Chapter 193: The Nail

Li Banfeng set down his cup and coughed for a long moment before he finally caught his breath.

"You know Lu Xiaolan?"

"I do. We are acquainted."

Li Banfeng lifted his cup. "How well acquainted?"

Ma Wu hesitated, clearly struggling to find the right words. "If we go by the latest arrangement... she should be my fiancée."

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Li Banfeng choked again.

Fiancée? Since when? How have I never heard you mention this?

The truth was that Ma Wu had never tried to hide it. It simply had never come up. That was how the two of them were. If one chose not to speak, the other would not pry. But now that the word was out in the open, the old logic no longer held.

Li Banfeng narrowed his eyes. "If Lu Xiaolan is your fiancée, then what does that make He Jiaqing? Don't tell me he's your fiancé too."

Ma Wu choked on his drink as well.

"What fiancé?" he snapped, coughing as he set the cup down. "How could I possibly be caught between them like that? It's not what you think. There's... something else going on."

Curiosity gnawed at Li Banfeng, but he did not break their long-standing habit. "If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

"I truly don't want to," he admitted. "But this matter is important. I have to tell you. Lu Xiaolan is two years younger than me. When she was thirteen, our families arranged a betrothal."

In Puluo Province, marriage alliances between prominent families were nothing unusual. Even so, betrothals still required parity in status.

At the time, Lu Xiaolan had not been a good match for Ma Wu. Nor had she been a good match for He Jiaqing. The only reason she later managed to stand beside He Jiaqing was that the Lu Family had risen to prominence.

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu carefully. "If I remember correctly, you are a legitimate son. Lu Xiaolan is a concubine-born daughter, isn't she?"

How the heck am I supposed to answer this?

Ma Wu thought.

"I was the least favored one in my family..." Ma Wu said awkwardly, then continued, "When she turned fifteen and it was time to formally discuss marriage, we spent some time together. Because of that, the Lu Family and the Ma Family nearly fell out."

"Why was there a fallout?"

"Lu Xiaolan and I were never the same kind of people," Ma Wu said with a bitter smile. "Every time we met, we couldn't get through three sentences without arguing. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I said I wanted to break off the engagement. She said I had humiliated her and she almost killed me over it."

Cracking sunflower seeds between his teeth, Li Banfeng glanced sideways at him. "So how exactly did you humiliate her?"

Ma Wu looked embarrassed again. "We were young. In bed..."

Li Banfeng nodded several times, utterly unfazed. "So even if you start arguing within three sentences, that doesn't stop you from climbing into the same bed?"

Ma Wu sighed. "That's youth for you. If it were now, I wouldn't lay a finger on Lu Xiaolan. Back then she was already a level-three Spycraft Cultivator, and I was still a Bleater. I nearly died at her hands.

"The matter spiraled out of control, and the two families ended up drifting apart. Only after Lu Xiaolan left for the Outer Provinces to study did things slowly start to cool down."

Lu Xiaolan had already reached level three before going to Yuezhou?

Li Banfeng thought.

"How old was she before she left for Yuezhou?"

"Sixteen."

"She reached level three at sixteen? How is that even possible?"

Ma Wu took another sip of liquor before continuing. "Most people don't know this. Lu Xiaolan wasn't like other daughters of prominent families. She wasn't raised to be a pampered young lady. She was raised to be an assassin.

"She entered the Daoist Path before she was ten. As long as her body could endure it, she swallowed pills and trained in martial arts without pause. She paid dearly for that strength.

"I am not guessing. Lu Xiaolan told me herself. At that time, I wasn't yet a Hedonism Cultivator, but I already had the innate talent. In that kind of moment, she wouldn't have lied. I saw the scars on her body. The calluses on her hands. I even saw the marks left by beatings on her hips."

"You saw that much..."

A faint pang of regret stirred in Li Banfeng's chest.

Back then, He Jiaqing had snatched the photograph away almost immediately. He had barely glanced at it. He had missed all those details entirely.

"Old Wu, if she was already level three at sixteen, why were you still a Bleater at that age?"

How am I supposed to answer this?

Ma Wu thought.

As the son of a prominent family, Ma Wu had indeed entered the Daoist Path far too late.

"Because I was the most unreliable one in the family..." he said as his face reddened. "Lu Xiaolan was shaped by her mother to be ruthless. You can never lower your guard around her. Now that she's activating land right next to ours, I would say there's an eighty percent chance she's here for you."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not necessarily. Back then, you were the heartless one. She might be here for you."

Ma Wu drained another mouthful of liquor, then lowered his voice. "No matter who she's after, how do you plan to deal with her?"

"你说呢?"

Li Banfeng tilted his head. "What do you think?"

Ma Wu leaned closer. "I am planning to find a chance to... finish her[1]. One way or another."

Li Banfeng's lips curved faintly. "If it were up to me, I would end her now."

