Ling Miaoying's belly blew open.
Blood, viscera, minced flesh, along with undigested and fully digested food, all came bursting out.
Li Banfeng had sprinted the entire way and had virtually no stamina left. Having stayed away from the dwelling for too long, his presence-concealing trait was far from its peak, and successfully executing the Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse technique for the first time had also taken an immense toll on him.
He stumbled and nearly fell. Hearing the commotion, Tu Yinghong rushed out of the room. Just as she was about to strike at Li Banfeng, he aimed at her head and fired first.
*Bang!*
The gun went off.
Ling Miaoying's pistol never missed, but because Li Banfeng's marksmanship was poor, the shot failed to hit a vital spot and struck Tu Yinghong only in her right shoulder.
Tu Yinghong wore armor she had crafted herself, yet the pistol packed such devastating power that the bullet still shattered the bone. Before she could regain her balance, Li Banfeng pulled the trigger four times in rapid succession.
Out of the four rounds, only one actually fired, striking Tu Yinghong in the neck.
Clutching the wound on her neck, Tu Yinghong staggered back several steps. Ling Miaoying cast a pleading look her way, but without the slightest hesitation, she leaped out of the corridor window and vanished in the blink of an eye.
She had fled.
Li Banfeng had no idea what trick she had used to escape so quickly.
Nor did he know whether the woman would return.
She might merely have ducked away to tend to her wound, or she might be finding a place to ready other dharma treasures, or even summoning reinforcements.
Li Banfeng knew next to nothing about Tu Yinghong, but he knew Ling Miaoying well enough. Ling Miaoying seemed to possess an endless supply of dharma treasures and numinous items, perpetually capable of producing contingency plans Li Banfeng never saw coming.
Rather than wearing himself down here, it was better to finish off Ling Miaoying as fast as possible and then return to the Portable Abode to recover his stamina—provided the key to the Portable Abode truly was at Xiaoyaowu.
The clash between Li Banfeng and Tu Yinghong had lasted only three-odd seconds. During those three seconds, Li Banfeng assumed Ling Miaoying would have had no way to deal with the gaping wound on his belly.
Li Banfeng had underestimated him.
Ling Miaoying had actually managed to patch it up.
He had shoved his internal organs back into his abdomen and slapped a piece of adhesive tape over his belly, miraculously sealing the wound shut.
Meanwhile, the Tang dao and clock pendulum launched a sneak attack, but a halo of light emerged behind Ling Miaoying like a shield, blocking both of them.
The liquor gourd spewed a cloud of alcohol mist, enveloping Ling Miaoying. The shield alone seemed unable to keep it out.
As long as Li Banfeng sparked a flame, he could burn Ling Miaoying to ashes.
At the critical moment of life and death, Ling Miaoying suddenly lunged straight at Li Banfeng.
His shoes were special, making the sudden burst of speed astonishingly fast.
Li Banfeng was thoroughly spent, his footwork just a fraction too slow.
Ling Miaoying tackled him square on; Li Banfeng could not dodge in time.
The two crashed together, grappling fiercely. At such close range, Li Banfeng could not ignite the mist without catching himself in the blaze, and neither could easily find an opening to employ techniques. It came down entirely to high-level close-quarters combat skills to contend with the other.
Ling Miaoying yanked hair; Li Banfeng gouged eyes.
Ling Miaoying clawed faces; Li Banfeng choked throats.
One was severely wounded, the other utterly exhausted; neither had the power to deliver a killing blow.
One was a Tier 7 scrying cultivator, while the other was a Tier 6 journey cultivator combined with a Tier 5 dwelling cultivator. A showdown between high-tier cultivators was just that intense!
The Tang dao and the pendulum continued tangling with the shield, while the liquor gourd clashed with the steel wire rope. From the corner of the wall, the projector was adjusting its angle—that thing was an absolute menace!
Although the phantasm it had generated earlier had been decapitated by the Tang dao, the illusion could still fight. It was only limited by the projector's angle, which kept it from stepping out into the corridor, as the corridor fell outside the screen's field of projection.
Once its angle was adjusted, the projector could create a new phantasm capable of moving in the corridor to aid Ling Miaoying in the fight.
Ling Miaoying had too many numinous items, and he was on the verge of gaining the upper hand.
Amidst the deadlock, the white glove suddenly reached out and gave Ling Miaoying's ear a gentle dig.
Ling Miaoying shuddered, handing Li Banfeng an opening to unleash a technique.
Li Banfeng tore himself free from the brawl, circled behind Ling Miaoying, and, with strength far exceeding that of an ordinary person, dragged him toward the room.
Ling Miaoying's eyes went wide. He could not fathom the change in Li Banfeng.
