The interrogation was almost over, and Qiu Zhiheng waited for news of the last Grieving Cultivator’s capture.
「The next day」
News arrived. The last Grieving Cultivator hadn’t been captured; someone in Waigou’s Hemp Bamboo Village had discovered a clue. A disciple of Jiang Xiang Gang went to apprehend him, only to find the corpse of this Grieving Cultivator.
Hemp Bamboo Village. Li Banfeng had visited this place; it was Oil Peach’s home, located on the border between Medicine King Valley and Greenwater City.
Qiu Zhiheng asked, "When did this happen?"
Luo Zhengnan answered, "We just found the body this morning."
"Hemp Bamboo Village isn’t close to Li Gou." Qiu Zhiheng was skeptical. Given the timing, Luo Zhengnan shouldn’t have received the news so quickly.
Luo Zhengnan said, "I have my methods, which you needn’t inquire about."
"Did he die trying to smuggle himself across?"
Luo Zhengnan shook his head. "He had a Guide Token on him. Although we don’t know its origin, he shouldn’t have needed to smuggle himself."
Li Banfeng listened very clearly from the rear hall.
Luo Zhengnan and Qiu Zhiheng also fell silent. After much thought, Luo Zhengnan decided to take a gamble. "There’s a cargo truck going to Loess Bridge tomorrow. I’ll find a way to get a Grieving Cultivator onto it.
"If he dies at the station, it proves they can’t get out. Then we’ll have to think of another way.
"If we can successfully send him to Loess Bridge, it proves our method is correct. Then I’ll figure out how to arrange another truck to send them all back!"
Qiu Zhiheng had often dealt with the Border Defense Envoy and knew the conduct of these people.
"Hall Master Luo, if we take someone there tomorrow and he dies at the station, do you think the Border Defense Envoy would spare you? At such a critical juncture, they’re likely to turn against you completely."
Luo Zhengnan sighed. He shared the same concern.
And the cost wasn’t the only one.
While the two were drinking tea, a sudden gust of wind caused the tiles on the roof to rattle violently.
Stepping outside the door, they saw countless hailstones the size of thumbnails falling from the sky.
Such weather hadn’t been experienced in Medicine King Valley for many years.
Qiu Zhiheng had chosen top-quality tiles that barely managed to hold up. Ordinary tiles on other people’s roofs were smashed to pieces in less than five minutes.
WHOOSH!
A scent of alcohol wafted on the wind. Amidst its fragrance, the temperature suddenly rose.
The hailstones rapidly melted before they hit the ground, transforming into a torrential downpour amidst the alcoholic mist.
The heavy rain poured for a full three hours. If it had hailed for three hours, one could hardly imagine what would have become of Medicine King Valley.
And this was just the beginning. By midnight, the hail came again.
Elder Yao, carrying a jug of wine and his Three-pointed Double-edged Sword, stood in the yard and shouted, "If you’ve got any tricks, come at me! Bullying ordinary folks shows no skill!"
With a spray of alcoholic mist, the hail once again turned into rain.
Elder Yao and the Deathgate Formation had been at it for a full day and night.
Li Banfeng didn’t even want to think about it.
Li Banfeng and Qiu Zhiheng, accompanied by the old Grieving Cultivator Ge Tugen, arrived at Yuxiang Village and found the bloodstain he had mentioned earlier.
It was a dark red, palm-sized bloodstain. It was impressive that this old man’s eyesight was sharp enough to have spotted it.
Li Banfeng asked, "If we dig up this bloodstain, can we break the Deathgate Formation?"
The old man shook his head. "Digging up just this bit definitely won’t work. How much we need to dig up, I can’t say for sure."
Qiu Zhiheng frowned deeply.
Li Banfeng took out a shovel and started to dig up the bloodstain on the ground.
Qiu Zhiheng stepped forward to stop him. "Brother, don’t! Mind the bad luck, let me do it."
Li Banfeng waved his hand; he had already started shoveling.
Having dealt with Grieving Cultivators for so many days, he had long stopped worrying about bad luck.
The bloodstain was deep. After digging more than five feet down, half a bag of dirt was excavated before the bloodstain was thoroughly removed.
Upon returning to the Medicine Shop, Li Banfeng brought some of the dirt back to the Portable Residence. Hong Ying, smelling something off, shouted, "Did you bring back a Grieving Cultivator? Why is there such a strong smell of bad luck?"
Li Banfeng exclaimed excitedly, "Your nose is so sensitive! Why not come with me to Medicine King Valley? I’ll lead you, you can sniff out all the bloodstains, and we can break the Deathgate Formation."
Hong Ying said angrily, "I wouldn’t do such unlucky work! Besides, what you’re doing is useless."
"How is it useless?"
"I don’t know how big this Medicine King Valley you’re talking about is, but it must be at least a hundred-mile radius, right?
"Within a hundred-mile radius of territory, a small bucket of blood has been scattered. You’ll need to dig up at least more than half of it to break the Deathgate Formation."
Li Banfeng actually thought this was possible. "What shape is the Deathgate Formation? How many blood-sprinkling points are there? I’ll find them one by one!"
Hong Ying scoffed. "You really don’t give up, do you? When I was still in the military, I vaguely remember there being over sixty variations of the Deathgate Formation, each with different shapes. The number of blood-sprinkling points ranges from one hundred to three hundred. Do you really think you can find them?"
The sheer number of variations left Li Banfeng speechless for a long time.
The Phonograph reprimanded Hong Ying, "Don’t talk anymore!"
Hong Ying retorted angrily, "Why can’t I say it? I’m telling him not to waste his energy!"
"You wretch, can’t you stop talking? Go and receive twenty hits from the Military Stick yourself!"
"Even if I get hit with the stick, I’ll say it! The Deathgate Formation simply can’t be broken! Someone set up such a large Formation in their own home; it serves that drunkard right that he’s done for! Why do you even care about him?"
Before her words had ended, the Portable Residence suddenly emitted a low hum.
HUMMM...
Hong Ying donned her full suit of armor and stood beside the Phonograph.
The Phonograph and Hong Ying only heard the continuous low humming, as if it were the noise of machinery colliding and rubbing together.
Only Li Banfeng heard the voice of the Portable Residence. "I can help you, but I need at least two more railway tracks."
"How can you help me?"
"By traveling through every inch of Medicine King Valley, leaving no stone unturned!"
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