Li Banfeng didn’t know why Xiao Genzi was here, and Xiao Genzi himself didn’t know how he had ended up here.
The old man carried the bucket, looking at Greenwater Beggar.
Greenwater Beggar cracked a slight smile. Hundreds of pustules erupted across his body, growing so numerous that his skin couldn’t contain them all. The pustules burst one by one, and from each emerged a thumb-sized, emerald-green little figure flapping its wings and flying towards the old man like a swarm of angels.
"You’re quite something, Green Flower. Using a killing move right from the start," the old man said calmly, still lecturing Root. "Root, observe carefully. These little creatures might seem slow, but as soon as you move, they’ll stick to you immediately, unless you have the agility of a Traveling Cultivator or a Thief Cultivation. Other Taoist Sects definitely can’t dodge them. So, we must parry using this Technique, ’Golden Light as Waterfalls’!"
As the little figures approached, the old man scooped a small spoonful from the bucket and flicked it effortlessly, conjuring a dazzling waterfall of golden light from the sky, blocking all the approaching figures.
Green Flower was startled—this old man was quite perceptive.
He was right. The little figures appeared to fly slowly, but they had a Spirit Attribute. If their target dodged or fled, they could suddenly accelerate and catch up.
Now that their direct path was blocked by the Golden Waterfall, Green Flower tried to control the little figures to bypass the waterfall and strike from the side.
The old man scooped another spoonful from the bucket and with a wide swing of his wrist, flung the liquid far and wide.
The liquid turned into myriads of sweet dew. The old man continued his lesson for Root, "This Technique is called ’Glinting Golden Light’!"
Every droplet of Golden Juice chased after Green Flower’s little figures like living beings, flying at extreme speeds.
Li Banfeng covered his nose, exclaiming repeatedly, "This is true flight!"
Golden Juice splashed onto the little figures, which shrieked pitifully as green pus oozed from their bodies, merging with the gold. Amidst agonized screams, the little figures and juice turned into a dense smoke.
Green Flower was secretly alarmed.
These pustule-formed figures were the essence of his refined Technique.
Green Flower was overthinking it. An even cancellation wasn’t the case, as there was more Golden Juice than the little figures. The leftover specks of golden stars, like arrows, darted straight towards Green Flower’s face.
Unfazed, Green Flower grabbed Lin Dexing by his side, using him as a shield, parrying back and forth.
It must be said that Green Flower’s agility was indeed remarkable. Not a single speck hit him—all were intercepted by Lin Dexing.
The Golden Juice wasn’t just potent to the smell. Upon contact with skin, it corroded all the way to the bone. Lin Dexing’s face was pock-marked, with large holes etched by the juice, and his clothes were also eaten away.
Green Flower tore the skin on his face, blood and pus oozing out together, mingling.
He was about to utilize another Technique, but the old man didn’t give him the chance. The hanging waterfall, ablaze with brilliant golden light, shifted towards him.
Once again, Green Flower picked up Lin Dexing, turning his shield into a spear, pushing through and carving a path in the waterfall, bursting out.
The old man praised, "Nice spear Technique, Root, pay close attention, this fellow has the foundation of a Martial Cultivator."
The waterfall was about to hit Elder Yao’s house, and Pan Dehai was very nervous, quickly hiding inside.
Li Banfeng was also very nervous—the house was newly constructed.
With a wave of his spoon, the old man made the waterfall disappear, transforming it into a giant Golden Dragon surging towards Green Flower.
"Root, this is called ’Golden Dragon Emerges from the Mountain’!"
The Golden Dragon, bathed in a full-body golden halo, thundered in, with even the slightest contact capable of causing fatal injuries.
Green Flower truly had the foundation of a Martial Cultivator, wielding Lin Dexing in his hand, who thrashed about like a monstrous python, battling the Golden Dragon.
The old man used the spoon to scoop up something dry from the bottom of the bucket.
This time he was investing heavily. Veins popping with exertion, he used force, "Root, this is called ’Water Covering Golden Mountain’!"
Root had been watching intently all along but never saw the old man fling the spoonful.
The spoon exerted a hidden force within the bucket, and simultaneously, the earth began to tremble.
Beneath Green Flower’s feet, the ground cracked open, revealing a glint of gold as a mountain peak gradually rose.
Green Flower wanted to jump and dodge, but his feet found no purchase; the mountain was soft and very sticky.
A single misstep, and if he got stuck, it would be the end of him.
Li Banfeng watched in amazement.
Unable to evade the Golden Mountain, Green Flower’s body oozed pus, forming what looked like green feathered wings.
The wings flapped, lifting Green Flower into the air.
As he rose an inch, the Golden Mountain grew by an inch. After rising over eight feet, Green Flower could no longer ascend.
Above him was a Golden Dragon, slamming down from above and pressuring Green Flower.
Green Flower grappled with the Golden Dragon but then heard the old man shout as he pulled the spoon from the bucket.
Water Covering Golden Mountain—the gold was there, but where was the water? And then the water came! A small, fist-sized opening appeared suddenly at the peak of the Golden Mountain, from which a jet of golden liquid burst forth.
Green Flower dodged while the golden stream pursued, striking at him.
Green Flower parried with Lin Dexing while the Golden Dragon kept attacking from above.
Suddenly, Green Flower sneezed, "ACHOO!"
A gust of wind came, dispersing the Golden Dragon and veering the golden stream off course.
The old man shouted, "Well sneezed!"
Li Banfeng was startled.
The golden stream quickly redirected itself, and the Golden Dragon resumed its original shape.
Green Flower wanted to sneeze again, to completely scatter the golden stream and Golden Dragon.
But the sneeze didn’t come, and Green Flower realized he had been tricked.
