Song Qianhun's bids had already climbed close to fifty million. Jin Shunying couldn't hold out any longer; she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
She raised her hand. "Forty-seven point one five million."
This was the highest price she could bear. Even though it wasn't her own money, she couldn't bring herself to utter a larger sum, or she would truly lose her mind.
Song Qianhun raised his hand once more. "Sixty million."
Jin Shunying clutched her hair and let out a helpless laugh.
He didn't even bother saying fifty million; he jumped straight to sixty million.
Her boss had indeed instructed her to win the lot no matter what.
Her boss had also told her not to look back casually.
Yet this time she had to look. She could genuinely feel that something had gone wrong with her sanity.
She needed to confirm her boss's attitude, or at least verify whether his state of mind was still intact.
If the boss had gone mad before her and refused to acknowledge the debt afterward, Jin Shunying would be the one whose name was on the bids. Her life would be completely ruined.
Jin Shunying slowly turned her head and stared at Li Banfeng's seat for a long time.
Where was the boss?
Where did he go?
How could he be gone?
Jin Shunying trembled all over, nearly screaming out loud.
*He's gone. What am I supposed to do?*
*Where am I going to get sixty million?*
*Isn't my life over?*
Up on the stage, the host, Chi Huiyi, shouted at the top of her lungs, "Sixty million going once!"
Jin Shunying's vision blurred, and breathing became difficult.
"Sixty million going twice!"
Jin Shunying felt as though her scalp were splitting open, and she yanked out a lock of her own hair.
"Sixty million going three times!"
Jin Shunying closed her eyes, feeling as if she were plunging into a bottomless abyss.
"Congratulations to this gentleman! Will the host of the dish please serve the banquet!"
*Gentleman?*
*Why did she call me gentleman?*
Jin Shunying looked up, and only then did the truth dawn on her.
The person who bid sixty million wasn't her; it was the man behind her.
Someone else was spending sixty million to buy something—what did it have to do with her?
Under extreme tension, Jin Shunying had suffered a cognitive lapse and nearly frightened herself to death.
Seeing that the deal for the Injured Demon Fiend was struck, Jin Shunying let out a long breath, the weight in her heart finally lifted.
*If the boss asks later, I'll just tell him the truth. I'll say I was scared out of my wits and didn't dare bid anymore. If he gets mad and wants to beat me, I'll take it. He can hit me all he wants, but if he wants to fine me, I definitely don't have a single coin!*
While Jin Shunying was lost in her frantic thoughts, Chu Zikai led Shui Yongquan's deceased spirit over to Song Qianhun. In accordance with the rules, the two needed to head into the side hall outside the doors to finalize the exchange of money and goods.
For such a massive sum and such a major transaction, the blond elder responsible for guarding Chu Zikai naturally followed along as well.
Having concluded a sixty-million-dollar deal tonight, Chi Huiyi, the dance hall's mistress, was ecstatic. By rule, she stood to pocket a hefty commission.
Watching Song Qianhun slowly rise and make his way out with sluggish steps, Chi Huiyi didn't dare rush him. After all, this was a heavyweight who had bid sixty million; he was not someone she could afford to offend.
Song Qianhun looked back after every few paces, his movements laced with hesitation.
He wasn't hesitating over the sixty million; he was worried about the next dish on the menu.
Li Seven had promised him that the grand finale lot could never be served.
Only after Song Qianhun walked out of the dance hall did Chi Huiyi resume the presentation. "And now, the grand finale lot! May the host take the ladle!"
Chang Shigui, the proprietor of the incense shop, solemnly carried a wooden box toward the center of the dance floor.
Having run businesses his entire life, today was the most momentous occasion for Chang Shigui. Before the Grand Banquet began, he had knelt before the Great Spirit's boxer shorts and prayed for a full two hours. The words he was to speak on stage today had been rehearsed dozens of times, word for word.
Now, standing before the crowd, he settled his breathing and spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "The dish I have brought before you today is none other than the Great Spirit's—"
"I'll take it!" Li Banfeng raised his hand.
