Chapter 575: Mr. Kong Fang

"I'm going to catch the fox now. Let's talk later when we have time." Luo Yanjun crawled her way towards the pond.

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you going to catch the fox yourself?"

Luo Yanjun chuckled, "How easy is it to find a fox? If I go myself and don't catch it, I'll just stir up trouble. This job definitely needs to be done by a hunting dog; their noses are the keenest."

Li Banfeng wanted to ask which dog she would take, but Luo Yanjun didn't want to say more. From her perspective, one more word could put her life in danger.

Luo Yanjun jumped into the pond.

Feng Daiku was a smart man and understood every word.

Luo Yanjun said she would dig soil in the mountains. The mountain she referred to was Puluozhou, the tiger was the Peddler, and the tiger's subordinates were the people of Xuehua Isle.

Many people from Xuehua Isle had recently been killed, and the Peddler had remained silent. From this perspective, it was possible the Peddler was indeed in trouble.

What was certain now was that Neizhou was still watching and waiting; they wouldn't make a move until they had concrete news about the Peddler. However, Neizhou would likely get concrete news soon.

The "old fox" they mentioned was likely Mr. Kong Fang, the second-in-command of Xuehua Isle. Li Banfeng didn't know this person's strength, but he was sure of one thing: if Mr. Kong Fang was killed by Neizhou and the Peddler still didn't respond, Neizhou would definitely mobilize its forces.

Where was Mr. Kong Fang? Where could he be found? It was quite ironic; Xuehua Isle and Li Banfeng were bitter enemies, yet now Li Banfeng had to find a way to protect Xuehua Isle's second-in-command. But on second thought, did this person really need his protection? Mr. Kong Fang's strength should be above Du Wenming's. Neizhou might not find it easy to kill such a figure. He needed to find out his whereabouts first. Even if he were truly dead, Li Banfeng would still need to be prepared.

Li Banfeng instructed Feng Daiku, "Tell Ma Junyang not to panic. The He family, Lu family, and Chu family must all remain stable. No one is to act rashly until they receive news from me..."

Before he finished speaking, the projector reminded him, "The makeshift phone is ringing."

Li Banfeng answered Luo Zhengnan's call and learned that Liao Zihui was looking for him everywhere. "How did he know I was in Puluozhou?"

Liao Zihui didn't know Li Banfeng was in Puluozhou. He tried to find Li Banfeng through Shen Jingye, but failed. Then he contacted Ma Wu, who then reached out to Luo Zhengnan, and only then was Li Banfeng found.

At the Security Bureau, Liao Zihui was anxiously waiting for news in his office. He suddenly turned around to see Li Qi calmly brewing tea on the sofa.

Seeing Li Qi so calm, Liao Zihui felt a little more at ease. "Director Li, have you heard any news about the Peddler recently?"

Li Qi shook his head. "No."

Liao Zihui's heart sank again. "Don't play games with me on this. I heard the Peddler fought with the heavenly beings, and now Neizhou is about to start a war. If the Peddler is gone, Puluozhou won't survive this."

Li Qi looked at Liao Zihui and asked, "If Neizhou really invades, what are you going to do?"

Liao Zihui replied, "What else can I do? I follow orders from above. If they tell me to fight, I fight. If they tell me to retreat, I have no choice but to retreat."

"Don't play games with me either," Li Qi said expressionlessly. "What exactly do the higher-ups mean?"

This couldn't be kept secret. Li Banfeng had been in Waizhou for so long that he had some understanding of its modus operandi.

Liao Zihui pondered for a moment and said, "The probability of retreat is higher."

This was within Li Banfeng's expectations. If Neizhou were to invade, the chances of Waizhou fighting alongside Puluozhou were minimal. Liao Zihui added, "We certainly don't want a war. We hope both sides can remain calm and resolve issues through negotiations as much as possible." Clearly, Liao Zihui and his superiors were still pinning their hopes on a mediator.

Li Banfeng put down his teacup and first asked Liao Zihui, "Where did you get the news about the decisive battle between the Peddler and the heavenly beings?"

"In Pillow City, someone witnessed that fierce battle firsthand."

"What's that person's background?"

"A cultivator from the first layer of the clouds, named Ye Haolong. He was supposed to be asleep that day, but for some reason, he suddenly woke up and happened to see this fierce battle."

