Chapter 743: Have and Repay

In late autumn, Pillow City was deep in slumber. Li Banfeng and Old Train had eaten their fill elsewhere before entering the city.

The people of Pillow City slept from the beginning of summer until the spring of the following year. Although Li Banfeng's cultivation level was high, he still felt somewhat drowsy upon entering the city.

Old Train disliked Pillow City intensely. "How unaccomplished are these people?" he scoffed. "They spend the few precious years of their lives sleeping!"

"Sleeping isn't necessarily a bad thing; you can still live a life in your dreams," Li Banfeng replied. He saw a man sleeping sprawled on the ground, approached him, and helped him onto a nearby lounge chair.

"I heard that the dreams of Pillow City residents are continuous," Li Banfeng continued, "today's dream connects to yesterday's, and this year's to last year's. If you think about it in reverse, it's actually not much different from our lives."

"How can there be no difference? They can't leave this small area their whole lives!" Old Train noticed a clock shop by the roadside; all the large and small clocks inside had stopped.

Old Train entered the shop, wound all the clocks, and set them to the correct time. "What's the use of clocks for people in this place?" he mused. "They completely—"

"Brother, do you sense any danger?"

Old Train paused, surprised. He went to the clock shop's backyard, climbed onto the wall, and gazed into the distance.

After a moment, Old Train climbed down. He scrutinized Li Banfeng from head to toe. "What's the meaning of this? My soul isn't complete, and I haven't really practiced my fortune-telling skills, but surely I'm not worse than you are at sensing danger?"

Li Banfeng modestly replied, "Cultivation depends on talent; a long period of practice doesn't necessarily make one capable!"

There was indeed danger in Pillow City, but it was several streets away from the clock shop. Had Li Banfeng not warned him, Old Train would not have detected it.

The danger originated from a large mansion. The owner of the mansion was named Ye Haolong. He had almost gotten into trouble earlier because he wasn't sleeping soundly.

At this moment, he was trembling, not from fear, but from rage.

A man stood before him, slightly bald, dressed in a greyish-blue cloth shirt, twirling two walnuts in his hand. He was smiling at Ye Haolong.

Ye Haolong pointed a trembling finger at Zhang Gunli. "What kind of hero are you," he fumed, "to ambush me secretly? If you have the guts, fight me fair and square!"

Zhang Gunli chuckled. "Alright, I'll fight you fair and square right now. Come on!"

Ye Haolong trembled even more violently. "I've been hit by your technique," he retorted. "How can you call that fair and square?"

Zhang Gunli rubbed the walnuts in his hand twice. "I won't use any techniques; just make your move."

Ye Haolong was trembling and about to charge forward. Suddenly, Zhao Lanmeng rushed out of the house and pushed him aside.

"Go!" Zhao Lanmeng, covered in wounds, stood in front of Zhang Gunli.

Zhang Gunli looked at them both. "How about this: both of you come at me. I'll see which of you dies by my hand first. I'll take one life today, and let the survivor go!"

Ye Haolong shouted, "Do you swear on it?"

Zhang Gunli replied, "A gentleman's word is as swift as a horse's whip!"

"Let Master Zhao go, I'll fight you!" Ye Haolong lunged forward but was kicked away by Zhao Lanmeng.

"Quick, leave! He's no gentleman!" Zhao Lanmeng wasn't in the mood to explain to Ye Haolong. He knew Zhang Gunli was after him; even if Ye Haolong were killed, Zhang Gunli wouldn't let Zhao Lanmeng go.

Zhang Gunli sighed. "Zhao Lanmeng, you're not just lazy, you're also despicable. I offer you a way out, but you won't take it. What's the point of keeping this trash around? Wouldn't it be a good thing if he died for you, and then you collected his corpse?"

Zhao Lanmeng chuckled. "I don't think that's a good idea. How about this: you die for me, and he collects your corpse. How does that sound?"

"So, you refuse my kindness, eh?" Zhang Gunli's pupils constricted, and murderous intent appeared on his face. "Come on, I'll give you another chance. Let's see how you're going to kill me!"

"Alright!"

Li Banfeng exclaimed, "Good!" and delivered a kick straight to Zhang Gunli's face.

Zhang Gunli was caught completely off guard. Half of his face was twisted, and his neck was nearly broken. He spun half a circle on the spot, staggering but not falling to the ground.

Covering his face, he looked at Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng raised his foot and said, "Go ahead, let me have another turn. Let's see how I'm going to kill you."

Zhang Gunli carefully observed Li Banfeng's attire: a black suit, black shirt, and wide-brimmed fedora. His speed was incredibly fast, and he was also a Travel Cultivator. He quickly identified his opponent. "You're Li Qi? We don't seem to have any grievances!"

Li Banfeng said, "There is a grievance. You owe me money and haven't paid it back!"

Zhang Gunli was stunned. This was a phrase he often used; no one who owed him money and hadn't paid it back had ever escaped his grasp.

How did this phrase come out of Li Qi's mouth?

Everyone said Li Qi was a bit crazy. It seemed this kid was truly mad.

Zhang Gunli didn't really take Li Qi seriously. No matter how great Li Qi's reputation, to Zhang Gunli, he was just a junior.

However, Li Qi's identity was special: he was also the Prince Pingyuan of the Shang Kingdom.

Zhang Gunli had pledged allegiance to the Shang Kingdom. In terms of status, he shouldn't offend a person like Li Qi.

But he also knew Li Qi's stance. Although called a prince of the Shang Kingdom, Li Qi actually opposed the Shang Kingdom at every turn. If he could kill Li Qi on the spot, the Shang Kingdom wouldn't blame him.

