Chapter 549: Washing the Heart and Cleansing the Mind

Li Banfeng laid his cards on the table, expressing his suspicion that Wang Zimi had sold Shui Yongquan.

Wang Zimi claimed that Shui Yongquan had been sent to another province. Given Snowflake Creek's past actions, it was highly probable that Shui Yongquan had indeed been sold out of state.

At this point, the two sides had openly turned against each other.

Wang Zimi was silent for a moment. He took another cigarette from his pack, lit it, and took two draws.

He looked up at Li Banfeng and said, "I'm older now, my temper is better, and my mind is more open. There are some things I no longer bother to dwell on. In the past, if you spoke to me like that, you'd be carried out horizontally."

As his words fell, over thirty people emerged from upstairs and downstairs, surrounding the hall.

Ma Wu tucked his hands into his sleeves, preparing to draw his weapon.

Feng Daiku's hair trembled, indicating she was also ready for battle.

Li Banfeng remained seated, smoking, enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

Wang Zimi's subordinates drew their weapons, ready to act at any moment.

Tension filled the air. Wang Zimi raised a hand, signaling his subordinates not to move. He stared at Li Banfeng and slowly said, "Leave. Never set foot in Sleepless Town again in this lifetime."

Having said that, Wang Zimi moved the cigarette in his hand towards the ashtray, intending to extinguish it.

Li Banfeng's right ear twitched. He glanced at the ashtray, and the Silk-Pulling Earring emitted a dart, shattering the ashtray.

Splintered glass shards flew past Wang Zimi's cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

Beneath the shattered ashtray, there was a coin-sized hole with a rope threaded through it.

Ma Wu gasped, frowning, "How sinister of you!"

This hole was meant to trigger a mechanism.

Wang Zimi had just told Li Banfeng to "leave."

The phrase sounded like he was letting Li Qi and the others go. If Li Qi had believed him and stood up to leave, Wang Zimi would have used his cigarette butt to activate the mechanism, sending Li Banfeng into a trap.

How did Li Banfeng know there was a mechanism under the ashtray? It was so concealed that even Feng Daiku couldn't detect it.

In truth, Li Banfeng couldn't see it either. He didn't understand engineering. He merely sensed danger, and that danger emanated from the ashtray near Wang Zimi's hand.

The Silk-Pulling Earring originally had no combat ability. After Li Banfeng killed An Zongding, he acquired three magical artifacts, one of which was an incense burner capable of transforming smoke into various weapons.

The magical artifact's spirit had been absorbed by the Record Player, leaving an empty shell. At the earring's active request, it and the empty shell entered the Copper Lotus and were refined, gaining a portion of the incense burner's abilities.

While Li Banfeng was smoking, enveloped in smoke, the earring seized the opportunity to burn incense. The two plumes of smoke mingled imperceptibly to others.

When Li Banfeng looked at the ashtray, the earring released a dart, shattering it and preventing Wang Zimi from triggering the mechanism. Blood appeared on Wang Zimi's face, marking an overt act of aggression against him. One of Wang Zimi's subordinates rushed behind Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng flicked the cigarette butt in his hand, striking the subordinate precisely in the eye.

Within five meters, he never missed.

The subordinate clutched his eye, howling repeatedly.

The others also wanted to act, but then heard Feng Daiku's soft sigh, "Why bother?"

Her voice carried a hint of reproach, a touch of resentment, and a few pleas and entreaties. Wang Zimi's subordinates hesitated, reluctant to strike.

Ma Wu stood up, surveying the crowd.

Li Banfeng remained seated, quietly observing Wang Zimi.

He was primarily looking at Wang Zimi's face.

The earring's attack was indeed sudden, and the ashtray shattered just as abruptly.

Yet, the flying glass had actually wounded Wang Zimi's face.

Wang Zimi was a local deity, a Praise Cultivator of the Cloud realm, possessing control over a legitimate territory. His cultivation level was certainly not low, likely comparable to Old Yao and Pan Dehai.

Could his combat skills really be that poor?

Wang Zimi's expression was calm, but inwardly, he felt uncertain. The combat skills of a Praise Cultivator were indeed not strong.

He knew Feng Daiku's level was comparable to his own, but this was his territory, and he had his subordinates. When a Praise Cultivator had assistants, their combat power couldn't be measured purely by their own level; he was confident he had the upper hand.

However, he was unsure of Li Qi and Ma Wu's true strength.

