He Jiaqing rubbed a ball of flame to life at his fingertips and set Mu Yuejuan's painting ablaze.
Mu Yuejuan was still in talks with Feng Chongli at this very moment. Every single word He Jiaqing had spoken to her was the absolute truth. The first time he had gone to Lühuazi's residence, it was indeed because he had run into Lühuazi's ambush; the moment he stepped inside, he had indeed seen Lühuazi waiting behind the door.
He truly did not know whether Lühuazi was dead or alive. All he knew was that Li Banfeng had sent Lühuazi away.
Yet the truth could deceive just as well as a lie. When Sun Tiecheng's eldest disciple, Gu Rusong, claimed that Tang Changfa was a dead man, that was the truth—Tang Changfa had been dead for a very long time.
That truth struck straight at Tang Changfa's sorest spot, leaving him utterly defenseless. That was the core essence of the Fool Cultivator technique Seizing Shortcomings.
He Jiaqing possessed meager talent in Fool Cultivator techniques, but Seizing Shortcomings was the one art he wielded reasonably well. He had seized upon two of Mu Yuejuan's weaknesses.
The first was greed.
Mu Yuejuan desperately wanted Lühuazi's territory. Even though she had no need for popularity, this land held enormous weight in her heart—enough that she dared to take risks and exploit loopholes beneath the Peddler's rules.
The second was lust.
Had Zhang Gunli tried to deceive Mu Yuejuan, it would have been far more difficult. Zhang Gunli had a ferocious face steeped in the crude air of the streets, whereas He Jiaqing was handsome and carried the refined demeanor of a wealthy young master.
By seizing upon these two weaknesses, the technique of Seizing Shortcomings took effect.
Unfortunately, the art had been stolen, and the number of times he could use it was limited.
He Jiaqing contacted several subordinates in the Brotherhood Alliance, ordering them to keep digging for information on Gu Rusong. He wanted to find an opportunity to steal another technique.
***
"I have to admit, that shameless vixen's notes actually work!" The gramophone studied Teacher Song's lecture materials, gradually refining Lühuazi's alms bowl. Where the bowl had once held only a single spoon, it now contained three: one red, one yellow, and one blue.
"Dearest husband, you must remember: the yellow spoon points the way, the blue spoon opens the door, and the red spoon locks it. Whatever you do, don't mix them up." Knowing that Li Banfeng could be somewhat impatient, the gramophone feared he might use the wrong function at a critical juncture, so she had simply assigned the bowl's three functions to the three separate spoons.
Li Banfeng hadn't been idle either. He had discovered another dark-dimension space in Lüshui City, located on Fuyun Avenue in Yuanzhufang.
Yuanzhufang was an old quarter in the southern part of Lüshui City. When Lüshui City was first built, Yuanzhufang had been the most affluent district in town. But as the city expanded and its center shifted, Yuanzhufang was gradually abandoned by the prominent clans, degenerating into a gathering place for scoundrels and vagrants.
Li Banfeng bought a three-story Western-style house in Yuanzhufang. The building was old, but it covered a massive area. Because the sprawling courtyard had been neglected, weeds grew in wild profusion.
The rooms inside were equally vast, with mottled walls and thick layers of dust. Every footstep and spoken word stirred multiple echoes; coming here alone truly gave one the creeps.
The reason he bought this property was that he had found the entrance to a dark-dimension space right beside the closet of the second room on the second floor.
The second room on the second floor—he truly had an affinity for the number two. Li Banfeng dubbed this dark-dimension space the Second Residence.
The conditions inside the Second Residence were not pitch-black, but they were also different from Lühuazi's home.
In Lühuazi's dwelling, one could see the outside clearly, but the objects inside corresponded to entirely different things from the exterior.
Inside the Second Residence, one could also clearly see the outside, and the objects inside likewise corresponded to different things, but a person's sense of direction within the room was completely reversed.
When Li Banfeng stepped into the Second Residence, he saw a chair to his left. Wanting to test what the chair corresponded to in the dark dimension, he reached toward the left to feel for it.
He felt around for ages without touching a thing, all because his sense of direction was inverted—he had actually reached to the right.
This wasn't Li Banfeng's fault. It wasn't just him who couldn't tell directions apart; even the glove was completely disoriented. Sensing treasure near a flowerpot, it lunged forward, only to dive straight beneath the bed.
