Reaching Jianrengang was no easy task; the place was hard to find. Reaching Wuyouping, however, was far simpler, as Wuyouping and Kucaizhuang were similar kinds of unchartered lands.
Upon arriving at Wuyouping, Li Banfeng spotted numerous daolao ghosts scattered across the open wilderness. Some were foraging, some brawling, some sleeping, and some wandering aimlessly, each tending to their own affairs. It looked no different from when Critic had still been around.
Had he worried over nothing?
The companion dwelling opened its carriage window. Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying were gazing out at the scenery, and they saw nothing out of the ordinary either.
Yet just because nothing was amiss in Wuyouping did not mean Sage Peak was safe.
Just as Li Banfeng prepared to head toward Jianrengang, a flurry of wind and snow swept across the wasteland, momentarily blinding him. Amid the howling gusts, a shout carried into his ears.
"Charge with me! Whoever cowers dies!"
The voice sounded familiar.
Li Banfeng rubbed his eyes and followed the sound. At the foot of a hill, he saw a man dressed in the armored battle regalia of a military wusheng actor leading several dozen subordinates in a vicious fight against a three-headed person.
Several dozen against one, yet it was this brutal?
The three-headed person was not particularly tall—under two meters by the look of him—but his lower body was exceptionally sturdy, supported by four legs.
In his left hand he held a spear, and in his right an axe. Judging by his moves, each hand followed an entirely different style; evidently, two separate heads controlled them.
Pitted against dozens of opponents, this single three-headed combatant did not yield an inch. Across from him, the spirits of the dead were covered in wounds, and several of the worst-injured looked on the verge of fading into oblivion.
Those dozens were indeed spirits of the dead. Even though they all wore opera costumes, Li Banfeng recognized the voice of their leader: it was Prince Chun.
During his very first visit to Wuyouping, Li Banfeng had stayed the night at Prince Chun's Manor and even fought a battle with the prince.
Prince Chun possessed decent cultivation, but he truly was not a fighter; he was an Opera Cultivator.
However, Prince Chun's Manor as a whole commanded formidable combat power. Back when Li Banfeng had been at double fifth layer ground level, fighting their household had been an uphill struggle.
Today, against this three-headed foe, the entire Chun household could only endure a beating. The three-headed warrior had already struck down over a dozen spirits in succession, and the middle head suddenly spat a burst of flame directly at Prince Chun.
Prince Chun caught fire, billowing plumes of black smoke as his silhouette blurred—a sign that his spirit was on the verge of dissipating.
He threw himself into the snow and rolled, but the flames would not go out.
He tried to strip off his burning garments, yet could not pull them free.
Others rushed forward to help extinguish the blaze, but whoever touched Prince Chun caught fire as well.
Seeing that the manor's retinue was about to be wiped out, Li Banfeng tapped Old Teapot. Old Teapot sprayed a deluge of tea from midair, pouring down like rain. Wherever the tea washed over, the flames consuming Prince Chun and his men instantly died out.
The three-headed person was taken aback. His three heads looked in different directions, and the middle, flame-spitting head scanned the area from which the water had burst several times.
He could not see Old Teapot, but he accurately deduced the direction from which the technique had originated.
Gripping his weapons, he prepared to resume the slaughter against Prince Chun, but after a moment's hesitation, he turned to leave.
This three-headed person was quite intelligent; he knew an unseen, powerful adversary lurked nearby.
Yet it was already too late to flee. After trudging only a dozen meters across the snow, his four legs suddenly exerted force in four conflicting directions, causing him to fall flat on his stomach.
He tried to get up, but his body was as rigid as stone, completely unable to budge.
Li Banfeng revealed himself, cupping his hands toward Prince Chun. "Prince, it has been a long time."
Prince Chun looked up and recognized Li Banfeng at once. "It is you! Brother, why have you returned?"
"It has been quite a while since I last saw you; I found myself missing you a little." Li Banfeng produced the riding whip Prince Chun had once gifted him.
