I'm Back

Shui Yongquan hovered in midair, still in the guise of a middle-aged man, looking down at Qiu Luoye in the canyon. Qiu Luoye looked up at him and roared, "If you've got the guts, come down! Come down and fight me!" Shui Yongquan scoffed. "You've already lost. What's left to fight about?" "I haven't lost! I'm still standing right here!" "What good does standing here do? I've already taken your lair. My man is sitting right in your house. If he digs up your covenant deed from beneath the floor, you'll be nothing more than a wandering stray ghost." Ma the Fifth fed Li Banfeng some medicinal balm while listening to the two local spirits negotiate. Li Banfeng was still alive. His hand kept groping inside his trouser pocket, though no one could tell what he was searching for. In his other hand, he held a flower with deep purple petals and golden-yellow stamens, its petals ceaselessly spinning around the center. Ma the Fifth was anxious to carry Li Banfeng away for treatment, but Yanzi warned him not to move recklessly. Both local spirits were close by, and either could take their lives at any second. How long would their negotiations drag on? What was this covenant deed they were talking about? Why couldn't it be dug up? Qiu Luoye bellowed at Shui Yongquan, "Bullshit! What gave you the right to break into my home? I have a mighty army stationed outside!" Shui Yongquan chuckled. "You had twenty-two guards outside your home, all of them your trusted confidants. You blockhead, using all your best people just to watch your front door! They were loyal, and they could fight, but now they're all dead. Twenty-two in total—am I right? And as for that rabble at the mouth of the valley, I threw a few casual strikes and they all surrendered. Look at the trash under your command—not a single damn one of them is worth a thing." Qiu Luoye stood frozen in place, speechless for a long time. Shui Yongquan continued, "If you still refuse to accept it, I'll have my men dig up your deed right now, bring it before your eyes, and show you!" Qiu Luoye roared, "Then I'll charge into your home and dig up your deed, too! We can become wandering ghosts together!" Shui Yongquan's face darkened. "Playing the scoundrel, are you?" "Damn right I am! What are you going to do about it?" Qiu Luoye made as if to charge toward Shui Yongquan's territory again. Could he really fight his way into Shui Yongquan's lair? Impossible. Aside from the dozen or so subordinates beside him, Qiu Luoye's forces had been completely wiped out. Shui Yongquan couldn't beat him in a one-on-one duel, but there was no need for a duel now. Qiu Luoye's reaction was purely throwing a reckless tantrum. Yet if he truly ran amok, Shui Yongquan would indeed have a hard time dealing with it. Qiu Luoye was a terrifying combatant. If he threw his life away without care, half the living beings across both territories might perish, and Shui Yongquan would suffer serious injuries as well. *Wuuu—* Qiu Luoye let out a long trumpeting call. Just as he was about to bolt out of the valley, Shui Yongquan conceded. "How about this: you lost the battle fair and square, so cede thirty li of land to me and we'll call it settled. What do you say?" This was a substantial concession. By all rights, Shui Yongquan could have swallowed Qiu Luoye's entire domain. Yet Qiu Luoye showed no gratitude. "I don't accept it! I'm not giving it to you! I'll fight you to the bitter end!" Having been neighbors for so many years, Shui Yongquan understood Qiu Luoye's temperament well enough. Qiu Luoye wasn't a sore loser by nature; he was acting unruly now purely because he couldn't stomach the loss of face. Shui Yongquan looked around at the onlookers. "Everyone, head back for now. I, Shui Yongquan, will not forget those who helped me today, and the rewards you are owed will not be shorted." As Ma the Fifth prepared to leave with Li Banfeng, Shui Yongquan called out, "Brother Ma, wait a moment. These belong to Brother Li the Seventh." He handed the Judge's Brush and the calendar poster to Ma the Fifth, then pulled a pouch of medicinal balm from his robes. "Take him back to your parcel. Have him take this balm with spring water from the land, and his life might yet be saved. Those two Waterfall Gates belong to Brother Li as well, but seeing as he's in no condition to carry them, I'll send them over another day. Once I finish settling matters here, the ten li of land will be transferred to you as promised." Ma the Fifth accepted the medicine, climbed onto Yanzi's back with Li Banfeng, and galloped straight toward their parcel. Li Banfeng was still moving. His hand kept fumbling in his pocket. "Old Seven, what are you looking for? "Old Seven, what's that in your hand? "Old