Before Chang Shigui could even finish a single sentence, Li Banfeng had already declared his purchase.
Chi Huiyi chuckled. "Honored guest, please don't be in such a rush. Wait for the host to ladle the dish, and then we will invite your offer!"
"No need to ladle. Whatever condition this dish is in, I'm buying it!"
Chi Huiyi said, "Even if you wish to buy, you must wait for the host to state the price."
"No matter the price, I'm definitely taking it."
Chang Shigui said, "Pardon me, please wait a moment and allow me to finish presenting the dish."
Li Banfeng frowned. "What's the meaning of this? Isn't today a grand banquet? I ordered the dish, and you're refusing to sell?"
Chi Huiyi was dumbfounded, and Chang Shigui was equally at a loss. At a grand banquet, lots always went to the highest bidder—since when did someone just order a dish off a menu?
The surrounding guests murmured among themselves, several of them laughing at Li Banfeng's ignorance of the rules.
"Is this guy attending a grand banquet for the first time?"
"Who does he think he is, buying whatever he feels like?"
"Probably some bumpkin landlord from who knows where, used to acting wild and making a fool of himself here."
Jin Shunying had anticipated that her boss might go crazy, but she hadn't expected him to lose his mind just as the banquet was winding down. *Is it because I didn't win the Injured Demon Fiend that he's angry?*
*Will he punish me severely afterward?*
*He can beat me however he wants, just as long as he doesn't fine me money.*
Li Banfeng looked at Chang Shigui. "I'm only asking you one thing: are you selling, or not?"
The smile vanished from Chi Huiyi's face; she too was annoyed now. "Sir, we have our rules. Since you came to dine at our table, you must abide by our rules."
"Why do you have so many damn rules?" Li Banfeng snapped. "Are you selling or not?"
Chi Huiyi's brows arched sharply. "You're deliberately here to pick a fight!"
The moment her words fell, dozens of dark-energy users surged out from around the dance hall.
To dare host such a banquet, Chi Huiyi was naturally no ordinary figure, and this was far from the first time she had dealt with troublemakers.
She opened her mouth to issue a warning, but to her surprise, Li Banfeng was even angrier than she was. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! You won't sell, right? Well, I don't feel like paying anyway!"
With that, Li Banfeng stepped into the center of the dance floor and snatched the wooden box right out of Chang Shigui's hands.
Chang Shigui froze in place. Li Banfeng's movement had been so fast that even Chi Huiyi failed to react in time.
By the time she came to her senses, Li Banfeng was already clutching the wooden box, grabbing Jin Shunying with his other hand, and charging straight toward the dance hall's exit.
The assembled guests watched with glowing eyes. These were worldly people, but none had ever expected to witness such a spectacle at a grand banquet. If not for the strict ban on mobile phones here, they would have loved to record the entire scene.
"Stop him!" Chi Huiyi roared in fury. "Daring to commit open robbery in my venue—did you not bother asking who I, Chi Huiyi, am?
"Seize him and beat him half to death! If anyone dies, I'll take full responsibility! To all our distinguished guests watching, see for yourselves!
"I, Chi Huiyi, have always had this temper! Anyone who dares run wild on my turf today, I definitely won't... I mean, I can't... let him... leave—"
Chi Huiyi's voice grew softer and softer.
She realized the man wasn't running away at all.
Li Banfeng had only tossed Jin Shunying out of the dance hall; he had no intention of fleeing himself. In fact, he looked eager to test his strength against Chi Huiyi's guards.
There were thirty-five guards in Chi Huiyi's dance hall, all well-known experts.
In the blink of an eye, Li Banfeng knocked thirty-three of them flat, leaving only two standing.
The two guards retreated behind Chi Huiyi, pointing at her as they stammered, "Don't hit us, we just take orders from her."
Li Banfeng looked at Chi Huiyi, asking with a genial smile, "They all take orders from you? You're the one who doesn't want me to leave?"
