Teacher

Ma the Fifth brought Feng Daiku to the factory. Feng Daiku was in no rush to enter the workshop. Many beggarticks grew by the workshop entrance, their flowers in full bloom. Feng Daiku gathered a large patch of them, leapt into midair, and scattered them against the wind. Petals drifted on the breeze, dancing in all directions. Feng Daiku returned to the ground, listening quietly to the sound of petals falling. This was an Emotion Cultivator technique: Whirling Petals. With just this listen, Feng Daiku was able to pinpoint the enemy's general direction. She led Ma the Fifth into the workshop, walking near a pool. Ripples disturbed the water, and Feng Daiku motioned for Ma the Fifth to stop. A crucian carp skeleton poked out of the water, swaying its frame as it asked, "Are you looking for me?" Feng Daiku said, "We're looking for you, but not this skeleton." The carp skeleton darted aside. Soon after, ripples stirred the water again, and a giant river snail swam up. Ma the Fifth felt a twinge of tension—not because of its size. Madam Bagworm Moth wasn't small either, and Ma the Fifth had long grown accustomed to robust lasses. Yet this river snail radiated an oppressive murderous aura that sent waves of chills down his spine. Feng Daiku asked, "May I ask how to address you, miss?" The River Snail Maiden waved her tentacles, seeming to appraise the two of them. "Are you from the Outer States?" Feng Daiku shook her head. "We're from Puluo Province." The River Snail Maiden asked again, "Here as lobbyists for the Outer States?" Feng Daiku shook her head again. "We're not that shameless." The River Snail Maiden stroked Feng Daiku's cheek lightly with a tentacle. "If you're not here to lobby, why meddle in this business?" Feng Daiku swatted the snail's tentacle away. "You can fight the Outer States however you want. Even if every last one of you died, I wouldn't bother sparing a glance. But this is Puluo Province's territory. This has nothing to do with Puluo Province. If you want to fight, take it somewhere else—don't bring the flames of war into our home!" The river snail laughed, her tone dripping with mockery. "Are you truly from Puluo Province? When have the people of Puluo Province ever cared about Puluo Province?" "I happen to be such a person. I really do care about Puluo Province," Feng Daiku said, her tone neither rushed nor hurried, sounding like a negotiation yet edged with a subtle warning. "Go back and make it clear to your people. Pick another place to fight, and don't make another enemy for yourselves." The river snail stretched her soft body, the ground gradually turning slick and wet. "Do you have the capital to talk to me like that? Bring it out and let's see." "Fine," Feng Daiku nodded and said to Ma the Fifth, "Time to show our capital." Ma the Fifth puffed out his chest, pressing a hand against his belt and preparing to draw his "capital." Feng Daiku coughed and said, "I didn't mean that kind of capital. I meant we have to fight her." Ma the Fifth froze. A battle at their level didn't seem like something he could meddle in. "Fifth Brother, fear not!" Feng Daiku pulled Ma the Fifth off the slick ground. "Come, join me in battle against her!" The river snail struck first, her tentacles suddenly elongating and stabbing toward Feng Daiku's chest. Feng Daiku's eyes welled with tears, stirring an inexplicable hesitation in the snail. Her tentacle quivered, causing the strike to swerve off target. Seizing the opportunity, Ma the Fifth locked his gaze onto the river snail, making her blood rush upward. A pair of tentacles instantly swelled. Feng Daiku's brow twitched. She clasped fingers with Ma the Fifth, using affectionate emotion to ignite his fighting spirit. Ma the Fifth's fighting spirit surged, his technique dozens of times more potent than usual. The river snail cried out in pain as her pair of tentacles burst on the spot. The shredded flesh and gore were fiercely corrosive; equipment across the workshop was pitted and eaten away. Feng Daiku gracefully dodged with Ma the Fifth, not letting a single drop of the snail's blood touch them. Having lost her tentacles, the river snail temporarily lost her sight and smell. Feng Daiku did not press her advantage. She had no intention of taking the river snail's life. Stepping onto the snail's shell, she asked, "Do you concede? If not, we can go at it again." "I don't concede!" New tentacles sprouted on the river snail. Shaking her massive body, she threw Feng Daiku off her back, and the three of them continued their melee in the workshop. *** He Jiaqing sat on a bench on campus, sitting there until dawn. He used a technique to conceal his