Using his Empty Hands technique, He Jiaqing swiftly plucked the copper coins from his body. Struck with scholarly precision and ruthless ferocity, they could only have been thrown by Mister Kongfang.
Cupping his hands toward the empty air, He Jiaqing called out, "Senior, how exactly have I offended you?"
"Offended me? You still ask such a question at a time like this? It seems you haven't the slightest intention of repenting."
He Jiaqing could hear Mister Kongfang's voice, but saw no trace of his figure.
Thinking carefully, He Jiaqing genuinely could not recall having offended Mister Kongfang. Back then, they had considered joining forces against Boss Lu, but He Jiaqing later realized he lacked the strength and backed out. Could that have offended him?
"If business doesn't work out, we part as friends. I have never done anything to wrong you, Senior."
"Never wronged me? I founded the Hundred Flowers Sect, yet you practically wiped my organization out. How do you propose we settle this debt?"
He Jiaqing's heart skipped a beat. Mister Kongfang founded the Hundred Flowers Sect?
Hidden in the shadows, Li Banfeng stroked the Judge's Brush. "Is that true?"
His voice was barely a whisper, completely inaudible to others.
The Judge's Brush trembled in response. "Shameless!"
He Jiaqing was trembling as well. He knew full well how he had treated the Hundred Flowers Sect back then. If it had truly been founded by Mister Kongfang, their enmity ran deep indeed.
Weighing their respective strengths, He Jiaqing was no match for Kongfang even under normal circumstances, let alone now with his injuries. He stood no chance.
Since victory was impossible, playing tough was out of the question. He Jiaqing chose to yield first.
"Senior, there is no real grudge between me and the Hundred Flowers Sect. All past disputes stemmed from my personal feud with Zhang Xiuling. Now that the Hundred Flowers Sect is under my administration, its wealth is abundant and its members flourish. I have not let down your hard work, Senior."
Upon hearing this, the Judge's Brush shuddered even harder. "This one is even more shameless!"
Mister Kongfang's laughter echoed through the night. "Heh-heh-heh... He Jiaqing, what do you mean by those words? You're young and capable, bringing prosperity and numbers to my Hundred Flowers Sect—should I be praising you with a few kind compliments?"
He Jiaqing shook his head. "I wouldn't dare. It was my own blindness that offended you, Senior. Tomorrow, I shall return the Hundred Flowers Sect to Zhang Xiuling and publicly apologize before every gang and alliance in Puluo Province."
"You make it sound so effortless. How about someday I have Zhang Xiuling back you into a corner, turn around and swallow your Brotherhood Alliance, ravage it from top to bottom, and then hand it back to you? Would you accept that?"
He Jiaqing pondered for a moment before replying, "I am willing to offer financial compensation. Please, Senior, name your price."
"Compensate with money? You actually have the gall to say that? The Hundred Flowers Sect might not match your He family's deep pockets, but behind me stands Snowflake Pu. Do you think I lack money?"
He Jiaqing had dealt with Feng Chongli before. Back then, Feng Chongli had borrowed from Zhang Gunli and was nearly driven to death over it. From that, he had deduced that Snowflake Pu was hardly rolling in wealth.
Yet now that Mister Kongfang refused money, He Jiaqing had no idea what else to offer.
"Then please set the terms, Senior."
"Now that sounds more like human speech. I hear you hold thirteen territories in the newland."
He Jiaqing's heart clenched. That was a price he could never accept under any circumstances.
"Senior, who told you that?"
"Never mind who told me. Just answer whether it's true."
He Jiaqing shook his head. "Those thirteen territories do not belong to me."
"I know they aren't yours in name. Those thirteen territories originally belonged to the Shang State. You slaughtered those thirteen local spirits and installed a new one.
"Even though you still aren't the local spirit, those lands are practically under your control. Am I wrong?"
He Jiaqing could hardly conceal his astonishment. He had not expected Mister Kongfang to investigate the matter so thoroughly.
Things having reached this point, hiding it was no longer possible. He Jiaqing decided to tell the truth.
