In the dead of night, Zhao Xiaowan pursed her lips, stifling a laugh as she listened to the squabble coming from the second chamber.
Inside the second chamber, Banfeng Two whimpered softly, "Brother, you have to help me with this. I've been wronged so terribly."
"Brother, what trouble have you stirred up this time?"
"What do you mean I stirred up trouble? I went to help him fight! At the crucial moment of life and death, I used Parting by Ten Thousand Li—was there anything wrong with that? Once the battle was won, he turned on me without a shred of gratitude and gave me another beating! Think how unjustly treated I am!"
"Brother, a technique like Parting by Ten Thousand Li cannot be used lightly. If mishandled, it harms people. When you used Parting by Ten Thousand Li, did you give him a heads-up beforehand?"
"What heads-up? Who can juggle so much in the heat of battle? Besides, how could anyone have predicted that using Parting by Ten Thousand Li would make him dizzy on his end? No matter how you slice it, this shouldn't be blamed on me!"
"This time, the blame really does lie with you. Brother, what's done is done, so let it go. Go get some rest early."
"I can't rest—there's still a heap of chores outside."
"Then go help out."
"I'm not helping him with anything! Brother, teach me another technique, and I'll go fight him to the death!"
"Worthy brother, you are placing me in an unrighteous position!"
"Brother, if you don't teach me a technique, I'm not leaving today! I'll turn this household upside down!"
"Worthy brother, don't be hasty. Everything can be talked through..."
It seemed Banfeng Two was about to get his way again.
Zhao Xiaowan couldn't tell whether Banfeng Two truly harbored a grudge against Li Banfeng or had merely come to the second chamber to swindle more techniques.
Yet there was one thing Banfeng Two hadn't lied about: outside the companion dwelling, there was indeed a mountain of chores.
Tan Jinxiao had been badly wounded. The gourd had brewed medicinal wine, and Li Banfeng had poured it down his throat. At present, Tan Jinxiao was still dead to the world in a deep slumber.
Every last boatman on the vessel had fled, even the cook. Li Banfeng and the others didn't know the sea routes and had no idea where to head next.
Worst of all, Li Banfeng had tinkered around in the engine room for half the day without figuring out how to operate the vessel. So the ship simply sat there, stalled in place.
Liangwucai came up with an idea: "There are still plenty of small boats on board. Why don't we row a boat back?"
Xiao Yeci looked around. "Row where? We can't even tell east from west, or north from south."
Li Banfeng inspected the galley. Food and drink weren't an issue; there were still ample supplies on board.
"Stay here for now," he said. "Once Old Tan wakes up, we'll see if he knows the way. In the meantime, I'll scout the surrounding waters to see if there's anywhere to make landfall."
Relying on his technique of riding the wind and mounting clouds, Li Banfeng flew a circuit over the sea and actually managed to locate several small islands.
He drew a map, marking the islands' approximate positions. By the time he returned to the ship, Old Tan had awakened.
"Seventh Master, about these open waters—I know quite a few places, but I'm not much good at navigating," Old Tan said. "Judging by this map of yours, this island should be Yuxiang Island. If we could go there, that'd be ideal."
"We can!" Li Banfeng nodded. "I know the way there."
Carrying plenty of provisions, the group rowed two small boats and traveled all the way to the island.
Though Li Banfeng's map was crudely drawn, his Travel Cultivator talents ensured the locations were pinpoint accurate. The island they arrived at was indeed Yuxiang Island.
The island's greatest specialty was fish. All sorts of edible fish from the surrounding waters were raised here, and Yuxiang Island was home to many renowned chefs, each possessing a unique culinary mastery of fish dishes. Dining on the island meant fish every day and fish every meal, cooked so well that no one ever tired of it.
Xiao Yeci, Liangwucai, Juanzi, and Tan Jinxiao all loved fish, so the place suited them perfectly.
Yet for Li Banfeng, it was hardly suitable at all—he did not eat fish.