presence, hiding from students and faculty, but not thoroughly enough to hide from Teacher Song. At nine o'clock, students with classes headed off, and those without were still sleeping in their beds. Teacher Song sat down beside He Jiaqing and handed him breakfast. He Jiaqing took the breakfast and hastily said, "Thank you, Teacher." "Why aren't you going to class?" Teacher Song asked. "Class?" He Jiaqing smiled wryly and shook his head, assuming Teacher Song was joking. "I've already graduated. Do I still need to attend class?" Teacher Song looked at He Jiaqing solemnly. "There is still much you need to learn. Someone understands that truth better than you." He Jiaqing's eyes lit up. "Are you talking about Li Banfeng?" Teacher Song nodded, then asked, "Did you come here to find him?" He Jiaqing answered frankly, "I really want to see him, but I don't know how to bring it up. There's some misunderstanding between us." Teacher Song fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure it's merely a misunderstanding?" He Jiaqing explained, "My intention was never to drag him into all this. There were many coincidences beyond my control." Teacher Song shook her head. "Under those circumstances, asking him to call you—was that a coincidence as well? Do you know what consequences that single phone call brought him?" He Jiaqing was startled. "You know about that?" Teacher Song adjusted her glasses. "Of course I know. He brought you to the hospital. He explained things to the university countlessly, saying that after making one phone call, you returned. Others thought he was crazy, that he was talking nonsense, or even suspected he had harmed you! Do you know how difficult his situation was back then? He was like a helpless lunatic, a fool unable to clear his name. And pushed to that brink, he still had to find a way to scrape together your medical fees." He Jiaqing lowered his head. "I didn't want it to be like that either. I was trying to save myself at the time." Teacher Song let out a bitter laugh. "I truly didn't expect you to tell such lies to my face. If it was only to save yourself, why didn't you ask me to save you? On the day you left, I went specifically to see the two of you, right downstairs at Lu Xiaolan's dormitory. I was your teacher. As long as you asked for help, I certainly would have helped you. You were my student. I entrusted the Xuansheng Red Lotus to you because I believed you would bring change to Puluo Province. But I never imagined you would drag him into it. If you resort to any unscrupulous means just to achieve your goal, what difference is there between you and your father's and grandfather's generations? What meaning was there in giving you the Red Lotus?" He Jiaqing fell silent for a long time before saying, "Now the Red Lotus has been given to him. Perhaps he can do better." Teacher Song shook her head repeatedly. "He is just a pitiful orphan. Among all my students, he is the most pitiful. I wanted him to suffer less. I wanted to see him live out this life in peace and safety. You disguised yourself as him and stored the Red Lotus in a locker at the campus supermarket, which practically guaranteed it would end up in his hands. Do you know the Dark Star Bureau nearly killed him for it? Do you know he almost couldn't even board the train? Do you know I had to beg Lucky Star to step in just to preserve his life? He had no cultivation, no weapons, no common knowledge of dark abilities, and no one to rely on. How did you expect him to survive in Puluo Province? What you wanted was precisely for him to be unable to survive, so that the Red Lotus would alter the landscape of Puluo Province, wasn't it?" He Jiaqing was struck speechless for a long while. Teacher Song sighed. "Why did you come to find me? If you want medical treatment, I am powerless. I am not well acquainted with Kang Zhenchang." He Jiaqing rubbed his hands together. "I want to have a word with Li Banfeng, but it's hard for me to reach out. So I wanted to ask you..." Teacher Song took out pen and paper, wrote down a phone number, and said, "This is his number. Whatever you have to say, tell him yourself." Holding the phone number, He Jiaqing said, "I was hoping you could..." "I cannot, nor do I wish to help you. Our relationship as teacher and student ends here," Teacher Song said, standing up. "There is one more thing I must tell you. Stop telling people everywhere about my birthmark. You never saw it, so why speak such nonsense? For a man to brag like that is truly shameful!" He Jiaqing offered an excuse: "Li Banfeng bragged about it too..." "He wasn't bragging. He saw it with his own eyes. I showed him fair and