Chapter 757: Senior, Please Take the Seat

The Ancestral Thief, "Thousand Hands" Xiao, was currently perched on Li Zhijuan's sewing machine.

"I really didn't expect you to find me, even after I hid away in a secluded place like Iron Gate Fortress. Li Qi, can you tell me the truth? Are you the fort master of Iron Gate Fortress?"

Li Banfeng didn't answer; he hadn't even revealed himself. Banfeng Yi pulled out a large silver coin and flung it forcefully at the sewing machine.

The sewing machine's spool spun, catching the silver coin. Simultaneously, a large group of shadows advanced, surrounding the machine. Thousand Hands Xiao discerned some tricks: "First, a boundary, which must be 'Closing Doors and Shutting Gates,' and then a group of shadows – that must be 'Shadow Companion.' You've entered this house before, but Li Zhijuan never saw you. I always thought you were a traveler cultivator. Could it be that you're actually a dwelling cultivator? But how do you use all those traveler cultivation techniques? How many treasures are you hiding? Don't be shy; bring them all out for me to see. Your old ancestor here can help you assess their quality, hehehe."

A steel needle, threaded with silk, darted back and forth across the room, seemingly still searching for Li Banfeng's location. Li Banfeng replied, "Stop looking, old coot. I'm not even in this room. I'm waiting for you outside the door. Let's fight out here."

"Come out?" A hand emerged from the broken part of the sewing machine's flywheel, picking up the detached wheel and inspecting it carefully for a moment. "Your 'Closing Doors and Shutting Gates' boundary is so powerful; it detached my flywheel in an instant. If I go out now, won't I lose a layer of skin?"

Li Banfeng advised, "Not necessarily just skin; you might break a bone too. Come out and try; I'll help you take a closer look."

The steel needle, still threaded, moved along the wall, as if it had located Li Banfeng from his last remark. Click! Clack! Thousand Hands Xiao, using an unknown method, reattached the broken flywheel and reconnected the fractured drive belt. The sewing machine resumed operation, its needle and thread weaving back and forth, trapping all of Li Banfeng's shadows.

Banfeng Yi chuckled. "Old rogue, when did you become a clothes cultivator?" As soon as he spoke, several shadows simultaneously used "Unimpeded Travel" to approach, ready to dismantle the sewing machine.

"So many shadows know traveler cultivation techniques? What kind of treasure are you using? Such a good item, quickly show it to me!" The sewing machine suddenly shifted its position, moving from the center of the living room to the stairwell.

Banfeng Bing used "Severed Path" to clear a path, parting a large swathe of silk threads. Banfeng Yi, holding a sickle, rushed towards the sewing machine and struck the thread take-up lever with a single blow. Sparks flew, and the lever was severed.

"Old Scissor-hands Xiao, your bones aren't that hard!" Banfeng Yi swung his blade again, but the sickle in his hand suddenly vanished. "Little brat, that weapon of yours is quite good!" The sewing machine disappeared once more. Banfeng Ding tried to give chase but was entangled by silk threads around his ankle and fell heavily to the ground.

Banfeng Yi dodged the scattered threads on the floor and tossed his wine gourd to Banfeng Wu. "Burn all these threads, but control the fire; don't burn down the house." Just as Banfeng Wu was about to ignite, the wine gourd sensed something was wrong. "Hold tight, little brother!"

Before he finished speaking, the wine gourd slipped from his grasp. The sewing machine appeared in the kitchen, holding the gourd and laughing, "You don't want to burn down the house? You're quite fond of Li Zhijuan, aren't you? The girl is pretty, but unfortunately, this matter isn't up to you!" He tried to use the wine gourd to start a fire, but the gourd kept its mouth tightly shut, refusing to spray wine.

The sewing machine exclaimed in admiration, "Li Qi, you've trained this treasure quite well. It probably won't obey me for at least ten days to half a month." The wine gourd suddenly turned and spat a burst of flame at the sewing machine. "Old rogue, even in ten or eight years, this old woman won't be at your beck and call!"

