Chapter 698: Bad

"Blade Master?" Li Banfeng stared at the peddler's head, tears streaming down his face. "Senior, I didn't mean to kill you!"

The peddler frowned. "Why are you crying?"

Crying, Li Banfeng replied, "This master died a terrible death, and it pains my heart. What was his name?"

The peddler said, "His name was Chuiduanfa."

"Elder Chui, may you rest in peace. And what was the name of the Strength Master?"

The peddler replied, "His name was Wankaishan."

"Elder Wan, may you also rest in peace—"

"Stop howling!" the peddler interrupted Li Banfeng, annoyed by his wailing.

Wiping his tears, Li Banfeng said, "You don't understand, I have to cry."

The peddler flicked his cigarette ash. "What's there to not understand? It's just incontrovertible proof, isn't it? You're just afraid they aren't completely dead, aren't you?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "If they're not completely dead, will their souls return to the Inner Province's furnace? People of their caliber would surely be resurrected, right?"

The peddler took a puff of his cigarette. "Their souls can't go to the furnace; I've locked them all in their skulls."

Li Banfeng was stunned. "Which Daoist sect's technique is that?"

The peddler explained, "It's a technique of the Lock Cultivators, a Daoist sect that has gone extinct. I've been trying to find a disciple for them, but because this sect isn't particularly strong in combat, no one has been willing to join."

"If they can't fight, they should at least be good at defense, right?" Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "It might be suitable for someone who likes to hide things to practice this."

The peddler nodded. "Yes, this sect used to be particularly fond of hiding things. After mastering the techniques, they could lock away an entire territory."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "What does it mean to 'lock away a territory'?"

The peddler chuckled. "You can't see it, and you can't open it."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "Isn't that an Unnamed Place?"

The peddler nodded. "There are many Unnamed Places in Puro Province, all created by Lock Cultivators. Back then, the Craftsman Master made a special key to counter them, capable of unlocking the Unnamed Places. Later, the Greenwater Bow took this key, and its whereabouts are unknown now."

After speaking, the peddler looked at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng took a puff of his cigarette and changed the subject. "What kind of person was the Craftsman Master?"

The peddler recalled for a moment. "I remember he was a very spirited person. He's probably gone to the Tufang Kingdom to seek refuge with the Sage now."

Li Banfeng glanced at Blade Master Chuiduanfa and Strength Master Wankaishan. "They both sought refuge with the Sage. I really don't understand what's so great about the Sage that they would risk their lives for him."

The peddler sighed deeply. "They fought very hard when we were at war with the Sage back then. After we won, I paid them, and they went their separate ways. Who would have thought that after some time, they'd go over to the Inner Province?"

Li Banfeng was curious about that past grievance. "What did you pay them?"

"Money!" The peddler's answer was straightforward. "Rewards were based on merit; whoever had the greatest achievements received the most money. At first, they all thought it was very fair because money could do many things, and many things could be bought with money.

But after a while, some of them ran out of money, and others discovered that some things couldn't be bought with money.

Then they came to me for more, and when I refused, they went to the Inner Province. The Inner Province gave it to them.

However, the Inner Province gave different things. Someone like Shu Wanjuan was very well-liked in the Inner Province, so he received a great deal—a prosperous territory and the title of marquis, just one step away from becoming a king.

Someone like Shan Chengjun wasn't as well-liked. Although he was also granted a marquisate, it was in an impoverished area, meaning his prospects for life were effectively capped.

Chuiduanfa and Wankaishan were both unpopular. In the Inner Province, they couldn't even keep the rank of a minister. When in poverty, one considers change, so naturally, they wanted a different master.

For them, the most suitable master was naturally the Sage of the Shang Kingdom. When the Sage was still in Puro Province, they didn't dare seek refuge with him because they had a contract with me stating that after defecting to the Inner Province, they were forbidden from returning to Puro Province.

Later, when the Sage returned to the Inner Province, they wanted to defect but had no opportunity. The Shang Kingdom's cabinet would never allow the Sage to easily interact with foreign officials.

Now that the Sage has fled the Shang Kingdom, those who felt unappreciated have another chance. They've all flocked to the Tufang Kingdom to pledge loyalty to the Sage, hoping that one day he'll regain power and they can all become princes, given the existing precedent."

Li Banfeng paused for a moment. "The example you're referring to... that wouldn't be me, would it?"

