Wait for Me to Return

The horse-headed men were nearly wiped out, and the other monstrosities had no desire to serve as cannon fodder either, lingering at the canyon entrance to watch. Qiu Luoye simply took the lead himself, charging into the canyon with a dozen reasonably loyal subordinates. With every thunderous step he took, the entire valley trembled. Li Banfeng ran toward the valley mouth, and before long, he caught sight of Qiu Luoye's silhouette. Manipulating the clock pendulum along the cliff wall, Li Banfeng severed a large swath of vines. The boulders bound by the vines tumbled down one after another. A boulder roughly the size of Qiu Luoye's body slammed into him. *Wuuu—* With a flick of his trunk, as though swatting a fly, Qiu Luoye smashed the boulder to pieces. "Shui Yongquan, come out! Show me some real skill!" Without pausing for an instant, he continued charging forward. Despite his massive bulk, Qiu Luoye was not slow. By Li Banfeng's estimate, he would burst out of the canyon in five minutes at most. What was he to do about the remaining seven minutes? What could possibly hold him back? The gate could hold for three minutes. Could the traps along the way stall him for four? Li Banfeng leaped onto one cliff face and steered a paper figure onto the opposite cliff. Why were there still paper figures? Hadn't all the paper figures been torn to shreds? Those had been printed; these were hand-drawn, hidden beforehand inside the Portable Abode. Li Banfeng had spent two and a half days drawing three pictures in total. These hand-drawn paper figures carried his painstaking effort and vital energy, completely different from the printed ones. Standing still, these three paper figures could last half an hour; in fierce combat, they could endure for three minutes. The paper figure and Li Banfeng severed vines in succession along the cliffs, triggering traps while the clock pendulum helped from the side. Over a dozen giant nets woven from vines blocked Qiu Luoye's path one after another. This was an elaborate trap woven by the house centipede mother and daughter. Li Banfeng had tested them himself; the vines were extraordinarily tough, impossible to sever even with the pendulum. Qiu Luoye marched straight ahead and crashed into the giant vine nets. To him, it was no different from an ordinary person walking into cobwebs; aside from feeling mildly annoyed, it did not hinder his speed in the slightest. One after another, the dozen-odd giant nets tore apart, and Qiu Luoye did not pause for a second. They hadn't delayed him for even a single second. Such was a local spirit. At 5:11, in less than two minutes, Qiu Luoye had traversed five li through the valley. Ahead, around the corner, lay the second ambush point—a critical one! There was a pit in the ground, dug for Li Banfeng by the wild boar and the two bears. The pit was twenty meters deep, and the house centipede mother and daughter had camouflaged it exquisitely, making it completely undetectable from the outside. Given Qiu Luoye's size, once he fell in, climbing back out wouldn't be easy. Yet with the experience and insight of a local spirit, would he really fall for a trap? The house centipede mother and daughter were only at the third or fourth tier of cultivation; how could they possibly fool a local spirit? *Rumble!* Qiu Luoye stepped onto the trap and plummeted into the pit. He had actually fallen in. Just as Shui Yongquan had said, Qiu Luoye was not particularly bright. This was also why he was accustomed to fighting in his true form; had he transformed into a will-o'-the-wisp, he might well have been outmaneuvered. Even so, Li Banfeng had still caught him off guard. By Li Banfeng's estimate, such a deep pit should have trapped him for at least a minute. Li Banfeng had miscalculated. After just five seconds, Qiu Luoye held his head high, swung his trunk, drew his four legs together, and leaped out of the pit. Five seconds. A pit the wild boar had labored an entire day to dig had delayed him for a mere five seconds! Yet those five seconds had bought Li Banfeng an opportunity to strike. In his hands, the old teapot's water boiled! Two barriers rose within the valley, one in front and one behind, trapping Qiu Luoye. Qiu Luoye rammed against the barrier. The old teapot coughed several times. "This old elephant has incredible strength." A vast torrent of tea rapidly welled up from the ground, the scalding liquid submerging the elephant's ankles. The old teapot was the true crux of the second ambush point. Though he had lost most of his memories, the old teapot remained confident in himself: "Brother, I thought a local spirit wouldn't even give me the chance to act, but now that I've succeeded, I can hold him for at least two minutes!" Two minutes! How precious those two minutes were! The tea quickly rose to his knees. The elephant stared at the tea for a moment, then lowered his long trunk into the liquid. *Slurp!