The old lady, advanced in age, couldn’t stay up late and was dozing in her room.
CLANG CLANG CLANG...
The old grandfather clock struck nine.
A wave of palpitations jolted the old lady awake.
she thought.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
The pendulum of the old grandfather clock swung back and forth. On its gleaming surface, shadows gradually appeared.
The old lady immediately got out of bed and ran towards the Seedling Room.
Upon entering the Seedling Room, she saw Xiao Yeci and her daughter Lu Chunying staying put obediently, unmoving, but Li Banfeng was gone.
"Decai! Demao! Quickly, both of you, get over here!" the old lady shouted for her two sons. Soon, her eldest, Decai, arrived.
"Where’s Demao?"
Decai rubbed his eyes. "He seems to be in the backyard sharpening the knife. Our old knife is hard to sharpen; it might take over an hour. I suggested buying a new one, but you wouldn’t let me..."
The old lady spun around and slapped Decai across the face. "Still harping on about the damn knife! Are you blind? The man’s escaped, and you didn’t even notice!"
Clutching his face, Decai finally realized Li Banfeng had indeed fled.
He lunged forward, grabbed Xiao Yeci’s hair, and demanded, "Where did he go? When did he escape?"
Xiao Yeci shrieked, "I don’t know! I really don’t know!"
Lu Chunying cried out beside her, "Don’t hit my mom! We don’t know anything! The man came, we didn’t speak to him, we fell asleep, and then he was gone..."
The little girl didn’t understand this, but Xiao Yeci knew it all too well.
The old lady turned and ordered her eldest son, Decai, "Go get Demao. First, we’ll slaughter these two harlots. That Traveling Cultivator definitely won’t get far."
Hearing this, Xiao Yeci’s voice cracked. "Sister, Old Madam, please show mercy! Do whatever you want with me, just spare my child’s life! I beg you, I beg you!"
Xiao Yeci pleaded desperately, again and again, but the old lady didn’t even glance her way. However, Decai, the eldest, was actually moved. "Mother, aren’t we supposed to wait for the hour of Zi?"
The old lady roared, "Something damn well has happened! What’s there to wait for?"
"Mother, such a luscious woman, and such a tender young girl... you won’t even let us brothers have a taste before you..."
SLAP!
The old lady slapped Decai again. "What the hell have I taught you all this time? A couple of seductive words and you forget the rules? Hurry up and get your brother!"
Decai didn’t dare say more and quickly left the Seedling Room.
He had long coveted the bodies of this mother and daughter, but his mother had always forbidden him from touching them. It wasn’t just this time; whenever they had captured women before, his mother never allowed them to touch them. Their family never left anyone alive—man, woman, old, or young. Any ’seedling’ who entered their door would never leave alive. Yet, they had never slept with any of the captured women. They weren’t even allowed an extra touch or an extra word. His mother always said such things violated the Gang’s rules.
Even with women from their own Gang, the old lady forbade her sons from interacting. Whenever women visited, she made the brothers stay away. If the two of them even mentioned women, their mother would scold them.
Decai patted his cheeks. he thought.
Decai glanced at Xiao Yeci, then walked away sullenly.
Xiao Yeci kowtowed to the old lady. "Old Madam, dear Sister! We gave you all our money! Please, perform good deeds and accumulate virtue, just let my daughter go! Keep me. I’ll be your servant, your beast of burden! Even if you chop me into mincemeat, it’s fine! I beg you, dear Sister, I beg you, Old Madam!"
Her words swirled endlessly in the Seedling Room, gradually creating an echo. Before the echo faded, Xiao Yeci repeated her plea, her voice and its echo overlapping, each word hammering into the hearts of those present.
The old lady grabbed Xiao Yeci’s hair, a savage grin on her face. "You and your daughter, a pair of sassy hooves! Wasn’t it enough to flaunt yourselves before my son? Now you dare do it in front of me? You think I can’t see through your little tricks? You’re a Mouth Cultivator! A few seductive words from you, and a man’s Soul is lured away. In my presence, you’d better cut that act. I’ll grant you a quick death. Otherwise, I’ll carve the wretched flesh from you two, piece by piece!"
Xiao Yeci wept. "Madam, my meager cultivation level... I wouldn’t dare use it on you! I’m speaking from the heart! You can cut me into a thousand pieces, that’s fine! Just please, spare my child’s life!"
The old lady sneered. "For that sentiment alone, I’ll have to send your little sassy hoof on her way first!"
With that, the old lady grabbed Lu Chunying’s hair.