Before sneezing, Green Flower had inhaled deeply, taking in a substantial amount of Golden Juice.
At first he didn’t think much of it, but on his second breath, Green Flower felt something burning inside his body, fiercely searing his internal organs.
In his fury, Green Flower let out a shout and spewed out a mass of bone-white matter.
The hot matter evaporated quickly, turning into a white mist that dispersed into the air.
The old man said to Xiao Genzi, "He’s trying to spread the disease outward."
"This man is so disgusting!" Xiao Genzi cursed Green Flower.
Xiao Genzi was not afraid; having followed the old man for so long, he knew the old man certainly had a way to deal with it.
The old man lit his pipe and took a deep drag until the tobacco was red-hot, then dumped the glowing embers into the bucket. The Golden Juice inside began to boil, emitting clouds of golden vapors.
The golden vapor intertwined with the white mist, merging to become a smog that drifted away with the wind.
Green Flower coughed twice; it wasn’t about releasing the source of the disease—it was the Golden Juice burning inside his lungs.
But Green Flower didn’t want to fight anymore; his opponent was too formidable, and continuing the fight might leave him seriously injured.
He sought to leave the place, but the Golden Dragon and golden currents blocked his escape.
After all, Green Flower had battled through countless fights. In this critical situation, he showed no signs of panic.
First, he raised his body temperature, turning it red-hot so that all the Golden Juice that neared him evaporated instantly.
With this layer of protection, Green Flower swung Lin Dexing around, first fending off the Golden Dragon, then rushed to the top of Golden Mountain and stuffed Lin Dexing’s head into the mountain’s opening, effectively plugging the golden stream.
The mountain’s opening was only the size of a fist; the fit was a bit forced, but fortunately, the mountain itself wasn’t too hard.
Seizing the opportunity, Green Flower’s figure flashed, and he disappeared from sight.
Because the opening was plugged, the pressure inside Golden Mountain surged, and with a loud BANG, it shot Lin Dexing out.
Lin Dexing was flung into the sky, never to be seen again.
Xiao Genzi asked the old man, "Grandmaster, aren’t we going after him?"
The old man sighed, "Green Flower has real skill; pushing him to the brink makes him no easy foe to deal with."
"What about the other one?"
The old man looked outside the courtyard and smiled, "No need to worry about the other; those inside the house should be the ones concerned."
At that moment, Pan Dehai was in Elder Yao’s house, standing beside Elder Yao’s bed. His expression was fierce as he said, "Don’t blame me for not telling you in advance, but I’m going to dig out your Contract Book now."
Elder Yao lay in bed, offering no response.
Pan Dehai continued, "I’m not joking with you, I’m really going to dig it out. Medicine King Valley is a nice place; I want to add a bit more territory for myself. Besides, you won’t be needing it anymore, so you might as well give it to me."
Elder Yao still made no movement.
Pan Dehai sat in silence for a moment before taking a seat on the bed.
He rummaged in his bosom for a long time, eventually pulling out a thin stick.
"I bought a candy figurine on the way."
Pan Dehai fumbled in his robes again and again, finally pulling out some broken candy pieces. "It was a fine candy figurine, but that bastard Lin Dexing smashed it.
"If I piece it together, I can still eat it. It’s sweet. Do you want some?
"You’re not getting up, are you? You don’t want it, right?
"If you don’t eat it, I will. I’m not joking; I’ll really eat it."
Root stood in the courtyard, asking the old man, "Grandmaster, who is that man?"
"He is Pan Dehai, the Local Deity of Hai Chi Ridge."
"And the one lying there?"
"That’s Yao Xin, the Local Deity of Medicine King Valley."
"Are they friends or foes?"
"It’s hard to say," the old man said, shaking his head. "Do you still remember the disaster that befell Hai Chi Ridge?"
"I remember."
"Pan Dehai was unscrupulous. He wanted to spread the insect plague from Hai Chi Ridge to other territories, and for this reason, he fought several battles with the other Local Deities around him. But he never laid a hand on Medicine King Valley. When disaster struck, among the Local Deities, only Yao Xin lent Pan Dehai a hand by sending pest-killing medicine to Hai Chi Ridge. As to how much gratitude or enmity they really hold between them, I truly can’t say."
「...」
Lin Dexing staggered down the mountain, all his skin had peeled off, and a significant portion of his flesh was gone.
His brain sloshed inside his hole-ridden skull, and pieces of his internal organs occasionally fell out, with all his bones displaced.
Halfway down the mountain, Lin Dexing tripped and lost his footing, tumbling to the ground.
With his vision severely impaired, he couldn’t see what had tripped him.
He tried to struggle to his feet but couldn’t stand up; he was trapped in a net.
This was Tu Yinghong’s net, originally intended to capture Li Banfeng, but later casually taken by Gloves.
Lin Dexing attempted to struggle, but his injuries were too severe, and the net wrapped around him tighter and tighter.
Li Banfeng took out Prince Chun’s Horsewhip and started lashing Lin Dexing brutally, causing him to howl in pain and smoke to billow from his body, only stopping when Lin Dexing no longer moved.
The Gloves stood on the ground with its thumb and middle finger, wagging its index finger and bobbing its head self-satisfyingly, "Master, the things I brought back are all of good quality, right?"
Li Banfeng nodded, "Well done. This victory is largely your merit; you deserve a great reward!"
"Thank you, Master. So..." As Li Banfeng took out his keys and opened his Portable Residence, Gloves was taken aback.
"Master, you aren’t thinking of bringing that thing back home, are you?
"Master, we could just take care of him right here.
"Why must you insist on bringing it home? That won’t do! The smell is too strong! I wouldn’t have given you the net if I had known!"