He Yuxiu was captured by Jiang Xiang Gang at the Soda Kiln. This incident was quite unexpected. Not only did He Yuxiu not anticipate it, but the Hall Master of the Soda Kiln had also not foreseen it.
After a bloody battle where she nearly lost her life, He Yuxiu went to find some food at a soda stand. The stand was quite remote, and its owner, a member of Jiang Xiang Gang, saw her beauty and slipped drugged ingredients into her soda. Being extremely thirsty, He Yuxiu drank over a dozen bottles in one breath. It was strange; having not been to the Soda Kiln for many years, she failed to distinguish certain flavors in the soda and was thus incapacitated.
The stand owner dared not make a move rashly on such a beautiful woman. Instead, he presented her to the Hall Master. The Hall Master had not yet taken action when he saw her name on her Pocket Watch.
The Hall Master found it hard to believe. He compared He Yuxiu’s appearance with the photo sent by the Border Defense Envoy. She did look quite similar, but some details did not match. First was the age. According to the information the Hall Master had, He Yuxiu should be over forty this year, but the person before him appeared to be in her early thirties.
He Yuxiu was a top-notch beauty. Coupled with years of martial arts practice, she had a good foundation, excellent health, and a positive attitude, all contributing to her extraordinary self-care. However, her clothing was also inconsistent. The clothes He Yuxiu wore were of low-quality fabric and poorly made.
The Hall Master then bound He Yuxiu with iron chains specially customized by Craftsman Cultivation and interrogated her for half a day. He Yuxiu was stubborn and firmly refused to admit anything. Since she wouldn’t confess, the Hall Master himself grew uncertain. He wondered if he should inform the Border Defense Envoy of the situation.
The Border Defense Envoy had issued a secret order for Jiang Xiang Gang to watch for any news of He Yuxiu. Now that he had captured her, handing He Yuxiu over would undoubtedly be a great achievement. It would likely grant him entry into the Defense Agency and possibly even an identity in the Outside Provinces.
Eager for merit yet lacking courage, the Hall Master dared not act rashly and instead imprisoned He Yuxiu. He planned to interrogate her for another morning. If He Yuxiu still refused to confess, he would then report the matter to the Defense Agency.
This decision to wait one more night led to disaster: a fire broke out in the backyard. It was a real fire this time, personally started by Li Banfeng.
Alarmed, the Hall Master hurriedly dispatched people to extinguish the fire. It had been ignited by alcohol supplied by Elder Yao. Despite their efforts over half a day, the blaze only grew fiercer.
The Craftsman Cultivator made his move. This Craftsman Cultivator was not a Disciple of Jiang Xiang Gang. He frequently stayed at the Hall Entrance as a friend of the Hall Master, acting as an assistant.
Out of everyone at the Soda Hall, this was the person Li Banfeng worried about most. A fortune teller had mentioned that this man’s cultivation level might have reached the Sixth Layer.
The Craftsman Cultivator quickly assembled some simple parts and fashioned a sand-spreading device. The machine’s principle was simple: it used a belt and bucket wheel to lift sand from the ground. The craftsmanship was relatively rough, requiring more than a dozen Jiang Xiang Gang Disciples to turn a crank together to get the belt and bucket wheel moving. But the effect was excellent; the dispersed sand quickly brought the large fire under control.
Witnessing such a machine created in so short a time, Li Banfeng, who was hiding nearby, was amazed.
While the Craftsman Cultivator was busy, Li Banfeng followed the sounds and snuck into the Dungeon. He overpowered several guards and entered the prison cell.
He Yuxiu thought someone else had come to interrogate her. Initially prepared to fight for her life, she observed for a moment and then realized she recognized the person.
"Li Qi?" He Yuxiu asked cautiously.
Li Banfeng smiled. "Xiuer, how did you end up here?"
He Yuxiu didn’t know how to respond. To be honest, she and Li Qi were barely acquainted. Their acquaintance was through Ma Wu and Qiu Zhiheng, and they had hardly spoken otherwise. Meeting here today, He Yuxiu didn’t know if Li Qi was here to harm or save her.
