Chapter 322: Artificer Cultivator, Hundred Blades |
Wan Jinxian said, "Behind Freewind Wharf is a stretch of warehouses. Most of them have fallen into disrepair over the years and have been abandoned. I heard Ma Wu plans to build a restaurant there, but construction has been delayed again and again. My spies have seen Ling Miaoying there more than once. At first, I thought he had gone there to deal with Li Qi, but now it seems he often visits that warehouse area. That forces me to suspect that Ling Miaoying may be colluding with Li Qi."
The whole time he was speaking, he had been watching Tu Yinghong's reaction. If Tu Yinghong jumped to defend Ling Miaoying, that would prove she had genuine feelings for him. However, Tu Yinghong remained very calm, and that confirmed He Jiaqing's guess. Tu Yinghong had repeatedly attacked Freewind Wharf to obtain the Crimson Lotus.
Tu Yinghong lit a cigarette, looked at Wan Jinxian, and said, "What use is there in telling me this? I don't believe Miaoying is colluding with Li Qi. I'd very much like to find him and ask him face-to-face, but I can't even leave this building."
"It's true that you can't leave. Because I can't let you out. I only came to tell you about this."
With that, Wan Jinxian left.
Tu Yinghong sat in her room and fell into deep thought.
Is Ling Miaoying really still alive? Why would he collude with Li Qi? Could it be for my iron rulers? Did he lie to me? Did he join hands with Li Qi to deceive me?
Ling Miaoying had shown interest in Tu Yinghong's iron rulers more than once. The pair of iron rulers was the whole reason why they were able to move the film building. However, Tu Yinghong had never let him touch the iron rulers. They were treasures she had obtained at an extremely high price.
When she met Li Qi at the cinema, the iron rulers went missing. Later, when she went to Freewind Wharf with Ling Miaoying to search for Li Qi, both men disappeared.
What do they want to do? What could be worth Ling Miaoying abandoning his family business and even faking his death? Could it be that they know the origins of the iron rulers?
The more Tu Yinghong thought about it, the more nervous she became. She took a cloth pouch from inside her dress, rummaged through it for a moment, and pulled out an iron elbow guard.
After the elbow guard came knee guards, then shoulder guards, an iron helmet, breastplate, and more. She pulled out more than a dozen pieces of armor in succession and assembled them into a full suit of armor.
Tu Yinghong had not worn this suit of armor in a long time because it was extremely heavy. But she had to wear it today. It was time to put her life on the line.
I can give up anything else, but I absolutely cannot lose that pair of iron rulers!
Tu Yinghong took a hairpin from the cloth pouch. This was a spirit-bound item of a Spycraft Cultivator. To deal with Ling Miaoying, she had to use this item. She then took a fishing net from the cloth pouch, which she had prepared specially for dealing with Li Qi.
Next, she opened the hidden compartments in her sleeves and stuffed in all kinds of weapons and ritual tools one by one. Once she was done packing all her weapons and spirit-bound items, Tu Yinghong quietly left her room.
Standing in the corridor, she could clearly see the guards in front of the building.
Nevertheless, there was no way those guards could stop Tu Yinghong. The building had more than one exit, and some exits were known only to her. However, ever since that man from the Outer Provinces arrived, she had not been able to find any of those exits.
Now that the man from the Outer Provinces has left, whatever magic he cast should have been lifted too, right?
Tu Yinghong looked out the window and thought about what Wan Jinxian had said earlier.
Wan Jinxian definitely had a plan in mind when he told me about Ling Miaoying and Li Qi. He wants to find out what is going on between Ling Miaoying and Li Qi, but he does not want to get involved. So, he wants me to act in his place? In that case, I'm being used by him...
Tu Yinghong had suspicions about Wan Jinxian's motives, but she had no other choice. She had to retrieve the iron rulers, no matter the cost.
While deep in her thoughts, Tu Yinghong felt along the corridor wall and quickly found a hidden door.
I've found one! I've really found one! Wan Jinxian truly does want to let me out! But he definitely won't expect that once I get out, he'll never find me again.
Tu Yinghong slipped through the hidden door and touched her breastplate, then a muslin cloak draped over her. She gradually turned transparent, and one minute later, she vanished entirely.
Outside the film building, Wan Jinxian gripped a bamboo cane and stood perfectly still. The bamboo cane was a Spycraft Cultivator's spirit-bound item. Through it, Wan Jinxian could clearly hear Tu Yinghong's footsteps.
Tu Yinghong climbed out of a storm drain outside the film building. Wan Jinxian could not see her, but he could judge the direction she was leaving in from her footsteps.
An old woman picking through garbage nearby stared at Wan Jinxian for a long time.
