Chapter 149: Frenzied Flight Through the River of Insects

Who was Pan Dehai? Was he a local land deity of some domain? If so, which domain did he belong to? And was his status comparable to the Green Beggar and Feng Daiku?

These were the questions that Li Banfeng had asked the gramophone, causing her to slip into a deep thought. For a time, she could not bring herself to answer any of them.

With nothing else to do, Li Banfeng stared at the lump of flesh on the table. As he looked at it, he felt a little hungry.

It was not because he wanted to eat this lump of flesh. It was because he had run himself half to death, burning through every scrap of strength he had. On top of that, listening to his wifey unravel secrets and histories had wrung his mind dry. His body was empty, his head was tired, and he was genuinely hungry.

He rummaged around, found some biscuits and canned food, and made do with a simple meal.

Meanwhile, the gramophone was still pondering why the fight between Feng Daiku and Pan Dehai happened.

"Feng Daiku and Pan Dehai fought each other," she said slowly, "and they did it on the Green Beggar's domain. No matter how one looks at it, that makes no sense at all. This piece of flesh should be something very close to Pan Dehai's heart. That wretch Feng Daiku was injured by him, and Pan Dehai himself was badly wounded too. But...

She paused and continued, "Husband dear~ Why did you end up clashing with Feng Daiku again? Did you take a fancy to her, or are you perhaps friends with Pan Dehai?"

Li Banfeng shook his head at once. "I didn't take a liking to that woman, and I don't even know Pan Dehai. But this matter does involve a friend of mine. That friend fell into Feng Daiku's hands. She said she needed him to stay and help her recover. I tried to rescue him, but instead I fell victim to her technique."

He frowned slightly. "What kind of technique did she use? Was it a Hedonism Cultivation technique? As the local land deity of Girdle-Slipping Hollow, she should be a Hedonism Cultivator, right?"

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

The gramophone replied, "Feng Daiku does not cultivate Hedonism. She is a Love Cultivator. Husband, what ensnared you was her root of love. However, this little wifey has already removed it."

Li Banfeng did not understand. "If she is a Love cultivator, then why are there so many Hedonism Cultivators on her domain?"

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

"Because Hedonism Cultivation eventually gives rise to love," the gramophone replied.

"Isn't the saying supposed to be that time gives rise to love?"

"Hedonist cultivators do the deed, and it usually lasts quite a while." The wifey explained it in plain, easy-to-understand terms.

The moment Feng Daiku crossed his mind, Li Banfeng's anger boiled over.

She didn't just detain Ma Wu. She nearly forced me into the Iron-thread River as well!

he roared inwardly.

"Wifey, I don't think Feng Daiku is fully healed. I'll find a way to kill her!"

"Husband dear~ Don't be reckless."

"Then I'll find a way to lure her into the Pocket Dwelling and let you kill her!"

Hiss~ hiss~

Warm steam drifted over him in gentle waves, wrapping around him like soft hands trying to press his rage back down.

"Husband dear~ If this little wifey's combat strength were restored, dealing with that wretched woman would be nothing at all," she said softly. "But in my current state, I fear I'm no match for her. Husband, you truly must not do this recklessly."

Indeed. Back then, even defeating Madam Bagworm Moth had nearly cost the gramophone everything, not to mention a local land deity.

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

Wifey continued, "Besides, among local land deities, Feng Daiku is one of the nicer sorts. If your friend helps her recover, the worst that'll happen is losing a little essence. She knows how to return a favor and won't let him suffer.

"But once local land deities start fighting, it's always outsiders who get affected. This place is no good for hanging around. Husband dear~ We can untangle the details later. Right now, the clever thing to do is leave as soon as possible."

Li Banfeng pushed open the door of the Pocket Dwelling to retrieve the key, only to find a squirming mass of iron-thread insects forcing its way inside, writhing over one another like living wires in a bucket.

It was only then that Li Banfeng remembered that he had thrown the key toward the banks of the Iron-thread River earlier. It was normal to see some iron-thread insects.

Li Banfeng lifted his foot, ready to crush the iron-thread insects, when wifey suddenly shouted, "Husband dear~ Be careful. The smell isn't right!"

Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng noticed that the damp air outside the door felt far heavier than it had by the riverbank.

He tried to take another step outside to assess the situation, when a sudden shiver ran through his entire body. It was the ability of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity telling him that there was great danger outside.

Li Banfeng hurriedly shut the door, and wifey blasted out a cloud of steam, scalding the iron-thread insects on the floor until they lay still and lifeless.

