Calling himself Li Liu, Li Banfeng unleashed the technique Golden House Hiding a Beauty right before the sedan chair bearer.
To be fair, this tactic was a bit of a gamble for Li Banfeng.
In Puluo Province, many people knew Li Qi was a Traveling Cultivator, but those who knew he was a Dwelling Cultivator were few and far between.
His enemies in particular, once they learned Li Qi was a Dwelling Cultivator, either ended up dead or were taken into Li Qi's house, never to emerge again.
A Dwelling Cultivator's identity was not something to reveal lightly. Did Li Banfeng have the certainty to kill this contrarian cultivator?
That depended entirely on whether the one fighting the bearer was Li Liu or Li Qi.
For Li Liu, success was practically assured. For Li Qi, survival was a one-in-ten chance.
Even though Li Banfeng had used a Fool Cultivator skill and produced ironclad proof, the bearer was still arguing: "You are Li Qi! While one cannot dual-cultivate Dwelling and Traveling, you could still be carrying a Dwelling Cultivator's items. Even if this clay doll came from a Dwelling Cultivator's hands, it wasn't made by you!"
The bearer hoisted his pole first, ready to argue.
Li Banfeng didn't take the bait. At a time like this, he had to keep himself in check and on no account bicker with the bearer.
*You say this isn't it? Fine, let's switch to another. I'll go along with whatever you say!*
Reaching into his robes, he produced a painting and shook it in front of the bearer.
Six beauties emerged from the scroll one by one and circled around the bearer.
The bearer shook his head. "This is still a magic artifact. An artifact made by a Painting Cultivator."
Li Banfeng took out a marionette. Once infused with vigor, the puppet sprang to life.
The bearer still refused to concede. "A Craft Cultivator's artifact!"
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Get him!"
Nearly all contrarian cultivators in this world shared a single defining trait: the moment they spoke, they wanted to pick an argument.
Li Banfeng had brought out so many things, yet the bearer insisted they were all artifacts, utterly refusing to admit this was the technique Golden House Hiding a Beauty.
There was truly no overcoming this problem, because without an argument, a contrarian cultivator couldn't fight.
Yet Li Banfeng simply would not argue with him.
The painting, the clay doll, the puppet—these were all things Li Banfeng had crafted with care.
Golden House Hiding a Beauty was not Li Banfeng's forte, but that didn't mean he hadn't put in the effort. Everything he brought out could fight. The real issue had always been that he never had the chance to use them.
Against ordinary opponents, he could handle them easily without relying on such trinkets. And against true experts, he never had the opportunity to pull them out in time.
Today, the opportunity had arrived.
The bearer kept picking fights, while Li Banfeng kept yielding smoothly. The bearer couldn't get his argument off the ground, whereas Li Banfeng smoothly brought out every item in his collection.
The marionette stood in front of him, the clay doll behind him, and the six scroll beauties flanked both sides.
The clay doll struck first, slapping against the bearer's shoe with a squelch.
What was the point of attacking a shoe?
The point was enormous. Inside the clay doll's belly was sticky mud, a creature native to the newland. Once exposed to the air, it glued the bearer's shoe firmly to the ground.
A trap of this level naturally couldn't hold the bearer. Scraping his toe against the ground, the bearer tore away a layer of his shoe's sole and broke free of the mud. But before he could even steady himself, the marionette charged forward, darted into his chest, and locked him in a tight hug. Several painted maidens swarmed in, attacking him from every angle with all their might.
For a cultivator above the clouds, dealing with these paper cutouts should have taken no more effort than blowing away a speck of dust.
Yet for the bearer at this moment, it proved remarkably difficult. He was unsure how to explain these paper figures.
Were so many figures all artifacts from a Painting Cultivator, or had Li Qi dual-cultivated the painting pathway himself?
Had Li Qi really crafted these things?
If the man before him wasn't a Painting Cultivator but a Dwelling Cultivator, what then?
Then it would prove the man before him truly wasn't Li Qi.