"I have poured endless blood and sweat into those thirteen territories. I beg you, Senior, do not make things difficult for me."
"Why tell me all this? What does how much blood and sweat you poured in have to do with me? I am telling you to hand over those thirteen territories as compensation!"
A hint of murderous intent surfaced on He Jiaqing's face. "Time and again, I staked my very life to secure those thirteen territories. I will never surrender them willingly."
"Refusing is fine too. Since you're the sort who cherishes wealth over life, I'll just have you leave your life right here."
In the night sky, a painted scroll unfurled. Countless flower petals swirled in the wind, surrounding He Jiaqing.
Looking up at the scroll, He Jiaqing yelled, "Senior Mu, you're here too? When you joined the Brotherhood Alliance back then, did you forget the oath you swore?"
From the night sky came Mu Yuejuan's voice. "Jiaqing, I have never forgotten my oath. Ordering you to surrender the territory now was originally a command from the Brotherhood Alliance itself."
He Jiaqing grew furious upon hearing this. "Whose command?"
"Whose orders does the Brotherhood Alliance follow? Surely you know. This is an order from the Heavenly Maiden. She says you cannot hold onto those thirteen newland territories, so she wants you to hand them over as well."
He Jiaqing ground his teeth in rage.
Li Banfeng chuckled inwardly and cursed silently as well, *Shameless!*
The Heavenly Maiden's soul was inside the companion dwelling.
Her body had been split in two—one half up in the clouds above Hulu Village, the other half up in the clouds above Green Water City.
Who on earth had given Mu Yuejuan any orders? Wasn't this utter nonsense?
The situation was now crystal clear.
Mister Kongfang, Ai Yeqing, claimed to have retired, but in reality, he hadn't retired at all. He was still stirring up trouble from the shadows.
He had posed as the Hundred Flowers God to provoke a feud between Ma the Fifth and He Jiaqing, aiming to swindle He Jiaqing out of his territories and pin the blame on Ma the Fifth.
Once Ma the Fifth was framed, Li the Seventh would inevitably be dragged into the fray. When the water grew murky, Ai Yeqing could fish in troubled waters—not only reclaiming the underground city, but turning a massive profit in the process.
Mu Yuejuan was Ai Yeqing's accomplice. Joining the Brotherhood Alliance had been a front; she had secretly continued working for Ai Yeqing all along.
The one who had stolen Ma the Fifth's leg tendons was also Ai Yeqing. When Mu Yuejuan returned the tendons to Ma the Fifth, the blame fell squarely on He Jiaqing's head.
Now, what Ai Yeqing needed to do was trick He Jiaqing out of the deeds first, then silence him by killing him.
His skills as a Deception Cultivator were truly refined to pull off a scam of this scale.
Just as Li Banfeng had laid out the logic with absolute clarity, the Judge's Brush suddenly spoke up. "Something's not right."
"What's not right?"
"The painting is wrong," the Judge's Brush said. "This doesn't look like Mu Yuejuan's style."
The painting it referred to was the scroll floating in the night sky. All the petals and copper coins were spilling out of it.
Li Banfeng studied the scroll closely. "I know a great deal about painting. How does this not look like Mu Yuejuan's style?"
The Judge's Brush observed for a while longer without coming to a conclusion. "Mu Yuejuan's style is versatile. Perhaps I was mistaken."
Mister Kongfang's voice drifted down from the night once more. "He Jiaqing, I know all about your plan to head to Kucaizhuang. Even if I let you go there now, Old Mother Ku would still make you hand over the territory.
"We are old acquaintances. For the sake of our past ties, I'll spare your life. Hand over the territory, and I will let you leave."
Standing in the open wilderness, He Jiaqing glanced at the distant mountain forest, then down at the wild grass at his feet.
The scenery in the newland was always so bleak, but his territory was somewhat different, having already been eighty percent reclaimed.
He closed his eyes, and the vision of those thirteen plots of newland surfaced before him.
There was light—so much light. Continuous swathes of light illuminated contiguous plots of land, and contiguous water sources sustained so many people.
