Li Banfeng felt a faint unease creep into his chest.
Sothing about this doesn't feel right. Could soone who needs a crowbar just to pry loose a rock on the cliff… be that sa person who can climb down dozens of ters and kill a third-level Hobound Cultivator?
Li Banfeng didn't believe it at all! He suspected that the one who killed Old Hu wasn't outside. They were inside Iron Gate Fort.
Old Hu had refused to pay and had even wanted to fight back against the bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain. On top of that, he was old and had arrived at Iron Gate Fort earlier than most, even earlier than the Fort Lord himself. A person like that could easily beco a target of the Fort Lord.
Old Hu was dead., so who would be next?
In Li Banfeng's view, it would most likely be Wu Yongchao.
Wu Yongchao had voted to fight back. More importantly, his cultivation was high. He was obviously a threat to the Fort Lord.
Why had Li Banfeng placed all his suspicions on the Fort Lord? In his eyes, there was no one more suspicious in Iron Gate Fort right now than the Fort Lord himself.
The Fort Lord was a level-eight Hobound Cultivator… and he couldn't even stop a bunch of bandits from getting in? That just didn't sound right. Either his cultivation was fake… Or he was working with them, teaming up with the bandits to prey on these honest people together.
Li Banfeng repeatedly warned, "Before you hear
knocking on the door, you must not go out."
Wu Yongchao didn't understand.
Just then, the dwelling spirit reminded him, "Kid, listen to him. As long as you stay inside the house, those bastards won't dare touch you. And even if they dared to co in, the two of us will fight them together!"
Wu Yongchao thought Li Banfeng couldn't hear a thing, but Li Banfeng caught every word. He possessed the ability of Perceiving the Spirit's lody, which allowed him to hear spirit voices as clearly as if they were spoken aloud.
This honest man really was quite lucky. He had t a good dwelling spirit, and he had also run into a good "Peddler."
Li Banfeng was just about to leave when Wu Yongchao hurriedly stopped him. "Don't go out. Just stay here for now. If the Fort Lord finds out…"
Li Banfeng smiled. "It's not a good habit to let an outsider stay the night without asking your dwelling spirit. Don't worry. I have my ways of keeping your Fort Lord from finding out. Just rember this. You must not open the door until you hear
at the door."
If the Fort Lord were really a level-eight Hobound Cultivator, I would have already been caught, Li Banfeng thought. But if his cultivation isn't too high, I will have so fun with him.
At three in the morning, Li Banfeng gripped a sickle and began climbing the cliff, relying on the agility of a Wanderlust Cultivator.
The cliff was nearly vertical, and every step was a struggle as Li Banfeng scraped his hands against the rock until they bled.
The liquor gourd whispered in his ear, "Little bro, are you really going to get involved in this?"
"I am," Li Banfeng replied without a trace of hesitation.
"These honest folks might not be of any use to you in the future."
"That has nothing to do with whether they are useful or not."
Li Banfeng climbed onto the platform and slipped into his Pocket Dwelling to rest. When he ca back out, it was close to six in the morning.
When he returned to the platform, there were already people there. There were eleven of them. Ten laborers, and one small foreman keeping watch over them as they carefully prepared the stones.
The mont they saw Li Banfeng, the foreman at the front jolted and lowered his voice. "Who are you?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and glared at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "The boss sent
to check on things. Just keep working and stay quiet."
The foreman looked him over. "Sent by the boss? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Of course you haven't seen . You weren't supposed to. Why are you asking so many questions?"
"Which chief do you work under?"
"How dare you still ask?" Li Banfeng's frown deepened.
The foreman felt a flicker of fear. There was sothing about Li Banfeng that made a person's spine go stiff without quite knowing why. And really, it only made sense. In a place like this, anyone you didn't recognize was far more likely to be important than ordinary and not soone to be casually questioned.
"W-well… you'd best say what branch you are on. If the boss asks, I need sothing to tell him."
"One-Foot Door[1]," Li Banfeng replied.