Since he had said it, he meant to act on it. Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat and was about to get up when Ma Wu stopped him. "Old Qi, you can't handle this. Let me do it."

"What's there to fear? I have recovered." Li Banfeng wanted to go. The grudge between him and Lu Xiaolan ran deep. When he had first arrived at Medicine King Gully, he had nearly died at her hands.

"I know your injuries are healed," Ma Wu said. "But I have already shown myself in front of Lu Xiaolan. She knows I am here. She may not know you are. For that reason alone, you shouldn't act.

"And even if she knows I'm here, there's little she can do to me. My identity is out in the open. I am nothing more than a discarded son of the Ma Family."

"You are different. Your identity must never reach the Lu Family. You can't let Lu Xiaolan bait you into exposing yourself. So you can't be the one to move. This has to be done by me."

Ma Wu was indeed a good friend. He could think about things from Li Banfeng's perspective at any time. But could Ma Wu kill Lu Xiaolan?

Before leaving for university, Lu Xiaolan had already reached level three. Now, word was that she had reached level four. Ma Wu was only a level-two cultivator and was certainly no match for her.

If he could not kill her single-handedly, then what exactly was he planning to do?

"Don't tell me you're planning to unleash the Madam Bagworm Moths on Lu Xiaolan."

If that happened, it would become a full-blown spectacle.

Ma Wu shook his head. "Swallowie and the others draw too much attention. I am taking Qin."

"Qin?" Li Banfeng raised a brow. "Who's that?"

Without answering, Ma Wu led him down the corridor to a quiet room at the end.

Qin sat inside, playing the piano. At a glance, she looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

She should be a woman, right?

Li Banfeng thought.

Qin had large eyes, fine brows, and a high nose bridge. Her features were striking and almost handsome. From each temple grew a single slender antenna, yet it did nothing to detract from her overall beauty.

Her lower half was somewhat more robust, but she stood on two long legs. They were elegantly shaped, though slightly thin.

Li Banfeng looked at her antennae and long legs, then asked Ma Wu, "That's a katydid, isn't it?"

At the word "katydid," A Qin's expression darkened. She shot Li Banfeng a sharp glare. "Wu, who is this?"

Ma Wu immediately signaled for Li Banfeng to watch his tone.

"Qin is a senior," he said. "An actual level-six Physique Cultivator. She cultivated at the Three-Headed Fork."

A Physique Cultivator? Did a person turn into a katydid? Or did a katydid turn into a person?

Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Was her original form human?"

Ma Wu did not answer. It was not an easy question to answer. Qin stood about 1.6m tall. She looked very much like a person, but her original form was indeed a katydid.

Ma Wu added quietly, "Senior Qin is no ordinary figure. She is Wen Hongyan's master."

Wen Hongyan? Miss Chu's large support hook?

From what Li Banfeng remembered, Wen Hongyan was in her early forties. Then how old must this senior be? And Ma Wu could still make a move on her? How should Wen Hongyan address Ma Wu in the future?

"Old Wu, you are really asking for karma."

Ma Wu explained the situation to Qin. Qin twitched her antennae slightly and asked calmly, "When do we act?"

"The sooner, the better," Ma Wu replied.

Qin rose at once, without gathering a single weapon or making the slightest preparation.

"Wu," she said, "tell me who this woman is later. You won't need to interfere. Leave the rest to me."

Ma Wu hesitated, unease flickering across his face. "I'll bring Old Zuo along."

"No need," Qin replied without pause. "Zuo Wugang keeps staring at me. I find him disgusting."

Zuo Wugang had taken a liking to Qin? He was one of the most renowned support hooks in Greenwater City, and he had fallen for a katydid? Like master, like support hook.

If news of this ever spread, it would make the front page without question.

Ma Wu set out with Qin. When they arrived at the land being activated, neither Lu Xiaolan nor the other land activator was in sight. However, he saw that the land had lit up.

Qiu Luoye already responded? And so quickly!

Ma Wu thought. He gnashed his teeth and said, "It's not a problem. We will act tomorrow when they proceed. We absolutely cannot let this land be successfully activated."

Qin shook her head. "Wu, before the activation begins, I may act as I please. After the land is successfully activated, I can also look for an opportunity to strike. However, during the activation itself, I cannot act recklessly. I have a contract with Qiu Luoye."

"What contract?"

"I am considered something of a subordinate to Qiu Luoye. If someone activates a plot of land within his territory, I can serve as one of the people who examine whether the land activator is truly worthy. However, I must first obtain his permission. Otherwise, I cannot simply enter the land."

Qin's situation was no different from that of the wild boar and the centipede woman. They could come to test whether Li Banfeng and Ma Wu were truly worthy of activating the land. However, they could only do so with Shui Yongquan's permission.

Could Qin test if Lu Xiaolan was worthy? Qiu Luoye would likely never allow this.