According to rumors, Ma Wu was a fifth-level Joy Cultivator and Li Qi a fifth-level Travel Cultivator.

But based on the power Li Qi had just displayed, he absolutely couldn't be fifth-level.

If the mechanism had worked and temporarily restrained Li Qi, Wang Zimi was confident he could defeat Feng Daiku with the help of his subordinates.

But the trap had been exposed. Li Qi's moves were seasoned, and his cultivation level unknown. Both were still in the hall. In such circumstances, for the sake of caution, Wang Zimi would not easily make a move.

However, Li Banfeng had initiated the attack in Wang Zimi's home and injured his subordinate. If this matter were simply dropped, it would tarnish Wang Zimi's reputation.

Wang Zimi fidgeted with the thumb ring on his right hand. He wore three rings and a thumb ring on that hand, all valuable jewelry. This thumb ring, in particular, was recognized by everyone in Sleepless Town; it was rumored to be worth two factories.

Seeing Wang Zimi fiddling with the thumb ring, the butler quietly left the mansion to gather more men.

Seeing Wang Zimi remain silent for a while, Feng Daiku proactively offered a way out: "Senior, we came here to find Shui Yongquan. Since he is not here, please guide us. If our words have been offensive, please forgive us."

Wang Zimi said with a grim face, "Miss Feng, for your sake today, we'll let this matter go. I don't know the inside story of why Shui Yongquan went to another province."

"But I heard he's in Yue Province and has some dealings with certain friends of mine. That's all I'll say. You are free to go!"

His words carried a hint; his "friends" referred to the people of Snowflake Creek. Shui Yongquan being in Yue Province also provided a clue to Li Banfeng.

Feng Daiku gave Li Banfeng a look, signaling that their discussion should end here.

Li Qi stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go to Yue Province to check. I'll also pay a visit to those friends of yours."

With that, the three left the mansion.

Feng Daiku lowered her voice, "Let's walk faster; things might change."

Ma Wu said, "Seeing how he tried to play foul just now, I knew this guy wasn't straightforward. What level are his subordinates?"

Feng Daiku replied, "As far as I know, they're all between the fifth and sixth levels."

Ma Wu was puzzled, "If we knew, we should have fought them just now. Even though they have more people, we might not have lost. I don't think Wang Zimi has any real skill; Old Seven just broke an ashtray and managed to injure him. With such poor combat skills, how can he be a local deity?"

Feng Daiku shook her head, "You don't understand. A Praise Cultivator isn't strong in combat themselves, but they are exceptionally good at boosting the combat power of those around them. A Praise Cultivator of the Cloud realm can elevate the combat power of those people we just saw to the eighth or ninth level with just a few words."

"Dozens of eighth or ninth-level cultivators surrounding the three of us... We don't know their cultivation schools, nor their combat methods, nor how many more mechanisms and traps there are in the house. If a fight broke out, would we gain any advantage?"

As she spoke, Feng Daiku walked faster and faster. When they reached a crossroads, over a hundred people appeared, blocking their path.

Ma Wu started, looking back to see another hundred or so people behind them.

The two groups trapped Feng Daiku and Ma Wu in the middle.

Feng Daiku, with a terrified expression, exclaimed, "What are you doing? You've really scared us!"

The bespectacled woman they had seen earlier, the one who had encouraged Xiao Liu in front of the factory, shouted loudly from the crowd, "Don't listen to this witch's nonsense! They acted wildly in front of our Ancestor just now, and the Ancestor, not wanting to bother with juniors, spared them."

"They showed no gratitude and then slandered us behind our backs! The heroes of Sleepless Town are not all dead yet! We cannot lose face like this! As long as our backbone remains, we cannot let them leave Sleepless Town alive!"

What was this woman's background?

This woman was Kong Baofen, a seventh-level Praise Cultivator.

Her combat power was far inferior to Feng Daiku's, but boosting others' combat power and morale was a Praise Cultivator's specialty. Feng Daiku used her techniques to soften opponents' hearts, while Kong Baofen used hers to ignite fury and uplift spirits in those around her. A seventh-level Praise Cultivation technique could even counteract a Sentiment Cultivation technique of the Cloud realm.

But it didn't stop at counteracting. Kong Baofen continued to inspire the crowd: "I'm stating it here today: if we can't take their heads, I'll abandon my own life here! Later, when the Ancestor arrives, I'll lead the charge, and none of you should try to take my place! As long as I have breath, I will absolutely not let them pass!"