He Jiaqing opened his eyes; the light vanished, and the people vanished with it.
He looked up toward the scroll hanging midair. "For that territory, I braved death time and again. Even the peddler agreed to let me have it! Senior, if you wrest it from my hands by force, are you not afraid the peddler will hold you accountable?"
"He Jiaqing, let me tell you once more: behind me stands Snowflake Pu, and the master of Snowflake Pu is the peddler!
"If the peddler believes I am in the wrong, I will return the land to you. If you refuse to accept it, you are welcome to file a complaint against me with the peddler!"
Li Banfeng smiled.
Tell enough lies, and you start believing them yourself.
Snowflake Pu had nothing to do with the peddler. If He Jiaqing truly went to the peddler to complain, how would Ai Yeqing explain himself?
The only reasonable explanation was that Ai Yeqing had never intended to let He Jiaqing leave alive.
Under these circumstances, what should Li Banfeng do?
Help He Jiaqing escape?
Or just watch quietly?
He Jiaqing took a deep breath. "Senior, even if I agree to give you the land, how do you intend to take it? Do you need me to draft a covenant deed?"
"I don't want a deed written by you. You're a thief; you could play all sorts of tricks on it. I want the original covenant deeds to those thirteen territories. Tell me where they are, and I'll retrieve them myself."
He Jiaqing fell silent for a moment as petals swirled around him like snowflakes.
He did not want to fight Mister Kongfang to the death, but he did not want to surrender his land either.
"Have you made up your mind?"
He Jiaqing nodded. "I will tell you where the deeds are buried right now."
"Don't you dare try to deceive me. True or false, I can tell the difference."
"Rest assured, Senior, there will not be half a word of falsehood from me."
Even if he told complete truths, he could ensure the other party would never find the deeds. He Jiaqing was confident of that.
Yet the other party did not take the bait.
"No need to speak it aloud. Draw it."
A map appeared before He Jiaqing, with an ink brush painted alongside it.
This was the work of an expert.
If He Jiaqing said the deeds were buried on a mountain, nameless peaks were a dime a dozen in the newland; by remaining vague, he wouldn't technically be lying.
Making him draw it directly on a map eliminated any room for ambiguity.
The ink brush detached from the painting and hopped into He Jiaqing's hand.
Taking hold of the brush, He Jiaqing suddenly heard Mister Kongfang say, "Let us make things clear. I treat you with sincerity, and you should treat me with sincerity in turn. From this moment on, neither of us shall speak a lie!"
"Very well, neither of us shall speak a lie!" He Jiaqing agreed aloud, but he had no intention of drawing the deeds' actual location. He would never surrender his land.
Just as his brush was about to touch the paper, Mister Kongfang spoke again. "I repeat: neither of us shall speak a lie. As long as you tell me the location of the deeds, I will never kill you!"
The Judge's Brush swayed at Li Banfeng's waist. "This isn't right."
Li Banfeng asked, "What isn't right?"
"There's a technique at play."
"What technique?"
The Judge's Brush did not answer; it was still assessing the situation.
Mister Kongfang's voice came again. "He Jiaqing, repeat after me: you will speak no falsehood, commit no deceit; every word and deed shall be true!"
He Jiaqing repeated, "Speak no falsehood, commit no deceit; every word and deed shall be true!"
"The matter is settled. Neither of us may go back on our word!"
"Rest assured, Senior. As long as you do not renege, I shall never renege!"
This time, the Judge's Brush identified it. "This is Common Script, Shared Rules!"
How could Mister Kongfang possibly know Common Script, Shared Rules?
Even if he used a magical treasure, it shouldn't be enough to ensnare He Jiaqing—He Jiaqing's cultivation was by no means low!
Before the brush finished speaking, He Jiaqing drew a circle on the map.
The moment the circle was completed, He Jiaqing's head buzzed fiercely.
The mark he had drawn was genuine; the covenant deeds were indeed buried right there.
How was this possible?
Why had he revealed the location to the other party?
Why had he done something so foolish?
Now everything was ruined.
Having marked the location, he no longer had any value, and Mister Kongfang would never let him live.
