Can You Truly Not See Them?

Li Banfeng told Luo Zhengnan to leave first, but Luo Zhengnan refused. He did not know what Li Seven had experienced in the past, but seeking revenge had been Luo Zhengnan's own proposal. Now that Li Seven was going to wipe out the Heishipo branch, how could Luo Zhengnan leave him to fight alone? "Seventh Master, you're insulting me. I might not be a good man, but I'm certainly no coward. As long as you're here, there's no way I'm leaving." Li Banfeng had not been being polite with Luo Zhengnan; he was worried Luo Zhengnan would not be able to keep up with the pace. Luo Zhengnan was first-rate when it came to scouting and judgment, but as for his combat strength, Li Banfeng did not know yet. Luo Zhengnan claimed he could fight too, and Li Banfeng did not doubt that, but in the current situation, fighting alone would not solve the problem. The Garrison Commissioner had stepped into the Jiangxiang Gang's affairs. Although Li Banfeng had not been born and raised in Puluo Province and did not harbor such deep dread toward the Garrison Commissioner, he still had to prepare himself to advance, retreat, and maneuver. To put it plainly, this fight required being able to strike at any moment and run at any moment. Dwelling Cultivators excelled at cutting into the battlefield, while journey cultivators excelled at disengaging from it. Without that kind of capability, Luo Zhengnan would find it hard to keep pace with Li Banfeng. On this point, Luo Zhengnan had a clear understanding of himself as well. "Seventh Master, I won't drag you down. Let's split up. I'll go scout for information, and once the timing is right, you make your move. Over the next day or two, you rest and build up your strength, and try not to show your face in public." Li Banfeng asked, "You mean there won't be a suitable opening in the next day or two?" Luo Zhengnan smiled. "Seventh Master, even though the Jiangxiang Gang is only a second-rate syndicate, they've walked the underworld for many years. Judging by how heavily guarded the branch is right now, I reckon they can hold that posture for at least a day or two. Crashing head-on against their branch during these couple of days just isn't worth our while. It'd be best if we handle it like we did with Pei Yikou—try our best not to strike in their den. Since they're in the kidnapping racket, they'll definitely have to move their goods. Once I dig up some news, we can act when the opportunity presents itself." Luo Zhengnan was truly a clever man; he always knew what Li Banfeng needed most. The two agreed to meet at noon the day after next. Li Banfeng found an inn, swallowed a Golden Origin Pill, purged seventy to eighty percent of the pill poison, and then returned to the Portable Abode to rest. With this Golden Origin Pill, staying in the Portable Abode for two or three days wouldn't pose any great problem, and it was a good chance to use the "Live and Work in Peace" technique to accumulate some fortune. Earlier, after staying in the Portable Abode for thirteen hours, his fortune had seen a small surge, which had become very apparent. The Heishipo branch of the Jiangxiang Gang was very small. According to Li Banfeng's plan, he should have struck immediately after getting off the train, but Luo Zhengnan had spotted anomalies near the branch—that was fortune at work. What kind of effect would staying a day and a half have this time? After a day had passed, the gramophone asked offhandedly, "Oh, husband, do you not plan on going out to buy groceries today?" Stroking the large horn, Li Banfeng sang in response, "Oh, wife, your husband stays at home without leaving—does that not please you?" The wife replied, "Oh, husband, having you stay home to keep this humble one company naturally delights me to no end. I only fear my lord might grow fond of domestic comfort and neglect his grand undertakings." "Oh, wife, is buying groceries a grand undertaking?" Li Banfeng tickled her armpit, making her shudder with laughter. The two traded lines back and forth in utter sweetness, but listening to it, Hong Ying felt something was off. She had been a dwelling spirit for someone else before. When had a dwelling spirit ever urged a Dwelling Cultivator to run outside? What did Zhao Xiaowan mean by this? Li Seven was also acting strange; he seemed to have an inkling of Zhao Xiaowan's thoughts. After another half-day, Li Banfeng headed out. Before he left, the gramophone advised, "Judging by your complexion, husband, your fortune is exceptionally high today. You can afford to act a bit more decisively." Fortune exceptionally high! Those thirty-plus hours hadn't been spent in vain. Once outside, Li Banfeng's legs could hardly wait to accelerate, and he soon found Luo Zhengnan. Luo Zhengnan had indeed uncovered news. "Seventh Master, I spent yesterday tracking child kidnappers without turning up anything. But after switching tactics, I caught wind of something. "Lately in Heishipo, there's been a peep show operator who heads out before dawn, heading specifically for the distant outskirts, and comes back late at night at all hours. "A friend of mine spotted two fortune-tellers near where the man stays. Looking at the way they do business, he knew right away they were from the Jiangxiang Gang, likely acting as lookouts for this peep show man. "Using peep shows to abduct children is standard practice for the Jiangxiang Gang. Two hours ago, my friend sent word that the peep show man headed out toward the western outskirts." Li Banfeng gathered his thoughts and drew up a plan. "I'll go to the western outskirts to find this peep show operator. You head over to his lodging to check things out. My guess is the children are hidden there. "Just get a clear read on the situation, and whatever you do, don't alert the snake. We'll