* The tea flooding the ground was sucked dry! "Not bad!" The old elephant let out a burp. The old teapot was startled. "This old elephant... I'm afraid I can only hold out for a minute." Without the tea, the old teapot believed his barriers could still endure for a minute. He was being far too optimistic. *Boom!* With a swing of his long trunk, the elephant rammed his tusks into the barrier. The old teapot shuddered, and cracks spread across the barrier. *Wuuu!* With a roar, the elephant struck again. The old teapot spat out a mouthful of tea and went silent. The barrier shattered, and the old teapot fell straight into a deep slumber! Qiu Luoye had shattered the old teapot's barrier with a mere two strikes! "A body cultivator!" the liquor gourd cried in astonishment. "I have never seen such a formidable body cultivator!" As soon as the words left it, the liquor gourd shot into midair and sprayed out all its remaining liquor. Li Banfeng struck a match, about to ignite it, but the elephant whipped up his long trunk and inhaled all the mist of liquor from the air. The liquor gourd gritted its teeth. "Drown that bastard in drink!" This was the Medicine King's liquor! Qiu Luoye's body swayed slightly. He rubbed his eyes with his trunk. Had it gotten him drunk? No. "Good liquor! Has a kick!" Qiu Luoye continued marching forward. Aside from his skin turning slightly red, there was virtually no other change. What kind of monster was this? Even the Medicine King's liquor was useless? Just what could possibly stop him? Li Banfeng recalled his original tactic—leading ten thousand crossbowmen in ambush along both flanks of the valley to riddle the enemy with arrows. Looking back now, no wonder his wife had laughed at him. Never mind bows and arrows; even if two rows of cannons were set up, would they do any good against him? Even if two batteries of missiles were stationed here, would they do anything? The paper charming beauty severed a vine, bringing down a shower of boulders. The rocks failed to harm Qiu Luoye, and the paper charming beauty disintegrated into scraps. The intensity was too great; she had reached her limit. A fox came up beside the elephant, pointing at the cliff and shouting, "Master, there's someone on the cliff!" She had spotted Li Banfeng. Qiu Luoye gave a cold sneer. "A piece of trash. I saw him long ago." The fox asked to attack: "Master, we should take him down first!" "No need!" Qiu Luoye's strategy was crystal clear. "Don't get bogged down fighting in the valley. Hurry to Shui Yongquan's territory, overturn his lair, dig out his covenant deed, and turn him into a wandering ghost." The elephant thundered forward, and the dozen-odd monstrosities behind him followed in triumphant advance! The main force was still watching at the canyon entrance. Since the first merit was out of reach anyway, there would be plenty of time to rush in once Qiu Luoye broke completely through the valley. Li Banfeng glanced at the clock on the back of the calendar poster: 5:13. Two minutes had passed, and for a minute and a half of that time, Qiu Luoye had simply been walking. The second ambush point had been planned to stall him for two minutes, but it had only bought thirty seconds. What was he to do about the remaining seven minutes? Li Banfeng had no time to ponder; he sprinted toward the third ambush point. The third ambush point was eight li into the valley, a mere two li from the exit. At this ambush point, Li Banfeng had to take action personally. He ran ahead of Qiu Luoye, watching as the elephant drew closer from the distance, his own body trembling in time with the quaking ground. Facing a local spirit head-on was a daunting task. Li Banfeng tensed his muscles, brought his shaking hands under control, and plunged into a patch of vines. ... Granny Bitter was walking along the yellow dirt road of Kucaizhuang when she saw a vegetable leaf flutter down beside her foot. *Used his luck again?* *The second time?* *Looks like that boy has run into quite a few troubles.* ... Li Banfeng slipped into the vines, and Qiu Luoye arrived in the blink of an eye. Seeing a vast thicket of vines barring the way, Qiu Luoye swung his long trunk, sending vines flying in all directions. Li Banfeng darted out from the vines and unfurled a calendar poster before Qiu Luoye. He stood barely a dozen meters from Qiu Luoye; if Qiu Luoye did not stop, it would be too late for Li Banfeng to flee. For when using the calendar poster, Li Banfeng could not move—that was the poster's fundamental rule. Not only could he not move, but nothing with spiritual awareness in the surroundings could move either. Neither numinous treasures nor spiritual relics could move. The moment any moved, the calendar poster's ability would fail. Qiu Luoye drew back his trunk and glanced at Li Banfeng. "Have you come to die?" He had moved, and he had spoken. Had he truly moved, though? No. Li Banfeng did not answer. The beauty in the calendar poster spoke: "Halt!" Qiu Luoye was taken aback. "I stop just because you tell me to?" "I am but a weak woman begging a fine hero like you to stop for a moment. Would you truly refuse?" Yet for reasons unknown, hearing the beauty speak like that, Qiu Luoye actually halted in his tracks. The fox beside him was startled, looking toward Li Banfeng holding up the calendar poster. *A Virtue Cultivator?