Chapter 794: Peak Qing Second Battle

Li Qi, Ma Wu, and Feng Daiku were traveling together by carriage to the New Land.

Li Qi felt that He Jiaqing was going to encroach on Ma Wu's territory, and Ma Wu agreed that Li Qi's words made sense.

He dared not wait another moment. Without even packing his luggage, he grabbed only a few weapons and magical artifacts and immediately set off with Li Banfeng.

Ma Wu truly needed to go to the New Land. As a local deity, his absence from his territory for some time meant that no one responded to the calls for reclamation, significantly delaying progress.

Li Banfeng reminded him, "Once you're back on your territory, don't rush to respond to the reclamation efforts. Otherwise, He Jiaqing won't show up."

Feng Daiku asked, "Young Master Li, are you still hoping He Jiaqing comes?"

Li Banfeng replied, "It's not about being afraid of a thief stealing, but being afraid of a thief coveting. If he doesn't come, this matter will remain unresolved, making it harder to guard against."

Ma Wu felt uneasy. "Old Seven, do you remember where I buried the deed? In that peach blossom forest on the hillside, right at—"

Li Banfeng interjected, "A hundred paces east of the spring. Old Five, I've never forgotten, don't worry."

Feng Daiku was also a bit worried. "If we only had to guard against He Jiaqing, it would be fine, but there are so many reclamation workers in the New Land. It's hard to say if any of them are He Jiaqing's accomplices."

Li Banfeng asked Ma Wu, "Don't you investigate the backgrounds of the reclamation workers?"

Hearing this, Feng Daiku shook her head repeatedly. Ma Wu gave a dry laugh. "Old Seven, you know my temperament. There are some things I don't give much thought to."

Ma Wu acted decisively but lacked caution, which was the exact opposite of Chu Huaiyuan.

He and Chu Huaiyuan acquired their territories at the same time. Chu Huaiyuan only used the "Three-Headed People" allocated by Li Banfeng for reclamation, and she didn't employ anyone else unless their background was thoroughly investigated. As a result, she had only reclaimed half of her territory.

Ma Wu's attitude toward reclamation workers was to accept anyone. Workers could reclaim land for themselves, be hired by Ma Wu, or even accept employment from strangers; Ma Wu didn't interfere. Consequently, over 90% of his territory had been reclaimed.

If it hadn't been for business matters consuming his energy, Ma Wu might have even reclaimed his territory before He Yuxiu.

Along the way, Ma Wu recounted his conflicts with He Jiaqing, including every factory and shop that was destroyed. Even a newly opened restaurant in Huangtu Bridge, just because it was a business run by He Jiaqing's subordinate, Ma Wu didn't spare it.

These matters were too trivial; Ma Wu usually felt embarrassed to mention them to others. Even Feng Daiku, upon hearing them, thought they were petty.

But with Li Qi, Ma Wu spoke freely, finding it more satisfying and cathartic the more he talked.

After half the journey, Ma Wu finished speaking, and Li Banfeng also alighted from the carriage.

This carriage was a traveling spiritual artifact. It didn't need horses, could "eat and drink" on its own, and ran incredibly fast.

Yet, even so, its speed was far too slow compared to what Li Banfeng was accustomed to.

Before leaving, Li Banfeng repeatedly urged, "Once you two arrive at the territory, absolutely do not draw attention. Find a place to stay near the peach forest and don't let anyone know."

Ma Wu asked, "Old Seven, do you also think he'll steal my deed?"

Li Banfeng replied, "I can't say for sure he'll steal your deed, but other things are manageable. We can't afford to lose the deed."

After getting off the carriage and walking for less than twenty minutes, Li Banfeng reached Ma Wu's territory. He bought a new leather coat from a hunter, had the Pendulum mix some pigments, and painted the coat to look shiny and worn, as if it had been worn for over a decade.

The Pendulum then applied makeup to him, adding wrinkles, warts, and a messy stubble, painting the marks of weathered hardships onto his face.

Li Banfeng tucked both hands into his sleeves and, looking unassuming, walked among a group of reclamation workers.

