Those Who Dare to Fight, Stay

Li Banfeng had A'yu open a gap in the Boundary, then crossed over into Jianrengang to fetch his wife and Jiu'er. Jiu'er truly hadn't had it easy. The fighting against the third enemy column had raged until heaven and earth turned dark; the second enemy column had already hurried off to join the third, leaving only the first column still being led in circles by Jiu'er. Li Banfeng quietly brought his wife and Jiu'er away. On the way back, he praised her lavishly. "Those so-called old seniors ought to see just how capable our Jiu'er is!" Jiu'er blinked. "What old seniors?" Li Banfeng recounted the fierce battle that had just taken place to his wife and Jiu'er. Jiu'er shook her head. "My lord, send me home. I don't want to see them." "What's there to be afraid of? We don't owe them anything—they owe you!" Jiu'er smiled, shaking her head. "Husband, you still don't understand these seniors. I came from the City of Fools. To them, I was born owing them." Beside them, Zhao Xiaowan said, "Husband, I'll go home too. I come from the imperial court, so in their eyes I'm even worse than Jiu'er." Li Banfeng said nothing, a slight chill entering his eyes. Zhao Xiaowan understood what Li Banfeng was thinking. "Husband, with a formidable enemy before us, some things cannot be dwelled upon. A little grievance for us sisters is nothing. In a moment, call Yingying back as well. Household matters are easy enough to discuss among ourselves, so don't let Yingying stir up trouble out here." Li Banfeng said, "Yingying didn't stir up trouble. Yingying just put her life on the line for Puluo Province!" The old teapot also chimed in to soothe him: "Old Seven, we really do want to go home and rest. My tea has run dry, and no matter what, I need to go back and take a couple of sips to replenish it. Hong Ying is tired too. She's a dwelling spirit, so going home to nurse her wounds is just what she needs. You mentioned that Granny Ku came. That old woman is stubborn and insists on reason according to her own notions. Don't quarrel with her, and whatever you do, don't let Hong Ying quarrel with her. Winning or losing the argument accomplishes nothing." As they drew near the Boundary, Li Banfeng got in touch with the projector and Yuan Miaoping. Yuan Miaoping said, "I'd better go home and hide too. Going into a setting like that would just be too awkward for me." "What do you have to feel awkward about?" Li Banfeng asked. "Granny Ku and Huan Wuchang are there, Teacher Song is there, and quite a few people from the Brotherhood Alliance came. If I show up, whose side am I supposed to be on?" "We're fighting together; we're all on the same side." "Impossible!" Yuan Miaoping smacked her bubble gum, blew a medium-sized bubble, and sucked it back into her mouth. "Let me put it this way: if you want me to show my face, that's fine, but I'll stand right behind you and back you specifically. From now on, the Brotherhood Alliance has nothing to do with me." The group crossed the Boundary together. Madam brought Jiu'er, the projector, and the old teapot back into the companion dwelling, while Li Banfeng and Yuan Miaoping arrived at the encampment. The camp consisted of earthen cabins built from local materials by Old Train and A'yi, around a hundred rooms in all. Li Banfeng commented, "We haven't had that many people arrive, have we?" A'yi smiled. "They haven't all arrived yet. Plenty more will trickle in over the next few days. I'll go greet people for you. If you don't see me around, no need to miss me—once fighting starts, I'll be right over." Noticing something off in A'yi's tone, Li Banfeng asked, "Did something happen?" Beside them, Yuan Miaoping smirked. "What else could happen? She got pissed off by that bunch of old geezers." A'yi looked at Yuan Miaoping and toyed with her antenna. The two knew each other; A'yi had previously wanted to rescue Yuan Miaoping from the Dark Star Bureau. "What nonsense are you spouting, girl? How could I get angry at the old seniors? Look how easy to get along with they are. I love shooting the breeze and chatting about domestic trivia with them most of all." A'yi's grip was a bit heavy, and Yuan Miaoping dodged in alarm. "Crazy hag, don't snap my antenna! If you've got steam to blow off, don't take it out on me!" A'yi gritted her teeth. "I'm not mad. I get along with them splendidly. I just want to invite them to Hulu Village, find a place, and have a meal together. I'll treat them to the finest explosives—a bowl each. After one loud bang, I guarantee they won't find a single fault with anything!" Qiu Luoye walked up and said, "Sounds good to me! I'll head back and fetch the explosives right now!" Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Qiu, are you angry too?" "Heh!" Qiu Luoye gave a bitter laugh. "All these years have passed, and I thought my temper had mellowed quite a bit. But within three sentences, they can still light my fuse. A'yi and I will go greet guests for you. If I really bring back explosives later, remember to remind those old bastards to watch their mouths, or I'll blow up their lips first!" The couple stormed off in a huff. Li Banfeng was preparing to find Yuan Miaoping a barrack when Teacher Song happened to walk over from the opposite side. "Disciple greets Patriarch!" Teacher Song made a formal, deep bow to Yuan Miaoping. Yuan Miaoping snapped, "Why are you bowing to me? Don't you know the rules?" That startled Teacher Song. Offering full courtesies to one's Patriarch was considered not knowing the rules? Pointing at Li Banfeng, Yuan Miaoping said, "I belong to the Companion Dwelling Gang now. This is my gang leader, and I'm a hall master under him. In the future, greet the gang leader first, then greet me." Teacher Song froze for a long moment. "Patriarch, what did you just say? The Companion Dwelling Gang?" Yuan Miaoping sized Teacher Song up and down. "What? Didn't catch that? Let me put it more simply: I've joined another gang. From now on, I answer to Boss Li here. The Brotherhood Alliance has nothing to do with me anymore. You get it now?" Teacher Song stared in horror at Yuan Miaoping, then turned her gaze toward Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng was also a little taken aback. Suddenly, Charm Cultivator Patriarch Sui Chanxin stepped out of an earthen cabin, chuckling. "Seventh Master, you've finally arrived! This humble servant missed you so much I couldn't eat or sleep." Illusion Cultivator Patriarch Huan Wuchang emerged as well. "Seventh Master, quite impressive! Even the Electric Cultivator Patriarch is humbling herself beneath you. If we don't join your gang along with her, wouldn't that make us ungrateful bumpkins?" Liquor Cultivator Patriarch Liu Hutian lifted a door curtain. "Li Qi, come inside and say a few words. Everyone is waiting for you." Li Banfeng really didn't want to go in. He was in no mood to talk to them right now. Behind him, the companion dwelling whispered a reminder: "Ah Qi, don't let your temper flare. Gathering all these people together wasn't easy. When battle comes, we'll still have to rely on them. Whatever you do, don't let hearts scatter." Li Banfeng stepped into the cabin. An icy wave of killing intent sent a shiver through him. The cabin was large, but with only two windows, it was gloomy inside and the atmosphere felt stifling. But where did this killing intent come from? The killing intent came from Hong Ying. The moment Li Banfeng saw that pale, ashen face, he knew Hong Ying had been wronged. Seeing this, Yuan Miaoping hurried forward. "Second Mistress, we folks in the Companion Dwelling Gang are magnanimous. We don't stoop to squabbling with others. Now that our Gang Leader is here, let him talk with them if there's business. Let us two sisters go outside for a stroll." Yuan Miaoping talked Hong Ying into leaving, taking the opportunity to slip away herself. The moment Li Qi pulled up a chair and sat down, Peep Cultivator Master Zhen Luoming spoke up first: "This battle is finally done, and through our united efforts, we managed to win. Kucaizhuang lost quite a few Bitterness Cultivators, and I lost plenty of disciples as well. Even if the others didn't lose lives, everyone came away bruised and battered. Isn't it time we had a proper reckoning about all this?" Li Banfeng wasn't well-acquainted with Zhen Luoming, but during the battle earlier, his impression of the man hadn't been good. The fellow had yelled and shouted recklessly, nearly throwing the army's morale into disarray. "What do you want to reckon?" Li Banfeng asked point-blank. Zhen Luoming paused. "What, Seventh Master doesn't want me to speak?" "Aren't I letting you speak right now?" Zhen Luoming said, "I want to