Wuqin Township was a town, smaller than Yaowanggou and smaller than Kudaikan. Of all the towns Li Banfeng had visited, Wuqin Township was the smallest.
There were few people in this town, and few words exchanged between them. The only thing in abundance was bogs. Li Banfeng spent a day wandering around and discovered swamps everywhere—by the wilderness, among the woods, beside the farmland, and along the village roads. There were even mud pits between the village cottages.
At dusk, Li Banfeng ate a bowl of braised pork noodles at an eatery. The shopkeeper charged him thirty yuan.
The price was clearly steep, but Li Banfeng didn't haggle. The noodle shop proprietor was a kindly old woman, and she had been clear about the price, having stated upfront that the bowl cost thirty.
Before leaving, Li Banfeng gave her an extra twenty yuan and asked how to reach the newland.
The old woman was very warm and helpful, telling him, "Child, follow the base of the wall eastward until you reach the second alley. Head straight south from there. Coming out of the alley, there's a mountain trail. Once you cross the mountain, you'll see the newland."
In Wuqin Township, people who gave directions with such care were rare.
Li Banfeng thanked her repeatedly, though one part puzzled him. "Auntie, why do I have to stick close to the base of the wall?"
The old woman lowered her voice. "Child, there are unclean things on this road. I'm afraid you might run into them. We're neither kith nor kin, so it's not my place to say too much, but you can't go wrong listening to me."
What a good person!
Li Banfeng handed her another twenty yuan. The moment he stepped out the door, however, he sensed impending danger.
What on earth was on this road?
Li Banfeng walked forward along the base of the wall, activating his Golden Eyes of Keen Detail technique to watch the middle of the road.
Occasional pedestrians passed by, but there were no ghosts or spirits to be seen. Could there be some kind of hidden mechanism or tr—
Squelch!
Li Banfeng stepped into a mud pit.
There was actually a bog right beside the base of the wall.
The mud pit was bottomless, with no markings around it whatsoever. Fearing that passersby might discover the pit, the old woman had scattered a layer of loose dirt over it beforehand, making it look no different from ordinary ground.
Just as Li Banfeng was about to pull himself out, the old woman walked over holding a wooden pole. "Child, don't struggle! The more you struggle, the faster you sink. Don't panic, I'll pull you out."
She truly was a good person.
Li Banfeng didn't need her help. With his physical skill, he could leap out easily without even resorting to his techniques.
Yet the old woman was so enthusiastic, holding the bamboo pole as she said, "Child, we're neither kith nor kin, and I can't just help you for nothing. How about this: give me two thousand, and I'll haul you out."
Li Banfeng blinked. "Is two thousand reasonable?"
"Think that's steep?" The old woman frowned. "Let me tell you, plenty of people have drowned in this mud pit. We're neither kith nor kin—who else would bother with you? If you think that's expensive, then it's five thousand now."
Li Banfeng asked in astonishment, "Is five thousand reasonable?"
"Ask again and it'll be ten thousand!" Her smile remained as kindly as ever.
Li Banfeng nodded. "Ten thousand works."
With that, Li Banfeng leapt out, grabbed the old woman, and threw her into the mud pit.
Startled, the old woman twisted her toes, curled her body, and rolled out of the pit.
No wonder she dared to set traps here—she had cultivation and nimble moves, unafraid of retaliation afterward.
Having cleared the mud pit, she sprang up, grabbed a handful of lime from her bosom, and hurled it toward Li Banfeng's face.
Li Banfeng dodged to the side, picked up the bamboo pole, and gave her a casual thrust, knocking her back into the pit.
She tried to roll out again, but Li Banfeng held the pole ready, shoving her right back in whenever she reached the edge. After several rounds back and forth, her stamina gave out, and she stayed still in the mud.
Holding the pole by the pit, Li Banfeng watched her slowly sink and asked unhurriedly, "Telling me to stick to the base of the wall just now—was that all to scheme against me right here?"
The old woman snapped, "Who schemed against you? Who told you to hug the wall? Ask around—who heard that?"
No need to ask. In this place, where nobody was kith or kin, no one would have heard a thing.
Li Banfeng said nothing, quietly watching by the edge.
As she sank deeper and deeper, she couldn't help but cry out, "I give up! Spare my life!"
"Ten thousand," Li Banfeng named his price.
Enraged, the old woman shouted, "You're asking for money too?!"
Li Banfeng said, "Isn't that the price we just agreed upon? We're neither kith nor kin. Why should I spare you if you don't pay up?"
The old woman shouted to the bystanders, "Someone help me! I'll pay! I'll give two thousand!"
Two thousand was a lot, but no one dared step forward.
Everyone could see Li Banfeng was no pushover. With neither kith nor kin involved, who would risk their life? Even the shop's waiters were just standing on the side watching the excitement.
Gritting her teeth, the old woman said, "Ten thousand, I accept! Let me out first!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Money first."
The old woman barked at the shop assistants, "Bring ten thousand yuan out here!"
One assistant brought ten thousand yuan and handed it to Li Banfeng. Pocketing the cash, Li Banfeng asked, "I want to go to the newland. The route you gave me earlier wasn't wrong, was it?"
"It wasn't!" the old woman answered crisply and loudly.
Li Banfeng remained where he stood. Seeing the sludge rise past her waist, the old woman finally spoke the truth: "It's the third alley! Follow the third alley to the mountain trail, and cross over the mountain!"
"How many entrances to the newland are there around here?"
"Just one!"
Li Banfeng walked away. After struggling for a long time, the old woman finally freed herself from the mud pit.
