Revenge

Shen Rongqing buried her face in Ma the Fifth's chest and wept aloud. Holding Shen Rongqing in his arms, Ma the Fifth seemed to hold up the entire sky for her with his single body. In truth, he was not alone. Huo Ling, Ah Qin, Zuo Wugang, and Tan Fucheng were all waiting outside. And the one who had truly driven off that white garment was the Bug Cultivator, Lu Yuanxin. In order to deal with Lu Dongchun, Lu Yuanxin had trained his clothes moths to their absolute limits—vast in number, voracious in appetite, armed with razor-sharp teeth, and resistant to poison. That white robe was a high-tier Garment Cultivator, yet even he could not withstand Lu Yuanxin's clothes moths. These people could only wait outside the teahouse for now. Li Banfeng had given the order: none of them were allowed inside to spoil the scene. The others did not mind waiting, but Huo Ling and Ah Qin felt deeply aggrieved. For their Fifth Brother's sake, they had rushed all the way here just to rescue a vixen! "Ling'er, your ears are sharp. Listen and see what they're saying." Through the charcoal fire of the tea stove, Huo Ling heard Ma the Fifth repeating only a single sentence: "I'm here. It's all right now." *** "He's here. It's all right now..." Seeing the white robe fly back, Li Banfeng let out a long breath. The white garment draped itself over Zhong Huai'en's body and carried him away, soaring out of the alley. Whether Zhong Huai'en lived or died did not matter for the moment; the garment was still around, after all. As long as the robe remained, there would be no shortage of messengers. *** That night, Shen Rongqing did not return to the film company, nor did Ma the Fifth return to Xiaoyaowu. The two quietly slipped away from the teahouse and went to Heping Mansion, booking their usual room. They spent the night together, though neither of them slept a wink. At daybreak, Shen Rongqing stroked Ma the Fifth's cheek and asked softly, "How did you know I was in danger at the teahouse?" Ma the Fifth shook his head. "I didn't know you were in danger. I was just passing by Lotus Pond Teahouse and saw the lights on, so I wanted to head up and have a look, hoping to try my luck and see if I might run into you." "Do you know whose business Lotus Pond Teahouse is?" "I know," Ma the Fifth nodded calmly. "It's the Ling family's business. The Lings are my rivals, and you've been helping them run things." "You knew that, yet you still..." Shen Rongqing, hailed as the foremost talent of Puluo Province, found herself at a loss for words. "Say no more," Ma the Fifth said, shaking his head and pulling her into a tight embrace. "It doesn't matter. For you, nothing else matters." Shen Rongqing buried her head in his chest and asked gently, "Just what level of cultivation do you have? How were you able to defeat that Garment Cultivator?" This was the crucial question. Ma the Fifth quietly employed the techniques of a Joy Cultivator, doing his utmost to suppress his heartbeat and control his thoughts as he replied serenely, "No matter what my cultivation is, you are my woman, and I am your man. That is enough." He had rehearsed these lines many times and was confident he sounded moving enough. Yet after a long silence, Shen Rongqing still withdrew from his arms. She put on her clothes and said to Ma the Fifth, "Get some good sleep, and then... forget about me." It was not that she doubted his words, but she understood her own position and identity. She could not be with Ma the Fifth. Watching Shen Rongqing leave the room, Ma the Fifth wiped away his sweat. This talented woman was truly difficult to handle. Everything had happened so suddenly, and Old Seven hadn't given him time to prepare beforehand. What if he had blown his cover? *** Just after dawn, Shen Rongqing returned to the film company. After sitting dazed in her office for a while, she contacted He Jiaqing. "Jiaqing, Zhong Huai'en sent someone to kill me last night. It was likely on the Sage's orders." Disguised as a street cleaner, He Jiaqing was sweeping the road when he heard this, his head throbbing with frustration. "How could things have come to this?" "Jiaqing, I'm saying he tried to kill me!" Before He Jiaqing could reply, Shen Rongqing cut off the communication. Holding his broom, He Jiaqing realized he had said the wrong thing. He hadn't asked about her safety first. "Those with ability aren't obedient, and those who are obedient have no ability. Why can't I find just one person who is competent, resourceful, and willing to work loyally and diligently for me? Why can't I find someone like that..." "What are you muttering about?!" a middle-aged female street cleaner nearby shouted at him. "Did you come here to work or not? What are you daydreaming for? Hurry up and sweep!" "Right," He Jiaqing sniffled. There was heavy traffic on this stretch of road, and he needed to set up his equipment quickly. To catch the morning rush hour, he swallowed his irritation. *** Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyaowu and found Luo Zhengnan. The feud between He Jiaqing and the Sage had now been forged on their behalf by Li Banfeng. But was he just going to let the grudge end there? No way. Ever since arriving in Puluo Province, the first ones to disgust Li Banfeng had been the Jiangxiang Gang. Besides the Jiangxiang Gang, many others had disgusted him as well, and Li Banfeng had sent every one of them on their way. Yet the deepest disgust he had ever felt was toward Jianrengang under the Sage. And as fate would have it, the Sage and the Jiangxiang Gang were tied together. Abducting children, sending them to Jianrengang, training