Chapter 133: The Lone Savior

Ma Wu’s dance hall had opened, and Chu Huaiyuan had come specially to offer her congratulations. Li Banfeng stood quietly in a corner of the hall, studying Miss Chu Huaiyuan’s appearance.

She had deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge, a mouth that was a little too large, and full red lips. Her face was softly rounded, without a single sharp angle to be found.

It was impossible to tell what her real skin tone was beneath the thick layer of powder coating her face. The makeup hid everything, turning her features into something masklike. Her eyes were even harder to read. The heavy eyeshadow blurred every hint of emotion, leaving behind a dangerous kind of allure, as if the darkness around her gaze carried secrets you were never meant to see.

When the music began, the guests took the dance girls by the hand and moved with the rhythm of the waltz.

The waltz was played purely to set the mood. Most of the guests were villagers from Blue Poplar Village, and hardly any of them actually knew how to dance.

The dance girls had also been hired from the village. They had only trained for two days, so there was no chance they could truly learn the waltz. Everyone was simply trying to earn a living, holding on to one another as they stumbled through the steps, and no one minded in the least. Yet what Miss Chu saw made her scalp prickle. As a refined young lady, she simply couldn't bear such a sight.

"Young Master Wu, this place really is not suitable for you," Chen Huaiyuan said.

Ma Wu gave a small smile and said nothing.

Chu Huaiyuan extended her hand toward him. "Dance with me."

A proper gentleman ought to accept when a lady invited him, but Ma Wu wanted nothing of the sort. He didn’t wish to dance with Chu Huaiyuan, nor did he want to be anywhere near her.

He was afraid, because he had heard about what became of Liu Changyu.

The story of how Miss Chu had beaten the mountain bandits had already made the headlines. She had even taken the strip of skin from Liu Changyu’s face and soaked it in a bottle of liquor as a trophy.

"Forgive me, Miss Chu. My leg is injured." Ma Wu brushed a hand over his cheek as he spoke. No matter what, he did not want to dance with Miss Chu.

Miss Chu curled her red lips. "You looked rather quick on your feet when you were greeting the guests just now."

Ma Wu explained, "I was forcing myself earlier. My right leg has been injured for days and is terribly swollen. I really can’t dance."

Miss Chu did not insist and shifted her gaze toward Li Banfeng.

As a level-three Homebound Cultivator, Li Banfeng was someone hardly anyone in the hall could notice. However, after her Top Thug, Wen Hongyan, quietly reminded her, Miss Chu took another look. The man in the fedora suddenly seemed far more unusual than she had first thought. In fact, even Ma Wu seemed to care about that dude.

Chu Huaiyuan approached Li Banfeng with a faint smile. "Sir, may I invite you to dance?"

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "I don’t know how to dance."

"It’s easy," she said. "I can teach you."

Li Banfeng gave a courteous, almost knowing smile as he rejected Miss Chu once again.

Do you think I am clueless? You are going to teach me how to dance and then say that I took advantage of you. Then, you are going to charge me a hands-on fee. Do you think I would be fooled by this? I have suffered this loss before!

Miss Chu could no longer keep her composure as she thought,

I was rejected twice in a dance hall as odd and mismatched as this? What am I supposed to do with my dignity now?

Without giving him any chance to refuse, Chu Huaiyuan pulled Li Banfeng into the dance floor.

Why is this woman so fierce?

Li Banfeng thought.

If it hadn’t been a special occasion, Li Banfeng would have turned hostile. He couldn’t stand being extorted.

Since it was their grand opening, he didn’t want to spoil the celebratory mood, so Li Banfeng forced down his anger. Even so, he absolutely refused to pay any extra fees.

In actuality, he had learned a few dance steps at the Elysian Melody Dancehall, and with a Wanderlust Cultivator’s solid footwork, he danced quite well.

As the music played, Miss Chu spun lightly and made her way toward the photographer.

Oh no! The photographer is going to take a picture? Why in the world does Miss Chu keep a photographer at her side at all times?