square, and he looked at it openly and properly." Teacher Song turned and walked away, not sparing He Jiaqing another glance. He Jiaqing looked at the phone number in his hand, wanting to call Li Banfeng. Clutching the phone, he waited for a long time, but couldn't bring himself to dial. *** At Yuezhou Third Hospital, every ward in the infectious disease department was full. Beds in the corridors were lined up end to end, and many patients who simply couldn't stand lay directly on the floor. A doctor surnamed Liu called for a nurse to change a patient's dressing. The nurse stood beside him, unmoving. Dr. Liu urged, "Hurry up!" The nurse took off her gloves. Her hands were densely covered with blisters. The doctor was stunned. Tears rolled down the nurse's cheeks; she was infected. Every patient in the ward bore these blisters. Once infected, death could follow in just a few hours. The doctor returned to his office, sat in silence for a moment, and took a pack of cigarettes from a drawer. Holding a cigarette, he said to the department director, "I'm going downstairs for a smoke. Be right back." Taking the elevator down, before he could step out the door, two security guards blocked Dr. Liu's path. "Dr. Liu, you can't leave the building." "I'm just going out for a smoke." "If you want to smoke, smoke right by the doorway." "Smoking by the entrance of an inpatient building isn't appropriate. I'll head over to the woods beside it. I'll be right back." The guards barred him from leaving. "Dr. Liu, we just received orders: strictly entrance only for this building, no exits. Even we don't dare step outside. Please don't make things difficult for us." *** At two o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Jingye received orders to escort the famous doctor Kang Zhenchang to Yuezhou Second Hospital. The order specifically stated Kang Zhenchang's address. Upon receiving the order, Shen Jingye immediately summoned Chen Changrui, telling him neither whom they were escorting nor what the mission was, only instructing him to pick experienced squad members and initiate the operation immediately. Chen Changrui could sense that this mission was out of the ordinary. Whenever that happened, Chen Changrui always wanted to bring along certain squad members to temper them. For instance, Tangkuai. Someone like her needed tempering the most: low cultivation, shallow seniority, weak ability, yet holding no small post. Honing her skills on a special mission would benefit her personally and aid squad management. But if he brought Tangkuai along, what if she messed up at a crucial moment? This wasn't overthinking on Chen Changrui's part. Inadequate strength could very well drag down the whole squad—he had seen this happen plenty of times. After hesitating for a long while, Chen Changrui still added Tangkuai's name. The strike team totaled thirty people, including capable veterans like Banzhuan, Huajia, Mijian, Haitangguo, and Zhuizi. Tangyuan, Zhong'er, Lightbulb, and Mingxing were selected as well; their performances in recent operations had been outstanding. On the way to pick up the doctor, Zhuizi couldn't help remarking, "In the past, jobs like this never went without Big Head. Wonder how Big Head is doing now." Haitangguo snorted. "Big Head and the rest of us are the same—just mules. When there's work, we get thrown at it; when there's blame to take, we get stuck with it too!" Seeing this, Tangkuai quickly stepped in to manage morale: "The bureau will make a fair decision regarding Big Head. Everyone, please don't gossip among yourselves." The others fell silent, but collectively rolled their eyes at Tangkuai. Tangkuai didn't mind; she had long grown used to such eye rolls. Lightbulb whispered to Tangyuan, "Senior Sister, do you know what this is really about?" Tangyuan didn't dare say it aloud. Using a fingertip, she wrote four characters on her palm: "Famous doctor, plague." The four characters flashed on her palm and vanished in an instant. Lightbulb understood the gist. Looking back at Zhong'er, he lowered his voice. "Later, try to avoid going into the building." Zhong'er shook his head. "We can't avoid it. Once we're on site, we follow the captain's orders." Lightbulb remained somewhat hopeful. "Not necessarily unavoidable. Let's just stay sharp when the time comes." When they picked up Kang Zhenchang and delivered him to Yuezhou Second Hospital, escorting the VIP upstairs didn't fall to the three of them after all. Lightbulb and Zhong'er were too low in rank, so they were tasked with maintaining perimeter security outside the building. Tangyuan's techniques were unrefined, and her offensive methods didn't