Li Banfeng intended to step forward with his left foot, but lifting his leg brought out his right foot instead, sending him stumbling.
The Tang Dao rushed forward to support him, but failing to distinguish its hilt from its tip, it nearly impaled Li Banfeng.
Fortunately, this dark-dimension space wasn't overly large, roughly the size of the grand dance floor at Xiaoyaowu. The whole family stumbled, slipped, and knocked about for several hours before gradually adjusting to the place.
Because of the inverted orientation, Li Banfeng had initially assumed the layout of this dark dimension was extraordinarily intricate. Only after feeling his way around did he realize it was utterly bare—there was nothing inside at all.
Since there was nothing here, choosing a spot to bury the covenant deed proved rather tricky.
Using the outside scenery as a reference point, Li Banfeng dug a deep pit beneath the desk in the sixth room on the second floor. First, he sprinkled blood onto the iron tallies. Then he wrote out a paper deed and sprinkled blood on it as well.
Before long, a line of text materialized on the iron tally:
*Li Seven defeats Zhao Pustule, claiming all territory.*
From that moment on, Li Banfeng became the local spirit of Lüshui Bay.
Once he buried the covenant deeds, he shoveled in an initial layer of earth. Just as he reached for the local spirit seal, a sudden, heavy pressure seized his chest, weighing on him so intensely that he could hardly breathe.
"Little brother, don't rush! Take a sip first!" The liquor gourd pressed its spout to Li Banfeng's lips and fed him a mouthful of spirits.
Swallowing the mouthful, Li Banfeng recovered considerably.
This was medicinal liquor specially prepared by the liquor gourd on the gramophone's orders. The gramophone knew that the status of Lüshui Bay was extraordinarily heavy; with Li Banfeng's current cultivation, suddenly shouldering such immense status could easily leave his breath trapped in his chest.
Once he caught his breath, Li Banfeng felt his chest gradually clear. He then stored the local spirit seal in its box and buried it in the earth alongside the deeds.
With the covenant deeds and local spirit seal properly buried, Li Banfeng stepped out of the dark-dimension space. Using the red spoon, he turned it three times clockwise, two and a half times counterclockwise, and once more clockwise, setting a combination that locked the door.
With his own affairs settled, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling. He had his lady wife and the pendulum clock help disguise him as Lühuazi. By ten o'clock that night, he was back on Longmen Road.
There were bound to be plenty of good things left in Lühuazi's home. As the glove had said, they had only uncovered pills, the covenant deeds, and the local spirit seal; they hadn't seen a single magical artifact.
Lüshui Bay was so prosperous, and Lühuazi's strength was so formidable—how could he not possess any magical artifacts in his home? It made no sense given his stature.
Li Banfeng wasn't being greedy for Lühuazi's treasures. It was simply that he had sent Lühuazi off to Daogui Ridge, and the man wouldn't be returning home anytime soon. If so many valuable items were stolen by someone else, Li Banfeng's conscience would trouble him.
Approaching the streetlamp, Li Banfeng felt for the bowl and was about to unlock the door when two waves of malice swept in, one from the front and one from behind.
One came directly opposite him—from Lühuazi's home.
The other came from Muyuan Teahouse behind him.
Something was wrong. Li Banfeng swiftly manipulated the red spoon several times: two turns counterclockwise, one and a half turns clockwise, and another half-turn counterclockwise, adding an extra lock to Lühuazi's front door.
Once finished, Li Banfeng cradled the bowl and walked away.
It was fortunate that Li Banfeng moved quickly and didn't enter Lühuazi's residence.
Inside Lühuazi's home, Feng Chongli and Mu Yuejuan were rummaging for the covenant deeds. They could see every movement outside clearly. When they saw Lühuazi appear beneath the lamp post, both of their hearts leaped into their throats.
They weren't afraid of being unable to defeat Lühuazi; both of their cultivations surpassed his.
However, they had to abide by the Peddler's rules. Given their standing, they could not lay hands on Lühuazi within Lüshui Bay without cause.
Seeing Lühuazi depart, Feng Chongli breathed a slight sigh of relief. Mu Yuejuan remained tense. "He might come back shortly. Perhaps we slipped up and he saw us."