ask Seventh Master on behalf of everyone: such a monumental disaster struck Puluo Province, and we lost such a massive stretch of territory—so where did our manager go? Where is the Peddler?" Liquor Cultivator Patriarch Liu Hutian chimed in, "Indeed. The Inner Province has invaded right to our doorstep. Surely the Peddler couldn't be unaware?" Sui Chanxin sighed. "Did he go off to Wansheng Province again? I truly don't get why the Peddler loves Wansheng Province so much. Does he have another sweetheart over there?" Zhen Luoming snorted. "All day long, all he cares about is chasing sweethearts! Can he actually manage the affairs of Puluo Province or not?" Xu Han tapped his pipe bowl against his hand. "What kind of talk is that? If he can't manage it, can you?" Zhen Luoming scoffed, "Old Xu, I know you'll always speak in defense of the Peddler. I wouldn't dare claim I can manage Puluo Province, but today I am standing right here! At the very least, I showed up at Wuyouping! On that count alone, I did better than the Peddler!" Xu Han sneered. "If Old Seven hadn't sent word out, how would you have ever made it to Wuyouping?" "I was just about to ask that," Zhen Luoming said, looking at Li Qi. "How is Seventh Master's information always so remarkably well-informed?" Clatter! Xu Han slammed his pipe down. "What are you implying?" Gui Jianchou scoffed. "Can't you tell? He's saying our Old Seven is colluding with the enemy!" Zhen Luoming waved a hand dismissively. "I wouldn't dare talk wildly. We have no dealings with the Inner Province, nor are we Prince Pingyuan. Who colluded with the enemy, we have no idea." "Bullshit!" Veins bulged on Xu Han's forehead. Beside him, Lian Buda kept tugging at his sleeve to hold him back. Gui Jianchou's smile never faltered as he addressed Zhen Luoming: "Don't be so modest. Didn't you run off to Moxiangdian to stir up trouble not long ago? Did the Inner Province grant you a prince's title in return?" Zhen Luoming blushed and glanced at Liu Hutian. Liu Hutian took a sip of aged liquor and said to Gui Jianchou, "Smiling Ghost, your patriarch was just killed. Do you know who did it?" Gui Jianchou feigned astonishment. "How did my patriarch die? Could it be that he went to cause trouble at Moxiangdian as well? Tell me, what's so great about that Moxiangdian place? I hear a mere ground-level cultivator named Shao Yingzhen could boss you all around. Didn't you feel pathetic staying there?" Cold Cultivator Patriarch Bing Suling laughed coldly. "Not as pathetic as you, running off to the City of Fools to be Sun Tiecheng's pathetic lackey!" Ye Jianhuang said, "A debt must be repaid. I don't see anything wrong with that." Zhen Luoming chuckled. "Almost forgot, here's another grandson." Ye Jianhuang clenched his teeth and fell silent. Li Banfeng touched his glove. "Brother, how much explosive do we have left?" If not for the fact that many of their own people were in this room, Li Banfeng would have loved to blow them all to pieces. Zhen Luoming even went out of his way to ask, "Seventh Master, who were you just talking to?" Li Banfeng tipped up the brim of his hat and smiled at Zhen Luoming. "Just chatting with Seniors Chang Jiuhai and Qi Wujian. They said it's a bit stifling in here and wanted to find someone to talk to." The cabin fell silent. Zhen Luoming glanced at Liu Hutian. Liu Hutian kept his head down, pouring and drinking alone. Sui Chanxin looked away toward Feng Xuanzhen's embroidery. Huan Wuchang and Sound Cultivator Master Shang Yuzheng whispered in hushed conversation. Granny Ku spoke up: "Today's battle is finished. The scene might not have looked pretty, but we won after all. Old Seven was the first to detect the enemy's movements. That is a merit for our Puluo Province, and we must remember it. Everyone who risked their lives on the battlefield today carries merit. Even if others don't remember, this old woman will. If anyone comes to Kucaizhuang seeking my help in the future, as long as it's within my power, I will never hesitate!" Beside her, Liu Hutian praised, "Listen to that, everyone! To speak such words—now that is what a true manager sounds like." Granny Ku continued, "Right now, the Inner Province army is still right before our eyes. We should stay here a few more days to see how the enemy moves. Waging war is no easy task; it takes troops and horses, and