"Given, everything's given, so give more..."
Hong Ying severed one of the beggar's hands and shoved it straight into his mouth. "Is that enough for you?"
Li Banfeng was thoroughly intrigued. Hong Ying was blind, yet her aim was astonishingly accurate.
Perhaps because Beggar Cultivators were accustomed to taking beatings, this one proved remarkably resilient. Spitting the severed hand from his mouth, he still attempted to activate a technique: "Given, everything's given..."
A blast of steam surged from his feet to the crown of his head, peeling off a layer of his skin. Writhing in agony, the beggar surrendered all resistance.
"Spare my life! I'm a local spirit! I was sent by someone! I was sent by someone, I never wanted to harm you!"
Hong Ying paused upon hearing this, then turned toward Li Banfeng. "Qilang, this isn't Yuan Shoulu."
Li Banfeng feigned surprise. "Oh? Truly not him?"
Hong Ying shook the head of her spear. "Yuan Shoulu may have fled, but he isn't spineless."
Hearing that, the Tang dao drew itself straight.
The gramophone demanded, "Who sent you?"
"I... I..." The beggar broke into violent coughing fits.
"Refusing to speak?" The gramophone gave a cold sneer as plume after plume of scalding steam washed back and forth over the beggar's skinless flesh.
"Ugh, agh..." The beggar continued hacking, seemingly robbed of his ability to speak.
Hong Ying shouted, "Wicked woman, don't be so heavy-handed! We haven't gotten the truth out of him yet!"
"Seems we won't get anything out of him," the gramophone replied, gently probing the beggar's throat with its needle. "He can't talk anymore. Someone tampered with him."
"If you can't speak, then write!" Hong Ying roared.
The beggar dipped a hand in his own blood and tried to scratch words into the floor.
In an instant, his finger dissolved into rot.
"Something is wrong!" The gramophone blasted out steam, boiling the beggar dead on the spot. "Husband, stay away from him!"
Li Banfeng scratched his cheek. It seemed something had already gone wrong.
***
Out in the wilderness, Critick was still tracking the beggar's trail when he heard Li Banfeng call out from behind him, "Doctor Critick, out here for an evening stroll so late?"
Critick turned around slowly and smiled at Li Banfeng. "You can see me."
He possessed the power of Lüshui Beggar; by all rights, Li Banfeng should not have been able to spot him.
Yet through his Golden Eyes, Keen Autumn technique, Li Banfeng saw him clearly.
To Critick, this merely demonstrated Li Qi's formidable strength.
Critick rolled his shoulders and said, "Looks like I still underestimated you. Truth be told, I came looking for that beggar."
Li Banfeng feigned ignorance. "Which beggar?"
Critick chuckled. "There's no point playing dumb anymore. From the looks of it, he's probably already dead at your hands.
"Li Qi, there's something I've never understood. Back when we first met at Yaowanggou, Daboynes and I both wanted to capture you. In truth, neither of us was your match. Why did you bother hiding from us back then?"
Li Banfeng was certainly not about to admit that he genuinely couldn't defeat them back then. He offered a different angle: "Because I genuinely wanted to be friends with you."
Critick nodded. "Your false sincerity touches me deeply. If I'm not mistaken, the beggar I was seeking has already died by your hand.
"And I happened to appear in the wrong place at the wrong time. What you ought to do right now is silence me for good.
"I don't wish to be killed by you. Can we find a compromise?"
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "That depends on how deep our friendship runs."
"I don't trust friendship, but I do trust business. How about we make a deal?"
"Let's hear it."
Critick said, "Right now, I truly don't know where that beggar went. I'll simply treat it as if you killed him.
"I must report the news of his death to a very important person. However, I won't say it was you. I'll say it was a figure dressed in white—which is also what I witnessed with my own eyes. Can you accept that?"
A figure in white—he was referring to the honeydew Hong Ying clone.
That would indeed be hard to trace back to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng considered it before replying, "Whether I accept depends on what bargaining chips you bring to the table."
Critick said, "I can cure your affliction. Doesn't your face feel a bit itchy?"
He hit the mark. Li Banfeng's face was indeed itching intensely.
No one else in his household had shown any abnormal symptoms, not even Hong Ying, who had already grown flesh and blood.
Only Li Banfeng's face itched down to the marrow, which was why he had temporarily stepped out of the Portable Abode.
Critick explained, "This ailment comes from my pathway's Patriarch. It is lethal, though far more potent than the boils I was infected with back then.
"I can cure your affliction. Do you consider that enough of a chip?"
"Your pathway's Patriarch? Lüshui Beggar?" Li Banfeng grew tense, yet kept his expression completely placid. "As far as I know, there is no way to cure Lüshui Beggar's ailments unless one goes directly to the man himself."
Qiu Zhiheng had once told Li Banfeng that even Old Yao could not unravel Lüshui Beggar's techniques.
Yet Critick spoke with total confidence. "The current me has that ability. You can choose not to trust me, or you can kill me right now.
"Perhaps you have other ways to heal yourself, but that takes time. And as long as the Patriarch's affliction remains on you, he can pinpoint your location. He could find you at any moment.