both feel out the situation first, and when the time comes, we'll net the whole lot of them at once." Luo Zhengnan nodded repeatedly; Li Seven's thinking aligned completely with his own. ... Clang-a-lang, clang-a-lang! Western outskirts, Liutang Village. The sound of a rattle-drum reached the village entrance, and several children gathered toward the noise. Thinking the peddler had arrived, they wanted to buy a couple of sweets, but when they drew closer, they saw it was a peep show operator. The peep show man pushed a four-wheeled cart carrying a large wooden cabinet, which was a size larger than even a peddler's cargo box. There were eight glass lenses—magnifying lenses—on both the front and back of the cabinet. Those who came to watch the peep show leaned over the lenses to look at the pictures inside. What kind of pictures were in the cabinet? There were famous scenic sights and illustrated storybooks. Peep show operators all had the skills of storytellers. Pulling on the strings and shaking the rattle-drum, he swapped pictures one by one with his hands while narrating stories section by section with his mouth. What was so great about this? Why not go into town to watch motion pictures instead? That depended on the place. Liutang Village was on the distant outskirts. A round trip to Heishi City took an entire day, and the cheapest movie ticket cost three dollars. Factoring in food and drink, a day would run eight to ten dollars at the very least. Farming folk couldn't bear to spend that kind of money. To watch a peep show, a dime was more than enough, and village children especially loved it. Five children pressed against the glass lenses, watching with rapt attention, while the peep show operator twirled his rattle-drum and unhurriedly told his tale. Today, the tale was Wu Song Fights the Tiger. Wu Song had just drunk eighteen bowls of wine, and before he even made it up Jingyang Ridge, the peep show operator began shooing them away: "Alright, alright, that's all for today. Go on home, all of you." The onlookers who had gathered around dispersed, but the five children who had watched the show didn't leave. From their looks, it seemed they hadn't seen enough, but in reality, they couldn't walk. No one knew what they had seen; the pictures inside this cabinet were imbued with the techniques of an Illusion Cultivator. The peep show man pushed his cart forward, and the five children followed behind it. Once they reached a deserted spot, the peep show man opened the cabinet door. The five children formed a single line and walked inside. The peep show man shut the cabinet door and pushed his cart away from Liutang Village. Li Banfeng followed right behind him, preparing to strike once they reached a suitable place. Meanwhile, Luo Zhengnan had already arrived at the peep show man's residence, only to find no fortune-tellers in the vicinity. Luo Zhengnan's stomach dropped as he realized something was wrong. He slipped into the courtyard and searched each of the three tiled rooms, finding them completely empty. Could it be that they had already moved the goods? If that were truly the case, things weren't too terrible yet. What truly worried Luo Zhengnan was that word might have leaked, and the other side was prepared. If that was true, Li Banfeng would be in danger. Luo Zhengnan immediately left the courtyard and returned to his own place. Taking a rotary dial from a box, he plugged it into his spine, attached an antenna to the top of his head, and rushed to send Li Banfeng a message. Li Banfeng carried a simple telephone on him, without an antenna attached, so it was unclear how good the reception was. As it turned out, the signal was decent enough—the telephone vibrated, but the message had come just a bit too late. Li Banfeng had already walked into an ambush. He had been tailing the peep show operator, hoping to find a good opportunity to pry some information out of his mouth. Yet the peep show man had been prepared all along; he had lured Li Banfeng right into an encirclement. Five people stepped out from the surroundings. Counting the peep show man, six people surrounded Li Banfeng in the center. Among them was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a suit and tie. He asked Li Banfeng, "Are you from the He family?" Li Banfeng did not answer. He stared at the man, sizing him up. The man's attire was rather distinctive. In Puluo Province, plenty of people wore suits, but their suits differed from authentic western suits—pinched waists, long hemlines, and short lapels, bearing a strong Puluo style. Li Banfeng wore a typical Puluo-style suit, but this middle-aged man clearly wore an authentic western suit, which was quite uncommon in Puluo Province. Seeing that Li Banfeng remained silent, the middle-aged man revealed his identity: "I am a commissioner from the Garrison Office. By order of the Garrison Commissioner, I am inviting you to the Garrison Office to answer a few questions. "You needn't worry. We will give you the opportunity to clarify the facts. We will not let a single villain escape, but we will never wrongly accuse an innocent person either." Sure enough, this man was from the Outer States. Li Banfeng chuckled. "You want me to clarify the facts? Aren't the facts sitting right before your eyes?" The middle-aged man knitted his brows slightly. "I do not know what facts you are referring to." Li Banfeng abruptly stomped down on a pebble. The bursting pebble shattered the peep show cart. Inside the cabinet sat five children. Influenced by illusion arts, they were caught in severe vertigo; added to the jolting journey, they were all semi-conscious, faces vacant, with various traces of vomit clinging to the corners of their mouths. Li Banfeng pointed at the cart. "Can you not see them?" The middle-aged