* The beauty on the calendar poster continued questioning Qiu Luoye: "Why have you entered this valley?" Qiu Luoye answered her earnestly: "Today is the day war begins. Of course I can enter!" The beauty pointed to the calendar at the bottom of the poster. "The day war begins is tomorrow. You remembered the date wrong!" "Tomorrow?" Qiu Luoye stood stunned for a long while. *Did I really get the date wrong?* He looked back over his shoulder and asked a pine tree covered in pine needles, "Isn't today the day war begins?" The pine tree pondered for a long time before replying, "I do not know what days are. I only know what years are. With each passing year, my trunk grows one ring thicker..." "Get lost, useless thing!" Qiu Luoye turned back to the calendar poster and bellowed in rage, "Just because you say it's wrong means it's wrong?" The beauty on the calendar poster snapped sharply, "I am a calendar poster! If I say you remembered the date wrong, then you are wrong!" What she said made total sense! A calendar poster would never get the date wrong! The beauty went on rebuking him: "Attacking before the appointed day—you have no regard for the rules at all! What kind of local spirit are you?" Qiu Luoye felt deeply ashamed, wishing he could lead his forces away immediately. He lowered his head and saw the fox by his feet, only to discover that the fox was neither speaking nor moving. The fox was about to wake. The calendar poster was a numinous treasure crafted by the Red Lotus from the songstress flower and Pan Dehai's folding fan; Li Banfeng had named her Mengde. The moment Li Banfeng unfurled the calendar poster, Mengde plunged Qiu Luoye and his subordinates into a dream, using a Virtue Cultivator technique to sink Qiu Luoye into deep remorse. It had been a huge gamble. With the tier of the songstress flower alone, it would have been impossible to put Qiu Luoye to sleep so swiftly. However, Pan Dehai's fan had been of a very high tier. Under the lotus's refining, Mengde's tier matched that of the fan, offering a certain chance of plunging Qiu Luoye into a dream. Just how high that chance was depended entirely on Li Banfeng's luck. Yet even though Qiu Luoye had entered the dream, it was by no means foolproof. If even a single one of Qiu Luoye's subordinates failed to enter the dream, the dreamscape would shatter the moment that individual moved. Earlier, Qiu Luoye had spoken with the treant, seemingly moving about. In reality, he had not moved at all; he had spoken to the treant within the dream while standing rooted to the spot, right before Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng's luck had held true: Qiu Luoye and every single one of his subordinates had fallen into the dream. At this moment, holding the calendar poster, Li Banfeng had beads of sweat dripping constantly down his face. The clock face on the back of the poster read 5:15. Qiu Luoye had already stood frozen for over a minute; the calendar poster had exceeded its mission. For Li Banfeng, the wisest choice was to put away the calendar poster at once and run for his life. Yet Li Banfeng wanted to stall a little longer. The valley exit was less than two li away. If Qiu Luoye charged forward again, he would burst out of the valley in under a minute. The Waterfall Gate could only hold for three minutes. What would he do about the remaining minute and more? *Keep stalling!* *Stall for one more minute, and there will be hope.* What Li Banfeng hadn't anticipated was that the fox beside Qiu Luoye was already awake, for this fox was also a Dream Cultivator. Though only at the second tier of cultivation, the fox possessed exceptional intellect and was Qiu Luoye's capable lieutenant. From the instant she had entered the dream, she had sensed something amiss, and now her consciousness had broken free of the dreamscape. Yet she was in no hurry to awaken Qiu Luoye. Her thoughts differed from Qiu Luoye's; she had always believed they should eliminate the threats inside the valley first before attacking Shui Yongquan's territory. And the Li Banfeng before her—cunning and relentless—was the one who most needed to be eliminated. Feigning that she was still asleep, she prepared to kill Li Banfeng first before waking Qiu Luoye, preventing