"You’ve seen me at my worst," He Yuxiu said, lowering her head without saying more.
Li Banfeng went behind her and began to unlock the chains.
He Yuxiu asked, "Are you really here to save me?"
Li Banfeng replied, "It was on my way. Consider yourself lucky."
"These chains are heavy and hard. You’d need a good knife to cut through them; pulling definitely won’t work."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Even a good knife might not cut through them. This Craftsmanship Method is indeed rare."
"Then don’t waste your effort," He Yuxiu said through gritted teeth. "Just get me some water, then hurry and go. Don’t get caught up in this too."
Feeling Li Qi remain motionless behind her, He Yuxiu grew anxious. "When I tell you to go, just go! You can’t save me here. I’m an Eighth Layer Martial Cultivator and I couldn’t break free. What can you possibly do—"
CLANK! The chains sprang open.
He Yuxiu’s face flushed red as she stared at Li Banfeng.
Chains consist of two parts: the lock and the chain itself. The chain links were indeed strong and couldn’t be cut even with a Sickle. But the lock had been opened by the Gloves.
"Head of the household, this lock wasn’t ordinary. I had to put in quite an effort," Li Banfeng said, patting his Gloves as if expecting a reward.
He Yuxiu was a little embarrassed. "I... I haven’t eaten all day. If I had eaten, this chain... I could have broken it with a bit of effort. Two tries, at most."
"Mm," Li Banfeng nodded.
He Yuxiu picked up the iron chain. "I really could break it! Two tries!"
"I believe you. You wouldn’t even need two tries; one would do. Can you fight now?"
He Yuxiu moved her limbs. After being beaten and starved for a day, not to mention the poison still in her system, she was indeed in no condition to fight.
Li Qi lowered the brim of his hat. "If you can’t fight, find a place to hide for now. I don’t make a habit of delaying revenge overnight."
"Hide?" He Yuxiu stretched out her hand, grabbed a leather whip, and asked Li Banfeng, "Got a smoke?"
Li Banfeng handed one over and lit it for her. He Yuxiu, cigarette clenched between her teeth, gripped the whip and strode out of the Dungeon.
Needless to say, the aura of Eldest Sister He was truly compelling. Her face was riddled with scars and her clothes were stained with blood, yet her stride was full of a brisk, fierce energy that showed no sign of change.
THUD!
He Yuxiu stepped on a trap and fell into a pit.
Li Banfeng hurriedly pulled He Yuxiu out. "Walk slower! There are traps everywhere. This is a map; take a good look. When we get upstairs, follow this line."
When they reached the courtyard, the Hall Master and his men were still busy fighting the fire. He Yuxiu headed straight for the Hall Master. A Disciple stepped forward to stop her, and she lashed out with her whip, taking off half his head. She kicked the corpse aside and continued forward.
The leather whip cracked, sending blood and flesh splattering. Li Banfeng never quite understood the principles of Martial Cultivators; this Taoist Sect was truly beyond reason. In her hands, the leather whip, clearly a flexible Weapon, was fiercer than any sharp blade.
After a dozen steps, a dozen corpses lay on the ground. The terrified Jiang Xiang Gang Disciples scattered and fled. For each one that ran, Li Banfeng caught them, dragged them to a hidden spot, and threw them into his Portable Residence.
One fought, the other caught. Soon, the Hall Master was alone. He Yuxiu flicked her whip, wrapping it around the Hall Master’s neck.
The Hall Master’s cheeks bulged, and he spat a mouthful of blood at He Yuxiu. This blood was anything but simple; the Hall Master was a Fifth Layer Poison Cultivator. A single mouthful would have poisoned an ordinary person to death. He Yuxiu was reckless. She didn’t even dodge, letting the poisonous blood spray all over her. She grabbed the Hall Master’s head, and with a sharp twist of her wrist at the base of his neck, she wrenched it off.
