Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and waited obediently in the alley.
The fortune-teller left the alley, turned into another hutong, and entered a residence.
This residence was their helm, where the Helm Master was disciplining two female Disciples. Jiang Xiang Gang had the business of ’pigeon flinging,’ which involved using women to deceive men out of their money. The Silk-pulling Earrings’ predecessor, Zhou Yujuan, the Shopkeeper of the Xianle Dance Hall, had started her career in this line of work.
These two female Disciples were lacking in their methods and hadn’t had any business for half a month; hence, they were subjected to the Gang’s discipline, currently lying on the spring bench, receiving lashes.
The fortune-teller stepped forward to report, "Helm Master, someone has come to our helm to visit a friend, claiming to share a life-and-death bond, and is one of our Gang."
"Came to visit a friend at our helm? And they share a life-and-death bond?" The Helm Master felt intrigued. "Are you bullshitting me?"
The fortune-teller was about to explain, but then heard Li Banfeng interject, "Helm Master, I’m not lying to you; it really is a life-and-death friendship. They’ve all given their lives to me. I’ve come here this time to bring you lots of good stuff. No need to rush; we’re all friends here, everyone gets a share."
Li Banfeng pulled out a Sickle.
A Tang Sword flew up.
The Gourd was on the left, the Clock Pendulum on the right.
The Gloves arrived at the front door and closed it.
...
Ten minutes later, Li Banfeng emerged, still supporting the fortune-teller from before.
"Don’t cry," Li Banfeng said. "I’ve told you the truth. I really do share a life-and-death friendship with them. I just wanted to wipe out your Gang, and for the sake of my cherished desire, they all laid down their lives. Isn’t that a deep bond?"
Passing by a soda stand, Li Banfeng even greeted the lady running it.
She had no idea what was going on and certainly didn’t expect these two to be chatting so enthusiastically.
Li Banfeng continued to console the fortune-teller, "You, your fortune-telling is so accurate. I’m not flattering you; I truly admire you. The people at the helm just now, they were all my good friends, and they too entrusted their lives to me. There must be many good friends at your Hall Entrance too, so take me there to get acquainted. You saw just now, I brought lots of good stuff, all prepared for you guys, and I’ve even set aside a special share just for you. Didn’t I tell you not to cry? Crying like this doesn’t look good; it makes people think I’ve done something to you. Quickly now, wipe your tears and the blood off your face too."
...
After taking down two helms, Li Banfeng arrived at the Hall Entrance of Jiang Xiang Gang.
He didn’t barge directly into this Hall Entrance; instead, he waited until deep into the night to come.
The fortune-teller told Li Banfeng that within this Hall Entrance, there was a high-ranking Craftsman Cultivation expert who excelled at crafting traps. The fortune-teller gave Li Banfeng a map outlining a safe route, but Ban Feng wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth.
He definitely couldn’t risk trying it himself, so he knocked out a few gatekeepers and lookouts with a Music Box and then took out two papermen from the Portable Residence to test the route.
What the fortune-teller said was true; the route was indeed safe.
Li Banfeng entered the courtyard of the Hall Entrance. It was the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, so the weather was very cold. Ban Feng was worried that the Hall Masters might catch a chill, so he prepared to start a fire at the Hall Entrance first.
While looking for a spot to start the fire, he suddenly heard the Silk-pulling Earrings whisper, "Master, there’s movement."
CLANG, CLANG!
The sound of metal colliding. It seemed to come from underground.
Down in the Dungeon, a badly injured He Yuxiu was tightly bound by chains.
The chains were made of a special material, and Yuxiu couldn’t break free; she desperately slammed her body against the iron door.
"You damned bastards!" Yuxiu ground her teeth and said, "Even if I breathe my last, I’ll fight you to the end!"
PS: Shen Jingye had previously mentioned he wanted to use Jiang Xiang Gang to kill He Yuxiu, and he really went through with it.