What Pathway Is This Camel?

Li Banfeng arrived in Bei Wushuang's territory to deliver a message to him. "You claim Pan Dehai has been trapped by Meng Yuchun?" Bei Wushuang scoffed. "As far as I know, Pan Dehai's cultivation is at Cloud Third Tier, while Meng Yuchun is only at Cloud First Tier. If you told me Pan Dehai took pity on her and spared her life, I might believe you. But to say Meng Yuchun has trapped Pan Dehai—that sounds like a joke." Li Banfeng nodded. "Pan Dehai's cultivation is indeed superior to Meng Yuchun's, but this is Meng Yuchun's territory, and she is a Dwelling Cultivator. You've surely heard of her methods like Close the Doors and Bar the Gates. Defeating Pan Dehai won't be easy, but keeping him trapped isn't difficult." Bei Wushuang flicked his tongue. "So in other words, you can't beat him and want me to come over and fight him for you?" "It's hardly doing us a favor. We know a thing or two about the grudge between you and Pan Dehai. If Pan Dehai leaves here alive, you won't sleep soundly from now on." "Why wouldn't I sleep soundly?" Bei Wushuang shook his head. "I told you before: Old Pan is my friend. There's no bad blood between us. Whatever you've heard is nothing but rumors." Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat. "So you're saying you don't intend to get involved." "It's not my place to get involved. This is a grudge between Old Pan and you two. Since you know Old Pan, go talk it over properly with him. Old Pan is a man of great virtue; perhaps he'll grant you a way out." "And if he refuses to let us off?" "Then there's nothing to be done. You can only blame your bad luck for offending someone you shouldn't have." "In fact, we don't necessarily have to offend Pan Dehai. You make a good point; we could have a nice, long chat with him." Li Banfeng said no more. Tugging his hat brim down, he vanished in the blink of an eye. Bei Wushuang watched Li Banfeng's retreating figure, his massive camel eyes blinking for a long time. Would Bei Wushuang really refrain from acting? Li Banfeng believed he would definitely act. Every time Li Banfeng stepped into Bei Wushuang's territory, Bei Wushuang noticed immediately, showing just how guarded he was and how many informants he had planted throughout the surrounding lands. Bei Wushuang had plenty of ways to verify whether Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai were truly fighting. As long as it was confirmed, he would definitely make a move. The reason was simple: given Pan Dehai's strength, Meng Yuchun had no chance of victory. The outcome could only go one of two ways. First, Meng Yuchun died in battle, and Pan Dehai seized her territory to bide his time right beside Bei Wushuang. That was clearly an outcome Bei Wushuang did not want to see. Second, Meng Yuchun surrendered and joined forces with Pan Dehai to deal with Bei Wushuang. That was an outcome Bei Wushuang wanted to see even less. A mole burrowed out from underground, scurried up to Bei Wushuang's hooves, and said respectfully, "Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai have started fighting. Pan Dehai has been..." "I know." Bei Wushuang tossed his head, and the camel bell around his neck jingled twice. Amidst the lingering chiming, Bei Wushuang vanished. Pan Dehai truly was trapped by Meng Yuchun. Amidst layers of boundary lines, flecks of blood marred his robes as he still attempted to negotiate with her: "Miss Meng, there's a misunderstanding between us. Perhaps this old man didn't make himself clear. If my words offended you, please forgive me. At my age, humbling myself to admit fault before you—even if I truly am in the wrong, you should show some forbearance." Standing on the hillside, Meng Yuchun had been looking down at Pan Dehai, but she suddenly felt his figure balloon to towering proportions. Big and small characters for "virtue" were inscribed all over his person, sending wave upon wave of dizziness crashing over her. This was no illusion; it was the Virtue Cultivator technique, High Virtue and Weighty Prestige. While expounding on reason and propriety, Pan Dehai elevated his own prestige, inflicting a severe spiritual awe upon Meng Yuchun. The boundary lines on the ground flickered erratically, breaking apart here and there. Meng Yuchun was on the verge of collapse, presenting Pan Dehai with an opening to counterattack. Yet Pan Dehai chose not to take risks; he prepared to invoke High Virtue and Weighty Prestige once more. At this moment, all of Pan Dehai's attention was fixed upon Meng Yuchun. Meng Yuchun was at the end of her tether. If she held on any longer, she might very well be driven mad. Gaps yawned across the boundaries. Just as Pan Dehai was about to break through, Bei