Given his current situation, being photographed was the last thing Li Banfeng could allow. It was practically taboo to him.

Li Banfeng abruptly lowered his head, slipped his hand downward, and gave Miss Chu a sharp pinch at the waist.

The photographer failed to press the shutter. The scene looked so improper that he didn’t dare take the picture.

Miss Chu cried out, "How dare you!"

Li Banfeng stayed perfectly calm. "Since you are planning to charge me a hands-on fee, I thought I’d secure the benefit first."

Miss Chu blinked in confusion. "What hands-on fee?"

Li Banfeng’s smile deepened. Under the shadow of his fedora’s brim, a trace of murderous intent glimmered in his eyes.

Miss Chu showed not the slightest trace of fear. She stepped in, twirled neatly, and swept Li Banfeng back toward the waiting photographer.

Li Banfeng showed not the slightest courtesy, twisting Miss Chu’s butt with the same motion one used to form a fried dough twist.

The sight was indecent, so the photographer failed to take the shot again.

A full-body shot was now impossible. When the photographer tried for a half-body shot, Li Banfeng spun away at once and slipped out of the frame.

Miss Chu was surprised and seemed to think how Li Banfeng pinched her butt felt rather good. She wanted him to pinch her butt again, so she pulled Li Banfeng toward the photographer once more.

Li Banfeng spun her around and sent her crashing straight into the photographer. With no time to leap aside, the man dropped his camera. It shattered on the floor, bursting open and sending strips of film skittering across the tiles.

Miss Chu became furious. She whirled with Li Banfeng across the floor, guiding the dance so that he hurtled straight toward the gramophone.

The gramophone was far too expensive to break, so midway through their wild dance, Li Banfeng veered aside and redirected Miss Chu so that she slammed into a pillar rather than the precious machine.

She struck the pillar hard; Miss Chu staggered, wavering on her feet, and very nearly toppled over.

Yang Yanzheng frowned, and Wen Hongyan, the top thug, ran her tongue along her arm, poised to strike at any moment.

Li Banfeng sensed danger, and the killing intent in his eyes thickened.

Miss Chu gestured for the others not to act rashly, and she and Li Banfeng carried on dancing in the center of the floor.

Ma Wu broke into a cold sweat for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng, too, was drenched in sweat.

Without warning, Miss Chu’s nails lengthened. They ripped through his clothing and sank straight into his flesh.

With another sweeping spin, Li Banfeng swung her around and slammed Miss Chu into the pillar once more.

The pair moved with such speed that the onlookers couldn’t even catch a glimpse of them. All they heard was the repeated thud of bodies crashing into the pillar.

When the dance ended, Miss Chu was bruised from head to toe, while blood trickled down Li Banfeng’s back in thin, red lines.

The two of them offered a polite bow before making their way back to their seats.

Wen Hongyan asked, "Miss, shall we kill that fellow?"

Miss Chu massaged the bruise on her shoulder as she responded, "It was just a dance. It felt quite refreshing. No need to make a fuss over it."

Li Banfeng drank a cup of wine, then rose to his feet and left the dance hall.

That vicious woman. As if her ruthlessness wasn’t enough, she had to go and poison me too.

A fierce itch crept along Li Banfeng’s spine, and he rushed back into his Pocket Dwelling.

He stepped into the room and took off his clothes, ready for his wifey to tend to his wounds.

As soon as he stepped into the house, he took off his clothes, hoping to let his little wifey treat his wounds. However, his little wifey yelled, "Oi! You madman! And what, pray tell, are these claw marks all over your back?"

Li Banfeng explained, "A woman scratched me."

"Ha! So you admit it! With scratches this deep, you must have been grinding just as hard as she was!"

Li Banfeng pointed at his back. "She poisoned me."

"You even use poison when doing such things? What kind of foreplay is this?"

Li Banfeng lifted his clothes. "She tore my clothes too."

"Your clothes are torn..."