Holding the memento, he intended to catch up on old times, but Hong Ying's voice abruptly rang in his ears: "Seventh Brother, don't talk nonsense!"
This was her voice relayed through the companion dwelling.
The Old Master rarely transmitted voices directly, which meant the matter was exceptionally urgent.
What could be so urgent? Which word had he spoken wrong?
Zhao Xiaowan was equally puzzled. "Yingying, what are you shouting about? When has my husband ever spoken nonsense?"
Hong Ying broke into a cold sweat of anxiety. "Just don't talk to Prince Chun too much!"
Zhao Xiaowan let out a light laugh. "What, are you still thinking about being a princess consort? Afraid my husband will blab your secrets?"
"What time do you think it is, that you're still in the mood for jokes!" Hong Ying rubbed her temples. "The moment I saw him, memories came rushing back. You've forgotten—he's an actor, yet he insists on singing dan roles!"
Zhao Xiaowan frowned. "What is wrong with singing dan roles? In proper opera troupes, men sing the female roles all the time. What is improper about that?"
"Is he part of an opera troupe? Did anyone force him to sing dan roles? Think carefully—before he got betrothed to me, he didn't even have a concubine!"
"None at all? I really never noticed..." Zhao Xiaowan thought back. Before his betrothal to Hong Ying, Prince Chun had indeed been quite mature in years.
Hong Ying continued, "Prince Chun doesn't like women at all! He is deeply calculating. If he takes a liking to Seventh Brother, he might never let him go!"
"What makes you think he can keep my husband?" Zhao Xiaowan was not worried in the least. She looked at Hong Ying and asked, "Knowing full well he doesn't like women, why did you still want to marry him?"
Jiu'er piped up from the side, "Perhaps Yingying doesn't like men either."
"You stop talking nonsense too!" Hong Ying glared at Jiu'er. "I come from a family of generals; marriage was never mine to decide. Becoming an imperial princess consort brought honor to my clan! Besides, Prince Chun said we'd be husband and wife in name only and look for men together in private! We even became sworn sisters—he said so himself! Whatever you do, don't let Seventh Brother fall into his trap!"
Zhao Xiaowan looked at Hong Ying, thinking her memories might have gotten scrambled after just seeing Yang Xiangjun.
Yet Hong Ying was not lying; Prince Chun was indeed somewhat unusual.
He stared at Li Banfeng for a long time, then asked softly, "Did you come specially to save me?"
Li Banfeng reflected on the situation. Though he had not come to Wuyouping specifically for him, he had indeed saved him, so he nodded. "I came to save you."
Prince Chun lowered his head in silence.
"Seventh Brother, just keep spouting nonsense—he's set his sights on you!" Hong Ying clenched her fists in despair.
Li Banfeng asked, "I visited your manor earlier, but it was crawling with daolao ghosts. I assumed you were no longer in Wuyouping."
"You went to the manor looking for me?" Prince Chun's voice trembled slightly. "Brother, I must remain in Wuyouping; I cannot go anywhere else. Even if I leave, I must return. My manor was overrun by daolao ghosts, so I had no choice but to find another place to hide. I rebuilt a dwelling on this small hill, but who could have foreseen that this villain would barge in? With nowhere left to retreat, I could only fight to the death."
Li Banfeng pointed at the three-headed person. "Where did he come from?"
Prince Chun shook his head. "I do not know. He showed up completely out of nowhere."
Li Banfeng asked again, "Did he come down from Sage Peak?"
Prince Chun pondered for a moment. "It seems not. He likely entered Wuyouping from elsewhere."
Li Banfeng felt slightly more at ease. He examined Prince Chun's injuries, then looked at the three-headed warrior's spear and axe. "He is using ordinary weapons, yet he managed to injure you this severely?"
"This is a technique of higher-layer Martial Cultivators: Severing Souls with Naked Blades," Prince Chun said.
Li Banfeng had seen Severing Souls with Naked Blades before; he was merely testing Prince Chun's attitude.