After arranging accommodations for everyone on the island, Li Banfeng purchased several dozen nautical charts from local merchants to compare and study. Come nightfall, he flew back to the passenger vessel alone, opened the companion dwelling, and carried his wife out.
The gramophone took a turn around the ship, paying particular attention to the engine room.
"Husband, the machinery on this vessel isn't complicated. This humble slave can get the ship running, but I will need a few extra hands to help."
With a wave of his hand, Li Banfeng summoned over a dozen shadows and assigned each their duties.
Li Banfeng served as captain, his wife as first mate, Banfeng Bing as second mate, Banfeng Ding as chief engineer, Banfeng E as stoker, the others as crewmen, and Banfeng Two as the general handyman.
Having studied the nautical charts thoroughly, Li Banfeng took the helm himself. Under his wife's direction, he steered the passenger ship forward toward the border line.
Madam had also finished calibrating the Dark Bridge Cannon. "Darling husband, we have an agreement: this trip is only to scout the way. We must not venture deep."
"Rest assured, wife. Your husband is no reckless man!"
The vessel sailed for three full days before Li Banfeng ordered it stopped. A cluster of shadows stood on the deck, peering into the distance. The sea was still calm, showing no visible sign of anything amiss.
Banfeng Two swam a circuit in the sea, climbed back on deck, and shook his head. "No fish in the water."
Li Banfeng was skeptical. "Not even one?"
Banfeng Two shook his head. "I swam several laps and didn't spot a single one."
Banfeng Bing also dove in for a swim; there were indeed no fish beneath the surface. The gramophone said, "Husband, fish have always been plentiful in these waters, yet here they vanish all at once. This humble slave suspects the Boundary lies just ahead."
Pinpointing the Boundary's location here was no easy task. Li Banfeng flew into the air, cautiously probing forward.
Madam was somewhat worried. "Husband, you'd better not go. Allow this humble slave to think of another way."
Other ways existed, but every method entailed risk. Facing toward the Boundary, Li Banfeng hurled a chopping block from the galley. The chopping block flew several dozen meters before splashing onto the sea surface, proving the Boundary was still some distance away.
Banfeng Two snorted. "Spendthrift bastard. Throwing away the chopping block—what are we going to chop vegetables on from now on?"
Banfeng Bing looked at Banfeng Two. "We don't seem to eat vegetables anyway, do we?"
Banfeng Two snapped angrily, "Is that all your realm amounts to, thinking only of yourself?"
Li Banfeng retrieved the chopping block and continued probing forward, with his wife steering the ship close behind him.
After advancing over three hundred meters and testing a dozen times, the chopping block dissolved into a cloud of smoke and ash midair.
The Boundary lay right ahead! Yet when Li Banfeng looked across it, there were still sea caverns and open water, appearing entirely indistinguishable from before.
The shadows readied the Dark Bridge Cannon. Madam entered the puppet body, transforming into Zhao Xiaowan.
Calibrating the Dark Bridge Cannon with Zhao Xiaowan's hands was far more precise. After fine-tuning every parameter, Madam fired the first shot, casting a band of shadow across the sea.
Next came a thorny problem: did this shadow actually span the Boundary?
The Boundary at sea was invisible; there was no way to compare whether the Dark Bridge Cannon's shadow was long enough.
Li Banfeng looked at Banfeng Two. "I trust you. Go test it out!"
Banfeng Two refused to comply. "Why don't you test it yourself?"
Just as Madam was pondering a solution, the shadow of the bridge abruptly vanished.
Li Banfeng glanced at his pocket watch. From firing until now, a mere twenty-odd seconds had passed. The dark bridge had lasted only that brief moment before dissolving. Under such conditions, Li Banfeng would never dare set foot on it.
Madam was puzzled as well. Re-adjusting the parameters, she fired another shot, stretching the shadow somewhat longer.
This time the dark bridge held a bit longer—thirty-odd seconds.
Without any input from Zhao Xiaowan, the dark bridge vanished once more.
"Darling husband, this Boundary at sea is far too strange. This humble slave hasn't truly figured it out yet. You must under no circumstances step onto that bridge."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I'll do whatever you say, wife."