consumes vast funds and grain. The Inner Province can't sustain it for too long either. It won't be too late to leave once their army disperses." "Agreed!" Zhen Luoming shouted. "I'll listen to Old Sister!" Old Train glanced at Li Banfeng with a helpless smile. "Old Seven, look how smoothly she plucks the peaches." The others said nothing, because Granny Ku's words were reasonable enough on the surface. Li Banfeng looked around at the crowd and said, "Granny is right. We really must trouble everyone to stay a few more days. This battle isn't over." The moment the words fell, an uproar erupted. Zhen Luoming demanded, "What do you mean? Are you expecting us to help you recover lost territory? That's out of the question! The enemy is too fierce; we don't have that kind of ability." Li Banfeng shook his head. "The Boundary before us won't last long. Five days at most, three days at least, and the Boundary will be gone. When that happens, we'll have to fight another bloody battle against the Inner Province." Silence fell over the cabin once more. Granny Ku was stunned speechless. Old Train looked at Li Banfeng. "Is that true?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Deadly serious." Liu Hutian rubbed his wine flagon. "We can't fight... This, we really can't fight..." Li Banfeng countered, "If we don't fight, what do we do?" "This requires careful consideration from the long term..." Liu Hutian looked left and right, wiping his wine flagon several more times. Sound Cultivator Master Shang Yuzheng asked, "Seventh Master, you wouldn't be testing us, would you?" Li Banfeng swept his gaze over the crowd. "I am not testing anyone. The Boundary truly won't hold for long, and this battle is truly not over." Zhen Luoming began to stammer, "Th-then we can't fight anymore either. Wh-what if we take a step back?" Old Train frowned. "This is Wuyouping. It connects to so many parts of Puluo Province! Where do you think we could retreat to?" Sui Chanxin said, "Even if we can't retreat, we can negotiate. What Sister Ku said earlier was right: waging war isn't easy. I reckon the Inner Province doesn't want to fight forever either. We could just negotiate with them." Qiao Wuzui chugged a mouthful of yellow wine and asked, "How do you propose we negotiate? What chips do we bring to the table?" Sui Chanxin gave Qiao Wuzui a sidelong glare. "Don't ask me! What would a mere woman like me know?" Ye Jianhuang clamped his teeth around his pipe bowl. "Nothing else matters. We still have to fight!" Liu Hutian shook his head vigorously. "If you want to fight, go ahead. These old bones of mine can't take it." Lu Qianjiao said, "If we don't fight, then what? Hand all of Puluo Province over to them?" Cold Cultivator Patriarch Bing Suling said, "Depends on how you look at it. Originally, this was imperial territory anyway." Lu Qianjiao flared up in fury. "What are you trying to do? Sell Puluo Province to the imperial court?" Bing Suling remained impassive. "I'm stating facts! You're the Peddler's lover, so fighting on his behalf is only natural. We aren't related to him by blood or bond—why should we lay down our lives for him?" The crowd argued the entire night, grating on Li Banfeng's nerves until he was thoroughly fed up. The next morning, they gathered and continued arguing. They had split into three factions: one favored peace, one favored war, and one advocated fighting while negotiating. Li Banfeng had no desire to listen to their drivel. Having barely endured until noon, Qiu Luoye entered the cabin and whispered in Li Banfeng's ear, "Old Seven, Old Five and the others are here." Hearing that, Li Banfeng's spirits instantly lifted. He stood straight up and walked out without looking back. Outside in the courtyard, he saw Ma the Fifth, Qin Tianjiu, Chu the Second, and Lu Chunying waiting. Ma the Fifth said, "Old Seven, the brothers have all been assembled." Qin Tianjiu said, "Brother Seven, the Three Heroes Sect brothers are all here. Zhang Xiuling will be arriving shortly with the brothers from the Hundred Flowers Sect!" Lu Chunying said, "The Lu family has arrived too. Brother Qiu said he'll be here tomorrow, and Brother Zhang Wanlong and his people are coming along as well! Sister Xiu and the others are almost here too!" Chu the Second began, "Brother Seven, my side also—" Li Banfeng interrupted, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you