them into base wretches, and turning them into slaves for the Sage. These two repulsive forces had come together, conducting sickening, vile deeds. Now, it was time to make them suffer. However, he needed Luo Zhengnan's help for this. Li Banfeng never made people work for nothing; he began by handing five hundred silver dollars to Luo Zhengnan. "This is the reward for this battle. Next, there are still some major matters we need to take care of together. Tell me first: what do you want? Business or territory?" Luo Zhengnan looked at Li Seven. He knew that total trust between them was still out of the question, and he knew Li Seven still harbored caution and suspicion toward him. Yet after hesitating for a long time, he spoke what he truly desired: "Seventh Master, I don't want money, and I don't want territory. I want revenge." Some people were simply cut from the same cloth. Even his thoughts aligned perfectly with your own. "The one who tried to kill you—his name is Pei Yuzeng?" Luo Zhengnan nodded. "The Hall Master of Qingyan City." "Are you familiar with Qingyan City?" "I've been there a few times. I know all the Jiangxiang Gang's halls and branches there. Not many of his subordinates possess cultivation, and practically none are worth mentioning. But Hall Master Pei Yuzeng is not an easy man to deal with. "He is a fifth-tier Fire Cultivator. Seventh Master might not think that's particularly high, but he is unpredictable. "If the timing is right, killing him isn't hard at all. But if the timing is off, getting close to him is nearly impossible. "To kill Pei Yuzeng, we can't do it at his hall. It's huge, crowded with people, and no one knows where he will show up or when he will strike. "The Chu family, the Ma family, and the Baihua Sect have all sent assassins after him in the past. Every attempt took place at his hall, and all failed—instead of killing him, the assassins were incinerated by a single breath of fire from Pei Yuzeng. That is why we must choose the right moment." "What kind of timing counts as right?" "That depends on when Seventh Master is willing to help me seek this vengeance." "The sooner, the better." "Thank you, Seventh Master!" Luo Zhengnan stood up and bowed deeply to Li Banfeng. He drew a circle on the calendar poster. "Today is the second. If Seventh Master is willing to help me, we set out tomorrow. By train, we can reach Qingyan City on the fifth—which happens to be the day they deliver their goods." "Deliver what goods?" "Children. Qingyan City has a peculiar situation; human traffickers run rampant. In other places, they call it kidnapping; there, they call it snatching. "The traffickers under the Jiangxiang Gang dare to snatch people right off the street. If anyone resists, they'll even maim or kill them in broad daylight. "They lock the kidnapped children in their hall and wait for families to ransom them. Those who can afford it buy their children back; those who can't never see them again." Li Banfeng frowned. "That's something only bandits do." Luo Zhengnan nodded. "You're right. What the Jiangxiang Gang does in Qingyan City is no different from banditry—in fact, it's far worse. "This is mainly because Qingyan City has a unique situation. There, only the elderly and infirm look after the children." "Where are the children sent if they aren't ransomed?" "They're sent by train to Jianrengang. Pei Yuzeng calls this 'delivering goods'—delivering goods to the Sage." "By train?" Li Banfeng was startled. "The Garrison Commissioner doesn't intervene?" Luo Zhengnan said, "That is Pei Yuzeng's skill. He has connections at the station who look out for him, allowing him to ship these children out via freight cars. Whether it's someone from the Outer States backing him or Jianrengang pulling the strings, no one knows. "However, Pei Yuzeng must personally oversee the shipments. He has each branch pack the children into crates and transport them to a warehouse east of the station. "Pei Yuzeng personally escorts these children to the station, and he is allowed to bring no more than ten men with him. "That is the rule set for him by the station. Aside from his trusted confidants, very few people know of this arrangement. It is the best opportunity to kill him." The greatest virtue of a smart man was knowing how to use any means to simplify a complicated problem. Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat. "Get ready. We set out tomorrow." *** Atop the Peak of the Sages, a dying Zhong Huai'en was carried into the Sage's manor. The Sage stepped out from his bedroom. He looked at Zhong Huai'en, battered and bruised, and then glanced at the white garment draped over him, riddled with holes. "What happened?" The white robe was not permitted to speak out of turn; despite Zhong Huai'en's inferior cultivation, he had to be the first to answer before their master due to his elevated status. Zhong Huai'en said with great effort, "Master, I was ambushed by a journey cultivator. This disciple fought fiercely, but could not defeat him." A journey cultivator? "That He Jiaqing again?" Zhong Huai'en didn't dare answer carelessly; he hadn't clearly seen the attacker's face. The Sage looked at the white garment. "Speak!" What was the white robe supposed to say? Admit that he had come up with the idea to sneak back and ambush Shen Rongqing, only to bungle it and drag his junior brother down with him? If he told the plain truth like that, he would never leave the manor alive. Fortunately, he had prepared beforehand and framed the matter in a different way: "Master, we went to meet with Shen Rongqing. Junior Brother asked why He