While the bearer fought under immense strain, Li Banfeng moved with effortless ease, hurling all sorts of handcrafted novelties he had tinkered with over the days straight at the bearer.
Atop one spinning top stood a woman dancing ballet. The top spun like a drill bit; slamming into a body, it could bore a hole right through.
The beauty atop the top showed no weakness either, kicking her legs up and down in rhythm with the spin, landing one vicious blow after another.
This was a little toy the Train had taught Li Banfeng to make. Seeing the fine craftsmanship, Li Banfeng had dripped his blood on it and carried it with him to use as an implement for Golden House Hiding a Beauty.
He had many more implements on him, though unfortunately he hadn't dripped blood on them inside the companion dwelling beforehand, so they couldn't be activated for now. Even so, these few items alone had already plunged the bearer into profound self-doubt.
Where had this spinning top come from?
Such an odd, peculiar gadget didn't look like an artifact crafted by a proper Craft Cultivator; it genuinely looked like a toy made by a Dwelling Cultivator.
Could this really be Li Liu?
As the bearer's movements grew increasingly sluggish, Li Banfeng seized the opening and yelled: "Hu yayaya!"
With that shout, the bearer was hit by a wave of dizziness, his ears ringing violently.
Li Qi had cultivated the Sound Cultivator pathway as well?
Li Banfeng smiled. "This is a technique of Sprawling Compound. You aren't far from my compound at all."
"You are Li Qi..."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "You have the wrong man. I am Li Liu."
*Thwack!*
The bearer's back took a slash from one of the painted beauties. Who could have imagined that Li Banfeng, using his least practiced methods, could gain such a massive upper hand against a Cloud-tier expert?
He dearly wanted to charge in and blast the bearer to death with Viewing Flowers from Horseback.
Yet he could not. The moment he used a Traveling Cultivator skill, the bearer would confirm that he was indeed Li Qi. His doubled combat power would instantly return. When that happened, the battle would reverse in a flash, and the bearer would once again seize crushing superiority.
A contrarian cultivator's combat strength depended entirely on their perception.
Only after reviewing the materials on the Outer States and piecing them together with the local legends of Song Laizi had Li Banfeng finally grasped the underlying mechanics.
In the Outer States, contrarian cultivators were called bullies. While the word "bully" didn't sound much like picking arguments, upon reviewing the dossiers provided by Liao Zihui, Li Banfeng realized the Outer States' summary of this pathway was far more precise.
Before taking action, a bully had to choose a suitable target. The primary principle in picking a target was not how strong the opponent was, but how much confidence the bully possessed in himself.
Through verbal provocation, they established confidence in themselves. This was the fundamental rule of a bully's cultivation and combat. In Puluo Province, this move was called Kong Bloom, the sole technique of contrarian cultivators. In the Outer States, the description of this technique was: against different types of opponents, by establishing a confidence advantage, they stimulated varying tiers of combat power and sustained that confidence advantage indefinitely.
To put it bluntly: bully you once, and dominate you for life!
It had to be said that the intelligence provided by Liao Zihui was exceptionally valuable, fundamentally reshaping Li Banfeng's understanding of contrarian cultivators.
Li Banfeng hadn't been marked by the contrarian cultivator; what the cultivator marked was his own consciousness.
When facing Li Qi, the bearer possessed an absolute confidence advantage in his mental imprint, allowing him to erupt with double his combat power.
If the bearer realized his opponent was not Li Qi, that confidence advantage in his mind would evaporate.
Right now, the bearer's confidence was nearly depleted, because the scene unfolding before him contradicted everything he knew about Li Qi.
Li Qi had pulled out a Sound Cultivator technique—had he dual-cultivated it, or was he using an artifact?
Any such excuse felt strained. Under the influence of the Fool Cultivator skill, the bearer gradually began to believe that the person before him might truly be Li Liu.
Li Banfeng could not afford to rush. Under no circumstances could he give the bearer an opening to rebuild his confidence.
