Brother Hua!

Chu Shaoqiang and Chu Huaiyuan stood at the foot of Daogui Ridge, waiting for the otherworldly expert Li Qi had gone to fetch. Father and daughter were both on edge. Anyone claiming not to be afraid at Daogui Ridge was lying—especially Chu the Second. She had genuinely suffered at the hands of the daolao ghosts before, and the sight of them swarming all across the mountain made it hard for her even to breathe. Yet she had to wait here. Even if her cultivation was insufficient to be of much help, she still had to stay by his side; only with her here could Chu Shaoqiang remain. After ten-odd minutes, Li Banfeng came into view. Behind him followed a round-faced, middle-aged man and a lovely young woman with a graceful, petite figure. Before Li Banfeng could make introductions, Chu Shaoqiang stepped forward and bowed politely to Lian Buda and Dan Buda. Lian Buda was somewhat surprised. "You know me?" Chu Shaoqiang indeed recognized Lian Buda; just days ago, he had received orders from the Inner States to capture him. Dan Buda also recognized Chu Shaoqiang. "You're from the Inner States." Grease instantly oozed from Lian Buda's face—his state of battle readiness. "Old Seven, what is this?" Li Banfeng explained, "He's a helper I brought in. He did have some ties with the Inner States before, but now he's one of us." Dan Buda sneered. "A bit more than just some ties, wouldn't you say? This brat dared lay a hand on the Peddler and the Heavenly Maiden's house. Is there anything he wouldn't do?" Li Banfeng looked at Chu Shaoqiang. This was something he truly hadn't known. Chu Shaoqiang bowed to Dan Buda once more. "Senior, I was not the only one involved, and at the time, I was acting under orders against my own will. The imperial court commanded me and a group of others to go into that mansion to retrieve an important item. To tell you the truth, even today, I still do not know what that item was." Chu the Second was utterly confused. "What kind of item?" Dan Buda's face darkened. "Little girl, do you know how to speak properly? Who are you calling an item?" Lian Buda was clearly hostile toward Chu Shaoqiang, and Dan Buda was equally disgusted by Chu Huaiyuan. Just as a dispute was about to break out between the two sides, the Heavenly Maiden suddenly appeared. Chu Huaiyuan jumped in fright. Chu Shaoqiang froze where he stood, as if losing consciousness for an instant. The Heavenly Maiden looked at Dan Buda. "Over all these years, countless people have tried sneaking into the mansion to lay hands on me. Can it be that you remember every single one?" Without looking at the Heavenly Maiden, Dan Buda answered, "Of course I remember. I'm a vindictive person; anyone who crosses me, I won't forget for the rest of my life. Nearly everyone who broke into that house died by my hand. Only a handful made it out alive, and this man surnamed Chu truly did manage to leave alive." The Heavenly Maiden offered a faint smile, then turned her gaze to Chu Shaoqiang. Chu Shaoqiang stood dumbfounded for a moment, then pushed Chu the Second's head down and bowed repeatedly to the Heavenly Maiden. Chu the Second had no idea what was happening. Chu Shaoqiang kept warning her in an undertone, "Whatever you do, don't look up." With a wave of the Heavenly Maiden's hand, an invisible force made father and daughter straighten up. "I do not care for elaborate etiquette, nor do I wish to waste time dwelling on the past." Li Banfeng looked at Chu Shaoqiang and Dan Buda. "Let's leave past matters in the past. Now that we're working together, rank and status don't matter. The heaviest tasks fall upon the two of you, and the rest of us will follow your instructions." "Those words do me far too much honor!" Chu Shaoqiang bowed to Dan Buda once more. "This junior is willing to follow your commands." Dan Buda did not stand on ceremony either. "Let's scout out the layout together. We can talk as we survey the ground." Chu Shaoqiang agreed. Dan Buda turned back to Li Banfeng. "Take a stroll around the mountain and familiarize yourselves with the terrain—especially Yuan Miaoping. She'll need to pull her weight on this job." Chu Shaoqiang brought Chu Huaiyuan along and followed Dan Buda, while the Heavenly Maiden carried Yuan Miaoping over her shoulder and departed. Li Banfeng carried his companion dwelling and walked across the mountain for a short while, using Broadening the Bridal Chamber to summon both Hong Ying and A'yu. The moment A'yu saw they were at Daogui Ridge, she glared at Li Banfeng. "Why did you bring me to this place again? I want to go home!" Hong Ying took hold