Even his thoughts are the same as yours.
"The person who killed you was named Pei Yuzeng?"
Luo Zhengnan nodded. "The Hall Master of Green Smoke City."
"Are you familiar with Green Smoke City?"
"I’ve been there a few times. I’m clear about the Hall Entrances and helms of the Jiang Xiang Gang. Not many under his command have a high cultivation level; almost none are truly capable. However, Hall Master Pei Yuzeng is not an easy man to deal with. He is a Fifth Layer Fire Cultivation practitioner. Seventh Master, you might think his cultivation level isn’t high, but this man is elusive. If the timing is right, killing him isn’t difficult at all. But if the timing is wrong, it’s not even easy to get close to him. To kill Pei Yuzeng, we can’t do it at his Hall Entrance. His Hall Entrance is very large, with many people, and no one knows where he might appear or when he might strike. The Chu Family, the Ma Family, and the Hundred Flowers Gate all sent assassins to kill him. They all acted at his Hall Entrance. However, not only did they fail to kill him, but the assassins were instead burned to death by Pei Yuzeng’s fire breath. Therefore, we must pick the right opportunity."
"What kind of opportunity would be appropriate?"
"That depends on when Seventh Master is willing to help me avenge this grudge."
"The sooner, the better."
"Thank you, Seventh Master!" Luo Zhengnan stood up and gave Li Banfeng a deep bow.
He circled a date on the Month Plate. "Today is the second. If Seventh Master is willing to help me, we’ll set out tomorrow. By taking the train, we can reach Green Smoke City on the fifth, which coincidentally is their delivery day."
"What ’goods’ are they delivering?"
"Children. The situation in Green Smoke City is peculiar. Human Traffickers are rampant. In other places, they call it kidnapping children, but there, they call it ’binding’ children. The Human Traffickers under the Jiang Xiang Gang dare to snatch children right off the streets. If they encounter resistance, they even dare to injure people in public. They hold the kidnapped children at their Hall Entrance, waiting for their families to redeem them. Families who can afford it can get their children back. If not, the children never return."
Li Banfeng frowned. "That’s something bandits do."
Luo Zhengnan nodded. "You’re right. The actions of the Jiang Xiang Gang in Green Smoke City are no different from bandits—in fact, they’re even worse. This is mainly because the situation in Green Smoke City is somewhat peculiar: those looking after the children are mostly the elderly and the infirm."
"Where are the children who can’t be redeemed sent?"
"By train to Cheap Person Ridge. Pei Yuzeng calls this ’delivering goods’—delivering to the Saint."
"By train?" Li Banfeng was shocked. "Doesn’t the Border Defense Envoy care?"
Luo Zhengnan said, "This is Pei Yuzeng’s specialty. He has contacts at the train station and can send these children out via cargo trains. Whether people from the Outside Provinces or from Cheap Person Ridge are backing him is unknown. However, Pei Yuzeng must personally oversee the delivery. He has each helm pack the children into crates and send them to a warehouse east of the train station. He personally escorts these children to the station, and he can bring at most ten subordinates. This is a rule set for him by the train station. Aside from his trusted followers, few know the details. This is the best opportunity to kill him."
The most valuable trait of a smart person is their ability to use any means necessary to simplify complex problems.
Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat. "Get ready. We set out tomorrow."
「 」
On Sage Peak, the dying Zhong Huairen was carried into the Sage’s Residence.
The Saint emerged from the bedroom.
He looked at the severely injured Zhong Huairen, then at his white garment, riddled with holes.
"What happened?"
The Garment Cultivator couldn’t speak. Despite Zhong Huairen’s low cultivation level, he had to be the first to answer before their Master due to his high status.
Zhong Huairen struggled to say, "Master, I was ambushed by a Traveling Cultivator. I fought hard, but I was no match for him."
"Was it that He Jiaqing again?"
Zhong Huairen dared not speak carelessly; he hadn’t clearly seen his assailant’s face.
The Saint looked at the Garment Cultivator. "You speak!"
Fortunately, he was prepared and offered a different version of events. "Master, we went to meet Shen Rongqing. Junior Brother Zhong asked why He Jiaqing hadn’t come, wondering if He Jiaqing was too arrogant. Shen Rongqing replied that we weren’t worthy of meeting He Jiaqing. Junior Brother Zhong couldn’t stomach this and uttered some harsh words before we departed. Unexpectedly, on our way back, we were ambushed by a Traveling Cultivator and an Insect Cultivator."
His statement wasn’t entirely false; it was mostly true, just with certain facts omitted.