Chi Huiyi pursed her lips. "Well, you... you came all this way, and now you suddenly want to go. I just wanted to... see you off—"
"Sure, you can see me off later." Li Banfeng set Chi Huiyi aside for the moment and turned toward the side hall, unleashing Sever Path to Open a Road.
Inside the side hall, Chu Zikai was discussing the transaction with Song Qianhun. "Sir, you bid sixty million. How do you intend to make payment? By check, or through a bank transfer?"
Song Qianhun pondered for a moment. "I plan to default on the debt."
Chu Zikai was taken aback. "I don't understand."
Song Qianhun said, "What's there not to understand? I have no intention of paying, and I'm still taking Shui Yongquan with me."
With that, Song Qianhun took hold of Shui Yongquan and turned to leave.
*Skreech!* Chu Zikai emitted a piercing shriek, sound waves darting toward Song Qianhun like feathered arrows.
Song Qianhun didn't even turn his head. Three Sound Cultivator ghost servants stationed behind him roared in unison toward Chu Zikai.
*Roaaar!*
The roars collided with the piercing screech, canceling each other out. Chu Zikai was startled; he hadn't expected Song Qianhun to possess such formidable Sound Cultivator ghost servants.
The blond elder shook his head repeatedly at Song Qianhun. "In the Outer States, I have never seen a psychic medium of such strength.
"You must hail from Puluo Province, correct?
"Puluo Province is a barbaric, ignorant place. The only thing worthy of praise there is their respect for contracts. Yet I never imagined that you would lack even that single virtue, openly breaching an agreement at an auction."
As he spoke, a thick brick wall materialized in front of Song Qianhun, barring his path.
Song Qianhun looked back at the blond man. "You're a Craft Cultivator?"
The blond man chuckled. "That is none of your concern. I have no obligation to answer your questions. What you must do is honor your promise and hand over the sixty million to us immediately."
Song Qianhun shook his head. "I can't give you sixty million all at once. First, tell me which pathway you belong to, and I'll give you sixty bucks. Then kowtow to me once, and I'll give you another sixty. Mind you, I'm talking about Huan notes, not silver dollars."
The blond man let out a sigh. "Your childishness and foolishness sorely disappoint me. The only reason you dare make such absurd provocations here is that you have a helper who appears somewhat formidable.
"That helper is a Journey Cultivator named Li Seven, a figure of considerable standing in both Puluo Province and the Outer States. But just how much help do you think he can offer you?
"I saw you two whispering below the dance floor quite clearly. Now chaos has erupted there, and I can hear the noise. Is that your battle plan? If Li Seven truly dares show his face here, do you believe he will leave with his life?"
The moment his words fell, the wall behind the blond man split wide open as Li Banfeng carved a passage with Sever Path to Open a Road.
Just as Li Banfeng charged behind the blond man, a mass of cement suddenly dropped from midair, wrapping tightly around his body.
As Li Banfeng struggled vigorously inside the cement, the blond man sneered, "Are you hoping to use a wall-phasing technique, or perhaps some footwork variation?
"I can assure you with certainty that neither will work. This is not our first encounter in Yanlou Village—did you truly think we wouldn't prepare specifically for you?
"How naive. Now has come the time to pay for your arrogance."
The blond man clenched his right hand—a crisp, effortless gesture laden with oppressive force.
The cement compressed rapidly and solidified in an instant, crushing Li Banfeng's body into pieces.
*Splat!*
Liquid splattered across the blond man's face, fishy yet distinctly sweet.
A fishy smell was understandable, but what was with the sweetness?
The blond man couldn't quite comprehend it. He noticed that the liquid flowing from "Li Banfeng" wasn't red, but white, carrying a unique, refreshing aroma.
*The scent of muskmelon...*
Li Banfeng's chuckling voice sounded, "The flavor feels off, doesn't it? How does this taste to you?"
*Slash!*
A Tang dao swept downward, carving a deep gash across the blond man's body and sending a spray of fresh blood gushing forth.
Now the flavor was right.