there was urgent business?" He was still waiting for Chu the Second to contact the Peddler. The Peddler said, "Her urgent business is already finished. Now it's time to discuss our urgent business. Have Zhang Wanlong hold off on coming to Wuyouping." Everyone was shocked. Except for Li Banfeng, everyone stepped back to the sides. None of them had noticed the Peddler suddenly appearing. Li Banfeng chuckled wryly. "Senior Brother, you're finally here!" The Peddler smiled. "Feeling wronged? The old seniors are advanced in years. When speaking to them, you need to exercise a bit of patience." Li Banfeng said, "I have plenty of patience, but some people are more trouble than they're worth. Besides, the Boundary won't hold. It can only last three to five days." The Peddler looked in the direction of the Boundary. "This is Wuyouping. That she could create a Boundary at all was already asking a lot of her; three to five days isn't short. If there's really no other choice, we can release her true body. A Boundary formed by her true body could endure a bit longer." Li Banfeng looked around and lowered his voice. "If we release her true body, what happens to you? Aren't you two supposed to fight to the death on sight?" The Peddler frowned. "I said release her if there's really no other choice. Don't we still have other choices right now? Let's go in and talk to them." Creak— The Peddler pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room fell silent instantly. Standing in the center of the cabin, the Peddler scanned the crowd and smiled. "Everyone, it has been a long time!" Eighteen Wheels and Xu Han both smiled. Lu Qianjiao beamed, her face flushing crimson, her posture straightening noticeably. Tou Youlu grunted. "Look how happy you are. Just tell me, in what way am I inferior to him?" Lu Qianjiao turned and glared at Tou Youlu. "Who do you think you're talking to?" Feeling wronged, Tou Youlu took out paper and brush and wrote: "A person like me just can't stand fickle women. Treating me so well yesterday, and today pretending she doesn't even know me. It seems there's no fate between us after all." Peep Cultivator Master Zhen Luoming pondered for a while, then asked the Peddler, "Chief Manager, allow me to ask you: just where have you been?" Li Banfeng had been waiting for someone to ask this exact question. Today, they needed to understand why the Peddler had been running all over, and how much he bore on his shoulders alone on ordinary days. The Peddler looked at Zhen Luoming and said, "I took a stroll outside, mainly to clear my head." Li Banfeng froze for a long time. What kind of answer was that? He had gone to the White Falcon League to settle debts—why didn't he tell these people? The Peddler offered no further explanation, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Granny Ku said, "Old Seven probably told you: the Boundary at Wuyouping won't hold. We don't know the origin of the enemy army, and we can't defeat them. Whether to fight or sue for peace, you must have a plan." The Peddler looked at the crowd. "I just took a walk through the enemy camp and uncovered some intelligence. The opposing army comes from the Great Totem. The soldiers bear the mark of the Great Totem; they were created by the Great Totem from dead spirits, blood, and flesh. Their memories were erased, but some weren't wiped thoroughly enough. I restored a portion of their memories and questioned them to uncover their origins." At the mention of the Great Totem, the room boiled over like a kettle as murmurs erupted. Bing Suling said, "Didn't you destroy the Great Totem?" The Peddler nodded. "I destroyed one, but I didn't expect Qiao Yi to make another. He invested such an enormous fortune because he wants to become Emperor. He must swallow Puluo Province to sit securely on the imperial throne. There is no negotiating this deal, because Qiao Yi sees Puluo Province as his capital for proclaiming himself Emperor. Therefore, we must fight." Liu Hutian asked, "How do we fight? Can we win? Do you know how formidable those soldiers are?" The Peddler nodded. "I just tested my skills against two of them. A single soldier has combat power roughly on par with a local god of the First Layer Above the Clouds." Sui Chanxin said, "Brother Peddler, then what are we even fighting for? I hear the enemy