This man clearly isn't blind, so why is he holding a bamboo cane?
Wan Jinxian smiled at the old woman, took a one-hundred-yuan Huan bill from his pocket, and stuffed it into her hand.
The old woman froze. She wanted to say that she was not a beggar. However, one hundred yuan was not a small amount to her. Even if someone had mistaken her for a beggar, she still very much wanted to accept the money.
She thanked Wan Jinxian repeatedly, but he had already walked off into the distance. The old woman held the Huan bill and examined it carefully several times.
It's real money. I'm in luck today.
The old woman carefully put the money into her pocket and continued picking through the garbage. There was a lot of dust in the garbage pile, and the old woman coughed twice without thinking much of it, assuming it was just because it was dusty.
However, once she started coughing, she could not stop. Her throat itched badly, and her chest felt tight. Even a shallow breath left her trembling from the strain.
The old woman sat beside the garbage pile, clutching her chest as she kept coughing.
She coughed until her throat was sore, and bloody saliva kept spilling down the corner of her mouth.
What's happening? Am I sick? How did I suddenly get sick?
Today was going so well. Someone even gave me one hundred yuan. Isn't that a good thing? Now that I have money, I can eat something nice today...
The old woman collapsed into the garbage pile. She had a violent coughing fit, then she breathed her last.
***
At 1 AM, Li Banfeng shuddered inside the warehouse. Danger was approaching. This was the warning that his ability Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity sent him.
He had expected Tu Yinghong to launch a night raid. So, the morning of the day before, he slept in the Pocket Dwelling. In the afternoon, he gathered information in Greenwater City, completing his Wanderlust cultivation for the day. At night, he kept watch in the warehouse the entire time. The bait had been set, and he knew Tu Yinghong would definitely come.
I initially thought I would have to wait a few more days. I didn't expect that she would come over tonight.
Is she really coming to avenge Ling Miaoying? Are her feelings for him really that deep?
After checking all his enchanted artifacts and weapons, Li Banfeng reminded them quietly, "Everyone, you've all had plenty of rich foods recently, and your abilities have improved. Tonight, we end this quickly. No one is allowed to drag us down."
The Gramophone had warned Li Banfeng to never get locked in a stalemate with an Artificer Cultivator. There was a saying on the battlefield, "Artificer Cultivators wield a hundred blades."
Artificer Cultivators feared being caught off guard the most. They did not have a high level of adaptability.
However, once they found their footing and could counter their opponent's moves and combat style, they would pull out fine weapons one after another. The longer the fight dragged on, the greater danger Li Banfeng would be in.
The Film Projector said, "Director Qi, Tu Yinghong is no ordinary person. To be safe, we should call in more helpers."
The Glove slapped the Film Projector's casing. "You fool. There's a spy in Freewind Wharf, and we still haven't found out who it is. We absolutely can't let the news leak now, or we'll suffer a huge loss."
The Glove was especially proactive tonight. He had no choice but to be proactive. If they could not kill Tu Yinghong quickly, the matter of him stealing the iron rulers could very likely be exposed.
Fewer than ten minutes later, the Threaded Earring said by Li Banfeng's ear, "Master, there are footsteps."
Li Banfeng pressed his palm downward, signaling for all the enchanted artifacts to quiet down. The footsteps gradually approached and stopped outside the door.
Tu Yinghong's hairpin also sensed something. Outside the room, she observed the footprints. There was someone inside this warehouse.
How many people were there? If there was only one, she had to see whether it was Li Qi or Ling Miaoying.
Tu Yinghong was extremely familiar with all of Ling Miaoying's combat style, including the weapons and spirit-bound items he carried. She was confident she could capture Ling Miaoying alive.
If it turned out to be Li Qi, then she had to prepare for a fierce battle. Wanderlust Cultivators struck fast, so she could not let him kill her in a single burst. She had to drag out the fight while preventing Li Qi from escaping.
If both of them were there, that would prove Ling Miaoying and Li Qi really were colluding. In that situation, Tu Yinghong would choose to retreat. If she had to fight the two of them alone, she had almost no chance of winning.
Tu Yinghong listened carefully outside the door, but the hairpin could not figure out how many people were inside the room.
Why can't it figure it out?
From Tu Yinghong's deduction, there should only be Ling Miaoying inside this room. Ling Miaoying was a level-seven Spycraft Cultivator. He had likely heard her movements, hidden his aura, and prepared his defenses, which was why the hairpin could not sense him. This was within Tu Yinghong's expectations.
No matter what defensive measures Ling Miaoying had, Tu Yinghong was certain he could not escape her grasp.
Tu Yinghong first tugged at her lapel, making herself invisible. She then pulled a wooden puppet from her left sleeve.