The crowd's shouts were like thunder. Ma Wu said to Li Banfeng, "Old Seven, it seems we can't avoid a fight today. With a Praise Cultivator present..."

"...we shouldn't underestimate these people. Old Seven? Old Seven?"

Where was Old Seven?

Only then did Ma Wu realize Li Qi was not beside them.

Feng Daiku recalled carefully; it seemed Li Qi had been quiet ever since they left the mansion.

And Feng Daiku hadn't paid attention to Li Qi earlier, inexplicably overlooking him.

The current situation allowed no time for further thought. Over two hundred people were ready to charge at any moment.

Given Feng Daiku's strength, dealing with these two hundred-plus people wasn't difficult, but once Wang Zimi arrived, it would be a different story.

Would Wang Zimi come?

He was about to.

Feng Daiku's prediction was correct; Wang Zimi had never intended to let them leave.

He hadn't made a move at home because he felt there weren't enough men there, and he himself was too close to Li Banfeng.

Before Li Banfeng and the others left, Wang Zimi's butler had already instructed Kong Baofen to gather men and set up an ambush. Now that the ambush was successful, it was time for Wang Zimi to make his move.

While his subordinates waited at the mansion's entrance, Wang Zimi went alone to his second-floor secret room to retrieve some magical artifacts.

The secret room door had over a dozen locks, and only he was allowed to enter; even the butler was forbidden.

He was extremely cautious in his actions. Though he appeared close to those around him, he was actually highly vigilant and never let his subordinates know what magical artifacts he carried.

Praise Cultivators were not skilled in combat, so these artifacts were for self-preservation.

He first took out a piece of armor. Though called armor, it was merely a vest, and exceptionally heavy. Wearing it would continuously drain his stamina, a significant burden even for a Cloud realm cultivator like himself.

However, once donned, this armor protected Wang Zimi from head to toe without a single vulnerability. As for its strength, Wang Zimi had once been assassinated by a Cloud realm Martial Cultivator and sustained over ten blows without injury, thanks entirely to this armor. Though the cost was great, the armor was indeed a rare treasure.

Defense alone was insufficient. Wang Zimi, holding the armor, then retrieved a great saber over two meters long.

This long-handled great saber was also a supreme treasure. As long as it was held, one could fight enemies at will.

"At will" meant it could autonomously strike to decapitate an enemy. The wielder didn't need to consider the timing, distance, angle, or force of the strike.

Its power was self-evident. Wang Zimi had once fought a Force Cultivator and, even wearing his armor, was injured because this very saber had cut through his armor.

Later, that Force Cultivator succumbed to the encirclement and died on the spot, and this great saber came into Wang Zimi's possession.

Using this great saber also carried risks: one strike would cause three days of dizziness, ten strikes would lead to immediate unconsciousness.

Wang Zimi rarely used this saber. He held it primarily to boost morale, to show others that he was serious. In a direct confrontation with an enemy, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage within three to five moves, allowing others to witness his strength.

A Praise Cultivator's individual combat power was severely lacking, so every step had to be taken with extreme caution. In this regard, Wang Zimi was very meticulous.

Besides the long weapon, he also needed a short one. Li Qi was a Travel Cultivator, and if he got close, using the great saber would be unsuitable.

Wang Zimi, holding the armor and the great saber, was selecting a short weapon. Both the armor and the great saber were a bit finicky.

Once picked up, they couldn't just be set down, otherwise, when they got to the battlefield, these two magical artifacts might not exert their full power.

But the two artifacts were too heavy, making it quite inconvenient to carry them continuously.

"Let me hold those for you," Li Banfeng said, taking the armor and the great saber.

"Okay," Wang Zimi nodded, then stared blankly at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng disregarded the artifacts' "feelings," tossed them aside, and kicked Wang Zimi, sending him tumbling to the floor.

Wang Zimi reached for the magical artifacts on the shelf, intending to grab whatever he could to at least defend himself.

Li Banfeng swung his sickle, severing Wang Zimi's wrist.

Wang Zimi's speed, before Li Banfeng, was like a video lagging. The strike felt like cutting a frozen frame.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Wang Zimi had over two hundred helpers, even if their cultivation levels weren't high, two Li Banfengs plus Feng Daiku still couldn't defeat Wang Zimi. Even using Foolish Cultivation techniques might not be effective.

Based on Li Banfeng's experience with Foolish Cultivation, he couldn't fool hundreds of people in a short time, but Wang Zimi could inspire hundreds, filling them with morale.

