After staying in the Portable Abode for most of the day, Li Banfeng headed out at three in the afternoon to make his way back.
Having advanced to Tier 2 journey cultivator, coupled with his frequent excursions into perilous places like the newlands, he had accumulated a substantial reserve of time.
Add to that the Golden Origin Pill he had consumed yesterday, which granted a hundred days' worth of cultivation to his journey path, and tallying it all up, Li Banfeng now possessed cultivation equivalent to nearly twenty-two years of standard, methodical progress as a journey cultivator.
Twenty-two years of cultivation was still considered early Tier 2, but it was far faster than Tier 1. Li Banfeng sprinted all the way toward Lanyang Village; this distance of over a hundred li took him an hour at most.
Passing Jueding Mountain, Li Banfeng cast a deliberate glance toward the roadside.
The men keeping watch were still there. These people truly knew how to endure hardship.
Actually, Li Banfeng's assessment was not entirely accurate. Most of the watchers remained, but Liu Changyu was not among them.
He had fallen ill with a persistent high fever, trembling all over like a sieve, unable to speak clearly, and was currently receiving treatment in a nearby village.
The cause was simple: wind-cold. Having taken herbal decoctions, he needed to rest for some time.
Yet the young man was stubborn and competitive. The moment he recovered even slightly, he returned to stake out the roadside. He simply refused to believe the Ma family wouldn't ship goods to Lüshui City.
One of his subordinates informed Liu Changyu, "A convoy of carts and horses actually did pass through this mountain path just now."
Liu Changyu frowned. "Why didn't you stop them?"
Another subordinate said, "Young Master, that fellow didn't explain it clearly. That convoy was heading from Lüshui City toward Lanyang Village. It definitely wasn't shipping goods out of Lanyang Village."
"Fools!" Liu Changyu berated them. "Ma Junyang is crafty. Since he doesn't dare send goods out, he'll definitely find a way to get people from Lüshui City to come here and buy!"
Hearing this, the men felt Liu Changyu made sense.
"Young Master, there's no need to worry. Even if we let them through, their goods can't leave. As long as they want to return to Lüshui City, they'll have to take this road. When the time comes, can't we just rob their cargo then?"
Liu Changyu was somewhat concerned. "If the two parties have already settled the payment, it might not count as the Ma family's loss."
"No matter whose loss it is, once we rob them and scare them off, they'll never dare come back for goods again."
Liu Changyu thought that made sense and continued staking out the roadside.
***
Having just returned to the village, Li Banfeng was walking toward his wooden cabin when, passing the noodle shop, he suddenly felt something snag his foot.
Looking down, he saw spider silk.
Li Banfeng was startled. The master detective had tracked him all the way here.
He slipped straight into the noodle shop, startling the shopkeeper as well. "Honored guest, we just sold out of noodles."
Ignoring the shopkeeper, Li Banfeng ducked straight through the kitchen into the backyard and vaulted over the wall.
Not long after he left, Daboyins entered the noodle shop and smiled at the proprietor. "Did someone just come through here?"
The noodle shop proprietor had no idea how to respond. "This is a noodle shop. People come through all the time."
Daboyins pushed past the proprietor and chased into the backyard. Following the footprints up the wall, he vaulted down, only to find the tracks gone.
"Is it him? From the weight of the footsteps, it should be, but it seems a bit lighter on his feet than before," Daboyins muttered to himself.
"If his steps grew lighter, that proves his cultivation may have advanced," Critick offered as a reminder beside him.
Daboyins nodded, then turned his head. "You blasted foreign devil, must you follow me?"
Critick responded in all seriousness, "Fake foreign devil, I must follow you."
Daboyins suddenly produced a cocoon. A layer of pustules broke out across Critick's face, oozing fluid.
Just as the two were on the verge of fighting, they spotted a convoy of carts and horses entering the village.
Who was that?
Critick failed to recognize them right away, but Daboyins reacted swiftly, immediately retreating into hiding at a distance.
It was Second Miss Chu's carriage convoy.
On the carriage drapes was Second Miss Chu's favorite red fabric patterned with gold threads. Ordinary folk would not know it, but Daboyins had worked for her and recognized those drapes.
What was the Chu family doing in Lanyang Village?