The burst of flame didn't damage the sewing machine. Thousand Hands Xiao said, "Don't worry, you won't have to wait that long. Useless things like you, I'll fence off immediately." The wine gourd vanished, and no one knew where Old Scissor-hands Xiao had hidden it.

The sewing machine flashed into existence again, appearing in the entryway. "Li Qi, you're too arrogant, trying to fool your ancestor with these shadows! How many more good things do you have? Let these shadows bring them all out; I'll take as many as you have!" Banfeng Chou, using his dwelling cultivation talent, silently guarded the entryway. He raised an iron ruler, poised to stab the flywheel, but Old Scissor-hands Xiao vanished.

In that moment of distraction, Banfeng Chou felt a sharp pain in his finger, and in the blink of an eye, the iron ruler was gone. "Good boy, you hide things well!" Old Scissor-hands Xiao smiled triumphantly, his form disappearing again. A group of shadows searched in all directions but couldn't find a trace of him.

However, Tang Dao (Saber) discerned some tricks. Old Scissor-hands Xiao's triumphant smile belied the fact that his move was rushed, revealing a slight flaw. When he took the iron ruler, he used two silk threads: a green one wrapped around the ruler, and a blue one wrapped around Banfeng Chou's finger. The two threads tightened almost simultaneously. As Banfeng Chou's finger was pulled by the blue thread, loosening slightly, the green thread immediately snatched the iron ruler.

Scanning around, Tang Dao didn't find the sewing machine, but he did find the green and blue threads. The two threads were approaching Banfeng Yin, intending to steal the Blood-Containing Pendulum from him. Tang Dao traced the two silk threads back, pinpointing the location where they vanished, and swung his saber downwards. Crash! Clang!

Tang Dao had severed the sewing machine's pedal connecting rod. The pedal fell to the ground with a clang, and the connecting rod was promptly swept away by the Glove. Old Scissor-hands Xiao couldn't even repair it now.

"You little monkey, how dare you steal my stuff!" Old Scissor-hands Xiao was furious when he saw the Glove.

"Old ancestor, I've followed you for so many years, and you've never given me anything good. Consider this a small gift to make up for it," the Glove said, standing on Tang Dao's blade. Its fingers trembled slightly, but its posture was very upright.

The sewing machine continuously approached the Glove. Thousand Hands Xiao wanted to reclaim this hand and also seize all of Li Qi's traveler cultivation treasures. However, it was easier said than done; Thousand Hands Xiao's situation was becoming difficult. The pedal was immobile, and the sewing machine had lost its power source, making it significantly less agile when manipulating the threads.

Tang Dao kept tracking the sewing machine, pinpointing its location accurately every time. Banfeng Yi grasped the pattern and led the shadows to follow Tang Dao. One moment a screw was removed, the next a presser foot, causing the sewing machine to retreat step by step.

Old Scissor-hands Xiao found this Tang Dao difficult to deal with, unaware that Tang Dao had already completed three strikes and would soon become sluggish if it continued much longer. However, Old Scissor-hands Xiao didn't want to take risks. He stopped fighting on the first floor and flashed away, heading directly to the second floor.

The second floor had two rooms: one for miscellaneous items and the other Li Zhijuan's bedroom. Despite the fierce battle raging on the first floor, Li Zhijuan remained asleep in her room, a testament to her severe weakness.

The sewing machine entered Li Zhijuan's bedroom and glanced at Li Zhijuan on the bed. Just as it was about to extract its threads, a figure emerged from the doorway. It landed a direct "Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers" kick on the sewing machine. This single kick snapped the sewing machine's main shaft, loosened its frame, and deformed its head.

Although severely damaged, Old Scissor-hands Xiao still laughed. "Li Qi, you've finally decided to show yourself! Hehehe!" With his laugh, all the shadows in the room echoed his mirth, and even the deeply sleeping Li Zhijuan smiled in her dreams.