Severing Souls with Naked Blades was not a technique in the standard sense, but a specialized combat method Martial Cultivators used against spirits. In the hands of a Martial Cultivator, ordinary items could be transformed into exquisite armaments—not just in physical quality, but in performance as well. High-layer Martial Cultivators could imbue mundane weapons with the power to harm spirits.
Li Banfeng asked further, "And what was the deal with that fire just now?"
Prince Chun answered, "It was just ordinary fire. As for why it burned me so desperately, I cannot say for sure either."
Did he truly not know, or was he unwilling to speak openly?
Prince Chun's attitude was hard to gauge, but Li Banfeng could discern a few clues on his own.
The middle head of the three-headed person was a Fire Cultivator, and the Fire cultivation had merged with the properties of Martial cultivation, enhancing the fire's potency as well.
Having three Paths in one three-headed person was a phenomenon Li Banfeng had encountered many times.
He had also seen many instances of three Paths coordinating seamlessly in mutual support.
However, a degree of fusion occurring between the different Paths was something he had rarely seen in anyone other than himself.
This three-headed person was of no ordinary origin. How had he entered Wuyouping?
Li Banfeng had no desire to converse further with Prince Chun. He cupped his hands to take his leave, intending to find another spot to interrogate the three-headed captive.
Unexpectedly, Prince Chun called out, "Brother! Do not rush off! Come to my humble abode for a cup of tea!"
Hong Ying's hands trembled. "Seventh Brother, you absolutely cannot go!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I have other matters to attend to."
"Brother, wait a moment—" Prince Chun seemed deeply torn. "I am an actor, and what I speak are opera lines. Opera lines are just lines; you cannot disbelieve them entirely, nor can you trust them completely. How much is false and how much is true depends on whether your eyes are sharp."
Li Banfeng frowned. "What do you mean? You lied to me just now?"
Prince Chun sighed. "Young Master, I am a member of the royal house. I should not be saying these words to you. Speaking the truth is equivalent to betraying my own flesh and blood."
Li Banfeng glanced back at the three-headed person. "He is a member of the royal house as well?"
Prince Chun said, "In a sense, yes. If even I count, why wouldn't he? Right now, Jianrengang is packed with people of the royal house. Young Master, you must not go there."
Jianrengang was full of royal house personnel?
Had Jianrengang been seized by the Inner Province?
Dizziness washed over Li Banfeng, accompanied by high-pitched ringing in his ears, to the point that he did not even notice the three-headed person behind him rising to his feet.
He turned and walked toward Sage Peak, the three-headed person trailing behind him.
Prince Chun shouted, "Brother, behind you! Behind you—!"
Before the words finished, Li Banfeng and the three-headed person had already vanished into the wind and snow.
Prince Chun moved to pursue, but his subordinates held him back. "Your Highness, take this opportunity to relocate the bone mound immediately! This place is no longer safe!"
Had the Inner Province captured Jianrengang?
Was this true or false?
Could Prince Chun's words be trusted?
*Whoosh!*
The three-headed person's axe cleaved down with a violent gale. Without turning his head, Li Banfeng stepped two paces to the left, and the axe cleaved into the ground right beside his body.
The three-headed person thrust his spear straight toward Li Banfeng's spine. Though the thrust punched through where his heart should have been, Li Banfeng was unharmed; he had shifted his heart out of alignment using his Carefree Ease technique.
After walking for another short stretch, Li Banfeng accelerated. The three-headed person gradually fell behind, growing so frantic that he tried to breathe fire at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng glanced back at him. "Weren't you terrified of me just a moment ago? Where did you find the nerve to attack me now?"
The three-headed person did not answer.
He had indeed been terrified, and he had not wanted to cross swords with Li Banfeng. Yet Li Banfeng was heading straight toward Jianrengang, which forced his hand.
Li Banfeng asked, "First tell me: where did you come from?"
The three-headed person barely understood Li Banfeng's words and still attempted to spew fire.
Unable even to comprehend speech, there was certainly no hope of getting him to talk.
Before the flame could emerge, the three-headed person's body tore apart.
