Eldest Senior Brother

Li Banfeng sat in the Portable Abode, looking at Hong Ying in her spear form, and said with concern, "Little Sister, you've suffered these past few days." "Ptui!" Hong Ying spat. "Heartless man, who's your sister!" "Keep your voice down, don't wake the wife." The gramophone was asleep, so Li Banfeng took the opportunity to curry favor with Hong Ying. "Little Sister, I can tell there's still affection between you and the wife. What feud between you two could possibly run so deep that it can't be resolved? Come on, tell me about it." Hong Ying let out a cold laugh. "There are too many grievances between us—so many even I've lost count. Which part do you want to hear?" Li Banfeng sighed. "Let's leave out the hurtful things. I just want to hear about the part where you fought—especially when you were battling tooth and nail to the death." He wanted to know the tier-five journey cultivator technique. Hong Ying was a high-tier journey cultivator; she knew the techniques, and she knew the essentials. The only problem was how to get her to speak of it without letting the wife find out. Hong Ying sneered, "Did that vicious woman send you to probe me? Heartless scoundrel, tell that vicious woman to give up. In this lifetime, she won't get a single honest word out of my mouth." Li Banfeng sighed. "Why must you be like this? You two were sisters like flesh and blood. What misunderstanding can't be talked through? Fine, I'll humor you. I won't ask about the causes or consequences; just tell me how the two of you fought." Hong Ying snorted. "I just won't tell you. What can you do about it?" Li Banfeng sighed once more. "Why stay angry? Aren't I doing this for both of your sakes?" As he spoke, Li Banfeng produced a jar of vanishing cream, dipped out some ointment, and spread it over Hong Ying. Hong Ying shuddered and snapped, "Why are you touching me?" Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Quiet down, don't let the wife hear. This is wound medicine—it relieves pain." This wasn't an empty lie; it really was wound medicine concocted by the liquor gourd using medicinal liquor and vanishing cream. Hong Ying squirmed. "I don't need your phony kindness! You and that vicious woman are cut from the same cloth! You must have colluded to scheme against me! Stay away from me! Don't... not there... over that way... you can rub a little more." Hong Ying truly had suffered quite a few injuries during this period. Even though her true body was gone, that didn't mean she couldn't feel pain. "I told you to rub more over that way! Over that way, not this spot..." "Which spot exactly?" Li Banfeng grew a bit anxious. Hong Ying snorted coldly. "What are you in such a hurry for? You're not the one hurting." "Aren't I just... worried for you?" After applying the ointment, Li Banfeng rubbed his hands together. "Little Sister, first tell me how the two of you fought back then." Hong Ying gave a cold snort. "Why do you keep asking about that?" "Aren't I trying to help you resolve your grudge?" "The grudge between her and me can never be resolved, and there are things I don't care to bring up ever again." *Not bring it up? If you don't bring it up, won't all my work be in vain?* Li Banfeng ran out of patience and prepared to press her. *Chsshh~ chsshh~ chsshh~* The wife puffed out several bursts of steam, yawned, and woke up. "Aiya, what is that smell? Vanishing cream? Slut, why do you smell of vanishing cream?!" Hong Ying grew tense. "What vanishing cream? You've slept yourself silly!" "No, that is definitely the scent of vanishing cream!" The gramophone's large horn swiveled toward Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng produced the jar of vanishing cream and smoothed a layer over his face. "It's been a bit dry these past couple days. I put some vanishing cream on." *Chsshh chsshh~* The gramophone enveloped Li Banfeng in a plume of steam. "Husband, I've never heard you complain about dry weather before. Why have you suddenly become so refined today?" Li Banfeng explained, "Because today is exceptionally dry." "Exceptionally dry, is it?" The steam's temperature surged abruptly, and the gramophone raged, "You crazy bastard! That slut has only been here a few days and you've already hooked up with her! Rubbing such good stuff on her body—when have you ever been this attentive to me?!" Li Banfeng widened his eyes. "Wife, you can't say that! Rouge, powder, vanishing cream—I've rubbed plenty on you!" "Huu-ya!" The wife grew even more furious. "You're actually comparing me to that cheap floozy!" Hong Ying shouted back angrily, "Who are you calling a cheap floozy? Aren't you cheap yourself, you vicious woman?" "Crazy bastard, I'll settle scores with you in a bit!" The gramophone released Li Banfeng and went back to brawling with Hong Ying. Hong Ying couldn't strike back, but she refused to yield. Li Banfeng seized the chance to flee the Portable Abode, rubbing his temples, deeply troubled over the matter of the tier-five technique. What on earth was the tier-five technique? Was it the technique of Severing Paths to Open Roads that the wife had mentioned earlier? What were its essentials? If Hong Ying refused to speak, who else could he ask? Go to Yaowanggou to look for the coachman? Right now he couldn't even leave this godforsaken place, so how was he supposed to get back to Yaowanggou? Even if he did return to Yaowanggou, the coachman might not be willing to help him. Once techniques reached this tier, those who knew them were few and far between; this wasn't something money could buy. Amid his vexation, he suddenly saw Lu Chunying rush in, frantic with worry. "Benefactor! Trouble! Several people have come outside the stockade—by the look of it, they were all sent by the Sage!" "How many exactly?" "Four or five. I was in a rush and didn't see clearly." Li Banfeng took inventory of his magical treasures and hurried to the stockade gates. Five people stood outside. One of them Li Banfeng recognized—Ren Wenlie, who had just narrowly escaped death at his hands. There were also three young men, all in their twenties. Daring to come along with Ren