"Do you need extra hands? I'm pretty good at fighting."

A reclamation worker glanced at him. "What's your cultivation level?"

Li Banfeng said, "A second-tier poison cultivator."

"No poison cultivators," the worker said, waving his hand. "Try asking somewhere else."

Poison cultivators could easily harm their own team, so choosing one required caution. Some reclamation teams did have poison cultivators, but they were always trusted acquaintances.

Li Banfeng moved to another spot. This time, he didn't claim to be a poison cultivator.

"I'm a second-tier martial cultivator. Do you need anyone here?"

The worker asked, "What's your price?"

Li Banfeng hadn't participated in reclamation for a long time and wasn't very familiar with the rates, but he estimated, "Five silver dollars a day."

The worker deliberated for a while. "You might want to check with other groups."

Reclamation was a life-threatening business, and five silver dollars a day was truly not an excessive demand from Li Banfeng.

The main reason was that the previous group of reclamation workers already had enough hands. While an extra person would be good, they were a bit reluctant to pay five silver dollars.

Li Banfeng tried another spot. This time, he significantly lowered his price. "A second-tier martial cultivator, only three silver dollars a day."

The leader of this group of workers waved his hand. "Go somewhere else. We're not in the same line of business as you."

What did "not in the same line of business" mean?

Li Banfeng became annoyed. He was being so proactive, yet no one wanted to hire him. "Aren't you here to reclaim land?"

The leader impatiently replied, "We have a different employer. We get paid to do a job; we don't hire people!"

Li Banfeng had seen many reclamation workers who were paid for specific tasks, usually led by a foreman. Why were these people so peculiar?

Li Banfeng listened for a while and understood the reason.

This group of reclamation workers was fully staffed. They had previously worked on someone else's territory, hadn't been paid, and were introduced by an intermediary to Ma Wu's territory.

Traveling cultivators could recognize paths and remember places they had visited. From their descriptions of the terrain, Li Banfeng could deduce that they had originally been reclaiming land on He Jiaqing's territory.

Now that they had come to Ma Wu's territory, it was equivalent to undermining He Jiaqing.

Who was this intermediary they spoke of? Was it someone Ma Wu had sent?

Undermining opponents was indeed an old strategy, but if Ma Wu had done it, he would definitely have told Li Banfeng, especially since he hadn't omitted details even about the restaurant incident.

Li Banfeng stroked the Judge's Brush. "I think this intermediary was sent by the Hundred Flowers God."

The Judge's Brush corrected him. "It's the fake Hundred Flowers God. He's intentionally stirring up trouble."

From this group of reclamation workers, Li Banfeng had already found the first clue. However, the intermediary they spoke of was unlikely to reappear.

As Li Banfeng pondered if this clue had any other uses, the corners of his mouth unexpectedly curled into a smile.

The Judge's Brush asked, "What are you smiling about?"

Li Banfeng didn't know why he was smiling; an uncontrollable joy suddenly welled up within him.

He looked into the distance, where many people were digging foundations and building houses.

Over 90% of the new land was almost ready to become established territory. Those who successfully reclaimed it all wanted to set up a home and business there.

The sound of a suona came from afar; two reclamation workers had gotten married.

It wasn't a formal marriage, nor was there even a bridal sedan chair. The couple simply scraped together a wedding feast and would live together from then on.

Thinking of his own wife, Li Banfeng's cheeks flushed slightly. He hadn't even held a wedding feast, but fortunately, he had prepared plenty of delicious food and drinks for his wife.

That feeling of joy surged again, and Li Banfeng, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, stood smiling for a long time.

The Tang Saber vibrated its blade. "Master, you smiled like this when Seven Autumn City became established territory too."

"Did I?"

"Yes!" the Glove testified. "At that time, the Three-Headed People treated Seven Autumn City as their home, and the master smiled for a long time, just like that. Why do you want to smile so much?"

Li Banfeng crouched down, took his hands out of his sleeves, and picked up some soil from the ground, vaguely sensing some spirituality.