distinguish friend from foe, making her unsuitable for going upstairs, so she was also assigned downstairs as backup. All the remaining squad members went upstairs—none of them would have a chance to leave for days to come. *** Kang Zhenchang entered the inpatient building. After examining two patients, he called over the department director and asked, "How many medical staff members have been infected?" "Six." Two doctors and four nurses from the infectious disease department were already infected. Kang Zhenchang conducted a full examination on the infected medical staff and had the hospital reassign them to separate wards. "They have mild infections; treating them isn't as difficult." Kang Zhenchang immediately wrote prescriptions, then examined the other patients. There were over three hundred patients in the inpatient building. After examination, over two hundred and eighty were mild cases; they were moved together to lower and middle floors for centralized treatment. The remaining thirty-odd were severe cases. Kang Zhenchang had the hospital place these thirty-plus people on the top floor, one per private room, to be examined and treated individually. He took only two personal assistants; no other personnel were allowed on the top floor without authorization. The first patient to receive treatment was a woman. Her entire body was covered in blisters, she struggled to breathe, and she had lost the ability to speak. A colleague who worked with her had succumbed to the illness in the early hours of the morning. Kang Zhenchang assessed her condition and knew she would not survive for long. Leaning down, he whispered by her ear, "Did you happen to see a beggar?" The woman, still conscious, gave a slight nod. With a grim expression, Kang Zhenchang turned and went to the next ward. In the next ward lay a young man whose condition was slightly better; he could still speak. Kang Zhenchang asked the same question: "Did you happen to see a beggar?" The man nodded and replied, "He was begging by the roadside. I accidentally kicked his bowl. He seemed furious. Not long after, blisters broke out all over my body." Kang Zhenchang pondered for a moment, then asked again, "You must tell me the truth. Only if you tell the truth can I cure you. Did you accidentally kick his bowl, or was it on purpose?" The man went silent for a moment and said in a low voice, "I... had an argument with someone earlier that day. I wasn't in a good mood..." Kang Zhenchang nodded. Judging by the symptoms, this man was beyond saving as well. Leaving the ward, Kang Zhenchang made a phone call. "The situation is confirmed. Lü Shuigong has appeared in Yuezhou." The voice on the other end was visibly incredulous: "Impossible! Unless he took the train, there's no way he could have passed Santoucha!" Kang Zhenchang said calmly, "How he got here, I cannot answer. That is not my responsibility. Judging by the current patients' symptoms, I can tell you with certainty that the source of this epidemic is Lü Shuigong. "The first-generation infected almost all have a history of offending Lü Shuigong. They are the severe cases, and their chances of recovery are virtually nonexistent. "The secondary infected contracted the pathogen from the first generation. They were infected indirectly without coming into direct contact with Lü Shuigong; their cases are mild, with a relatively high recovery rate. "Currently, no third-generation infections have been detected. This proves that Lü Shuigong is exercising a certain degree of restraint for now." The other end asked in return, "Why would he show restraint? What is his purpose in doing this? There must be a reason behind it!" Kang Zhenchang went silent for a moment, striving to keep his composure: "I repeat, that is not my responsibility. I cannot deduce why Lü Shuigong is exercising restraint. Perhaps because he knows too little about Yuezhou, or perhaps he merely wants to achieve some goal through the plague. "What I can tell you is that his power extends far beyond this. If you possess sufficient capability, my recommendation is to eliminate him as soon as possible; otherwise, he will bring about an unimaginable disaster. "If you do not possess sufficient capability, my recommendation is to immediately initiate negotiations with him and send him back to Puluo Province. That is also the safest course of action." Kang Zhenchang hung up the phone and left the top floor. *** Yuezhou University, an empty classroom. Li Banfeng was receiving one-on-one tutoring from Teacher Song. To study knowledge related to dark matter and dark energy, Li Banfeng needed to cram mathematics heavily. Learning mathematics required