Daboyins wanted to observe closer, but in the end, he abandoned the thought.
He had become tangled with the prominent families far too much lately. A place like Lanyang Village was best avoided from now on.
***
Second Miss Chu, Chu Huaiyuan, entered the village and stepped down from her carriage outside Ma the Fifth's residence.
Ma the Fifth hurried out to greet her. Truth be told, he felt some nervousness upon first seeing her, but they were old acquaintances after all. Once they were seated in the parlor, the awkwardness gradually faded after exchanging a few pleasantries.
"Second Miss, I trust you have been well. What brings you to grace my impoverished place with your presence today?"
"If I didn't come, what choice would I have?" Chu Huaiyuan gave a cold chuckle. "Fifth Young Master won't grace me with his presence. Even when I sent invitations, you refused to go."
Ma the Fifth quickly explained, "Second Miss has seen it herself. I've only just scraped together a modest establishment, and the struggle was fierce back then. I truly couldn't tear myself away."
Chu the Second sighed deeply. "Fifth Young Master couldn't tear himself away, yet it so happens I'm an idle soul, so I made a special trip to pay you a visit."
Though Chu the Second had nearly ruined Ma the Fifth before, when speaking face-to-face, the two bantered and laughed, appearing remarkably close.
When Ma the Fifth asked after her business, Chu the Second even cracked a couple of bawdy jokes. "Ever since you left, those three great song divas stopped singing properly. Jiang Mengting and Xiao Xiufei ran off to act in movies, and Xu Qiulan became a wealthy lady.
"I truly don't understand. When they were under your hand, all these divas were so well-behaved and docile. What method did you use? Did you tame them under the covers?"
Ma the Fifth waved his hands repeatedly. "Second Miss flatters me. How could I have such ability?"
Chu the Second smiled. "I hear Fifth Young Master's abilities go far beyond that."
Ma the Fifth gave a soft sigh. "Hearing is deceiving, and seeing isn't necessarily believing. True ability is kept hidden, not flaunted for people to see."
Hearing this, Chu the Second blinked her large eyes, lined with heavy eyeshadow, feigning astonishment. "Then should I try it with Fifth Young Master some other day?"
Ma the Fifth chuckled. "Why another day? Today is as good a day as any. Does Second Miss have the inclination?"
Chu the Second flashed a playful smile. "Listen to you. What kind of person do you take me for? Coming all this way to deliver myself to your bed, is that it?"
Trading bawdy remarks, cracking jokes, and accepting a few gifts were of no consequence; so long as he avoided business dealings with Chu the Second, there would be little trouble.
Yet Chu the Second had come precisely for business. "Fifth Young Master, your business has just opened. I must buy a few things to show my support."
Ma the Fifth waved his hands repeatedly. "That won't do. I've already received so many gifts from you today; I wouldn't dare make you spend more."
Chu the Second smiled. "Why treat me like a stranger? Besides, I won't buy much—just enough for good fortune."
Seeing that he truly could not refuse, Ma the Fifth took Chu the Second to the warehouse and introduced several specialties from the newlands, expecting her to pick one or two items as a gesture. But Ma the Fifth was sorely mistaken.
Chu the Second had brought a great many gifts for Ma the Fifth, filling ten whole carriages.
Once the gifts were unloaded, Chu the Second instructed her men to load up. "Empty this warehouse. I want everything!"
Ma the Fifth was shocked. "Second Miss, wait a moment, this price..."
"According to your ledgers. No haggling today! Load the carriages!"
"This goes against the rules..."
Chu the Second blinked. "Fifth Young Master, what are you saying? You opened a business, and I came to buy goods. Are you saying a customer buying goods goes against the rules?"
Ma the Fifth had no reply.
Chu the Second had not even bargained; indeed, she had violated no rules.
Dozens of subordinates carried crates and loaded the goods, with accountants alongside calculating prices. Chu the Second had prepared everything.
Before long, the warehouse was stripped bare.
The accountants brought several crates of banknotes and set them before Ma the Fifth. Chu the Second took one of the crates and placed it in his hands. Beside them, a photographer clicked the shutter repeatedly, taking photo after photo.
Once the photos were finished, Chu the Second waved, took her carriages, and bid farewell.