No, wait—he still had value.
There was still the other half of the deed.
Could he use that as leverage?
While He Jiaqing was agonizing, the surrounding petals abruptly vanished, and the scroll in the night sky disappeared without a trace.
The wilderness returned to stillness. Aside from the few copper coins in He Jiaqing's hand, there remained not the slightest trace of Mister Kongfang having ever been there.
He Jiaqing was bewildered.
He couldn't fathom why Mister Kongfang hadn't killed him. Did he not wish to silence him?
Petals had been exposed, copper coins had been exposed—yet he hadn't silenced him?
Li Banfeng, however, understood.
He recalled the three methods of a Deception Cultivator the peddler had once told him:
First: As long as you do not strike, it is real.
Second: As long as your strike is unseen, it is still real.
Third: Even if it is seen, so long as others cannot comprehend it, it remains real.
Aside from striking He Jiaqing with petals at the very beginning, the other party had never attacked again.
From start to finish, the person had never shown their true face, only imitating Mister Kongfang's voice.
The maneuver was truly incomprehensible—the perpetrator had left no bodies, yet completely washed their hands of suspicion!
The person wasn't Mister Kongfang at all, yet the deed had been pinned squarely on Kongfang's head.
To use Common Script, Shared Rules to force He Jiaqing into drawing the deeds' location required an astonishing level of Scholar cultivation. Li Banfeng knew only two people capable of it:
One was Shu Wanjuan, and the other was Boss Lu.
Which of them was standing before him now?
The Judge's Brush asked, "What do we do?"
Li Banfeng said, "We see who's faster!"
With his Golden Eyes of Minute Detail, Li Banfeng had clearly seen the mark drawn on the map. Without making a sound, he sprinted off toward He Jiaqing's land.
He wasn't overly familiar with those thirteen territories, and the location on the map might not be easy to find. Whether he could beat the other party to the punch would depend entirely on luck.
He Jiaqing also wanted to rush toward his land to dig up the deeds beforehand, but he couldn't run.
Not because of his injuries, but because he was still bound by the Common Script, Shared Rules technique.
The other party hadn't reneged, because they hadn't killed him.
He himself could not renege either, which meant he was barred from running toward the territory.
Doubts surged in He Jiaqing's heart: was that person earlier truly Mister Kongfang?
***
Mister Kongfang, Ai Yeqing, was currently lying in wait on He Jiaqing's land. Across the thirteen plots of newland, Mu Yuejuan had laid out a painting scroll on every single territory, with copper coins drifting around each one.
The moment He Jiaqing showed himself, Ai Yeqing would immediately detect him.
Yet Mu Yuejuan was somewhat worried. "He Jiaqing was defeated by Ma Junyang and Feng Daiku. Is it possible he hid somewhere else instead of returning to his land?"
Ai Yeqing sighed. "I told you to find a way to keep tabs on him. Who told you to paint such a useless singing girl that she lost track of him?"
Mu Yuejuan snapped, "What kind of talk is that? What level of skill does He Jiaqing possess? How could a person I painted possibly keep up with him?"
Ai Yeqing remained fairly confident. "Let's just keep watch here. He Jiaqing will definitely come to check on his territory. I only hope he arrives soon."
As he spoke, Ai Yeqing wiped away his sweat. Carrying his entire fortune on his person was indeed unsustainable for long.
By half past three in the morning, Ai Yeqing sensed movement. "Someone's here."
Mu Yuejuan yawned. "Who could it be? Not reclaimers, surely?"
"Not ordinary folk. I can't discern their identity yet. They're on the second plot to the east."
Mu Yuejuan brought Ai Yeqing into the second scroll to the east. It was a landscape painting with a pavilion in the lower-right corner. The two sat inside the pavilion, shifting the painting along while listening to the sounds outside.
Before long, they heard voices speaking:
"Old Shu, I truly hand it to you. How did you know He Jiaqing would flee toward Kucaizhuang?"
"I've traded blows with He Jiaqing before, and it was Old Mother Ku who saved him. Having suffered a defeat on Ma Junyang's land, he was bound to flee to the safest place available."