After a flurry of attacks, Li Banfeng dripped a bead of blood onto the ground and activated Close the Doors and Bar the Gates.
"Do you still think this is an artifact?" The moment the glow lit up across the ground, Li Banfeng smiled.
Seeing that halo of light, the bearer fell into despair.
He was convinced the man before him was Li Liu, a Dwelling Cultivator of at least the eighth tier.
His will to fight collapsed completely. All he wanted was to flee the battlefield immediately.
Yet escaping required Li Banfeng to give him the chance.
Having lost his confidence, the bearer's physical strength plummeted drastically. Trying to force his way across the boundary would inevitably cause severe injury. While he was still hesitating, Li Banfeng seized him from behind.
The bearer tried to struggle, but Li Banfeng laughed. "Don't waste your energy. You should know what Heart Arrowing Home means."
*Heart Arrowing Home... another Dwelling Cultivator skill. He really isn't Li Qi...*
Li Banfeng pushed open the front door and dragged the bearer straight into the companion dwelling.
"Wife, I've brought the contrarian cultivator back."
The gramophone sounded astonished. "Darling husband, what kind of method did you use?"
Golden House Hiding a Beauty—he had relied primarily on that single technique.
Who would have guessed he would succeed using his least familiar ability?
The bearer sought an opportunity to flee, but a plume of steam surged forward, scalding an entire layer of skin right off him.
Prostrate on the floor, the bearer dared not move again. Looking at the gramophone, he asked cautiously, "Is this your dwelling spirit?"
Li Banfeng offered no reply. The bearer continued, "I had a slight dispute with your brother Li Qi, but that grudge arose from a misunderstanding.
"Since you are a Dwelling Cultivator, you must have cultivated in Yesong Bridge for quite some time. You must have heard of my reputation. I have tremendous admiration for promising juniors, and Li Qi is a man of great promise. I wanted to grant him a serendipitous opportunity."
Li Banfeng laughed. "What kind of opportunity?"
"I wanted to grant Li Qi a body of fine cultivation."
"Heh..." Li Banfeng chuckled aloud. "By 'fine cultivation,' you mean turning them into ash and letting them scatter in the wind, isn't that right?"
The bearer paused for a moment before speaking. "Where is this coming from? Are you talking about Song Laizi? That man..."
Li Banfeng picked up the teapot and poured a pot of scalding tea directly over the bearer.
Under normal circumstances, the teapot's strength would struggle to harm a cultivator above the clouds. But with the contrarian cultivator stripped of his boosted combat power, this scald proved excruciating. Having just shed a layer of dead skin, his fresh flesh was now cooked through.
Putting away the teapot, Li Banfeng said, "This pot of water was poured on Song Laizi's behalf. Without him, the people on your land would have been slaughtered clean by roving bandits. To this day, I still can't fathom why you insisted on killing him."
The bearer said, "That was because he didn't know what was good for him! I had every intention of offering him an opportunity, yet he dared to defy me..."
*Sizzle!*
Li Banfeng splashed another pot of tea over him.
The water was blistering hot and mixed with special ingredients. Splashing onto open wounds, the agony was unbearable. Unable to hold back, the bearer groaned twice and looked at Li Banfeng. "Everything I said is the truth."
Li Banfeng stared at the bearer, delivering each word deliberately: "There aren't many heroes in this world, but Song Laizi was one. He was the hero of Yesong Bridge. For that hero, I'll treat you to one more pot."
The bearer protested, "Back then I thought he was a hero too, which is why I..."
"Watch what you say. I have plenty of tea here." Li Banfeng looked at him expressionlessly. "The scholar Liu Yuansheng, the chivalrous woman Wang Saihong... there are so many more lining up behind them, waiting to claim your life.
"Why don't you speak plain and clear? How, exactly, did those people die?"
While the bearer still hesitated, Li Banfeng instructed the pendulum: "Flay a layer of skin off him!"
