Chapter 728: The General Trend of Earthworks

Yu Yunqiu immediately organized the scholars to engage in battle. However, encountering a situation with shadows everywhere was a first for the scholars, and for a moment, they didn't know how to react.

Li Banfeng was about to personally join the fray, but Basuan stopped him, saying, "Seventh Brother, there's no hurry. Their formation isn't broken yet."

"Once I'm down there, they'll fall into chaos."

"Not yet," Basuan replied, pointing to several spots near Yu Yunqiu and Ao Shuangqian. "There are formation traps all around here; you can't approach them carelessly."

Li Banfeng stated, "I believe we still need to study formations more. Banfeng Yi, you go."

Banfeng Yi snapped back to reality, turned to a nameless shadow, and commanded, "What are you waiting for? Go!"

The shadow seemed quite reluctant.

Banfeng Yi fumed, "Cowardice in battle, what crime do you deserve?"

The shadow charged towards Yu Yunqiu. Dozens of scholars surrounding Yu Yunqiu immediately formed a cordon, attacking the shadow with various weapons.

The shadow was shattered into fragments and could not recover quickly.

However, the formation recovered rapidly, and the ranks around Yu Yunqiu and Ao Shuangqian remained undisturbed.

Li Banfeng carefully observed the earth-people's positions and movements but couldn't discern any distinctive features.

Basuan glanced around and noticed that Hong Ying was not in the vicinity.

This seemed like an opportune moment to display his knowledge and scholarly demeanor.

He raised his head, stroking his beard, and declared, "No need to look. This involves a vast amount of cultivation knowledge related to calculations, which you won't grasp overnight."

Li Banfeng said, "Then you must have a method to break the formation."

Basuan smiled calmly. "Of course, there's a way. The shadows, by moving through and slowly eroding them, are perfectly wearing down the formation. Once they're weakened enough, we can strike at the formation's vital points, and then—"

*Boom!*

Hong Ying stepped forward and shattered Wanchuan with a single kick. A large number of scholars perished, and the formation was completely dispersed.

Basuan continued stroking his beard, utterly at a loss for words.

He pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket, squatted on the city wall, and sketched a simplified formation diagram. "This drawing isn't perfectly accurate, but it generally reconstructs the formation.

The situation earlier was like this: we were steadily wearing them down. Seventh Brother, listen to me, don't leave yet, I haven't gotten to the most critical step—"

Taking advantage of the chaotic formation, Li Banfeng went down, tied up Yu Yunqiu, and handed him over to Basuan for safekeeping.

While Hong Ying was still fiercely fighting amidst the army, Li Banfeng picked up several pieces of flesh from the ground. After careful comparison, he realized none of them belonged to Ao Shuangqian.

Where had this lobster gone?

This individual had to be dealt with; he absolutely could not be allowed to escape.

Ao Shuangqian had dug an underground tunnel and escaped.

This tunnel hadn't been freshly dug; he had prepared it earlier when clearing the area, covering it with only a thin layer of loose soil.

Ao Shuangqian was more cautious than Yu Yunqiu; he firmly refused to engage in battles without an escape route.

Crawling out of the tunnel, Ao Shuangqian found himself in a desolate wasteland outside the city. He stumbled, intending to flee back to his mansion.

But then he reconsidered: all his earth-people subordinates had been lost at the shipyard. If he returned to his mansion now, what would he do if Li Qi came after him?

His mansion still held two second-grade weapons, but relying on such meager assets, he couldn't possibly stop Li Qi.

*Run!*

Ao Shuangqian ran directly towards the dock. His plan was to charter any ship he found there and head out to sea.

Once at sea, the Ao family's giant shrimps would still be there, and blocking Li Qi should be effortless.

As for what to do next, he would observe the situation. If it remained favorable, he would stay in Dashang and devise a plan to fight his way back to Xiaodu. If things looked grim, he would immediately travel to Tufang and seek refuge with His Majesty.

His plan was meticulously thought out, but after only a few steps, Ao Shuangqian sensed something was amiss with the path he was on.

He saw a patch of sun-drenched flowers.

The mere fact that it was sunny was impossible in Neizhou, not to mention this particular flower patch, which Ao Shuangqian had never seen before.

