The Knife Creditor

"We're here!" The old driver lifted the curtain, and Li Banfeng stepped down from the carriage. "This is Huangtu Town?" The old man nodded. "See that gate? It's a three-dollar toll just to go through." Li Banfeng gazed out for a moment. This place was called a town, yet it actually had a wall around it. The wall wasn't particularly high, appearing to be built from piled earth and stone; there was no telling how sturdy it was. As the old driver turned to leave, Li Banfeng said, "How about taking me around town for a bit?" The old man looked back. "I already brought you to your destination. What's there to go touring around for?" "I'll pay!" Li Banfeng produced a banknote. "Well, about this money..." The old man eyed the note. He truly wanted it, but after hesitating for a moment, he shook his head. "You'd better hire someone else once you're inside." Li Banfeng frowned. "You don't want to earn this money?" "What kind of nonsense is that? Who doesn't want to make money? The point is, having me tag along isn't worth your while. My cart and horse have to pay tolls too. Counting me, that's fifteen dollars. Going in and coming out makes thirty. Why waste that on me? If you find someone inside town, you'll save those thirty dollars. You could eat, drink, or do whatever you like with it." "Do I look like I'm hurting for thirty dollars? I'm not switching drivers. Come with me." Li Banfeng stuffed the banknote into the old man's cart. The old man retrieved the bill and waved his hands. "First figure out how much you're giving me. I don't have change for this." "Keep the change. It's all yours." When they reached the town gate, several burly men stood before it. The old man told Li Banfeng, "Hop into the cart. That'll save three dollars." Li Banfeng waved a hand. "I don't care about three dollars. Let's get moving." "You aren't carrying any weapons, are you? Entering Huangtu Town strictly forbids edged weapons. They won't even let you carry a screwdriver." Li Banfeng didn't answer, walking straight ahead. As they passed the gate, the burly men stepped up to search people, but Li Banfeng walked right past them without them noticing in the slightest. The cart driver stood dumbfounded for a long time, not daring to speak. Once he was searched, the cart inspected, and the fifteen-dollar toll paid, the old man caught up with Li Banfeng. "How did you slip in?" Li Banfeng looked back. "Who slipped in? I walked in fair and square in broad daylight. If they didn't see me, how's that my fault?" The old man nodded. "Aye! It really was like they didn't see you." Walking down the street, Li Banfeng took in the appearance of the town. The street was wide, flanked on both sides uniformly by two-story buildings, orderly and possessing a distinctive refinement. It didn't look like a frontier border town at all. This street alone was far superior to Yaowanggou, and cleaner even than parts of Green Water City. Li Banfeng asked the driver, "What should I call you?" "My family name is Liu. Just call me Cart Old Liu!" "Old Liu, do you live on this street?" Old Liu chuckled. "You think too highly of me! How could I afford to live in a place like this? I herd horses. Wherever there's water and grass, that's my home." Li Banfeng asked, "The horses we saw out on the pasture earlier—those are all yours?" "Aye, raised them all myself." "Then you've got quite a fortune." "What good is a fortune? Never married, no sons, no daughters—a bachelor my whole life." "With so many horses, you wouldn't need to come out hauling jobs." Old Liu shook his head. "Nonsense! What else would I do if I didn't haul? Eat horsemeat every day? Those few horses wouldn't last long." "Sell horses. Doesn't horse trading make money?" "I don't have the knack for that, and I don't know how to run a business. Anyway, whenever someone needs a ride, I've got both a cart and horses, so I get by." Li Banfeng still couldn't understand Old Liu's way of living. "When you come out for work and leave your horses on the pasture, aren't you afraid they'll get lost?" "Nope! I have a lead horse. That lead horse is smart as can be. Come nightfall, it brings them all right back into the pen." Chatting as they walked, they arrived outside an inn. Old Liu said, "In Huangtu Town, this inn is the best. The food and lodging are both top-notch. If you're hungry, head inside to eat. I'll wait at the door. Once you're full and checked in, we can keep looking around." Li Banfeng said, "If I go in to eat by myself, what will you eat out here?" Old Liu rummaged through a bundle on the cart. "I