A land-activating trial of worthiness was meant to determine whether someone had the ability to manage a plot of land. Half a kilometer was not much to begin with. Qiu Luoye would never allow a level-six cultivator to conduct such a trial. That would violate the rules of activation.

Qin could not go, but Ma Wu had another idea. "Tomorrow, I'll send Swallowie," he said. "She's a roaming aberration. She doesn't have to abide by the rules of land activation."

Qin was uneasy. "She is still young. That girl lacks tempering. I'm afraid she won't handle it properly."

Ma Wu blinked. "Young? Lacks tempering? Qin? Are we talking about the same person?"

"Wen Hongyan[2], of course," Qin replied. "My disciple. When she trained under me, she endured plenty of beatings. Her hips were covered in paddle marks."

Ma Wu laughed. "I meant our Swallowie, not the Chu Family's support hook."

Qin grew displeased. "Why do you bring up that shameless wretch again!"

should live in harmony."

Qin brushed his arm away at once. "I will never be harmonious with her."

"Alright, alright, my sweet sweet Qin. Don't be bothered by this." Ma Wu chuckled. "Come on, let's go back. I will listen to you play the piano."

"Wu, I couldn't help you with this matter. You mustn't be angry with me."

"I am not angry, but you have to compensate me properly."

"Then you must be gentler with me..."

***

The next day, the land activation began.

Ma Wu marched to the plot the next morning with Swallowie and Qin. Lu Xiaolan might not even be there. After all, a plot owner could always hire someone to do the dirty work of activation.

Ma Wu had prepared for that. If Lu Xiaolan handled the activation herself, Swallowie would drive her out, and Qin would kill her. If Lu Xiaolan was absent, Swallowie would simply disrupt the activation.

All the way there, Qin and Swallowie squabbled without taking so much as a breath.

"Handsome little fella," Swallowie drawled, "why must you drag this long-legged katydid along? I can handle such a tiny little task myself."

Qin gave a sharp snort. "He brought me because you are a fool. He's afraid you will ruin everything."

"Bitch! Who are you calling a fool, you venomous twig? Say that again and I'll tear your legs clean off."

"Go ahead. I'll snap every tooth out of your mouth before you even get close."

Ma Wu forced out a thin laugh. "Let's focus on the important task first. The important task."

As they neared the plot, they saw several land activators gathered around a small fire, eating as though this were nothing more than an ordinary day.

Lu Xiaolan was nowhere among them.

Ma Wu ordered, "Swallowie, drive them out!"

This activation could not be allowed to succeed.

If Lu Xiaolan established a plot right at their doorstep, she would be able to watch their every move and retreat into her own territory the moment trouble arose. It would be like hammering a nail straight through the hearts of Li Banfeng and Ma Wu.

Swallowie rolled her eyes at Qin and said, "Bitch, this one isn't your turn."

Qin's antennae twitched once, but she held her tongue.

Without another word, Swallowie slithered into the plot. The land activators stiffened at the sight of her, their hands shaking as fear crept across their faces.

Swallowie smiled as she approached them. With a lazy flick of her feeler, she sent one of the activators sprawling onto the ground.

"My, you boys are rather handsome," she said lightly. "If I weren't already spoken for, I might have played with you for a while. Since I'm in a generous mood, run. Move too slowly, and you won't be taking your lives with you."

The group scattered in every direction, stumbling over one another in their frantic rush to escape.

Swallowie sauntered back to Ma Wu and brushed lightly against him. Qin lowered her head and said nothing.

Ma Wu kept his eyes on the now-empty plot and smiled.

Lu Xiaolan... I refuse to believe you won't show yourself. The moment you do, I will take your life.

***

That very night, Shui Yongquan came knocking. "Brother Ma Wu, I heard you brought a bagworm moth and drove off the land activators?"

Ma Wu neither confirmed nor denied it. "Boss Shui, a bagworm moth doesn't have to follow the rules of land activation. Whether this had anything to do with me or not, it shouldn't be against the rule for a bagworm moth to disrupt a land activation, right?"

Shui Yongquan took a slow sip of tea. "The reasoning is right, but this situation is entirely a different matter."

From the side, Li Banfeng spoke up. "Then enlighten us. What exactly is the situation?"

Shui Yongquan set down his cup. "I barely managed to reach an agreement with Qiu Luoye not to fight again. No one has ever successfully activated land within his territory. Now that someone finally tries, you step in and cause trouble. Aren't you forcing him to turn hostile once more?

"Let me be clear. If Qiu Luoye truly turns against us, he will strike again. And when he does, the first to suffer will be the two of you. Brothers, I have said what I came to say. Think it through carefully."

Not long after Shui Yongquan left, Little Chuan burst in with urgent news. "Someone else is activating land in Qiu Luoye's territory again."

1. I think there's a double meaning here, which means doing her.. If you get what I mean... ☜

2. The "yan" in "Wen Hongyan" means swallow ☜