This was a laughter cultivation technique called "Universal Celebration." Banfeng Zi laughed the hardest, finally catching his breath. "Senior, what are you laughing at?"

Old Scissor-hands Xiao stopped laughing. His loud laughter just now was an attempt to find an opportunity for a sneak attack. He thought that if Li Qi had delivered that kick, he surely would have revealed himself. But he found no trace of Li Qi, only Banfeng Zi standing before him, politely calling him "Senior."

"That kick just now, was it from you?" Old Scissor-hands Xiao was no longer as composed.

Banfeng Zi replied, "My apologies, I kicked a bit too hard just now." Kicked by a shadow, and so badly? Old Scissor-hands Xiao refused to believe it. In truth, the kick's power wasn't that immense. Banfeng Zi was a dwelling cultivation prodigy, but he knew few traveler cultivation techniques, and "Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers" was merely passable for him. The essence of this kick lay in its surprise factor; Old Scissor-hands Xiao had made no defense when Banfeng Zi struck, taking the full force of the blow.

Although not lightly injured, Old Scissor-hands Xiao could still fight. He bypassed Banfeng Zi and flashed next to Li Zhijuan. The spool vibrated, and silk threads tightly bound Li Zhijuan. Li Zhijuan felt pain but still couldn't wake up. Old Scissor-hands Xiao roared, "Li Qi, if you don't show yourself now, I'll kill her immediately!"

Li Qi didn't respond. Banfeng Zi replied, "Confucius said, 'If you must kill, then kill.'" The shadows rushed into the second floor, surrounding the sewing machine once more.

"Such petty tricks, you'll never stop showing off!" The sewing machine's flywheel spun, retracting the threads from the first floor back to its spool. In their intersection, they severed all the shadows at the waist. Banfeng Zi fell to the ground, praising, "A good tactical layout."

Banfeng Yi also secretly admired it. Old Scissor-hands Xiao had laid threads on the first floor and reeled them in from the second, inflicting such precise damage with a single strike. Even a high-level clothes cultivator couldn't do better.

The shadows collectively praised him: "Old Scissor-hands is amazing; I've learned something new today." "Look at him! This isn't even a thief cultivator's skill, but he handles it so expertly." "Old Scissor-hands, where did you steal this technique from? Did you steal it from a dwelling spirit?" The half-severed shadows on the ground all grew back their full forms and stood up.

The number of shadows had doubled. The sewing machine's flywheel fell to the ground. Thousand Hands Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Li Qi, what Dao Sect do you belong to?" Li Qi remained silent, and the shadows also said nothing, approaching the sewing machine step by step.

The sewing machine dragged Li Zhijuan with its silk threads, seemingly intending to keep a hostage. It reached the bedroom door, with the shadows in close pursuit. Banfeng Yin looked back and suddenly saw an old man, around seventy, thin with narrow eyebrows and eyes, thin lips, and pointed teeth. He was hunched over, and jumped towards the window.

They had been tricked! The sewing machine had flashed to the door, but Old Scissor-hands Xiao was no longer inside it. "Li Qi, impressive skills. We'll meet again." Old Scissor-hands Xiao leaped out the window.

Banfeng Yi used "Severed Path" to clear a way and pursue, but the sewing machine was still operating, its threads becoming increasingly dense, rapidly obscuring any newly cleared paths.

Old Scissor-hands Xiao landed steadily on the ground and first glanced left and right down the street. He was wary of Li Qi having another ambush prepared. On the street, even if he encountered Li Qi himself, as long as he was prepared, Old Scissor-hands Xiao was confident he could escape. He could still fight; a mere group of shadows couldn't subdue Thousand Hands Xiao.

But Thousand Hands Xiao didn't want to fight anymore. After maneuvering for so long in Li Zhijuan's house without even seeing Li Qi himself, continuing the fight wouldn't yield much more advantage. In fact, he had already gained quite a bit. During the confrontation, he had stolen a silver coin, a sickle, a wine gourd, and an iron ruler. The sickle and wine gourd were rare magic treasures, the silver coin was a potent spiritual item, and even the least of them, the iron ruler, was a fine weapon. With so much gained, this trip was profitable. A thief, having profited, had no reason to linger.