The puppet unfolded its curled-up body and stood on the ground. At full height, the puppet was roughly just as tall as Tu Yinghong.
How could a puppet that large fit inside a sleeve? This was the method of a high-level Artificer Cultivator.
In Tu Yinghong's plan, she would have the puppet push open the door, and Ling Miaoying would attack the puppet first. Tu Yinghong would then use that chance to capture Ling Miaoying alive.
Once everything was ready, the puppet reached out to push the door. But the moment its hand touched the door, a thunderous boom rang out. The door shattered, and the puppet shattered with it. A pile of broken wood slammed into Tu Yinghong.
Tu Yinghong was startled and thought it was Ling Miaoying who had fired a shot.
Ling Miaoying's pistol was extremely powerful, but Tu Yinghong was wearing heavy armor this time. It slowed her movements, but it could block Ling Miaoying's bullets.
Strange. That did not seem like a bullet. It's more like buckshot.
Countless stones, clumps of earth, and grains of sand came flying at her face, clanging against her armor.
Tu Yinghong was shocked. This was the Wanderlust Cultivator ability, Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers!
The person inside is not Ling Miaoying. It's Li Qi! He's a Wanderlust Cultivator, so how could he have avoided the hairpin's spying?
Tu Yinghong never would have expected that Li Banfeng was also a high-level Homebound Cultivator with the characteristic of being overlooked. With sufficient preparation, he could avoid a Spycraft Cultivator spirit-bound item of the same level.
I have to change tactics!
Tu Yinghong had also made specific preparations against Li Qi. The best way to deal with a Wanderlust Cultivator was to control his footsteps.
This is where the fishing net comes in!
As long as she successfully cast the fishing net over Li Qi, her tactic would have a seventy percent chance of success. The problem now was the actual casting of the net.
However, Li Banfeng gave Tu Yinghong no chance to catch her breath. He could not see Tu Yinghong, but when he threw the sand and stones at her, the moment they made contact confirmed her position.
Li Banfeng fixed his gaze on Tu Yinghong and rushed out of the warehouse.
Tu Yinghong stared intently at Li Banfeng, not daring to lose focus for even a moment. She was afraid he would use Passing Flowers on Horseback.
Li Banfeng swung his sickle, slashing horizontally and vertically. He cut up Tu Yinghong's invisibility cloak, turning it into scraps of cloth.
With the cloak gone, Tu Yinghong was visible, and the Tang Saber seized the chance to slash down at her back.
Tu Yinghong had put a lot of effort and care into forging the suit of armor she wore. If it had been the Tang Saber from before, not only would he have failed to cut through the armor, but his blade might even have cracked.
Nevertheless, the Tang Saber was vastly different now. Accompanying Li Banfeng had gotten him many good meals, and he had long surpassed his former level. With one slash, he cleaved a cut that was over fifteen centimeters long into the armor.
The armor cracked, but Tu Yinghong did not panic. The Tang Saber got stuck in the crack and could not exert his strength, so he only left her with a superficial wound.
The Tang Saber pulled his blade free and swung a second slash at the same spot, only to discover that the crack it had carved into the armor had disappeared.
The armor has… healed?
The Tang Saber did not think much of it and immediately brought his second slash down.
The cut was also over fifteen centimeters long. As soon as the Tang Saber pulled out his blade again, the Blood-Drinking Pendulum followed up and struck Tu Yinghong before the armor healed itself.
As the armor healed, it closed around the Blood-Drinking Pendulum, clamping down on it ruthlessly. The Blood-Drinking Pendulum endured the intense pain and began sucking Tu Yinghong's blood. Tu Yinghong had no attention to spare for such a minor wound, though.
At that moment, Li Banfeng kept flickering back and forth before her eyes. If Tu Yinghong slipped up even slightly, she would lose her life to Li Banfeng using Passing Flowers on Horseback.
But that was the only ability she had to guard against. She was not worried about Li Banfeng's other abilities. Even if Li Banfeng used Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers again, she was certain her armor could definitely withstand it.
The most urgent matter right now was to trap Li Banfeng with the fishing net.
Keeping her eyes fixed on Li Banfeng, Tu Yinghong felt around inside her sleeve for the fishing net.
Where is the fishing net?
Tu Yinghong searched for a long while and found that the fishing net was gone.
Did Li Qi steal it again? Is he a Wanderlust Cultivator or a Thievery Cultivator?
While Tu Yinghong was searching for the fishing net, the Liquor Gourd flew up and sprayed a mist of liquor at her. Li Banfeng struck a match and flicked it out with one finger. He wanted to see whether Tu Yinghong's armor could block flames.
