Rules and Propriety

"That tomboy!" The man in the magua smelled the smoke first, and then his entire body caught fire, only then realizing he had run into an old enemy. No wonder that guy in the red suit knew so much about Oil Cultivators. No wonder he even anticipated my killing move. It turns out Yu Nan coached him. Yu Nan had indeed coached Li Banfeng. Otherwise, on his own, Li Banfeng would have suffered a severe loss facing an Oil Cultivator from such a rare pathway. Oil Cultivators feared fire. Fire was the absolute correct counter to an Oil Cultivator. So why hadn't Li Banfeng used fire from the start? Because the right method had to be used at the right moment. Li Banfeng's ambush succeeded only because he kept his moves hidden. If he had approached holding a torch, the man in the magua would have taken him down in an instant. Why didn't Li Banfeng use fire during the fight? Strike a match halfway through? Li Banfeng had considered it. However, the man in the magua was no fool. He would never give Li Banfeng the chance to strike a match, and even if it lit, he would never let the flame touch him. Never mind Li Banfeng—even for the Smoke Cultivator Yu Nan, setting the man in the magua on fire was an immensely difficult task. Back when they had clashed previously, the man had never given Yu Nan a chance to light her cigarette. Yet even though fire had successfully caught him now, the man in the magua was not entirely helpless. He immediately withdrew the grease covering his body and rolled on the ground, quickly extinguishing the flames. By the time he put out the fire, however, Li Banfeng had already walked over, sickle in hand. The man in the magua had lost an eye, suffered burns all over, and had little stamina left. Without using oil, he could only wait for death. What if he did use oil? Smoke hung thick around him. The moment he secreted oil, he would catch fire again and still die. He was trapped in a dead end, a hopeless corner from which he could not escape. Seeing no other way out, the man in the magua shouted, "Boss Yu, what happened in the past was my fault! Whatever it is, we can talk things out!" "Talk?" Yu Nan sneered. "Rong Jin'an, when you killed my brothers back then, why didn't you talk it out with me? "When you smashed my shop, why didn't you talk it out with me? "And when you humiliated the sisters in my shop, why didn't you talk it out with them?" So the man in the magua was named Rong Jin'an. Li Banfeng noted the name silently. Rong Jin'an defended himself. "There were matters our shopkeeper tried to discuss with you, but you refused! That's why I burned your shop! I did everything out in the open, unlike you, resorting to underhanded tricks in the dark! You're breaking the rules of the jianghu!" Yu Nan stepped forward and planted a kick right into Rong Jin'an's face, leaving a red-and-black shoeprint across it. Rong Jin'an howled, "Shopkeeper Yu, I apologize! I'll even kowtow to you! Spare my life! "Just let me remind you of one thing—you run a business, and you still have to make a living in Ligou. You've vented your anger and taken your revenge, so let's call it even. "If you push things too far, you'll be cutting off your own retreat! You know full well what methods the Geng Family Medicine Shop has, and behind them stands the Jiangxiang Gang! "You've drifted along this path for years. Striking from the shadows already puts you in the wrong. You know the rules, and you know propriety. I've said all I have to say—do as you see fit!" Yu Nan rubbed the cigarette holder between her forefinger and middle finger, her expression growing grave. What Rong Jin'an said carried some truth. When he had wrecked her shop back then, it was done in broad daylight, blade against blade. Her strike tonight, however, was an ambush from the dark. Doing this truly breached the rules. And killing him outright would push things beyond all bounds of propriety. As Yu Nan hesitated, Li Banfeng walked up to Rong Jin'an and asked, "Just now you said you've said all you have to say. What did you mean by that?" Rong Jin'an sneered. "You don't even get that? Is this your first day in the jianghu? Figure it out yourself!" Li Banfeng replied, "I've thought it over. According to my understanding, it means you've finished saying everything you wanted to say." Rong Jin'an paused. "What does that mean?" "You don't even get that? You've spoken your last words, so it's time to be on your way." Li Banfeng swung the