"What do you mean 'he was supposed to be asleep that day'?"

"Don't you know the custom of Pillow City? They only work one season a year and sleep for the remaining three. At this time of year, there shouldn't be anyone awake in Pillow City."

Li Banfeng had heard Ma Wu talk about Pillow City, but he had never actually been there.

"Give me Ye Haolong's address. I'll go ask him what exactly happened that day." Liao Zihui handed Ye Haolong's address to Li Banfeng. "I heard Ye Haolong has fallen asleep again. It's not easy to wake him up now."

"With such a big incident happening, he can still sleep?"

"My friend, he's from Pillow City. Even if the sky falls and the earth crumbles, as long as there's a pillow, he can sleep."

"I'll go burn his pillow," Li Banfeng said, taking the address, and then asked about a second matter. "Do you have any news about Xuehua Isle?"

Liao Zihui replied, "That depends on whose news you're asking about."

Li Banfeng said, "The higher-level information, the better."

Liao Zihui thought for a moment and said somewhat vaguely, "Du Wenming, does he count as a high-ranking member of Xuehua Isle?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, he does. Do you have any news about him?"

Liao Zihui said, "I can go find out. Du Wenming is currently wanted, and the Security Bureau has been searching for his whereabouts."

"If you have any leads, tell me immediately." Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave the office, Liao Zihui stopped him.

"My friend," Liao Zihui coughed for a moment. "Well, you came at just the right time today. My subordinates happened to find some leads just before you arrived."

Li Banfeng turned back and said, "Oh, what a coincidence."

"Indeed!"

"Shen Jingye asked you to investigate this for a month, and every time you said you couldn't find anything, but coincidentally, there are leads today."

"Exactly! Isn't it just a coincidence?"

Liao Zihui had been investigating Du Wenming and had long known his whereabouts. The reason he hadn't made it public was because Liao Zihui knew Du Wenming's strength. In Puluozhou, there weren't many advanced weapons or a comprehensive combat system. Catching a cloud-level cultivator would come at a considerable cost to Liao Zihui. If they failed, the responsibility, originally belonging to the Dark Star Bureau, would fall entirely on the Security Bureau.

"My friend Li Qi, the leads I have are unconfirmed. I'm telling you temporarily due to the urgent situation; it's best not to disclose them. Last night, someone saw Du Wenming near Zhengjing Village."

Zhengjing Village? Li Banfeng didn't have time to waste talking with Liao Zihui; he quickly headed to Zhengjing Village.

Shuiyongquan had been downgraded to a malevolent spirit, and this area had become unclaimed territory. What did Du Wenming want to do here? Find a place to stabilize his cultivation? Was he that impulsive? Didn't he even ask who Zhengjing Village belonged to? Through him, he might be able to get news about the Peddler, or at the very least, about Mr. Kong Fang.

Arriving at Zhengjing Village, Li Banfeng quickly found clues based on the information provided by Liao Zihui. Du Wenming had been active in the desolate mountains over seventy li from Zhengjing Village, barely moving from that area since yesterday. What was he doing in this vicinity?

Li Banfeng hid in a banyan tree, using its dense aerial roots to silently observe Du Wenming below. Du Wenming moved on his tiptoes, leaping back and forth in a clearing in the forest, his dance steps and posture extremely graceful. It turned out he could not only perform puppet dance, but also excellent ballet. But what was he doing dancing here? Was this a form of cultivation?

Li Banfeng was no stranger to this forest. In the past, by passing through it at a specific speed—not too fast, not too slow—one could reach Fool's City. However, after the former Young Master of Fool's City, Gu Rusong, was killed, Sun Tiecheng changed the entrance to Fool's City, and this forest no longer led there. Was Du Wenming here to find Fool's City? His cultivation was indeed not low, but actively seeking Fool's City seemed unwise, didn't it?

Relying on the difficulty of detecting secluded cultivators, Li Banfeng stayed in the tree for several minutes without Du Wenming noticing him. Feeling the time was right, Li Banfeng was about to make his move.