Feng Chongli glanced toward Muyuan Teahouse. "Don't worry. Our people are in the teahouse."
Before long, an elderly man with grizzled hair and beard walked out of the teahouse, quietly tailing Lühuazi.
Mu Yuejuan recognized him. "Isn't that An Zongding? What is his cultivation?"
One didn't casually pry into matters of cultivation, but the circumstances were unusual. If An Zongding's cultivation stood above the clouds, he too would be forbidden from striking at Lühuazi in Lüshui Bay without justification.
Manipulating an exquisite abacus to continue searching for treasures in Lühuazi's residence, Feng Chongli said, "Rest assured, if he acts against Lühuazi, it won't count as breaking the rules."
Mu Yuejuan remained uneasy. "If Lühuazi is alive, we shouldn't be touching his covenant deed!"
Feng Chongli clicked an abacus bead. "If it were anyone else, they indeed shouldn't touch him. But with us backing you, what is there to fear? Do you truly believe the Peddler can touch Xuehuapu?"
A wave of irritation rose in Mu Yuejuan's chest. She had never wanted to get entangled in this storm, yet now that she wished to pull out, she couldn't find a way.
***
Li Banfeng walked ahead, with An Zongding tailing him from behind.
Had the real Lühuazi been here, he might not have noticed An Zongding. The old man moved with complete naturalness, appearing just like an ordinary elder out for a stroll, without the slightest flaw.
Yet Li Banfeng possessed the art of seeking fortune and avoiding disaster taught directly by the coachman. As consummate as An Zongding's tracking skills were, Li Banfeng caught onto him nonetheless.
Crossing Longmen Road, Li Banfeng turned into Chuanzi Alley, steadily steering toward quieter areas.
An Zongding followed at an unhurried pace, tailing him all the way to Yangjiao Park.
Yangjiao Park was a public park. In Puluo Province, parks were a novelty; only major cities of the caliber of Lüshui City and Black Rock Slope had them.
This park had been constructed by the Garrison Office, originally intended to provide residents with a public space for sightseeing and rest, thereby polishing the office's reputation.
However, the Garrison Office at the time had clearly misjudged the customs of Puluo Province. The local residents had no habit of strolling through parks; instead, the grounds had become a prime battleground for rival gangs to wage violent clashes.
At eight-thirty in the evening, Yangjiao Park was dead quiet. Li Banfeng was looking for an opening to test this old man's capabilities. An Zongding was a cultivator above the clouds; he had already deployed his ghost servants and prepared to launch a sneak attack.
Both sides sought to seize the initiative. Neither expected a gaunt young man to burst from the bushes, snatching the first move right out from under them!
This gaunt young man was none other than Qin Tianjiu!
Brandishing an axe, Qin Tianjiu swung it straight toward An Zongding's head.
Li Banfeng froze. An Zongding was stunned as well.
The lad had been hiding in Yangjiao Park the entire time, and neither of them had detected him.
Did Little Fatty Qin possess such skill?
He did not.
The one who had truly concealed him was his wife, the green-clad maiden Feng Yuqiu.
Feng Yuqiu was a Cold Cultivator, and Cold Cultivators excelled at concealment.
Back when An Zongding had visited Little Fatty Qin's home as a guest, he had brought many gifts and offered Little Fatty Qin considerable guidance in cultivation. Feng Yuqiu had genuinely treated An Zongding as a friend. When An Zongding returned the following day, she had let down her guard and was inadvertently captured alive by him.
Now, having caught wind of An Zongding's whereabouts, Feng Yuqiu had hidden in Yangjiao Park with Little Fatty Qin in advance, and she had truly managed to deceive An Zongding.
Yet even if they could deceive him, could they defeat him?
Little Fatty stuffed a pouch of rations into his mouth, risking life and limb to tangle with An Zongding head-on, while Feng Yuqiu circled around behind to launch a sneak attack.
They had to end it in a single strike. Little Fatty Qin's current cultivation was only at the third tier; relying on having just gorged himself, his strikes were exceptionally swift and vicious, quite capable of intimidating an opponent.
Feng Yuqiu possessed high cultivation and enjoyed an advantage in her pathway, but she was a ghost. For a ghost to strike against a Demon Cultivator, the slightest misstep would make her easy prey.