sickle, slashing toward the throat of the man in the magua. Rong Jin'an raised his right hand to block, but having no time to produce oil, his forearm was severed clean off by Li Banfeng. Clutching his stump, Rong Jin'an panted, "Little brother, you're just doing this for the money. The employer hasn't spoken yet, and you've already made your move. That's against the rules!" "Why do you have so many damn rules?" Li Banfeng struck again with the sickle. He had aimed for the skull, but the man dodged desperately, losing an ear instead. "Forget the rules then, let's talk reason! You and I bear no grudge—" "Why do you have so much damn reason?" Li Banfeng swung another blow. He had aimed for the neck, but Rong Jin'an dodged again, taking a cut straight through his left shoulder. "I—I belong to the Jiangxiang Gang..." "Oh, so you're from the Jiangxiang Gang? Then you get an extra slice." Li Banfeng struck again. "I—I'm not fully one of them! I belong to the Geng Family Medicine Shop..." "Then why did you lie to me just now?" Li Banfeng struck once more. ... A final strike plunged into his chest, and Rong Jin'an went still. Witnessing this, Yu Nan, who had still been hesitating, could only accept reality. The two coordinated briefly: Li Banfeng would dispose of the body, while Yu Nan would handle the traces. Qin Xiaopang had already been rescued by the workers from the Yu Family Cloth Shop. Yu Nan said, "Seventh Master, come see me at the cloth shop tomorrow morning. I'll take you to visit Boss Qin." Li Banfeng nodded, hoisted Rong Jin'an's corpse over his shoulder, and turned to leave. Yu Nan watched blood trickle from the man in the magua onto Li Banfeng's red suit; unless one looked closely, no stains could be seen. Was that why Li Banfeng wore a red suit? Had he intended to kill from the very beginning? Yu Nan sighed. "Seventh Master, you really don't care one bit for rules or propriety." Li Banfeng looked back, genuinely puzzled. "Just what are rules and propriety?" Yu Nan was taken aback, unsure whether Li Banfeng was truly oblivious or merely playing dumb. After a moment of silence, Yu Nan smiled. "Rules and propriety—that's what makes the jianghu." The jianghu? So profound? He didn't get it. When it came to things he couldn't understand, Li Banfeng never wasted time dwelling on them. He walked deep into an alley, ensured no one was around, and brought Rong Jin'an's corpse into the Portable Abode. He moved very quietly, afraid of waking the gramophone. Upon laying the corpse beside the bronze lotus, he noticed that the petals were wide open, and inside the seven-holed lotus seedpod sat three lotus seeds. Li Banfeng plucked the seeds out. Two of the seeds had been refined from the corpses of Decai and Demao. The other seed had been refined from the blood-sucking dagger. Before long, the two seeds burst open, each producing two red pills. Li Banfeng collected them. He now had eight red pills in total. At the rate of two pills per layer, Rong Jin'an's corpse would likely yield two as well, which would bring him to ten red pills, though Li Banfeng still had no idea what red pills were used for. While Li Banfeng was lost in thought, Rong Jin'an's eyeballs shifted faintly. He wasn't dead. The instant Li Banfeng's blade plunged toward his chest, he had coated his heart in oil, causing the blade to slide right past it. Now that the tomboy wasn't here, only this reckless kid remained. Rong Jin'an planned to gather a bit of strength and take Li Banfeng's life. *Crack!* The final lotus seed burst. Three rust pills popped out, and Li Banfeng quickly used his gloves to gather them. Aside from the pills, a clock pendulum burst out from within the lotus. Li Banfeng recognized the pendulum—it was Luo Yuni's relic. When had this thing entered the bronze lotus? Li Banfeng touched the edges of the pendulum. They were razor-sharp. What was this used for? Li Banfeng glanced down at Rong Jin'an. "Do you know what this is used for?" Rong Jin'an's heart skipped a beat, but he dared not make a sound. *He's bluffing! Don't fall for his trick!* "Bear with the pain a bit. Let me try it out." Holding the pendulum, Li Banfeng swung it down toward Rong Jin'an's skull. Oil erupted swiftly from Rong Jin'an's skull, but it was too late. A journey cultivator was simply too fast; the pendulum was already embedded deep into his bone. Rong Jin'an's body convulsed violently. Staring at the wound, Li Banfeng furrowed his brow. Strange. Why wasn't he bleeding?