"You wouldn't want him finding you, would you? So this trade is quite favorable for you. What do you think?"
Using the innate talents of a Dwelling Cultivator, combined with the power of the dwelling and the dwelling spirit, Li Banfeng might indeed be able to neutralize Lüshui Beggar's technique. But Critick was right—that would take time.
Li Banfeng nodded. "I think this deal is fair."
Critick stepped closer and fixed his gaze upon Li Banfeng's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't launch a sneak attack. That would be too foolish. Give me a little time, and this problem will be resolved shortly."
A few minutes later, Li Banfeng felt the itching fade away.
Critick's face contorted in agony as dense clusters of boils erupted across his cheeks. He had transferred the ailment left by Lüshui Beggar onto himself.
"The Patriarch's flavor... really is something else..." Critick wheezed with difficulty. "I have fulfilled my promise. May I leave now?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Before you go, could you shed some light on your Patriarch's intentions? Was this beggar sent by him?"
"He was. He takes great issue with your land clearance."
"Why does he care about my land clearance? Because I gathered a large number of people in Lüshui City?"
Critick shook his head. "I don't know the exact reasons yet, but my advice to you is to keep doing what you want to do."
"Why say that?"
"Because that is simply who Lüshui Beggar is. Even if you back out now, he won't let you off.
"Farewell, my friend. Do not touch that beggar's corpse again."
There was no need to worry about that. The beggar had already ended up in the bellies of the household. What little remained of the body had been thoroughly dealt with by the Red Lotus, and after the meal, his wife had disinfected everyone with steam.
What truly worried Li Banfeng was what Lüshui Beggar would do next.
***
Returning to the hospital, Critick immediately prayed to Lüshui Beggar: "Great Patriarch, as you instructed, I kept close watch on that beggar's movements. He is no longer in this world."
Before long, Lüshui Beggar materialized before him. "Speak plainly. Is he dead?"
"Yes," Critick nodded.
"Where is the body?"
"Destroyed by me."
"Why?"
"Because the Patriarch's power remained on his corpse. If anyone else discovered his body, they might use it to track your whereabouts."
Lüshui Beggar smiled faintly. "You did well. Do you want to know who that beggar was?"
"Only if the Patriarch is willing to share, and only if it is something I am permitted to know."
Lüshui Beggar laughed. "Listening to you talk is still tiresome, but what you say sounds pleasant enough. That beggar was named Gouweicao, the local spirit of the newland beside Lanyang Village.
"Over the years, he clashed with me a few times. I seized more than seventy percent of his territory, and his cultivation was on the verge of falling all the way to the ground-crust.
"Now that he's dead, there's no need to leave that scrap of land for him. I'll take it all.
"In the future, if you have the fortune to cultivate above the clouds, you can come ask me for a plot of land as well."
"I thank the Patriarch for his grace."
Lüshui Beggar shook his head. "Don't thank me yet, I'm not finished. Did you see who killed him?"
Critick answered truthfully, "I didn't see the fight itself. I only saw a figure in white."
Lü Huazi chuckled. "That slut on Jianrengang sent Zhong Huai'en and that garment to protect Li Qi? Just what tier has that garment reached, to be able to kill Gouweicao?
"Looks like I can't sit idle either. I'll have to give them a response."
Critick bowed low. "I am willing to do my utmost to help the Patriarch win this war."
"'War'? I'm never quite used to the words you use," Lüshui Beggar chuckled. "I've already made my move. I wager Chu Shaoqiang won't be able to take it—just like back then."
***
Inside a Western-style house beside Yangjiaoyuan, Chu Shaoqiang, former head of the Chu family, sat on a sofa wearing an off-white overcoat. He listened to the white-robed youth, Zhong Huai'en, report the findings of his investigation.
"Mr. Chu, Li Qi has returned to Lüshui City. He reached out to the He family and seems to be very close with He Yuxiu. He's recruited even more land clearers. Should we make a move on him?" Zhong Huai'en rubbed his chin.
Chu Shaoqiang shook his head. "No rush on that. I'm actually quite eager to have a chat with Qiu Luoye. After all, his covenant deed is still under the control of the Inner States.
"I heard the Garrison Commissioner has been making moves, seemingly aimed at me."
Zhong Huai'en was aware of this and had intended to bring it up. "Chief Commissioner Liao sent people to contact the Pure Observance Society, hoping to meet with you."
"I won't see him," Chu Shaoqiang refused flatly. "I'd advise you as well: you'd best not have too much contact with him. You should have heard a thing or two about my past."
Zhong Huai'en scratched his cheek. "But Master said if we want to reclaim our domain, we can't do without the Garrison Commissioner's support."
Chu Shaoqiang chuckled and shook his head. "The Garrison Commissioner won't support you. The only ones who can help you are the Inner States."
"But Master said..." Zhong Huai'en scratched his cheek vigorously. Translucent blisters gradually swelled across his skin.
Chu Shaoqiang frowned and rose, backing far away. "Have you seen Lüshui Beggar?"
Zhong Huai'en shook his head in confusion. "I haven't seen him. Just as you instructed, I've been avoiding him."