painstaking effort, along with sufficient determination and perseverance. Teacher Song explained everything in meticulous detail, and Li Banfeng listened with utmost earnestness. The weather was sweltering, the classroom small, and there was no air conditioning. Li Banfeng focused intently on the exercises, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. Teacher Song had bought a box of iced fruit and placed it at the edge of the desk. Li Banfeng thanked her repeatedly and quickly took two bites. In truth, he didn't fear the heat—Puluo Province had no air conditioning either, and Li Banfeng had long grown used to it. He sweated mainly because the math problems were too difficult. After eating just two pieces of fruit, Li Banfeng resumed focusing on the problems. Seeing this, Teacher Song held a strawberry to Li Banfeng's lips. Li Banfeng opened his mouth and ate it. The projector recorded this scene, then quietly shrank back into the backpack. "Heh heh heh~" The projector let out a raspy chuckle. The pendulum asked, "What are you laughing at?" Flickering with firelight, the projector said, "Nothing. I just believe Director Seven will never forget me on the battlefield again." "Why?" The projector didn't answer. The footage recorded just now was vital. Some things Director Seven certainly wouldn't want the missus to see. "This definitely can't be seen by the lady of the house," the glove said, slipping the film strip out. "Little Machine, I knew you were scheming against Master!" "I'm not! Give me back the film!" The projector tried to snatch the film back. The glove naturally wouldn't give him the chance. "Still want to wrestle me for it? You're too green! I'll take this straight to Master in a bit and see how he punishes you!" A ruckus broke out inside the backpack. Others couldn't hear it, but Li Banfeng heard it loud and clear, and couldn't help furrowing his brow. Teacher Song bit her lip, the tip of her nose quivering slightly. After holding it in for a while, she burst out laughing. Li Banfeng looked at Teacher Song. She could hear the conversation between the magical treasures. Certain things were already tacitly understood; it was merely a matter of whether either party wished to break the silence. Considering how lovely her dimples were, he decided not to call it out for now. Li Banfeng went back to solving the problems, and Teacher Song continued feeding him fruit. *** At five o'clock in the afternoon, Teacher Song's and Li Banfeng's phones chimed simultaneously. They received the same text message: "Recently, unlawful elements pretending to be beggars have been detected in our city, committing robbery, theft, fraud, and other illegal acts. Citizens are urged to stay away from unidentified beggars." Teacher Song found the message a bit strange. After explaining two more practice problems, she said to Li Banfeng, "I need to go back and prepare for evening classes. Get plenty of rest." Seeing Teacher Song looking a bit hurried, Li Banfeng asked, "Is your condition acting up?" Teacher Song shook her head repeatedly. "No, it hasn't flared up in a long time." Li Banfeng didn't press further. He ate two more pieces of fruit and continued working on the problems. Teacher Song returned to the faculty dorms and made a phone call: "Dad, what happened?" An elderly voice came from the other end: "I'm in a meeting. We'll talk later." *** In his office, Director Du was waiting for a call. They had already located Lü Shuigong and entered negotiations with him. Lü Shuigong agreed to return to Puluo Province, but his conditions had to be met. The ultimate choice depended on what the meeting decided. At 11:20 PM, the meeting reached a conclusion. "Little Du, after deliberation, it has been decided to accept Lü Shuigong's terms. You will arrange the subsequent work." Director Du was astonished. "Teacher, trouble just broke out over at Qishuiyao. Right now we need the Balancer to ease tensions between the two sides. If at this time we give up Li Seven—" "Little Du, you must distinguish priorities. The affair at Qishuiyao is, after all, still within Puluo Province. Lü Shuigong has now reached Yuezhou; that is the imminent crisis." "Teacher, we shouldn't compromise with Lü Shuigong! We possess enough capability to take much sterner measures against him!" "Doing so is too risky. You don't fully understand the situation in Puluo Province. Lü Shuigong is an extremely dangerous figure. Any action targeting him must be handled with utmost caution; any slip-up will cause irreversible consequences. "As a Balancer, balancing the interests and demands of all parties falls squarely within Li Seven's responsibilities. Lü