Lu Chunying wailed, but her hands weren’t idle; she scratched and clawed at the old lady.
the old lady noted.
Xiao Yeci continued to cry and beg, "Madam, I’m telling the truth! I beg you, spare my child’s life!"
The old lady sneered. "If the mother dies, why should the child live? Wouldn’t leaving her alone in this world just mean more suffering? Better she joins you on your journey."
With that, the old lady kicked Xiao Yeci to the ground, tightened her grip on Lu Chunying’s hair, and turned to shout, "Decai, bring the knife!"
The young girl screamed, "Mom, save me!"
Xiao Yeci lunged at the old lady again, only to be kicked down once more.
"Decai, the knife!"
"Mother, save me!"
The old lady spun around. Her son Decai stood in the doorway, tears streaming down his face, the tip of a knife protruding from his chest.
Li Banfeng stood behind Decai, a faint smile on his lips. "Old lady, the knife is here. I’ve brought it for you."
Seeing the knife embedded in her son’s chest, the old lady’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
Decai was a First Layer Poison Cultivator, his cultivation level comparable to Li Banfeng’s. However, Li Banfeng possessed the speed of a Traveling Cultivator and the Home Cultivation trait of being easily overlooked, allowing him to ambush Decai.
"Let my son go!" the old lady roared, still gripping Lu Chunying. "Or I’ll kill her immediately!"
Li Banfeng feigned confusion. "If you want to kill her, go ahead. No need to tell me. She’s not my child, after all."
The old lady gritted her teeth. "Do you think I’m joking?"
Li Banfeng looked even more puzzled. "What joke? What’s so funny? Weren’t you about to kill someone? Let’s do it together. I’ll join the fun."
With that, Li Banfeng tightened his grip on the knife and pushed it further into Decai’s back. The blade tip protruding from Decai’s chest grew longer.
The old lady flung Lu Chunying aside and lunged to save her son. Li Banfeng aimed a kick straight at the old lady’s kneecap.
It was a vicious kick, extremely effective against an oncoming opponent. If it landed, it could cripple her instantly.
But Li Banfeng missed. The old lady dodged and landed a solid punch on him. The blow sent Li Banfeng staggering, nearly toppling him.
he thought.
Before Li Banfeng could process further, the old lady plucked the Hairpin from her hair and thrust it at his glabella.
Li Banfeng ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike.
the old lady sneered inwardly.
The old lady raised her Hairpin and stabbed towards the crown of Li Banfeng’s head.
She was mistaken.
Li Banfeng had no intention of just taking a beating. He’d been bullied all his life, often beaten until he cowered on the ground. But cowering didn’t mean he couldn’t fight back.
While crouched, he punched the old lady’s ankle. It was a skillful blow, one that would normally dislocate an ankle.
The old lady took the punch squarely, but her ankle didn’t dislocate. She merely stumbled, uninjured. Thanks to that stumble, her Hairpin missed, not striking the top of Li Banfeng’s head.
Li Banfeng wondered.
Li Banfeng realized. He circled behind Decai, intending to pull out the knife.
As Li Banfeng tried to draw the blade, the old lady gave him no chance, kicking him out the door again.
Li Banfeng flew several meters. Before he could get up, the old lady suddenly appeared before him.
he thought, stunned.
BANG!
Another kick from the old lady sent Li Banfeng somersaulting through the air, landing him flat on the ground.
This time, Li Banfeng didn’t try to get up.
He scrambled on all fours, frantically crawling towards the base of the wall. Unleashing his Wind Rises on Flat Ground ability to its fullest, he reached the wall and, without pausing, scaled it to the top.
Just as Li Banfeng was about to leap to the other side, a large willow tree in the courtyard whipped its branches out. CRACK! He was struck and pulled back.
he thought in disbelief.
Li Banfeng crashed heavily to the ground, his consciousness dimming.
The old lady wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. The fight had taken a significant toll on her. She wasn’t young anymore; if there had been a more reliable method, she wouldn’t have wanted a direct confrontation with Li Banfeng.
She crouched, raising the Hairpin in her hand, preparing to deliver the final blow.
Though his gaze was hazy, Li Banfeng suddenly shot his foot out, kicking the old lady in the stomach. A kick to the head would have been too obvious, and she likely would have sensed it. But the kick to the stomach was subtle. Caught off guard, the old lady convulsed, her mouth instinctively falling open.
Seizing that instant, Li Banfeng whipped out a Rust Pill and flicked it straight into her throat.
Within five meters.
He never missed.