"Looks like you failed to avoid him!" Chu Shaoqiang made ready to leave the house at once.
Only then did Zhong Huai'en realize he might have fallen victim to Lüshui Beggar's technique.
He hastily hurried after him. "Mr. Chu, tell me what to do! Can an ailment inflicted by Lü Huazi still be cured?"
Chu Shaoqiang offered a suggestion: "Boil and steam it in boiling water for a few hours, and it should be fine."
"Boil and steam?" Zhong Huai'en shook his head. "I can't withstand being boiled and steamed. My cultivation isn't high enough."
Chu Shaoqiang maintained as much distance from him as possible. "I was speaking to the clothes on your back."
The white garment peeled itself off Zhong Huai'en immediately and dashed into the kitchen to boil water.
***
Wan Jinxian contacted He Jiaqing: "Jiaqing, Lü Huazi wants to join hands with us."
"Lü Huazi? Isn't he a lackey of the Inner States? How could he possibly join hands with us?" He Jiaqing was riding his electric scooter delivering takeout; the surrounding residential compounds were bustling with activity.
"He had a falling out with the Inner States. The Inner States sent Chu Shaoqiang over, seemingly to wage a fight against him."
"Isn't Chu Shaoqiang dead?"
"He isn't dead. His cultivation has reached above the clouds, and he's even had dealings with Li Qi."
"How could Li Qi have dealings with Chu Shaoqiang? What has he been up to lately?" He Jiaqing suspected Wan Jinxian's intelligence was flawed.
"Li Qi has been busy clearing land lately. He returned to Lüshui City last night, and someone saw him enter the He family compound. He Yuxiu welcomed him in personally, and he didn't come out until the next morning."
Clang!
He Jiaqing crashed into the curb. The delivery box overturned, spilling takeout across the ground.
Wan Jinxian was still waiting for an answer: "Jiaqing, what's your take on Lü Huazi?"
"Stall him. Don't give him a firm answer. Wait until I look into this."
He Jiaqing cut off the communication, stood beside his scooter, and cursed, "Shameless! The two of them are utterly shameless! Don't they know they're a whole generation apart? Fucking shameless!"
His phone sounded a series of urgent chimes: "Your order is overdue."
***
Zhong Huai'en arrived at Yaowanggou, venturing deep into the mountains to Old Yao's residence.
He knew something had happened to Yao Xin, and he also knew Xu Han was staying here.
This was the solution Chu Shaoqiang had given him: if he wanted to live, he had to find the Patriarch of Gold Cultivators. As long as Xu Han was willing to help, there might still be a thread of hope.
Seeing Zhong Huai'en covered in blisters, Old Xu frowned. "Child, have you been struck by Lü Huazi's technique?"
Zhong Huai'en wept, "I'm just an ordinary citizen of Lüshui City. The other day, I ran into a beggar covered in boils and gave him a bit of spare change. But when I got home, I turned into this state.
"Later, an expert told me that if I came to Yaowanggou to seek you out, I might still save my life. That's why I..."
Xu Han cut him off: "Child, don't rush. Make things clear first. You say you're an ordinary citizen, but you don't look like one to me. If I'm not mistaken, you're a disciple from the Peak of the Sages, aren't you?"
Seeing his identity exposed, Zhong Huai'en did not dare argue. "Senior Xu, I know you have bad blood with my master.
"I truly know nothing about what happened between the two of you elders. I beg you to show mercy and save my life."
Zhong Huai'en knelt on the ground. On the Peak of the Sages, he was thoroughly versed in this routine; kneeling for days and nights on end was nothing to him.
Xu Han quickly helped him to his feet. "What do the grievances of us older folks have to do with a child like you? Since you've come all this way, could I really watch you die without helping?
"Stay here for a couple of days. Once I finish what's on my hands, I'll brew some medicine for you."
Zhong Huai'en stayed on his knees, refusing to get up. "Old Xu, I can't wait! The itch on my body cuts straight to the bone—I can hardly bear to live!"
Helpless, Old Xu went to work immediately, brewing up a massive wooden tub of night soil for Zhong Huai'en.
"Come, child. Soak in this for three days, and your ailment will be cured."
Soak... in this?
Zhong Huai'en found this rather hard to swallow.
Xu Han frowned. "Child, you're treating an illness. How can you afford to be so picky? If you can't even endure this little hardship, how do you expect to keep your life?"
Zhong Huai'en gritted his teeth, stripped off his clothes, stepped into the tub, and submerged his entire body into the night soil.
"That's it. Lower your head further, submerge your mouth and nose as well. When you need to breathe, stick your nose out, but whatever you do, don't let your mouth emerge."
With muffled, bubbling sounds, Zhong Huai'en asked with difficulty, "Can this truly cure my ailment?"
"You came seeking me, so could it be you don't trust me? Child, keep soaking here. I'll go up the mountain to gather a few more medicinal herbs for you."
Old Xu stepped out of the courtyard, let out a soft sigh, and murmured to himself, "The world misunderstands me far too deeply. Why does everyone take me for a good person?"
P.S.: Zhong Huai'en, the proudest disciple under the Sage, sank deep into a golden dream.
Chapter 415