Li Banfeng from escaping. The instant the fox's toes touched the ground, producing a faint rustle against the dirt, the Thread-Hook Earring sounded an immediate warning: "Movement!" Li Banfeng folded the calendar poster and bolted. The fox sprang up, lunging toward Li Banfeng's back, but the Tang dao flew forth and severed the fox's head in a single stroke. Eating the insect chief's antennae hadn't been for nothing! "Every strike claims a head!" the Tang dao praised itself, hurrying after Li Banfeng to flee for their lives. From the moment the fox moved, Qiu Luoye had awakened. A vast swath of vines was trampled to shreds beneath his feet. Before reaching the valley exit, Li Banfeng deployed the final trap. Whether this trap would work or not was uncertain, and the odds of failure were extremely high. Ahead of him, a paper charming beauty holding the Judge's Brush had drawn a circle and was waiting inside it. Li Banfeng rushed past the circle, and the paper figure did not move. Qiu Luoye charged into the circle, and the paper figure cried out, "Fly!" The Judge's Brush didn't move either—it was simply too lazy to move. If it didn't move, so be it; Li Banfeng hadn't placed much hope in the Judge's Brush to begin with. With a flick of his trunk, Qiu Luoye smashed the second paper charming beauty to pulp, and the Judge's Brush clattered to the ground. ... In Kucaizhuang, Granny Bitter saw yet another vegetable leaf land before her. *Used up his luck for the third time?* *And on a good item, too—one of no small tier.* Granny Bitter smiled. *Dear nephew, you'll have a debt to repay once again.* ... Qiu Luoye continued his charge, and as sheer luck would have it, stepped squarely onto the Judge's Brush. "Fuck me..." That stomp hurt the Judge's Brush immensely. It was furious. All at once, it carried Qiu Luoye into the air. Qiu Luoye was marching forward when he suddenly realized his four legs had left the ground. Before he could figure out what was happening, he had already flown back over two li. What had pricked his foot just now? Qiu Luoye looked down, but saw no sign of the Judge's Brush. The Judge's Brush had ducked into the tall grass to hide, well aware that being caught by Qiu Luoye meant certain death. Carrying Qiu Luoye back two li had exhausted all the strength it had accumulated over so many years. It lay quietly in the grass, not making a peep. Those two li bought Li Banfeng an entire minute. ... Li Banfeng had already reached the canyon exit and erected the Waterfall Gate. He unfolded the calendar poster to check. The clock face on the back showed 5:16. He could only pray that Qiu Luoye would be slower. At 5:17, Qiu Luoye had not arrived, but a treant under his command came charging forward. Li Banfeng waited no longer, having the final paper charming beauty pour two jin of water over the Waterfall Gate. Droplets of water streamed down the lintel, and the Waterfall Gate swiftly took root, an invisible barrier spreading toward both flanks of the valley. Before the barrier could fully seal, the treant slammed headfirst into it. Bracing against the back of the door, Li Banfeng was knocked off balance, and the treant's head poked through the crack in the door, thrusting toward his chest. *Whoosh!* The Tang dao slashed, cleaving half the treant's head away. Having delivered its three strikes, the Tang dao shrank back into Li Banfeng's pocket. The treant felt no pain and continued ramming inward. Li Banfeng swung his sickle, hacking wildly at the creature. The paper charming beauty used every ounce of her strength to hug the treant from behind, and under their pincer attack, the treant took half a step back. He spun around, seized the paper charming beauty, and tore her to shreds. But when he turned back to deal with Li Banfeng, he was blocked by the barrier. The barrier had formed! The clock face on the calendar poster showed 5:17 and eight seconds. Done! Success! The Waterfall Gate could withstand attacks for three minutes, holding out until 5:20! Outside, the treant battered madly against the barrier, while Li Banfeng braced firmly behind the gate. The Waterfall Gate was formidable; though the treant slammed into it with all his might, Li Banfeng only felt faint vibrations in his arms, most of the impact absorbed by the gate. Li Banfeng relaxed. All he had to do now was wait until 5:20, make his escape, and then demand his reward from Shui Yongquan. If the spirit refused to pay up... *Bang!* Li Banfeng was sent flying from behind the door, crashing onto his back. The double doors had swung open by more than a chi. Outside the gate stood Qiu Luoye. He had merely delivered a casual kick against the barrier, yet the shockwave had sent Li Banfeng flying. Li Banfeng scrambled up immediately, lunged to the gate, and pushed both doors shut. *Bang!