"It is you," the peddler said, looking at Li Banfeng. "You established a young emperor, and thus became a prince. That's the path you've shown them, and they all want to follow it."

Li Banfeng looked at Chuiduanfa and Wankaishan. "If they want to re-establish the Sage as emperor, they should be attacking the Shang Kingdom. Why come to the Barren Wastes?"

The peddler said, "You should understand this logic. Where they fight now is not up to the Sage. The Sage sought refuge with the Demon Lord, and wherever the Demon Lord tells them to fight, they must fight."

In Li Banfeng's impression, the Demon Lord had been attacking the Sleeping Lands of Lavasha and the Inner Amikan Kingdom. Of course, this didn't mean they had no designs on Puro Province.

The peddler continued, "This time, the Demon Lord set his sights on the Barren Wastes. They opened an old exit from the Barren Wastes and are also looking for a new exit—one without boundaries."

Li Banfeng asked, "How could such an exit exist? Where is that boundary-less exit?"

The peddler shook his head. "This exit is naturally formed. At first, no one knew where it was – they didn't, and neither did I. But they have a spiritual artifact made by the Demon Lord that can pinpoint the exit's location. It's this."

The peddler took out two pearls and handed them to Li Banfeng.

One pearl was pure white, covered in a layer of grease.

The other pearl was white with a reddish glow, and had no grease.

"This white pearl was given to me by Mud Cultivation Master Xing Baizhao. Its pure whiteness indicates he didn't find the exit's location. The red pearl was just given to me by Blade Master Chuiduanfa. Its reddish hue proves he's already found the exit's location."

When did Chuiduanfa give the peddler the pearl?

Did the peddler also know stealing techniques?

Li Banfeng asked, "The exit location found by Chuiduanfa, is it this inn?"

The peddler nodded. He took the pure white pearl, washed off the grease with wine, and the pearl quickly began to show a reddish glow.

Li Banfeng shivered, not from a premonition, but from lingering fear. "Where is this Mud Cultivation Master?"

The peddler pointed outside the door. "He's in my cart, sleeping soundly."

Li Banfeng looked at the cart outside. "How many of them came in total?"

"Many. They were looking for the exit everywhere, almost turning the Barren Wastes upside down, but they couldn't find the exit. I, however, found them. Only Chuiduanfa found this inn. He found the exit, but I didn't find him. If it weren't for you, this exit would have been opened by him very soon."

Li Banfeng felt even more afraid. "This exit has no boundaries, does that mean all the Demon Lord's high-level weapons can be brought out?"

The peddler nodded. "Yes, the weapons of the Tufang Kingdom are no worse than those of the Shang Kingdom. If they were to bring their weapons into the Barren Wastes, the entire Puro Province, and even the Outer Provinces, would fall into the Demon Lord's hands."

Li Banfeng asked, "Are there no boundaries around the Barren Wastes?"

The peddler nodded. "There are, but boundaries of that level can't stop the Tufang Kingdom. I have moles in the Tufang Kingdom; their army was waiting just on the other side of the exit. We were almost too late."

Li Banfeng turned to look at Blade Master Chuiduanfa. "The more I look at him, the more I resent him!"

The peddler heartily agreed. "That scoundrel is truly despicable. When he first defected to the Inner Province, he harmed Puro Province. Now that he's sought refuge with the Sage, he's trying to harm Puro Province again. Before this, he also killed twelve local gods of the New Lands. I haven't even settled that score with him, and now they've come to the Barren Wastes—"

"Senior Brother, wait!" Li Banfeng looked at the peddler. "Were the twelve local gods killed by them?"

The peddler said, "What do you think? They wanted to claim territory for the Sage, so they killed these twelve local gods. If they seized a few more territories and connected them, wouldn't they create another 'Scoundrel's Ridge'?"

Li Banfeng thought about the entire situation, then seriously asked the peddler, "Is this true?"

The peddler looked at Chuiduanfa's head and angrily demanded, "Did you kill the twelve local gods?"

Chuiduanfa gritted his teeth and remained silent.

The peddler nodded. "No reply means yes."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, he admits it. I saw it with my own eyes."

The peddler then looked at Wankaishan's head. "Were you Chuiduanfa's accomplice?"

Wankaishan closed his eyes and said nothing.

Li Banfeng nodded. "He admits it too."

The peddler then asked the two heads, "Did you intend to slaughter all the surrounding local gods and then create another 'Scoundrel's Ridge' for the Sage?"

Neither spoke.

Li Banfeng nodded. "They both admit it."