*He was under an illusion!*

Ao Shuangqian frantically searched for his personal spiritual artifacts. He had two magic treasures, but none could counter illusions. While he was in a panic, he saw a woman slowly approaching him, carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers.

A woman appearing in an illusion was surely not benevolent, so Ao Shuangqian raised a pair of pincers and immediately attacked.

The woman agilely dodged the pincers. A ball of fire shot out from Ao Shuangqian's sleeve, burning the flowers in the woman's hand to ashes.

This flame originated from Ao Shuangqian's magic treasure, Teardrop Meteor. Ao Shuangqian had aimed to burn the woman herself, and logically, the fire should have incinerated her. Yet, for some reason, it only burned the flowers in her hand.

"Your fire is quite peculiar," the woman remarked, showing no hint of panic. She was still analyzing the fire's origin.

Above the wilderness, a massive silver screen materialized, displaying an image: the exact moment of the previous fire was replayed.

Ao Shuangqian was utterly astonished; he had never witnessed such an illusion.

The woman carefully observed the flame's trajectory and commended, "This magic treasure is quite good. The fire-ball shoots out like a droplet, swift and cunning, making it difficult to defend against.

While it may not be your direct technique, the treasure works in perfect harmony with you. I imagine you usually get along quite well.

Anyone who can coexist peacefully with a magic treasure is intelligent, and I admire intelligent people. I'm offering you a chance to live; do you want it?"

"What kind of chance?" Ao Shuangqian inquired.

The woman picked another bouquet of fresh flowers. "Are you willing to join the Hand and Foot Alliance?" she asked.

The Hand and Foot Alliance?

Why does that sound so familiar?

I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.

Ao Shuangqian suddenly recalled: "There's a rogue cultivator in Puro Province who founded an organization called the Hand and Foot Alliance. Are you his subordinate?"

The woman smiled. "You're referring to He Jiaqing, aren't you? You really think highly of him. He's a member of the Hand and Foot Alliance, but he didn't establish it, and I'm certainly not his subordinate. He Jiaqing is nothing more than a charlatan who exploits his reputation."

"What's your name?" Ao Shuangqian asked, stalling for time as his other magic treasure was slow to activate.

The woman replied, "Few people know my name. You may simply call me Fifth Lady."

"Fifth Lady, are you truly serious about wanting me to join?"

Fifth Lady held the fresh flowers before her. "If you are willing to join the Hand and Foot Alliance, then accept this bouquet."

Ao Shuangqian extended a pair of pincer-like hands to take the flowers, seemingly agreeing.

Just before his hands touched the flowers, Ao Shuangqian suddenly opened his mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of fierce flames at the woman.

When did Ao Shuangqian learn to breathe fire?

He couldn't. This fire was still spewed by Teardrop Meteor.

But Teardrop Meteor was in his sleeve, so how could the fire come out of his mouth?

Banfeng Zi, hiding nearby, couldn't comprehend it, no matter how hard he thought.

Fifth Lady, however, understood.

The ball of fire sprayed onto her face, yet it didn't injure her; it merely burned the flowers in her hand to ashes.

Ao Shuangqian was stunned. Was this also an illusion?

The fresh flowers in the woman's hand had indeed burned to ashes. The ashes floated on her face, and the sensation was real; by all accounts, it couldn't be an illusion.

If it wasn't an illusion, why did Teardrop Meteor miss twice? And why did the flames only burn this bouquet of flowers?

Furthermore, during the second attack, Teardrop Meteor collaborated with another magic treasure, "Free Movement." The strike was incredibly sudden, yet the woman easily neutralized it.

Fifth Lady looked at Ao Shuangqian. "Besides that fire-wielding magic treasure, you have another that's fundamental to travel cultivation, which employs the 'Carefree Freedom' technique, correct?"

Banfeng Zi was astonished, having never imagined that the 'Carefree Freedom' technique could be used in such a manner.

Ao Shuangqian nodded. "Miss, you have excellent perception. I'll give both these magic treasures to you. If there's anything else you desire that I, Ao, can accomplish, please don't hesitate to ask."

Fifth Lady picked another bouquet of fresh flowers. Ao Shuangqian considered a sneak attack while she was preoccupied, but he couldn't muster the courage to make a move.

"This is your last chance," Fifth Lady said, presenting the flowers to Ao Shuangqian once more. "Tell me, are you willing to join the Hand and Foot Alliance?"