But if Li Qi escaped, things would become troublesome if investigated later.

With Zhao Lanmeng and Ye Haolong already present, and now Li Qi, could Zhang Gunli deal with all of them?

Looking at Zhao Lanmeng's condition, Zhang Gunli felt it wasn't a major problem. Taking Li Qi's sneak attack earlier was unexpected, but Zhao Lanmeng was still the primary opponent.

Zhao Lanmeng was already severely injured. He would deal with him first, then Li Qi. Ye Haolong wasn't even worth considering; then the matter would be resolved.

Zhang Gunli wiped the blood from his face and said to Li Qi, "You said I owe you money. First, tell me how much I owe. Once the account is clear, I'll pay you back with interest!"

The two walnuts clicked together. Zhang Gunli suddenly shifted his gaze to Zhao Lanmeng; he was about to unleash a killing blow.

Zhao Lanmeng was ready for a desperate struggle. But then he saw Zhang Gunli's face contort in a struggle, lift off the ground, and crash headfirst into the ground.

What kind of move was that?

Zhao Lanmeng looked at the footprint on Zhang Gunli's back. Only then did he realize Zhang Gunli had been kicked.

Who kicked him?

Zhang Gunli was also wondering the same thing.

Another master? Could he still handle it?

It seemed a fierce battle was inevitable today!

Zhang Gunli gritted his teeth and stood up.

He glanced back, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground again.

Standing behind him was Old Train.

Ye Haolong didn't recognize Old Train. He asked Zhao Lanmeng, "Who is this old man?"

Zhao Lanmeng slapped Ye Haolong across the face. "Don't ask!"

Old Train walked up to Zhang Gunli. "You owe my brother money and haven't paid it back, have you?"

Zhang Gunli used his hands to prop himself up, slowly inching backward.

Old Train asked again, "Are you going to pay it back or not?"

Zhang Gunli nodded. "I will!"

"How much?"

"Whatever you say!"

"Then pay with your life!"

Just as Old Train raised his hand, Li Banfeng said, "Brother, since you've met an old friend, why don't you catch up with him first? Old Zhang and I can settle our matter privately."

Li Banfeng looked towards Ye Haolong's mansion.

Zhao Lanmeng, an old-school local god of the land with two doors opened, held an absolute geographical advantage in Pillow City. No matter how bad he was, he shouldn't have been beaten so badly by Zhang Gunli.

Zhang Gunli had used a trick, and it was hidden within Ye Haolong's mansion. If it were spiritual items, magic artifacts, or traps, they would be easy to counter. But if there were other accomplices, things would get difficult.

Old Train naturally understood the seriousness of the situation, but he wasn't sure if Li Qi could defeat Zhang Gunli.

"Old Qi, can you do it?"

Li Banfeng looked at Zhang Gunli and said, "Paying debts is only natural. We have the moral high ground, so why should we be afraid of him?"

"Alright then, I'll go catch up with my old friend." Old Train led Zhao Lanmeng and Ye Haolong into the mansion, leaving only Li Banfeng and Zhang Gunli outside.

Zhang Gunli looked at Li Banfeng, his eyes full of murderous intent.

But he dared not prolong the fight. He worried that Old Train might emerge at any moment. His only thought now was to escape as quickly as possible.

The two walnuts clicked, and a shower of silver dollars rained down.

This was Zhang Gunli's most vicious technique, "Money Offering." Touching his silver dollars meant incurring a debt to him. The Loan Cultivation technique would then follow, suppressing the opponent and making them unable to retaliate.

The silver dollars were extremely dense and incredibly fast. Anyone facing Zhang Gunli for the first time, without any defense, would undoubtedly fall victim to this move.

Li Banfeng had never fought Zhang Gunli before. Zhang Gunli was confident this attack would surely land.

But to his surprise, Li Banfeng didn't fall for his trick. The moment the silver dollars were released, Li Banfeng vanished.

Zhang Gunli couldn't understand how Li Qi moved so fast. Was he actually prepared?

Of course, Li Banfeng was prepared. He had observed Zhang Gunli's battles with Du Wenming and Ai Yeqing. At that time, Li Banfeng didn't dare show himself and could only hide in a tree. The situation was vastly different now.

Zhang Gunli quickly retrieved the silver dollars. He had to concentrate on observing Li Banfeng's movements, or he would easily fall victim to the "Galloping Horse Viewing Flowers" technique.

Li Banfeng released Banfeng Yi. Zhang Gunli was still pondering the origin of this shadow when he saw the two figures run in opposite directions.

Could it be that this shadow also knew "Galloping Horse Viewing Flowers"?

Zhang Gunli couldn't lock onto both Li Banfeng and Banfeng Yi simultaneously.

At the critical moment, Zhang Gunli clicked the walnuts in his hand. Over a hundred abacuses whizzed out, tightly encasing Zhang Gunli's body.

This was the correct way to deal with "Galloping Horse Viewing Flowers." "If I can't lock onto you, you can't lock onto me either. As long as vision is obstructed, 'Galloping Horse Viewing Flowers' cannot take effect."

Zhang Gunli released more silver dollars, continuing to pursue Li Banfeng's true body.

But as soon as the silver dollars were released, Zhang Gunli suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm.

His palm had been cut by a silver dollar.

This silver dollar wasn't his!

This silver dollar belonged to Li Banfeng, modified from Du Wenming's twin blades. He usually kept it inside his glove.

Just now, Zhang Gunli released and then retrieved his silver dollars. The glove had manipulated the process, causing Zhang Gunli to collect an extra one.

The injury wasn't serious, but Zhang Gunli's focus had wavered.

Li Banfeng closed in, first scattering a drop of