Who Will Guard Yaowanggou?

Li Banfeng hoisted Old Yao onto his shoulder and carried him into the Portable Abode. Doing so was dangerous; it risked exposing the Portable Abode, but Li Banfeng did not hesitate. He moved the Red Lotus beside Old Yao. The gramophone cried out in alarm, "Husband, what are you doing?" The Red Lotus did not feed on the living, but Old Yao had already lost all signs of life, and its petals gently parted. Li Banfeng glared at it, and the Red Lotus closed its petals again. Stepping out of the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng began hauling medicinal herbs from Old Yao's house. He understood neither the properties of medicinal herbs nor the principles of medicine; he didn't even recognize most of the ingredients. Whenever he saw raw herbs, he carried them in; whenever he saw processed medicine, he carried that in too. Pills or ointments, Li Banfeng hauled every last bit into the Portable Abode. The Red Lotus grasped what Li Banfeng wanted and spoke a few words toward the gramophone. Li Banfeng could not hear it, but the gramophone relayed the message: "Husband, even the Red Lotus has no way to awaken him. At best, it can only stabilize his soul." "That will do." The Red Lotus unfolded its petals, selected over a dozen types from among the herbs and medicines, and drew them into the heart of the flower. Before long, the petals blossomed open. Li Banfeng peeled off a lotus seed, which burst apart and transformed into a nearly transparent elixir pill. Li Banfeng handed the pill to his wife. After verifying that nothing was wrong with it, she placed it into Old Yao's mouth. Old Yao showed no reaction whatsoever. The gramophone gave a soft sigh and said, "His soul is stabilized. As for when he will awaken, that depends on his own fortune." Li Banfeng carried Old Yao on his back to the small courtyard and laid him down on the bed. He set to work putting the courtyard and the house in order. The Star of Mourning's corpse could not be wasted, so Li Banfeng dragged it into the Portable Abode, thinking there might still be some spirituality left for his wife to consume. But after taking a look, she said, "General Yao struck with ruthless finality. This wretch's soul was scattered into ash and smoke; nothing remains." Just as well that nothing was left; his wife would have found consuming such a creature bad luck anyway. None of the other treasures were willing to eat it either, so in the end, it was all left to the Red Lotus. There were many treasures in Old Yao's home as well. The three-pointed double-edged blade and the four theatrical battle flags were splendid items at the Above-the-Clouds layer. The liquor gourd greeted each of them in turn, but none responded. These treasures had always guarded Old Yao's side; they had no intention of leaving with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng had never planned to take them away in the first place; Old Yao needed someone by his side to watch over him. The collapsed wall had to be repaired right away so Old Yao wouldn't be exposed to the elements. That was work he could do together with Qiu Zhiheng. Yet the problem remained: aside from these treasures, who else could protect Old Yao? If another local spirit came to seize territory and dug up Old Yao's covenant deed, what could be done? At daybreak, Qiu Zhiheng came up the mountain. Seeing Li Banfeng gathering bricks and stones, he hurried forward to ask about the situation. Li Banfeng said, "The Star of Mourning is dead, and the Mourning Array is broken." Qiu Zhiheng was filled with joy, but when he saw Old Yao's condition, the smile froze on his face. "Old Yao... what happened to him?" "His injuries were too severe. He fell into a deep sleep." "Can he..." Li Banfeng knew what Qiu Zhiheng wanted to ask. "Whether he can wake up, Old Yao doesn't know either." Qiu Zhiheng sat down beside Old Yao, his face completely blank. Faced with such a predicament, he had no idea what to do either. Li Banfeng asked, "Do you know any local spirits from other lands? If there's someone you can trust, we could ask them to help look after Yaowanggou." Qiu Zhiheng pondered for a long time, then shook his head. "I know some local spirits, but not a single one can be trusted." It was late autumn, and the morning wind bit with cold. Li Banfeng sighed. "Let's rebuild the wall first." He had three candidates in mind who could help look after Old Yao's territory, but which one was suitable required careful deliberation. To look after Yaowanggou, one had to find someone at the level of a local spirit, and an ordinary one wouldn't do. Meng Yuchun lacked experience; she couldn't even manage her own domain properly and had to tend to Li Banfeng's territory on top of that, so asking her was clearly out of the question. The prime candidate was Shui Yongquan. He was the local spirit Li Banfeng knew best. His territory was not particularly close, but not too far either. With a local spirit's methods, making a round trip when nothing was pressing shouldn't be an issue. Although Shui Yongquan was a local spirit of the newlands, he was shrewd and experienced, capable of holding things together for Old Yao for a few years. Of course, they couldn't expect Shui Yongquan to do it for nothing. During the time Old Yao was asleep, a portion of Yaowanggou's human vitality could be reserved to sustain Old Yao's cultivation, while the rest went to Shui Yongquan as compensation. The plan was reasonable, but the problem was that the harvest from being the local spirit of a proper land was far too