Without a word, the pendulum went straight to work. The scythe assisted from the side, while the teapot topped things off with splashes of hot tea from time to time.
An hour later, the bearer could endure no longer and finally spoke the truth.
"It was for cultivation."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Once you reached above the clouds, your cultivation had to be earned through human presence. What did that have to do with Song Laizi or Wang Saihong?"
The bearer shook his head. "Yesong Bridge isn't some vast territory. Relying solely on human presence, I couldn't even reach the third tier above the clouds.
"To climb higher in cultivation, one must rely on pills. And to refine superior pills, one must have superior ingredients."
Li Banfeng said in shock, "You used living people to refine pills? You could actually commit an atrocity so depraved?"
When those words landed, the entire household remained dead silent.
The bearer sighed. "I had no other choice. In the beginning, whenever a cultivator above the fifth tier appeared on my territory, I would go strike up a conversation with them. Given my status, they wouldn't mind if I bickered a few lines with them.
"Once the time was right, I would take them back to refine pills, claiming to the outside world that they had earned my favor and become my disciples.
"Yet Yesong Bridge never had a thriving population, and high-tier cultivators were scarce. The cultivators above the fifth tier were soon wiped out by me. Those below the fifth tier couldn't produce Profound Accumulation Pills and were useless to me.
"To keep advancing my cultivation, I had no choice but to spread word outside, hoping to lure people in.
"At first, I claimed that the local spirit of Yesong Bridge was willing to take on disciples, seeking someone with affinity to pass down his supreme arts. But who would have thought that speaking too plainly would make everyone skeptical?
"So I phrased it more subtly. I started with the customs of Yesong Bridge, calling disciple recruitment 'forming an affinity,' then turning 'forming an affinity' into 'carrying a sedan chair.' Later, I stopped explaining altogether and simply circulated a local saying: *Three lifts of the sedan pole, rolling fortune in your bowl.*
"The more veiled the words, the more high-tier cultivators arrived. I would investigate their backgrounds first, then find an opening to approach them. Once the argument succeeded, very few ever escaped my grasp.
"I remember among those who escaped, one was named He Haiqin, and another was named Lu Dongliang. After arguing with me, both sensed something was amiss and never set foot in Yesong Bridge again.
"After them came your brother, Li Qi. He shouldn't have been able to escape, but I never imagined he had an elder brother like you."
Bursts of laughter echoed through the room. The bearer had no idea what they were laughing at, but continued, "After taking Li Qi, I planned to take He Yuxiu next. Ground cultivators have poor substance; it takes several of them pooled together to yield a single Profound Accumulation Pill."
Li Banfeng asked, "Why insist on scraping by with ground cultivators? Why didn't you think of tricking a couple of Cloud-tier cultivators over? Cultivators above the clouds yield far more pills!"
The gramophone scoffed. "Darling husband, look at his miserable state. How would he dare go after a Cloud-tier cultivator? One word of bickering, and he'd probably lose his life on the spot."
The bearer grew fearful. He had never expected that Li Liu also knew pill refinement, and he worried that Li Liu would refine him instead.
Li Banfeng asked, "How did you know my brother was Li Qi, and from whom did you gather intelligence on He Yuxiu?"
"From the prominent families of Yesong Bridge. The prominent families here all have the custom of worshipping the local spirit. Whenever a major event occurs, they offer incense and burn paper money to seek the local spirit's protection.
"The Xiao family woman, Sun Huiqin, told me about Xiao Yeci. With a bit of probing, I learned that Li Qi and He Yuxiu had come to Yesong Bridge. By then, I already had my eyes set on Li Qi."
Li Banfeng looked at the bearer. "Did you never consider managing the territory of Yesong Bridge properly, earning cultivation through the human presence on your land?"
The bearer shook his head. "A territory... no matter how well managed, what does it amount to? Even if ten thousand more people arrived, cultivation would only rise by a sliver. How much painstaking effort does it take to gain ten thousand people?