Seeing Little Fatty charge before him, An Zongding didn't bother to parry, nor did he bother to dodge. With a casual wave, he summoned a ghost servant, who kicked Little Fatty flat onto the ground.
Feng Yuqiu couldn't move to save Little Fatty; she couldn't even spare him a second glance. She had to keep her heart thoroughly chilled to unleash her combat power.
A sleeve dart was hidden within her sleeve. With a flick of her fingers, the short projectile shot straight toward An Zongding.
A ghost servant leaped forward, intercepting the dart on An Zongding's behalf. The dart proved formidable; the servant fell wounded and could not rise.
Feng Yuqiu whipped the dart tube from her sleeve, using it as a weapon to thrust directly into the forehead of another ghost servant. Her speed matched that of a sixth-tier Traveler Cultivator—such was the terrifying edge of a Cold Cultivator.
That ghost servant collapsed, unable to get back up.
Only An Zongding remained before her. Just as Feng Yuqiu moved to strike again, she suddenly felt her wrist refuse to obey her commands.
Those two ghost servants had bought An Zongding less than a second, yet in that fraction of time, An Zongding had brought Feng Yuqiu under his control.
Such was the prowess of a Demon Cultivator above the clouds.
"I sold you off, yet here you are, coming right back to find me. Are you that eager to serve me? Tell me, just how wretched can a person be?" An Zongding chuckled as he walked forward, staring at the immobilized Feng Yuqiu.
Scrambling up from the ground, Little Fatty Qin roared, "An Zongding, you old bastard! I'll take you down with me!"
*Bang!*
Before he could finish his words, Little Fatty Qin was pinned to the earth once more by another ghost servant.
Any ghost servant belonging to a cultivator above the clouds could handle Little Fatty Qin with ease.
An Zongding looked down at Little Fatty Qin. "Back at Haichiling, I spared your life. Instead of running, you insisted on rushing back here to die. You're quite the wretched creature yourself. The two of you truly make a fitting pair!"
Lühuazi chuckled. "If they make a pair, why don't you serve as their godson? That way you'll make a family of three. Wouldn't that be just perfect?"
An Zongding's expression remained calm. With Little Fatty Qin making such a racket, he knew Lühuazi must have noticed him.
"Lühuazi, do you recognize this young man?" An Zongding pointed at Little Fatty Qin.
Lühuazi shook his head. "Never seen him. I heard he was your godfather, so I came over specially to take a look. I have to say, you father and son look remarkably alike. You followed me all the way from the teahouse to Yangjiao Park. What are you after? Tired of living? Why must you be so wretched?"
An Zongding directed all his ghost servants into formation. "Lühuazi, you've run wild for all these years, but your good days are at an end. Don't think nobody dares touch you. Today, I've come for your life."
An Zongding wasn't boasting. In this world, there were indeed pathways that countered Disease Cultivators, and Demon Cultivators were one of them.
Under normal circumstances, Demon Cultivators didn't engage enemies directly; they relied on ghost servants to do battle.
Did Lühuazi possess techniques to afflict ghosts with illness?
He did, but not many.
Certain ailments could indeed harm spirits, but An Zongding had brought a total of eighty-six ghost servants this time, every one of them formidable in battle. It was impossible for Lühuazi to sicken them all; An Zongding intended to drown Lühuazi in sheer numbers.
Lühuazi stroked the gramophone in his hands and said to An Zongding, "If you've got the guts, stop hiding behind that pack of dead ghosts and come fight me yourself!"
An Zongding roared with laughter. "Lühuazi, are you losing your mind? When have you ever seen a Demon Cultivator strike without ghost servants? Considering you founded your own path and have scraped by in Puluo Province for so many years to earn a bit of renown, I advise you to leave Lüshui Bay at once. Save your own neck and find another place to make a living!"
Hearing those words, Little Fatty Qin's face turned stark white.
Having spent considerable time in the Sanying Sect, he had gained some worldly knowledge. He knew who the local spirit of Lüshui Bay was, and he had heard what kind of figure Lühuazi was.
Now, Lühuazi stood right before his eyes.
An Zongding addressed him directly as Lühuazi and was ready to exchange blows with him; judging by his posture, An Zongding even seemed confident of defeating Lühuazi.
To think Little Fatty had dared to ambush a figure of this caliber—wasn't that utter folly?