brought dry cakes." "Why eat dry cakes? Come in and eat together. My treat!" Old Liu waved his hand. "That wouldn't be right. I've already earned so much from you, how could I let you feed me too? Besides, watching this carriage is tricky. What if something happens out here?" Li Banfeng chuckled. "You weren't afraid leaving your horses out on the pasture, but you're afraid leaving them in front of an inn?" Old Liu sighed. "Too many hands around in a crowded place." "Doesn't the inn have stable hands?" "They do, but that costs money." "That's simple. I'll pay." Hearing this, Old Liu stood tall and yelled toward the stable, "Hey, hostler, you still breathing? Get out here and earn your keep!" An old man roughly Old Liu's age walked out of the inn and glared at him for a moment. "You little turtle son, acting all fierce, huh? Who the hell are you barking at?" Old Liu snapped right back, "You old fart, still putting on airs! Didn't I just bring you business? Hurry up and take good care of my horse!" The old man took the reins of the carriage. "You struck it rich, lad?" Old Liu grinned. "A wealthy master hired me out." Hearing that, the old man froze for quite a while. "You son of a turtle, what did you sell?" Old Liu frowned. "What else could I sell? Get to work, and I'll ask for an extra tip for you." Inside the inn, Li Banfeng sat at a table to order. The menu was extensive and not expensive. Li Banfeng ordered eight dishes—four cold and four hot—and two pots of wine. Old Liu said, "What did you order so much for? We can't finish all that." "If we can't finish it, pack it up. I ordered dishes that keep well; you can eat them on your way back. Is that stable hand a friend of yours?" Old Liu smiled. "Aye, friends for many years." "Call him over to eat with us." Old Liu waved his hand. "He can't. This place has rules—hands aren't allowed at the dining tables. I'm already feeling self-conscious just sitting in here myself." The food and wine arrived, and as they ate and drank, Old Liu explained the geography of the Suihuang Plains. In truth, it was quite simple: Huangtu Town was the only town on the plains, and outside the town was pure wilderness. When asked about the Inner States, Old Liu lowered his voice. "Are you looking for the gate to the Inner States?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Can you still reach the Inner States through that gate?" Old Liu waved his hands frantically and hushed his voice further. "Saying you want to go look at the gate is fine, but you mustn't go around saying you want to go to the Inner States. You're terrifying me. That gate has been sealed for decades. Honestly, there's nothing there at all, just a cave. Nothing worth seeing. If you ask me, just don't go." As they spoke, Li Banfeng shivered. Old Liu remarked, "I've seen you shivering all the way here. Are you having malaria chills? Or did you catch some ailment?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "No illness. Probably just caught a bit of a chill." The old man told the waiter to warm the wine. "A chill is nothing to fear. A couple cups of hot wine will fix you right up. It's cold out here—this is the coldest part of Puluo Province." "This place is still part of Puluo Province?" "How could it not be? It's proper Puluo Province! Where did you come from?" Li Banfeng said, "I came from Green Water City." "That's a big place. I've heard of it too. Nobody in Puluo Province doesn't know Green Water City—" Clatter, clatter... The sound of hooves came from outside the inn. A mounted troop, armed with weapons, rode past the entrance. Li Banfeng asked, "Who are they? Didn't you say edged weapons are forbidden in Huangtu Town?" Some patrons in the inn looked over toward Li Banfeng. Old Liu lowered his voice. "That's the Suihuang Iron Cavalry, great heroes of Puluo Province. For them, it's never parting from their horses, their blades, or their armor. You can't just gossip about them carelessly." Li Banfeng also lowered his voice. "Who is the Suihuang Iron Cavalry?" Old Liu said, "The Suihuang Iron Cavalry is also called the Valiant Cavalry. Back in the day, they followed General Huang and the Dragon Princess, beating the Inner States forces until they scuttled like rats with their heads in their hands. Their merits were immense." General Huang was Huang Yuxian, his own wife. Li Banfeng knew this already. "Who is the Dragon Princess?" Old Liu looked at him with mild disdain. "How do you know nothing? The Dragon Princess is the daughter of the Heavenly Dragon King and sworn sister to General Huang." Li Banfeng paused for a good while. "And who is the Heavenly Dragon King?" Old Liu smiled. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. Someday I'll find you a storyteller, and you can listen to the tales yourself. The tales of those two sisters alone would take two or three years to finish. If we start from the Heavenly Dragon King, you'd have to take a wife here, settle down, and listen while living out your life." Clatter, clatter... Hoofbeats sounded outside again. This time Li Banfeng looked closely. This unit had a dozen or so riders, appearing in their twenties or thirties. Their weapons were indeed mostly sabers, and they wore suits of armor. Li Banfeng asked, "Is something happening? Why are they riding past trip after trip?" Old Liu said, "Nothing's happening. That's just patrolling the streets." Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch. "Didn't they just patrol a moment ago?" The old man took a sip of wine. "The ones earlier were of the Bao family. The ones passing now are of the Fan family. In a bit, the Lü family will pass. They're all Suihuang Iron Cavalry." "How many families are in the Suihuang Iron Cavalry?" "There are three major families, and under them sixteen minor families. These nineteen families all make up the Suihuang Iron Cavalry. All of them earned military distinction back then. In the future, if another war breaks out with the Inner States, they'll be the ones taking the field." Before long, the Lü family cavalry rode past as well. Li Banfeng asked, "When was the last time the Suihuang Iron Cavalry fought a war?" Old Liu pondered for a long time. "Forty-some years ago? Seems even longer than that..." Li Banfeng asked, "How old are these men? How did they become Suihuang Iron Cavalry?" Old Liu whispered, "That's where you don't understand. The Suihuang Iron Cavalry is passed down from generation to generation—fathers pass it to sons, sons pass it to grandsons, fighting the Inner States to the bitter end through all generations. They patrol the town once every day. If the Inner States were to launch a surprise attack, they have their weapons in hand and can charge right into battle on the spot. Let's not talk about this anymore. In Huangtu Town, matters concerning the Suihuang Iron Cavalry involve state secrets; people aren't allowed to discuss them freely." Watching the cavalrymen pass the inn one by one, Li Banfeng felt deep respect. In them, he seemed to see that group of brave fighters in White Falcon Commandery. As the two ate and chatted, they suddenly saw several armored cavalrymen tie their horses outside and enter the inn. The shopkeeper hurried over to welcome them. "Fourth Master Lü, what would you like to eat?" This man called Lü Si shoved the shopkeeper aside and walked straight over to Li Banfeng's table. "Where are you two from?" Old Liu quickly said, "I'm a cart driver, a local of the Suihuang Plains." Lü Si shoved Old Liu into a stagger and turned to Li Banfeng. "I wasn't asking him." Li Banfeng smiled. "Then who are you asking?" "What do you think? Who else is there? I asked where you're from!" On the inn's ground floor, a room full of patrons settled their tabs and hurried out the door, not one daring to steal another glance. Li Banfeng said, "Does where I'm from have anything to do with you?" Lü Si looked down at Li Banfeng. "I am of the Suihuang Iron Cavalry, the Lü family. I currently suspect you have ties to the Inner States. This is a routine interrogation. You two were just sitting here shooting your mouths off about the Suihuang Iron Cavalry; plenty of people heard you. Brave enough to talk, but not brave enough to own up to it?" Li Banfeng frowned. "What's there not to own up to? I simply asked what the Suihuang Iron Cavalry does. Is that not allowed?" Fourth Master Lü shook his head. "No! You don't have the standing. We bleed and risk our lives on the battlefield, so we won't tolerate people like you pointing fingers." Li Banfeng chuckled. "Setting aside what counts as 'pointing fingers,' let's talk about when you ever bled or risked your life. Have you ever fought in a war?" Fourth Master Lü held his head high. "None of your business! People in my family fought wars! My ancestors fought the wars for me! Disrespecting the Suihuang Iron Cavalry is disrespecting my ancestors! Now, I order you to kneel, kowtow a hundred times, and hand over a hundred silver dollars. Do you yield or not?" Li Banfeng stared at Fourth Master Lü for quite a while. The man was extorting him. By all rights, this fellow should already be dead, but Li Banfeng wanted to observe