Shuigong, as a power from Puluo Province, has now explicitly stated his demands. Entrusting this matter to Li Seven entirely aligns with our original intention for establishing the Balancer." Director Du's brows furrowed deeply. Saying to entrust the matter to Li Seven was clearly sending Li Seven to his death. And claiming that he didn't understand the situation in Puluo Province? He had at least worked in Puluo Province; what right did the man have to say that? Director Du wanted to say more, but the voice on the other end reminded him, "Little Du, the decision has been made. There will be no changes." With matters having come to this, Director Du could only ask one final question: "Since Li Seven is to handle this, shouldn't we inform him of the specific situation?" The elderly man on the other end fell silent for a moment before saying, "An urgent document will be faxed to you shortly. You must strictly follow the requirements in the document. This matter has major ramifications; we do not want Li Seven's personal thoughts or emotions to negatively impact the overall situation." Hanging up, Director Du soon received the fax. After reading the document from beginning to end, Director Du called Shen Jingye. *** Li Banfeng had just walked out of the campus. Carrying his backpack, he strolled around the campus perimeter. Truth be told, this place brought back fond memories. The glove reminded him, "There seems to be quite a few good things around here." Li Banfeng suddenly remembered something: "What good thing did you take from the projector earlier?" The glove chuckled. "A strip of film, recorded personally by the projector. Can't let the lady of the house see it." The projector grew exceedingly nervous and tried to change the subject. Just then, the phone rang, and the projector quickly alerted Li Banfeng, "Director Seven, the Dark Star Bureau is calling you." Li Banfeng usually had the projector hold onto the phones and satellite phones issued by the Dark Star Bureau, which effectively prevented tracking issues. Taking the phone from the projector's hand, Li Banfeng answered. It was Shen Jingye calling personally: "Director Li, a dark-energy aberrant lifeform has appeared on Suichen Road in Jiacheng District. I'm preparing to lead a team there now. Could you head to the scene to check it out first?" Li Banfeng frowned. "Little Shen, why have me check out the scene first? Is that part of my duties?" Shen Jingye said, "The aberrant lifeform that appeared this time is rather unusual. According to descriptions from personnel on site, it seems to be Madam Bagworm Moth. Our security squad members likely aren't capable of handling an entity of that level. You have far more experience in this area than they do, and they need your guidance and assistance on site." "Little Shen, just because I have some experience doesn't mean you can expect me to solve every problem. You need to exercise your own initiative and be more proactive in resolving issues. This mindset of waiting, relying on others, and asking for handouts must be corrected..." After being scolded for over ten minutes, Shen Jingye repeatedly assented. Hanging up the phone, Shen Jingye let out a long breath. "Li Seven, I begged you to take a look; I didn't force you. You can't blame me for this." *** Suichen Road, Jiacheng District. This place was ridiculously remote. Li Banfeng really didn't want to go, but on second thought, if it truly was Madam Bagworm Moth, who knew how many lives the security squad would lose. Finding an unoccupied corner, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling to change his clothes. The Dark Star Bureau people could not see him wearing a tracksuit. Just as he stepped outside, Li Banfeng shivered. In such hot weather, why the sudden chill? It seemed this battle might not go smoothly. Could that wretch Chu Zikai be meddling again? He needed to take extra precautions. Li Banfeng put on a long trench coat with twelve concealed pockets inside, equipped himself with all his magical treasures and weapons, and headed to Suichen Road in Jiacheng District. At the intersection, a cordon was set up. Li Banfeng spotted Tangyuan, Lightbulb, and Zhong'er. "What are you doing here?" Li Banfeng frowned slightly. Tangyuan answered, "Director Shen told us to come and cooperate with you on the mission." Was this a joke? Sending the three of them to deal with a bagworm moth? A single one of her moth bags could hold three people. The three of them would make a full litter for her to adopt as children. Lightbulb said from the side, "We were originally dispatched to Yuezhou Second Hospital, but later they didn't need us there. Director