The peddler continued, "You know what to do next, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Since both seniors have confessed, the matter is confirmed."

The peddler greatly appreciated Li Banfeng's attitude. "Since it's confirmed, let's clean up quickly. Leave the souls to your wife, the bodies to Honglian, and keep the heads as evidence. We'll personally avenge the twelve local gods. The display will be grand enough to make the situation clear."

Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Are we still dealing with the matter of the true culprit?"

"Of course!" The peddler knew better than anyone. "That old dog Shu Wanjuan, I'm finding a way to lure him out. Once he's out, I'll chop him up too and say he also defected to the Sage and was the mastermind behind this. Qiao Yi lost a top-tier combatant and will need to clear his name. Since he supported the new monarch, he must draw a clear line with the Sage. I'll make sure he suffers a silent loss then too."

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Senior Brother, how do you come up with such brilliant ideas?"

The peddler calmly replied, "Because I'm wicked."

Li Banfeng seemed to understand.

The peddler said, "The Sage is wicked, the Demon Lord is wicked, Qiao Yi is wicked, and the Outer Provinces are wicked too. Many old friends from back then were bad people. If I weren't wicked, how could I have dealt with them until today?

Brother, you performed the greatest service in this battle. I have something to give you."

The peddler waved, and his cart entered the inn.

The peddler opened the cabinet, dragged out the corpse of Mud Cultivation Master Xing Baizhao, and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Give the soul to your wife, the body to Honglian. You don't need to keep this head."

Li Banfeng said, "Honglian and I don't see eye to eye. She always skimps a lot when refining elixirs."

"Let her skim; you won't suffer a loss," the peddler said, taking out twelve pairs of covenants. "These twelve pairs of covenants were recovered from Chuiduanfa. You can dispose of them as you see fit."

Li Banfeng took the covenants and quietly asked, "Weren't these twelve pairs of covenants in He Jiaqing's possession?"

The peddler said, "My original plan was to declare He Jiaqing had defected to the Sage, and that he stole the covenants from the Shang Kingdom to gain territory for the Sage. He would have teamed up with the Sage's subordinates to kill the twelve local gods, and then I'd take care of him along with Shu Wanjuan. The whole thing would have been perfectly logical.

At that point, Bitter Granny wouldn't protect He Jiaqing anymore because she couldn't protect an accomplice of the Sage. Otherwise, many in Puro Province wouldn't tolerate her. She would have to swallow that silent loss herself.

He Jiaqing is a smart man. He brought the twelve pairs of covenants to me to atone for his sins. These covenants saved his life, so I let him go for now. Now I'm giving these covenants to you. How do you plan to deal with them?"

Li Banfeng accepted the covenants. "I'll find twelve suitable people to be local gods."

The peddler asked, "You're not planning to connect these territories and turn them into proper lands? You have many three-headed people; developing new land isn't difficult for you. With such a large territory in hand, you could do so much more."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Puro Province doesn't need an emperor."

The peddler opened the cabinet and took out six more covenants. "He Jiaqing also gave me the remaining six loose covenants. They're all yours now."

Li Banfeng took the covenants and looked up at the peddler. "You trust me?"

The peddler nodded. "I trust you."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then asked, "What if some local gods still refuse to submit? How should they be handled?"

The peddler shook his head. "No need to deal with them; just put all the blame on me."

Hoofbeats echoed from outside the door; the Barren Wastes Iron Cavalry had arrived.

The peddler let out a whistle. Li Banfeng felt a chill, and the hoofbeats outside quickly faded into the distance. "They were all scared away by that whistle."

Li Banfeng asked, "What technique was that?"

The peddler was surprised. "You don't even know this? It's a Sound Cultivation technique, 'Wind and Crane's Cry.' Isn't your wife a Sound Cultivator? Haven't you ever borrowed this technique through Deep Mansion?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can occasionally borrow some Sound Cultivation methods, but I haven't borrowed most of the techniques yet."

The peddler sighed helplessly. "You've advanced too quickly, and your techniques are too crude. In the future, you must thoroughly refine them."

Li Banfeng listened with his Thread-Pulling Earrings for a moment. Not only had the cavalry fled, but all the residents around the inn had also vanished. Within a mile radius, there was no one left.

The Thread-Pulling Earrings carefully tracked the cavalry's direction, and the result left Li Banfeng speechless. "One whistle scared them away for over three li! This Barren Wastes Iron Cavalry is truly pathetic. How can they possibly defend the Barren Wastes?"