Showing the branch and tracing the root was basic gang slang, and Li Banfeng could still understand it.
"Got it." The foreman didn't dare press further and quickly waved his n back to work.
Their task was simple. Once the gun captain, Luo Dagui, gave the word, they would start hurling stones down below.
There were eleven of them. It was not a small number. Li Banfeng was worried that he would have to take them all on at once without causing any noise. But when he saw that they went back to work, he no longer worried.
Just as he had expected, anyone who needed carrying poles and crowbars to move stones wasn't likely to be skilled. Judging by their strength alone, they weren't even cultivators.
With a single Traceless Quick Step, Li Banfeng slipped behind the foreman. His left hand clamped over the man's mouth as his right hand flashed, slicing his throat.
The others were still focused on their work. Li Banfeng moved through them one by one, cutting them down in silence. By the ti anyone reacted, nearly half were already dead.
"What are you…"
Li Banfeng thrust out his iron ruler and pierced the man's throat. The remaining five n rushed him together, fighting with desperate force.
Li Banfeng raised his mandarin-duck axes and cut them down one after another. The dead and the half-dead alike were swept into his Pocket Dwelling.
Once he cleaned up the scene, Li Banfeng turned and headed down the mountain.
***
At six o'clock, Ma Dingfu ca knocking again. Wu Yongchao stayed behind the door, not daring to make a sound.
"Wu, you are a grown man. Hiding like this won't solve anything. I know you are short on money, so tell
how much you can give . If you don't have enough, I can lend you. But it's not right for you to keep hiding like this. We are Hobound Cultivators and we are not spineless cowards. If you really can't afford it, you can move out. Staying here and risking everyone's lives isn't sothing a man should do!"
However, no matter what Ma Dingfu said, Wu Yongchao just wouldn't co out.
***
At the mouth of the ravine, Sui Donglan hid in the tall grass, waiting for the "Peddler" to appear. By the ti it was nearly eight, he still hadn't shown up.
Woooo! Woooo!
The whistle shrieked, and the great steam gate slamd shut.
This is bad, Sui Donglan thought. The bandits are here.
She wanted to run, but her legs had gone weak. After steeling herself for a long mont, she finally forced herself to stand. Only then did she see more than a dozen burly n approaching from afar.
These n wore thick changshan, large fur hats, and fierce-looking masks. They carried a massive wooden chest, about one ter high and wide and over two ters long, as they arrived at the valley gate.
Sui Donglan scrambled deeper into the grass, clamping a hand over her mouth as tears stread down her face. A faint rustling ca from her pant legs as she lost control and wet herself.
These are the bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain, Sui Donglan thought. That damned Peddler told
to wait here, and now I've walked straight into them!
Clang!
Several burly n set the large wooden chest on the ground, opened the lid, and began turning a handle. From within, a massive horn nearly eighty centiters across slowly rose up.
What is that thing? Sui Donglan muttered inwardly.
The burly n looked around, appearing to be checking if there was anyone else nearby.
Sui Donglan bit her lip until it bled, not daring to make a sound.
"Fort Lord Zhou, are you ho?" Luo Dagui was calling out.
A voice suddenly bood from the horn. It was so loud it made Sui Donglan's chest ache.
So that's what they were using to shout, Sui Donglan thought. No wonder it's so loud.
Sui Donglan thought back to the tis Flying Eagle Mountain had massacred entire villages. Each ti, the voices had been just as loud, loud enough to frighten people half to death.
She had always thought it was so technique used by high-level cultivators. Now she realized it all ca from this device.
Sui Donglan finally stopped wetting herself. Sohow, she didn't feel quite as afraid anymore.
"Fort Lord Zhou, yesterday you asked for a few more days to gather the money. I agreed, didn't I? And look, I haven't killed a single one of your people today.
"But let's be clear. When you say 'a few days,' what exactly are you planning? You can't give
ten thousand silver dollars, but you should have at least three thousand, right? I will take three thousand today."