Clang, clang, clang~

The gramophone calmed itself, released a gentle burst of steam, and let the warm vapor glide across Li Banfeng’s back.

If Li Banfeng had been scratched without the clothes being torn, she would surely escalate this matter to something of great seriousness. But since the clothes had been torn, it proved that he had at least been wearing his clothes at the time.

Under the steaming treatment, sweat poured down Li Banfeng's body. When it dried, the itching faded entirely, and the poison was fully neutralized.

Li Banfeng lay on the bed as the wounds on his back scabbed over with remarkable speed. A Homebound Cultivator’s recovery inside his dwelling was nothing short of astonishing.

The gramophone continued to stroke his back with warm steam while singing softly

「 That wicked woman, cruel as can be,

Hand her to me, love, and I’ll avenge thee.♪」

Li Banfeng gave a cold snort. "Do you want revenge, or are you simply hungry?"

「 Huff~ Your little wifey loves you true,

How could my husband mock me too? ♪」

The gramophone sounded thoroughly aggrieved. With a curl of steam, it lifted Li Banfeng’s clothes and mended them with great care.

Whirrr–clack, whirrr–clack

After gaining the sewing-machine gramophone function, the wifey’s needle threaded itself, and her mending became astonishingly fast.

When the mending was done, wifey asked, "Now that I think about it... that wicked woman is human, yes?"

"Of course she’s human. What makes you ask that?"

「 Hey~ My golden eyes catch every strand of hair

And my little nose can taste a hundred perfumes in the air

My husband must have faltered when that woman came his way

For her incense lingers on you, faint but clear. ♪」

"Truly?"

Li Banfeng picked up his clothes and sniffed them. The scent of powders was strong, but after concentrating, he did detect a faint trace of incense.

How had he overlooked that scent?

It was not carelessness on Li Banfeng’s part. The dance hall had been filled with smoke, alcohol, and perfume, the odors too heavy and chaotic, drowning out the faint scent of incense. He truly had failed to notice it.

Could Miss Chu be a ghost? That should not be the case.

Li Banfeng had been wary of Miss Chu the entire time. If she were a ghost, he would at least have seen ghostly fire.

***

As the ball drew to an end, Miss Chu rose to bid goodbye. Ma Wu arranged a carriage to take her to the village entrance, then went back to the dance hall to tally the day’s expenses.

As Miss Chu’s carriage vanished down the road, Liu Liangyi appeared at the village entrance.

He held a burning stick of incense, the smoke rising in thin curls and floating straight toward Dreamspring Garden.

Inside the dance hall, Ma Wu was reviewing the ledger. It was the grand opening, and all the guests had been invited, so the expenses were inevitably high.

Just as he reached a crucial part of the calculations, he heard a dancer cry out, "What are you doing? Watch where you’re going!"

He looked toward the voice and saw a man entering the dance hall, colliding with the dancer and making her stumble.

The man wore a mandarin jacket and a round felt hat, with a scarf covering his face so that none of his features could be seen.

Little Chuan lifted the dancer up and told the man, "We’re closed for the night. If you want to dance, come back tomorrow."

The man said nothing and kept walking forward.

Little Chuan frowned. "Did you not understand me? We’re closed!"

Without warning, the man drew a blade and slashed down at him.

Little Chuan, an Artificer Cultivator who had yet to reach even the first level, couldn’t react in time.

Ma Wu lunged forward, shoved Little Chuan out of the way, dodged the falling blade, and kicked that man.

Crack!

It sounded as though the man’s bones had snapped, but it did nothing to slow him. He lifted the blade again and swung at Ma Wu.

Ma Wu dodged with ease. The others tried to rush in to help, but Ma Wu stopped them with a shout.

The man’s strikes were not fast, but his body was unnaturally tough. Therefore, Ma Wu assumed he was a Physique Cultivator who had yet to reach even the first level.

Such people were usually little more than common troublemakers. A proper beating would sort him out. It was the auspicious opening day, and Ma Wu refused to see it ruined, just as he refused to let any of his subordinates come to harm.