Clutching his wound, the blond man manipulated clumps of cement-like paste, hurling them in an assault against Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng evaded without much strain; the cement did not move very fast.
"Ah, ya ya ya!" Chu Zikai chanted a melody, attempting to bind Li Banfeng's movements.
Song Qianhun summoned five ghost servants to sing harmony along with Chu Zikai, drowning his voice out entirely.
Dodging another barrage of cement from the blond man, Li Banfeng closed the distance in a flash, hacking into him blade after blade.
Why insist on using a blade? Why not rely on cultivation techniques?
Because Li Banfeng had discerned the elder's specialty.
This blond man was exceptionally adept at generating walls and cement. In a relatively confined space, facing such a foe, neither Viewing Flowers from Horseback nor Treading Ten Thousand Rivers was suitable; the slightest carelessness could see his steps ensnared by the elder's techniques.
Under these circumstances, hacking with a blade was the most practical course. Gripping his sickle, wielding his Tang dao, and adding the pendulum, Li Banfeng hacked relentlessly at the blond elder.
Covered in wounds, the elder tried repeatedly to execute his techniques, but found no opening at all.
"Let's... let's talk first! Let's talk! We can give you this Injured Demon Fiend free of charge—" Beneath the barrage of blades, the blond elder struggled desperately to negotiate.
Li Banfeng's blade never slowed for an instant. "Just the Injured Demon Fiend isn't enough. Can you give me your lives?"
"Not our lives—"
"Then there's nothing to discuss."
Chu Zikai tried to move over and rescue the elder, but Song Qianhun gave him no chance.
Song Qianhun commanded many Martial Cultivators, all skilled with blades, and they could turn any object they picked up into a weapon.
The clash was fierce, leaving broken bricks and tiles scattered across the floor. Over a dozen ghost servants scooped up the rubble and converged on Chu Zikai.
Chu Zikai shifted his tune, singing his most familiar track, "Guokui Flatbread."
The destructive force of "Guokui Flatbread" was formidable. Even with five Sound Cultivator ghost servants singing at the top of their lungs, they could barely withstand it. The Martial Cultivator ghost servants stationed too close to Song Qianhun saw their forms gradually blur, their souls destabilizing under the onslaught of the sound technique.
Li Banfeng considered using sound techniques to throw Chu Zikai off key, but the blond elder remained troublesome to handle; in mere seconds, he erected a wall and attempted to drag Chu Zikai away to flee.
Not daring to lose focus, Li Banfeng breached the wall, wielded his artifacts, and pressed the assault on the elder.
Chu Zikai opened his throat, his single voice multiplying into the sound of hundreds of people. The melody shifted in myriad ways, the tempo irregular and erratic, intent on shattering all of Song Qianhun's ghost servants.
The Qiansi earring blocked Li Banfeng's ears with smoke, granting him temporary immunity.
Over on the dance floor, the guests attending the banquet suffered terribly. Through the breach opened by Li Banfeng, every single person could hear Chu Zikai's song.
Those with low cultivation bled from both ears and fell unconscious.
Those with slightly higher cultivation were driven mad by the song, brawling violently with anyone nearby.
Chi Huiyi grabbed the head of one of her subordinates and bit off the guard's ear with brute force.
Jin Shunying had been fortunate; Li Banfeng had tossed her out of the dance hall before the brawl began, offering her a chance to flee for her life.
The rest didn't even possess the presence of mind to run, all tortured to the brink of death by Chu Zikai's sound technique.
Yet Chu Zikai's purpose was not to torment them; his objective was to defeat the formidable Demonic Cultivator before him.
He had no idea where this cultivator had come from, but he knew that his technique, Thousand Sounds Soul-Seizure, was enough to annihilate every ghost servant a Demonic Cultivator possessed.
A Demonic Cultivator stripped of ghost servants posed no threat whatsoever. Victory in this battle was already within Chu Zikai's grasp.
"I am your guokui flatbread, even if you forget all of me, do not forget that familiar aroma—" Chu Zikai's voice grew ever more heroic, gradually turning a love ballad into a stirring battle anthem.
