Wife, Answer Me

Late at night, Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth hid inside a cave, watching the entrance in silence. Madam Bagworm Moth lingered just outside, quietly waiting for them to emerge. She could have come inside, but chose not to; she liked playing hide-and-seek with her prey for a while, even if, in her eyes, the evasive tricks Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth used were laughably crude. After a few minutes, Madam Bagworm Moth began releasing insect silk into the cave, and Ma the Fifth broke down completely. In truth, he had reached his breaking point long before this. He was not a journey cultivator and possessed no great endurance. Joy Cultivators were frail by nature to begin with, and after running a full day without food or water, Ma the Fifth could barely keep his feet. More crucially, running like this led nowhere. Ma the Fifth had read in books that once you crossed paths with Madam Bagworm Moth, there was no escaping unless you satisfied her demands—or possessed cultivation equal to or greater than hers. Just how high was Madam Bagworm Moth's cultivation? Near the eighth tier. She was one of the most formidable anomalies in the newland. Encountering her while blazing a trail through newly opened land was tantamount to failure. The pioneers had to scatter in every direction, and whether anyone survived depended entirely on Madam Bagworm Moth's mood. Daboyins had managed to survive her clutches. Most of the time, she took no pleasure in outright killing; she preferred playing with people. But whether one lived after being toyed with by her was a matter of fortune. Since escaping her was impossible, Ma the Fifth could only follow the survival method detailed in the book: satisfy her demands. The question was, could he withstand them? Daboyins could, but he could not. Daboyins was a body cultivator who possessed not only superb cultivation, but also a physique far beyond ordinary men. None of that was something Ma the Fifth could match. Even so, Ma the Fifth resolved to make a stand. Even if he perished here, he had to buy Li Banfeng a chance to escape. "Brother Li, run! I'll fight her!" Li Banfeng looked at him. "Fight her with what?" "She just wants to play," Ma the Fifth said. "I might as well keep her company! I'm a Joy Cultivator—what haven't I experienced?" Li Banfeng pointed toward Madam Bagworm Moth outside. "Have you experienced this kind too?" "This kind... no..." Ma the Fifth gritted his teeth. "Brother Li, I owe you my life. Consider this my repayment! Go, quickly!" With that, Ma the Fifth charged to the mouth of the cave and shouted, "You want to play? Let's play properly!" Madam Bagworm Moth gave a light chuckle. "Call the other one out too. One of you isn't enough." "Just me!" Ma the Fifth yelled. "What more do you want?" "Little darling, why so fiery?" Madam Bagworm Moth burst into wild laughter. With a sweep of the antennae atop her head, she moved to snare him. She might play with him thoroughly, or she might devour him on the spot. She might also turn him into her child, tucking him inside a cocoon to nurse slowly. Yet Li Banfeng had already seen which way the wind blew. No matter what she did to Ma the Fifth, she would never let Li Banfeng go. Li Banfeng produced a rust pill and struck Madam Bagworm Moth with it. Rust spread across her body at blinding speed, and she felt a sharp, searing pain. Paying Ma the Fifth no more heed, she turned her gaze upon Li Banfeng. While Ma the Fifth was still frozen in shock, Li Banfeng bellowed, "Run!" Ma the Fifth did not dare hesitate. He turned on his heels and bolted. If Madam Bagworm Moth intended to pursue, Ma the Fifth could never escape—not even with Li Banfeng stalling for time. But Madam Bagworm Moth had no interest in chasing him now. She was angry. Ignoring Ma the Fifth entirely, her gaze remained fixed on Li Banfeng. "You are very disobedient. I don't care for children like you." Li Banfeng kept his eyes locked on the patch of rust coating her body. By his reckoning, the rust should have dealt her severe damage. At the very least, it should have forced her to shed a layer of skin. Yet she did not shed her skin, nor did she even shake the rust from herself. The fluids beneath her flesh surged wave after wave, giving rise to a whirlpool that swallowed the patch of rust completely. Ever since Li Banfeng obtained his first rust pill on Bitter Mist Mountain, this potent pill had proved nearly invincible. This was the first time it had failed to produce virtually any effect against a foe. Madam Bagworm Moth stroked Li Banfeng's cheek with two antennae, speaking in a calm, measured voice: "I could bear children with you, or I could turn you into my child. "I could turn you into one child, or into three. "I could slice you into a hundred pieces and turn you into a hundred children. "I could also lay my young upon you and let them feed upon your flesh and blood as they grow, turning you into their home." Their home. Li Banfeng recalled the bagworm moth's cocoon. So that cocoon was crafted from living creatures as well. The antennae rubbed against Li Banfeng's face faster and faster, signaling her worsening temper. "I believe the last path suits