"Consuming one pill raises cultivation by a massive stride. Finding a few ground cultivators can trade for a fine pill. That is the true path of cultivation."
Li Banfeng asked, "What is your relationship with the Light Chasing Society?"
The bearer dared not beat around the bush any longer and spoke the plain truth: "I had no dealings with those foreign devils, but their arrival in Yesong Bridge was likely to hunt me down.
"I knew they wanted to strike at me, and I thought about striking at them too. But they had numbers on their side, so an open confrontation was disadvantageous for me. I could only lie low and avoid them for the time being."
Li Banfeng was skeptical. "I suspect you're a member of the Light Chasing Society."
The bearer shook his head. "What good would joining that society do me? All I want is cultivation. Those foreign devils have no proper pathways or tiers; they can't refine good pills."
His method of refining pills sounded exceedingly familiar to Li Banfeng. "What apparatus do you use to refine pills? A cauldron?"
The bearer said, "In a manner of speaking, yes, but not an ordinary cauldron. The vessel I use to refine pills is one of the most precious treasures in the world."
"Let's hear it."
The bearer answered, "The Xuansheng Red Lotus."
Silence fell over the companion dwelling for a few seconds, followed by an explosion of roaring laughter.
Li Banfeng sighed, looking at the bearer. "We've spent this much time together; you should at least display a baseline of honesty."
The bearer said, "I'm not lying! The Xuansheng Red Lotus has always been in my hands. After refining pills, lotus seeds form at the core of the red lotus. To pluck the seeds, I must touch the lotus.
"Once the lotus is touched, it draws down heavenly light. To avoid being bathed in heavenly light, I used a special array to generate fierce gales across my territory. Through the wind and sand, the heavenly light was unable to pinpoint my location."
"You can block heavenly light with wind and sand?"
"It sounds absurd, but the method worked remarkably well. For all these years, I have never been touched by heavenly light."
Li Banfeng smiled. "You know a thing or two about the Red Lotus, but a lie is a lie. Since you're about to die anyway, I'll broaden your horizons one last time."
With that, Li Banfeng brought the Red Lotus out and placed it right before the bearer. "Take a good look. This is the Xuansheng Red Lotus."
Staring at the Red Lotus for a long time, the bearer was paralyzed with horror.
Li Banfeng said to the gramophone, "Wife, open the banquet."
The gramophone pressed its stylus firmly onto the bearer's skull. "Death stares you in the face, yet you still won't speak the truth. Today I'll make an exception—everyone comes to the table!
"I'll feast quickly, while the rest of you take your time. Sister Red Lotus, don't hold back either. Let this bird-brain see how a real Red Lotus refines pills."
Struggling frantically, the bearer roared, "You cannot kill me! You have no idea what consequences killing a local spirit will bring!"
"Don't trouble yourself over that. You're not the first."
Li Banfeng waved his hand, signaling the feast to begin.
The gramophone began sipping his soul, while the rest of the family moved in to tear at his flesh.
The Red Lotus spread its petals, drawing the bearer's flesh and blood into its core bit by bit.
Amid excruciating agony, the bearer looked at the "Li Liu" before him and cried out, "Just who in the world are you?!"
***
"His name is Li Banfeng." Liao Zihui handed a file to Zheng Siyi. "Li Banfeng hails from the Outer States and arrived in Puluo Province two years ago. On the timeline, his movements align with Li Qi's in countless ways. By my deduction, Li Banfeng is Li Qi. That nonsense about Song Zhuowen was pure fabrication."
Reviewing the file, Zheng Siyi said, "Chief Envoy, before coming to Puluo Province, Li Banfeng was an ordinary mortal. In a mere two years, how could he possibly have become a fifth-tier Traveling Cultivator?"
"It's written in the dossier; read further and you'll understand. Li Banfeng carries the Xuansheng Red Lotus on him, a matter deeply tied to the He family's eldest son, He Jiaqing.