He cast a glance at the man, intending to subdue him with Allure Confusion, a technique of Hedonism Cultivation. However, the man showed no reaction at all and simply kept swinging his blade at Ma Wu, strike after strike.

How did this guy resist the Alluring Confusion?

Ma Wu thought.

Is he a level-one cultivator?

It was the grand opening, and Ma Wu truly did not want bloodshed. However, this opponent clearly could not be underestimated.

Ma Wu pulled the short sword from his back, fully prepared to slice off the man’s arm.

Crack!

The arm came off, but the man did not bleed.

Ma Wu’s brows tightened as he stared at the severed shoulder. The stump was hollow. Inside it, a bamboo frame was plainly visible.

This was a paper effigy!

The first person he thought of was Liu Liangyi, the one who managed the Liu Family’s paper oblation shop.

Liu Liangyi was a level-four Nightfiend Cultivator, and these paper effigies were unmistakably his signature technique.

He had come for revenge!

Little Chuan had noticed it was a paper effigy as well. He pulled out a box of foreign fire[1] and shouted, "Young Master, step aside. I’ll burn him!"

"Do not act recklessly!" Ma Wu stopped Little Chuan.

Burn it? A paper effigy felt no pain. It would instead lunge at people while on fire.

Ma Wu raised his short sword and hacked the paper effigy into scraps. At that moment, a gust of eerie wind swept past the windows, snuffing out every candle in the hall.

"Move quickly!" Ma Wu barked, ordering everyone to leave at once. But when he reached the entrance, he found they could not get out.

Hundreds of figures were packed into the doorway, and more were pouring in from the fields outside.

The dance hall was surrounded.

If even Ma Wu could not force a way through, the untrained clerks and dancers stood no chance at all.

After cutting down two more paper effigies, Ma Wu retreated into the hall and ordered two clerks to hold the doors shut.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pounding on the door did not stop, and Ma Wu was desperately trying to find a solution.

These paper effigies were likely being controlled by Liu Liangyi’s ghost servants.

Ghost servants were restless spirits, and high-level Hedonism Cultivator techniques could restrain them.

However, Ma Wu’s level was far too low. Without an enchanted artifact or a spirit-bound item, he could not even touch a ghost. That was what made Nightfiend Cultivators so troublesome.

If only I still had that fur coat...

Ma Wu thought.

When Ma Wu had been kicked out from his family, they had taken the fur coat back. If he still owned it now, he would never have been forced to sift through trash heaps for a living. Ghost-expelling jobs would have earned him more than enough.

Right now, he had no enchanted artifact. What else could deal with ghost servants?

Filth!

Ma Wu remembered. He had read that restless spirits detested filth, and it could hold them back for a short while.

"Quick, spit! Spit your saliva toward the door!"

A dozen clerks and more than twenty dancers all spat toward the door, and the pounding outside gradually began to subside.

It seemed to be working.

Ma Wu was filled with joy and ordered everyone, "Quick, smear the saliva on your faces, the more the better! Anyone with thick phlegm, pass some along. When I give the signal, we rush out!"

Everyone spat into their hands and smeared their faces with it. Even the dancers tossed aside all modesty, and one pretty maiden blew a handful of mucus into her palm before spreading it across her cheeks.

Ma Wu was just about to throw the door open when two sharp cracks pierced the room. The window glass shattered in an instant.

The paper effigies outside had not been repelled by the spit. Under Liu Liangyi’s control, they had simply changed their route of attack.

Dozens of paper effigies began climbing in through the windows.

"Aaaaaah!"

A clerk let out a miserable scream as a paper effigy slashed his back.

"MAMA MIA!" A dancer wailed as a paper effigy grabbed her and ripped away a fistful of her hair.

The room was pitch-black and filled with screams. Ma Wu could no longer tell which figures were the paper effigies.

"Spit on them!" Ma Wu shouted, his mind too frantic to come up with anything better.

