Ren Wenlie had his throat slit by Li Banfeng, leaving his two junior disciples, Pei Maojin and Gao Yangting, standing in place.
They dared not look back, nor did they dare walk forward, because Li Banfeng had said that staying put was the best option.
Li Banfeng patted the two men on their heads and smiled. "Are you Saint’s Disciples?"
Pei Maojin shivered and said, "The Saint’s Mana is boundless! You have made a huge mistake, but there’s still time to turn back!"
Gao Yangting chimed in from the side, "We’ll speak in your favor before our Master. Let’s forget about this matter, and we won’t pursue your actions in the future."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Truly worthy disciples of a Saint—kind-hearted and broad-minded. Come, you two, accompany me to my cave residence for a while."
Xiao Yeci stood rooted to the spot, her clothes soaked with sweat.
Li Banfeng looked at the woman with admiration. "You’ve rendered great service today. I’ll first have a good chat with these two Saint’s Disciples. There will be other rewards for you tonight."
Xiao Yeci turned to look at Li Banfeng’s retreating figure.
Inside the cave, Pei Maojin still projected an air of confidence. "I see you’re a reasonable person. The Saint is awaiting our report. We should set off as soon as possible and not waste time here."
As he said this, Pei Maojin was nearly wetting his pants, but he still thought that if he uttered a few more threats, the big-bearded man before him might spare him.
Gao Yangting had already realized something was wrong.
He fell to his knees before Li Banfeng with a THUD, crying, "Benefactor Sir, I was forced to come here! Throughout my years of study, they always said I lacked opportunity. Today, for some reason, I suddenly became one of the Saint’s Disciples. They were just tricking me into coming here to die! I didn’t want to come, but I dared not refuse. Benefactor Sir, please spare my life!"
In the face of life and death, the two reacted very differently.
Li Banfeng brought them both into the Portable Residence to study them. After asking fewer than two questions, he found the root cause.
Pei Maojin was born and raised in Mu Xian Village. In his eyes, the Saint was omnipotent and omnipresent.
Gao Yangting grew up on Black Stone Slope and was sent by his family to Cherishing Grace Village at fifteen. He knew that great figures like the Saint wouldn’t normally intervene for people of their standing.
Li Banfeng asked Pei Maojin what this place was. Pei Maojin answered, "This is an unnamed, wild mountain next to Mu Xian Village."
"I’m asking for the name of this entire territory."
"This is the Saint’s territory. The entire world is the Saint’s territory."
In Pei Maojin’s worldview, the world was only that large.
The same question posed to Gao Yangting elicited a vastly different response.
"Benefactor Sir, do you want to hear the outside version or the inside version?"
There was no need to hear the inside version; Li Banfeng had heard it too many times.
"There are two outside versions," Gao Yangting recounted. "My father told me this is Saint Grace Mountain, where the Saint taught the Sage’s Doctrine. But on my way here, I heard people say this place isn’t called Saint Grace Mountain. It’s called Cheap Person Ridge."
Cheap Person Ridge!
Li Banfeng remembered Elder Yao’s map and Ma Wu’s description of Puluo State’s Back Three-Land. Each time he heard the name Cheap Person Ridge, he grew curious about what kind of place would be called Cheap Person Ridge.
Since arriving, Li Banfeng had seen so many wretched people that those who didn’t wish to be wretched had become anomalies here.
Li Banfeng was surprised; the Phonograph was even more so.
"My Lord, how did you end up in Cheap Person Ridge?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "That’s not something I can explain in a few words. My lady, have you ever been to Cheap Person Ridge?"
SSS~
The lady replied, "Oh, My Lord, I haven’t been to Cheap Person Ridge, but I’ve heard of it."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Hmm, heard of it."
"Oh, My Lord, this place is extraordinary!"
"Yes, extraordinary."
"Oh, My Lord, Cheap Person Ridge is hard to find, and it has become even harder in recent years. It’s said that very few who come here are able to leave. We might be trapped here for some time."
Li Banfeng blinked. "I’ve already been trapped for a while. Counting the days, it’s been over ten days."
"Over ten days isn’t long. I once heard of someone being trapped here for decades before they could leave."
Li Banfeng waved his hand. "I can’t wait that long. I don’t need decades. In three to five years, I’ll probably have killed all the wretches here."
"My Lord, we truly cannot rush this. From your interrogation of those two just now, the Saint they speak of is certainly no ordinary figure. My Lord, you must be careful. In a few days, I fear he might come knocking personally."
Li Banfeng looked at the Phonograph.
Li Banfeng dragged Pei Maojin and Gao Yangting over. "My lady, it’s time to eat."
Gao Yangting cried incessantly, "Benefactor Sir, spare my life! I was forced to come here!"
Pei Maojin still managed to bluster, "I don’t care who you are or where you come from! If you’ve touched one of the Saint’s Disciples, you’re dead! Let me go, quickly! I’ll intercede with my Master for you. Perhaps the Saint will show mercy..."
WHOOSH!
A jet of Steam shot out, severing Pei Maojin’s tongue.
The lady was not in a good mood; she found Pei Maojin too noisy.
After Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence, the lady, not in the mood for Soul Sucking, directly consumed the two men’s Souls.
HUFF. HUFF.
The Phonograph, after long deliberation, asked Hong Ying, "You wretch, when you ’looked’ at that Break Cocoon Chrysalis earlier, did it seem familiar?"