The peddler sighed. "The people of the Barren Wastes have special combat methods; their fighting power is very strong. Unfortunately, they've lost their courage and forgotten their techniques, instead learning tricks to exploit others.

I'll find someone to help them regain their courage. If that person can't do it, then you come to the Barren Wastes and force their courage out of them.

If you also can't, then take those who should be taken and leave those who shouldn't. I'll have Cui Tik come over; I believe he can defend the Barren Wastes."

The peddler got up, tidied his cart, took a wrench from inside, and handed it to Li Banfeng. "The little train seems to have some trouble. This is the Craftsman Master's wrench; take it and use it."

Li Banfeng looked at the peddler's cart. "Is the Craftsman Master also here?"

The peddler nodded. "Yes, many old friends are here."

Li Banfeng was very curious: what kind of battle had the peddler just fought?

"Hurry and put your things away; I'm going to lock this place up soon," the peddler said, pushing his cart towards the inn entrance.

Seeing his slightly faltering steps, Li Banfeng asked, "Is the blood on you yours, or theirs?"

"Both," the peddler said lightly, yet pushing the cart he knew so well still seemed to be an effort.

Inside the portable residence, the Mistress stared at the three corpses, stunned for a long time.

"Chuiduanfa, Wankaishan, Xing Baizhao," Hong Ying recognized all three. "Qilang, are these clay figures or dough figures you've made? How are they so lifelike?"

Li Banfeng said nothing more, put down the heads, and hurried to leave.

Previously, Li Banfeng had brought back a pile of tables and chairs, and Changji hadn't had time to ask. This time, she quickly stopped him. "Husband, what happened? I see you're injured."

"You all eat first. Don't touch Chuiduanfa and Wankaishan's heads; I still have a use for them. Wife, after you eat, examine this wrench. I'll explain in detail when I get back."

Li Banfeng put down the wrench, took out a silver dollar, and added, "And this, please keep it for me for now."

After Li Banfeng left, Hong Ying examined the corpses and said to Changji, "It really is the three of them. Wankaishan's head was twisted off; you can see on the stump that the bones and flesh are dislocated from being twisted."

Miss Jiu watched from the side, very surprised. "I remember Wankaishan loved twisting off other people's heads. Who could have had the strength to twist off *his* head?"

Hong Ying then looked at Chuiduanfa's corpse. "His head was cut off by a blade; the cut is very clean."

Miss Jiu looked at Xing Baizhao's corpse. The cause of death was hard to determine; there were no wounds on his body.

Experienced, Hong Ying opened the corpse's mouth and saw a large amount of mud.

Miss Jiu said, "Don't tell me he was drowned in mud. Wasn't he a Mud Cultivation Master?"

Hong Ying was speechless; these formidable experts had all died by the very methods they specialized in.

Changji walked closer. "No need to guess blindly. It must have been the peddler and husband working together to kill these people."

Hong Ying pursed her lips, saying nothing more.

Miss Jiu sighed softly. "Sister Xiaowan, let me be honest, and please don't be offended, but with A-Qi's current combat strength, fighting these people might be a bit difficult."

"What do you know?" Changji scoffed, placing the silver dollar in front of them. "This was given to my husband by the peddler. Don't you recognize good stuff?"

Miss Jiu examined the silver dollar for a long time, then gasped, "This is the real thing!"

Hong Ying was reluctant. "Why 'Mansion Cultivation Master'? Qilang's Traveling Cultivation isn't bad either!"

Changji smiled smugly. "Mansion Cultivation is Qilang's proper Daoist sect; other methods are merely supplementary."

Hong Ying got angry. "What do you mean 'proper Daoist sect'? Qilang has two businesses; which one isn't proper? What's so special about this silver dollar? I have one too! I'll give mine to Qilang!"

Changji scoffed. "What good would that do? Would others acknowledge it?"

The more Hong Ying thought, the angrier she got. Miss Jiu tried to appease her, "Sister Yingying, why don't you give that silver dollar to me? I'll be the Traveling Cultivation Master, and I'll acknowledge it!"

"Pah!" Hong Ying spat at Miss Jiu. "You wish!"

Changji looked at the three corpses, wondering why these three people had gathered together.

"My husband said he was in the Barren Wastes. Could it be that the exit has opened again?"

With things tidied up, Li Banfeng walked out of the inn. The peddler leaned against his cart, waiting. After checking and confirming no one was around, the peddler used a Lock Cultivation technique.

