speechless. This situation was truly absurd. He admitted to having possessed the Profound-life Red Lotus, yet Mu Yuejuan didn't believe him.

Mu Yuejuan played with He Jiaqing's hair. "According to the rules of Puro Prefecture, I can't just snatch things from a local deity. But now that the Green Specter is dead, my taking over isn't breaking any rules. Good boy, Greenwater City is too big for you to handle, and you shouldn't try to. I can give you his elixirs, his magical artifacts, and all his good things. But there's one thing you can't take; you must leave his contracts for me."

With that, Mu Yuejuan burst out laughing. Before her laughter faded, Mu Yuejuan's fingertip trembled, and her fair finger suddenly transformed into a paintbrush. If the paintbrush were to leave a mark on He Jiaqing, it could slice open his face.

He Jiaqing quickly raised his hand first, leaving an ink mark on Mu Yuejuan's face. Mu Yuejuan was startled. Where the ink mark passed, her skin cracked, and she bled.

"Empty Hand!" Mu Yuejuan exclaimed in great surprise. She hadn't expected He Jiaqing to have unknowingly stolen her technique.

In an instant, He Jiaqing had leaped out the window. Mu Yuejuan immediately gave chase. "Young Master He," she called, "I'm truly doing this for your own good! You really can't manage Greenwater Bow's territory!"

"Let's collect them slowly, no need to rush!" Li Banfeng and the Glove were busy gathering Greenwater Bow's treasures.

Greenwater Bow's dwelling was vast and contained many valuable items. However, because the dwelling itself was invisible, Li Banfeng could only see scenes from outside it. He hadn't yet figured out the internal layout.

"Master, be careful. There are many traps in this place."

Rip!

A paper figure stepped on a trap and was torn to shreds. Another paper figure immediately took its place to continue the investigation. Li Banfeng had deployed a total of three hundred and seventy-two paper figures within Greenwater Bow's dwelling. By using their positions, he was able to roughly ascertain the dwelling's outline. He spent a full sixteen hours inside Greenwater Bow's dwelling, where he found six Profound Accumulation Elixirs and one hundred and ninety-three Golden Essence Elixirs. The remaining Violet Radiance Elixirs and Crimson Profound Elixirs were too numerous for Li Banfeng to count yet.

"Strange," the Glove muttered. "Why are there only elixirs and no magical artifacts?" It searched around and caught a scent between two paper figures. "Master," it called, "there's a good treasure down here! It's probably a spirit item of considerable quality."

Li Banfeng and the Glove searched carefully, feeling the cold ground. As he probed, Li Banfeng found a hidden compartment. The hidden compartment was locked. Though he couldn't see it, Li Banfeng could feel that it had more than one lock. The Glove was confident. "Master, don't worry," it said, "I can open this lock in less than half an hour."

On Dao Devil Ridge, Cui Tik was still secretly observing the battle. Greenwater Bow's resilience astonished Cui Tik. He had fought fiercely on Dao Devil Ridge for days without being harmed by the venom of the Blade Labor Devils. The number of Blade Labor Devils killed was also astonishing. If this continued, the Green Specter might truly be able to break out of Dao Devil Ridge, escaping without being infected by their venom.

In an instant, Greenwater Bow repelled another wave of Blade Labor Devils. The Blade Labor Devils available to Wan Jinxiang were dwindling, and many began to question Wan Puxian's abilities.

"Huu-yaa-yaa, huu-yaa, yaa-yaa-huu!" one Blade Labor Devil expressed, stating that Wan Jinxiang was not smart, and following him would only lead to death. They should choose another leader.

"Yaa-yaa-yaa-huu-yaa!" another Blade Labor Devil declared, saying that Wan Jinxiang was not brave. Many Blade Labor Devils had died, but he always returned alive.

A female Blade Labor Devil was the most agitated, declaring that Wan Jinxiang was "short" and not a useful person!

The Green Specter stood up; he appeared to be preparing for a breakthrough. After such a long, arduous battle, the Blade Labor Devils' fighting spirit was almost depleted. If Greenwater Bow managed to break through the first encirclement, he would likely sweep through the rest and escape Dao Devil Ridge.

To prove his strength, Wan Puxian prepared to intercept Greenwater Bow alone. This battle was practically a foregone conclusion. Wan Jinxiang, under any circumstances, was no match for Greenwater Bow, yet he still charged forward. Wan Jinxiang collided with Greenwater Bow.

Thud!

Greenwater Bow fell to the ground.

He fell? How was that possible? Cui Tik was utterly astonished. The weakened Greenwater Bow lay on the ground, unable to get up.