a little longer. He wanted to see how a birdbrain like this could have caused him such a misunderstanding, making him think of the brave fighters of White Falcon Commandery. Lü Si lost his patience and drew the long saber at his waist. "I asked you: do you yield or not?" Li Banfeng smiled. "What if I don't?" "Then today I'll cut you down to comfort the spirits of my ancestors in heaven." As he spoke, Fourth Master Lü raised his blade. "Fine, strike." Li Banfeng went on drinking and eating, completely ignoring Fourth Master Lü. Standing to the side, Old Liu couldn't help chiming in, "A wise man doesn't fight against impossible odds..." Lü Si glanced at Old Liu. "Don't be in a rush. You're next!" He really did want to hack Li Banfeng down. He was a second-layer Martial Cultivator; cutting down a raw beginner would be child's play. Under him was also a ruthless man named Pei Rufeng, a fifth-layer Literary Cultivator. What caliber of figure was a fifth-layer Literary Cultivator? In this frontier town, having someone like that by his side meant Lü Si had zero qualms about anything he did. Yet Pei Rufeng had reservations. Having traveled the Jianghu, he sensed there was something off about Li Banfeng. He advised Lü Si, "Fourth Master, when you can let someone off, let them off. Let this matter go." "No! I won't let him off today!" Lü Si raised his saber and was just about to swing when someone spoke at the door. "Shopkeeper, prepare a table of food and wine." A man around fifty entered the inn. He had a full beard, wore a gray cloth short jacket and a wide-brimmed straw hat, and carried a shoulder pole with baskets covered in cloth, looking like an itinerant peddler selling miscellaneous sundries. He sat at a table and picked up a menu to order. The waiter, baffled as to where such an oblivious fellow had come from, hurried to advise, "We're not open for business anymore. Go somewhere else." The peddler paid him no mind. "Why go somewhere else? Don't you have wine and food here?" Lü Si looked at Pei Rufeng. "Get rid of the bystanders." Pei Rufeng ordered two cavalrymen to escort the guest out. The cavalrymen stepped forward and gave the peddler a shove. "The Suihuang Iron Cavalry is conducting official business! Bystanders, clear out!" The peddler looked up at the two cavalrymen. "You handle your business, I eat my meal. How am I in your way?" The two cavalrymen were incensed. They had already failed to regain face in front of Li Banfeng, and now they ran into another clueless fool. One cavalryman kicked toward the peddler, but missed. The peddler dodged; he had good agility. The other cavalryman moved in to kick over the peddler's baskets. This cavalryman was an expert with plenty of experience: overturning stalls and kicking over baskets wasn't just to humiliate someone, but to force them to bend down to pick things up. Once the person bent down, a downward stomp could crush their hand, and an upward kick could strike their face. A few kicks in, and the target would be beaten into submission. Yet the baskets were too heavy. The cavalryman kicked several times without tipping them over, merely knocking off the cloth cover. The cavalryman peered into the basket. Inside lay various knives and blades of all sizes: kitchen cleavers, sickles, billhooks, and boning knives. The cavalryman shouted, "Well, well! Bringing weapons into Huangtu Town—this calls for heavy punishment!" The peddler asked with a smile, "How do you want to punish me?" Pei Rufeng stepped forward to look at the blades, knowing this peddler was no ordinary person. He asked, "How do you sell your blades?" The peddler laughed. "I don't sell them; I give them to you for free. If they serve you well, I'll come back later to collect payment." Pei Rufeng frowned. "You're a knife creditor?" The peddler nodded. "Only fine blades dare to be offered on credit. Don't believe me? Care to try one?" "How do you want to try it?" Pei Rufeng asked. The peddler picked up a kitchen cleaver and felt the edge. "I heard the armor of the Suihuang Iron Cavalry is quite tough. Why don't we test it against your armor?" The five cavalrymen under Lü Si all drew their weapons. Pei Rufeng took out a writing brush from his sleeve, readying himself. The peddler smiled. "Don't just strike poses. Is anyone going to step up and fight?" Lü Si gritted his teeth. "Keep an eye on this guy first! I'm going to take care of this one—" The peddler wasn't having it. "No need to keep an eye on me. Just hack me down directly. Does any of you know how to chop a man?" Li Banfeng said, "My guess is no. He's