Li Banfeng didn't notice any special movements from the peddler, who had explicitly stated, "Lock Cultivation techniques are very discreet."

While the technique was discreet, its effect was anything but. In the blink of an eye, the entire inn vanished, leaving only a barren patch of ground where not a blade of grass grew.

Li Banfeng asked, "Is that boundary-less exit still here?"

The peddler nodded. "It's still here, but the lock I placed isn't so easy to open."

Li Banfeng then asked, "What if someone gets hold of the key that can open the lock?"

The peddler looked at Li Banfeng. "That's why you absolutely must not let anyone get their hands on that key."

Li Banfeng nodded. "When will the person you mentioned, who can help them regain their courage, arrive?"

The peddler took an alarm clock from his cart and checked it. "I estimate he'll arrive tomorrow. The Barren Wastes has never had a local god because I was afraid they would surrender to the Inner Province, so I found someone who won't surrender."

Having said that, the peddler started to push his cart away.

Li Banfeng asked, "If one day the Barren Wastes truly becomes the territory of the Dao Lao Ghost, how should we explain it to others?"

The peddler turned his head and said, "No need to explain. Just blame it all on me."

He pushed his cart, rattled his rattle-drum, wanting to call out his wares, but coughed twice, seemingly unable to shout.

Tufang Kingdom, Wuxian City. Shan Chengjun, covered in wounds, stumbled into the mansion.

More than a dozen people followed him, all badly injured.

Shan Chengjun half-lay on a chair, scanning everyone one by one, then suddenly let out a laugh. "Masters, Grandmasters, and even Ancestral Masters—don't you feel ashamed with such grand titles? Taking you bunch of useless people to battle, with some dead and others wounded, and the war not even won, I truly feel disgraced."

A man in white robes entered the mansion and said to Shan Chengjun, "His Majesty sent me to inquire about the battle's outcome."

Everyone bowed, except for Shan Chengjun, who remained on his chair. "Please inform His Majesty that this battle was a defeat, and we are heavily wounded. We will seek an audience another day."

At dusk, Li Banfeng ate at a small tavern by the city wall. Old Liu picked up some food but couldn't eat, then picked up his wine but couldn't drink.

"Let's go!" Old Liu urged. "You've caused such a huge commotion, how can you still have the heart to eat here?"

"How do I cure hunger if I don't eat?" Li Banfeng was gnawing on a chicken leg when he suddenly heard a commotion near the city gate.

"Who set these rules for you? Why do we have to pay to enter the city?"

Upon hearing that voice, Li Banfeng chuckled, and so did his wine gourd.

The men guarding the city gate were angry. "These are the rules of Huangtu Town. The entry fee goes to the Barren Wastes Iron Cavalry; it's their blood money."

Li Banfeng watched the gate guards and said to Old Liu, "After such a huge incident yesterday that nearly scared them to death, it's only been a day, and they're back at the city gate collecting money. Look at their audacity."

Old Liu didn't agree with Li Banfeng's assessment. "They're earning money, so of course they're bold. What are you rambling about?"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "I'm just watching the show here."

At the city gate, an old man was arguing with the guards.

The old man wore tattered clothes and a worn, hole-ridden hat. His cheeks were flushed, and his rosacea-affected nose was even redder than his cheeks.

"What 'blood money'?" The old man spat at them. "Who are you risking your lives for? Are you even worthy?"

The guards were furious and grabbed the old man. "Are you looking to die?"

The old man burped, and a strong scent of alcohol diffused, making the guards dizzy and unstable, causing them all to fall to the ground.

The Barren Wastes Iron Cavalry on patrol, hearing that someone was causing trouble at the city gate, quickly rushed over to investigate. When they arrived at the gate, a cloud of alcohol mist assailed them, making the cavalrymen unstable, and they all tumbled from their warhorses.

"Can't even handle a whiff of alcohol, and you call yourselves Iron Cavalry?" The old man grabbed one of the cavalrymen. "How will someone like you ever fight in the future?"

The cavalryman glared at the old man, gritting his teeth. "If you're so brave, don't run!"

The old man chuckled. "I won't run. You run a couple of laps for me first."

"Just talk!"

The old man lit a match.

The fallen cavalrymen burst into flames, screaming and running wildly across the barren land.

"Run faster!" the old man chuckled. "I have a strong medicine here. Let's see if it can cure all your ailments!"