Wushuang, lurking in the shadows, prepared to strike. Meng Yuchun did not see Bei Wushuang. Even Pan Dehai, skilled in concealment, failed to notice him. Li Banfeng, however, noticed. Pushing the technique of Golden Eyes Discerning the Minutest Detail to its limit, Li Banfeng caught sight of Bei Wushuang's hazy silhouette. This was a technique the wife had personally imparted to him. To this day, Li Banfeng still did not know what tier Golden Eyes Discerning the Minutest Detail belonged to, but it had saved his neck time and again. Now that he saw Bei Wushuang, what should he do? Charge in and fight? He was definitely no match for Bei Wushuang. Shout a warning to Pan Dehai and Meng Yuchun? One shout might work, but what if Bei Wushuang shifted positions? Was Li Banfeng supposed to provide live commentary from the sidelines? If they fought like that, they'd just wait around to be toyed to death by Bei Wushuang. Li Banfeng swung his iron ladle and splashed a scoop of night soil straight toward Bei Wushuang's silhouette. Bei Wushuang was caught off guard. He hadn't paid any heed to Li Banfeng—a tier-seven Dwelling Cultivator was far too easy to overlook. The night soil splashed onto Bei Wushuang's body, vanishing in the blink of an eye without leaving a trace. Though it left no visible trace, the stench remained. With the gentle breeze, Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai pinched their noses simultaneously, immediately detecting Bei Wushuang's presence. Meng Yuchun redirected her boundary lines without hesitation, trapping Bei Wushuang within them. After slinging that ladle of night soil, Li Banfeng immediately withdrew from the battlefield. His part was finished; now he had to make sure he didn't get caught in the crossfire. Back in the cave, Li Banfeng had written two words across the twin halves of Meng Yuchun's peach: one was "ku" (bitter), and the other was "ji" (stratagem). He had wanted to write the full idiom for the ruse of self-injury—"ku-rou-ji"—but writing that middle character, "rou" (flesh), right in the crevice between them would have been rather awkward. In any case, there was plenty of flesh on her peach; Meng Yuchun was bound to get the point. And she truly had understood. Not only did she understand, she put on a remarkably convincing show. She, too, had sensed that someone was spying on them near the cave, and fighting tooth and nail with Pan Dehai all this time was all for the sake of this ruse of self-injury. Why hadn't they discussed this beforehand with Pan Dehai? Because Li Banfeng suspected there were spies in Meng Yuchun's territory—more than one, in fact. If they laid the cards on the table in advance, the act would fall apart. Without laying it out plainly, wasn't Li Banfeng afraid Pan Dehai might deliver a killing blow? On that point, Li Banfeng had faith in Pan Dehai's wits. Pan Dehai's methods were despicable and ruthless, but undeniably, the man was clever. He had surely suspected that the cave was unsafe; he had surely noticed that eavesdroppers might be lurking nearby. When Meng Yuchun suddenly turned hostile, Pan Dehai had indeed been irritated at first, thinking this young local spirit lacked all decorum. Yet after crossing hands for two rounds, Pan Dehai immediately caught on: Meng Yuchun wasn't trying to kill him. Meng Yuchun was clearly outmatched in strength, yet she held back in battle. That abnormal restraint tipped Pan Dehai off to her intentions, so he, too, calibrated his strikes. The two were genuinely fighting, yet both were pulling their punches. They had sustained injuries, but none of them were serious. Drenched in night soil before he could strike, Bei Wushuang instantly realized he had walked into a trap. First he was snared by Meng Yuchun's boundaries, and then he heard Pan Dehai bellow: "Taking advantage of another's peril is an act of no virtue!" Virtue Cultivator technique: Great Virtue Carries All Things. Bei Wushuang stumbled, his form revealing itself midair. This camel was sturdy. A single layer of Great Virtue Carries All Things couldn't crush him; he propped himself up and slammed toward the boundary line in an attempt to break out. Doing so would certainly injure him, but Bei Wushuang believed he could endure it. If he stopped to tangle with both of them, there was virtually no chance of surviving. Pan Dehai bellowed again: "Fleeing the field of battle is an act of no virtue!" Another crushing burden crashed onto him. Bei Wushuang had just reached the edge of the boundary when his stride was forcibly slowed. More than half the fur on his body was scorched away, leaving him drenched in blood. Bei Wushuang's strength was noticeably superior to Lord Mountain-Uprooter's, and he could endure such wounds. He