A gust of mountain wind blew, rustling the leaves. The cold wind was chilling, and Li Banfeng's body suddenly trembled uncontrollably, causing the branches and leaves of the banyan tree to shake as well. This mountain wind was truly strong; otherwise, Li Banfeng would have been exposed. Why did he suddenly tremble? Danger. Someone else was hidden nearby, unnoticed by Li Banfeng.

He crouched on the tree branch, quietly watching Du Wenming. After crouching for a moment, he sensed the banyan tree's spiritual essence. *Are you thirsty?* It hadn't rained in a long time, and the banyan tree was somewhat parched. Li Banfeng took out his teapot, letting it control the water temperature, and poured some tea onto the banyan tree's roots. The banyan tree was very grateful, adjusting each leaf to block Li Qi's position with its shadow.

After waiting for another two minutes, Du Wenming, who was dancing, slipped and fell backward onto the ground. There was no water on the ground, only a few raised tree roots. Du Wenming was clearly not tripped by tree roots; a cloud-level dance cultivator couldn't make such a basic mistake.

He stepped on something that looked like a rollerblade. Why would there be a rollerblade in this wild place? No, wait, it wasn't a rollerblade, it was an abacus.

The abacus flew up, its frame shattering, and swiftly darted towards Du Wenming's forehead. Du Wenming lay on the ground, with no time to get up, swaying left and right, barely dodging the abacus frame. The frame stuck into the ground, and one by one, the rods darted towards Du Wenming again. Du Wenming continued to sway on the ground, but dodging was not easy this time. Many rods pierced his clothes, and some had tricky trajectories, piercing his skin and flesh.

He managed to dodge the rods, and next came the abacus beads. Five below, two above; there were seven beads on each rod. The abacus had a total of twenty-two rods, and over a hundred beads shot out in different directions, practically blocking all escape angles. What was worse, Du Wenming couldn't dodge now; he was pinned to the ground by the rods.

In desperation, Du Wenming threw off his pair of shoes. These dancing shoes were magic artifacts, helping him catch half of the beads. Du Wenming forcibly broke free from the rods on the ground, and with his body control, dodged thirty percent of the beads. He couldn't dodge the remaining twenty percent of the beads, so Du Wenming simply endured the impact.

As the beads struck his body, blood splattered. Du Wenming's body convulsed, almost bringing him to his knees, showing that a dance cultivator's physique wasn't particularly strong. He had over thirty bloody holes in his body, and it wasn't over yet. These abacus beads were still careening through Du Wenming's body, severely damaging his bones and internal organs.

Du Wenming struggled to his feet, landing on one foot, spinning vigorously like a top—a hundred or so turns from left to right, then a hundred or so turns from right to left. Through this continuous spinning, Du Wenming became a centrifuge, forcibly expelling the abacus beads from his body.

Freed from the beads, Du Wenming tried to escape, but suddenly, a man appeared before him. The man was wearing a white short jacket with diagonal buttons, black trousers, rubbing a pair of walnuts in his hand, and a rolled cigarette in his mouth.

Du Wenming recognized the man. "Zhang Gunli, weren't you already—"

Zhang Gunli chuckled, "You wanted to say I died? You hope I'm dead even before you've paid off your debt to me. Where in the world would you find such a good thing?"

Li Banfeng watched carefully from the tree. So this was the real Zhang Gunli. He still remembered Ah Se's painting, which depicted the scene of the fake Zhang Gunli's demise during the Fool's City explosion. So he was the hunting dog Luo Yanjun had mentioned.

Du Wenming said, "The debt can be repaid, but today is not the time."

Zhang Gunli smiled. "Is that up to you to decide? I think today is precisely the time!"

"That depends on your ability. Everyone says the abacus and walnuts are your ultimate techniques for survival. I've already experienced the abacus; you only took advantage of the first strike, and it was nothing special." Du Wenming turned his knees outward, raised his shoulders, and displayed his best puppet dance.

"My boy, you've mixed things up. The ultimate technique is the abacus, but what you rely on for survival are the walnuts. Be sure to distinguish between them." Zhang Gunli flicked his hand, and four abacuses of different styles and sizes hovered around him.

Du Wenming was startled. Had Zhang Gunli not used his full strength just now? Li Banfeng also found it hard to understand. Even if Zhang Gunli was fully confident in defeating Du Wenming, he shouldn't underestimate a cloud-level opponent like this. Having gained the first strike, he should have pressed on to secure victory.