"Brilliant! Old Shu, with all your remarkable talent, why don't you put it to proper use? If you'd joined me as the Second King long ago, the entire Puluo Province would belong to us brothers!"
"Mere trickery—hardly worthy of being called talent."
"How can it not count? You played He Jiaqing like a fiddle, getting him to hand over the deeds without a fuss. You claimed you were the Hundred Flowers God, and he actually bought it!"
"Sigh, in the end, I merely borrowed my grand-disciple's reputation."
"I don't like the sound of that. It wasn't just your grand-disciple's reputation, but my disciple's as well!"
"Your disciple is a fraud to begin with. How many things has he done under the peddler's name?"
"So what? Being able to borrow a name is a talent in itself." As he spoke, Shan Chengjun glanced toward a patch of wild grass by the roadside and chuckled. "I say, disciple, isn't that right?"
Shu Wanjuan froze, then turned his gaze toward the grass as well. "That's a painting?"
Shan Chengjun laughed. "You only noticed now?"
Shu Wanjuan still couldn't wrap his head around it. "Old Shan, when did your eyesight become so sharp?"
Shan Chengjun puffed up with pride. "If my eyes weren't sharp, how would I dare cut all ties and fight people to the death?"
Mu Yuejuan's face turned pale with fright, and she tugged at Mister Kongfang to flee.
Shan Chengjun shouted, "Don't run, Ai Thousand-Knives! Let me tell you something: I pinned He Jiaqing's matter on your head. When the peddler comes to settle accounts with you, don't go feeling wronged!"
Ai Yeqing clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in silence.
Mu Yuejuan pulled at his hand. "Hurry, let's go!"
Shan Chengjun chuckled. "Go ahead, I won't stop you. Taking the blame on my behalf counts as doing a service.
"I used to call you useless, and you refused to accept it. Think about it: if you aren't useless, what are you?
"Even when it comes to swindling people, you can't compare to Old Shu, yet you dared dream of founding a Deception Cultivator path? Why don't you piss on the ground and take a look at your reflection—are you worthy?
"Hiding up in the clouds, spinning lies about going into retirement, thinking you could orchestrate everything from the shadows? Do you even have the brains for it?
"Running out here to wait for He Jiaqing—how many years did you plan to sit around? What have you ever managed to accomplish? Earning credit with me today and getting a few words of praise is the greatest blessing you'll ever have!"
*Riiip!*
Ai Yeqing burst from the scroll, his form transforming into a whirlwind bristling with countless copper coins, hurtling straight at Shan Chengjun.
*Bang!*
The whirlwind struck Shan Chengjun, sending him stumbling back step after step. Raising both hands, he parried with difficulty. "Good boy, quite the strength! Why didn't I see this kind of skill last time we met?"
*Whoosh!*
The whirlwind split into two columns: the left transformed into sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, while the right coalesced into ten thousand armored soldiers, assailing Shan Chengjun from both flanks.
Before long, Shan Chengjun was bleeding. Shu Wanjuan pulled out a book, preparing to step in, but Shan Chengjun barked, "None of your business! Stay back and watch!"
Hemmed in from all sides, Shan Chengjun ripped up a clump of wild grass from the ground and hurled it with a flick of his wrist. The blades of grass parried the weapons on the left, while the scattered mud and sand drove back the armored soldiers on the right.
Shan Chengjun whipped his leg upward, his kick piercing straight through the whirlwind to land square on Ai Yeqing's face.
The bamboo hat shattered to pieces. Ai Yeqing fell backward onto the ground, but sprang back up instantly. The copper coins covering him converged into a massive broadsword, slashing viciously toward Shan Chengjun.
Shan Chengjun caught the blade with both hands. Shu Wanjuan moved to assist once more.
"I told you, stay out of it!" Shan Chengjun glared at Shu Wanjuan. "Go watch the perimeter and see if they brought any help!"
Aside from Mu Yuejuan, Ai Yeqing truly hadn't brought any help; every member of Snowflake Pu believed Mister Kongfang had already retired.