Would it work? With only this pitiful bit of filth, the effect was bound to be limited.

These were ghost servants of a level-four Nightfiend Cultivator. Spitting on a paper effigy made it pause briefly before it swung its blade again.

Ma Wu slashed a paper effigy to pieces with his sword, yet the ghost servant inside wriggled out, slipped into another effigy, and carried on its attack untouched.

At the village entrance, Liu Liangyi paused for a moment, then shook his head.

He had not expected Ma Wu to be this weak. He had assumed that, since Ma Wu had killed Song Jiasen, his cultivation must have reached level three and that he would have at least a few enchanted artifacts on him.

If he had known Ma Wu was only this capable, he would not have wasted paper effigies. A dozen ghost servants alone could have finished them all.

All of them were now forced into a corner. Ma Wu quickly shouted, "Urine! Pee on them!"

At this critical moment, everyone, men and women alike, could no longer be bothered with modesty. They revealed themselves, took their positions, and prepared to pee on the paper effigies.

However, the paper effigies gave them no chance to pee and swung their blades at once!

Just as everyone was crammed into a corner and about to be chopped into pulp, a large dark figure charged out from the latrine, bellowing, "Young Master, fear not! Follow me!"

The burly dark man carried a two-foot iron bucket on his back and gripped a one-and-a-half-meter ladle in his hand.

He swung it hard, flinging a wave of thick sludge at the paper effigies. A group of them froze on the spot, while the rest shrank back against the walls to avoid it.

Little Gen had arrived! He had come with his bucket! This was proper filth!

Dung soup was the king of all filth, and dung soup refined by a Gold Cultivator was the finest filth of all.

Little Gen had not had it easy. To save Ma Wu, he had fought his way in and out of the dance hall seven times before finally leaping in through the latrine window.

After replenishing his ammunition in the toilet, Little Gen charged back into the center of the dance floor.

After another round of fierce fighting, Little Gen moved to the window and unstrapped the dung bucket from his back.

He hoisted the bucket, and a whole cluster of paper effigies jerked back at once, clearly terrified of what was inside.

With a sweep of his long ladle, he splashed the whole mess across Ma Wu’s face.

"Young Master, this way!"

Ma Wu wiped his face, gathered everyone, and followed Little Gen toward the window.

A Gold Cultivator restrained a Nightfiend Cultivator. If the opponent had been Du Hongxi, the Jiangxiang Gang’s second-level Nightfiend Cultivator, Little Gen might not have won, but he would at least have had a chance to carve out an escape route.

Unfortunately, this was a ghost servant of a level-four Nightfiend Cultivator.

Liu Liangyi let out a low, scornful chuckle. "So Gold Cultivators are not extinct after all. How surprising. Very well. I will send you on your way, before your stench has a chance to linger in this world."

He set down the incense in his hand and lit a candle. Through it, he sent out his will and forced the ghost servants to attack.

Little Gen had not reached any level yet, and the filth in his bucket was both too little and simply not disgusting enough. If the ghost servants charged directly, they could break through it with ease.

Liu Liangyi had always fought in this cautious manner.

An ambush cost the least and gained the most. He would never reveal himself. Even in the moment before death, Ma Wu would not see his face.

The candle flame trembled, and his mental command was about to reach the ghost servants.

Ring!

What is that sound?

Liu Liangyi thought.

Puff!

Li Banfeng stabbed Liu Liangyi in the back of the head, then blew out the candle.

A level-three Homebound Cultivator had gone entirely unnoticed by Liu Liangyi, and even the ghost servants at his side had failed to sense him.

When it came to ambushes being the most advantageous way to strike, Li Banfeng agreed wholeheartedly.

1. Matches used to be called 洋火 "foreign/Western fire" in China because it was introduced to the country in the early 19th century by people from Europe. Chinese companies started producing matches locally in the late 19th century and gained dominance over the foreign competitors in the 20th century, leading to a term change from洋火 "foreign fire" to 火柴 "fire stick". ☜