What is going on? When I reached the riverbank, I really did throw the key toward the opposite shore. But what if I didn't have enough strength? What if the key fell straight into the river instead?

That would be bad. Very bad. If the key truly landed in a pile of insects, how am I supposed to get out?

Worse still, the insects might have carried it away. Where they took it is unclear for now, but judging from that strange, heavy stench just now, it's probably not the wasteland.

These thoughts ran through his mind.

After a moment of thought, Li Banfeng took out the Blood-Drinking Pendulum and asked, "Can you swallow poison?"

The pendulum shuddered. "Master, why do you want me to swallow poison?"

"To stay alive," Li Banfeng answered as he took out a pill of poison. "Eat this."

The plan was simple. He would have the pendulum swallow the pill and spit out poisonous mist to drive away the insects, giving him a chance to retrieve the key.

However, the pendulum refused. "Master, I can't eat this..."

Li Banfeng grew angry. "Why can't you eat it? I thought you can drink even the blood of Poison Cultivators?

The Threaded Earring whispered, "Boss, don't listen to her. She can eat it. She can eat anything!"

The Tang saber chimed in, "A treasured blade is born of countless grindings, and plum blossoms release their fragrance only after enduring bitter cold. The pendulum tasted enough sweetness. It is time for hardship."

The pendulum said in a trembling voice, "Master, they're bullying me."

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

The gramophone spoke with calm fairness. "Forcing the pendulum to eat a poisonous pill really is too much for her. Let her absorb some steam instead."

Hiss!

As the gramophone spewed wave after wave of steam, the pendulum turned red from top to bottom.

"Master, I'll eat it! I'll eat the poisonous pill! Master, I can't eat steam! Master..."

Whoosh~

A huge mass of steam was forcibly poured into the pendulum.

The pendulum burned red like a branding iron, though thankfully the handle remained just cool enough to grasp.

Li Banfeng tightened his trouser legs, picked up the pendulum, and stepped out of the room. Before closing the door, he paused and took one last look inside.

Once I walk out this door and I can't find the key, I will never be able to come back.

The thought made his chest tighten.

Should I take wifey with me? Should I bring the Crimson Lotus too? Should I carry out everything I've painstakingly saved?

And then what? Abandon the Pocket Dwelling? Stop thinking nonsense! I must find the key. I must protect my home!

The moment he stepped over the threshold, his foot landed in something sticky.

It was insects. All insects.

Iron-thread insects swarmed up his shoes at an astonishing speed. Li Banfeng did not hesitate. He activated the pendulum at once, blasting out a cloud of steam that scalded a wide swath of insects to death.

Driven back by the heat, the remaining insects scattered. Judging by the way their bodies curled and twisted, they were furious.

In the brief opening, Li Banfeng spotted the key amid the pile of corpses.

Just as he reached for it, the key began to sink into the mass of insect bodies.

It was not only the key. Li Banfeng felt his foot sinking as well.

Beneath the layer of corpses, living insects were still shifting and churning, as though a whirlpool had formed in the Ironwire "River."

Li Banfeng twisted the pendulum's screw and released another burst of steam.

Sizzle~

A thick, scorched stench flooded his nose as great numbers of iron-thread insects died. Li Banfeng seized the opening, snatched up the key, and searched for his next move.

Only then did he have time to observe his surroundings.

This was not a riverbank. Nor was it a stretch of wilderness. It was a cave.

Slick rock walls surrounded him on all sides, offering nowhere to gain a foothold.

At the bottom of the cave ran the Iron-thread River, flowing without pause, its depth impossible to judge. Beneath Li Banfeng's feet lay a vast carpet of scalded iron-thread insects. Beneath those corpses were living insects, with no telling how deep the mass went.

The power of the steam was fading, and the iron-thread insects surged swiftly toward Li Banfeng's feet.

Are these insects Wanderlust Cultivators? How are theft moving so fast?

The Blood-Drinking Pendulum had only one last breath of steam left. Once that was spent, Li Banfeng would have no way to drive the insects back.

With the key still in his hand, he could return to the Pocket Dwelling.

But if he went back, it would mean throwing the key into the swarm again, making everything he had just done meaningless.

If I don't go back into the Pocket Dwelling, where can I go? Where am I supposed to go next?

I should run. I should run toward the cave's exit. But where is the exit?

Li Banfeng had two choices. The first was to run in the same direction as the iron-thread insects.

Moving with the swarm made his footing noticeably smoother. The insects flowed like a living carpet beneath his feet. However, this was also the problem. Following them did not guarantee an exit.