has over twenty thousand men." The Peddler shook his head. "More than twenty thousand. From what I can see so far, there are nearly fifty thousand, and that's excluding casualties from the earlier battle." Feng Xuanzhen put away her embroidery. Liu Hutian put away his wine flagon. Many present prepared to stand and take their leave. Fifty thousand men. Many no longer held any hope for this battle. Yet the Peddler spoke with absolute clarity: "Whoever wants to leave, I won't stop them—nor will Puluo Province ever hold a place for them again. Those who dare to fight, stay and fight with me. Back then, we drove the Inner Province out. This time, we will drive them out once more." The crowd looked toward Zhen Luoming, all expecting him to take the lead in walking out. The man was talkative and foul-mouthed, but he didn't leave. Instead, he looked at Granny Ku. Granny Ku looked at the Peddler. "Fine. Back then we followed you into battle, and today we will follow you into battle again. Tell us how to fight." The Peddler said, "Our side here is manageable. You have all fought beside me before, and once on the battlefield, we have plenty of ways. However, Qiao Yi always covers all angles. He formed an alliance with Tufang State, and the Demon Lord of Tufang is preparing to personally lead troops to attack Suihuang Plain." The Peddler hadn't gone to the White Falcon League merely to repay debts; he had also gathered a great deal of useful intelligence. "Suihuang Plain is currently guarded by Yao Xin alone, commanding a band of Ironbone Seeds whose training is half-baked. If Suihuang Plain falls, we will be attacked from both front and rear. Who is willing to reinforce Suihuang Plain? Let me state this clearly beforehand: we cannot divide our forces here. Anyone going to Suihuang Plain will have to find their own men." The cabin was dead silent. No one was willing to go to Suihuang Plain. Band together here, and whether advancing or retreating, they could follow the Peddler. But going to reinforce Suihuang Plain with no extra troops provided from here, forced to hold off Tufang State alongside Yao Xin—going there meant not expecting to return alive. Li Banfeng spoke up from the side: "I will take my people to Suihuang Plain, setting out today!" "Good!" The Peddler nodded to Li Qi. With Li Qi holding up one front for him, his mind was more than half at ease. The Peddler continued, "Within Shang State, only the Quenching Battalion remains of the Bandit Quelling Army. I have already received word that the Quenching Battalion is preparing to strike Baishun County. If Baishun County falls, the Inner Province will invade through Santoucha. Who is willing to reinforce Baishun County?" This was why the Peddler had forbidden Zhang Wanlong from coming: Baishun County's situation was perilous in the extreme. The crowd remained silent. Under these circumstances, the Peddler surely wouldn't spare troops either, and no one wanted to face the Bandit Quelling Battalion alone. Xu Han stood up. "I'll go. I have a bad temper anyway and wouldn't want to hurt these old friends. I just came from Baishun County, so going back is fitting enough." The old man truly had a stubborn temperament—ready to leave the moment he spoke. He walked over to Qiao Wuzui and murmured in a low voice, "If I don't make it back, make sure you look after Yaowanggou." "What kind of talk is that? I'm going with you!" Qiao Wuzui reached for his wine flagon, but Xu Han pushed him back down into his seat and left the cabin alone. Reaching the door, Xu Han suddenly paused. He pulled open the door and respectfully invited an elderly man waiting outside into the cabin, even pulling up a chair for him. "Teacher, please sit here." Granny Ku looked up and gasped, "Old Orange, why have you come?" Behind him, A'yi smiled. "I brought him over." The Old Man of the Orange Orchard had arrived. Li Qi hurriedly stood up to greet him, and everyone present rose to their feet. The Old Man of the Orange Orchard waved a hand. "No time for polite formalities. I need a word with the Peddler." He walked up to the Peddler and said, "Dividing our forces into three routes might not work. There is a path in Jianrengang that leads to Mount Qunying." The Peddler was startled. "Where did such a path come from?" The Old Man of the Orange Orchard said, "I asked the soil. It was newly opened."