Realizing his mistake now was far too late. Little Fatty Qin looked toward Feng Yuqiu, his heart awash with regret.
Feng Yuqiu still struggled to break free of her bindings. The instant their eyes met, tears welled in her eyes.
She knew their chances of survival were slim, but seeing Little Fatty's gaze stirred her emotions, draining what little strength she had managed to gather.
An Zongding couldn't be bothered with the two of them. Though his pathway countered his foe's, he didn't dare underestimate Lühuazi. Without needing talismans or incense, a single command from him would unleash his ghost servants at any moment.
Yet An Zongding noticed something odd about Lühuazi.
Wasn't he carrying an alms bowl earlier?
When had he switched to holding a gramophone?
Was it a magical artifact?
"What are you doing holding a gramophone?" Crafty and cautious, An Zongding refrained from striking immediately, testing the waters with a question first.
"I see your time is up, so I'm playing a tune to send you off." Lühuazi gave the gramophone a crank, and the famous suona piece "The Grand Funeral Procession" burst forth.
When Little Fatty Qin and An Zongding had clashed earlier, "Lühuazi" hadn't stepped forward right away because he had returned to the companion dwelling to make preparations.
This record was no ordinary item; the gramophone had engraved it just moments ago.
The music was even less ordinary. Seventy percent of the ghost servants present were wandering souls who had never had a funeral; they had never had the chance for a proper burial in life, and hearing this piece filled them with profound sorrow.
The remaining thirty percent had indeed experienced burials, but recalling the scenes of their own funerals made them even more despondent than the wandering ghosts.
Every single ghost servant froze in place. An Zongding was dumbfounded.
These were ghost servants who had followed him for years—how could they lose control in an instant?
He tried to manipulate them with his techniques several times, but the servants showed no reaction whatsoever. An Zongding grew nervous.
He had no idea where Lühuazi had obtained this gramophone, nor had he anticipated that such a machine could be a magical artifact of this caliber.
Without his ghost servants, a Demon Cultivator was stripped of nearly all combat strength. But An Zongding carried magical artifacts of his own, and more than one.
To attain cultivation above the clouds, An Zongding was naturally no ordinary figure. Facing peril, his mind remained sharp. He weighed his artifacts one by one to see which could counter Lühuazi.
Lühuazi's pathogens were notoriously hard to dispel, and he possessed a foundation as a Martial Cultivator; engaging him in close quarters with artifacts clearly offered no advantage.
All his ghost servants were currently immobilized. Stalling the battle from a distance with long-range artifacts while looking for a way to wrest back control of the servants was one possibility.
Yet what kind of artifact could withstand Lühuazi?
If it failed, and Lühuazi closed the distance, it would be too late to seek a retreat.
That approach was far too risky and entirely unfeasible.
He could take two pills to forcefully boost his combat power, reclaim control of his ghost servants, and then battle Lühuazi.
Yet what if he failed to reclaim them and suffered a sudden assault from Lühuazi? How would he defend himself then?
Tempered by a hundred battles, An Zongding swiftly reached a decision after a brief moment of deliberation.
He produced a golden bead from his robes, popped it into his mouth, spun on his heel, and bolted.
The bead was a Traveler Cultivator artifact; keeping it in his mouth granted him speed rivaling an eighth-tier Traveler Cultivator.
As high as Lühuazi's cultivation was, and as vicious as his pathogens were, he could never outrun a Traveler Cultivator. In the blink of an eye, An Zongding had already sprinted out of Yangjiao Park.
Abandoning all his ghost servants to flee in such a manner seemed somewhat pathetic, but An Zongding didn't view it that way.
As long as the green hills remained, there would always be firewood to burn. There was no need to contest Lühuazi in this clash.
Nor had the battle been fought in vain. He now knew Lühuazi possessed an artifact that countered Demon Cultivators. Once he prepared countermeasures in the future and destroyed that gramophone first, he would surely take Lühuazi's life.
The urgent priority now was to return immediately to Lühuazi's residence, find Feng Chongli, and tell him not to touch Lühuazi's covenant deed just yet.
Beside him, Lühuazi asked, "Are you heading toward Longmen Road?"
"Yeah!" With the bead in his mouth, An Zongding's words were somewhat muffled.
He answered reflexively, then stared blankly at Lühuazi.
