He Jiaqing had a fight with the Greenwater Beggar, and he was well-prepared for this battle.
He found the right timing, as Green Flower recently often left his residence and roamed around Greenwater City.
According to the rules, Green Flower can only go out once a year, but in reality, he goes out often. As long as he doesn’t massacre civilians, the Peddler doesn’t bother with him.
Through a period of interaction, He Jiaqing mastered Green Flower’s travel pattern. This time, he initiated an ambush, gained the upper hand, and held a fair advantage in the early stages of the fight, but in the end, he still lost.
The cost of losing this battle was painfully high. The lesions on He Jiaqing’s body worsened; originally, there were only rashes, but now, there are numerous ulcers.
The Greenwater Beggar was still in pursuit. He Jiaqing wanted to find a place to take refuge, but Duan Shuqun couldn’t think of a good place for a moment. After weighing his options, he took He Jiaqing to the Night-blooming Jasmine Newspaper Agency.
To avoid Green Flower, they must go to a crowded place because, in such places, the Greenwater Beggar would have reservations about making a move.
Duan Shuqun’s stationery factory also had many people, but the workers had gone home after their shifts, and there were no dormitories at the factory. It was desolate, just the two of them and a few gatekeepers, unable to hold off the Greenwater Beggar.
The newspaper agency is a special industry because they need to prepare for the early edition. Reporters, editors, and workers must rotate shifts during the night, so even at midnight, the Great Newspaper Office was still bustling.
And Night-blooming Jasmine is the largest newspaper agency on Black Stone Slope, with a large scale, many workers, and ample space, making it not too difficult to hide a couple of individuals.
Moreover, Night-blooming Jasmine Newspaper Agency was close by. The two hurried along and reached the agency’s entrance in less than two minutes.
He Jiaqing had ways to enter the agency, but Duan Shuqun suggested entering through the main gate.
"Jia Qing, Boss Ye, the owner of Night-blooming Jasmine Newspaper Agency, is famously ruthless. There are many traps hidden in the agency, and since you’re injured, barging into the courtyard could bring you great misfortune."
He Jiaqing heeded Duan Shuqun’s advice and walked towards the gate with him.
Upon seeing Duan Shuqun, the gatekeeper was startled. Duan Shuqun approached with his nearly two-meter height and weight over two hundred thirty pounds, creating an intense presence in the dark night.
Just as the gatekeeper was about to call for others, Duan Shuqun folded his arms, twisted his waist, and suddenly danced a tune.
Witnessing Duan Shuqun’s burly figure transform into such elegance, the gatekeeper was dazzled and speechless, allowing Duan Shuqun and He Jiaqing to enter the agency.
This is the Dance Cultivation Third Layer Technique, "Bewitching Eyes."
Duan Shuqun led He Jiaqing through the agency, bypassing questions with evasion and responding to inquiries with a dance, eventually reaching the printing workshop.
The early edition hadn’t completed its layout. There were over three hours before the printing workshop started, with most workers resting in their dormitories. Duan Shuqun let He Jiaqing sit inside a cement pipe.
They stayed there for over half an hour, and the Greenwater Beggar hadn’t chased them yet. He Jiaqing used stolen Medical Cultivation Techniques to temporarily control his condition.
If they could wait another half-hour for He Jiaqing to treat his injuries, even facing the Greenwater Beggar, he could barely manage.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side. A moth fluttered its wings and flew beside the cement pipe, spotting He Jiaqing inside.
He Jiaqing flicked a flame from his fingertips, burning the moth to ash.
But it was too late. A large group of moths gathered in the courtyard, forming a ball, then transforming into a human shape, and after all the moths melted into pus, they condensed together into the pus-covered Green Flower.
The Greenwater Beggar shook the begging bowl in his hand, bent over, and lowered his head to peer inside the cement pipe at He Jiaqing.
He had arrived at the agency long ago, circling the courtyard wall outside without entering.
Duan Shuqun’s decision was correct; in a crowded place, the Greenwater Beggar would hesitate to act. But after confirming that He Jiaqing was inside the agency, he still chased them in.
"Come out," the Greenwater Beggar said with a smile. "Dying inside that cement pipe is so unsightly."
Duan Shuqun wanted to rush out and fight the Greenwater Beggar but was stopped by He Jiaqing.
With Duan Shuqun’s strength, he wouldn’t stand a chance before the Greenwater Beggar.
He Jiaqing stepped out of the cement pipe, looked at the Greenwater Beggar, and calmly said, "The Jade Seal is not with me, nor is the Saint. The person you met at Cheap Person Ridge wasn’t me. I was framed.
If you don’t believe me and insist on killing me, I must fight you to the death, and then both of us will end up gravely injured. Is it really worth it?"
The Greenwater Beggar chuckled, "Whether it’s mutual defeat is debatable. Even if we both get wounded, the extent differs. I might just hurt a finger, but you could be obliterated."
As they spoke, He Jiaqing silently adjusted his position, moving closer to the workers’ dormitory.
Pustules on the Greenwater Beggar’s face split open, and pus turned into countless moths, blocking He Jiaqing’s escape route.
If He Jiaqing couldn’t breach the circle of moths and was subdued directly, that would be the best outcome for the Greenwater Beggar.
If He Jiaqing escaped the encirclement, as long as one moth laid an egg on him, it could immediately hatch and parasitize his body—the Greenwater Beggar would still be satisfied with this result.
If the parasitism failed, the moths would swiftly draw close to He Jiaqing, exploding one by one, attacking him with pus.
This approach hardly fully controls He Jiaqing; being hit by the pus merely adds injury to injury, rarely proving fatal, and easily affects others nearby.