immense, and the temptation far too great. If Old Shui acted as local spirit for a while and refused to leave, what then? While Shui Yongquan was a man of his word, Li Banfeng did not dare wager on it. Even if they drew up a covenant deed, with Shui Yongquan's cunning, he might very well find a loophole. Plan two: Qiu Luoye. Compared to Shui Yongquan, Qiu Luoye was slightly less capable, but he was also less scheming. As long as the covenant deed was drafted clearly, the chances of Qiu Luoye playing tricks were slim. However, Qiu Luoye was reckless in his actions and could easily stir up trouble. Others were one thing, but Yaowanggou was near Lüshuiwan; if Qiu Luoye provoked the Lüshui Beggar, matters would become troublesome. The third choice was Feng Daiku. Ma the Fifth had a good relationship with her, so asking her to look after Yaowanggou was another option. This was the last resort, because Li Banfeng did not trust Feng Daiku. Far from trusting her, his relationship with her was somewhat hostile; back then, it was because of her that Li Banfeng had nearly lost his life at the Wireworm River. Aside from these three, who else was there? Granny Ku? The Peddler? Those were prominent figures; Li Banfeng didn't even know how to get in touch with them. While lost in thought, Li Banfeng's legs suddenly began to shake. Qiu Zhiheng was startled. "Brother, what's wrong?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Nothing much. I walked a bit too much yesterday, so my legs are hurting a little." Qiu Zhiheng knew Li Banfeng was a journey cultivator. Seeing his whole body shuddering along with his legs and cold sweat pouring down his face, Qiu Zhiheng remembered Lu Dongliang had once experienced a similar state. "Are you about to advance?" Advance? It was actually quite possible! Journey cultivators advanced extremely quickly in perilous circumstances. Yaowanggou had fallen under the Mourning Array, which was a great hazard. Li Banfeng had followed the train across nearly every corner of Yaowanggou, and on top of that, he had been running all over without rest and secretly taking elixir pills all along. Indeed, it was time for a breakthrough. Qiu Zhiheng supported Li Banfeng and said, "Come home with me to rest." Li Banfeng shook his head. "First find a way to rebuild the wall." "Leave that to me." "No one can find out where Old Yao lives." "Don't worry. Last month, I bought a spiritual artifact belonging to a construction cultivator. It's more than enough for the job." Qiu Zhiheng still wanted to take Li Banfeng down the mountain, but Li Banfeng said, "I have to stay here and guard Old Yao's home. Don't worry about me. Advancing isn't a big deal. I'll just rest here." Unable to persuade him, Qiu Zhiheng hurried down the mountain. This advancement came on with ferocious intensity, so much so that Li Banfeng could barely endure it. After sprinting several dozen laps around the courtyard, he returned to the Portable Abode. Seeing Li Banfeng's pale face, the gramophone asked, "Precious Husband, what's wrong with you?" "Must be that I've been too exhausted these past couple of days." "Come rest on the bed, quickly." Li Banfeng lay down on the bed, a plume of steam snuggling close beside him. Li Banfeng stole a glance at Hong Ying, wondering how he could coax the Layer Seven technique out of her. *** At the Jiangxiang Gang's Medicine King Hall, Hall Master Luo Zhengnan lay on a deck chair on the rooftop terrace, leisurely listening to the radio. Today the weather was clear and sunny, and Hall Master Luo was in high spirits. He plugged the antenna into his skull and carefully sensed the surroundings. The foul fortune had dispersed. It truly was gone. Who broke the Mourning Array? Monkey Qiu? He didn't have the skill. That cart-puller? That man wasn't in Yaowanggou, and no one knew where he had gone. Most likely, the local spirit had stepped in personally. What did that old drunk use to break the Mourning Array? Having been a local spirit for so many years, he certainly had tricks up his sleeve. Using this matter, perhaps I could build a connection with him. Forget it. His status is too high; building a connection with him does me no good and might only bring a heap of trouble. As long as Yaowanggou is peaceful, that's enough. I'll just keep living my peaceful days. Luo Zhengnan listened to the broadcast, on the verge of drifting to sleep, when his staff-man Sun Xingbing suddenly came onto the terrace. "Reporting to the Hall Master!" "Reporting what?" Luo Zhengnan snapped in irritation. "Han Jinwei is here." Why has that bird-brain come again? Does he want to go to Huangtuqiao again? "Bring him up!" Han Jinwei came up to the terrace, and just as expected, he really did want to go to Huangtuqiao. Luo Zhengnan patiently urged him, "Hall Master Han, don't rush. Wait a few more days. There are still some matters to deal with in Yaowanggou. Once they're taken care of, I'll go with you." Han Jinwei nodded and left the terrace. Luo Zhengnan wasn't giving him the brush-off; in a few days, he really did intend to make a trip to Huangtuqiao. If Han Jinwei truly wanted to stay in Huangtuqiao, he would let him stay. Luo Zhengnan didn't care about Huangtuqiao, and keeping a man like Han Jinwei around only made him uneasy. But Han Jinwei saw things differently. Gritting his teeth the entire way back to his residence, he summoned the newly appointed branch master, the nightmare cultivator Mo Jiansheng. Mo Jiansheng was nearly sixty years old, timid and submissive before Han Jinwei, lacking even the courage to raise his