Why was he running so fast—?
Lühuazi was running shoulder to shoulder with An Zongding, and doing so with utter ease.
An Zongding reached into his robes for an artifact, but Li Banfeng caught his right hand and snapped his arm bone.
An Zongding twisted to dive into the woods, but Li Banfeng shattered his leg with a kick.
An Zongding clamped a stack of talismans in his teeth, intending to summon nearby wandering souls, but Li Banfeng stepped forward with another kick, shattering An Zongding's jaw. The talismans fluttered to the ground, entirely unused.
Even with both cultivations above the clouds, a Demon Cultivator stripped of his ghost servants was utterly pathetic before a Traveler Cultivator.
Dragging his broken leg, An Zongding crawled forward with his remaining hand, slurring through broken teeth, "I belong to Xuehuapu... If you dare kill me, Xuehuapu will never forgive you... There will be no place left for you to live in Puluo Province..."
"You investigated me in secret, harmed my brother, and even snatched my brother's wife. There was never any place left for you in Puluo Province to begin with." Gripping An Zongding's hair with his right hand, Li Banfeng pushed open the door with his left and hurled An Zongding straight into the companion dwelling.
Closing the door firmly, Li Banfeng returned to Yangjiao Park.
Qin Tianjiu was still trying to save Feng Yuqiu. Feng Yuqiu remained immobilized, and Qin Tianjiu couldn't hoist her onto his back, nor could he drag her away.
Seeing "Lühuazi" return, Qin Tianjiu's eyes turned bloodshot. He pulled out a pouch of rations and stuffed them into his mouth, prepared to fight to the death.
"Run—!" Feng Yuqiu cried out in desperation. She hadn't spoken for many years—not because she didn't want to, but because cultivators of her pathway lost the ability of speech past a certain level. Today, the sheer desperation had forced her to speak.
How could Qin Tianjiu run?
He was simple; he didn't know what to do. All he knew in this moment was that he had to stand in front of Feng Yuqiu.
"Lühuazi" stood in the center of Yangjiao Park, looking first at Qin Tianjiu, then at Feng Yuqiu, and finally at the eighty-odd ghost servants all around.
With An Zongding cast into the companion dwelling, the ghost servants were on the verge of breaking loose at any second.
The gramophone's music had stopped, and the suppression holding the servants was slowly dissipating.
After a dozen seconds, some of the ghost servants gradually began to move.
These servants had followed An Zongding for years, and the technique's imprint ran deep, making it hard for them to break free quickly.
Feng Yuqiu moved her shoulders; the technique binding her was the first to unravel.
She seized Little Fatty Qin and bolted.
"Lühuazi" even called out deliberately, "Don't go! Stay and chat with me!"
Feng Yuqiu didn't dare look back, dashing out of Yangjiao Park without stopping.
The ghost servants swayed unsteadily. The first one to break free from the technique lunged wildly at "Lühuazi." Brandishing Prince Chun's riding crop, "Lühuazi" struck the servant down with a single lash.
The rest swarmed forward en masse, some crying out, "Save Master An!"
These ghost servants were truly loyal. Li Banfeng ran ahead, and they pursued him relentlessly from behind.
Had An Zongding been here to command them, dealing with this mob would have been genuinely difficult for Li Banfeng.
Yet the Demon Cultivator wasn't present. For all their loyalty, the ghost servants' tactics were completely disorganized; they knew only how to chase Li Banfeng blindly, utterly oblivious to the fact that their speed could never match a Traveler Cultivator above the clouds. Li Banfeng led them on several laps around the park, then flung open the door to the companion dwelling, sweeping more than half of them inside.
The remaining thirty-odd ghost servants refused to enter, but that was no longer up to them. Inside the room, his lady wife began singing "Longing Across the Four Seasons":
*"In spring there blooms a longing beneath the sunny sky,*
*The east wind sways the willow boughs, a darling to pity by.*
*Gossamer threads snare petals of peach, the spring is plain to view,*
*Yet why is my fair beloved nowhere to be seen?"*
This old melody expressed the ache of yearning with heartbreaking depth. Unable to control their steps, the pack of ghost servants squeezed into the room.
An Zongding lay by the wall, utterly motionless, feigning unconsciousness.
He didn't know where this place was, but he knew Lühuazi could open unnameable places. This was very likely another of Lühuazi's lairs.