What was he waiting for? Did he want to use Du Wenming to draw someone else out?

Zhang Gunli rubbed the two walnuts, smiling as he looked at Du Wenming. "My boy, I can't bear to kill you. I'm in a good mood today, so let's have some fun."

As the two walnuts clinked together, all four abacuses flew towards Du Wenming. The wooden abacus was the first to rush towards Du Wenming's waist. Du Wenming twisted his joints to dodge it, but as the abacus brushed his clothes, it suddenly caught fire. No matter how much Du Wenming dodged, he couldn't escape the flames, and his clothes were set ablaze.

He had no time to extinguish the fire, or even take off his clothes, as the iron abacus lunged at him. Du Wenming desperately tilted his head back, causing the first strike of the iron abacus to miss, but its second strike came down directly at his face. Du Wenming continued to tilt his head back, pressing the back of his head against his own back to dodge the iron abacus.

The largest abacus, a stone one over a meter long, smashed down from above. Du Wenming had nowhere to dodge, so he caught the abacus with his hands. The glass abacus came closer and suddenly shattered, sending tiny glass shards that covered Du Wenming in blood. Worst of all, some glass dust was inhaled by Du Wenming, who began to cough violently, his sputum mixed with blood.

The wooden abacus flew back, continuing to set Du Wenming ablaze, while the beads of the iron abacus turned into sharp blades, opening large gashes all over Du Wenming's body. The stone abacus in his hands seemed to weigh ten thousand jin, and Du Wenming was almost crushed. He looked up at Zhang Gunli. "Senior, your ultimate technique still isn't very impressive!"

Zhang Gunli chuckled, "Don't just talk tough. Show me some real skill."

Du Wenming slid back and forth, holding the stone abacus, struggling to contend with the wooden and iron abacuses. Zhang Gunli moved a finger, and the stone abacus suddenly exerted more pressure, bending Du Wenming's elbow. Du Wenming's foot trembled, and he deliberately shifted his center of gravity. The stone abacus fell from his left shoulder, smashing the wooden abacus and knocking away the iron abacus.

He threw the stone abacus, turned around to extinguish the fire on his body, and charged towards Zhang Gunli, intending to dance with him. Zhang Gunli smiled, and four hundred abacuses rose into the air, surrounding Du Wenming. "My boy, your old man has an endless supply of abacuses!"

Over four hundred abacuses swarmed Du Wenming. Li Banfeng could no longer see Du Wenming's figure, only glimpses of flesh and blood occasionally flying out from the gaps between the abacuses. More than a minute later, Du Wenming was still struggling within the abacuses, refusing to give in. Zhang Gunli praised him, "Young man, I respect you, but debts must be paid; that's the rule. Do you want to keep a whole body, or be turned into a pulp?"

This sentence didn't seem particularly special, but after Du Wenming heard it, he lost all hope, seemingly convinced he would die at Zhang Gunli's hands. Because he owed Zhang Gunli money, he was afflicted by Zhang Gunli's technique, "Psychological Intimidation." Li Banfeng wasn't too familiar with loan cultivation techniques. He only saw Du Wenming, who had been fiercely resisting, gradually losing his fighting spirit.

Just one use of a technique forced Du Wenming into this state. The true Zhang Gunli was indeed unexpectedly formidable to Li Banfeng; it seemed Du Wenming had no escape. If Du Wenming was killed and the Peddler still didn't respond, would Neizhou then be able to conclude that the Peddler was dead?

Li Banfeng was hesitating whether to intervene when he suddenly heard laughter from afar.

"Old Zhang, you are a grandmaster. Isn't it inappropriate to bully a junior like this?"

Zhang Gunli didn't put away his abacuses and had no intention of letting Du Wenming go. He just asked, "Who is it? Show yourself and speak!"

A flash of golden light passed, followed by continuous crisp sounds. All the abacuses fell to the ground, their frames, rods, and beads scattered everywhere. Li Banfeng watched from a distance. Among the scattered abacus parts, there were many copper coins mixed in. Using a handful of copper coins to shatter Zhang Gunli's four hundred abacuses—the newcomer's methods were quite extraordinary.

