The Coachman watched Li Banfeng with a smile. "Are you looking for me? Do you want me to help you carry your sedan chair?"
Li Banfeng didn’t answer, instead asking, "Are you the Local Deity of Bridge Yesong?"
The Coachman nodded. "I am. Your opportunity has arrived. Come into my sedan chair, and I’ll give you a lift. The first service of the sedan chair is to elevate your cultivation level."
Li Banfeng glanced around. It was deep in the night, with not a single pedestrian in sight.
The Coachman chuckled. "Stop looking. It’s just you and me here. I’ve been waiting specifically for you. Still don’t believe me? Hurry up and get into the sedan chair!"
While they were speaking, the Coachman had been ostentatiously manipulating the sedan poles. After he did this three times, Li Banfeng sensed intense danger. Just a moment ago, Li Banfeng had asked if he was a sedan bearer. The Coachman replied with a smirk, "My work is with the poles, you see."
Now the danger had vanished, and the Coachman’s face had become much more amiable. But Li Banfeng could distinctly sense that the earlier danger was no illusion; it was a chill that had crawled up his spine.
Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat. "I am content to have met you, Senior. May our paths cross again."
The Coachman took the white towel from around his neck and wiped his sweat. "What’s wrong? Afraid?"
Li Banfeng turned and walked away, but the Coachman caught up to him in two strides. He had caught up with Li Banfeng, the Ninth Layer Traveling Cultivator.
"So that’s why you’re moving so fast. Turns out you’re a Traveling Cultivator." The Coachman suddenly flung the towel at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng’s body flickered, and he dodged the towel.
The towel struck a nearby stone, reducing it to dust—dust so fine that not a single speck remained visible.
Li Banfeng sprinted wildly along the stone-paved road by the river.
The Coachman kept pace beside him. "I say, young man, weren’t you looking for me? Why are you running? Don’t you want such a fine opportunity?"
Li Banfeng leaped directly from the riverbank to the opposite side.
The Coachman pursued him to the other bank, laughing. "Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster? Your First Layer Technique is far more potent than that of other Traveling Cultivators."
"Young man, don’t be in such a rush to leave. Hear me out." The Coachman swung the towel at Li Banfeng once more.
Li Banfeng didn’t dodge this time; being chased and struck repeatedly was not a sustainable solution. He braced himself against the blow using the Benevolent and Righteous Technique. Taking advantage of the moment before the Coachman could retract his move, he unleashed the Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique.
BANG!
The Coachman’s towel strike was vicious. Even though Li Banfeng pushed his technique to its limit, he was still staggered. His Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique was also formidable; the thick stone slabs on the ground were sent flying in all directions.
When the dust settled, the Coachman wiped a trace of blood from his face. A small cut, almost invisible without close inspection, marked his cheekbone—the sole result of Li Banfeng’s attack.
The Coachman nodded in admiration. "Your Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique is also quite different. I’ve seen Cloud-Traveling Cultivators, but none of them strike as fiercely as you."
Li Banfeng struggled to regain his footing and continued to run, but the Coachman followed effortlessly right behind him.
The Coachman threw his felt hat towards Li Banfeng. The hat spun rapidly, aiming to clamp down on Li Banfeng’s head. If that thing caught him, Li Banfeng would undoubtedly perish.
The Projector shot out a beam of light, attempting to retrieve the hat with the Withering Technique, but it couldn’t maintain focus. The Gloves selected a position to intercept the hat as well, but they reacted too slowly, grasping at empty air. The Tang Sword and Sickle moved to block the hat from the left and right. The hat spun upon the Tang Sword; the sword pushed back with its tip while the Sickle provided assistance. Together, they barely managed to repel the hat.
The Coachman had only used this one Magical Treasure—or perhaps the hat wasn’t even a Magical Treasure. He had thrown it casually, yet it had left Li Banfeng in such a disheveled state.
Ahead lay a dead end. Li Banfeng ran towards it. A dead end was advantageous for him; whether by using Unimpeded or the Path-breaking Technique, he had ways to escape.
"Where do you think you’re going?" The Coachman’s figure flickered, suddenly appearing to block Li Banfeng’s path.
Li Banfeng could take a detour and continue running. As long as he found a suitable direction, he could continue to play for time against the Coachman. But he no longer wanted to. The disparity in their strength was too great; the longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng let out a great yell. The piercing howl made the Coachman hesitate for a moment.
Seizing this opportunity, Li Banfeng charged directly at the Coachman. The Stubbornly Going One’s Own Way Technique elevated his speed to another level.
The Coachman didn’t dodge, fully intending to meet Li Banfeng’s charge head-on. But as Li Banfeng rushed towards him, the Coachman suddenly felt the ground beneath his heels become unsteady. Looking down, he found himself at the edge of a precipice. Li Banfeng, using the Mind Traverse Thousand Mountains Technique, had transported the cliff from Iron Gate Fort here.
The Coachman, finding himself on the cliff’s edge, did not underestimate the situation. He recognized the Mind Traverse Thousand Mountains Technique and suspected Li Banfeng might have other tricks up his sleeve, so he attempted to evade this onslaught.
But this attack wasn’t so easy to dodge. Li Banfeng had poured all his remaining strength into this move, kicking the Coachman squarely in the chest.
The Coachman shuddered from the impact but didn’t fall off the cliff.
Li Banfeng launched himself into the air, flying towards the distant horizon.
Thousand Mile In A Step.