Wenlie, they presumably had cultivation. Then there was one last person. This one was rather hard to make sense of. From his facial features, he was quite old. Deep wrinkles were etched into skin that had lost all elasticity, mottled with spots of various sizes and colors. From his body, he was extraordinarily bloated—not muscular, nor fat, but a loose, sagging puffiness, as though his flesh and bone were held together not by his skin, but confined by his clothes. This bloated old man looked toward Li Banfeng as well. Ren Wenlie said to the old man, "Senior Brother, he's the one we're looking for." "Hehh—" This old man was none other than Ren Wenlie's Eldest Senior Brother, Cong Shixiang. A low groan rolled from his throat, and a foul stench of decay made Li Banfeng knit his brows. The other three young men were originally villagers from nearby. Because of their sufficient sincerity, they had just received the Sage's instructions today and been accepted as disciples. The oldest among them was named Jiang Shirong, the second was Pei Maojin, and the youngest was Gao Yangting. Li Banfeng's conjecture had been mistaken; none of the three had any cultivation. Ren Wenlie had brought them along claiming they were there to assist Eldest Senior Brother. Li Banfeng met eyes with the five of them one by one. Ren Wenlie wanted to say a few words to Li Banfeng first, but Li Banfeng wagged a finger, signaling him to keep quiet. "Dual cultivation in Literature and Virtue... relying on the advantages of two pathways, you managed to dodge death once. This time, you won't be leaving. None of you will leave." Li Banfeng smiled. Ren Wenlie grew extremely nervous, and the three junior brothers beside him were just as tense. Only Eldest Senior Brother Cong Shixiang remained expressionless; at least, Li Banfeng saw no change whatsoever in this bloated old man. *Incontrovertible Words had no effect on him? How high is this man's cultivation? Aren't Fool Cultivator techniques supposed to disregard cultivation tiers?* While everyone was locked in a standoff, Niu Guangda arrived at the stockade gates herding two oxen. They had plundered quite a bit of livestock recently, more than could be eaten right away, so the animals were being kept and raised in the stockade for the time being. Niu Guangda had just returned from grazing the oxen, never expecting to run into this scene. He was stunned, and the oxen were stunned too. Li Banfeng barked, "Get back!" Niu Guangda tugged the oxen to turn back, but the beasts stood frozen in place. Li Banfeng snapped angrily, "I told you to get back!" Niu Guangda dropped the leads and scurried back into the stockade on his own. Cong Shixiang suddenly closed in before Li Banfeng, his bloated frame not appearing clumsy in the least. Li Banfeng pushed off the ground with his toes to take a step back, launching his right foot into Cong Shixiang's belly. This kick packed all his strength, yet it felt as if stepping into a swamp. With a squelch, one of Li Banfeng's feet sank into Cong Shixiang's abdomen. Just as he tried to yank it free, Cong Shixiang grabbed Li Banfeng's calf and clamped his jaws down. *Not good!* Li Banfeng sensed intense danger. Even though Cong Shixiang had no teeth, if this bite connected, his right leg would surely be ruined. In his desperation, Li Banfeng pushed off the ground with his left foot, launching himself airborne. His toes kicked Cong Shixiang square in the face, and using that bit of leverage, he tore his right foot free. The moment Li Banfeng hit the ground, Cong Shixiang was on him again, reaching out to seize Li Banfeng's clothes. Using Half-Step, Li Banfeng circled behind Cong Shixiang and struck the back of his head with a rust pill. He hadn't used this move in a long time. Apart from failing against Madam Bagworm Moth back then, it had never once missed its mark. The rust pill caught on the back of Cong Shixiang's head, and a patch of rust spread rapidly. Just as Li Banfeng breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Cong Shixiang tear off a clump of flesh from the back of his own head. He ripped so deeply that the skull at the back of his head was laid bare. Li Banfeng was deeply shocked, but what came next shocked him even more. Cong Shixiang shoved the clump of flesh straight into his mouth. He ate it! Flesh, skin, and the rust pill clinging to it—he swallowed it all down. *Eating it is fine—he'll definitely turn into rust dross now.* That was what Li Banfeng thought, yet Cong Shixiang did not turn into rust dross. His body showed no abnormality at all as he continued his ferocious onslaught against Li Banfeng. His speed was astonishing, not a bit inferior to Li Banfeng's. His strength was immense, far beyond what Li Banfeng could match. His physique was extraordinary; not only did punches and kicks fail to harm him, but when Li Banfeng slashed several gashes into him with his scythe, they produced no effect whatsoever. He couldn't get bogged down in a battle of attrition with someone like this; the man was too powerful. He had to find an opening to finish him off quickly. Li Banfeng drew two daggers and hurled them at Cong Shixiang's face. At the same time, the Tang dao circled around behind Cong Shixiang. The liquor gourd sprayed a mist of liquor, enveloping Cong Shixiang. Attacking from three sides at once—let's see how he handles this. Even if Cong Shixiang neutralized this incoming barrage, Li Banfeng's offensive wouldn't stop until he completely finished him off. What happened next completely exceeded Li Banfeng's expectations. Cong Shixiang didn't dodge at all, letting the daggers plunge directly into his face. The daggers rusted rapidly, turning into rust dross in the blink of an eye. Behind Cong Shixiang, the Tang dao—which had been preparing to "take the enemy's head with every stroke"—didn't dare strike. Had it struck, the outcome would have been the same as the two daggers: it, too, would have turned into rust dross. *What pathway is this?!* *He ate a rust pill, so how did he evolve the rust pill's properties?!* Just as Li Banfeng was reeling in shock, Cong Shixiang charged straight at him.