The Head of the Three Heroes Gang, Bao Yingchen, personally led more than fifty men toward Xiaoyao Lodge in utter silence.
The third-in-command of the Three Heroes Gang, Yang Xingbo, said, "Big Brother, for such a trivial matter, I could have taken care of it with the brothers. Why did you have to make this trip yourself?"
Bao Yingchen shook his head and said, "Third Brother, what’s happening today is a big deal. I may not need to fight, but I must be here to let the brothers know that this is a major affair."
"Big Brother, is Li Qi really at Xiaoyao Lodge?"
"He is definitely there. I planted an informant under Qin Tianjiu, but he failed to notice. In fact, he even had that informant deliver a message to Li Qi at Xiaoyao Lodge, inviting Li Qi to a teahouse meeting. Li Qi has been at Xiaoyao Lodge for a while now. Second Brother wanted to use Qin Tianjiu to connect with Li Qi and stir up trouble within the Gang. I’m aware of that.
"After I take care of Li Qi, I’ll go back and clean house. Third Brother, you have been dedicated and hardworking for the Gang. It’s about time the second chair of the Three Heroes Gang was yours."
Yang Xingbo quickly bowed and said, "All thanks to my Big Brother’s nurturing."
Bao Yingchen smiled. "I’m getting on in years and can’t attend to some things. You’ll have to take on more responsibilities within the Gang in the future.
"But first, let’s get tonight’s job done. This Li Qi is elusive and tricky to deal with. Tonight, Xiaoyao Lodge must be flattened, leaving not a single survivor."
"Don’t worry, Big Brother, you’ve instructed us several times already."
When the group arrived at the entrance of Xiaoyao Lodge, they saw two guards staring blankly in their direction.
According to Yang Xingbo’s usual practice, he would have captured these two to find out where Li Banfeng was.
But with the Head of the Gang present, Yang Xingbo didn’t dare to act on his own. He asked for instructions, "Big Brother, do we kill them, or shall we bring them over for questioning?"
Bao Yingchen shook his head. "No need to ask. They might not even know anything clearly. Just dispose of them quickly and don’t cause a disturbance."
With a wave of Yang Xingbo’s hand, two of his men swiftly approached and, with one blade each, cleanly killed the two guards.
No sooner had the guards fallen than a clamorous crowd burst out from inside the lodge.
There were cheongsam-clad singers and dancing girls, bowtie-sporting musicians and waiters, apron-wearing cleaners and odd-jobs workers, as well as armed Support.
Bao Yingchen frowned and said to Yang Xingbo, "I told you not to cause a disturbance. Why can’t you be more careful?"
Yang Xingbo was a bit puzzled; his men hadn’t made any noise.
But the Head of the Gang was dissatisfied, and he couldn’t say much in response. He quickly called out to his men, "No survivors, kill them all!"
The fifty or so men he brought today each had a cultivation level no lower than the Fourth Layer.
For these tough guys to kill ordinary people was as easy as stepping on ants.
A Fifth-Layer Fire Cultivator unleashed a blast of fire, instantly reducing an odd-jobs worker to ashes.
A Fourth-Layer Garment Cultivator threw out a flurry of silver needles, first threading them, then pulling the threads, and with a tug, tore a waiter to shreds.
A Fifth-Layer Food Cultivator opened his huge mouth, bit off half of a dancing girl’s head, chewed for a bit, and ate it.
This was the Food Cultivator’s unique killing method; he liked to watch people missing half their heads wail before him in fear and pain.
But this dancing girl did not wail.
There was no fear on her face.
The Food Cultivator was puzzled. In his bewilderment, the dancing girl lunged at him with a knife.
The Food Cultivator easily dodged it, intending to assess the dancing girl’s origins, but a sickle swept across his throat from behind.
A Sixth-Layer Martial Cultivator, nicknamed Ghost Fierce Tiger, was one of Yang Xingbo’s favorite subordinates.
His task was to search for Li Qi among the crowd, to prevent Li Qi from escaping in the chaos.
A Support charged at Ghost Fierce Tiger, who casually slashed with a dagger, severing the Support’s head.
The beheaded Support somehow managed to slash back, ripping through Ghost Fierce Tiger’s clothes.
Ghost Fierce Tiger wasn’t injured. The Support wasn’t fast, and its aim was poor, but there was something Ghost Fierce Tiger couldn’t understand.
While he was surprised, another cut came from behind, which still didn’t injure him.
Ghost Fierce Tiger turned around to see a cook with a cleaver attacking him again from behind.
Next to the cook stood a Fourth-Layer Literature Cultivator, who said in a panic, "I just used Uniform Rule on him, and he didn’t react..."
Ghost Fierce Tiger frowned. "Is this thing even human?"
"It’s human, all right." A man, dressed in a black suit and wearing a black hat pulled low over his eyes, appeared before them.
He was telling the truth; they were all human, just as Cabbage People were human.
Zhang Wanlong had given Li Banfeng quite a few seeds and a fair amount of potion. With the potion and the blood of those at Xiaoyao Lodge, a large number of Cabbage People could be grown in a short period.
Zhang Wanlong’s Cabbage People could only wear one type of clothing: a pale green jacket.
But the Cabbage People grown by Li Banfeng could wear anything—cheongsams, changshans, tuxedos—they looked far more realistic.
Most importantly, these Cabbage People could engage in combat with the Cultivators. Although they couldn’t win, they could last a few exchanges, something Zhang Wanlong’s Cabbage People couldn’t do.
This was due to Li Banfeng’s Technique, the Golden House Concealing Beauties.