of A'yu. "Silly girl, don't be afraid. Do you sense any danger here?" Hong Ying was only mediocre with the technique of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, but if she could not perceive the slightest danger, it proved that Daogui Ridge was currently very safe. The three proceeded up the mountain together. A'yu scrutinized the surrounding daolao ghosts. They were chopping firewood, weaving baskets, and building huts; aside from their ferocious appearance, their behavior was no different from ordinary folk. "What happened here? How did the daolao ghosts become so docile?" Hong Ying picked up a branch, walked up to a daolao ghost, and tapped it on the skull a few times. The daolao ghost was infuriated, snatched the branch away, and threw it onto the ground, but did not tangle with Hong Ying any further. "Daolao ghosts like this... even if sent to the Underground City, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to fight." Li Banfeng picked a spot halfway up the mountain and said to Hong Ying and A'yu, "We're looking for someone on this mountain. Five hours from now, whether you find him or not, you must return to this spot." A'yu asked, "Who are we looking for?" "Lühuazi." Hong Ying did not know Lühuazi, and A'yu was not familiar with him either. The projector cast an image of Lühuazi in midair. Just as the two were about to set off, Li Banfeng cautioned, "Once you find him, no matter where he is, under no circumstances are you to fight him. Just remember the location." *** Santoucha, the Underground City, the Soil Market. Qiao Yi selected two thousand Totem Army soldiers and handed the official seal over to He Jiaqing. "These two thousand troops will be under your command from now on." The Prince of Anshun felt two thousand was a bit few. He Jiaqing was someone he had recommended; if the man were not given an important role, it would reflect poorly on him. Stepping forward with a bow, he said, "Lord Qiao, Young Master He is a talent of our age. Giving him only two thousand troops seems truly too meager." Qiao Yi smiled without answering. He Jiaqing chimed in hurriedly, "I come from humble grass-roots origins. While I may have a few tricks from the martial world, none can be shown in polite company. Leading troops into battle requires experience. That Lord Qiao places his trust in this subordinate is something I am endlessly grateful for; two thousand men is already quite generous." Qiao Yi praised, "A young man who understands boundaries, knows when to advance and retreat, and is not arrogant—truly a rare find. General He, you indeed need seasoning. Today, take these two thousand men and launch a surprise raid on the Mortal Market. The scale of your victory matters little, but casualties must not exceed twenty percent. Can you achieve that?" The Prince of Anshun frowned slightly and turned to glance at He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing accepted the command on the spot. "This subordinate shall spare no effort!" Once He Jiaqing had left, the Prince of Anshun conferred with Qiao Yi in private. "He Jiaqing was indeed a formidable enemy of ours in the past, but that only proves he is a rare talent. Treating him so flippantly now makes us appear petty and unappreciative of talent, and damages his sincere desire to forsake darkness for the light. I urge Your Excellency to reconsider." Holding a brush, Qiao Yi wrote a letter, handed it to a military commander, and then turned to the Prince of Anshun. "Be at ease, Your Highness. Once I leak the news of He Jiaqing marching into battle, it will not be too late to make a final judgment." The Prince of Anshun's face blanched on the spot. "What is the meaning of this, My Lord? You grant him a mere two thousand men to go into battle, yet you leak his movements beforehand—is this not sending He Jiaqing to his death?" Qiao Yi shook his head with a chuckle. "Your Highness spoke just now of magnanimity and sincerity. We indeed possess the magnanimity to seek talent, but whether He Jiaqing's sincerity is genuine remains hard to tell. Once this test is carried out, regardless of whether it was genuine before, his sincerity will become real." The Prince of Anshun forced a smile and agreed aloud, though inwardly he was exceedingly displeased. While He Jiaqing was still preparing his tactics, Qiao Yi had already instructed men to spread the word. Zhen Luoming trotted up in a hurry to find Granny Ku. "Old Sister, trouble! The folks over at the Soil Market are attacking again." Granny Ku was sorting the bitter herbs brought from Kucaizhuang, paying no heed whatever to