This was the Praise Cultivator's specialty. Wang Zimi had spent his life honing this path and would never give Li Banfeng a chance to retaliate.

But now Wang Zimi was alone in the secret room, cornered by Li Banfeng. Did he still have a chance to fight back?

When a Praise Cultivator reached a certain level, they could not only inspire people but also magical artifacts.

Li Banfeng wasn't the only one who could communicate with magical artifacts; Wang Zimi also possessed this ability.

The crucial issue now was that to inspire an artifact, one had to speak. With them so close, would Li Banfeng give him the chance to speak?

Wang Zimi had two strategies.

The first strategy was to use the mechanisms in the secret room to create distance from Li Banfeng, then inspire his artifacts and fight Li Banfeng.

There were many mechanisms in the secret room, but the problem was that Li Banfeng had seen through the ashtray trap in the living room. Could other mechanisms fool Li Banfeng? Wang Zimi wasn't willing to risk it.

The second strategy was to simply risk it all.

Even if a Praise Cultivator's combat power was weak, their physique was still of the Cloud realm. Even if Li Banfeng struck him twice, he wouldn't die instantly. If he could successfully use his Praise Cultivation technique before dying, and a room full of artifacts attacked Li Banfeng, the tide of battle could turn completely.

But what if his technique didn't succeed before he died?

Wang Zimi didn't dare to gamble his life.

As his thoughts raced, Li Banfeng's sickle swung again. Wang Zimi wanted to make a desperate stand, but just as he was about to speak, his body rapidly flew backward a distance.

Wang Zimi found this strange; he had no flying techniques himself. Had some flying magical artifact helped him?

Based on past experience, artifacts wouldn't actively help him unless he used a technique. But today was a life-or-death situation, so perhaps an artifact had recognized the severity of the situation and acted on its own.

He was now five or six meters from Li Banfeng, a distance that gave Wang Zimi the confidence to speak: "Everyone, follow me—"

He had only spoken four words when Wang Zimi yawned.

A Judge's Brush floated before him.

The Judge's Brush was speaking to him.

"I saved you. Give me my capital back."

It was indeed the Judge's Brush that had saved him, propelling him five or six meters to evade Li Banfeng's sickle.

Originally, he had wanted to gamble with Li Banfeng, perhaps inspiring his artifacts to fight for him before Li Banfeng could kill him.

Now that the Judge's Brush had demanded its payment, Wang Zimi no longer needed to gamble. He didn't even have the strength to open his mouth and speak.

His eyes glazed over, his fighting spirit completely gone. Li Banfeng lifted him and brought him into the Portable Dwelling.

Hong Ying complained, "Qi Lang, you can't eat anymore. Your old clothes barely fit you!"

The Record Player chuckled, "You'd be withered away! If our man wasn't so capable, and you had to go hungry, you'd know how terrible that feels."

Li Banfeng instructed the Record Player, "My dear, I still have some business outside. I'm entrusting this person to you. Make sure you get the exact whereabouts of Shui Yongquan."

"Rest assured, my husband, you can leave such a small matter to your humble servant."

The family was joyful, but one person was not pleased.

The Portable Dwelling said, "A-Qi, you're so busy feeding your wife, have you forgotten about this old man?"

"No, I haven't!" Li Qi replied, "You can eat with us too, Old Man!"

"What good would eating this do me?" The Portable Dwelling was genuinely displeased. "You need to remember to bring me back a few more gadgets!"

What gadgets?

Li Banfeng didn't understand what the old man meant. His wife reminded him, "The old man likes the gadgets made by the people of Neizhou."

He was referring to the external steam engines manufactured by the people of Neizhou.

Currently, the old man only had two: a fan and a teapot. Neither Guo Gaoge nor Wang Zimi had any gadgets on them.

Why did the old man like these things? Were they just for playing?

If not for play, but for studying engineering methods, two should have been sufficient.

Neizhou spies were hard to find, so Li Banfeng could only offer a perfunctory reply: "Don't worry, Old Man, I'll definitely keep an eye out."

Having said that, Li Banfeng exited the Portable Dwelling and picked up Wang Zimi's right hand from the ground.

On its right hand were three rings and a thumb ring. Li Banfeng carried this hand out of the secret room and into the main hall.

A crowd of people at the entrance, still waiting to go into battle with Wang Zimi, were stunned into silence at the sight of the hand.

Li Banfeng scanned the crowd and asked, "Who's in charge here?"

Everyone remained silent. Li Banfeng frowned and said, "I'll ask again: who's in charge?"