been holding that blade up for half the day without swinging." Lü Si raged, "Fine, don't rush! I'll send you on your way right now!" The peddler said, "Then get on with it! What are you dawdling for?" The inn broke into chaos. Sensing things were turning bad, Pei Rufeng roared, "If I do not ask, you do not speak!" He unleashed the technique Same Script and Shared Rule to steady the situation first. Lü Si couldn't speak, nor could the cavalrymen under him. The peddler looked at Pei Rufeng and laughed. "You say not to speak, so nobody speaks? Do you really think you're somebody?" Li Banfeng looked at Lü Si. "Are you going to swing or not? How many years do we have to wait?" A chill ran down Pei Rufeng's spine. His technique had zero effect on either of them. Lü Si's limbs went numb; he didn't know whether to keep holding his blade up or lower it. Pei Rufeng twirled the brush in his hand, preparing to use Tracing Ink Along Lines. Normally he wouldn't dare use this technique lightly, as it might easily injure Lü Si by accident. But right now he couldn't care about Lü Si; saving his own life came first. A streak of ink was flung out, and over a hundred characters began attacking indiscriminately. The peddler swung his cleaver, chopping every single character into smithereens. Li Banfeng casually splashed some wine. Within five meters, never missing a shot, the wine drenched the characters, reducing them into a puddle of ink on the floor. Pei Rufeng tried to bolt for the door, but his left leg was severed clean at the hip, and he crashed onto the threshold. The remaining cavalrymen suffered severed arms or legs, all collapsing to the ground. Yet Lü Si, Old Liu, the shopkeeper, and the inn's waiter were temporarily unharmed; they stood closer to Li Banfeng, and the peddler had not yet clashed with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng glanced back. A crack had opened in the inn's wall, revealing a path leading outside. "Go, quick!" Li Banfeng called out behind him. Old Liu, the shopkeeper, the waiter, and Lü Si all scrambled outward. Li Banfeng grabbed Lü Si and yanked him back. "Hold on, you." Lü Si trembled from head to toe, unable to speak clearly. "Wh-what do you want?" Li Banfeng asked, "Why were you giving me trouble just now?" "I... I'm Suihuang Iron Cavalry, it's my duty—" Lü Si was terrified, stuttering incoherently. Pei Rufeng spoke up from the side: "He just got beaten by Second Master Fan earlier, so he came back looking for someone to vent his frustration on and extort some pocket money. I'm just hanging around him to make a living. Please, spare my life!" A fifth-layer Literary Cultivator rarely had a match in this frontier town. Never in his wildest dreams did Pei Rufeng imagine he would encounter two such monsters. Now he cared nothing for loyalty or brotherhood; whoever could survive had good fortune on their side. The peddler kept his head down, searching in his baskets for a good while, before pulling out a severed human head and asking Lü Si, "Is this the Second Master Fan you're talking about?" Lü Si shivered violently, on the verge of collapsing. The peddler shook his head. "These Suihuang Iron Cavalry are all useless. Not one of them can withstand a single slash." "Not necessarily," Li Banfeng tossed Lü Si toward the peddler. "Try him out. His bones are tough." "Is that so?" The peddler chopped off one of Lü Si's legs. Lü Si rolled on the floor, wailing. "I'm Suihuang Iron Cavalry! I'm the Lü family's Fourth Young Master! How dare you touch me! I'll tell my father! I'll have my father—" The peddler chopped off Lü Si's head. Lü Si wailed no more. "His bones aren't tough either." The peddler looked at Li Banfeng. "Are your bones tough?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Fair enough." The peddler waved his kitchen cleaver. "I have good blades here. Care to try one?" Li Banfeng looked at the cleaver and shook his head. "This blade lacks something." The peddler smiled and glanced at the crack in the wall. "You're a Travel Cultivator, aren't you? I'll swap it for a fast blade!" He put the cleaver back into the basket, selected carefully, and brought out a boning knife. "How about this knife?