Song Qianhun made no elaborate countermove. He simply released ten more ghost servants to sing along with Chu Zikai.
"Sprinkle a handful of scallions to commemorate our fallen love,
Scallions stuck between your teeth, just like your pungent sincerity!"
These ghost servants altered the lyrics, lending them a peculiar poetic flair.
Chu Zikai was momentarily stunned. He didn't care about their butchering of the lyrics; what mattered was the piercing resonance of the song—more precisely, the penetration of the technique.
The ten newly deployed ghost servants all possessed sound techniques. Were they all Sound Cultivators?
How could a single Demonic Cultivator have so many Sound Cultivator ghost servants under his command?
Chu Zikai raised his volume, once again overpowering the ghost servants' singing.
Song Qianhun dispatched another batch of ghost servants.
Excluding the Martial Cultivators besieging Chu Zikai, there were now fifty ghost servants present, every one of them armed with sound techniques, completely drowning Chu Zikai's voice in a sea of sound.
*This is impossible.*
How many ghost servants could a Demonic Cultivator possibly control? This man had summoned fifty ghost servants, all sharing the exact same pathway—this was completely beyond Chu Zikai's comprehension.
Song Qianhun declared impassively, "Big pop star, let's make a wager and see whether my ghost servants are tougher, or your cultivation!"
Chu Zikai raised his pitch, interweaving words into his melody. "You think you can wager against me with just these few ghost servants? You flatter yourself!"
"These few aren't enough?" Song Qianhun sent out twenty more Sound Cultivator ghost servants to duel Chu Zikai in song.
Chu Zikai nearly choked on his singing. *Just how many Sound Cultivators does he have?!*
Song Qianhun said, "Still not enough? I have plenty more!"
With that, he dispatched another twenty Sound Cultivators to continue the chorus.
Chu Zikai choked mid-breath, but he couldn't even hear his own voice anymore—the singing opposite him was overwhelmingly loud.
Song Qianhun said, "We're gambling to the end today! Nobody leaves!"
He released yet another twenty Sound Cultivator ghost servants.
Song Qianhun's combat doctrine was just as brute-force as his bidding style. With the combined voices of these one hundred and ten ghost servants, he completely engulfed Chu Zikai's singing.
Standing to the side, Li Banfeng was equally astonished, mentally measuring Song Qianhun's strength against Gui Jianchou's.
Song Qianhun was still a local spirit, whereas Gui Jianchou's cultivation had already surpassed that tier. Logically speaking, Gui Jianchou should be stronger than Song Qianhun.
Yet if someone asked Gui Jianchou to produce a hundred Sound Cultivator ghost servants, could he pull it off?
Just how many ghost servants did Song Qianhun possess?
Could it really be a thousand?
Having smothered Chu Zikai's song, Song Qianhun maintained his tactical approach, summoning another hundred-odd Martial Cultivator ghost servants to swarm Chu Zikai.
The tactic was utterly simple, but brutally effective!
Song Qianhun's reserves were simply too deep!
With his sound technique entirely negated and surrounded on all sides, Chu Zikai had no viable countermeasure. Hacked until he was covered in lacerations, his consciousness blurred, and he swiftly lost all combat capability.
Song Qianhun muttered softly, "A petty gamble might not turn a profit, but a major wager never loses, and an all-in bet never misses. Today, I'll show you what real skill looks like."
The blond elder had also been badly wounded by Li Banfeng. Pushed to this brink, he had no choice but to call upon every blessing bestowed by his deity, bringing forth his most potent measure.
Using a blade, he severed his own left arm from the shoulder down.
The moment the arm struck the ground, it dissolved into a mass of sludge.
This was a sacrificial ritual; Li Banfeng had read about similar methods in the Dark Star Bureau's dossiers.
The sludge multiplied, piling layer upon layer until it quickly morphed into a dark greenish-black castle.
Calling it a real castle felt like an understatement of its miniature scale—it stood only two meters tall, five meters wide, and roughly three meters deep.