The gramophone made several more attempts and finally stabilized the dark bridge. The Boundary at sea was indeed peculiar: if the bridge was too long, it became unstable; if too short, it was even more erratic. Only when it spanned the Boundary with absolute precision could it hold firm.
Li Banfeng gauged by eye: the shadow cast across the water was sixteen or seventeen meters long. That was the length of the dark bridge, and likewise the width of the Boundary.
"Darling wife, hold the ship for now. I'll head over and take a look."
Zhao Xiaowan grasped Li Banfeng's hand, reluctant to let him go. "Husband, if you listen to this humble slave, you shouldn't go. This humble slave has never traveled this water route before."
"Wife, have you ever been to the Inner States?" Li Banfeng asked.
"I must have been to the Inner States, but this humble slave truly cannot recall. In the past, merely thinking of it was enough to drive me mad. Even today, I only remember that endless perils dwell within the Inner States. Can you not go, husband? Allow me to find a safer path, or if you truly must go to the Inner States, you could discuss it with the Luo sisters and have them take you. That way, you would have someone to watch your back on the road."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "If I travel with them, all I will see is what the Inner States wants me to see. If I went to the Garrison Office to get a travel permit, all I would see is what the Outer States wants me to see. This journey I must undertake alone; otherwise, I will learn nothing useful."
"Husband..." Zhao Xiaowan embraced Li Banfeng, genuinely loath to part with him.
Li Banfeng left Zhao Xiaowan a simple telephone, turned, and stepped into the dark bridge. Zhao Xiaowan meticulously controlled the Dark Bridge Cannon's parameters until Li Banfeng walked out of the dark bridge and appeared on the far side of the Boundary. Only then did her heart ease slightly.
There was nowhere to set foot on the far side of the Boundary, so Li Banfeng could only hover midair. He planned to make a circuit around the area first; if he couldn't find an island within a short time, he would have to return across the dark bridge.
Just as he raised his hand to wave farewell to his wife, he suddenly saw a wisp of green smoke rise from the Dark Bridge Cannon.
Madam glanced over, shuddering in fright, and frantically adjusted the controls.
After a flurry of adjustments, the Dark Bridge Cannon burst directly into flames!
"Husband, come back quickly!" Zhao Xiaowan cried out.
Li Banfeng was just about to dive into the dark bridge when a dreadful chill surged up his spine, making him shudder involuntarily.
Seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity—Li Banfeng could not step onto that dark bridge!
The shadow spanning the Boundary fluctuated erratically in length; the dark bridge was indeed undergoing dangerous fluctuations.
"Husband, don't get on the bridge!" Zhao Xiaowan also realized something was wrong and shouted for him to stay put.
Hiss—crack!
Flames flared across the Dark Bridge Cannon, and the shadow over the Boundary vanished.
The dark bridge was gone.
Li Banfeng wiped away cold sweat. Had he stepped onto the bridge just now, he would already be trapped inside a wormhole.
Unable to restore the parameters, Madam had no choice but to shut down the Dark Bridge Cannon.
After turning it off, she attempted to restart it several times, but the cannon failed to power up.
Madam opened the chassis casing. "Husband, do not fear. This humble slave can repair it. I can definitely... fix it."
Her voice had lost all its strength.
The interior of the chassis was burned to a crisp.
Knowing beforehand that Li Banfeng was bound for the Inner States, the gramophone had replaced many parts on the Dark Bridge Cannon with new ones and calibrated them repeatedly. Whether due to the peculiar local environment or some other cause, such a breakdown had occurred right at the critical moment.
What could be done now?
Banfeng Bing and Banfeng Ding carried over a crate of spare parts, and Zhao Xiaowan picked up tools to frantically repair the equipment.
Li Banfeng didn't idle either; he scouted in all directions across the Boundary for islands.
An hour later, Li Banfeng returned to the edge of the Boundary and shook his head at Zhao Xiaowan.
He hadn't found any island.
Until he found an island, Li Banfeng had no choice but to keep hovering over the sea.