No reinforcements mattered little—Ai Yeqing had brought his full capital today.
This was capital he couldn't normally carry on his person, but today he had happened to run into Shan Chengjun.
This was capital he usually dared not reveal, but today he had laid it bare regardless.
With scars crisscrossing his face, Ai Yeqing looked all the more ferocious. The copper coins covering his body shifted from a great blade into two massive war hammers, one of which smashed directly into Shan Chengjun's face.
*Bang!*
Shan Chengjun's cheekbone shattered, his face deforming on the spot.
*Bang!*
Another hammer slammed into Shan Chengjun's ribs, snapping an entire section of bone and leaving a massive hollow indentation.
Ai Yeqing raised his hammer to strike again, but Shan Chengjun's left hand suddenly grabbed him by the head. The excruciating pain in Ai Yeqing's skull drained the strength from his arms. When the hammer struck Shan Chengjun, Shan Chengjun felt no pain at all.
"Is that all you've got?" Shan Chengjun grinned, spitting out a tooth that shot clean through Ai Yeqing's left eye and out the back of his skull.
Ai Yeqing's vision blurred, only to see Shan Chengjun tearing open his clothes.
Beneath the fabric, broken ribs had pierced through the skin, exposed to the air.
Shan Chengjun snapped off one of his own ribs and pressed it against Ai Yeqing's chin. "You've been parading under the peddler's banner for so long, did you start thinking you actually were the peddler?
"Ask anyone under heaven: aside from the peddler, who dares fight me one-on-one? You think scraping together a little capital gives you the right to act wild before me?"
Grinding his teeth, Ai Yeqing sent all his copper coins surging at Shan Chengjun simultaneously.
Shan Chengjun gave a raspy chuckle. With a twist of his wrist, the rib bone drove through Ai Yeqing's jaw, jutting out past his nose.
Ai Yeqing struggled desperately to break free, but Shan Chengjun used that same rib bone to spear through Ai Yeqing's throat.
As Ai Yeqing tore away once more, Shan Chengjun pulled out another rib and thrust it straight into the space between Ai Yeqing's brows.
After some twenty exchanges, the copper coins clattered noisily to the earth, leaving Ai Yeqing at his last gasp.
Shan Chengjun tossed Ai Yeqing toward Shu Wanjuan. "Take him in."
Shu Wanjuan produced a book with the character *Imprison* written on its cover.
Flipping to a page, he pressed it over Ai Yeqing, and the man vanished completely.
Shu Wanjuan turned his gaze toward Mu Yuejuan. "Will you enter on your own, or do you want me to capture you?"
Mu Yuejuan wanted to run, but Shu Wanjuan, a master of both calligraphy and painting, had already severed her retreat; this painting was cut off from all the other scrolls.
Shu Wanjuan pointed at the book, then beckoned to Mu Yuejuan.
Tears brimming in her eyes, Mu Yuejuan stepped out of the painting.
After sealing Mu Yuejuan away, Shu Wanjuan led Shan Chengjun toward the burial site of the covenant deeds.
The deeds were protected by arrays and traps, and He Jiaqing had deliberately laid down several numinous items as well.
Shan Chengjun prepared to dig them up, but Shu Wanjuan stopped him.
"It is better to be prudent."
Shu Wanjuan summoned a flurry of written characters from his book, which dug into the earth and burrowed through the soil, probing repeatedly until every mechanism was disarmed before finally excavating the deed.
Shan Chengjun remarked, "Thirteen territories, but only a single covenant deed?"
Shu Wanjuan explained, "When all the territories are ceded to a single person, that person becomes the local spirit of all thirteen. Once it is converted into proper land, the thirteen territories merge into one."
Shan Chengjun cocked his ear. "What single person? I couldn't hear clearly!"
His ear had taken a hammer blow, leaving his hearing muffled for the moment.
Shu Wanjuan handed the covenant deed toward Shan Chengjun. "Take a look, and you'll understand."
"All right, let me take a look." Li Banfeng grabbed the covenant deed and bolted for his life.
Chapter 795