Ao Shuangqian knew that if he didn't agree, he would most likely be unable to escape. Yet, if he did agree, he couldn't foresee how many troubles it might bring in the future.

Clinging to a final shred of hope, Ao Shuangqian decided to try negotiating terms. If he could talk his way out, that would be ideal; if not, agreeing to join the Hand and Foot Alliance later wouldn't be too late.

"Miss," he began, "I am a man of considerable standing in Xiaodu. While I wouldn't claim to wield absolute power, I am certainly a dominant force in my region. Whatever you wish to accomplish in Qidu, I can assist you, but joining the Hand and Foot Alliance—"

The flowers in Fifth Lady's hand burst into flames.

This fire wasn't set by Ao Shuangqian; Fifth Lady had ignited the flowers herself.

The firelight illuminated Ao Shuangqian, who wailed continuously within the flames. After enduring immense suffering,

he transformed into a shimmering halo of light.

Fifth Lady opened her mouth and swallowed the halo.

With a wave of her hand, the illusion dissipated, and she herself vanished without a trace.

Banfeng Zi remained motionless on the ground.

He seemed to have recognized a familiar technique.

He wasn't sure if Fifth Lady had truly left. Li Banfeng's mission for him was to monitor her, and he possessed ample patience to complete the task.

Yu Yunqiu was captured, Ao Shuangqian died, and the remaining two thousand-plus scholars under their command all perished, with none spared.

Li Banfeng's ruthlessness was not to blame; all these scholars were armed with third-grade weapons, and several attendants carried second-grade ones. While the scholars' individual combat prowess was ordinary, these weapons were formidable, and even a slight misstep could have altered the battle's outcome.

Fortunately, Lady and Hong Ying were both masters of combat, leaving no opportunity for the tide to turn, and all were dealt with thoroughly.

Li Banfeng couldn't bear it and began collecting the bodies in sacks, weeping as he did so. "These people were just following orders," he lamented. "If the Grand Master told them to fight, how could they refuse? How could you be so heartless, insisting on wiping them all out?"

His tears made the scholars under Tie Baisheng's command feel uneasy.

The City Lord was a man of compassion and integrity; even for enemies who fully deserved their demise, he didn't forget to collect their remains.

But why did he insist on using sacks for collecting the bodies?

And where were those sacks, now filled with corpses, being taken?

What was with the intermittent black ash falling from the sky?

Some scholars harbored doubts, but before they could fully process them, they saw Tie Baisheng rise from the ground.

"Lord Tie, you're awake!" the scholars exclaimed, quickly rushing to assist him.

Tie Baisheng pushed the scholars away, his horse-like face grim. "None of you made a move just now, did you?" he demanded.

The earth-people exchanged glances. A bolder one shook his head and replied, "Lord Tie, we fought desperately against the enemy; not a single one of us was cowardly."

"Nonsense!" Tie Baisheng roared, completely disregarding his status as Grand Master, and began to curse at them all. "You all talk a good game, but how many benefits, in real gold and silver, have you taken from me over the years?

Even the ordinary workers had the guts to hold the gate. What did *you* do? Just stand there posing with your bows? Do you think I don't know?"

A scholar, dumbfounded, asked, "Lord Tie, weren't you unconscious just now?"

Tie Baisheng pounded his chest. "My body may have passed out, but my heart was wide awake!"

Everyone was touched by his words, though only Huan found the situation less than convincing.

Huan nudged Shun and whispered, "Was he just pretending?"

Shun shot a glare at Huan. "Don't speak carelessly! He promised us a pay raise this month!"

Tie Baisheng ordered the factory gates opened and led a group of workers to thank Li Banfeng.

Seeing Li Banfeng still collecting the remains of the enemies, Tie Baisheng was deeply moved. "Look, everyone," he proclaimed, "see what kind of person our City Lord is! This is what it means to be open and honorable, to possess lofty virtue!

Let's all lend a hand and help the City Lord collect the enemy's corpses."

Li Banfeng quickly dissuaded him. "There's no rush; I can handle this myself. You all go back to the factory for now. Tie Baisheng, aren't you injured? Go back and treat your wounds!"

Everyone came forward to help, when suddenly someone shouted, "This isn't one of us!"

Everyone quieted down and looked in the direction of the voice. Shun saw an elderly retainer.

He recognized