Zhao Xiaowan grew all the more frantic, yet panic solved nothing. A great number of components were completely burned out.
"Husband, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid..." Zhao Xiaowan wanted to feign composure, but she couldn't pull it off.
Though separated by considerable distance, Li Banfeng could clearly see the beads of sweat on his wife's face.
Those dripping beads of sweat were proof that the Dark Bridge Cannon could not be repaired in short order.
Li Banfeng pulled out the simple telephone and connected to his wife's end through Luo Zhengnan.
Old Luo saw it was a new number and listened attentively after picking up.
Li Banfeng's very first words startled Old Luo:
"Wife, don't worry."
Wife?
Luo Zhengnan froze. Seventh Master has a wife?
From the other end of the line came a woman's voice: "Darling husband, wait just a little longer. I can definitely fix this thing, but I don't have all the spare parts."
"If you lack parts, have Luo Zhengnan buy them and have them delivered to the ship," Li Banfeng said. "I'll go find a place to touch down and let you know once I do. Rest easy."
Li Banfeng waved toward his wife and vanished into the night.
Zhao Xiaowan stood at the bow, gazing for a long time in the direction where Li Banfeng had disappeared.
Banfeng Ding offered a comforting word: "Madam, don't worry. Even if Master Jia never makes it back, we can still look after you."
Banfeng E pinched his fingers to divine the outcome: "Madam, I reckon Master Jia probably isn't coming back. You might want to think one step ahead."
Zhao Xiaowan glared darkly at the two shadows.
Banfeng Ding and Banfeng E each concocted an excuse and scurried off the deck.
Once inside the engine room, the two whispered in hushed tones:
"Madam is even fiercer than Old Jia."
"Well said! Could two people sleeping under the same quilt turn out to be different breeds?"
"Still, that puppet Honglian crafted is truly something else. It even sweats."
...
Luo Zhengnan spent two whole days pondering just who Seventh Master's wife could be.
Judging by the voice, she certainly wasn't any of the women he knew. That voice was breathtakingly pleasant, far surpassing even Ah Hui from the radio station.
Yet the voice held a faint ring of familiarity, as though he had heard it on a phonograph record. Could she be some celebrated songstress?
While Luo Zhengnan was still savoring the memory, Zhao Xiaowan called him the following day.
"Brother Luo, I have several items I must trouble you to purchase."
Brother Luo?
Luo Zhengnan's thoughts churned.
Just how old a wife had Seventh Master taken?
On second thought, it hardly mattered. Fifth Master spent all his days with Feng Daiku, and Luo Zhengnan never even knew what generation he belonged to in front of Feng Daiku. If this Madam addressed him as younger brother, she likely wasn't all that old either.
Zhao Xiaowan reeled off a list. Anyone else wouldn't even understand the names of those parts, but Luo Zhengnan understood them completely—he was an insider.
"Madam, once I purchase the items, where should I deliver them?"
"Deliver them to the Santoucha Under-City. Once you arrive at the Sea Market, we will get in touch again."
The Under-City?
This job wouldn't be easy.
Luo Zhengnan worked swiftly. His storehouse already held many spare parts, and for the few items he lacked, he hurried over to the Outer States and purchased them.
With all the items gathered, Luo Zhengnan secured a travel permit, took a dog on a leash, and set out for Santoucha.
Aboard the train, Zhao Xiaowan called him: "Brother Luo, do not go to the Under-City alone, or you won't make it to the Sea Market. Go to Luobo Mountain, find Qiu Zhiheng, and let him make the arrangements. You must be exceedingly careful."
Luo Zhengnan quickly contacted Qiu Zhiheng and laid out the gist of the situation. Qiu Zhiheng summoned Youtao, Qin Xiaopang, Lightbulb, Tangyuan, Zuo Wugang, and Kui Bafang, personally leading the six of them to intercept and meet Luo Zhengnan along the way.
Before they departed, Chi Liuhe was somewhat worried about Qin Tianjiu's condition. She wrapped several lumps of coal and placed them in Xiaopang's luggage. "Brother, will you be all right?"