Zhang Gunli looked around; the other party had not yet shown themselves. He tapped the two walnuts in his palm, and a strong light flashed from his palm. The light shone on Du Wenming, and the heavily wounded Du Wenming began to emit scorched smoke, on the verge of death.

A man appeared from the dusk, pulling Du Wenming aside. Zhang Gunli scrutinized the man. He was wearing a white robe embroidered with golden copper coins, a bamboo hat on his head with tassels hanging below, and copper coins were also attached to the ends of the tassels. As the coins swayed back and forth, Zhang Gunli couldn't make out the man's face. The man pulled out a folding fan from his wide sleeve; a copper coin also hung from the end of the fan.

Zhang Gunli chuckled, "Are you Mr. Kong Fang?" He could have killed Du Wenming much earlier; he delayed for so long precisely to wait for this person to appear.

"I dare not be called 'Mister'. You can call me Brother Kong Fang. The copper coins on the ground are yours. We are even now."

Upon hearing "we are even now," Zhang Gunli quickly checked Du Wenming's IOU. Trade cultivators had a technique called "Money and Goods Cleared." If this technique took effect, the IOU left by Du Wenming would be burned. However, for the "Money and Goods Cleared" technique to take effect, there were conditions: either the money and goods were roughly equivalent in value, or Zhang Gunli voluntarily acknowledged the debt, or there was an enormous disparity in cultivation between the two parties, allowing the trade cultivator to forcibly settle the account.

Seeing that the IOU hadn't been burned, Zhang Gunli felt a bit more at ease, as it at least proved that the difference in their cultivation levels wasn't too great. Mr. Kong Fang fanned himself and said, "Old Zhang, don't worry. Xuehua Isle acts by the rules. If you don't acknowledge the debt, I won't force you."

Zhang Gunli put away the IOU and smiled. "Why should I acknowledge it? How much are these few copper coins of yours worth?"

"These copper coins are quite old, Brother Zhang. I have no intention of letting you suffer a loss."

"Tell me their age, and let's calculate carefully." Zhang Gunli waved his hand, and the scattered abacus pieces on the ground floated into the air. The frames reassembled, the rods reset one by one, and the beads slid onto their positions one by one. In a short while, all four hundred-plus abacuses were fully restored.

Mr. Kong Fang sighed. "Brother Zhang, if we haggle over this, it will hurt our harmony!"

Zhang Gunli sneered, "What harmony is there to speak of between us? Do I even know who you are?"

Four hundred abacuses flew towards Mr. Kong Fang. He grabbed a stone abacus, used it to block and parry, smashing all the incoming abacuses to pieces. The shattered abacuses restored themselves again and continued to besiege Mr. Kong Fang.

This fighting style was an eye-opener for Li Banfeng. No wonder Senior Brother Sun had said that if one didn't see Zhang Gunli using abacuses, that Zhang Gunli wasn't real. The abacus was Zhang Gunli's ultimate technique. Over four hundred abacuses, each capable of attacking, could be restored instantly if damaged. It seemed that once trapped by the abacuses, no one stood a chance.

Mr. Kong Fang was not flustered at all. He dismantled the stone abacus, scattering its beads outwards. The peach-pit-sized abacus beads, piercing through layers of other abacuses, shot towards Zhang Gunli. Zhang Gunli never expected his own stone abacus beads could hit him. They were incredibly fast and had tricky angles. Zhang Gunli was caught off guard, taking a bead to the chest, which pierced through his body.

For someone of his level, this injury was nothing, but taking that hit caused Zhang Gunli to lose prestige. Loan cultivators feared losing prestige the most. As his momentum waned, his techniques also became unstable, and the shattered abacuses couldn't restore themselves quickly. Mr. Kong Fang weaved through the abacuses, pulled out an iron abacus, quickly forged a path, and then appeared directly in front of Zhang Gunli.

Zhang Gunli pulled out dozens of silver coins from his pocket and threw them at Mr. Kong Fang. This was a loan cultivation technique: "Cash Offering." If Mr. Kong Fang were hit by the silver coins, even if he had borrowed Zhang Gunli's money, as long as he owed a debt to a loan cultivator, he would suffer greatly during the confrontation. Logically, he should have dodged this; he absolutely couldn't let the silver coins touch him in the slightest.

