Chapter 86: Let's Head to the Branch Hall

Li Banfeng stomped down and kicked Zhong Desong into the boiling water. Steam rose at once, scalding his foot, and he quickly pulled it back.

As a second-level Homebound Cultivator and a level-one Wanderlust Cultivator, Li Banfeng already found the heat painfully unbearable from a single touch, not to mention Zhong Desong, who was completely submerged in the boiling water.

With all his strength, Zhong Desong lifted his head out of the water. In that instant, Li Banfeng took out his iron ruler and thrust it into the top of Zhong Desong's head, pushing him back underwater.

The iron ruler burned red, and Li Banfeng quickly pulled it back before stomping hard on Zhong Desong's head again.

When Zhong Desong swam to the opposite wall and tried to lift his head above the surface, Li Banfeng leapt over and kicked him back down.

Zhong Desong tried again and again to escape the pool of scalding tea, but Li Banfeng never gave him the chance.

He was boiled alive in the water for nearly five minutes.

Ascetic Cultivators were known to endure pain beyond human imagination. However, this kind of agony was beyond what a second-level Ascetic Cultivator could endure.

Holding the teapot in his hand, Li Banfeng wasn't sure how to control the enchanted artifact, so he could only wait patiently.

When the spout finally stopped spraying, the pool of tea that was hotter than molten iron slowly began to subside.

Zhong Desong lay sprawled on the floor, his skin completely peeled off and his flesh cooked through, leaving not a trace of color on his body.

Li Banfeng sighed softly and said, "As the saying goes, only by enduring hardship can one endure even greater hardship.[1]

"This suffering won't go to waste. Bite down and hang in there. You'll be meeting Old Madam Han soon."

Li Banfeng picked up the teapot and grabbed Zhong Desong by the collar, planning to take him back to the Pocket Dwelling so his wifey could enjoy some hotpot meat.

Before Li Banfeng could open the Pocket Dwelling, he noticed sparks flickering in Zhong Desong's chest.

What's he trying to do? Don't tell me he's carrying explosives.

Li Banfeng was startled and immediately hurled Zhong Desong away.

The truth was that Zhong Desong didn't have any explosives. All he had were two flares that were covered in oily coating that kept out moisture.

With the last of his strength, Zhong Desong managed to set them alight.

In Puluo Province, explosives had a mind of their own. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. This time, luck was on Zhong Desong's side as one of the two flares actually lit.

Bang! Whoosh!

The flare streaked into the sky and burst into a dazzling golden flower.

Li Banfeng lunged forward and dragged Zhong Desong into the Pocket Dwelling.

Zhong Desong's eyes had been scorched blind. He couldn't see where he was or guess what Li Banfeng was about to do.

Even as his body was almost mangled, he clung to Li Banfeng with what little strength he had left and screamed hoarsely, "You little thief! There's nowhere to run! Did you really think the dancehall mess was over? Did you think Du Hongxi and Zhou Yujun were the end of it?

"You idiot! I've already sent word to the branch master! He's coming for you! You've crossed the Jiangxiang Gang, and you've already got one foot in the grave!"

With a sharp kick, Li Banfeng knocked Zhong Desong aside and said to the gramophone, "Wifey, it's time to eat."

Hiss, hiss~

The gramophone let out two pitiful cries. "My dear husband, you've starved your poor wifey for so many days. At last, you're feeding me again, oh~"

Li Banfeng scolded, "Don't talk like that in front of outsiders! You make it sound like I've been starving you!"

A wave of steam burst out, tearing Zhong Desong's soul apart piece by piece.

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, mulling over Zhong Desong's last words,

Zhong Desong said that the branch master of Jiangxiang Gang has been looking for me. Is that true?

Li Banfeng was almost certain it was true.

From the moment he blew up the Elysian Melody Dancehall to the time the Jiangxiang Gang admitted defeat and threw Jia Quansheng under the bus, only one day had passed. Their response had been far too fast. Even in Yuezhou, no gang could handle something like that so quickly.

The reason they had settled things so quickly was to hide their real target and he was the real target!

They are after me. They are still after me! This isn't over yet!

Li Banfeng reached over and tickled the gramophone under its arm[2]. "Wifey, do you think I'm right?"

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

The gramophone giggled at his touch. "Husband dear~ Right about what?"

"I'm thinking about what's happening outside."

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Within these walls your little wife remains. How could she know what stirs beyond these walls?"

Li Banfeng sat quietly on the bed. After a short while, a gentle warmth spread through his arms.

He took out the teapot, and at once it shrieked again and again, "ARE YOU COLD? TELL MEEEEEEEE QUICKLY! ARE YOU COOOOOLDDD?"[3]

The teapot grew hotter and hotter, and Li Banfeng hurriedly tossed it aside.

Hiss~

The gramophone released steam that coiled around the teapot. The voice inside grew fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared.

"Ah~ Husband dear~ Tell me~ Where did this strange teapot come from?"

Li Banfeng looked at Zhong Desong lying on the ground. "I took it from him."

"Ah~ This treasure is no ordinary! Its level is high, but it has been spoiled by indulgence. Each time you use it, it will make you suffer once. Be careless, and it could cost you your life."

Using it once would mean suffering once, and this is a price too great to pay,

Li Banfeng thought.

As he reflected on the enchanted artifact's power, he realized it was true. The teapot would create an extremely hostile battlefield for both its master and the opponent. As a result, Li Banfeng's expectation for this teapot dropped considerably.