That was a unique perception of house cultivators. A sense of joy from within the soil slowly welled up in his palm.

A snippet of song drifted to his ears, and Li Banfeng looked in the direction of the sound.

"I pluck willow threads as strings, singing until my heart breaks, who will pity me? At night I count the drumbeats, my needlework tangles the twin lotuses."

A young woman was playing the pipa and singing for money. Reclamation workers gathered in a circle, cheering and applauding occasionally, and sometimes tossing a few coins into her basket.

The young woman was beautiful and sang sweetly, but Li Banfeng could tell she wasn't a living person.

Was this an artisan cultivator's puppet? Or a house cultivator's darling maiden?

Apparently, neither.

It seemed there was another master who had settled in this territory.

This master seemed to be an acquaintance—

"Two freshly hunted bears, everyone, take a look and make an offer!"

A shout interrupted Li Banfeng's thoughts.

He Jiaqing, disguised as an old hunter, walked among the reclamation workers, carrying a bear on his back.

Seeing the old hunter again, the workers went up to tease him. "Old fellow, are you here to trick people again?"

He Jiaqing replied, feigning offense, "What are you talking about? When have I ever tricked anyone?"

"You clearly only have one bear on your back, so why are you saying you're selling two bears?"

He Jiaqing set the two-headed bear on the ground. "This bear has two heads. Can't you see, or are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"

"Just trying to annoy you!" The workers burst into laughter, stepping forward to haggle. Some wanted bear gall, some wanted bear hide, and some wanted to buy a bear's head.

Many people liked to buy from the old hunter because his prices were quite reasonable.

He Jiaqing had indeed grown familiar with them. This was his sixth visit to Ma Wu's territory to scout the area. He had now determined the approximate location of the deed and had figured out some of the traps surrounding it.

It was precisely because of these traps that He Jiaqing repeatedly scouted the area. Every trap in the peach forest was crafted by a renowned master, with some even made by Tang Shijiang and Bai Qiaoniang. These traps were capable of endangering He Jiaqing's life.

Therefore, He Jiaqing was extremely cautious. He wouldn't act easily without absolute certainty.

Late at night, He Jiaqing entered the peach forest, pulled out a piece of bear hide from his pocket, tore off a handful of bear fur, and threw it into the wind.

A thief cultivator's technique: "No Treasure Untouched."

The bear fur would automatically seek out valuable items. Since the deed was highly valuable, He Jiaqing could determine its buried location based on where the fur landed.

The bear fur drifted with the wind. After a while, it landed evenly around He Jiaqing.

The "No Treasure Untouched" technique had activated, but it didn't work as intended.

Ma Wu had buried many valuables beneath the peach forest, and the bear fur landed near these treasures. This was a method specifically designed to guard against thief cultivators.

He Jiaqing smiled. "Well played, Ma Junyang. You're truly well-prepared."

Most thief cultivators might have been stumped, but He Jiaqing had his own methods. Relying on his experience, he first selected a few spots in the peach forest, pulled out a piece of iron wire from his pocket, and began to probe the ground one by one.

This was another thief cultivator's technique: "Golden Thread Pulse." While both were treasure-hunting methods, "Golden Thread Pulse" was significantly less efficient than "No Treasure Untouched," but it was much more accurate.

The first spot he probed revealed not a deed, but gold buried beneath.

He Jiaqing retracted the wire and moved to the second spot. After probing, he discovered silver dollars beneath.

These were good items, but no one should touch them; they were riddled with traps.

At the third spot, a suona was hidden beneath.

Was this suona considered valuable?

The iron wire vibrated, indicating that the suona was likely a spiritual artifact.

This spiritual artifact was very sensitive. Being poked by the wire, it seemed to have awakened.

The awakened suona was somewhat annoyed but wouldn't act immediately. After all, this was a peach forest on a mountain, and it was normal for insects or snakes to burrow and accidentally touch it. As long as it wasn't provoked further, one could withdraw safely.

He Jiaqing estimated the suona's range of control based on the pulses transmitted through the iron wire.