Judging by their expressions, they could feel pain, yet their constitution was remarkably tough, taking several seconds before completely disintegrating.
Li Banfeng examined the anatomy of the corpse. This three-headed person was different from the ones he had seen before.
Inside Qiao Yi's body, two other bodies had been concealed, but inside this three-headed person, there were no secondary bodies.
Was this some kind of automaton manufactured by the Inner Province?
Judging by his earlier speed, he was comparable to a seventh-layer ground level Martial Cultivator, but his overall combat effectiveness far exceeded that. If such creatures covered the mountains and plains, what would the consequences be?
Li Banfeng used his Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber technique to collect the corpse, then continued toward Jianrengang.
Inside the room, Zhao Xiaowan immediately began examining the remains. After studying them for a long time, she found nothing particularly remarkable, yet she felt waves of dizziness.
Activating Exquisite Hundred Flavors, Zhao Xiaowan discovered that the corpse was extremely poisonous.
She vented steam, washing and boiling the remains, yet the toxicity did not diminish in the slightest.
Bronze Lotus spread its petals. "Leave it to me first. There is cultivation embedded within this poison."
Zhao Xiaowan was astonished. "Just how many Paths does this monster carry?"
Bronze Lotus replied, "First look at how many monsters there are, then look at how many Paths. If there are tens of thousands of them, Puluo Province is doomed."
When Li Banfeng reached Jianrengang, the daolao ghosts were far more numerous. Shoveling snow, gathering firewood, tidying houses, they carried on with their ordinary daily lives.
A three-headed person entering Wuyouping without the daolao ghosts caring was normal enough, as that was not their territory. But if three-headed people entered Jianrengang and the daolao ghosts still paid no heed, that was abnormal.
Li Banfeng looked toward Sage Peak. Though a chill welled up within him, it was not substantially different from other locations; the entire expanse of Jianrengang reeked of intense peril.
He checked Daogui Ridge, but it seemed unremarkable as well.
Relying on Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, Li Banfeng deliberately moved toward the greatest danger. After half an hour of searching, he located the most hazardous place in Jianrengang.
It was neither on Sage Peak nor on Daogui Ridge, but in Huai'en Village.
Walking through the village, Li Banfeng did not see a single daolao ghost. Instead, he saw five to six hundred three-headed people.
While slaying one three-headed person took only a single strike of Five Horses Dismembering the Household, if five to six hundred charged together, Li Banfeng would find them truly hard to handle.
If they were hard to handle, then there was no need to handle them head-on; he would simply send them on their way. He had bought plenty of explosives from A'yi earlier, and this was the perfect place to use them.
These three-headed people did not speak to one another, nor did they bother to exchange glances. Some inspected weapons, some studied maps, and others simply sat in a daze.
Who had brought this pack of three-headed people here?
Shan Chengjun was dead, so there was no need to worry about him.
Shu Wanjuan was presumably still at Ink Fragrance Shop; if he was leading them, the threat would be immense.
Li Banfeng circled the village twice and finally spotted a dark silhouette.
Nian Shangyou, Grand Academician Nian.
He was drawing and writing on a map. So he was the leader of these three-headed people.
It had been a while since they last met, and Li Banfeng truly missed him. Today, it seemed, he would invite him home for a visit.
Li Banfeng crept forward, intending to use Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber to whisk Nian Shangyou straight into his dwelling. Yet about a hundred paces away, Li Banfeng's left calf suddenly cramped, freezing his stride.
A sixth-layer cloud level Travel Cultivator suffering a calf cramp?
Li Banfeng looked ahead at Nian Shangyou and realized this might be a trap. The person before him was very likely not Nian Shangyou at all.
Dragging one leg, he backed away to put distance between them.
*Grand Academician Nian, I won't invite you to sit at my house today. I'll host you right here instead.*
Li Banfeng planted explosives all around Huai'en Village, shook out his legs, and activated his Mad Cultivator technique.
Sprinting from one end of the village to the other, he detonated the explosives in rapid succession. Beneath a shroud of snow and dust, Huai'en Village was razed to the ground.