Both of them were clearly at the end of their ropes. Why did this kid suddenly possess so much power?
Had he taken an elixir?
He clearly hadn't had a single chance to take medicine just now.
Why was he dragging him toward the room?
Could it be a dwelling cultivator technique?
Impossible!
He was a journey cultivator—how could he possess dwelling cultivator techniques?
Yet Li Banfeng was indeed employing a dwelling cultivator technique.
He had used the Heart Arrowing Home technique.
Running all the way back from Heishipo, Li Banfeng's heart had been set on returning home, frantic with worry that he might never be able to get back into the Portable Abode.
Now, with the technique's amplification active, nothing could halt Li Banfeng's steps toward home.
Li Banfeng dragged Ling Miaoying into the room. Ling Miaoying struggled desperately, but the disparity in their strength was overwhelming.
The projector produced a new phantasm, but constrained by the projection angle, it could not enter Li Banfeng's room either.
It adjusted its angle once more, preparing to cast the phantasm inside the room.
Li Banfeng reached one hand under the bed and fished the key out from the crack in the floorboards.
The key!
The key was still here!
Li Banfeng was ecstatic, his strength surging even further.
Ling Miaoying twisted his neck frantically, biting viciously at Li Banfeng's wrist.
With Heart Arrowing Home at its peak, Li Banfeng could not even feel the pain. He unlocked the Portable Abode and dragged Ling Miaoying inside.
The moment their master vanished, the dharma treasures and numinous items fell into disarray.
The liquor gourd seized the chance to knock the projector over, casting the newly formed phantasm out the window.
The pendulum and Tang dao darted back and forth, tangling up the steel wire rope before following Li Banfeng into the room.
Seeing that no one was watching, the glove swallowed Ling Miaoying's projector and followed them into the Portable Abode as well.
Once inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng tossed the key back out the door, then collapsed onto the floor, completely drained of strength and unable to move.
Ling Miaoying scrambled to his feet, grabbed the steel wire rope, and prepared to sever Li Banfeng's head.
Li Banfeng smiled.
Ling Miaoying's hands froze in midair, hooked firmly by the wife's stylus.
Tapping a slow clapper rhythm, the wife was about to sing a tune, but to her surprise, Li Banfeng beat her to it, breaking into a rendition of *Du Shiniang*:
"Wife, oh wife, are you feeling hungry? If you're feeling hungry, tell your husband, and your husband will make you noodle soup!"
The gramophone giggled with delight. "Oh my, husband, this isn't noodle soup—this is prime meat!"
Ling Miaoying stared at the gramophone and gasped, "A steam gramophone from Amikan—how could it have become a dharma treasure?!"
A plume of steam burst out, scalding Ling Miaoying until his skin split and flesh tore. The wife was furious—so furious that her belly rumbled loudly.
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Good eye. As expected of Ling Miaosheng's brother. But you watch your mouth. That's my wife—how dare you call her a dharma treasure?"
*Wife?*
Ling Miaoying could not wrap his head around it, nor did he have any time to think.
The gramophone was starving, eating with noticeable haste this time around.
Watching his wife wolf it down, Li Banfeng felt immense gratification.
This was how a wife ought to be provided for—she had to be kept plump and fair!
Still, if he returned to the Outer States in the future, buying groceries for her was going to be a headache.
In that environment of the Outer States, would she even like it?
Li Banfeng tapped his forehead, reminding himself not to let his thoughts wander.
He had begun to form a few suspicions.
From now on, whenever he was inside the Portable Abode, he should avoid letting his mind drift aimlessly to thoughts of locations.
***
Tu Yinghong returned to Xiaoyaowu and found a crowd of people gathered in the corridor, mostly overnight guests and dance hall hostesses.
Having heard gunshots and fighting, they had not dared to step outside at first. In Puluo Province, an excess of curiosity could easily cost someone their life.
Only after the noise had completely subsided did the group venture out to inspect the situation.
The gatekeeper had also been jolted awake from his slumber. Tu Yinghong looked around, but saw neither Ling Miaoying nor Li Qi.
Pretending to be a bystander watching the commotion, she asked the people nearby what had happened.
"No idea. We just heard someone shooting."
"There's blood over here, too. Wonder whose it is."
"Not just blood—look at this! Are these intestines? There are even vegetable leaves stuck to them!"
Not a single soul among them could give a straight answer.
Tu Yinghong peered into Li Banfeng's room; it was completely empty.
She wanted to step inside for a closer look, but the gatekeeper blocked her path. "All of you, go back to sleep! Stop causing trouble here!"
Tu Yinghong was shoved backward.