Inside the fort, the Hobound Cultivators exchanged quick looks, a small spark of hope passing between them.
There's room to negotiate! The Fort Lord really is impressive. He managed to bring the price down. Three thousand silver dollars isn't hard to gather. It's just ten from each household.
Just as they were celebrating, another shout ca from outside. "Fort Lord Zhou, no answer? Then don't bla
for doing this the hard way!"
Why isn't Fort Lord Zhou responding? Does he not even want to give the three thousand silver dollars? Luo Dagui said he wouldn't play nice anymore. Is he going to start throwing stones again?
The Hobound Cultivators were terrified. Yet no matter how afraid they were, they did not step outside. Even if the stones crushed them where they stood, they refused to abandon their hos.
Ma Dingfu stood in the middle of the road, calm as ever. He knew the stones would start falling soon. These Hobound Cultivators just needed a good beating.
But even after waiting for quite so ti, not a single stone ca.
Ma Dingfu felt a flicker of confusion. Outside the gate, Luo Dagui was no less bewildered.
These birdbrains! Did they not hear
or what?
"I really won't hold back!" he shouted again. Behind him, soone cranked the box, amplifying his voice until it rang even louder than before.
They waited for a long ti, but still no stones ca.
Luo Dagui panicked. He realized sothing might have gone wrong.
"Forget it, Fort Lord Zhou. I won't make things ugly today. I'll co back tomorrow for three thousand silver dollars, and a few days later, I'll take another three thousand. If you keep dragging this out, we will go back to collecting one head a day!
Fort Lord Zhou finally spoke. "Gun Captain Luo, you are ruthless. I, Zhou, know to fear you now. Tomorrow, I will personally deliver the three thousand silver dollars."
The Hobound Cultivators inside the fort were all stunned.
What does that an? How is that considered ruthless?
No stones had fallen from the cliff, and no one in the fort had died. So how was that ruthless?
Sui Donglan found it strange. She had always thought that Fort Lord Zhou negotiated face to face with Luo Dagui. Yet, she didn't see him anywhere here and only heard his voice.
Was Fort Lord Zhou shouting from inside the fort? He didn't dare co out? That made him seem far less impressive.
Luo Dagui flicked his hand as if shooing away flies, and his n hurried off at once.
Sui Donglan sagged where she stood and let out a long, shaky breath. For a mont, she really believed she had escaped this whole ss.
Clink-clank, clink-clank!
The mont the rattling reached her ears, Sui Donglan nearly jumped out of her skin.
Damn it. Why does he have to show up now of all tis?
There he was. Li Banfeng strolled over with a sack slung across his back, casually shaking his rattle drum as he ca to a stop before Luo Dagui and the others.
"Don't rush off just yet," Li Banfeng said, perfectly serious. "Let's talk a bit more. One head a day is a bit much, don't you think? How about one every two days?"
Luo Dagui jolted in surprise and barked angrily, "Who are you?"
"I am the Peddler," Li Banfeng said with a smile. "The people of Iron Gate Fort are too honest to bargain, so I will do it for them. One head every two days, what do you think?"
Luo Dagui said nothing. The dozen or so n beside him quietly drew their weapons.
Li Banfeng smiled. "Since you are not saying anything, I will take that as a yes. Go on, count them. See if these heads are enough to cover what we owe you."
He tossed the sack to the ground. Thud. Eleven heads rolled out.
"One every two days," Li Banfeng went on cheerfully. "That's twenty-two days. Gun Captain Luo, the math checks out, doesn't it?"
"Get him!" Luo Dagui roared.
More than a dozen burly n rushed forward at once.
Li Banfeng swung his sickle straight at one man's face, forcing the man to jerk back to dodge. He twisted his wrist and swept horizontally, slicing the man's throat.
The fellow's quick dodge told Li Banfeng everything. Oh yes, this one had so cultivation. And judging by the look of the others, they weren't exactly ordinary either.
Then Li Banfeng suddenly bellowed, "Open the gates and fight them!"