Only the Sixth Layer Craftsman Cultivator remained in the courtyard, now panicked. He Yuxiu was injured and poisoned. If he had been better prepared, the Sixth Layer Craftsman Cultivator might have been able to hold out for a while. But now, he wasn’t. Moreover, he knew there was another person with He Yuxiu—someone whose fast-moving shadow was a blur, and whose strength was no less than hers.
As he hesitated, He Yuxiu’s whip lashed out at him. Unable to dodge, the Craftsman Cultivator chose to take the hit head-on—not with his bare head, for he wore an Iron Helmet.
When dealing with Tu Yinghong, the Phonograph had mentioned a battlefield saying: "Craftsman Cultivator Hundred Blades." It meant that Craftsman Cultivators aren’t good at adapting but excel at attrition. On the battlefield, a Craftsman Cultivator’s fine Weapons are endless. When fighting a Craftsman Cultivator, it’s best to aim for a swift victory and avoid a prolonged battle.
He Yuxiu had no intention of a standoff. One strike from her whip dented the Craftsman Cultivator’s Iron Helmet. The helmet was damaged, but the Craftsman Cultivator inside was unharmed.
If one whip strike didn’t work, another followed. He Yuxiu’s whip smashed against the Craftsman Cultivator’s head again. His Iron Helmet was indeed tough; though battered and dented, he remained uninjured.
If hitting his head didn’t work, she aimed elsewhere. But her whip couldn’t penetrate his defenses. It struck from all sides, but the Craftsman Cultivator, armored from head to toe, parried comfortably. He had crafted chains that even He Yuxiu couldn’t break. This armor, designed to protect his life, was naturally extremely durable.
While He Yuxiu fiercely attacked, the Craftsman Cultivator silently took a handful of Glass Beads from his chest and tossed them onto the ground. The Glass Beads rolled toward He Yuxiu’s feet. Already somewhat dazed from the poison and consumed by rage, she was intent only on killing the Craftsman Cultivator and paid no attention to where she stepped. She trod on a Glass Bead and fell to the ground with a THUD.
Seizing the moment, the Craftsman Cultivator leaped over the wall, attempting to flee. Suddenly, he realized something.
A figure flashed before his eyes, and the Craftsman Cultivator’s head buzzed.
BANG!
He exploded into a mass of blood and flesh.
Li Banfeng threw the Craftsman Cultivator’s remains, armor and all, into the Portable Residence and leaped back over the wall. He Yuxiu sat on the ground, her gaze blurry and her expression vacant—the poison was taking full effect.
She forced a smile. "Li Qi, thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you."
"Oh, you’ll definitely repay me," Li Banfeng said, helping He Yuxiu up. "Saving a life is no small matter. It can’t just be forgotten, can it?"
Her cigarette finished, He Yuxiu tossed the butt to the ground. "Got another smoke?" she asked Li Banfeng.
He handed her another one.
Struggling to her feet, He Yuxiu staggered towards the exit.
Li Qi asked, "Shouldn’t you find a place to treat your wounds first?"
"There’s one more," He Yuxiu said, already staggering down a deep alley. "I can’t let him get away."
In the alley, a soda vendor saw He Yuxiu and his face turned green with fear. It was his soda that had poisoned her.
He Yuxiu was unsteady on her feet, her hands trembling.
Li Banfeng whispered, "Let me."
"No! This one is mine!" He Yuxiu insisted.
The soda vendor turned to flee, but He Yuxiu caught up in two strides and swung her whip. The lash sliced from the top of his head down to the ground.
CRACK!
The man split cleanly in two, his remains scattering across the ground.
He Yuxiu swayed and collapsed beside the stall.
"To think... after stumbling through life for so long, I’d be brought down by these scumbags!" He Yuxiu laughed bitterly, looking at Li Qi. "I’ve really made a fool of myself in front of you this time."
"I’m not laughing," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head. He gave He Yuxiu another cigarette. "Good job. You’ve got guts."
He Yuxiu shook her head.