Seven, stop moving around..." Li Banfeng was looking for his key. His arm bone was broken, his finger bones were shattered, and he couldn't pull it out. After ten minutes of travel, Li Banfeng suddenly opened his eyes. With a violent gasp, he rolled off the bagworm moth's back. Third-tier Dwelling Cultivator technique: Heart Arrowing Home. "Old Seven!" Horrified, Ma the Fifth shouted for Yanzi to stop. Yanzi was sprinting at full speed, and with a body so massive, halting abruptly was no easy feat. She slid forward a long distance. By the time Ma the Fifth leaped down from her back, Li Banfeng had already vanished. "Old Seven!" Ma the Fifth led his people to search in every direction, but found no trace of him. *** Drawing on the burst of strength from Heart Arrowing Home, Li Banfeng finally pulled out the key and unlocked the Portable Abode. The room was utterly silent. There was no sound of his wife's heavy breathing. Li Banfeng lay on the floor, dragging himself forward with one hand toward the Red Lotus. Reaching the lotus, he patted its petals, then pointed toward the gramophone. Watching the mangled, blood-soaked Li Banfeng, the Red Lotus felt a secret surge of delight. *Thank goodness this madman made it back.* *As long as he's alive, I still have a chance of getting out.* *Without that vicious woman causing trouble from now on, tricking this madman won't be nearly as hard.* *A pity the fool fought so desperately and still failed to get...* *Wait, what is that in his hand?* Li Banfeng laid the flower before the Red Lotus. He had guarded it with meticulous care; not a single petal or leaf was damaged. Petals revolving around the blossom's core—this was one of the most precious medicinal herbs of all, the Xuanqing flower. *The madman actually got it!* Li Banfeng held up the flower, pointed at his wife, and stared fixedly at the Red Lotus. The Red Lotus blossomed wide. A swirling vortex rose from its core, drawing the Xuanqing flower inside. A faint radiance rippled across its petals as the Red Lotus calculated in silence. *Refusing to refine the pill is out of the question; I'd lose this madman's trust completely.* *I can refine it, but it all depends on how fast I work.* *If I take my time and that vicious woman dies in the interim, no one can blame me. This madman is reasonable enough, at least he...* Li Banfeng was still staring at the Red Lotus. His blood-caked eyes seemed to see straight through its thoughts. *Why is he looking at me like that?* The Red Lotus glanced at the silent gramophone, and several more layers of light gathered over its petals. *Forget it.* *I still need to rely on this madman to escape in the future.* *I'll refine the pill as fast as possible. If that vicious woman still can't be saved, truly no one can blame me.* *** Back in the canyon, Qiu Luoye was still roaring, "Shui Yongquan, I'll fight you to the death! I don't accept it, I just don't!" Vines and soil flew through the air as Qiu Luoye stomped back and forth through the valley like a mad creature. Shui Yongquan let out a long sigh. "Are you done throwing your fit? Once you're done, we need to talk business." "I have nothing to say to you!" Qiu Luoye turned back to look at his dozen subordinates. "Brothers, tear this old bastard to pieces! I'll reward you handsomely!" The dozen monstrosities looked at each other, none of them budging. Qiu Luoye barked furiously, "Even now, you cowards shrink from a fight?!" Shui Yongquan looked at the monstrosities and cut straight to the point: "If Qiu Luoye is no longer a local spirit, are you still willing to follow him?" None of them spoke, except for the Pine Treeman, who was blunt to a fault. Straightening his trunk, he looked at Shui Yongquan and said, "Great Manager Qiu showed me great kindness and favor. But if he is no longer a local spirit, I will definitely not follow him..." *Thwack!* With a whip of his trunk, Qiu Luoye knocked the Pine Treeman flat to the ground. "I was blind to ever value a piece of filth like you! Get lost, all of you get lost! It's one-on-one between me and Shui Yongquan!" The dozen monstrosities were all too happy to oblige, turning tail and scattering at full speed. Qiu Luoye screamed at Shui Yongquan, "Come on, you old ghost, let's fight!" "Fight my ass!" Shui Yongquan snapped. "Everyone's gone. Who are you putting on this tantrum for? If I had truly dug up your deed just now, what kind of life would you have left? Going back to the Inner States to serve as someone's household slave, pouring tea, carrying water, making beds, and folding quilts? You're an old man—don't you know how pathetic that is?" Qiu Luoye bellowed, "I'm done staying in the newland! I'll head outside and carve out a domain of my own! I've