The Cook repeatedly interrogated Xiao Feng, determined to learn the source of the information.
But Xiao Feng insisted it had been divined by the House Spirit.
After Oil Peach finished the roasted chicken, along with the squab in its belly and the quail in the squab’s, he licked his fingers clean and stood up. "Brother," he said, "I know you’re here to help me. I, Oil Peach, will never forget this kindness.
"From today onward, Xiao Feng and I sever all ties of gratitude and obligation. But after all these years, some feelings remain. I beg you, Brother, show leniency. Spare her life and just let her go."
The Cook wasn’t about to listen to Oil Peach; he was waiting for Meng Yuchun’s instructions.
Meng Yuchun looked towards Li Banfeng, who raised his eyebrows at her. he signaled with his expression,
Meng Yuchun understood and used a Technique to relay the command to the Cook.
The Cook stood up and said to Xiao Feng, "You can leave."
Xiao Feng struggled to sit up, her stomach still wracked by waves of sharp pain. She looked at the Cook. "Aren’t you going to give me an Antidote?"
The Cook laughed. "Don’t you want to leave?"
Xiao Feng looked towards Oil Peach, hoping he would plead for her again.
Oil Peach turned his face away and snarled through clenched teeth, "Get lost!"
"Tao’er."
"I told you to get lost!"
Xiao Feng didn’t dare say another word and left the plot of land with her head bowed.
Leaving the plot was easy, but escaping Li Banfeng’s territory proved difficult.
After walking more than three miles, Xiao Feng’s stomach pain intensified. She squatted by the roadside and began to retch.
She couldn’t bring anything up and could only force herself to keep moving despite the agony.
After another two or three miles, Xiao Feng passed a thorny vine that tore her clothes and scraped a patch of skin from her back.
Though it was just a scrape, the wound throbbed with unbearable pain. A few more steps, and she saw vines everywhere ahead, completely blocking her path.
Xiao Feng thought.
After a few dozen steps, the way to the left was also choked with vines.
Xiao Feng rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, only to feel a sharp, cutting pain in her eyelids.
Looking down, she saw vines had actually sprouted on the back of her hand.
Not just her hand, but her arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs—vines were growing all over Xiao Feng’s body.
Overcome with terror, Xiao Feng shrieked, "Ah Xia, Ah Xia, save me!"
Meng Yuchun and Li Banfeng waited quietly nearby, watching to see if this Ah Xia would intervene.
They waited for about ten minutes. Just as Xiao Feng was almost too weak to cry out, a cluster of green light flickered in the distance.
Above the green light, a woman’s silhouette gradually materialized. She wore a pale blue robe, a small, round cap, and round-framed dark sunglasses. In her hand, she held a container of Counting Rods, and on her back, she carried an enormous abacus.
This attire was common for male fortune-tellers; it was rare to see a woman dressed this way.
Meng Yuchun stared for a moment, then asked, "Gao Shuxia?"
They actually knew each other.
Gao Shuxia sighed. "I told Xiao Feng to avoid you by any means necessary, but she still couldn’t. Who is this man with you?"
Gao Shuxia looked towards Li Banfeng.
Meng Yuchun smiled and linked her arm with Li Banfeng’s. "He’s my beloved."
Gao Shuxia paused, then said, "Your beloved is a man?"
Li Banfeng frowned. he thought.
Meng Yuchun nodded. "I wanted a change of pace."
Li Banfeng glanced at Meng Yuchun, realizing the situation might be different from what he had thought.
The two women seemed ready to reminisce, but Li Banfeng glanced at Meng Yuchun, reminding her to address the urgent matters first.
Meng Yuchun asked, "How did you know something happened to the Mountain-Uprooting Master? Don’t tell me you divined it."
Gao Shuxia was silent for a moment. "The Mountain-Uprooting Master hired many Wandering Monsters to seize your territory, didn’t he?"
"Yes!"
"One of the Wandering Monsters, an old acquaintance of mine, was hired by the Mountain-Uprooting Master. She was supposed to fight you as well. However, when the time came to act, she got cold feet and didn’t join the Mountain-Uprooting Master in attacking your territory. Afterward, fearing his revenge, she prepared a generous gift, intending to apologize. But after waiting many days without the Mountain-Uprooting Master appearing, she surmised he must be dead. Using her lead, I performed a Divination and confirmed his death. That’s why I sent Xiao Feng to investigate.
"To be honest, I truly wanted this territory. But since you’ve already taken it, I’ll no longer pursue it.
"I can’t bear to abandon Xiao Feng. If you still value our past friendship, let her live. If you don’t care about that anymore, then we fight right now!"
Meng Yuchun hesitated for a long while. Whether it was due to their past friendship or apprehension about Gao Shuxia’s strength, she ultimately chose not to fight.
"Take her and go. Don’t ever come to my territory again."
Gao Shuxia summoned a gust of wind and, taking Xiao Feng, vanished into the night.
Li Banfeng asked Meng Yuchun, "What’s this Gao Shuxia’s cultivation level? Has she reached Above the Clouds?"
Meng Yuchun shook her head. "When I first knew her, she was at the Ninth Layer. We tried to advance together. I succeeded, but she failed and became a Wounded Demon Fiend."