Zhen Luoming's words. "If they attack, they attack. The Inner States dispatched tens of thousands of Totem Army soldiers here; did they come to sightsee if not to fight? What are you getting so flustered about? Is it your place to worry about things here? Doesn't Old Xu insist on holding the Mortal Market? Then let him hold it, and we'll watch!" Zhen Luoming shook his head. "Old Sister, the troops sent by the Inner States aren't many—just two thousand men. But the one leading them is special: it's He Jiaqing!" The bitter herbs in her hands dropped to the ground. Granny Ku stared at Zhen Luoming. "Where did you get this news?" Zhen Luoming said, "The source is still unclear, but I'm not the only one who knows. Xu Han's side has found out as well!" Beside Granny Ku, Teacher Song grew tense. "Is the information reliable? How could Jiaqing possibly lead troops for the Inner States?" Zhen Luoming stamped his feet repeatedly. "That's exactly the problem! When he refused to come to the battlefield before, plenty of people were already unhappy with him. Huan Wuchang claimed he was fighting the Inner States in the newlands, which barely passed as an excuse, but now he's gone over to the Inner States—there's no explaining this away!" Teacher Song was struck dumb, at a loss for words. Granny Ku's expression turned placid. "Unverified rumors like this are everywhere on a battlefield. If we took every word seriously, there'd be no way to fight this war." At those words, Zhen Luoming grew displeased. He was not a member of the Brotherhood Alliance; he had hurried over in person to bring Granny Ku the message purely out of regard for her prestige, hoping to secure backing for himself in the future. After all, neither Li Qi nor Eighteen Wheels cared for him, whereas his stance aligned with Granny Ku most of the time. Now he had brought her such crucial intelligence, yet not only did Granny Ku treat it as nothing, she even snapped at him repeatedly. This left the Grandmaster Peer Cultivator feeling thoroughly slighted. Zhen Luoming cupped his hands. "Old Sister, you are experienced and knowledgeable, with your own sense of propriety. This little brother is shortsighted and makes a fuss over every little thing, making trouble for you! Farewell!" Once Zhen Luoming had walked far off, Granny Ku gathered all the bitter herbs into her sack and said to Teacher Song, "Rally every hand in the Brotherhood Alliance and prepare for battle immediately. If the enemy commander isn't He Jiaqing, we'll let the matter rest. But if He Jiaqing has truly defected to the enemy, we must strike first and clean house! The Brotherhood Alliance's reputation cannot be ruined at his hands!" *** After searching the mountain for five hours, Li Banfeng, Hong Ying, and A'yu regrouped. All three were first-rate experts among Travel Cultivators; five hours was more than enough to traverse the whole of Daogui Ridge. Hong Ying had found nothing unusual, only spotting Chu the Second having a bit of an argument with Dan Buda. Li Banfeng had discovered some anomalies: he saw that a portion of the daolao ghosts were still guarding the shrines on Daogui Ridge. They insisted on offering sacrifices, patrolling, and keeping watch around the shrines, seeming to maintain a certain degree of fighting spirit. Near the summit, A'yu had found a cave. She had not ventured inside rashly. "Husband, there's danger inside that cave. On a mountain ridge this vast, only that cave gave me a shiver." When the daolao ghosts no longer wanted to fight, who else could possibly give A'yu a shiver? Li Banfeng and Hong Ying followed A'yu to the cave. Standing at the entrance for a moment, Li Banfeng turned and said to A'yu and Hong Ying, "You two guard the entrance and act as the situation demands." Neither questioned him, watching as Li Banfeng made his way inside. The cave was pitch-black inside, cloaked by some line-of-sight obscuring method; even with Hong Ying and A'yu's cultivation, they couldn't see what was happening inside. Activating Golden Gaze Discerning Every Autumn Hair, Li Banfeng crept carefully into the cave. After rounding two bends, he spotted dozens of daolao ghosts. Unlike those outside, half of these daolao ghosts were resting while the other half stood guard. Among those resting, some hung from the ceiling while others clung to the side walls; not only were their movements nimble, but their positions were meticulously arranged. These daolao ghosts had undoubtedly undergone Critic's training, and must have fought alongside him in battle. Inside the cave lay a great deal of grain and canned