The gramophone sang slowly, "Ah, husband dear~ This treasure shines bright for those who walk the path of hardship, yet means little to one who dwells at home. In this little wife's humble eyes, why not shatter it to dust~?"

Destroy it?

Li Banfeng thought and shook his head. "That would be such a pity."

His little wifey was not wrong. The teapot was meant to target Ascetic cultivators. In Zhong Desong's hands, it could be powerful, but for a Homebound cultivator, it held little worth.

For a Wanderlust cultivator, fighting in harsh environments was their specialty. With the right terrain and that pool of scalding tea, a Wanderlust Cultivator could even gain the upper hand over an Ascetic Cultivator. The only unbearable part was the cost of using the teapot.

Hiss~

"Husband dear~ if you cannot bear to part with it, this humble wife has two paths to offer. The first way is to give it to Honglian and have her reforge it. However, with that wretch's fickle personality, there's no knowing as to whether you will end up with an enchanted treasure or two pills~ The second way is to leave it in storage. When your cultivation soars to greater heights, perhaps then you might subdue it."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "Then we'll leave it for now."

"This little wife will follow whatever my dear husband decides."

Just as the gramophone was about to seal the teapot with steam, Li Banfeng called out, "Wifey, wait. I still need to use this."

"When will you use it?"

"Right now."

"So soon?" Hiss~ The gramophone's voice trembled with worry. "Husband dear~ Once you have used it, you must return at once. Bring it back to your little wife. Do not let your heart linger in battle, lest you lose yourself within it~"

Li Banfeng nodded slowly. "Wifey, tell me, how should I wield this teapot?"

"Rub him again and again until the water within begins to boil. When it does, pour the teawater out, and its power shall take effect. If you keep rubbing, the spout will keep pouring, and the tea on the ground will gush without end.

"Remember this well~ The water will rise higher and higher. Whatever you do, do not burn yourself. If you stop rubbing, wait five or six minutes.

"When the spout ceases to spray and the tea upon the ground fades away, the teapot will speak and ask if you feel cold. Husband dear~ You must not say that you are cold and you must not delay. Just come back home at once."

***

In a narrow alley, Shi Boyu, the Branch Master at the second branch of the Medicine King Hall under the Jiangxiang Gang, arrived with Sun Xiaoan, the Heartkeeper, and Xiang Guicheng, the Redstaff Enforcer.

They had rushed over as soon as they saw the signal flare, yet the alley stood empty. The ground was slick with puddles, as though a storm had just swept through.

Xiang Guicheng gnashed his teeth. "Old Zhong's in trouble for sure. It must be that Nanny Butch and Chubby Qin's gang again."

Sun Xiao'an, the Heartkeeper, lifted his water pipe and said calmly, "Nothing's confirmed yet. Be careful what you say."

Xiang Guicheng snapped, "Nothing's confirmed? Old Zhong went drinking at the Prosperity Bun Shop tonight to celebrate Chubby Qin for attaining level one. It was Zhang Liuze who invited him. Something happened to him before he came back. How could Chubby Qin not have something to do with this?"

Sun Xiao'an shook his head. "I don't know what's going through Chubby Qin's mind, but Zhang Liuze has been roaming the jianghu for decades. He wouldn't do something that foolish.

"He was the one who invited Old Zhong to the feast. He wouldn't dare lay a hand on him. That would only bring disaster upon himself and shame the Three Heroes Sect."

Xiang Guicheng sneered. "Zhang Liuze isn't the type to think that far ahead. He's just a brute like the rest of them. Instead of guessing, why don't we go ask him ourselves?"

Shi Boyu nodded and was about to lead his men to find Zhang Liuze.

Sun Xiao'an stepped forward and stopped him before whispering, "We can't go see Zhang Liuze tonight."

Shi Boyu responded in confusion, "Why not? I just want to question him."

"You can ask him what happened, but you can't accuse him of anything. This is not the time to do that."

Showing up at someone's banquet in the middle of the night would only make it seem like they were there to accuse Zhang Liuze.

Shi Boyu said nothing, so Sun Xiao'an continued, "Old Zhong's missing, but we can't be certain he's in danger. Our top priority is to find him first."

"Branch Master, you should head back to the branch hall and wait for news. Brother Xiang, I will gather up the men with you and search for Old Zhong first."

Xiang Guicheng looked displeased, but before he could say anything, Shi Boyu issued the command, "That's what we will do then."

Shi Boyu turned to leave, and Xiang Guicheng had no choice but to follow Sun Xiao'an to gather their men, though he did so with clear reluctance.

Xiang Guicheng grumbled as they walked. "He's always so indecisive. He doesn't behave like a real man. How can someone like him be a branch master? We should have wiped those bastards out back then!"

Sun Xiao'an puffed on his water pipe. "Brother Xiang, our branch master never meant to let them go. He just believes that there's a time and method for everything."

Across the alley, Li Banfeng listened clearly through his Threaded Earrings and just as he had expected, the matter was yet to be over.

So you all are not letting me go? Looks like it didn't hurt when I struck last time! Hmm...Shi Boyu is going back to the branch hall. Good. I know where that is too. Let's see who gets there first!

1. This is a wordplay of an idiom that says only by enduring hardship could one become even greater than another. ☜

2. Do you guys remember where this is in the gramophone? ☜

3. Imagine this as a kettle screaming ☜