By evening, Kang Qi Hai was drinking merrily. The sounds of his loud cheers and finger-guessing games were clearly audible to Light Bulb inside the house.
Light Bulb had tried. Managing to free himself from the ropes was quite easy; the hard part was figuring out how to escape the Bandit Soldiers’ stronghold.
Slipping away could be fast due to the oil on his feet, but he would be recaptured halfway by the Bandit Soldiers. One reason was that the oil would run out, and the other was his unfamiliarity with the terrain.
Listening as the noise in the hall gradually subsided, Light Bulb prepared himself for a fight to the death.
A flurry of footsteps sounded, and Luo Zhengnan entered the bridal chamber with a dozen men.
Light Bulb peeked through the gap in his head covering and noticed that something was amiss.
Earlier, Luo Zhengnan had gathered a group of friends at the Jiang Xiang Gang headquarters to discuss bandit eradication. They were targeting the remnants of the Jiang Xiang Gang, with Kang Qi Hai as one of his objectives.
As a former Helm Master of the Jiang Xiang Gang, Kang Qi Hai was considered strong amongst the Mountain Bandits, but in front of Luo Zhengnan, his tricks were simply insufficient.
It took Luo Zhengnan less than two days to familiarize himself with the mountain paths. Tonight, taking advantage of Kang Qi Hai’s wedding, Luo Zhengnan led a raid that wiped out the stronghold and beheaded Kang Qi Hai.
Upon entering the bridal chamber, Luo Zhengnan lifted Light Bulb’s veil. After a moment of examination, he remarked with admiration, "He’s indeed handsome."
Clenching his teeth, Light Bulb broke free from the ropes and rushed toward the door.
Several subordinates tried to catch him but couldn’t get a grip; he was extremely slippery.
Luo Zhengnan glanced at a Fire Cultivator among his men. The Fire Cultivator understood the cue and conjured a wall of fire, blocking the doorway.
Light Bulb dared not run anymore and stood trembling in the middle of the room.
Luo Zhengnan said with a smile, "An Oil Cultivator. Quite a rarity in the Taoist Sects now."
One of the subordinates exclaimed, "An Oil Cultivator is great—so slippery!"
Luo Zhengnan ordered, "Keep this one for now. Seventh Master might find him useful."
His men looked astonished. "Seventh Master likes this sort too?"
Luo Zhengnan frowned. "Nonsense. Just keep him under watch for now."
Light Bulb shouted, "The Seventh Master you’re talking about is Li Qi, right? I know him; we’re acquainted. Let me see him!"
Luo Zhengnan was taken aback for a moment. "You know Seventh Master?"
"I do! Mention me to him, and he’ll definitely know who I am!"
After pondering for a moment, Luo Zhengnan found a fishing net, stuffed Light Bulb into it, and hoisted him up to a beam in the bridal chamber.
...
At Loess Bridge, Li Qi handed over the more than ten thousand refugees he had brought from Cheap Person Ridge to Qin Bulou.
To be honest, Qin Bulou was reluctant to accept them.
He was a Ninth Layer Arithmetic Cultivator and had been at that level for many years. Such a figure naturally possessed extensive experience and knew something about the situation at Cheap Person Ridge.
"Seventh Master, I’ll definitely follow your orders, but I might not be able to manage these people," said Qin Bulou.
"Manage them you must; these people can help you protect your territory. You have to take them in. However, if anyone dares to spread the Saint’s teachings in Loess Bridge, catch one, execute one, without exception," responded Li Qi.
Qin Bulou agreed and began to find accommodation for these people.
Li Banfeng walked through the streets of Loess Bridge. Under Ma Wu’s management, the area had shown some improvement, however slight.
North Bridge had become somewhat livelier. Xiqiao, with its mines, barely showed some human energy. Dongqiao and Nanqiao, however, remained bleak, especially Dongqiao, which was as desolate as ever and indistinguishable from its past.
Li Banfeng walked the streets and noticed a coffee shop, wondering whether to go in.
In Puluo State, coffee was a rarity, and Loess Bridge once had a coffee shop, a testament to its past prosperity.
Yet now, this abandoned coffee shop emanated a dangerous aura, piquing Li Banfeng’s curiosity.
Li Banfeng passed the coffee shop, his steps unhesitant and unhurried, as if he had not noticed the establishment at all.
A man jumped down from the second floor of the coffee shop, quickly pouncing toward Li Banfeng from behind.
He didn’t need to touch Li Banfeng; he only had to get within a certain distance to infect him with a disease.
Li Banfeng glanced back, recognizing Wan Jinxian. He was another disciple of Greenwater Beggar, Lu Dongjun’s strategist, and one of He Jiaqing’s most loyal subordinates. According to Cui Tiq’s description, Wan Jinxian was a Seventh Layer Disease Cultivator.
When Li Qi had killed Tu Yinghong, Wan Jinxian had attempted to assassinate Li Qi from the shadows. Li Qi escaped into the Portable Residence, narrowly avoiding disaster, while Ma Wu became gravely ill as a result.
In Wan Jinxian’s mind, Li Banfeng was a Fifth Layer Traveling Cultivator. Even now, Wan Jinxian’s understanding of Li Qi was stuck in that earlier period—a time when he believed Li Banfeng wouldn’t dare confront him directly.
If he knew that Li Qi now possessed dual Eighth Layer Home and Travelling CultivationTraveler cultivation, he would never dare to launch a sneak attack.
Li Banfeng had numerous ways to kill Wan Jinxian. The simplest was to disappear from Wan Jinxian’s sight and blow him to smithereens.
But that method came with a heavy cost. If Wan Jinxian’s body exploded, the remains would be difficult to clean up, and any carelessness could trigger a plague.
Dongqiao would have to remain uninhabited for a long time. If a plague spread, the entirety of Loess Bridge would face dire straits.
Although Cui Tiq had said Wan Jinxian’s disease wasn’t as potent as Greenwater Beggar’s, Wan Jinxian still harbored some of Greenwater Beggar’s power within him.
The best method was to take Wan Jinxian directly into the Portable Residence. The rest could be left to his wife and Red Lotus to thoroughly cleanse both Soul and body, then steam-wash everything for a completely sterile result.