Everyone looked at Wang Zimi's butler.

The butler repeatedly shook his head, "Why are you looking at me? We all work for the Ancestor. I'm not in charge!"

Li Banfeng looked at the butler and said, "You lead the way."

The butler pursed his lips and said, "I really am not..."

Li Banfeng's eye twitched. The butler cowered and led Li Banfeng out of the mansion.

As they walked, the butler grumbled all the way.

What was happening?

When had cowards ever appeared in the Ancestor's mansion? Why were they all cowering today?

On the street, Feng Daiku and Ma Wu were still confronting a group of people.

This group had strong momentum and loud voices, especially Kong Baofen. She had been leading the charge, but hadn't actually attacked yet.

However, if Feng Daiku and Ma Wu recklessly tried to break through, these people would certainly not let them leave.

The worker, Xiao Liu, who had delivered the blueprints, was walking back when Kong Baofen called out, "Xiao Liu, come here! Let them see the spirit of our young people!"

Xiao Liu hadn't fully understood the situation when Kong Baofen pulled him into the crowd, placing him in the front row, less than ten meters from Feng Daiku.

Kong Baofen said to Xiao Liu, "Xiao Liu, I didn't misjudge you. You can endure hardship and are courageous. Having young people like you in the factory makes me proud from the bottom of my heart!"

"I brought you into Sleepless Town, and I believe my choice was correct. Even if we lose our lives, we cannot lose our backbone! These two have insulted the Ancestor's dignity, and we absolutely cannot spare them!"

Who were these two people—

Under Kong Baofen's encouragement, Xiao Liu's fighting spirit surged, but he genuinely had no idea what was happening.

Someone from the opposite side shouted, "The Head Butler is here!"

Kong Baofen shouted loudly, "The Ancestor is here! Let's fight them!"

Someone else from the opposite side shouted, "The Ancestor isn't here."

Kong Baofen continued shouting, "Let's not rush! We can't let them escape!"

"Your Ancestor is indeed here," Li Banfeng walked up to Feng Daiku and Ma Wu, raising Wang Zimi's right hand. "The person isn't here, but the hand is."

The noisy crowd instantly fell silent. Even Feng Daiku and Ma Wu were bewildered by the situation.

Where had Li Qi just gone?

Whose hand was this?

Could it be Wang Zimi's?

The two of them weren't very familiar with this hand, but the people of Sleepless Town were.

They recognized the rings on the hand, and even if they didn't, they recognized the thumb ring.

They all knew that thumb ring was worth two factories.

Li Banfeng scanned the crowd and said, "Wang Zimi is injured. He has to go elsewhere to recover and probably won't be able to return to Sleepless Town anymore."

"Before he left, he entrusted something to me. He said that the Praise Cultivators in town are all his fellow disciples."

"He asked me to take good care of them."

"So, I'm asking you, who among you are Praise Cultivators?"

Everyone remained silent. Nobody knew the man's purpose for seeking Praise Cultivators.

Li Banfeng looked at Kong Baofen with a smile and said, "If you're not a Praise Cultivator, then I might not be able to 'take care' of you. If I can't, it's hard to say what might happen in the future."

Li Banfeng didn't have the ability to fool hundreds of people at the moment.

But fooling this one person was not a big problem.

Kong Baofen was terrified.

"Not taking care" of those who weren't Praise Cultivators—what did that mean?

Did it mean they would be killed if they weren't Praise Cultivators?

Kong Baofen quickly stepped out from the crowd and said, "I am a Praise Cultivator."

With her leading the way, things became much simpler.

Over twenty Praise Cultivators gradually stepped out of the crowd. This school of cultivation indeed had quite a few practitioners.

Li Banfeng looked at everyone and said, "Are there any who aren't here? That's fine. Please tell them this message: I'm giving you one day to leave Sleepless Town immediately and never return."

"After one day, if any Praise Cultivator doesn't want to leave, I will make sure they go. Is that clear to everyone?"

The Praise Cultivators were all bewildered and at a loss.

Kong Baofen realized something was wrong and shouted loudly, "Why are you driving us away? We are the masters of this town! The Ancestor hasn't spoken, so we're not going anywhere!"

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu, "Old Five, I don't want to 'take care' of this person anymore. She's yours."

Ma Wu nodded and stared at Kong Baofen for a moment.

Feng Daiku thought Ma Wu was going to recruit Kong Baofen, but she was mistaken. Ma Wu found people like Kong Baofen repulsive.