Shen sent us to Suichen Road, saying the work here would be relatively safer." Safer here? What did Shen Jingye mean? Seeing that these three were close to him, was he deliberately trying to get them into trouble? Here, Li Seven truly misread Shen Jingye's intention—this was Shen Jingye's hint to Li Seven. Tangyuan, Zhong'er, and Lightbulb all knew the situation at Yuezhou Second Hospital. If Li Banfeng had asked just one more question, he might have deduced that Lü Shuigong had arrived in Yuezhou. But Li Banfeng didn't ask. "The three of you stay outside the cordon. Without my order, do not take a single step inside!" Zhong'er said, "Director, I heard Madam Bagworm Moth is one of the strongest aberrants in Puluo Province. Could we watch the battle from a distance to broaden our horizons?" "No!" Li Banfeng's tone turned stern. "I repeat: without my order, do not step past the cordon!" Li Banfeng entered Suichen Road. Zhong'er grew anxious. "Didn't we come here for nothing then?" Lightbulb said beside him, "Before we left, Director Shen instructed us, and Captain Chen instructed us as well: obey Director Li's commands in everything. If Director Li says not to cross the cordon, we can't cross. We can't cause trouble for Director Li." Tangyuan nodded. "Let's wait for Director Li's orders. The bureau will send others for reinforcement soon. When we're needed in battle, we must be ready." Suichen Road was an abandoned stretch of highway, flanked by derelict construction sites. As for why it had been abandoned, Li Banfeng couldn't recall, but it had been derelict for quite a few years. During his freshman year, Li Banfeng had once moved bricks at this construction site. Almost anything of use had long been cleared away. Over the years, wild grass had overrun the place, as though Yuezhou had completely forgotten it. How could Madam Bagworm Moth appear in a place like this? The only plausible explanation was that there was a newland entrance here connecting to the newlands of Puluo Province, and Madam Bagworm Moth had blundered into the Outer States by mistake. Madam Bagworm Moth loved beauty and always wore many richly fragrant fresh flowers. With his Hundred Flavors Refined technique activated, Li Banfeng would find her soon enough. Under normal circumstances, Madam Bagworm Moth's combat strength would not exceed the eighth tier. He wondered what caliber this one was; if Ma the Fifth were here, perhaps they could avoid a fight and directly— Li Banfeng's heart clenched. An odor mingled with dust, sour sweat, stench, and rot wafted into his nostrils. This wasn't Madam Bagworm Moth. Li Banfeng turned around slowly and saw Lü Shuigong standing behind him. Lü Shuigong held his begging bowl, asking with a grin, "Didn't expect it to be me, did you? Didn't expect me to come to the Outer States, did you? Didn't expect that I came specifically to find you, did you?" Li Banfeng stared at Lü Shuigong for a moment and asked, "What are you looking for me for?" Lü Shuigong smiled. "The story is a bit long. Be patient and listen. I have a disciple named Critick, and a friend named He Jia—" Li Banfeng's figure vanished in an instant. Lü Shuigong froze. His chest suddenly ruptured, bursting with a huge spray of foul blood and pus. Viewing Flowers from Horseback? He attacked just like that? How could it pack so much power? This man truly wasn't at the fifth tier on the ground! Even if he concealed his cultivation, he shouldn't be— Li Banfeng's figure flickered again, then vanished. Bang! Lü Shuigong's left arm shattered. Pus and blood splashed everywhere. Just as Lü Shuigong was about to gather the bloody pus back from the ground, Li Banfeng suddenly appeared behind him and delivered a kick: Treading Ten Thousand Rivers! Boom! Lü Shuigong wobbled and barely regained his balance, a gaping hole kicked clean through from his back to his chest. "Good!" Lü Shuigong praised. "I like your straightforwardness!" He locked his vision onto Li Banfeng, ensuring Li Banfeng could not use Viewing Flowers from Horseback, nor land another hit of Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. He tore a clump of internal organs from his chest, preparing to hurl them at Li Banfeng. As long as a single drop of blood splashed onto Li Banfeng, it would infect him with the disease. Holding the organs in hand, Lü Shuigong gauged Li Banfeng's running trajectory and was just about to strike when a Tang dao plunged straight into the back of Lü Shuigong's head from behind. "Lühuazi, recognize your grandpa?" The Tang dao twisted twice inside Lü Shuigong's skull. "Three strikes before the battle line, each taking the enemy's head! Hand over your life!"