had more than enough of this godforsaken place!" Shui Yongquan sneered. "Quit your damn bragging. With that thick skull of yours, the newland is the only place you can scrape by. You think you can survive outside? Try it! Before eight days are up, your spirit tablet will already be cold!" Qiu Luoye slumped onto the ground, scoffing disdainfully. "You talk big. Tomorrow I'll go outside and conquer a territory just to show you." Shui Yongquan nodded. "Go on, then. Don't wait for tomorrow—go today! You don't even need to go far. Just head to Lüshuiwan and meet Lü Huazi. Forget conquering territory; if he lets you survive ten minutes in Lüshuiwan, consider it a miracle! Old Elephant, if you keep throwing this fit, I really will dig up your deed. Think about how much suffering you endured to earn this parcel today! Know when to quit while you're ahead!" Calming down slightly, Qiu Luoye said to Shui Yongquan, "Thirty li is too much. Can't you take less?" "No!" Shui Yongquan replied sternly. "If I had lost this fight, would you have shown me any mercy? I've already cut you plenty of slack!" Qiu Luoye twitched his long trunk. "I only have a hundred li of territory in total. Giving up thirty means handing over thirty percent to you." Shui Yongquan was almost amused by his stupidity. "Can you even count? A hundred li square is ten thousand one-li parcels. A thirty-li square is only nine hundred parcels. I'm asking for less than a tenth of your land—what are you crying about?" Qiu Luoye curled a branch with his trunk and scribbled on the ground for a long time, completely failing to work it out. Shui Yongquan glanced at his arithmetic—it was the most rudimentary addition. Closing his eyes, Shui Yongquan shook his head repeatedly. "How in the world did that brain of yours earn so much cultivation? Stop calculating. I'm not cheating you. Hurry up and demarcate the land for me. I have something else to discuss with you." "What else?" "We were probably set up." Shui Yongquan drifted toward the mouth of the canyon. "Three consecutive reclamation attempts right on the boundary between our lands, and all three failed. Those people weren't here to open up land; they were clearly here to stir up trouble." "They weren't stirring up trouble," Qiu Luoye said, swinging his trunk. "I questioned them myself. They were hunters from Lüshuiwan who had never opened newland before and wanted to try their luck." "Three times, and all three just happened to be on our border? Such a coincidence? That's why I say your brain doesn't turn. They might really have been ordinary hunters, but someone behind the scenes was pulling their strings. We have to be on our guard." Qiu Luoye rose to his feet, preparing to mark out the land for Shui Yongquan. As he walked, he asked abruptly, "That young fellow guarding Baiman Valley—who is he?" "Someone I hired." "How much did you pay him? I'll hire him too, and then we'll fight another round." Shui Yongquan truly had no idea how to communicate with him. "Old Elephant, are you joking or serious?" "Dead serious. I think he's great. I even want to take him on as a grand general!" "Grand general? Grand flatbread, more like!" Shui Yongquan deliberated over which plot would be best. "Let me tell you, don't waste your energy on him. He's not the sort of man who's born to be anyone's servant." "Hmph, if he doesn't want to be a servant, what does he want to be? Even if he fights his way to the top, he'll just end up as a servant in the Inner States." Qiu Luoye glanced back at the canyon. "I wonder if that kid is even still alive..." *** *Xiang...* What smelled fragrant? Li Banfeng woke with a sudden jolt and tried to rise, but couldn't. He was still pinned to the floor, pools of congealed blood gluing his entire body to the ground. He didn't know how many bones were broken, and his limbs were utterly devoid of strength. With great effort, Li Banfeng lifted his head and saw the Red Lotus before him. Its petals were tightly shut. Was the pill still not ready? Could his wife hold on? Why wasn't there a single trace of light on the lotus? Was she refining the pill at all? Li Banfeng glared at the Red Lotus in fury. The Red Lotus unfurled its petals, revealing an empty core with no pill inside. "You aren't refining it? Where's my flower? Where's the Xuanqing flower?" The Red Lotus didn't know how to explain, but there was no need. "Xiang..." Li Banfeng turned his head with difficulty. *Huu—* He had misheard. The sound wasn't *xiang* as in fragrant; it was *Xiang...* Her breathing was so weak and unsteady that her tone had slipped. *Huu-chhh—* "Xianggong..." A billow of warm steam enveloped Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng murmured softly, "Wife, I'm back."