By the light of the fire, he saw a gramophone in the room, a bed, a shelf of sundries, and a wardrobe.
There was a table bearing a mirror, and before the mirror sat an indescribable entity, attending to its toilette.
Just as he got a clear view of his surroundings, all eighty-plus ghost servants suddenly poured into the room. Gritting his teeth, An Zongding used the wall for support and slowly stood up.
Though one leg was broken, he had to stand now.
The ghost servants had arrived; the decisive battle was at hand!
Even though the servants were in an abnormal state, circling the gramophone in a daze as they listened to the tune, An Zongding had nowhere left to run and had to wage a desperate fight.
"Hear my command!" An Zongding barked.
*Whoosh!*
A gust of whirlwind swept out from the horn of the gramophone, sucking all eighty-odd ghost servants right into its belly.
An Zongding fell silent for a moment, leaned against the wall, and lay back down on the floor.
"Lühuazi" walked up to An Zongding and kicked him. "Isn't playing dead a bit late now?"
An Zongding remained still. He had to keep his composure at a time like this; there was still a chance to turn defeat into victory.
The entity sitting before the mirror doing its hair was the key. An Zongding could smell the scent of a deceased soul on it, and he could sense that this soul possessed formidable combat strength.
Why would such a powerful deceased soul exist in Lühuazi's lair?
Now was not the time to ponder that.
As long as it was a soul, there was a way to control it.
An Zongding silently cast a technique at the soul before the mirror. As a Demon Cultivator above the clouds, his technique was completely silent and exceptionally vicious. In mere seconds, An Zongding sensed that the art had taken hold.
The soul doing its hair before the mirror rose silently, without "Lühuazi" noticing.
With a thought, An Zongding issued the command, ordering the soul to launch a sneak attack against "Lühuazi."
Victory or defeat hung on this single stroke; An Zongding staked everything he had learned in his life.
*Crack!*
Hong Ying arrived before An Zongding and delivered a solid kick straight to his face.
"Seventh Brother asked you a question. Are you mute?"
A large section of An Zongding's cheek caved in. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he continued driving his technique.
The outcome wasn't decided yet; there was still a chance!
*Crack!*
Hong Ying kicked him again. "I asked if you're mute!"
This time, An Zongding could no longer maintain his technique; the kick left his consciousness swimming.
Hong Ying raised her foot to kick him once more, but the gramophone stopped her. "Yingying, leave him with a breath. Husband has things to ask."
Li Banfeng said to An Zongding, "Open your eyes first. If you don't, I'll dig them out."
An Zongding opened his eyes.
Li Banfeng asked, "An Zongding, tell me the first thing: are you truly one of Xuehuapu's people?"
An Zongding nodded, slurring his words, "You should know what kind of standing the people of Xuehuapu hold."
Li Banfeng asked, "Why were you investigating me?"
An Zongding replied, "Because we want to take the territory of Lüshui Bay. Lühuazi, you've occupied Lüshui Bay for all these years and reaped more than enough benefits. It's time for you to yield the place."
Li Banfeng peeled away the pustules on his face, took a towel, and wiped away the grime. "I asked why you were investigating me in secret."
"You're not Lühuazi? Who are you?" An Zongding looked horror-struck. He had no inkling of who this person before him truly was.
Recalling what this man had said earlier—about harming his brother and stealing his brother's wife—could he have been referring to Qin Tianjiu?
And just now, that soul shaped like a spear had called him Seventh Brother. Could he be Li Seven?
How could Li Seven be here?
An Zongding had no idea how to respond. His only remaining hope lay with Feng Chongli, praying that Feng Chongli would come to his rescue as soon as possible.
***
Longmen Road, Lühuazi's residence.
An Zongding had been gone for a long time without returning, and Feng Chongli was growing worried.
His magical abacus had failed to uncover Lühuazi's covenant deeds; it was best not to linger here.
Urged on by Mu Yuejuan, Feng Chongli went to open the door to the unnameable place.
He couldn't open it.
Mu Yuejuan urged, "What are you waiting for? Open the door!"
Feng Chongli tried once more, but the door still wouldn't budge.
"Someone added a lock," Feng Chongli said, looking at Mu Yuejuan. "This lock won't be easy to open!"
Chapter 524