Qin Xiaopang had no certainty in his heart either. Now, if he went a single day without eating coal, he couldn't hold out. "Sister, I'll be fine. Whatever you do, don't mention this to anyone."
Chi Liuhe reminded him once more, "If you come across coal piles on the road, find a way to eat some. Save these few pieces for when there's truly no other choice."
...
Holding his travel permit and leading his dog, Luo Zhengnan disembarked from the train and exited Sinners' City. Before he had gone very far, someone was tailing him.
What was going on? Were the Outer States getting involved?
Luo Zhengnan was a seasoned veteran of the jianghu and had traveled with extreme stealth, yet there was one thing he couldn't circumvent: the travel permit.
To reach Santoucha by train, one had to disembark at Sinners' City, and exiting Sinners' City required using a travel permit once again.
A ring of Boundary encircled Sinners' City; anyone without an exit permit could not leave.
A roll call was conducted on the spot when leaving Sinners' City, following the same procedure as crossing boundaries on foot in Puluo Province.
Had Old Luo used a false name in Sinners' City, he could never have escaped the Garrison Office's Virtue Cultivation magical treasure.
Left with no choice, Luo Zhengnan had to exit under his real name. Now that he was being tailed right after stepping outside, it was bound to be connected to the Garrison Office.
After circling twice through the back paths, Luo Zhengnan shook off the pursuer, yet he knew full well that before long, the person would catch up again.
A Peeping Cultivator's hook was latched onto his back.
The hook had been attached while he was inside Sinners' City. Luo Zhengnan hadn't been in a rush to remove it, but now that he had lost the tail, he pulled a tin frog from his pack, wound it up tight, stripped off his outer coat, rolled it into a bundle, tied it securely to the tin frog with string, and set the frog on the ground.
The moment the tin frog hit the ground, it leaped high into the air and, dragging Luo Zhengnan's coat behind it, bounded in several rapid hops into the woods.
Luo Zhengnan swiftly abandoned the small path, switched to the main thoroughfare, and bolted toward Luobo Mountain. After trekking for the better part of a day, as dusk descended, he found an abandoned farmhouse and settled in.
It wasn't because of exhaustion, but because the heavenly light outside was steadily intensifying. The conditions here somewhat resembled Black Yellow Shoal: less heavenly light during the day, more at night.
Luo Zhengnan fumbled at the dog's belly a couple of times, and the lively hound abruptly froze, standing motionless where it was.
This dog was a mechanical hound crafted by an artisan cultivator from the Outer States at Luo Zhengnan's request. It couldn't scout trails, fight in battle, or carry baggage.
Its sole function was to attract heavenly light within a localized radius.
Taking a dog that attracted heavenly light into Santoucha—wasn't that practically asking for death?
In truth, its capacity to draw heavenly light was strictly confined: taking the hound as the center of a sphere with a five-meter radius, it could absorb all the heavenly light within that sphere into itself.
This meant the heavenly light that should have struck Luo Zhengnan would strike the hound instead. Its function was much like a lightning rod.
After sleeping through the night, Luo Zhengnan stroked the dog's belly once more, and the rigid hound became lively again.
Leading his dog, Luo Zhengnan had just emerged from the farmhouse when over twenty mounted riders surrounded him.
Leading them were two women. One wore a blue coat, a blue skirt, and a blue cloak; the other was dressed identically, except her garments were red.
Not only were the two women dressed alike, but their features were also nearly identical—without careful scrutiny, one could hardly tell them apart.
"Brother, care to name your banner?" the woman in red asked, cupping her fists toward Luo Zhengnan.
Luo Zhengnan returned the salute. "Ao Kouzi."
"Ao Kouzi" was cant for the surname Tang; the surname Luo should have been called "Weiziman." Luo Zhengnan had not spoken the truth.
The blue-clad woman spoke up: "Coming to our sisters' domain, what business brings you here?"
Luo Zhengnan smiled. "Visiting relatives in the Smoked Grounds."