But Mr. Kong Fang didn't dodge at all. He reached out and caught all the silver coins, then flung them at Zhang Gunli's face. Zhang Gunli didn't have time to complete his technique and hastily dodged the silver coins. Dodging left and right, he couldn't avoid three of them: one hit his forehead, one embedded in his chin, and one lodged in his cheekbone.

Mr. Kong Fang smiled. "Old Zhang, what were you thinking? Attacking me with silver coins? These silver coins were minted by our Xuehua Isle; they'll certainly listen to us."

Zhang Gunli used considerable force to pull the silver coins from his face. Mr. Kong Fang fanned himself. "Old Zhang, I've given you enough face. My junior brother has been beaten like this by you. If this debt still can't be cleared, then today we'll have to fight to the death!"

Zhang Gunli hesitated. In the past, facing such a formidable person, he would have let the matter go. He wasn't short on money, and having navigated the martial world for so many years, he had many unrecoverable debts, but he never gambled with his life. But today's situation was somewhat special. He wasn't here to collect a debt; he was here on a mission. Neizhou had instructed him to kill Mr. Kong Fang if possible, or at least to wait for Neizhou's reinforcements if he couldn't.

The two walnuts spun back and forth in his palm; Zhang Gunli seemed about to use his magic artifacts. Mr. Kong Fang looked at the walnuts and said, "You don't have many magic artifacts left. All your good ones were given to the fake Zhang Gunli, and when that fake one died, everything went to Gui Jianchou and Mu Yuejuan." Feng Chongli had told Mr. Kong Fang all these things, but until today, none of them had realized that Zhang Gunli was a fake.

Zhang Gunli vigorously rubbed the two walnuts. "Although I don't know you, you should know me. Since you've heard of Zhang Gunli's reputation, you should know that I never do business at a loss. I've given away many good things, but I've also earned back many good things. Do you dare to gamble with me?"

"If you have good things, bring them out and let me see," Mr. Kong Fang casually picked up a wooden abacus and gently moved its beads. "Let me calculate for you and see whether your life is more valuable, or these good things."

Zhang Gunli rubbed the walnuts, but hesitated to activate them. Mr. Kong Fang looked up and said, "Are you stalling for time? Are you waiting for Neizhou's reinforcements? Or perhaps—have Neizhou's reinforcements already arrived?"

As he spoke, Mr. Kong Fang looked towards the banyan tree behind him. Although Li Banfeng possessed the talent of being easily overlooked, Mr. Kong Fang's cultivation level was too high. If Mr. Kong Fang hadn't been suspicious, Li Banfeng might have remained hidden, but if he intentionally probed, Li Banfeng would find it hard to evade his perception.

"Who is that person in the tree? Are they your accomplice?" Mr. Kong Fang stared intently at the banyan tree.

Zhang Gunli thought Neizhou's reinforcements wouldn't arrive so quickly. If they had, they would at least send him a signal. He had made countless enemies throughout his life, and he suspected it was likely one of his old foes. Mr. Kong Fang walked step by step towards the banyan tree. He couldn't clearly see the person in the tree and still had to guard against Zhang Gunli behind him.

Li Banfeng, crouching in the banyan tree, drew his weapon from his waist. The bloodied Du Wenming stood up from the ground. Although severely injured, he was also ready for battle.

Silence fell over the forest. Mr. Kong Fang got closer and closer to the banyan tree.

Cling-clang-clang! The sound of a rattle drum rang out.

Du Wenming exclaimed with surprise, "The Peddler is here!"

Zhang Gunli paused for a second, pulled Du Wenming's IOU from his pocket, and burned it on the spot. "The debt is considered paid." With that, Zhang Gunli turned and fled.

The Peddler had arrived. Run as fast as you can. One step too slow, and you'll surely lose your life.

Du Wenming stumbled towards the banyan tree. "Peddler, Pede—"

Mr. Kong Fang grabbed Du Wenming from behind, leaped, and flew out of the forest. Du Wenming was puzzled. "Senior Brother, the Peddler is here, why are we leaving?"

Mr. Kong Fang replied, "Have you forgotten our Isle's rule? We don't discuss Isle matters outside the Isle. So, let's not meet the Peddler now."

The drum sounded, the Peddler came. This was karma.

Li Banfeng sat in the tree, looking at the rattle drum, and wiped the sweat from his face.