you best, for you are neither gentle nor endearing." As the words left her mouth, she rammed straight into the cave. Li Banfeng retreated in a flash, opened the Portable Abode, and threw the key outside. Under the circumstances, seeking refuge in the Portable Abode was his only viable choice. As for how to get back out, he would have to figure that out later. With a heavy bang, the door shut tight, and Li Banfeng let out a long breath. He had survived this immediate disaster, but what was he to do next? If Madam Bagworm Moth departed, all would be well. But if she camped by the entrance, how could he leave? If she carried off the key, things would be even worse. He needed to prepare for a prolonged stay. First, he would take stock of his supplies. There was plenty to eat here: canned goods, compressed biscuits, sausages... Where had sausages come from? And why was this sausage wriggling? What was that? An antenna! Madam Bagworm Moth's antenna. She had followed him inside! How had she slipped in? Had he failed to shut the door completely? Li Banfeng swung his Tang dao, aiming to sever the antenna. A casual flick of the antenna sent Li Banfeng flying across the room. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the door had already swung open. A colossal green caterpillar surged into the Portable Abode, taking up the entirety of the main room. "What sort of place is this? How bizarre." The quarters were too cramped for Madam Bagworm Moth to turn her massive body easily. Ch-ch-ch— The gramophone woke, singing in a cheerful voice, "Husband, you're back from the market! You've bought... you've bought... what on earth have you bought..." Madam Bagworm Moth twisted around, surveying her surroundings. "Not a bad little room. Leave it for my children; it can house plenty of them." Li Banfeng drew the Tang dao and hurled it toward her. Clang! The Tang dao slipped free of its sheath and slashed three times across the moth's head before retreating into Li Banfeng's pocket. Three strikes landed just like that, yet none breached her defenses in the slightest. Not even a scratch remained on her head. No wonder the Tang dao had fled so quickly; the gulf between their strengths was simply too vast. Li Banfeng drew the Hanxue pendulum, intending to strike at Madam Bagworm Moth, but the pendulum shrank backward in terror. "Master, no! Spare my life!" The pendulum dared not engage; fighting would simply be suicide. What about the teapot? Would the teapot be of any use? She had nowhere to dodge inside this tiny room; perhaps it could scald her to death! Just as Li Banfeng moved to look for the teapot— Whoosh! A mass of silk threads lunged toward him. In the narrow room, Li Banfeng had scarcely any space to evade. Huff! A plume of steam shot forward, burning the silk to ashes. The gramophone barked, "Milord, wait in the outer room! Today's ingredients are rather tricky; allow this humble servant to handle them first!" Before Li Banfeng could speak, a surge of steam pushed him into the outer room, and the outer door slammed shut immediately behind him, sealed fast by the thick vapor. Madam Bagworm Moth roared at the gramophone, "What kind of creature are you?" Ch-ch— The gramophone gave a scornful laugh. "Bold of you. I may have fallen on hard times today, but even a maggot like you dares speak to me in such a manner?" Whoosh! Blistering steam engulfed the entire chamber. Madam Bagworm Moth gaped her maw wide and lunged forward, swallowing every wisp of steam in the room whole. Screeech— The gramophone let out a soaring, piercing melody, and the steam trapped inside Madam Bagworm Moth's belly began to expand violently. Madam Bagworm Moth hissed repeatedly in agony, spitting forth silk to bind the record and clog the horn, desperate to stifle its sound. Two massive mandibles bit through the gramophone's casing, sinking deep into its body. ... A few minutes later, the sounds of fighting beyond the door gradually died away. Li Banfeng dashed into the main room and found Madam Bagworm Moth's body greatly shrunken, curled motionless upon the floor. The gramophone was battered from top to bottom, silent. The front panel was shattered, the horn warped and mangled. Worst of all, two gears had tumbled free from inside its chassis, piercing Li Banfeng's heart with dread. Li Banfeng panicked; he had never felt such turmoil in his life. He caressed the gramophone, calling out again and again, "Wife, Wife, answer me..." Woo-woo— A faint noise. His wife had made a sound. Though barely audible, Li Banfeng heard it. He looked into the horn and saw it choked with silk. The metal was scalding hot, but paying no heed to the pain, Li Banfeng dug the silk out with all his might. Scree—scree— With the horn cleared, the gramophone produced only strange, grating friction. Inside the casing, several more gears were jammed with silk threads. Li Banfeng fetched his tools and cleaned them with utmost care. After tinkering for over an hour, the gears slowly began to turn once more. Puff... puff... Steam began to billow out in a steady rhythm. "Wife, answer me!" Li Banfeng pleaded, staring at the gramophone in desperate anticipation. "Aiya... Husband, why such... urgency?" the gramophone answered at last.