"Brother must be joking. Who could possibly live in a place like the Smoked Grounds?"
"There are people there," he said. "That relative of mine is a Smoke Cultivator; he relishes that smoky air."
"Which Smoke Cultivator cultivates in the Smoked Grounds? Name him so we sisters might broaden our horizons!"
Luo Zhengnan took a pouch of silver dollars from his robes. "I've just arrived and haven't brought much travel money. Please accept this humble token, and kindly refrain from asking after unrelated matters."
The woman in red took the pouch and peered inside. There were over a hundred silver dollars—quite a handsome sum.
She tucked the pouch away, then shook her head at Luo Zhengnan. "Brother, this isn't enough."
Luo Zhengnan smiled. "Amassing jade and gold isn't the work of a single day, and gathering wealth and treasure isn't built on a single patron's trade. I offered a greeting gift as a gesture of goodwill; surely you don't expect to strike it rich off this modest token of mine?"
The blue-clad woman rode up close to Luo Zhengnan. Raising her riding whip, she lightly drew its tip across his cheek twice.
"We sisters don't care for your money. We've taken a fancy to you. How about the two of us become your wives together—would you like that?"
Luo Zhengnan rubbed his fingertips, electric currents humming between them. Smiling at the blue-clad woman, he said, "I'm only borrowing a path. Please grant me passage!"
The woman in red moved up behind him, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Brother, what if we won't let you leave and insist on keeping you? What do you say to that?"
Luo Zhengnan blushed. "You make it sound as if I truly had such good fortune."
"If I say you do, you do." The blue-clad woman extended a hand, appearing ready to pull Luo Zhengnan onto her horse.
Luo Zhengnan actually offered his hand.
The woman smirked, grasping his hand as she prepared to release her poison.
To her shock, the instant her fingers clamped around his hand, a numbing surge rushed through her arm. She tried to throw Luo Zhengnan, but her strength gave out completely, and she was dragged right off her saddle by Luo Zhengnan instead.
The blue-clad woman crashed to the ground, while Luo Zhengnan vaulted onto the horse and spurred it into a full gallop.
The woman in red shouted, "After him!"
Scrambling up from the dirt, the blue-clad woman snatched a horse from one of her subordinates and gave chase as well.
Luo Zhengnan glanced back at the blue-clad woman, unable for the moment to deduce the group's background.
By their demeanor, they strongly resembled mountain bandits, yet their cultivation seemed completely off—the blue-clad woman's cultivation was far too high.
Luo Zhengnan had consumed no small share of exceptional pills while following Li Banfeng, and of late his cultivation had surged, approaching tier eight.
That electric jolt he had delivered had been heavy-handed, yet the blue-clad woman had bounced right back to her feet, proving her cultivation was formidable and her physique exceedingly sturdy.
Before long, unfamiliar with the terrain compared to his pursuers, Luo Zhengnan saw he was about to be encircled. He drew a pair of iron needles over a foot long from his robe.
Carried normally on his person, these items looked like tools for knitting sweaters. Luo Zhengnan flicked his wrist backward, sending a bolt of electric current straight into a burly man.
The burly man shuddered and tumbled off his mount, but after recovering for just a brief moment, he vaulted back into the saddle and resumed the chase.
Another formidable physique!
These bandits were terrifying—was every single one of them cultivated to such heights?
If this continued, he would never find a chance to break free. Luo Zhengnan surveyed the surrounding terrain, preparing to find an advantageous spot to unleash his fiercest technique, when a man suddenly accelerated and drew abreast of him from behind.
With the two horses running neck and neck, Luo Zhengnan prepared to shock him out of the saddle, but the man shot out his right hand first—snap!—pinching the head clean off Luo Zhengnan's mount!
What an enormous pincer—this man was a scorpion!
Had that pincer been aimed at Luo Zhengnan, he certainly could have dodged it, but the horse knew no evasion. With its head severed, the animal collapsed instantly to the ground.