Hong Ying retorted viciously, "Vile woman, do I have eyes? How could anything seem familiar to me?"
The Phonograph asked another question, "Have you ever heard of this place, Cheap Person Ridge?"
"Never heard of it. Those places you mentioned—Greenwater Bay, Medicine King Valley, Hai Chi Ridge—I’ve never heard of them. I haven’t even heard of Iron Gate Fort."
She truly hadn’t. Being deaf and blind, she had lost all ability to perceive the outside world. She didn’t know where she was, nor was she aware of the many changes the world had undergone over the years.
"You know quite a lot, vile woman. It seems you’ve had quite a few experiences after your death," Hong Ying’s voice turned much more somber.
Previously, if Hong Ying had brought up this part of her past, the Phonograph would have flown into a rage.
But the Phonograph wasn’t in the mood for anger today. She had been paying attention to Cheap Person Ridge for a long time.
The horn of the Phonograph turned towards Red Lotus. "Do you know something about this?" she asked.
Lotus Flower remained silent. It was unclear whether she genuinely didn’t know or simply didn’t want to answer. She continued to focus on Refining Cong Shixiang’s corpse.
Li Banfeng returned to Benefactor’s Stronghold and first ordered people to repair the damaged wooden hut and gate.
The people in the stronghold now looked at Li Banfeng differently.
Previously, they had sought refuge with the Benefactor because they heard he dared to challenge the Saint and steal his things.
Today, however, they had witnessed the Benefactor kill several of the Saint’s Disciples with their own eyes.
From this day on, whatever Li Banfeng ordered would not need to be repeated. They would even take the initiative to do things he hadn’t ordered.
Xiao Yeci’s status also rose significantly. The Benefactor himself had said she was an Eighth Layer Literature Cultivator, an Eighth Layer master.
They had no real understanding of what the Eighth Layer entailed, but anyone the Benefactor held in high regard was naturally worthy of their respect.
At night, Li Banfeng found Xiao Yeci and gave her one hundred Ocean Dollars.
He had promised an additional reward during the day, and Li Banfeng was a man of his word.
Xiao Yeci refused to accept it. "Benefactor, I cannot take this money."
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Is it too little?"
Xiao Yeci waved her hands. "One hundred Ocean Dollars is not a small sum for my daughter and me. But I didn’t help you today, Benefactor. It’s not right to receive a reward for no merit. I already owe you so much, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to repay it. Besides, money is useless here. We don’t dare go to the village to buy things. Even if we did, the villagers wouldn’t sell to us."
"Then save it for later use," he said.
Lowering her head, Xiao Yeci said, "Benefactor, there are some things I daren’t tell Nannan, things I only want to tell you. I don’t know what will become of me in the future, and I don’t want to think about it. That... that senior brother who came today... just thinking about him makes my chest ache. I don’t know if he was a person or a Demon Monster. I’ve read so many books, but none describe anything so frightening. Benefactor, when you fought for your life against him, I was terrified. I truly didn’t think you could win. I just thought we would die here together."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "What? Do you regret following me?"
Xiao Yeci shook her head repeatedly. "No regrets. When I was young, I lived on charity. I became a mother before I was even fully grown. I dragged Nannan around everywhere, struggling to survive. I finally found a wealthy household, but they wouldn’t take me in. Only for this short period have I lived with dignity. Benefactor, if I may be so bold... even if I can never leave this place, I am willing to follow you for the rest of my life. Benefactor, I..."
When Xiao Yeci looked up, Li Banfeng was gone. Only a bag of Silver Yuan remained beside the straw mat.
Biting her lip, Xiao Yeci murmured to herself, "Did I say something wrong? Did he misunderstand me? I didn’t mean it like that... I still have my daughter with me. How could I ever be worthy of him?"
Li Banfeng had left silently, not because Xiao Yecai had said anything wrong, but because he had sensed danger.
Although he didn’t know any specific Techniques, Li Banfeng, as a Fifth Layer Traveling Cultivator, knew danger was right at the stronghold gates.
Reaching the gate, Li Banfeng saw a young man in white waiting quietly. The men on guard duty stood like clay statues, temporarily stripped of their normal reactions.
The youth in white sized up Li Banfeng. He was eager to know who this person before him was, and why three of his senior martial brothers, including his eldest, had met their end at his hands.
He wanted to look longer, but Li Banfeng shouted, "Do not look at what is improper!"
The youth in white quickly lowered his head and explained, "I mean no harm. I haven’t hurt your people; they are merely unconscious temporarily..."
Li Banfeng shouted again, "Do not speak of what is improper!"
The youth in white dared not say more.
Li Banfeng paused for a moment, then asked, "Did your Master send you?"
The youth nodded. "He wishes to meet you."
Li Banfeng said, "If he wants to see me, let him come himself."
The youth didn’t know how to reply. His Master had intended for Li Banfeng to pay a visit, but Li Banfeng clearly had no such intention.
After a pause, the youth continued, "My Master said he wishes to meet you in ten days and asked you to prepare."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why ten days? Why not today?"
The youth, head lowered, said, "That is what my Master instructed..."
After pondering for a moment, Li Banfeng agreed. "Go back and tell your Master that in ten days, at ten o’clock at night, I will be waiting for him here."
PS: Who exactly is this Saint?
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