head when speaking. Han Jinwei said, "Pack your things. Bring along that Mourning Cultivator's soul. We depart tonight for the Outer States." Mo Jiansheng froze. "To the Outer States? Travel permits aren't easy to get." "Do you need to worry about travel permits?" Han Jinwei had often traveled to the Outer States on official business in the past; he possessed travel permits for the Outer States that could cover several accompanying personnel. Mo Jiansheng was rather terrified; he had never been to the Outer States in his life. "For such a major matter, shouldn't we inform Hall Master Luo?" Han Jinwei frowned. "Inform him of what? Am I not a hall master?" "B-but for all these years, I've always followed Hall Master Luo..." "If you were so loyal to him, why did you come to me in the first place?! Living to such an age, you couldn't even claw your way up to branch master! If not for my recommendation, you'd still be a wind patrol! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!" Mo Jiansheng dared not utter a word. "Hurry home and pack your things!" Mo Jiansheng returned home and packed his bags. His son, Mo Linping, asked, "Dad, where are you going?" "Don't ask. Wait at home for news from me these next few days. If ten days pass and there's still no word from me, go find our Hall Master Luo and tell him that something happened to our local spirit." "The local spirit?!" Mo Linping gasped. "Keep your voice down!" Mo Jiansheng glared at his son. "Aside from the hall master, you must not tell a living soul." *** That very night, Han Jinwei took Mo Jiansheng and secretly boarded a train. The next day, Luo Zhengnan received word that Han Jinwei was missing. He summoned his staff-man Sun Xingbing and told him to hurry to the station, find an acquaintance, and check Han Jinwei's whereabouts. Sun Xingbing soon tracked down the news. "Hall Master, Han Jinwei went to the Outer States." "The Outer States?" Luo Zhengnan was taken aback. "What is he doing going to the Outer States?" Sun Xingbing had no idea. "Probably on an errand for the Gang Leader. The Gang Leader used to send him to the Outer States all the time." "That can't be right—there wasn't the slightest whisper beforehand." Luo Zhengnan's brow furrowed tightly. He had a feeling trouble was brewing again. *** In Yuezhou, Xiao Zhenggong was resting in his villa when a bodyguard reported that Han Jinwei had arrived. Xiao Zhenggong's expression darkened; he did not want to see him. Because Han Jinwei had bungled things at Tiemenbao previously, Xiao Zhenggong loathed him deeply. After waiting a moment, realizing that Han Jinwei must have had an urgent matter to come this far, Xiao Zhenggong put on his clothes and headed to the main hall. "What do you want?" Han Jinwei glanced around, and Xiao Zhenggong dismissed the others. "Gang Leader, I received word that something happened to the local spirit of Yaowanggou." "The local spirit? Old Yao? What happened?" "He fought a vicious battle against the Star of Mourning. The Star of Mourning laid a Mourning Array in Yaowanggou, and the old bastard probably couldn't hold out." Xiao Zhenggong paused. "Is the news reliable?" "Reliable. The Star of Mourning had a ghost of a Mourning Cultivator who escaped while the two were clashing. He witnessed it with his own eyes, and this soul was captured by my branch master, Mo Jiansheng." "Where is this Mo whatever-sheng?" "Waiting right outside the door." "Bring him in!" Trembling all over, Mo Jiansheng brought the Mourning Cultivator's soul before Xiao Zhenggong. Xiao Zhenggong smiled faintly. "Branch Master Mo, don't be afraid. Tell me the whole story from start to finish." Mo Jiansheng dared not say much, so he released the Mourning Cultivator's soul and let it recount everything directly to Xiao Zhenggong. The soul told the whole story. Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "Who else knows about this?" Han Jinwei said, "Branch Master Mo only told me." Xiao Zhenggong looked at Mo Jiansheng. "You didn't tell Luo Zhengnan?" Mo Jiansheng didn't know how to answer, but Han Jinwei had long prepared: "Hall Master Luo has been getting too close to Qiu Zhiheng lately. There are some things I didn't dare let him know." "Qiu Zhiheng, Monkey Qiu? What dealings does he have with Luo Zhengnan?" "Hard to say." Han Jinwei looked at Xiao Zhenggong with a meaningful gaze. Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "Well done. As long as word hasn't leaked, that's what matters. You two have rendered great service and deserve a reward. First, have a drink with me." Xiao Zhenggong walked over to the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of champagne. A smile spread across Han Jinwei's face. With this meritorious deed, regaining his former post was a certainty. If he wanted to transfer to a better place in the future, the Gang Leader would surely agree, and even the vice gang leader's seat wouldn't be too far off. Xiao Zhenggong shook the champagne. With a pop, the cork flew out and shot straight through Han Jinwei's skull. Han Jinwei remained standing on the floor. Mo Jiansheng was scared out of his wits. He wanted to run, but his legs went limp, unable to take a single step. "Don't be afraid. Drink." Xiao Zhenggong poured a glass of champagne and tossed it to Mo Jiansheng. The champagne glass embedded itself deep into Mo Jiansheng's skull. The Mourning Cultivator's soul swiftly turned invisible, but Xiao Zhenggong took out a copper coin and flicked it casually. It struck the soul, and in the blink of an eye, the soul was scattered into ash and smoke.