Luo Zhengnan didn't fall. An Electric Cultivator nearing tier eight was not so easily handled; riding had only been to conserve strength, and he could flee just as well on foot!
Another man caught up close to Luo Zhengnan. Without deploying a pincer, he suddenly whipped his tail!
Luo Zhengnan leaped, narrowly dodging the tail as it gouged a deep furrow into the earth.
Another scorpion!
Wind whistled behind his ear. Luo Zhengnan dodged frantically, nearly snagged by the blue-clad woman—she was a scorpion as well!
Were all these people scorpions? Were they all physical cultivators from the same lineage?
Fleeing for several minutes while weaving and dodging, Luo Zhengnan had nearly exhausted his stamina.
Things had turned dire; he could no longer muster enough energy to unleash a major technique.
A man leaped from his horse, sprinting ahead to cut off Luo Zhengnan's route and finish the fight.
Luo Zhengnan was busy dealing with the others and genuinely hadn't noticed this man. Seeing that the distance was right, the man raised his pincer, swung with full force—and then gently caressed Luo Zhengnan's body.
Luo Zhengnan was horrified; he hadn't managed to dodge the blow.
While fending off the rest, he checked himself over to see where he had been wounded.
No wound...
Not injured, and not poisoned either.
What had that meant just now? What sort of technique was that?
Luo Zhengnan had never seen it before!
The name of this technique was Flirting and Scolding.
This was no physical cultivator technique—it was a Joy Cultivator technique! The man had been struck by Qiu Zhiheng's Joy technique.
Nor was he the only one affected; the movements of every bandit had turned gentle and affectionate.
Lasting less than ten seconds, the bandits snapped back to normal.
Yet relying on those precious ten seconds, Luo Zhengnan broke free from the encirclement.
The woman in red shouted, "After him!"
A male and a female bandit galloped after Luo Zhengnan on horseback.
Qin Xiaopang suddenly materialized, vaulting onto the female bandit's saddle, and spewed a cloud of steam at her from behind.
The female bandit turned to grapple with Qin Xiaopang. Before they had fought for long, she was scalded into convulsions, her body shrinking by several sizes like shriveled fabric.
Qin Xiaopang opened his maw wide, rolled the female bandit into a ball, and swallowed her down!
Letting out a burp, Qin Xiaopang extended his right hand, which morphed into a scorpion pincer.
With a swift lash of the scorpion pincer, astonishingly fast, the male bandit's head was snipped off by Qin Xiaopang before he could even react.
Qin Xiaopang glanced back. "Master Luo, you all right?"
Luo Zhengnan cupped his fists. "Thanks to Master Qiu and Master Nine, I'm still breathing."
Qin Xiaopang eyed the number of bandits, then looked at Qiu Zhiheng beside him.
Qiu Zhiheng stared at Qin Xiaopang's scorpion pincer, sensing that something was fundamentally off.
He had seen this technique before: Hundred Swallows, Hundred Transformations, the pillar technique of Food Cultivators.
Yet this technique shouldn't be executed so quickly. At Qin Tianjiu's current cultivation, whether he could even learn it in the first place was debatable, and he certainly shouldn't have digested his prey so rapidly.
Qin Xiaopang extended his other hand, manifesting another pincer. Wielding both pincers together, he threw himself into combat against the throng of bandits.
Qiu Zhiheng and Luo Zhengnan struck out in unison, and Youtao, Lightbulb, Tangyuan, Zuo Wugang, and Kui Bafang arrived shortly after, swiftly turning the tide of battle.
Amidst the slaughter, Qin Tianjiu slashed a horse with his scorpion pincer. The horse initially panicked from the sharp agony, bolting forward, but after merely two strides, its body went limp and it collapsed.
The horse was poisoned?
A scorpion's pincers aren't poisonous—why did Qin Tianjiu's scorpion pincer carry venom?
He had eaten a scorpion, transformed into a scorpion, and even altered the creature's traits?
The more Qiu Zhiheng watched, the more utterly baffled he became.
P.S. Is Qin Tianjiu still a Food Cultivator after all?
Chapter 654