Their destination might not be outside the cave at all. It could be deeper within, perhaps the lair of some insect king, or perhaps the dwelling of a deity that fed on insects and worse things.

The other option was to run against the direction of the iron-thread insects.

There was one clear advantage to running against them. He would definitely be able to get out of the cave. The insects entered from somewhere, so retracing their path would lead him out the same way.

The downside was that he had no idea how long he would need to run. Li Banfeng did not know how long the cave stretched on, nor did he know where the swarm had entered from.

If they had come through some underground river, the situation would be grim.

Through Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, he sensed danger in both directions, though neither exceeded what he could endure. However, if it was a higher-level existence, he would not be able to sense it with the technique of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity.

After only a brief moment of thought, Li Banfeng made his decision and ran against the insects' flow.

No matter how long the path was, at least the outcome was certain. Running against the iron-thread insects would lead him to an exit.

Clutching the key, Li Banfeng burst into a sprint.

Moving against the swarm meant charging straight into the writhing bodies, and more than once, his feet smashed directly into them.

So what if he kicked them? They were only iron-thread insects, after all. Creatures with little intelligence.

That was what Li Banfeng thought, but reality proved otherwise. These iron-thread insects were not ordinary creatures.

They possessed a degree of intelligence. Not much, but enough to understand revenge.

They had been scalded earlier. Now they were being kicked. As long as they could sense Li Banfeng, the insects twisted their bodies and burrowed toward him, biting as they went.

Faster! I must move faster! As long as I run fast enough I can dodge these iron-thread insects.

Li Banfeng was confident that they wouldn't be able to catch him.

However, while the iron-thread insects were slower than Li Banfeng, they were not slow by much. In their fury, they clung close, snapping at his heels.

Moreover, the insects seemed to share a collective sense. When the ones behind lagged, those ahead began knotting together.

Li Banfeng stumbled.

The swarm scattered in an instant. His next step met nothing at all, and he plunged straight into a whirlpool of the Iron-thread River.

The pitch-black mass of iron-thread insects, which moments ago had barely reached his feet, surged upward to his waist.

He struggled with all his strength, but the insects were no longer mindless. This time, they had learned. They spun beneath his feet like living gears, stealing every chance of leverage.

They burrowed and bit with savage enthusiasm, ripping through his clothes and drilling straight into his flesh.

Immediately, Li Banfeng took out the pendulum and released its final breath of steam, scalding a great swath of insects to death.

Using the dead insects as a stepping stone and using the footwork of Wanderlust Cultivation, Li Banfeng crawled out of the whirlpool of iron-thread insects. Trampling over the insects, he surged forward.

There were more insects forming another "whirlpool" in front, which Li Banfeng managed to avoid with through Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity.

In such a region of peril, every step was like walking five kilometer on flat ground. By walking ten steps, he managed to earn an entire day's worth of cultivation.

After running seven or eight hundred meters, several whirlpools appeared at once. He dodged left and right, but one misstep sent him sinking again.

There was no steam left. If he sank now, it would be extremely difficult to escape.

At the brink of life and death, veins bulged across Li Banfeng's body. His eyes turned bloodshot as he fixed his gaze forward.

Drawn by the scent of blood, the iron-thread insects surged up to bite, snapping eagerly.

Traceless Quick Steps!

His figure flickered forward by a single step, landing atop another whirlpool that was already trying to suck him in.

No. I can't land here!

Li Banfeng roared inwardly.

His figure flashed again, dodging one whirlpool and landing on a dense cluster of insects.

Somehow, impossibly, he had activated Traceless Quick Steps twice in a row, and he had no idea how he had done it.

The insects beneath his feet had no time to scatter. For a brief, miraculous moment, they formed solid footing. Those two steps alone were worth another two hundred and fifty kilometers of cultivation.

However, there was no time to count how much cultivation experience he had earned. Pain ripped through him from head to toe. More than a hundred iron-thread insects had already burrowed into his body, and the blood seeping from his wounds drew even more of them in, eager and wriggling.

He did not dare pause for even an instant and kept sprinting forward. After running another kilometer, a faint breeze brushed against his face from ahead.

The cave entrance!

Joy exploded in his chest. Summoning the last of his strength, Li Banfeng surged forward. The instant he burst out of the cave, a vast wasteland unfolded before him.

I'm out! I'm finally out!

Just as he was about to look around and take it all in, something squirmed against his cheek.

An iron-thread insect had burrowed into his face, writhing from his jaw up toward his cheekbone, inching closer and closer to his eye.

Author's Note:

PS: Thankfully, I paused my writing here. Otherwise, the insect would have slithered into his eye.