Just as Thousand Hands Xiao was about to step forward, he felt something was wrong beneath his feet. The ground shouldn't be so smooth... The houses lining both sides of the road gradually dimmed until they vanished completely, replaced by clusters of candlelight before him. The candlelight illuminated four walls adorned with various furnishings. This was an illusion! This wasn't Iron Gate Fortress street; it was a room! How could jumping out of Li Zhijuan's window lead him into someone else's room? Who created such a realistic illusion?

The Projector closed its lens cap and hid behind the Gramophone. A woman put down her rouge, raised her head, and looked into the mirror. The mirror showed a face with a metallic sheen on its forehead and plump cheeks below its cheekbones. "Old Scissor-hands Xiao, do you recognize me?"

Thousand Hands Xiao didn't recognize the face but recognized the voice. He flashed to a corner of the room, trying to maximize his distance from Hong Ying. A nearby door opened, and Jiu'er (Nine) walked out from the Third Room. "Senior Xiao, long time no see."

"Unpolished Jade..." Thousand Hands Xiao couldn't understand why Hong Ying was with Unpolished Jade, nor could he figure out where he was.

The gramophone's needle settled on the record. Accompanied by puffs of steam, a sweet voice drifted from the horn: "You play both sides, taking whoever offers more. Thousand Hands Xiao, did you come to my house to do business?"

"Zhao Xiaowan!" Thousand Hands Xiao was greatly alarmed, frantically searching for an exit from the room.

Using the thief cultivation technique "A Way Out of Nowhere," he found the door to the Portable Dwelling. This door surely wouldn't be easy to open. Thousand Hands Xiao twisted a ring on his finger, preparing to gamble. The door opened by itself. Such a good thing? Just as Thousand Hands Xiao was about to rush out, he saw Li Qi walk in. "Hehehe," Li Qi said, closing the door behind him with a kindly smile as he entered the Portable Dwelling.

Thousand Hands Xiao asked, "What is this place?"

"This is my home," Li Banfeng said, pointing to a nearby chair. "Please, have a seat."

Thousand Hands Xiao shook his head. "No need to sit; I'll just stand and look. You're using 'Connected Bridal Chambers'!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Good eye!"

"You've connected Li Zhijuan's house with your own?"

"Exactly. You're quite knowledgeable, old rogue."

Jiang Ling'er had said that the final secret technique of "Connected Bridal Chambers" had to be practiced in someone else's dwelling. Now, Li Banfeng had mastered it. Thousand Hands Xiao had leaped out the window, but he never could have imagined that Li Zhijuan's window was connected to Li Qi's house. Before jumping, he had even specifically glanced outside the window, never realizing that the scenery beyond was an illusion created by the Projector, an illusion meticulously crafted with the assistance of Miss Wu.

Thousand Hands Xiao knew the combat prowess of Zhao Xiaowan, Hong Ying, and Unpolished Jade. Though he hadn't seen them in years, defeating any one of them would be incredibly difficult. Moreover, Li Qi was in his own dwelling, and a dwelling cultivator's combat strength within their home was significantly higher than that of cultivators at the same level!

Seeing this situation, Thousand Hands Xiao could only resort to his fallback plan; he had left a "hand" back at the cinema. As long as he could contact that fallback, even if his body was destroyed here, his soul could fly over. Thousand Hands Xiao sent out a psychic signal but received no response. Some techniques were blocked by the dwelling. He had to find a breakthrough.

Thousand Hands Xiao sat down on the chair, looking at Li Qi. "Can we negotiate a price?"

"Yes," Li Banfeng said leniently, pouring a cup of tea for Thousand Hands Xiao. "First, return everything you stole from me."