Insect Cultivation was the bane of Garment Cultivation, and the holes in the white garment were indeed the work of Clothes Moths.
The Saint remained silent for a long moment before speaking to Zhong Huairen and the Garment Cultivator, "Go and tend to your wounds. Once you’ve recovered, take some men to the Outside Provinces. Contact Xiao Zhenggong and, at all costs, eliminate He Jiaqing."
The Garment Cultivator steeled himself. "Master, Brother Xiao might not listen to me."
"Just tell him it’s my order! I’d like to see if he dares to defy it!"
The Garment Cultivator dared not say more.
「 」
In Green Smoke City, a faint haze of smoke perpetually lingered in the air.
This too was an industrial city, but its layout was starkly different from Black Stone Slope’s.
Black Stone Slope specialized in manufacturing, with numerous factories within the city. Residential dwellings were built near these factories, and most workers lived on-site.
Green Smoke City, however, focused on smelting. Its smelting plants were all located near the mines, and no one wished to live near the mines. This led to Green Smoke City’s distinctive north-south divide.
The southern part of the city was the residential zone, where all the houses were built.
The northern part was the mining district, home to mineshafts and factories. Laborers worked in the mining district by day and returned to the residential area at night.
This presented a problem: if a worker’s job was far from home, who would look after their children?
With their meager earnings, hiring childcare was out of the question.
If they couldn’t rely on elderly relatives, their only option was to entrust their children to neighbors. Once older, these children would then help look after the younger ones.
Such circumstances provided ample opportunities for Human Traffickers.
As night fell, Pei Yuzeng personally led ten trusted men to the warehouse.
Representatives from several helms had already delivered the children, but those from two helms had not yet arrived. Pei Yuzeng checked his pocket watch. There was still time, so he decided to wait a little longer.
He inspected each crate, one by one, instructing his subordinates, "Punch two more holes in this one. We don’t want them suffocating on the journey."
Cries emanated from one of the crates. Pei Yuzeng frowned. "Sew his mouth shut for me. Don’t let him cause trouble for us at the station."
This was no empty threat. His men genuinely fetched a needle and thread. Indeed, any child who cried had their mouth sewn shut.
A burly man fetched a needle and thread. He opened a crate; sewing mouths shut was his specialty.
Li Banfeng took the needle and thread from the burly man’s hands. He pierced it through Pei Yuzeng’s lower lip up to his upper lip. He passed the thread back and forth several times, sewing Pei Yuzeng’s mouth shut.
Pei Yuzeng was stunned. Li Banfeng had moved too quickly for him to react.
He tried to spew fire, but his mouth wouldn’t open. Then, he realized Li Banfeng was gone.
Pei Yuzeng frantically tore the stitches from his mouth and yelled, "Who’s there?"
"Your enemy." Luo Zhengnan slowly walked towards Pei Yuzeng from the warehouse entrance.
Pei Yuzeng was dumbfounded.
Luo Zhengnan stared at Pei Yuzeng. He was eager to see if Pei Yuzeng could still spew fire, to see if it truly happened without any warning.
Pei Yuzeng desperately wanted to spew fire. He could indeed do so without any warning, but unfortunately, he wouldn’t get the chance.
His forehead began to swell, then his cheeks, chest, stomach, and limbs, one after another.
BANG! With a sickening thud, Pei Yuzeng exploded into a shower of gore.
BANG! BANG!
A series of sickening thuds followed as nine of his ten henchmen successively exploded into gore.
Traveling Cultivation Technique: Passing Glance.
The sole remaining Jiang Xiang Gang disciple, the burly man who had opened the crate earlier, stood rooted to the spot, trembling. He knew Li Banfeng was right behind him.
Li Banfeng asked, "Where did these children come from?"
"I... I don’t know."
Luo Zhengnan sighed. "It would have been better if you did. Perhaps then, you might have been allowed to live."
"Hall Master Luo, I... I have no quarrel with you..."
"But I have a grudge against you," Li Banfeng chuckled from behind the burly man.
"Sir, I’ve never offended you! I’ve never even seen you..." The burly man didn’t dare turn around. He was sobbing pitifully, his wails louder than those of the children in the crates.
From one of the crates he had just opened, a child cautiously peeked out.
Li Banfeng gestured for Luo Zhengnan to cover the child’s eyes.
Luo Zhengnan did so, saying gently, "Here, Uncle has some candy for you. Tell Uncle, where is your home?"
As he spoke, the burly man’s cries abruptly stopped.
PS: Luo Zhengnan’s revenge was complete, but Li Qi’s had only just begun.