If she wanted to kill this gatekeeper, a flick of a finger would have been more than enough. A few more flicks, and she could slaughter everyone in the corridor and search the room thoroughly.
Yet she did not.
She knew that doing so would not help Ling Miaoying—it would only bring him trouble.
Silently, Tu Yinghong slipped away from Xiaoyaowu and returned to the small two-story building, where she waited quietly for word of Ling Miaoying.
***
At Lu Maoxian's mansion, Lu Chunying and the rest of the company were likewise waiting in silence for news of Ling Miaoying.
They waited until nearly seven in the morning. When the sky had turned fully bright, a scout finally brought word.
The Garrison Commissioner had emerged from the shuyu, but there was no sign of Ling Miaoying.
Lu Dongtang lost his composure and barked at his subordinate, "The Garrison Commissioner is already out, so what are you waiting for? Go inside the shuyu and find him!"
"Fusheng Shuyu belongs to the Chu family, so it's not easy for us to—"
"What about the Chu family? As if I'd fear them!"
The subordinate hurried to Fusheng Shuyu, only to come running back shortly after.
"We searched every corner of the shuyu. Ling Miaoying isn't there."
Lu Dongtang was left speechless.
Lu Chunying stood up and sighed. "No wonder Great-Uncle was outmaneuvered by Ling Miaoying. That kind of wit really runs in the family."
Unable to endure it any longer, Lu Dongtang sprang up to curse at her. But Qiu Zhiheng cast a glance at him, and blood rushed violently downward in Lu Dongtang's body, concentrating in a single spot. The sudden, explosive surge split his trousers wide open.
Clutching his pants, Lu Dongtang dropped back into his chair and hastily bowed his head.
If Monkey Qiu gave him another look, he could leave him without heirs forever.
The main household took their leave, and the various branch families dispersed one after another.
Lu Maoxian sat in his bedroom, grinding his teeth in secret.
***
Once outside the mansion, Ma the Fifth said to Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng, "Uncle Qiu, Uncle Tan, if you don't mind, let's head over to Xiaoyaowu together to have a drink."
Tan Fucheng glanced at Qiu Zhiheng, and Qiu Zhiheng looked toward Lu Chunying.
Lu Chunying smiled. "Big Brother Qiu, Fifth Brother has good intentions. We shouldn't refuse the courtesy."
Qiu Zhiheng nodded. "Very well. Let's sit together."
Ma the Fifth gestured with a raised hand. "Uncles, after you."
Tan Fucheng frowned. "Miss Chunying calls him brother, so why are you still calling us uncles? From now on, let's just treat each other as peers."
***
As the group walked toward Xiaoyaowu together, the gatekeeper rushed out before they could even step through the doors.
"Fifth Master, something happened last night! Someone broke in and went into Seventh Master's room! Shots were fired, and everything's a complete mess..."
The gatekeeper's ability to express himself was limited, and his explanation came out just as jumbled.
Ma the Fifth had the others rest in the dance hall first while he hurried to the rear building.
Reaching the second floor, his heart clenched tight. He spotted bloodstains, scorch marks, and certain indescribable matter scattered across the corridor. A vicious battle had clearly taken place here.
*Could Old Seven have met with trouble?*
Beads of cold sweat formed on Ma the Fifth's forehead.
When he reached Li Qi's door, two men were guarding it, barring unauthorized people from entering.
"Fifth Master, it's utter chaos inside, with blood everywhere. Would you like to take a look?"
Ma the Fifth pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to find the room in immaculate order.
The gatekeeper was dumbfounded and stammered, "Fifth Master, it wasn't like this just now! Just now it was..."
*Splash—*
The sound of running water echoed from within.
Li Banfeng walked out of the washroom.
The gatekeeper trembled all over. "Seventh... Seventh Master, when... when did you get back?"
Li Banfeng dried his hands. "I returned last night."
Relieved from the false alarm, Ma the Fifth wiped away his cold sweat, dismissed the gatekeeper, and asked, "Did something happen last night?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "It did."
"What happened?"
"I haven't made up the story yet."
Ma the Fifth looked utterly exasperated. "Why make up a story between us? Can't you just tell me the truth?"
"I can tell you, but it won't do to tell the others." Li Banfeng produced a cloth bundle and handed it to Ma the Fifth.
Ma the Fifth took the bundle and unwrapped it, only to find Ling Miaoying's severed head.
"Old Seven..." Ma the Fifth's jaw dropped, hanging open for a long time before he could close it. "The Lu family waited for Ling Miaoying the entire night, and he ended up delivering himself straight to you?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "That's right. So we need to spin a good tale. We can't let him die for nothing—we have to make him pull some more weight."
Chapter 296