Thousand Hands Xiao pulled a satchel from his sleeve. With a shake, the sickle, wine gourd, silver coin, and iron ruler all tumbled out. He then specifically explained the satchel's function to Li Banfeng: "This is a personal item of mine, capable of storing many good things. But later, He Jiaqing took it. It was because I lacked this satchel that when I stole your earring previously, the earring secretly tipped you off, and I ended up suffering a loss. Later, I found a craftsman to make another one. Nothing inside this satchel makes a sound; if I hadn't voluntarily shown it, you would never have found these items in your life."

Li Banfeng smiled. "Are you trying to curry favor with me?"

"Doesn't this count as favor?" Thousand Hands Xiao put away the satchel. He wasn't trying to curry favor; he was stalling for time.

Li Banfeng said, "Trading these items for your life isn't quite enough. First, tell me, why did you come to Iron Gate Fortress?"

Thousand Hands Xiao sighed deeply. "My destination wasn't up to me. You might have heard that He Jiaqing and Old Woman Ku crippled me. I was left with only a breath and hid inside a Ghost Hand Sect kid. That kid came to Iron Gate Fortress a couple of days ago, and seeing this place was nice, I emerged from him to roam around. Passing by dwelling cultivator Li Zhijuan's door, I discovered her dwelling spirit had just died, so I stayed in her house, impersonating her dwelling spirit for a few days to recover some of my vitality."

"Her dwelling spirit died? What a coincidence that you just happened upon it?" Li Banfeng expressed skepticism.

Thousand Hands Xiao replied, "It really was that coincidental. Could I possibly attack an elderly dwelling spirit? And one that only had the cultivation of 'Ground Skin'?"

Li Banfeng believed Thousand Hands Xiao was responsible. "If her dwelling spirit wasn't killed by you, then where did your clothes cultivation techniques come from?"

Thousand Hands Xiao said, "That's because I already knew clothes cultivation techniques. Just look at the methods I used; how could a 'Ground Skin' cultivator master those?"

The Humming Gramophone puffed a cloud of steam. "There's a technique in thief cultivation called 'Sesame Blooming,' which describes starting low and progressing high. Years ago, you stole techniques from a 'Ground Skin' wine cultivator and then used methods like 'Cloud Drunkenness' to knock out hundreds of guards, stealing over twenty military armaments from Shu Wanjuan and reselling them to Cong Shixiang. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

Thousand Hands Xiao sighed deeply. "General Zhao, I didn't expect you to remember all these old scores. It seems I can't explain away this grievance. I truly didn't kill Li Zhijuan's dwelling spirit, nor did I intend to kill Li Zhijuan. I simply wanted to steal a bit of life essence from her to recover, nothing much, certainly not enough to take her life. I was too severely injured and needed to recuperate. Li Qi, you've seen for yourself that Li Zhijuan only feels a bit tired and hasn't sustained much harm."

Thousand Hands Xiao was very measured. He was now certain that Li Qi was the fort master of Iron Gate Fortress. He spoke truthfully about everything related to He Jiaqing, knowing that even if Li Qi verified it himself, he wouldn't find any flaws. However, he couldn't say a single word about anything that would harm Iron Gate Fortress; infuriating Li Qi now would have unimaginable consequences.

Li Banfeng asked, "Besides Li Zhijuan, have you harmed anyone else?"

Thousand Hands Xiao shook his head. "Absolutely not, just Li Zhijuan."

What this old rogue said might not be true; Li Banfeng would have to verify it house by house. Even if he was telling the truth, the situation was precarious. If Li Banfeng hadn't come to Iron Gate Fortress, Thousand Hands Xiao would have continued to parasitize people house by house. Iron Gate Fortress was remote and isolated, and dwelling cultivators rarely interacted with outsiders, making it an ideal place for Thousand Hands Xiao to recuperate. If Li Banfeng hadn't sensed this danger through "Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune," who knew how many people in Iron Gate Fortress would have died, or to what extent Thousand Hands Xiao would have recovered.