Once awakened, the suona likely controlled an area of several tens of meters in radius. Within this range, if it detected another anomaly, the consequences would be severe.

He Jiaqing would not allow the suona to detect any more anomalies. His feet moved lightly on the ground, leaving no footprints and making no sound, moving further and further away from the suona's location.

A thief cultivator's technique: "Footprints on Snow, No Trace."

As He Jiaqing moved, he calmly pondered why this suona was here.

Based on common sense, such a valuable spiritual artifact was buried here to protect the deed. Therefore, it could be concluded that Ma Wu's deed was beneath the suona.

Of course, there could also be a trap beneath the suona, with Ma Wu creating a false impression by placing the suona there to lure others into a trap.

But using such a precious spiritual artifact merely as a decoy would be too wasteful, so He Jiaqing thought—

*Thud!*

He Jiaqing fell to the ground.

Tripped over a tree root?

Stepped in mud?

He Jiaqing didn't know why he had fallen.

This fall, however, enraged the suona.

*Wuwawawa!* The sound of the suona echoed throughout the area for dozens of miles.

Lights flickered on in many surrounding wooden cabins. Reclamation workers woke from their dreams, wondering what had happened.

The singing girl, who had been sitting in her room, heard the suona. She picked up her pipa and began playing "Ambush from All Sides."

No one nearby could hear her music, but Mu Yuejuan, far above in the clouds, heard it distinctly.

She immediately woke up Ai Yeqing. "It's started! In Ma Wu's territory!"

Ai Yeqing immediately got up, went to the second-floor corridor, pulled a string of copper coins from her bamboo hat, and stuck them onto the wall.

The copper coins moved along the wall, outlining a door.

Ai Yeqing pushed the door open and entered a dark room.

Mu Yuejuan stood at the doorway and saw piles of copper coins inside, roughly estimating hundreds of thousands of them.

"Well, well, Ai Qiandao, you've hidden so much? Even I didn't know!"

"Without some capital, how can one accomplish great things?" Ai Yeqing shook her hand, and hundreds of thousands of copper coins formed a line, entering the top of her head. As the last coin merged into Ai Yeqing's body, she stretched her neck and followed Mu Yuejuan into the painting.

"Ai Qiandao, with this capital, you could have gone head-to-head with Shan Chengjun, couldn't you? Don't you have a grudge against him? Weren't we almost killed by him? Why didn't you reveal your capital back then?"

Ai Yeqing shook her head. "If I didn't reveal my capital, I only almost died by his hand. If I had truly revealed it, I wouldn't have lived to see today. Besides, I can't carry all this capital with me. It's best if He Jiaqing's situation is resolved quickly!"

In Ma Wu's territory, the suona continued to blare.

He Jiaqing ran at full speed, wanting to leave the peach forest. Not far into his escape, he saw Ma Wu and Feng Daiku.

In another place, He Jiaqing could easily handle two opponents, but this was Ma Wu's territory, and He Jiaqing didn't want to take risks.

He leaned against a peach tree, and his figure disappeared in an instant.

A thief cultivator's technique: "Conceal Shadow, Hide Form."

At this moment, He Jiaqing had merged with the peach tree. Even a peeking cultivator from above the clouds would find it difficult to determine He Jiaqing's location.

Feng Daiku manipulated her love threads, searching through the peach forest. Ma Wu had his joyous fire ready, intending to set He Jiaqing ablaze the moment he appeared.

However, the love threads circled the peach forest twice but found no trace of He Jiaqing.

Ma Wu whispered, "Did he escape the forest?"

Feng Daiku wasn't sure either and discussed searching elsewhere with Ma Wu.

Seeing the two leave, He Jiaqing was about to deactivate his technique when a love thread suddenly flew at him. Completely unprepared, He Jiaqing barely dodged using his agility, but a large piece of flesh was sliced from his face.

A sentiment cultivator's technique: "Love Stronger Than Gold!"

He Jiaqing hadn't yet figured out why Feng Daiku could detect him. As he pondered, that love thread circled past the peach tree and wrapped itself around He Jiaqing's waist.