Yet calling it a model was also inaccurate, as it was far too large for that.
Moreover, this was definitively no illusion. The massive castle tore through the entire side hall and slowly breached the roof of the dance hall.
The castle lowered its drawbridge, flung open its gates, and a torrential surge of force poured out from within.
Li Banfeng and Song Qianhun stepped back simultaneously. Though the skill to seek good fortune and avoid disaster gave no warning, this was the instinctive reaction of master combatants.
The surging force failed to suck Li Banfeng and Song Qianhun inside, but it swept both Chu Zikai and the blond elder within.
Li Banfeng moved to pursue them into the castle, but Song Qianhun held him back. "Don't be reckless! This castle is too sinister. If we go inside, we'll definitely be at a disadvantage."
Li Banfeng gradually sensed the danger lurking within the castle as well, yet he was unwilling to let Chu Zikai slip away.
While he was still contemplating how to breach the castle, it slammed its gates shut, hauled up the drawbridge, and summoned layers of flames to shield its walls.
Baked by the flames, the walls began to harden.
Song Qianhun realized their intent. "They're trying to flee!"
Li Banfeng pulled out the music box and played a Western lullaby from the century before last. The gentle melody, paired with the music box's distinct timbre, caused the flames around the walls to gradually die down, and the hardening of the walls slowed drastically.
This was a Sleep Cultivator measure. The music box lacked the power to put Chu Zikai and the blond elder to sleep, but it successfully lulled the earthen castle into slumber.
At the same time, Song Qianhun dispatched thirty Craft Cultivator puppets, which set to dismantling the castle, rapidly stripping away a section of the northern wall.
Inside the castle, the blond elder was desperate for the structure to awaken, but his strength alone was insufficient. "Child, you must help me! We have to help this castle move together!"
Chu Zikai rasped with difficulty, "How do I help you? I don't know the method to move this castle!"
"You don't need to know the method! You only need to do one thing—focus your spirit and use your intent to help this castle resist the sleeper's control!"
Chu Zikai tried to concentrate, but with the continuous loss of blood, his thoughts drifted, and he lapsed into a semi-conscious state.
Consequently, he was unable to provide the blond elder with any assistance.
Under Song Qianhun's control, the Craft Cultivator ghost servants dug through half the castle, exposing Chu Zikai's form within.
The blond elder whispered into Chu Zikai's ear, "Child, farewell."
The castle snapped into two halves. One half remained where it was, while the other abruptly vanished without a trace.
By concentrating all his power into half the castle, the blond elder had vastly increased its movement speed.
Through extensive investigation, Li Banfeng had concluded that whether in Puluo Province or the Outer States, nothing could simply vanish into thin air.
So-called disappearance was merely visual invisibility, which could stem from several causes: it might be an illusion technique, it might be extreme speed exceeding what the eye could track, or it could be that the target had entered a stealth space or even a dark-dimension space.
Li Banfeng swept the surroundings with Golden Eyes of Keen Detail and saw no trace of the castle, which essentially ruled out an illusion technique.
As for extreme speed, that was implausible. The castle possessed physical mass, and a high-speed movement of such a large physical object would inevitably cause massive disruptions to the surroundings—the most obvious sign being a trail of demolished buildings along the way.
Since it was neither an illusion nor extreme speed, that proved they had hidden themselves inside some alternate space.
Li Banfeng wanted to use Lüshuigong's alms bowl to investigate, but the timing wasn't right with Song Qianhun present.
He dragged the unconscious Chu Zikai out from the remaining half of the castle, took an elixir pill from a ghost servant, and shoved it into Chu Zikai's mouth.
After swallowing the pill, Chu Zikai soon regained consciousness, though he remained unable to use his techniques and could only move within a limited range.
Over on the dance floor, many guests were still brawling with one another, the lingering effects of the sound technique yet to dissipate.
Li Banfeng retracted his Sever Path to Open a Road technique. The wall between the side hall and the dance floor "healed," and the passageway vanished.
