Chapter 109: My Dear Wife, Answer Me

Late at night, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu hid inside a cave and quietly watched the entrance.

Madam Bagworm Moth stood watch right outside the cave, silently waiting for the two of them to come out.

She could enter the cave, but she did not want to. She enjoyed playing hide and seek with her prey, even though she thought Li Banfeng's and Ma Wu's strategies were too childish and clumsy.

After they hid for several minutes, Madam Bagworm Moth released silk strands into the cave. Ma Wu collapsed.

In truth, he had already been on the verge of collapsing.

He was not a Wanderlust Cultivator, so his stamina wasn't that great. As a Hedonism Cultivator, he had a weak constitution. After running all day without food or water, Ma Wu could barely stand.

The key point was that continuing to flee would lead nowhere. He had read in books that once someone encountered Madam Bagworm Moth, there was no escaping unless they fulfilled her demands or they were of a cultivation level that was equal to or higher than hers.

How high was Madam Bagworm Moth's cultivation level?

She was nearly at the eighth level, one of the most formidable aberrations in the New Land.

If someone were to encounter Madam Bagworm Moth during the land activation ritual, it meant the attempt had failed. The land activators would have to scatter and flee. Whether anyone survived would depend entirely on her mood.

Daboinsky had survived after going against her once before. Most of the time, Madam Bagworm Moth did not enjoy killing. She preferred playing with people, but whether those she toyed with survived afterward depended on luck.

Since they could not escape her, Ma Wu could only follow the survival method described in the books and fulfill her requests.

However, the problem was whether he could endure what Madam Bagworm Moth requested of him.

Daboinsky could. Ma Wu could not.

Daboinsky was a Physique Cultivator. He not only possessed a high cultivation level but also an extraordinary body. Those were things that Ma Wu had no hope of matching.

Even so, Ma Wu was still resolved to make one desperate attempt to put up a fight. Even if he died here, he had to give Li Banfeng a chance to escape.

"Brother Li, you should run. I'll stay and fight her!"

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu. "What are you going to fight her with?"

Ma Wu said, "Since she just wants to play, I'll play with her. I am a Hedonism Cultivator. What have I not experienced?"

Li Banfeng pointed at Madam Bagworm Moth. "You've experienced her kind too?"

"Her kind... no..." Ma Wu gritted his teeth. "Brother Li, I owe you my life. Let me repay my debt by doing this. Just go!"

With that, Ma Wu rushed to the cave entrance and yelled, "If you want to play, then let us have some fun!"

Madam Bagworm Moth laughed. "Call the other one out. You alone are not enough."

"It's just me. What more do you want?"

"Little one, where did you get such a big temper?" Madam Bagworm Moth said, letting out a booming laugh. The antennae at the top of her head wiggled and reached out to coil around Ma Wu.

She might play with Ma Wu for a while, or she might eat him straight away.

She might also turn him into one of her children and raise him slowly inside a cocoon.

But Li Banfeng had already figured out Madam Bagworm Moth's way of doing things. No matter what she did to Ma Wu in the end, she would never let Li Banfeng go.

So, Li Banfeng took out a Corrosion Pill and struck Madam Bagworm Moth with it.

Corrosion spread rapidly all over her body, causing her intense pain.

She stopped paying attention to Ma Wu and turned toward Li Banfeng.

"Run!" yelled Li Banfeng, snapping Ma Wu out of his stunned state.

Ma Wu did not dare delay and sprinted away.

If Madam Bagworm Moth wanted to chase him, Ma Wu would not be able to escape. Even with Li Banfeng delaying her, Ma Wu would not be able to get away.

However, Madam Bagworm Moth did not want to chase anymore. She was angry.

She no longer looked at Ma Wu. Her gaze was fixed on Li Banfeng.

"You are very disobedient. I do not like children like you."

Li Banfeng kept his eyes on the corrosion spreading all over Madam Bagworm Moth.

He was sure the patch of corrosion could injure her.

At the very least, it should force her to shed a layer of skin.

But Madam Bagworm Moth did not shed her skin. She did not even shake off the corrosion.

The fluids beneath her skin surged in waves, forming a vortex that swallowed the patch of corrosion completely.

Ever since Li Banfeng had obtained his first Corrosion Pill on Mount Bitterfog, this formidable pill had been unstoppable. This was the first time it had failed to have any effect on the target.

Madam Bagworm Moth trailed her two antennae across Li Banfeng's face and said calmly, "I can bear children with you, or I can turn you into my child. I can turn you into one child or into three. I can cut you into a hundred pieces and turn you into a hundred children.

"I can even lay my children inside you. They'll feed on your flesh and blood as they grow, turning you into their home."

Their home.

Li Banfeng remembered Madam Bagworm Moth's cocoons.

So those cocoons were made from living beings.

The antennae stroked Li Banfeng's face faster and faster, indicating that Madam Bagworm Moth's mood was worsening.

"I think the last option suits you best, because you are neither gentle nor cute."

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Bagworm Moth rammed headfirst into the cave.

Li Banfeng retreated rapidly. He opened the Pocket Dwelling and threw the key out before heading inside.