Looking down, He Jiaqing now understood.

The reason Feng Daiku could see him was because he was glowing.

A bright light shimmered on his body, its origin unknown.

Could it be Ma Wu's joyous fire had hit him?

There was no time to worry about that now. Feng Daiku's love thread was wrapped around his waist, and once Feng Daiku exerted force, He Jiaqing would be cut in half.

*Whoosh!* Feng Daiku was about to tighten the love thread but found it uncontrollably loosening and falling into He Jiaqing's hands.

A thief cultivator's technique: "Empty Hand, Empty Pockets!"

He Jiaqing had actually stolen Feng Daiku's love thread.

Stealing one wasn't a problem. Feng Daiku flicked her long sleeve, and another love thread emerged, aiming to wrap around He Jiaqing's neck.

He Jiaqing swung the love thread in his hand, tangling it with Feng Daiku's. He Jiaqing exerted force with his hand, pulling Feng Daiku into a strange stumble.

Feng Daiku gritted her teeth and wrestled with He Jiaqing. The love threads were her means of survival; how could she let He Jiaqing gain the upper hand?

But He Jiaqing truly did gain the upper hand. His wrist movements and footwork were far more agile than Feng Daiku's. He moved with ease, advancing and retreating fluidly. Not only was He Jiaqing unrestrained by the love threads, but he also controlled Feng Daiku's movements. In two close encounters, He Jiaqing used the ring on his hand to leave several bloody scratches on Feng Daiku's delicate cheek.

While the two were entangled, Ma Wu quickly deployed his joyous fire. He Jiaqing smiled. The joyous fire ignited, but not on him; it caught the nearby peach tree instead.

A thief cultivator's technique: "Steal the Beams, Replace the Pillars."

The peach tree quickly caught fire, its branches and leaves suddenly growing wildly, wrapping themselves around nearby peach trees.

Seeing the fire spread, Ma Wu quickly withdrew his technique. His deed was here, and he certainly didn't want to burn down the entire peach forest.

He Jiaqing was unharmed. While fending off Feng Daiku, he chatted with Ma Wu, "Ma Junyang, they said your leg was broken. But your leg looks perfectly fine to me."

Ma Wu wanted to use his "flirtatious banter" technique on He Jiaqing, but the speed at which he could deploy his techniques simply couldn't keep up with He Jiaqing's agility.

Feng Daiku released the love thread in her hand, no longer entangling with He Jiaqing. She spread her sleeve flat in mid-air, using a sentiment cultivator's technique, "Net of Grievance." Tens of thousands of love threads wove into a giant net, rushing towards He Jiaqing.

With so many love threads, let's see how he'll steal them all.

He Jiaqing was truly unfazed. He waited for the love threads to fall, then meticulously "accepted" them one by one. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of love threads were all in his hands; the entire Net of Grievance had been stolen by He Jiaqing.

He took the captured net and threw it towards Feng Daiku. Feng Daiku was startled and immediately dodged.

This was actually a feint.

This was the love net Feng Daiku herself created; how could it trap her?

But with He Jiaqing's scare and Feng Daiku's dodge, Ma Wu was left unattended.

He Jiaqing smiled. "Old Ma Wu, you falsely accused me of breaking your hamstring. Today, I'll really break one for you to see!"

Feng Daiku tried to block He Jiaqing's path with her love threads. He Jiaqing bypassed the threads in one step, approached Ma Junyang in two steps, and in the third step, he leapt into the air—Ma Wu was terrified!

Why did He Jiaqing fly? What was he going to do?

Not only Ma Wu, but He Jiaqing himself didn't understand. His third step was meant to steal Ma Wu's hamstring; why did he suddenly fly?

Flying wasn't the main issue; He Jiaqing's body was somewhat out of control. He felt a vortex of air nearby constantly pulling at him.

Feng Daiku's love threads wrapped around him. He Jiaqing couldn't dodge and sustained three cuts on his body, front and back.

Seeing the love threads coming again, He Jiaqing used his "Steal the Beams, Replace the Pillars" technique, swapping places with a stone on the ground.