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Nice knife. Name your price." The peddler nodded. "A hundred silver dollars. Do you think that's expensive?" Li Banfeng considered it. "I don't think it's expensive. It's a fine knife, worth that price. I'll give you a hundred silver dollars right now, and you hand over the knife." The peddler shook his head. "I won't take your money now. Another day, when the Suihuang Plains has a master, I'll come find you again. Then, I'll collect two hundred silver dollars from you." Such was the rule of knife creditors: they handed out a knife, left behind a prophecy, and once the prophecy came true, they returned to collect payment for the blade at an exorbitant price. The peddler had made his intentions clear. Li Banfeng asked, "Did you come to Huangtu Town to clear the path for your master?" The peddler stroked the boning knife, his expression solemn. "That is not merely my master. That is the master of all under heaven." Li Banfeng knew who this person was talking about. "Is this master you speak of currently in Tufang State, wagging his tail for the Demon Lord?" The peddler frowned. "I told you this much because I saw promise in you, young fellow. I pointed you toward a road of survival. Whether you take it is up to you. The knife is right before your eyes. Do you dare take it on credit?" Li Banfeng laughed. "Why wouldn't I dare? Your master can't come to this place, so you're basically giving me this blade for free. You won't be collecting a cent." "Fine then. If you want the knife so badly, I'll give it to you—let's see if you can hold it!" The peddler flicked the boning knife with his fingernail. A crisp chime rang out from the blade. *Cling!* An invisible blade flew toward Li Banfeng. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to see this sharp blade and would find it nearly impossible to dodge. But Li Banfeng, using Golden Gaze Discerning Autumn Down, saw it with utter clarity. The blade was aiming straight for his neck. If he leaned backward to dodge, the opponent would undoubtedly slash downward from above, leaving him with no leverage to parry. Li Banfeng directly used the technique Carefree and Unfettered, shifting his neck away to let the blade pass through. The wall behind him was sliced open with a slit—narrow and exceptionally smooth, a testament to the blade's sharpness. It was an extremely precarious dodge; the opponent's speed was astonishing. This was a Blade Cultivator, an immensely powerful Blade Cultivator. Li Banfeng slammed the table. "We have no grudge, no enmity—why strike with such cruelty?" The peddler was taken aback. "Why are you slamming the table?" Li Banfeng roared, "Because I'm angry!" This definitely wasn't as simple as anger. Had he pulled some other trick? Yet seeing Li Banfeng's enraged expression, the peddler actually felt a trace of shame. Was that a bit too harsh...? Why am I thinking about that? The peddler clamped the pointed boning knife between two fingers and twirled it around his fingertips. Li Banfeng heard the whooshing of wind. Looking up, he saw a sharp blade spinning like a ceiling fan above his head, whirling down to shred him. This was designed to counter the Carefree and Unfettered technique; against such a whirling shear, Li Banfeng had nowhere to maneuver. Moreover, the attack was absurdly fast. Even with his Golden Gaze Discerning Autumn Down pushed to the maximum, Li Banfeng couldn't track the trajectory of the spinning blade clearly. The peddler rubbed the blade a few more times with his fingertips, and dozens of sharp blades hurtled in from all directions, sealing off all of Li Banfeng's escape routes. Facing the flying blades, Li Banfeng charged straight toward the knife peddler. The peddler smiled, thrusting the pointed boning knife forward to plunge directly into Li Banfeng's forehead. *Cling!* The boning knife struck his forehead, and Li Banfeng bled. A considerable amount of blood dripped down his cheek and splattered onto the floor. Yet the knife only pierced the skin; it failed to penetrate the bone. The peddler frowned slightly. He couldn't fathom how, given his methods, this strike had failed to pierce the skull of a mere Travel Cultivator. Li Banfeng slammed the table. "You strike too viciously!" The peddler froze for a second. "Why are you slamming the table again?" Li Banfeng snarled, "Because it hurts, that's why!" It really did hurt this time, so much that tears welled in Li Banfeng's eyes. That blade was simply too sharp; even with Benevolent and Kind Heart, he had barely withstood it. If struck in the same spot again, Li Banfeng might well lose his life. Seeing Li Banfeng shedding tears, the peddler thought it truly might just be the pain. "Let's see if this hurts!" The peddler flicked his wrist, and the boning knife in his hand was suddenly swapped for a sickle. The speed was so blinding that Li Banfeng hadn't even caught the motion of him changing blades. The peddler