man went silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I truly cannot see anything of the sort. All I saw was you assaulting an honest, law-abiding merchant just now." Li Banfeng pointed at the peep show man. "You call him an honest, law-abiding merchant?" The middle-aged man nodded. "Who is honest and who isn't, I know full well. Come with me to the Garrison Office right now, or I will have to resort to extraordinary measures." Li Banfeng said nothing, his mind turning over a plan of action. The peep show operator belonged to the Jiangxiang Gang, and his methods were thoroughly professional—that went without saying. The man in the suit was indeed from the Garrison Office; there was no doubt about that either. The four people beside him were his subordinates, and their cultivations were certainly not low. But how high could they be? Before walking into the ambush, Li Banfeng had not sensed any danger, which proved these four were capable of concealing their malice. Were they concealing malice through a gap in cultivation? Li Banfeng was a seventh-tier journey cultivator. If they relied purely on a cultivation disparity to conceal malice, their cultivations would have to be at tier nine. Tier-nine cultivators would not debase themselves so far as to serve as someone else's thugs. So in all likelihood, they had used a magical treasure or spiritual object that concealed malice. Of course, that was merely Li Banfeng's speculation. Perhaps they were tool-men specially groomed by the Outer States. Right now, the wisest course of action was to flee immediately. The other side had the numbers; meeting them head-on would be exceedingly difficult. With the speed of a seventh-tier journey cultivator, escaping would be far easier. Yet from the other party's attitude, he didn't seem in the least bit concerned that I would run. These four subordinates were positioned close around the middle-aged man, their attention focused primarily on him rather than on me. They didn't look like thugs; they seemed more like bodyguards. One of them had kept his hand inside his trouser pocket the entire time, seemingly preparing to trigger some sort of mechanism. If I choose to run, will I fall right into their trap? And if I don't run? The instant that thought surfaced, an intense sense of peril flooded his mind. This was a warning from his technique of seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity—the opponents were quite strong, and charging in would carry immense risk. While Li's thoughts raced, he heard the middle-aged man's warning again: "I believe you have merely been duped by others. I might even believe this has nothing to do with you. "Come with me. Once we reach the Garrison Office, everything can be cleared up. I give you my word..." Before the sentence finished, Li Banfeng's figure abruptly blurred—he had invoked Half-Step. These four subordinates were experienced and reacted with astonishing speed. Noticing Li Banfeng's use of Half-Step and realizing he was a journey cultivator, two immediately took up positions in front of the middle-aged man while one stood behind him. They kept their eyes on Li Banfeng while blocking his line of sight toward the middle-aged man—they were guarding against Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse. They knew the fifth-tier technique of a journey cultivator! The other subordinate operated the mechanism in his trouser pocket, and a ring of halo lit up all around. A Boundary! Li Banfeng recognized this thing! Meng Yuchun had used a similar Boundary when fighting Lord Mountain-Uprooter, and Lord Mountain-Uprooter had slammed into the Boundary, nearly losing half his life. Good thing Li Banfeng hadn't chosen to run; otherwise, he would have crashed right into the Boundary, ending up dead or severely crippled. The four guards fixed their gaze on Li Banfeng, waiting to react to his move and see what action he would take. These four responded with consummate thoroughness; taking them head-on indeed meant assuming tremendous risk. Yet Li Banfeng still charged straight for the middle-aged man. It was a mad move. The four subordinates' cultivations were indeed not low: two at tier seven, two at tier six. The instant Li Banfeng rushed in, they adjusted their positions, giving Li Banfeng virtually no opening to strike. BOOM! A deafening roar! A cloud of smoke and dust billowed from the ground. The four subordinates and the middle-aged man were hurled to the ground by a tremendous shockwave. The sheer concussive force of this stomp of Treading Ten Thousand Rivers struck indescribable terror into the four guards. What tier was this man's cultivation? Could this be the seventh-tier technique of a journey cultivator? All four subordinates were injured. Scrambling to their feet immediately, they surrounded Li Banfeng, yet none dared to attack. By now, Li Banfeng had seized the middle-aged man by the hair. Blood smeared the middle-aged man's face, two incisors missing, as he slurred, "Young man, don't be rash. I admire your courage, and I admire your character. "The fact that you haven't killed me proves you still want to negotiate with me. I can give you that chance. "But this is the final chance I will offer you. Release me at once, and I can overlook what just happened!" "You misunderstand. I didn't kill you because I have something to ask you." Li Banfeng pointed at the peep show cart and asked the middle-aged man once more, "These five children—can you truly not see them?" The middle-aged man answered, "Why obsess over this? So what if I can't see them? Does it matter? Injuring me is a fatal catastrophe for you. Giving you a chance is my leniency to you..." "Since you can't see them, what use do you have for eyes?" Li Banfeng raised a hand and gouged out both of the middle-aged man's eyes.