Song Qianhun hauled Chu Zikai before Li Banfeng. "Do you want this man?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes. He's the one I came for."
"Since you want him, payment on delivery." Song Qianhun extended an open hand toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng didn't quite catch on and replied politely, "Senior, name your price."
"Don't play dumb!" Song Qianhun snapped. "Where is my item?"
Only then did Li Banfeng remember that Song Qianhun wasn't asking for money, but for his shorts.
He hurriedly pulled the boxer shorts from his pocket and handed them over. "Do you still want the wooden box?"
Song Qianhun shook his head. "No need for the box. I'll compensate Boss Chang later; it hasn't been easy for him either."
As he spoke, Song Qianhun looked at Shui Yongquan and sighed. "How did he end up like this?"
Li Banfeng said, "He used the technique Cleansing the Heart and Purging Thoughts to wash away his own memories. I don't know if he can still be saved."
Song Qianhun unchained the iron links binding Shui Yongquan. Freed from the restraints, Shui Yongquan instinctively flexed his joints.
"There is a way." That single movement gave Song Qianhun a glimmer of hope. "The washing wasn't entirely thorough; there should still be a path to retrieve them. Old Shui is a clever man; he surely left a way out for himself."
"If he recovers his memories, can he recover his cultivation too?"
"There's a chance. It's just—" Song Qianhun fell silent for a moment, holding something back.
Li Banfeng asked, "Are you worried Shui Yongquan will drag you into trouble?"
"It's not about dragging me down, but Tiemen Fort... you know the place, and you know the people there. I can't afford to draw too many eyes."
Li Banfeng understood what Song Qianhun meant.
Tiemen Fort served as a conduit connecting Puluo Province and the Outer States.
The folk of Tiemen Fort were too simple, and those capable of fighting were a band of Homebody Cultivators who had minimal contact with the outside world.
If Song Qianhun wanted to protect Tiemen Fort, he had to keep a low profile.
"Senior, don't worry. Leave Brother Shui to me. I'll find a suitable place to settle him."
Song Qianhun nodded slightly. "You and I hit it off well, but there are still matters I can't feel entirely at ease about."
Li Banfeng said, "Senior, I will never breathe a word of what happened today, nor will I speak of the shorts. If you truly can't rest easy, let's gamble right here, and I'll do my best to lose to you."
Song Qianhun looked displeased. "That doesn't sound right at all. What do you mean by doing your best to lose to me? Is losing to me supposed to be that difficult?
"Let's not gamble. I genuinely value the affinity between us. Let's swear an oath of brotherhood!"
Li Banfeng thumped his chest. "Qianhun, I accept you as my brother! From now on, I'm your elder brother!"
"Why do you get to be the elder brother? How old are you, anyway? I'm not messing around with you; this is a proper swearing-in!"
"All right, you can be the elder brother." Li Banfeng glanced around. "I don't have anything prepared here."
Song Qianhun said, "I have everything ready—incense, candles, and yellow paper."
Right there on the spot, the two swore an oath and sealed their brotherhood.
Holding the shorts, Song Qianhun left Yanlou Village with a much lighter heart.
The dice cup asked, somewhat perplexed, "What were you thinking? Becoming sworn brothers with a junior like that? If people find out, won't they laugh their heads off?"
"Laugh at me?" Song Qianhun scoffed. "A petty gamble might not turn a profit, but a major wager never loses, and an all-in bet never misses. Making this brother was no loss at all. As for who is the true master among gamblers, we'll see as time goes on!"
Once Song Qianhun had departed, Li Banfeng drew out the alms bowl and probed the surrounding dark-dimension space, but the bowl showed no response whatsoever.
*Could it be a stealth space? Perhaps Old Luo's equipment could detect it.*
Chu Zikai, who had remained unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes, preparing to activate a technique.
Li Banfeng brought his foot down, stepping firmly on Chu Zikai's mouth, and reached back to open the door to the companion dwelling. "Save your strength, and don't be in a hurry to talk. I still have plenty of questions for you."
Chapter 551