Kong Baofen's body trembled. Blood rushed to her head, and her eyes and nostrils began to bleed.

She wanted to inspire others to charge forward and fight to the death, but under the technique's influence, her speech was not coherent.

"Mercy... Mercy!" In her moment of life and death, Kong Baofen could only stammer out these two words.

Ma Wu chuckled, "Don't beg for mercy! So many people are watching. If you're so afraid of death, what will others think? You were just leading the charge, and now you're asking for mercy? Where will your 'Praise Cultivator' school put its face in the future?"

"Mercy! Have mercy on me—" Kong Baofen wailed repeatedly.

Ma Wu deliberately made her die slowly, "Show me some spirit! So many people are watching you."

"You can't lose your backbone!"

Xiao Liu stood nearby, watching Kong Baofen the entire time.

Kong Baofen had no mind to look at Xiao Liu. She kept staring at Ma Wu, pleading repeatedly for mercy. Before she could faint from the pain, she finally died.

Li Banfeng said to Ma Wu, "Wang Zimi's house has a pile of good things. He just told me himself that all these things are now ours. You and Miss Feng can go and divide them up first."

"His properties in Sleepless Town are also ours. We just need to do one thing: send all the Praise Cultivators out of Sleepless Town. Sleepless Town will belong to us from now on. From now on, the people of Sleepless Town will live like human beings."

Ma Wu understood Li Banfeng's meaning. The affairs of Sleepless Town would be handled by him and Feng Daiku first. Li Banfeng found an opportunity to return to the Portable Dwelling.

Feng Daiku still hadn't figured out how Li Banfeng had killed Wang Zimi.

Ma Wu chuckled, "Don't think about it, don't ask. When something happens, just listen to Old Seven; you definitely won't go wrong."

Looking at a room full of magical artifacts, Feng Daiku's eyes widened. "Wang Zimi's assets are truly vast."

Ma Wu nodded, "Let's collect the items first. Our shares are negotiable; what's mine is yours, you can have it all. But Old Seven gets the lion's share and must choose the best."

Inside the Portable Dwelling, Wang Zimi confessed everything he knew.

He had led people to find Guo Gaoge and snatched Shui Yongquan from him, with the aim of investigating Li Qi.

Li Banfeng asked, "Why did your Snowflake Creek insist on investigating me?"

Wang Zimi replied, "It was orders from above."

"Who is 'above' you?"

Wang Zimi shook his head repeatedly.

The Record Player said, "Husband, no need to force him. He can't speak. There's a curse involved, similar to the one An Zongding had."

Li Banfeng then asked, "What did you find out?"

Wang Zimi said, "Shui Yongquan is a tough nut. I tortured him, but he endured. When he couldn't take it anymore, he used water to wash his mind's core, so I couldn't get anything out of him."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "What does that mean?"

The Record Player explained, "It's a Water Cultivator's Cloud realm technique, 'Washing the Heart and Cleansing Thoughts.' It means purging all memories, rendering one a useless person."

"Useless person..."

"He... wasn't he already a Wounded Devil Fiend? How... how could he still use a Cloud realm technique?" Li Banfeng's tone was disjointed.

"My husband, Shui Yongquan is intelligent. He must have had a way to retain his techniques. We just didn't expect him to use it on himself."

To avoid betraying Li Banfeng, Shui Yongquan had erased his own memories.

The Record Player knew Li Banfeng was hurting. She worried he might have an attack, but didn't know how to console him.

Li Banfeng was silent for a long time, then kicked Wang Zimi's face and asked, "Where is he now?"

"He's in Chu Zikai's hands. He needs money, and Snowflake Creek also needs money. I've given them too much already..."

"...I really couldn't continue giving them more."

"I gave Shui Yongquan to Chu Zikai as payment. Chu Zikai is in Yue Province and plans to sell Shui Yongquan. A Wounded Devil Fiend can fetch a high price," Wang Zimi said with difficulty.

Li Banfeng applied more force with his foot. "Where is your deed? Speak!"

Wang Zimi dared not refuse to speak. "My deed is buried beneath my mansion."

Li Banfeng instructed the Record Player, "My dear, eat slowly. The slower, the better!"

The Record Player promised, "Rest assured, husband. Our whole family will eat together, so he definitely won't have a quick death."

Leaving the Portable Dwelling, Li Banfeng went to dig up Wang Zimi's deed.

Brother Shui, wait for me. I'm coming to save you now.