Ma the Fifth stood frozen in the warehouse.
Why didn't he resist?
Chu the Second was a Tier 2 Ascetic Cultivator.
Under her command were Yang Yanzheng, a Tier 4 journey cultivator, and a Tier 5 head guard.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 guards were beyond count.
Ma the Fifth had neither the opportunity nor the ability to resist.
***
Chu the Second sat in her carriage on the return journey to Lüshui City. As they neared Jueding Mountain, Liu Changyu, the young shopkeeper of the Liu family, spotted the goods on the carriages from afar.
Earthen jade peaches!
These were the most conspicuous items, one of the signature specialties of Lanyang Village's newlands.
Chu the Second had not crated the peaches, nor had she covered them with tarpaulins. She had never intended to conceal them; she wanted everyone to see that these were goods taken from Ma the Fifth's hands.
Seeing the earthen jade peaches, Liu Changyu understood with complete clarity: this was the party shipping goods for the Ma family.
The young shopkeeper ordered everyone to prepare, yet the convoy halted midway instead of entering the ambush zone.
What was going on?
Did the other side anticipate an ambush?
Of course they did.
Beside Chu the Second was Yang Yanzheng, a Tier 4 journey cultivator. How could he fail to sense such palpable malice?
Being on guard was fine; Liu Changyu did not wish to accidentally harm bystanders anyway.
He had his men ready their firearms and rolling logs, then shouted down at the mountain road, "Friends passing through! Leave your carts and horses and be on your way. We don't wish to harm anyone!"
No one in the convoy answered, nor did anyone leave.
Liu Changyu called out again, "We truly have no wish to hurt you. We weren't targeting you in the first place. You must leave this shipment behind to teach you a lesson for the future: do not go to Lanyang Village for goods again. Their goods will never make it past Jueding Mountain!"
The convoy remained motionless.
Beside Liu Changyu stood a Tier 3 Martial Cultivator named Guo Shanqi, clutching a rifle. "Young Shopkeeper, we have to let them see some blood, or they won't know fear."
Liu Changyu frowned. "My father ordered us only to seize the goods, not to harm anyone."
Guo Shanqi shook his head. "Young Shopkeeper, you still haven't grasped the old master's meaning. If we don't even hurt anyone, how can we seize the goods?
"The old master meant to keep casualties down and avoid making too big a scene. What does killing one or two people matter? Those carters and porters—their lives are cheaper than dog shit. Why care about them—"
Guo Shanqi's voice cut off abruptly. Startled, Liu Changyu turned his head, only to see that Guo Shanqi's head was gone.
Behind him stood a gaunt, middle-aged woman.
The woman had long arms that bent at the elbows at an elegant angle, resembling the scythes of a mantis.
Tucked under her right arm was Guo Shanqi's head. She seemed quite fond of it, having peeled open his cranium, and was currently lapping up his brain marrow.
This mantis-like woman was named Wen Hongyan, Second Miss Chu's head guard and a Tier 5 body cultivator.
Everyone around was scared out of their wits.
A few bolder men opened fire on Wen Hongyan.
Wen Hongyan's figure vanished in an instant. When she reappeared, the heads of all who had fired had fallen, neatly arranged around her.
Every skull had been split open at the crown, like husked coconuts waiting for Wen Hongyan to savor.
Liu Changyu froze in place, completely at a loss for what to do.
He was a Tier 1 Nightmare Cultivator and had intended to summon ghost servants to hold them off for a moment.
Suddenly, Yang Yanzheng walked up before him, grabbed him by the hair, and said with a beaming smile, "So you're the bandit king? Our mistress invites you over."
Liu Changyu lacked the power to resist, and none around dared stop it.
Yang Yanzheng hauled Liu Changyu over to Chu the Second's carriage.
Chu the Second stepped down from the carriage, looked at Liu Changyu, and asked softly, "You wanted to rob me?"
Liu Changyu's face was deathly pale; he could not utter a word.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Chu the Second clicked her tongue and sighed. "Such a handsome young man, why take up the trade of robbery? What a pity for this fine face of yours."
With that, Chu the Second dug her fingernails into Liu Changyu's cheeks.
Clawing and ripping, she peeled the entire skin of Liu Changyu's face cleanly off.
Chapter 129