Still feeling a chill, Li Banfeng asked, "Was He Jiaqing aware of this?"

Thousand Hands Xiao shook his head. "How could I possibly let He Jiaqing know? Like you, I bear a deep grudge against him."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Then why did you still take him as a disciple?"

Thousand Hands Xiao sighed. "Logically, I shouldn't have taken such a junior, but someone recommended him at the time."

Li Banfeng pondered, "Was it Old Woman Ku who recommended him?"

Thousand Hands Xiao shook his head. "You've got it backward. When He Jiaqing became my disciple, he didn't know Old Woman Ku. It was precisely because he became my disciple that Old Woman Ku valued him so much. He Jiaqing received the thief cultivation powder at ten years old and joined the Ghost Hand Sect at eleven. Given his background, he didn't need to work on the streets; his family could just pay some money to handle his duties. But this boy was determined; he always took the lead in every task and never failed. At that time, the young sect master of Ghost Hand Sect, Lu Wujiu, greatly admired He Jiaqing and recommended him to the old sect master, Xie Juncong. Xie Juncong accepted a sum of silver from He Jiaqing and taught him many skills. It was when he was thirteen that he met me."

The Glove climbed onto Li Banfeng's shoulder and asked, "The young sect master you mentioned, surnamed Lu, why do I have no memory of him?"

Thousand Hands Xiao scraped the lid of his teacup. "You definitely wouldn't remember, because you *are* Lu Wujiu."

"Nonsense! How could I forget my own name?"

Thousand Hands Xiao smiled faintly. "You definitely forgot. Anyone who becomes my 'hand' forgets their own name. Your names were all stolen by me."

The Glove felt a wave of confusion. It tried its best to control each finger, preventing itself from trembling. This was not the time to disgrace its master. "I didn't," the Glove said to Li Banfeng. "Master, I would never do such a thing. I couldn't have recommended He Jiaqing."

Li Banfeng patted the Glove, signaling him not to worry. Regardless of whether this was true or false, Li Banfeng wouldn't blame the Glove. From his perspective at the time, the Glove had done nothing wrong. He then asked Thousand Hands Xiao, "Everyone who becomes your disciple becomes your 'hand.' But why did He Jiaqing avoid this fate? Was it because you cherished his talent?"

Thousand Hands Xiao spoke candidly. "I do cherish talent. In my opinion, someone as talented as He Jiaqing should have become one of my 'hands.' Unfortunately, when he first started, his cultivation wasn't sufficient; he wasn't qualified to be my 'hand.' By the time his cultivation was high enough, he had already met the Eighteen Wheels and Old Woman Ku, and they wouldn't let me make him my 'hand.' I wanted to secretly make my move, but He Jiaqing was extremely cautious, and I never found an opportunity. By the time I finally found one, that kid had already gone to study in another state. Isn't that coincidental? Is there anything else you want to ask? I'll tell you everything."

Li Banfeng indeed had many questions, but the Portable Dwelling's voice echoed in his ear: "Ah Qi, hurry, he's about to find a loophole." The Portable Dwelling was close to being unable to contain Thousand Hands Xiao.

Li Banfeng asked his family, "Do any of you have more questions?"

Thousand Hands Xiao said, "My old friends, feel free to ask anything you wish."

Everyone in the family looked at the Gramophone. The Gramophone said, "The things you've done would take three days and three nights to recount, but we have many matters ourselves. Let's just stop your story here."

Thousand Hands Xiao knew things were going badly. He placed the teacup on the table and stood up. "I am an Ancestral Master, and by seniority, your elder. If I hadn't been severely injured and unrecovered, I wouldn't have fallen into your hands today. Your current treatment of me, if word gets out, would likely be against the rules of Prolo State."

The Gramophone chuckled. "Did everyone hear that? Senior Xiao is talking about rules with us. He's been in our home for so long, and we haven't even offered him a meal. Yingying, set up the table and invite our honored guest to be seated!"