swung the sickle at Li Banfeng's face. Li Banfeng took a step back, dodging it. Not connecting with the blade didn't matter; the edge cleaved through the air, carving out an invisible flying blade that continued the pursuit. Li Banfeng stepped back once more, and the invisible blade still missed. The peddler flicked his wrist repeatedly, unleashing over a dozen invisible blades in succession, yet none could hit Li Banfeng. It was one thing to miss from the front, but even the blades intercepting from behind failed to hit. This definitely wasn't Carefree and Unfettered; the peddler's blades struck from completely different directions. So why couldn't they hit? Li Banfeng suddenly closed the distance, whipped out a sickle from his robes, and slashed it across the peddler's face. From temple to mouth, blood burst from the peddler's cheek on the spot. Unfortunately, it didn't kill him; Li Banfeng had thought this strike would take his life. The peddler was pondering: how had that slash landed? Just because a Travel Cultivator was fast? This peddler wasn't lacking in speed; he was certain it wasn't a matter of speed. Li Banfeng held the sickle and offered a reasonable explanation: "I'm a Blade Cultivator too. In fact, I'm the ancestral master of your pathway. You're too young to recognize me." "Why don't you become a storyteller?" The peddler swung a billhook, slashing twice toward Li Banfeng. Dozens of sharp blades flew forth, yet still failed to hit Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng backhanded a slash right into the peddler's body. Leaving a six-inch-long bloody gash across his chest, the peddler finally understood this time. He looked down, peering under the table. Beneath the table, a chopstick was stuck in the floor! "When you slammed the table earlier, you were actually sticking that chopstick into the floor, weren't you?" The peddler smiled faintly. "Slapping the table with your right hand for False Bluster while sticking a chopstick into the ground with your left—am I right?" Li Banfeng put on an astonished expression. "You actually figured it out? Then hurry up and pull the chopstick out!" The peddler frowned, seemingly annoyed. "What good would pulling the chopstick do? The chopstick is just a marker. Once the technique is established, it no longer affects anything. And I reckon your technique has already expired." Li Banfeng looked even more amazed. "You're remarkably knowledgeable!" The peddler laughed. "Young folks these days talk so brazenly. Do you think I've never seen a proper Travel Cultivator? Back when I clashed with Old Train, it's doubtful your grandfather had even left his mother's womb. Still, your deceptive tricks are quite clever. You used a Fool Cultivator technique too, didn't you?" This time Li Banfeng was genuinely astonished. Anyone who could see through a Fool Cultivator technique was no ordinary figure. The knife peddler continued, "How did you learn Fool Cultivator techniques? Are you a disciple of Sun Tiecheng? I never would have thought that old bastard actually took an apprentice—*blech!*" The knife peddler vomited a mouthful of green fluid and stared at Li Banfeng. "What is this now?" Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Whatever you do, don't tell anyone: my sickle is poisoned!" The knife peddler wiped his mouth and chuckled. "Playing around so cheerfully with a youngster like you—if others saw this, how pathetic would I look? What other tricks do you have? Bring them all out and let me see—" Before he could finish, the peddler felt pain beneath his feet. Looking down, a halo of light swept past. "This is a Dwelling Cultivator Boundary..." The peddler looked at Li Banfeng in shock. "Dwelling and Travel Cultivation can actually be practiced together?" "You strike too ruthlessly. You made me bleed." Li Banfeng wiped the blood from his forehead and shuddered. He knew this knife creditor was outrageously strong; even when the Boundary swept through his body, the man barely reacted. But as long as they were inside the Boundary, there should still be a fight to be had. "You haven't bled enough. This little bit isn't nearly enough. A rare youngster like you—what a shame." The knife creditor smiled. "Do you have any idea you came to the wrong place? This territory is mine for the taking. There's no way I'm letting you leave alive." "Is this place really that good? I rather fancy it myself." Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat, concealing the wound on his forehead, and, accompanied by a swarm of shadows, walked toward the knife creditor.