He had planted himself right next to the horn, you see, and the thing carried his voice everywhere. Every last person inside the fort heard him, clear as day.
He was actually calling for the gates to be opened!
Inside his house, Wu Yongchao heard every word.
The dwelling spirit muttered, "When he said he would call at the door, I thought he ant our door. Who would have guessed he ant the fort gate? What are we supposed to do now?"
"I am opening it!" Wu Yongchao snapped. That was the sort of stubborn streak only a Hobound Cultivator could have.
"No, don't act rashly. Be careful of your Fort Lord!"
"I have to open the gate for him!" Wu Yongchao dashed out of the house, charging straight toward the boiler room.
Ma Dingfu jumped. "What are you trying to do?"
"Open the gate and fight the bandits!"
"No! I am telling you! You can't do that! Without the Fort Lord's order, no one is allowed…"
Ma Dingfu didn't finish. Instead, he slipped in behind Wu Yongchao, quiet as a shadow, a dagger clenched in his hand.
They were less than ten steps apart when Wu Yongchao suddenly turned. The brush in his hand flicked forward and struck, driving straight into Ma Dingfu's chest.
Ma Dingfu clutched his chest and dropped, the dagger slipping from his fingers.
"Trying to ambush ?" Wu Yongchao said through clenched teeth. "You think you are capable of doing that?"
Wu Yongchao was an honest man. But just because he was an honest man did not an that he was stupid!
Li Banfeng had warned him again and again. How could he not be on guard?
"You bastard! Was it you who killed Old Hu?" Wu Yongchao stepped forward and kicked Ma Dingfu, but there was no response. It seed he was already dead.Wu Yongchao rushed straight into the boiler room and shouted at the others, "Open the gate!"
The others exchanged confused looks. What was Wu Yongchao talking about?
Wu Yongchao didn't explain. He lunged forward and seized the valve.
At once, several boiler workers rushed in to stop him. "No! You can't do that! This needs the Fort Lord's order!"
And just like that, the boiler room turned into a ss of pushing and grabbing as they struggled over the valve.
***
The fight outside grew wilder by the second.
Li Banfeng swung his sickle and cut down two n in quick succession. Two more tried to sneak up behind him, but the Tang saber leapt from its sheath all on its own. One swing, a head. Another swing, another head.
Then, as it snapped back, it took yet another, slicing clean through a man charging straight at Li Banfeng.
"One swing, one head!" the Tang saber chirped, then promptly shrank and slipped back into Li Banfeng's pocket.
The teapot wasn't about to be left out. It tipped itself and splashed out a wave of scalding tea, dropping two n where they stood.
Next ca the liquor gourd. It sprayed a fine mist into the air. Li Banfeng struck a match and three of them went up in flas.
Then the pendulum swung in. It struck one man in the neck and drained him dry in an instant, before swinging back and cracking another across the skull.
None of these n had cultivation beyond the second level while Li Banfeng was cultivating two paths at the fourth level. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen burly n were lying on the ground, not moving at all.
Only Luo Dagui was left. And oddly enough, he looked quite calm.
"Impressive," Luo Dagui said. He calmly turned the crank, drawing the horn back in and cutting off the sound, as if tidying up after a small chore. Then he looked at Li Banfeng. "What path are you on?"
Li Banfeng gave his rattle drum a little shake. "I am the Peddler. Of course I walk the Peddler's path."
Luo Dagui nodded slowly. "There are no grudges between us. When I first entered the path, I even used your dicinal powder. You could say we share a bit of… history."
"Is that so?" Li Banfeng raised his brows, pretending to be surprised. "Then you were probably using my junior brother's powder. Now, what path are you actually on? You don't fight like a Martial Cultivator. You are a Deception Cultivator, aren't you?"
Luo Dagui nodded. "You got it right. I am a level-seven Deception Cultivator."
Seven! Li Banfeng thought. Luo Dagui lied about his cultivation path, but he wasn't lying about his cultivation level. This dude is really at level seven.