"Just you wait! Just you wait!" The old woman gnashed her teeth continuously. "Her Ladyship will never let you off!"
...
Li Banfeng didn't trust the old woman and asked passersby for directions to the newland entrance along the way.
In Wuqin Township, asking for directions was exceedingly difficult. Li Banfeng never expected people to do things for free; he paid them. Yet even with payment, after asking seven or eight people, he was given seven or eight different places, none of them matching.
How had such customs formed? Even Lanyang Village hadn't been this vile.
Darkness fell. Li Banfeng found a secluded spot, intending to hide his key and return to the Portable Abode for a night's sleep, when he suddenly sensed danger closing in.
Stowing the key, Li Banfeng saw a woman approaching from the distance carrying a lantern.
She appeared around fifty years old, wearing a blue floral-print jacket that buttoned on the slant. Her hair was bound tightly on top of her head with a hairpin, and her temples were slicked with some unknown substance until they gleamed with oil.
Such an old-fashioned style of dress was rare even in Puluo Province. Approaching Li Banfeng, she said, "I am Qiao Shaofen. By order of my mistress, I invite you to her residence for a meeting."
"Who is your mistress?"
"Lady Wuqin, ruler of Wuqin Township."
From this description, she had to be the local spirit.
Li Banfeng asked, "We're neither kith nor kin. Why does she want to see me?"
Qiao Shaofen replied, "My mistress admires your fine skills and wishes to befriend you."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Your mistress has seen me?"
Qiao Shaofen nodded. "Just now in town, you crossed hands with her maidservant, Lü Dehua. Lü Dehua's cultivation is by no means low, yet she had no ability to fight back before you. My mistress holds a young talent like you in high esteem."
"The Lü Dehua you speak of—is she the one running the noodle shop?"
Qiao Shaofen nodded.
Cupping his hands, Li Banfeng said, "I thank Her Ladyship for her regard. However, at this hour, it hardly seems proper for a man like me to call upon your mistress. I will prepare gifts and pay a formal visit another day."
With that, Li Banfeng took his leave and turned to go. Qiao Shaofen called out, "You came looking for a route, didn't you?"
Li Banfeng looked back. "How do you know?"
"Wuqin Township was originally adjacent to Moxiangdian to the east. For reasons unknown, an unfamiliar territory suddenly appeared between them. The people on that land are trapped inside and cannot get out, and you came to rescue them. My mistress saw through it long ago."
Her assumptions were slightly off—she assumed Li Banfeng had arrived from elsewhere.
However, it didn't change the reality: Li Banfeng had indeed come out to find a path.
Qiao Shaofen continued, "My mistress can point the way for you, but if you refuse even to meet her, wouldn't you be holding her too lightly?"
"That makes sense," Li Banfeng said after a moment's thought. "Could we trouble Her Ladyship to come meet me here instead?"
Qiao Shaofen frowned. "What kind of talk is that? For my mistress to come see you in the dead of night—what propriety would there be in that?"
Li Banfeng said, "It's equally improper for me to visit her residence. If she is unwilling to come, that's fine too—just give me a map, and I will surely reward her handsomely."
With a dark expression, Qiao Shaofen said, "Wait here. I will report back to my mistress."
She departed, glancing back repeatedly along the way as though afraid Li Banfeng might follow.
Li Banfeng had no intention of tailing Qiao Shaofen anyway.
Tailing someone depended first on timing and second on technique. When the other party was fully on guard, even the finest technique could easily slip up.
Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode and asked the gramophone, "Wife, have you heard of Lady Wuqin?"
The gramophone replied, "I have. She is the local spirit of Wuqin Township, but this humble servant knows nothing about her. She does not easily interact with others."
"If she doesn't easily interact with others, why did she seek me out?"
Ch-ch—
The gramophone chuckled. "Perhaps she saw how handsome my husband is!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "When I took a piss yesterday, I caught my reflection in a puddle. You know, I really am quite handsome."
After the couple bantered for a short while, Li Banfeng cut his palm with a knife and dripped blood onto the seed.
...
Qiao Shaofen returned and found Li Banfeng waiting by the roadside.
"My mistress says that at this late hour, it is indeed inconvenient to meet. She instructed me to guide you instead. Since our two sides are neighbors, it will make things easier for us to get along in the future."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Much obliged."
"The road is difficult in the dark. Keep close."
Li Banfeng bowed slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."
One after the other, they followed the mountain trail over a small peak. Ahead, heavy fog shrouded the land. Qiao Shaofen said, "We've reached the newland."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."
Following a narrow trail for over a dozen li, Qiao Shaofen pointed at an old tree stump ahead. "Sit and rest here a moment."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Thank you."
Before Li Banfeng could sit down, Qiao Shaofen suddenly spat at his feet.
Li Banfeng was startled as the ground beneath him turned soft and slimy. What had been solid earth became a quagmire, and his body rapidly began sinking.
What kind of pathway was this?
He tried to break free, but Qiao Shaofen spat once more.
The mire turned even stickier and softer. Unable to break free, Li Banfeng sank until the sludge reached his chest in the blink of an eye.
He stared at Qiao Shaofen in astonishment. With an icy look, she said, "We are neither kith nor kin. Who do you think you are, expecting me to guide you?"
Seeing Li Banfeng sink completely under the mire, Qiao Shaofen inhaled, drawing the two mouthfuls of spit back into her mouth. The quagmire vanished, leaving only hard, cold earth once again.
Turning away, Qiao Shaofen walked a few paces, vanished into thin air, and sped through the night.
Activating his Golden Eyes of Keen Detail technique, Li Banfeng soundlessly followed right behind her.
Chapter 427