* Another kick, and Li Banfeng went flying once more. Under the crushing impact, two of Li Banfeng's ribs snapped, and his vision blurred. *Creeeeak—* The double doors slowly drifted open. Li Banfeng scrambled up from the ground at once, rushing to close them. He couldn't let the doors open three chi wide, or the barrier would vanish. *Bang!* The door slammed into Li Banfeng's face. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth, and his cheekbone fractured. Just as he shut the doors, Qiu Luoye, in a towering rage outside the barrier, rammed into it headfirst. Li Banfeng was launched into the air, flying far and crashing heavily to the ground, snapping his leg. "Damn it, that old dog Shui Yongquan only knows how to use this useless junk!" Qiu Luoye had rammed so hard that even his own head spun slightly. *Creeeeak—* The double doors parted once again, opening nearly two chi wide. Almost three chi... Someone had to brace the doors, or the Waterfall Gate would open faster and wider. Li Banfeng truly hadn't expected this. He had thought that erecting the Waterfall Gate meant success. He had never imagined holding the doors shut would be this hard. The calendar poster lay in the grass, the clock showing 5:18. Two minutes left. What could he use to hold out for two minutes? There was no hope. None... ... *Huu—* Inside the Portable Abode, the gramophone's breathing was as faint as gossamer. The Red Lotus sighed. "Vicious woman, imperious your whole life, yet you still couldn't weather this tribulation. Who knows if that madman is even still alive? "If he follows you in death, consider it your happy ending. But trapped in here for eternity, what does that make me?" ... Li Banfeng propped himself up among the weeds; he was still alive. With a broken leg, he couldn't stand, so he used both hands to drag himself toward the gate. He shut the doors, tore a vine from his waist, and threaded it through the two door knockers. This vine was remarkably tough, resilient even to blades. Back against the doors, he lashed himself to them with the vine. *Bang!* The door shuddered, and Li Banfeng coughed up blood. The blood tasted metallic, salty. *Bang!* Qiu Luoye slammed against the barrier again. Darkness swam before Li Banfeng's eyes. *Bang!* Li Banfeng felt no pain; he felt nothing at all, knowing only that blood was gushing incessantly from his mouth. *Bang!* *I don't know your name.* *And you probably don't know mine.* *Bang!* *From the day we met, you called me husband, and I called you wife.* *Bang!* *Wife, wait for me to return.* *Bang!* *That time when I returned, I let Madam Bagworm Moth into our home.* *Bang!* *I failed you.* *Bang!* *You sent me out to the outer chamber. I stood outside the door, listening as you fought Madam Bagworm Moth with your life on the line...* *I stood outside that door...* *Bang!* *I knew you were fighting the bagworm moth with everything you had.* *You saved me, but I couldn't save you,* *and you ended up injured like that.* *I failed you...* *Bang!* *That time, I couldn't save you.* *Bang!* *This time, you must wait for me to return.* *Bang!* The vine snapped. Mangled and bloody, Li Banfeng collapsed flat on the ground. *Creeeeak—* The doors opened. Qiu Luoye was right beyond them. The opening was two chi wide. *Must shut the doors.* *Time isn't up yet.* *Must shut the doors.* *Can't let them open to three chi...* Li Banfeng's hands groped against the earth; he couldn't stand. He lifted his head, wanting to check the time on the calendar poster. At the canyon exit, a massive silhouette appeared. *Madam Bagworm Moth...* *Why did thinking of Madam Bagworm Moth make her appear?* *A hallucination?* It was no hallucination. Ma the Fifth arrived before Li Banfeng, riding atop Yanzi. "The Waterfall Gate!" Recognizing the spiritual relic, Yanzi immediately braced against the gate. *Bang!* Yanzi was knocked back slightly, and Ma the Fifth stepped up to shove the doors shut. *Bang!* Ma the Fifth was thrown through the air, his left arm bone snapping, but Zuo Wugang surged forward to push the doors closed. *Bang!* Zuo Wugang stumbled back two paces, and Qianqian and Qiaocui rushed forward. All three bagworm moths braced against the gate together. *Bang!* Ma the Fifth charged back in. *Bang!* Xiao Genzi and Qin Haichuan rushed forward together to brace against the gate! *Bang!* *Rumble!* ... After holding out for over a minute, the sounds outside ceased completely. Had Qiu Luoye stopped ramming? Could he ram no longer? That was impossible. Had the gate's barrier failed? Li Banfeng checked the clock on the calendar poster. 5:19. It wasn't 5:20 yet. How could that be... There should still be time... How could the Waterfall Gate fail to hold out? From midair came Shui Yongquan's voice: "Qiu Luoye, you have lost." In Li Banfeng's hand appeared a flower, its petals spinning around the central core.