Li Banfeng took half a step back. Luo Dagui let out a laugh. "Friend, whether you are a senior or junior, you have taken enough advantage today and made your point. I advise you to stop while things are still good for you.
"You call yourself the Peddler, but if I am not mistaken, you are nowhere close to the level of the Peddler. If I really make a move, you wouldn't last a single exchange. The reason I haven't acted is because I suspect you might have ties to the real Peddler. I don't want to offend him over such a small matter like Iron Gate Fort. You know Flying Eagle Mountain's reputation around here. There's no need for us to make enemies for life. Let's each take a step back and end things here today, what do you say?"
The oppressive aura pressed down on him, making Li Banfeng's hands tremble ever so slightly.
Level four Hobound. Level four Wanderlust… would that be enough to beat a level seven?
Four plus four makes eight, doesn't it?
What nonsense. It doesn't work like that.
His gaze flicked back to Luo Dagui.
But is he really level seven?
Would a true level-seven cultivator bother bringing along so many useless lackeys just to fight?
As Li Banfeng was still thinking, he suddenly heard the steam gate rumble.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Inside the boiler room, Wu Yongchao had already knocked the workers flat and thrown open the main gate.
Li Banfeng clenched his teeth!
Two to three hundred Hobound Cultivators… on their own ground. The strongest among them is only level four. Do they even stand a chance of winning?
Li Banfeng let out a long sigh. "Fine. Let's both take a step back today."
"Good!" Luo Dagui nodded, quite pleased. "You are a sensible man. You know when to advance and when to retreat. In ti, you'll surely beco soone who—"
Before he could finish, Li Banfeng used Traceless Quick Step and appeared right in front of him.
If Hobound Cultivators can't even defend their own hos, then what kind of Hobound Cultivators are they? Fight it out!
Li Banfeng swung his sickle toward the man's throat. He didn't expect the strike to land, he only wanted to seize the initiative.
This Luo Dagui is most likely not truly seventh level. I'll make a move first, then when the Hobound Cultivators rush out, we will attack from both sides and try to—
The head fell. Li Banfeng's blade swept past, and Luo Dagui's head dropped.
This guy…
Li Banfeng picked up Luo Dagui's head and stared at it for quite a while, thoughts tumbling over one another in his mind.
How could soone at this level be the gun captain of a bandit stronghold? Are bandits really this poorly chosen these days? And that aura just now… where did it even co from? Could that be a trick of Deception Cultivation?
With a hiss, the steam gate swung open.
Wu Yongchao stood at the entrance, staring nervously at the "Peddler." Behind him, a crowd of Hobound Cultivators gathered, all of them watching with the sa tight, uneasy tension.
Li Banfeng lifted Luo Dagui's head high and shouted, "The gun captain of Flying Eagle Mountain is dead!"
The Hobound Cultivators couldn't believe the "Peddler" had killed soone from Flying Eagle Mountain.They didn't understand why the "Peddler" would help them. They didn't even dare believe the head in his hand truly belonged to Luo Dagui.
Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Li Banfeng pulled off Luo Dagui's mask. "Take a good look. Do you recognize him? Do you rember him?
"You are Hobound Cultivators. Whoever cos knocking at your door, you take their head. Defend your ho. That's your dignity!"
The words hit harder than expected. Several Hobound Cultivators trembled and many even burst into tears.
Li Banfeng paused. He had to admit that he had given such an emotion-stirring speech
Just then, a woman suddenly cried out, "Fort Lord!"
Li Banfeng froze.
What lord? They are calling
Fort Lord? This is a bit too…
For the first ti, Li Banfeng actually felt a little embarrassed.
Wu Yongchao said in a trembling voice, "You killed the Fort Lord."
He ant… that this is the Fort Lord?
Li Banfeng stared at Luo Dagui's head for a mont. He said with deep feeling, "You have got to be joking… "
Author's Note:
PS: How could he be the Fort Lord? Wasn't the Fort Lord just speaking earlier?
1. Probably just sothing he made up ??
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