Li Banfeng peered through the settling dust, the fleeting smile on his face vanishing instantly.
The village was gone, and the buildings were destroyed, but the three-headed people remained.
They had suffered some injuries—traces of blood were visible, and some had lost limbs—yet they were still alive.
The figure who looked identical to Nian Shangyou was blown into her original form: a woman, delicate and quite fair-featured.
On the back of her head were two additional faces, shifting back and forth between Qiao Yi and Nian Shangyou.
A'yi's explosives couldn't kill them?
How could that be?
Not only had it failed to kill them, but they had barely shifted from their original positions. Even a shockwave of that magnitude had failed to move them. Had they taken root in the earth?
Li Banfeng had seen this rooting phenomenon before: back in Dingye City in the Shang State, when the Bandit-Subduing Army anchored themselves in the Thousand-Man Strength Formation, A'yi's explosives had been unable to budge them either.
Could these three-headed people use the Thousand-Man Strength Formation as well?
Were they a new Bandit-Subduing Battalion?
How could a Bandit-Subduing Battalion consist of only five hundred men?
Prince Chun had said they covered the mountains and plains. There were bound to be many more such forces that had simply not been found yet.
Memories of the bloody battle at the Bandit-Subduing Battalion flashed through his mind in an instant.
Inside a mountain cavern, Qiao Yi and Nian Shangyou were discussing tactics when the explosion suddenly echoed, startling Nian Shangyou into a cold sweat.
A three-headed Scry Cultivator brought forth a mirror and set it before them.
Upon the surface of the mirror appeared scenes of Huai'en Village.
Nian Shangyou asked the Scry Cultivator, "Who used explosives? Why can't they be seen in the mirror?"
All three of the Scry Cultivator's heads shook in unison. Qiao Yi sighed. "Speed is paramount in war; the ancients did not deceive us. No matter who came, word has now leaked."
Nian Shangyou continued studying the mirror intently. "Lord, the formation drills of those five hundred were deficient, which is why we had them practice again in Huai'en Village. Who could have expected that in less than half a day, they would master it so thoroughly!"
Qiao Yi felt no joy. "Now that they've mastered the formation, are we to wait for the enemy to bomb them again? Today we must march on Wuyouping!"
Nian Shangyou said, "But of the scouts dispatched to Wuyouping, one route has yet to return."
"You dispatched over thirty scouting routes; what does it matter if one failed to return? How long are we supposed to wait for him?"
Nian Shangyou nodded repeatedly. "My Lord speaks truly. We march on Wuyouping at once."
A horn blared, and the earth trembled.
Fifty thousand three-headed warriors burst forth from the ground.
Having arrived at Wuyouping a step ahead, Li Banfeng immediately contacted A'yu through Gold Ingot. "Sister, establish a Boundary between Wuyouping and Jianrengang!"
A'yu was stunned. "Little brother, are you raving? How can a Boundary be made in Wuyouping? That territory is far too special!"
"The Inner Province has breached Jianrengang! It is precisely because Wuyouping is special that we must hold them back with a Boundary!"
Realizing the gravity of the crisis, A'yu replied, "Wait for me to discuss it."
"What am I waiting for? Isn't discussing it with you what I'm doing right now?"
"I have to discuss it with *her*! Little brother, I'll tell you the truth: creating a Boundary in unchartered lands might not succeed even if she agrees!"
What if it couldn't be done?
Li Banfeng immediately dialed Ma Junyang. "Fifth Brother, instruct all the major newspapers to print the news at once: the Inner Province has invaded Jianrengang, and every region of Puluo Province must prepare full defenses!"
Ma the Fifth crawled out of his snail shell and glared at Luo Lijun, demanding, "The Inner Province has invaded?"
Luo Lijun looked horrified. "Fifth Master, I genuinely knew nothing of this."
Ma the Fifth held the receiver and said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Brother, speak slowly. Where have they advanced to?"
"They've breached Jianrengang!"