Because of his poor skills in painting and carving, the Golden House Concealing Beauties was Li Banfeng’s weakest Technique.
But with Zhang Wanlong’s seeds, things were different.
Sprinkling a drop of blood on these grown Cabbage People allowed Li Banfeng to modify them further and significantly enhance their combat abilities.
Ghost Fierce Tiger looked at the man in the black suit, preparing to attack.
The man in the black suit suddenly moved away.
Ghost Fierce Tiger, experienced as he was, judged from the speed that this was a high-level Traveling Cultivator. He quickly shifted his gaze to follow the figure.
The Fourth-Layer Literature Cultivator was unable to react in time, and his body instantaneously shattered into pieces.
While Ghost Fierce Tiger was still shocked, he saw the man in the black suit plunge into the fray.
The man had no distinctive features in appearance or build, and his black clothes merged with the night, making him difficult to distinguish within the crowd.
Ghost Fierce Tiger quickly left his original position, knowing full well the essence of the Passing Glance Technique—he must either find and keep his eyes on the man in the black suit immediately or get out of his sight as quickly as possible.
After searching the crowd for a moment, Ghost Fierce Tiger couldn’t find the man in the black suit.
As Ghost Fierce Tiger was about to go find Bao Yingchen, a Tang Sword chopped down towards his forehead.
This ambush by Tang Sword was well-prepared and advantageous, but alas, the opponent was a Sixth-Layer Martial Cultivator.
When the sword came down, it was blocked by the Martial Cultivator’s dagger.
Ordinarily, Tang Sword could cut through a dozen such daggers with a single blow, yet in the hands of a high-level Martial Cultivator, a common blade could become a top-notch weapon.
Tang Sword was a Magical Treasure, and the mistress had even said that it was a very special kind of Magical Treasure. In the Portable Residence, it enjoyed the best of food and drink alongside its master, and its cultivation level had certainly increased considerably.
Now, being blocked by an ordinary dagger, Tang Sword felt quite embarrassed and quickly swung for a second blow.
Ghost Fierce Tiger flicked his dagger, blocking it once more.
"Dumbass, don’t force it!" Sickle cursed at Tang Sword and went to sneak-attack Ghost Fierce Tiger’s ribs from underneath his right elbow.
This position was nearly impossible to defend against and very hard to dodge.
But Ghost Fierce Tiger still managed to block it; he transferred the dagger to his left hand and reached it under his right ribs to parry.
The unreasonable Martial Cultivator was nearly flawless in close-quarters combat.
Ghost Fierce Tiger fought smoothly, but he was very nervous inside; he still hadn’t found the man in the black suit.
Ghost Fierce Tiger was only responding to Tang Sword and Sickle out of instinct while he continued to search for traces of the man in the black suit.
Tang Sword aimed a stab at Ghost Fierce Tiger’s chest. As Ghost Fierce Tiger moved to block with the dagger, he suddenly felt a chill in his chest—Tang Sword had pierced through.
Ghost Fierce Tiger was startled.
He looked at his own hand.
It wasn’t that he was too slow; the dagger in his hand had disappeared.
It was there when he moved to strike, but by the time he swung out, the dagger was gone, leaving his swing to hit nothing.
Tang Sword stirred around several times inside his chest, then slashed out from his ribcage, ripping open half of Ghost Fierce Tiger’s body.
Ghost Fierce Tiger took a few steps back, trying to flee, but Li Banfeng, holding Sickle, chopped off his head from behind.
"Beheading with Every Blow!" Tang Sword sneered coldly and then transformed into a small knife, slipping into Li Banfeng’s pocket.
Sickle scoffed at Tang Sword and continued the fierce battle alongside Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng patted the White Glove in his pocket and whispered, "Generous reward."
Among the more than one hundred Cabbage People and fifty-odd Cultivators in the melee, Li Banfeng took advantage of the chaos and quickly killed over a dozen people.
A Seventh-Layer Home Cultivator is too easily overlooked. It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Xingbo realized something was wrong. "Big Brother, there’s a strong enemy among these riffraff!"
Bao Yingchen replied calmly, "You just realized? That person is a Traveling Cultivator. He has killed over a dozen of our brothers, including your Ghost Fierce Tiger."
Yang Xingbo became anxious. "Damn it, where is he?"
"Hidden well, but this time I saw him!" No sooner had he finished speaking than Bao Yingchen’s figure vanished.
Li Banfeng, who was mingling with the crowd, suddenly sensed danger approaching and quickly left his original spot.
Just as Li Banfeng moved two steps away, Bao Yingchen reappeared where Li Banfeng had just been.
Bao Yingchen smiled at Li Banfeng. "Are you Li Qi?"
Li Banfeng did not answer, and Bao Yingchen did not need his response.
With a blur of motion, Li Banfeng swiftly retreated, trying to gain some distance, but Bao Yingchen still appeared within five steps, right in front of him.
He suddenly stomped in front of Li Banfeng.
A pit formed on the ground, and debris, along with a blast of air, struck Li Banfeng simultaneously.
Li Banfeng desperately dodged. His clothes became ragged, and numerous wounds appeared on his body, with blood flowing from his collar and sleeves.
Having narrowly avoided vital spots, Li Banfeng looked for an opportunity to counterattack when he heard another loud bang.
Bao Yingchen once again used Short Step, appearing behind Li Banfeng and employing Trample Over Thousands of Rivers.
P.S. Bao Yingchen has been cultivating for fifty years, while Li Banfeng for only one and a half. This is the gap between one and a half years and fifty years—there’s just too much difference in the mastery of techniques.