"The Xuansheng Red Lotus can refine medicinal pills capable of rocketing a person's cultivation in a short time. The only catch is that every use requires braving the heavenly light. It's truly a wonder how Li Qi managed to survive it."
Looking pleased, Zheng Siyi said, "Chief Envoy, if we capture Li Qi, wouldn't we get our hands on the Red Lotus?"
Liao Zihui frowned. "Old Zheng, I only told you this because I trust you. If Li Qi were so easy to capture, would we have suffered so many setbacks at his hands?
"We cannot touch this man for now. Not only because he's difficult to deal with, but because he has deep ties with a major figure in Puluo Province."
"Which major figure?"
"The Peddler." Liao Zihui took a sip of tea. "His relationship with the Peddler is exceedingly intricate. Recent investigations into the Sinner City incident before the new year have turned up clues. Back then, the one who freed the three-headed people from Sinner City was the Peddler.
"Those three-headed people fled across the newland, and no one dared take them in. Why was Li Qi the only one who dared shelter them? Think about how many connections lie behind that.
"There are too many things here that we don't know and can't fathom. Maintaining our current relationship with Li Qi is by far the most advantageous choice for us."
Zheng Siyi remained concerned about the Red Lotus. "What if the higher-ups press us for the Red Lotus?"
Liao Zihui didn't care much. "Let them press. There are countless things they want to pursue. If pressing me could make the item magically appear in my hands, this job would be far too easy."
As the two were drinking tea, an officer entered the office and whispered a few words into Zheng Siyi's ear. Zheng Siyi turned to Liao Zihui. "Chief Envoy, Chu Shaoqiang has arrived in Yesong Bridge."
Liao Zihui frowned. "Are you sure they didn't mistake him?"
"The one who reported it is a veteran in the office. He worked under Chu Shaoqiang back in the day, so he wouldn't mistake him."
Liao Zihui stroked his hair. "At a critical juncture like this, what is he doing in Yesong Bridge?"
Zheng Siyi had a particular thought he had wanted to discuss with Liao Zihui. "Chief Envoy, Xiao Zhenggong is dead, and Chen Weixin has vanished. If we need to find a Balancer, Chu Shaoqiang is a solid choice. Of course, the decision isn't ours to make, but we could submit a recommendation to the higher-ups."
Liao Zihui waved his hand dismissively. "Chu Shaoqiang won't do. Absolutely not. He belongs to the Inner States."
Zheng Siyi said, "Back then, wasn't Xiao Zhenggong considered an Inner States man as well?"
Liao Zihui shook his head repeatedly. "Those are two entirely different things. Xiao Zhenggong had dealings with the Inner States, but he retained autonomy in his actions. Chu Shaoqiang holds an official post in the Inner States; he must act under orders. In the future, do not contact Chu Shaoqiang privately under any circumstances. Certain boundaries must never be crossed."
At noon the following day, Zheng Siyi received another report: "Chief Envoy, the Boundless Battalion has shown itself. They've entered the town, near the Qingtian River."
"What are they trying to pull?" Liao Zihui was astonished. "I've been hunting them everywhere, and they dare charge right into my face?"
Zheng Siyi couldn't fathom the reason either. Suddenly, a name flashed in Liao Zihui's mind: "Chu Shaoqiang... Could the Light Chasing Society have established contact with the Inner States?"
Before Zheng Siyi could fully grasp the implication, Liao Zihui barked an order: "Rally the men to encircle and suppress the Light Chasing Society! Move fast—we must catch them completely off guard!"
Zheng Siyi immediately assembled personnel and equipment, and Liao Zihui set out to lead the detachment in person.
He did not take a steam car. For one, Yesong Bridge had very few roads suitable for driving; for another, steam cars made too much noise and could easily leak their whereabouts.
Yet this was a forced march. Every departing combatant possessed cultivation and ran at blistering speed, making Zheng Siyi worry that Liao Zihui wouldn't be able to keep up.
Surprisingly, Liao Zihui kept pace with ease, without breaking a sweat. His explanation was that he carried a Traveling Cultivator spirit item. But if he were truly an ordinary mortal, could he manipulate a spirit item so smoothly?