had no desire to fight; he only wanted to flee. Pan Dehai shouted once more: "Disheveled attire is an act of no virtue!" A pinpoint angle—now that his fur was burnt to a crisp, his attire was certainly disheveled. Bei Wushuang's front hooves buckled, on the verge of collapsing. At the same time, Meng Yuchun had already laid down a second layer of boundaries. Ramming through again would inevitably leave Bei Wushuang grievously wounded. Yet if he didn't charge through, giving Pan Dehai time, Bei Wushuang might lose any chance of escape. Weighing his options, Bei Wushuang halted his steps. He shook his neck with all his might, making his camel bell peal thunderously, and let out a gargling, guttural roar in time with the chime. As bell and roar merged, Meng Yuchun's breath hitched, and the boundary lines dimmed slightly. This camel was a Sound Cultivator? Meng Yuchun had always assumed he was a body cultivator. Not just Meng Yuchun; even Li Banfeng had thought Bei Wushuang was a body cultivator. Presenting himself as a camel at all times was practically plastering "body cultivator" across his forehead. Yet to Bei Wushuang's dismay, Pan Dehai was unaffected. Pan Dehai had already known Bei Wushuang was a Sound Cultivator. He had prepared in advance and neutralized the technique with his superior cultivation tier. "Bei Wushuang, you shot arrows in the dark, yet this old man holds no grudge. Now that I fight you open and aboveboard, where do you think you're going?" The technique of High Virtue and Weighty Prestige. Pan Dehai's form swelled ceaselessly. Countless "virtue" characters drifted across his body, making Bei Wushuang dizzy to the point where he could no longer bear the crushing weight upon his back and collapsed flat against the ground. Pan Dehai walked forward, plucked the camel bell from Bei Wushuang's neck, and smiled. "This is a fine trinket. It truly suits your pathway. First, make it clear to me: who instructed you and Huang Xiliang to spread those pests in Haichiling?" Bei Wushuang did not answer. Although their past dealings had been few, he knew Pan Dehai's temperament: the moment Pan Dehai got the answers he wanted, he would send him to the grave. He drew a sharp breath, seemingly about to roar, but Pan Dehai barked: "Those without virtue shall not speak!" Virtue Cultivator technique: Virtuous Words Must Not Be Disobeyed! With Pan Dehai forbidding him to speak, Bei Wushuang's mouth truly failed to open. The technique of Virtuous Words Must Not Be Disobeyed was not overwhelmingly potent; Bei Wushuang still possessed the strength to break free. Yet Bei Wushuang made no move to break free, because he had never intended to open his mouth in the first place. The hump on his back suddenly swelled—and abruptly burst. BOOM! After the colossal detonation, Pan Dehai froze, stiff as a clay statue. Meng Yuchun was slightly farther away, but the massive blast forcibly disrupted her technique and knocked her briefly unconscious. Li Banfeng was farther still, yet he did not escape the blast. A blinding white flooded his vision, shrill ringing pierced his ears, and sharp spasms racked his chest. Sound Cultivator technique: Blood-Splattered Thunderous Roar. Bei Wushuang struggled to clamber back to his feet. He had staked nearly his entire life just to trade for this single opportunity. Dozens of li away, even He Yuxiu heard the tremendous boom, the shock sending an ache through her chest. Beside her, Youtao, lacking sufficient cultivation, gasped for breath for a long while. Xiao Genzi nearly dropped his bucket to the ground. Zhang Wanlong steadied him, gazed in the direction of the blast for a moment, and cautioned Genzi, "Your Seventh Master might be in danger." Inside Lord Mountain-Uprooter's grotto abode, the gramophone was helping the Portable Abode build a platform. Though the station was not yet finished, the Portable Abode's door was already open, and the gramophone also heard the tremendous blast. "It's a Sound Cultivator technique!" the wife gasped, urging the Portable Abode, "Quick, go save my husband!" The Portable Abode responded, "I can't go right now." It wasn't that it refused; the Portable Abode said it couldn't go because its current condition didn't permit it. The gramophone grew anxious and wanted to go out and save Li Banfeng on her own. After deliberating for a moment, the Portable Abode said, "Use my steam whistle to sing a couple of lines to him. Sing only for him to hear; do not use it to kill enemies." "Having been struck by the Blood-Splattered Thunderous Roar, I'm afraid he won't be able to hear it at all." "He will hear it," the Portable Abode said with confidence. "The whistle is meant to signal him to board the train. Only he can hear it."