provisions—supplies clearly left behind by Critic. There was also a pool of water inside; Critic had even arranged a water source for them. This pack of daolao ghosts was highly vigilant, yet they could not see Li Qi. What were these daolao ghosts doing here? Hugging the stone wall, Li Banfeng walked back and forth through the cavern. Passing a boulder, Li Banfeng halted; he felt a faint chill radiating from it. He produced his music box, wound it up, and played a melody. Hearing the music, the daolao ghosts scrambled to locate the source of the sound. After searching for a while to no avail, an overwhelming drowsiness swept over them, and one by one, they drifted off to sleep. Li Banfeng stowed the music box and took out the Glove. "Brother, give it a shot?" "Master, one moment." Using all five fingers, the Glove scrambled across the boulder for a few moments, black and white spots flickering across its surface. The boulder shifted slightly, kicking up a cloud of dust. Li Banfeng pushed the rock aside, revealing an opening behind it. Stepping inside, he saw that this was a cave within a cave, spanning seventy to eighty square meters. Lühuazi stood tall and straight in the center of the cavern, looking dignified and stern. Li Banfeng revealed his form, looking closely at Lühuazi. Seeing Li Banfeng, Lühuazi smiled. "Li Qi!" Li Banfeng smiled as well. "Huazi!" "How long has it been since we last saw each other!" "Quite a few days." "Why don't you usually come visit me?" "You're the founder of the Disease Cultivators, and I'm the Daolao God of War. We're not of the same sect; associating too much wouldn't look right." "With our friendship, what's there to be particular about! Don't stand on ceremony—come on in and have a seat!" Lühuazi suddenly lunged forward, baring long, razor-sharp claws, and swiped straight at Li Banfeng's face. "Don't be polite either, let's sit down together!" Li Banfeng dodged to the side and kicked Lühuazi flat onto the ground. Earlier, Lühuazi had been standing ramrod straight, leading Li Banfeng to believe he couldn't move; little did he know Lühuazi had long since resolved the disease focus Critic left behind, and had just been looking for an opportunity to break out of the cave. At the cave mouth, A'yu and Hong Ying listened intently. Hearing the two exchanging cordial greetings at first, they thought their rapport was quite good. Hong Ying even asked specifically, "Doesn't Qilang have a feud with Lühuazi? Didn't they fight tooth and nail before?" A'yu couldn't make sense of it either. "Perhaps because Puluo Province faces a great enemy, the two decided to turn swords into plowshares—" Before she could finish, the sounds of scuffling reached their ears. They rushed into the cave at once and saw daolao ghosts slumped all over the ground. Thinking something had gone wrong, they hurried into the inner cave, only to find Li Banfeng and Lühuazi sitting on the ground, drinking together. His face covered in rashes and pustules, Li Banfeng held a wine gourd and poured a bowl for Lühuazi first. "Huazi, I came looking for you this time on urgent business. I was afraid you wouldn't agree." Mangled and bloodied, Lühuazi raised the bowl and took a sip. "Listen to the way you speak! With our friendship, if I didn't agree, you'd beat me to death for sure. If there's something on your mind, just say it. No need for pleasantries between us." "Then I'll be direct. I want you to take the daolao ghosts and help me fight a battle." Lühuazi set his wine bowl down. "Fight against whom?" "Against the Inner States!" "Fighting the Inner States isn't out of the question. Back then, the Peddler had me fight them too. But the Peddler was a fair man; he never asked anyone to exert themselves for free!" Lühuazi twitched his eyebrows at Li Banfeng, his eyes pregnant with meaning. Li Banfeng appreciated Lühuazi's attitude. "I won't have you exert yourself for free either. Once we win this battle, I'll allow you to keep living in Puluo Province." Lühuazi was not too pleased. "Now that's dull. Am I not alive right now as well?