*Never mind. Best not pry into the Chief Envoy's business. Focus on dealing with the Light Chasing Society first.*
The Garrison Office of Yesong Bridge hadn't fought a proper battle in a very long time. This scenario was fundamentally different from the clash at the teahouse; a head-on collision between two armed forces meant nobody could predict the outcome.
Liao Zihui said to Zheng Siyi, "Find someone reliable to notify Li Qi."
Zheng Siyi asked, "Looking for Li Qi at a time like this—isn't it a bit late?"
"Not late at all!" Liao Zihui shook his head. "As long as Li Qi gets involved, the He family will be drawn in too. The He family's influence can serve as our backing.
"When the higher-ups investigate afterward, this can be framed as a clash between a Puluo Province prominent family and the Light Chasing Society. We will simply be the mediators caught in between. At worst, they can fault us for poor mediation, which gives us a valid excuse to explain it away!"
Zheng Siyi dispatched someone to find Li Qi, while the Garrison Office contingent arrived at the edge of Shuiyun Road by the Qingtian River ahead of time.
Liao Zihui ordered everyone into position, then turned to Zheng Siyi. "Are you certain there's a Boundary here?"
Zheng Siyi nodded. "Rest assured, sir. In a matter of such magnitude, there will definitely be no mistake."
Liao Zihui remained composed. As long as there was a Boundary here, he had the certainty of victory.
After waiting for a dozen minutes, a Scrying Cultivator came to report: "The Boundless Battalion has arrived."
Liao Zihui felt fortunate. Because they had arrived in time, they had seized a crucial ten-minute window. This terrain advantage was vital to them.
Looking along Shuiyun Road, only a few scattered pedestrians walked the street, with no sign of the Boundless Battalion.
The Boundless Battalion possessed a unique cloaking art; only Scrying Cultivators of a certain tier could spot them.
The Scrying Cultivator reported the enemy's coordinates to Liao Zihui: "Five hundred meters from our unit, three hundred and twenty meters from the Boundary."
Liao Zihui gave no response.
"Three hundred meters from our unit, one hundred and twenty meters from the Boundary."
Still, Liao Zihui did not respond.
"Less than two hundred meters from our unit. Enemy vanguards have crossed the Boundary."
Liao Zihui waited another ten-odd seconds.
The Scrying Cultivator reported once more: "The entire enemy force has crossed the Boundary."
"Attack!" Liao Zihui did not order the Boundary ignited immediately, sending his combat forces into the fray first.
The machine gunners acted first, opening up a barrage of high-pressure steam.
The rest of the combatants were about to charge when they noticed the Boundless Battalion choosing an immediate retreat.
The Boundless Battalion comprised the elites of the Light Chasing Society, and reacting promptly to shifting circumstances was the hallmark of an elite force.
Upon being ambushed on the march, retreating immediately without lingering was the best choice available.
The Boundless Battalion had made the right call, and Liao Zihui had anticipated it perfectly.
"Activate the Boundary!"
The frantically retreating Boundless Battalion crashed straight into the Boundary. Several members were forced out of stealth, instantly reduced to ashes.
The remaining members could not retreat, while behind them surged an unrelenting torrent of high-pressure steam.
Concealed in the shadows, Chu Shaoqiang quietly observed the battlefield, inwardly praising, *Now that's what I call shutting the door to beat the dog.*
One had to admit that Liao Zihui's decades of dominance in Puluo Province rested on genuine capability. In those days, their repeated clashes back and forth had truly been something to marvel at.
Now was not the time for reminiscing, however. Chu Shaoqiang still had a fine treasure to find.
Rumor had it that this fine treasure was in He Jiaqing's hands. Others claimed it was with a man named Li Banfeng, while still others believed it was held by Lu Xiaolan.
Yet who could have guessed that this fine treasure was right here in Yesong Bridge?
Chapter 493