"Isn't that place full of daolao ghosts? The Inner Province shouldn't be able to break out immediately; we still have time."
"There is no time! Jianrengang has already been captured by the Inner Province, and just outside Jianrengang lies Wuyouping! Once they reach Wuyouping, the places they can strike are limitless!"
Ma the Fifth rushed to contact the press, then turned back to Luo Lijun. "Do you have the guts to return to the Shang State and stir up some trouble?"
Luo Lijun shook her head frantically. "I... I dare not."
Huo Ling crawled out from the snail shell as well, sneering at Luo Lijun. "Without even that much courage, how can you call yourself Fifth Master's woman?"
Ma the Fifth had no time to waste on Luo Lijun; he had countless tasks ahead.
Worrying that newspapers would be too slow, Li Banfeng placed a second call to Song Shu. "Teacher Song, contact the radio stations immediately. The Inner Province has invaded Jianrengang, and Wuyouping could fall at any moment."
Song Shu paused for a moment. "Banfeng, don't panic. I will broadcast the news right away!"
Who else could he contact?
The person he needed most right now was the peddler, but the peddler was far away in the White Falcon Alliance.
Right, he could contact Zuo Anna.
Li Banfeng passed the contact information to Chu the Second, instructing her to do everything possible to locate Zuo Anna.
What if Zuo Anna was not in Puluo Province?
Li Banfeng then contacted Tang Changfa. Lin Fojiao conducted business with the White Falcon Alliance, and Tang Changfa had been involved as well; perhaps he could reach a contact.
After a flurry of phone calls, it seemed he had an army of helpers. Yet when he hung up the receiver and stood upon the vast, desolate snowy expanse, he had to confront one undeniable fact: right now, he was entirely alone.
Even alone, he had to hold Wuyouping!
*One man holds the pass, and ten thousand cannot force it.* If he had dared to fight the Bandit-Subduing Battalion back then, he could hold Wuyouping today.
Yet holding the pass required a treacherous pass; here there was no pass, only the one man.
A city wall would have been worth trying.
Without a wall, even a mountaintop would suffice.
Instead, Wuyouping was a flat wasteland.
He wanted to hold it, but did not even know where to take his stand.
A cold gust swept past. Gazing around, Li Banfeng suddenly felt waves of dread and agitation.
The caliber of this Bandit-Subduing Battalion was unquestionably different from the force at Dingye City. In terms of individual combat prowess, even Dingye City's Edge-Grinding Battalion fell far short.
Had the peddler fought the Bandit-Subduing Battalion entirely on his own back then?
Even he must have had companions by his side!
Impending danger loomed ever larger, bringing cold sweat in relentless waves.
How many enemies were there?
Since it was a Bandit-Subduing Battalion, there had to be tens of thousands.
What was he to do now?
No matter how many came, Wuyouping could not be surrendered!
"Ah-Qi, do not panic!" the Old Master spoke.
There was no need to panic; we are not just one person.
"Seventh Brother, don't be afraid! We'll fight them together—we'll kill however many show up!"
There was Yingying.
"Husband, I'll set up a few formations in a moment to make them run in circles! Ready your Hiding the Beauty in a Golden Mansion technique and send out a few scouts first!"
There was Jiu'er.
"Big brother, what use is calling the radio station? I built that transmitter! Let me out, and I'll find a way to contact the peddler! When the chips are down, advanced technology is what counts."
There was Yuan Miaoping, though who knew if she was reliable.
"You must trust me. If you help me, I will help you."
There was the lady of the Fifth Room. Li Banfeng truly could help her now; he possessed the method to break her curse.
"Do you have the guts to let me out? Shrinking back will never accomplish great deeds."
There was Bronze Lotus. Having lived together day and night for so many years, what lingering knot could not be untangled? Yet based on past dealings, Li Banfeng still did not trust her.
"Husband, our whole family will shoulder this together until A'yu finishes the Boundary!"
Li Banfeng's heart settled into calm.
Using Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber, he summoned his wife first.
Zhao Xiaowan tightened her cloak.
Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat.
Chapter 824