Tu Yinghong really ended up blocking the flames. She pulled a cloak from her sleeve, and the cloak redirected the flames back to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng dodged the flames, used Traceless Quick Steps to advance, and shredded the cloak with his sickle.
The Old Teapot flew into the air and splashed tea at Tu Yinghong. A porcelain bottle flew out from Tu Yinghong's sleeve and collected every drop of the tea.
Li Banfeng used Traceless Quick Steps again, trying to escape Tu Yinghong's line of sight. Tu Yinghong's hairpin kept spying on Li Banfeng's movements, helping her keep her gaze locked on him the entire time.
The porcelain bottle sprayed a wave of heat at Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng dodged aside, and the wave of heat drifted over to the warehouse behind him, setting it ablaze at once.
The porcelain bottle hovered in midair, and the wave of heat covered several dozen meters around them, leaving Li Banfeng nowhere to hide. However, he truly was not afraid of this move. He had long gotten used to being scalded by the Gramophone. Thinking of the steam train, Li Banfeng used Homebound Heart and Thickset Body to forcefully withstand the attack.
Li Banfeng's defense held, but he lost the initiative to attack. Spears, short sabers, meteor hammers, and dozens of other weapons flew from Tu Yinghong's sleeve and surrounded Li Banfeng, attacking him from every side.
Tu Yinghong pulled a sewing kit from her sleeve, and over a dozen spools of thread darted back and forth across the ground. If Li Banfeng tripped on one of them even once, the weapons would wound him.
The battle fell into a stalemate, gradually shifting in Tu Yinghong's favor. Nonetheless, Li Banfeng did not panic. He leaped back and forth among the threads while dodging the weapons around him.
Tu Yinghong did not dare let down her guard in the slightest either. Her gaze remained fixed on Li Banfeng the whole time.
Wan Jinxian watched the battle from afar, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. Li Banfeng had fallen into a disadvantage. Tu Yinghong had also used almost all the tricks she had up her sleeves. No matter who won the fight between Li Banfeng and Tu Yinghong, Wan Jinxian would be the one to reap the benefits.
Tonight, I have to capture Li Qi. Capturing him will be the same as obtaining the Crimson Lotus.
He Jiaqing kept saying that the Crimson Lotus would be in their hands soon, but Wan Jinxian did not want to wait any longer.
Perhaps the Crimson Lotus was no longer that important to He Jiaqing, but it was extremely important to Wan Jinxian. He was getting on in age, yet his cultivation was still at level seven. He could not afford to keep waiting.
Just as the battle reached its fiercest point, Tu Yinghong, who held the upper hand, suddenly found her vision blurring. The reason was excessive blood loss.
The Blood-Drinking Pendulum, which was stuck in Tu Yinghong's armor, had been sucking blood the entire time. She caused almost no pain, so Tu Yinghong had ignored her.
Now, Tu Yinghong wanted to pull the Blood-Drinking Pendulum out, but the Blood-Drinking Pendulum was wedged tightly in the armor. This armor could heal on its own, but it could not split itself open.
I have to end the battle as quickly as possible!
Right when Tu Yinghong was about to take out all her remaining weapons, she heard something strange.
Li Qi yelled repeatedly, "Hoo-yah-yah-yah!"
The hairpin on Tu Yinghong's head snapped. Li Banfeng's yell was extremely damaging to a Spycraft Cultivator's spirit-bound item.
Tu Yinghong's vision had already been blurry, and now that she had lost the hairpin, she could no longer keep up with Li Qi's movements.
She stood there in a daze for a moment, and Li Qi suddenly vanished.
Oh, no. It's Passing Flowers on Horseback! Tu Yinghong realised in shock.
But it was already too late. Her head burst, sending brain matter and blood splattering everywhere.
Wan Jinxian froze. I did not expect that Li Qi would end up as the winner.
It was even better that he had won. That saved Wan Jinxian the trouble of snatching him from Tu Yinghong.
Wan Jinxian watched the situation. Tu Yinghong dropped fine weapons all over the ground. Li Qi will surely go pick them up. This is the best chance to capture Li Qi alive.
Unexpectedly, Li Banfeng did not pick up the weapons. He hoisted Tu Yinghong's corpse onto his shoulder and fled.
Wan Jinxian frowned and realized what the problem was. I revealed malicious intent just now, and Li Qi sensed it.
Wanderlust Cultivators were fast, but Wan Jinxian was not slow either. He drove a nail into his heel. This was an enchanted artifact refined from the soul of a level-eight Wanderlust Cultivator, and it should be enough for him to catch up to Li Banfeng.
After chasing for several dozen meters, Li Banfeng disappeared.
Where did he go? I didn't even see his shadow. How could Li Qi have run so fast?