Jiaqing hadn't come and wondered if the man was being too arrogant. "Shen Rongqing said we were in no position to see He Jiaqing. Junior Brother couldn't swallow his anger and traded a few harsh words, after which we left. We never expected that on the way back, we would be ambushed by a journey cultivator and a Bug Cultivator." There was nothing wrong with this story—every word was true, save for a few omitted details. Bug Cultivators were the bane of Garment Cultivators, and the holes in the white robe had indeed been left by clothes moths. The Sage fell silent for a long while before speaking to Zhong Huai'en and the white robe: "Go tend to your wounds first. Once you have healed, take men to the Outer States, contact Xiao Zhenggong, and eliminate He Jiaqing at any cost." The white robe mustered the courage to say, "Master, Senior Brother Xiao might not be willing to listen to me." "Tell him it is my order. Let's see if he has the gall to disobey!" The white robe dared not argue. Xiao Zhenggong's mind was inscrutable. Even if he didn't openly disobey, what could they do if he simply dragged his feet? *** In Qingyan City, a faint haze of smoke constantly drifted through the air. This, too, was an industrial city, yet its layout was completely different from Heishipo's. Heishipo leaned heavily toward manufacturing, filled with countless factories, and residential quarters were built nearby, with most workers living right inside the plants. Qingyan City, on the other hand, focused on smelting. The smelting factories were all situated near the mines, where no one wanted to live. This gave rise to Qingyan City's unique, stark division between north and south. The southern part was the urban district, where all the residential homes were built. The northern part was the mining district, filled with mine shafts and factories. Workers labored in the mines by day and returned south to live by night. This created a problem: if the workers' job sites were far from home, who would look after the children? With their meager incomes, hiring caretakers was out of the question. If they couldn't rely on the elderly, their only choice was to entrust the children to neighbors, waiting until older kids grew up enough to help look after the younger ones. Under such circumstances, human traffickers found plenty of opportunities. As soon as night fell, Pei Yuzeng personally led ten trusted henchmen to the warehouse. Several branches had already delivered the children, while two had yet to arrive. Pei Yuzeng checked his pocket watch; there was still enough time, so he decided to wait a bit. He inspected the crates one by one, instructing his subordinates, "Pry two more holes in this crate. Don't let them suffocate on the way." Crying came from inside one of the crates. Pei Yuzeng frowned. "Sew that mouth shut. I don't want any trouble when we get to the station." This was no empty threat. His men actually went to fetch a needle and thread; any child who cried or fussed would literally have their mouth sewn shut. A burly man brought over a needle and thread and opened the crate. When it came to sewing mouths, he was an expert. Li Banfeng took the needle and thread from the burly man's hands, drove it from Pei Yuzeng's lower lip up through his upper lip, drew the thread through, made several passes back and forth, and sewed his mouth shut. Pei Yuzeng was horrified. Li Banfeng's movements had been so fast that he hadn't even reacted. He tried to breathe fire, but his mouth wouldn't open—and then he found that Li Banfeng had vanished. Pei Yuzeng violently ripped the thread from his mouth and roared, "Who's there?!" "A foe seeking vengeance." Luo Zhengnan walked slowly from the warehouse entrance toward Pei Yuzeng. Pei Yuzeng was dumbfounded. Wasn't Luo Zhengnan dead? Pei Yuzeng had burned him to death with his own hands and had even gathered his ashes. How was he alive? And who was the person who had just vanished? Luo Zhengnan stared at Pei Yuzeng. He was eager to see if Pei Yuzeng could still breathe fire, eager to see if it truly happened without the slightest warning. Pei Yuzeng desperately wanted to breathe fire, and he truly could do so without warning. Unfortunately, he had no chance. His forehead swelled up. His cheeks, chest, belly, and limbs swelled in rapid succession. Bang! With a dull thud, Pei Yuzeng exploded into shredded flesh and blood. Bang! Bang! In a barrage of muffled pops, nine of the ten subordinates blew apart into bloody gore one after another. Journey cultivator art: Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse. The sole remaining Jiangxiang Gang disciple was the burly man who had just opened the crate. He stood trembling from head to toe, knowing that Li Banfeng was right behind him. Li Banfeng asked, "Where did these children come from?" "I... I don't know." Luo Zhengnan sighed. "If only you knew. If you knew, perhaps your life could have been spared." "Hall Master Luo, I... I have no grievance with you..." "But you have one with me," Li Banfeng said with a faint smile from behind the burly man. "Master, I've never crossed you, I've never seen you before..." The burly man didn't dare turn around, crying so hard in terror that he sounded worse than the child in the crate. From the crate he had just opened, the child poked its head out quietly. Li Banfeng gestured to Luo Zhengnan to cover the child's eyes. Luo Zhengnan covered the child's eyes. "Come, Uncle has candy for you. Tell Uncle, where is your home?" As he spoke, the burly man's wailing ceased. Luo Zhengnan's vengeance had been settled, but Li Seven's revenge was only just beginning.