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't mean living trapped in this cave. I'll grant you a decent territory." "How big a territory?" Lühuazi pointed at the surrounding rock walls, tracing a circle. "I want all of Daogui Ridge. Can you give me that?" "Getting impatient, aren't we?" Li Banfeng chuckled. "Which territory and how big it is will be up to me. As long as you fight this battle well, I will never mistreat you!" Lühuazi picked up his bowl again and downed it in one gulp. "Seeing as I've got no choice anyway, I accept. As long as the price is right, I won't slack off in battle!" "I trust you!" Li Banfeng poured Lühuazi another cup of wine. Lühuazi drank the wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "There's one thing I almost forgot to mention: the rash on your face has no antidote. But don't worry too much; as long as you keep your word to me, when the time comes, I can cure it for you." "No antidote?" Li Banfeng gasped. "Lühuazi, how venomous of you!" "You can't blame me for being venomous, this is—" Before Lühuazi could finish, he noticed the rashes on Li Banfeng's face were gone. Was it an illusion? Lühuazi could sense that his disease focus had vanished from Li Banfeng's body. "Where were we?" Li Banfeng raised his wine bowl. "Keep going, I'm listening." "Nothing, I was just making a joke earlier. Whatever you say goes." Lühuazi lowered his head to drink, sweat mingled with blood trickling down his face. *** By nightfall, Li Banfeng was waiting at the foot of the mountain. Dan Buda, Lian Buda, Chu Shaoqiang, and Chu Huaiyuan returned together. The Heavenly Maiden returned as well, bringing Yuan Miaoping. Everyone sat in a circle, and Dan Buda spoke first. "We've got the lay of the land down. At this critical juncture, if we want to move a mountain as vast as Daogui Ridge entirely to Santoucha, there's no way we can escape Qiao Yi's eyes." The Heavenly Maiden brushed her hair back and looked at Dan Buda. "In other words, you can't pull it off?" Yuan Miaoping quickly intervened to smooth things over. "Let's not be hasty. Let her finish speaking first." Dan Buda sketched an outline of Daogui Ridge on the ground. "An entire mountain is definitely impossible, and half a mountain won't do either. If we only move ten percent—just the mountain peak—I'm confident I can fool Qiao Yi." Everyone turned to look at Li Banfeng. Calculating the number of daolao ghosts and the location of the water source, Li Banfeng shook his head. "Ten percent won't cut it. At least thirty percent." "Thirty percent makes things troublesome!" Dan Buda drew a line at the thirty-percent mark. "Thirty percent of Daogui Ridge is vastly taller than the Underground City." Li Banfeng looked at Chu Shaoqiang. "Didn't you say you could punch a hole in the ceiling of the Underground City?" Chu Shaoqiang nodded. "Punching a hole is no problem." Dan Buda shook her head. "There's a problem on my end. I heard from Second Miss Chu that there are quite a few Peer Cultivators in the Totem Army. If you punch a hole right over their heads, how could they possibly fail to notice? Even if they couldn't see the opening, could they not see the rocks falling from above? Punching a hole directly definitely won't work. If you insist on moving thirty percent of Daogui Ridge, we must find an existing hole to deliver Daogui Ridge through." Li Banfeng pondered for a long time, then spread out the map of the Underground City. "There are existing openings, but not in the Soil Market." He drew a circle around the location of Soil Exchange Island. Chu Shaoqiang had also thought of Soil Exchange Island. Every year, farmers in the Soil Market transported depleted soil to the Sea Market, from where it was shipped to Soil Exchange Island. Soil Exchange Island was connected to the surface and could utilize the frequent daylight from above to replenish the soil's fertility, so there were indeed openings leading to the surface above Soil Exchange Island. Yet there was a problem at hand. Even if Daogui Ridge were delivered to Soil Exchange Island, how would it be transported to the Soil Market afterward? Soil Exchange Island had already been occupied by the Inner States, and the exit where they deployed troops was right near Soil Exchange Island. If such a colossal mountain appeared on Soil Exchange Island, how could the Totem Army fail to see it? Dan Buda was already prepared. First, she looked at Li Qi. "How to wage war is your business; I won't interfere." Then she looked at Chu Shaoqiang. "How to move a mountain is your business; I won't interfere." Finally, she looked at the Heavenly Maiden. "Hiding it from the enemy's eyes is my business, and I will certainly get the job done. Three days: I will deliver Daogui Ridge to the Soil Market. Do we have a deal or not?" Li Banfeng said, "Three days is a bit long. I worry the Mortal Market won't be able to hold out." Dan Buda shook her head. "Whether they can hold out depends on your capabilities. If you want this done without anyone being the wiser, it will take at least three days." Li Banfeng weighed it for a moment and nodded. "It's settled then. Three days."