Ma Wu gritted his teeth. He had just missed a good opportunity. After He Jiaqing flew up, there was no special intention; he was simply being beaten.

After landing, He Jiaqing went to find Ma Wu again. He had barely taken two steps when his feet suddenly missed the ground, and he flew up once more.

This time, Ma Wu and Feng Daiku didn't hold back. Regardless of why He Jiaqing kept flying, they decided to strike with deadly force first and ask questions later.

Feng Daiku tightly bound He Jiaqing with her love threads, and Ma Wu directly ignited his joyous fire on He Jiaqing's body.

He Jiaqing first had to maintain his balance, then resist the love threads and the joyous fire. To use "Steal the Beams, Replace the Pillars" again would be beyond his strength.

But if he couldn't use substitution, being tied in the air meant he was merely a punching bag!

Ma Wu pulled out a short club, over a foot long, from behind him. He jumped into the air, aimed at He Jiaqing, and began to brutally beat him.

Feng Daiku watched anxiously. With such a good opportunity, why didn't Ma Wu use a sharp weapon? Why this stick?

This stick was far more powerful than a sharp weapon. It was a weapon specially forged by Ma Wu, by melting several spiritual artifacts together, and was called the "Five-Lang Club."

Sharp weapons might not necessarily harm He Jiaqing, but the Five-Lang Club could truly injure him.

After several blows, two of He Jiaqing's arm bones and one leg bone were broken. His shoulder blade and cheekbone were fractured. In agonizing pain, his concentration wavered. The love threads tightened into his bones, and the joyous fire burned through his flesh.

He Jiaqing instantly turned into a charred lump and fell to the ground with a thud.

Was he burned to death just like that?

Ma Wu didn't believe it. He snatched up the club, aimed at He Jiaqing's head, and delivered another blow.

With one blow, He Jiaqing's entire body exploded, turning into a cloud of black ash. Feng Daiku felt that something was wrong; the black ash dispersed with the wind, blinding both of their eyes.

From within the black ash, He Jiaqing knelt up and immediately ran off.

A thief cultivator's technique: "Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell."

Although he successfully shed his shell, the injuries remained. He Jiaqing dragged one leg, fleeing for over a hundred li before finally shaking off Ma Wu and Feng Daiku. Ma Wu and Feng Daiku tried their best to pursue, but their speed was far inferior to He Jiaqing's.

Now outside Ma Wu's territory, He Jiaqing pondered his next destination.

Going to Green Water City would likely lead to another ambush; Ma Wu's roots in Green Water City were too deep.

Return to his own territory?

Shu Fangjuan was in his territory; perhaps he could offer some assistance.

But what if Shu Fangjuan didn't offer help? What if he took advantage of his misfortune? How should he react then?

To be safe, He Jiaqing decided to go to Bitter Vegetable Village.

The nearest established territory was Hundred Ingenuity Ridge. Once there, he could find the entrance to Bitter Vegetable Village. This place was over a hundred li from Hundred Ingenuity Ridge, a manageable distance. And Ma Wu certainly wouldn't expect He Jiaqing to go to Hundred Ingenuity Ridge.

As for why so many inexplicable things happened today, he would ponder them slowly once he reached Bitter Vegetable Village.

After running for over thirty li, a large shower of flower petals suddenly descended from the sky.

He Jiaqing was shocked. Had the Hundred Flowers God arrived?

Could all the strange phenomena during the fight just now have been caused by the Hundred Flowers God?

The petals drew closer, then suddenly transformed into copper coins, rushing towards He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing hurriedly dodged, but due to his injuries, he wasn't nimble enough. Several copper coins still firmly embedded themselves in his body.

Copper coins?

Kong Fang?

He Jiaqing looked around, searching for Mr. Kong Fang's figure.

The mist in the night sky shivered. He Jiaqing suddenly realized there was an invisible painting before him.

A large shower of copper coins flew out from the painting. He Jiaqing heard Mr. Kong Fang's voice: "Don't go anywhere else. Just stay here."