In a situation like this, taking refuge inside the Pocket Dwelling was his only choice of action.

As for how he would leave the Pocket Dwelling later, he would have to think of a way.

The door slammed shut, and Li Banfeng let out a long breath.

He had escaped the calamity for the moment, but what should he do next?

If Madam Bagworm Moth were to leave, that would be fine. But if she kept blocking the entrance, how could Li Banfeng get out?

And if she took away his house key, that would be even worse.

He had to be prepared to stay inside the Pocket Dwelling for an extended period.

Li Banfeng first checked his inventory.

He had plenty of food inside the Pocket Dwelling. There were canned goods, compressed biscuits, and even sausages...

Where did those sausages come from?

Why are the sausages moving?

What are those?

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

They're antennae!

Madam Bagworm Moth's antennae.

She followed me inside!

But how? Did I not shut the door properly?

Li Banfeng raised the Tang saber, intending to sever the antennae.

With a light flick, the antenna sent Li Banfeng flying across the room.

By the time Li Banfeng struggled to his feet, the door was already open.

A massive green worm charged into the Pocket Dwelling, occupying all the space in the central room.

"What is this place? Why is it so strange?" The room was too narrow, leaving Madam Bagworm Moth stuck and unable to turn around.

Pop... crackle... pop...

The gramophone woke up and sang cheerfully, "My dear husband, you're back from buying groceries! You bought... You bought... What is this that you bought?"

Madam Bagworm Moth turned and looked around. "This house is nice. Leave it for my children. I could have many children live here."

Li Banfeng took out the Tang saber and hurled it at Madam Bagworm Moth.

Clang!

The Tang saber drew itself and slashed three times at Madam Bagworm Moth's head before returning to Li Banfeng's pocket.

The three strikes had landed, yet Madam Bagworm Moth was completely unscathed.

The Tang saber hadn't even left a mark on her head.

No wonder the Tang saber had fled so quickly. The difference between it and the target was simply too great.

Li Banfeng took out the Blood-Drinking Pendulum to strike her, but the pendulum retreated at once. "Master, I can't do it. Spare my life!"

The pendulum did not dare attack Madam Bagworm Moth. It would just end up dying pointlessly.

What about the teapot?

Could the teapot be useful?

She has nowhere to dodge inside this small room. Maybe I can boil her to death!

Just as Li Banfeng was about to look for the teapot, a ball of silk shot toward Li Banfeng.

Swoosh~

In the narrow room, there wasn't much space for him to evade the silk.

Whoosh!

A burst of steam flew in and burned the silk into ash.

The Gramophone yelled, "Dear husband, wait in the outer room. Today's ingredient is rather troublesome. Please wait there while I deal with it."

Before Li Banfeng could speak, a swirl of steam pushed him into the outer room. The door shut tightly behind him, sealed off tightly by steam.

Madam Bagworm Moth roared at the Gramophone, "What exactly are you?"

Pop... crackle... pop...

The Gramophone let out a mocking hiss. "You are bold indeed. It seems I have fallen into dire straits since even a little insect like you dares speak to me this way."

Whoosh!

Scorching steam filled the entire room.

Madam Bagworm Moth opened her enormous mouth and straightened her long worm body, swallowing all the steam in the room in one gulp.

Crackle... crackle...

The Gramophone sang in a high-pitched and penetrating voice, and the steam inside Madam Bagworm Moth caused her body to swell rapidly.

Madam Bagworm Moth let out several furious roars. She spat out silk strands and wrapped them around the Gramophone's record and covered the speaker horn, preventing the Gramophone from making any sound.

Madam Bagworm Moth's two enormous mandible-like fangs bit through the Gramophone's machinery cabinet and sank deep into her.

***

A few minutes later, the sounds of fighting gradually faded into silence.

Li Banfeng rushed into the central room and saw that Madam Bagworm Moth had shrunk greatly. She was curled on the floor, motionless.

The Gramophone was damaged all over and completely silent.

The front panel had shattered, and the speaker cone was deformed. The thing that worried Li Banfeng most was that two gears had fallen out of the Gramophone's machinery cabinet.

Li Banfeng panicked. He had never felt this panicked before.

He stroked the Gramophone and called out softly again and again, "My dear, my dear wife... please say something..."

Wuu... wuu...

There are sounds.

She can still make sounds.

The sounds were faint, but Li Banfeng could hear them.

He looked at the gramophone's speaker horn and found it clogged with silk.

The speaker horn was scorching hot, but Li Banfeng ignored the pain and dug the silk out with all his strength.

Squeak... Squeak...

With the speaker horn cleared, the Gramophone could only make strange scraping sounds.

Inside the machinery cabinet, many gears were jammed with silk as well.

Li Banfeng grabbed his tools and cleaned the gears carefully, working for over an hour before the gears slowly began to turn again.

Huff... hiss...

Steam puffed out rhythmically.

Li Banfeng looked at the Gramophone anxiously. "My dear, say something! Talk to me!"

"Oh, hey~ My dear husband~ What has you so anxious~?" the Gramophone replied.