Kinless Village

Kinless Village is a town, smaller than Medicine King Gully and smaller than Belt Ridge. Among the towns that Li Banfeng has visited, Kinless Village is the smallest.

There weren't many people in this town, and they didn't talk much to each other. The only thing that was plentiful was the swamp. Li Banfeng spent a day wandering around and found that there were swamps everywhere, in the wilderness, in the forest, in the farmland, and along the country roads. There were even mud pits between the villages.

At dusk, Li Banfeng ate a bowl of braised pork noodles at a restaurant, and the owner charged him thirty yuan.

The price was obviously too high, but Li Banfeng didn't mind. The noodle shop owner was a kind old lady who clearly stated the price; she had said before that this bowl of noodles would cost thirty.

Before leaving, Li Banfeng gave the old lady an extra twenty yuan and asked her how to get to the new place.

The old lady was very kind and told Li Banfeng, "Child, stick to the wall and go east. When you reach the second alley, keep going south. There's a mountain path leading out of the alley. Go over the mountain and you'll see the new land."

In Kinless Village, there aren't many people who would be so attentive in giving directions.

Li Banfeng thanked her repeatedly, but there was one thing he didn't understand. "Auntie, why do you have to walk right along the wall?"

The old woman lowered her voice and said, "Child, there are unclean things on this road. I'm afraid you'll run into them. We're not related, so I can't say much to you. Just listen to me, you won't go wrong."

What a kind person!

Li Banfeng gave the old lady another twenty yuan, and as soon as he stepped out the door, he sensed danger.

What exactly is on this road?

Li Banfeng walked forward along the wall, using his Golden Eyes Autumn Down Technique to observe the situation in the middle of the road.

There were occasional pedestrians on the road, but I didn't see any ghosts or anything like that. Could it be some kind of trap or snare...?

Pfft!

Li Banfeng stepped into the mud.

There was even a swamp next to the base of the wall.

The mud pit was bottomless and there were no markers around it. The old lady was afraid that passersby would discover the location of the mud pit, so she had spread a layer of topsoil on it beforehand, making it look no different from ordinary ground.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to get out of the mud, he saw the old woman approaching with a wooden pole. "Child, don't struggle, the more you struggle, the faster you'll sink. Don't worry, I'll pull you out."

This is such a good person.

Li Banfeng didn't need the old lady's help; with his skills, he could easily get out without any special techniques.

But the old lady was so enthusiastic. Holding a bamboo pole, she said, "Child, we're not related, so I can't help you for nothing. How about this, you give me two thousand, and I'll pull you out."

Li Banfeng blinked and asked, "Is two thousand a suitable amount?"

"You think it's too expensive?" the old lady frowned. "Let me tell you, a lot of people have drowned in this mud pit. You're not related to us, so who would care about you? If you think it's too expensive, then we'll make it five thousand."

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Is five thousand appropriate?"

"If you ask again, it will cost ten thousand!" The old lady's smile remained kind.

Li Banfeng nodded. "Ten thousand lines."

After saying that, Li Banfeng jumped out, picked up the old lady, and threw her into the mud.

The old woman was startled. She turned on her toes, curled up, rolled over, and rolled out of the mud.

No wonder she dared to set this trap; this old lady is skilled in martial arts and has great physical abilities, so she's not afraid of retaliation.

Once out of the mud, the old woman suddenly stood up, grabbed a handful of lime from her bosom, and was about to throw it at Li Banfeng's face.

Li Banfeng dodged the attack, picked up a bamboo pole, and casually poked the old woman back into the mud.

The old lady tried to roll out again, but Li Banfeng, holding a pole, watched her roll out and then sent her back. He sent her back and forth several times, but the old lady was too weak and stayed in the mud.

Li Banfeng, holding a bamboo pole, stood beside the mud pit, watching the old woman slowly sink. He asked leisurely, "Did you tell me to walk close to the wall just to trick me here?"

The old woman snapped, "Who plotted against you? Who told you to walk along the wall? Ask anyone who heard you!"

No need to ask, in this place, no one can hear you unless you're a relative or an acquaintance.

Li Banfeng remained silent, simply watching quietly beside the mud pit.

The old woman was sinking deeper and deeper into the mire, and finally cried out, "I give up, spare my life!"

"Ten thousand," Li Banfeng quoted a price.

The old woman retorted angrily, "You want more money?"

Li Banfeng said, "Isn't this the price we just agreed on? We're not related, so why should I let you off the hook if you don't pay?"

The old woman shouted to those around her, "Who will help me? I'll pay, I'll give you two thousand!"

Two thousand is not a small amount, but no one dares to come up.

Everyone could tell that Li Banfeng was no pushover. Who would dare to risk their life against a complete stranger? Even the shop's employees were just watching the show from the sidelines.

The old woman gritted her teeth and said, "Ten thousand, I'll take it, just let me out first."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Pay first."

The old woman yelled at the shop assistant, "Bring me ten thousand yuan!"

A shop assistant handed Li Banfeng ten thousand yuan, which Li Banfeng put into his pocket and asked, "I need to go to Xindi. Did you give me the right directions?"

"That's right!" the old lady answered crisply and loudly.

Li Banfeng stood still, watching as the mud rose up to his waist. Finally, the old woman told the truth, "It's the third alley. Follow the third alley, walk to the mountain path, and cross the mountain."

How many new entrances do you have here?

"Just one!"

After Li Banfeng left, the old lady struggled for a long time before finally managing to free herself from the mud.

"Just you wait! You just wait!" the old woman gritted her teeth. "Madam will definitely not let you off!"

Li Banfeng didn't trust the old woman, so he asked around for directions to the entrance to the new place.

In Kinless Village, asking for directions was extremely difficult. Li Banfeng never asked people to do things for free. He paid them, but even after paying them, he asked seven or eight people and gave them seven or eight different directions, none of which were the same.

How did this kind of local custom come about? Even Blue Poplar Village isn't this bad.

As darkness fell, Li Banfeng found a secluded spot to hide the key and prepare to go back to his Portable Abode for a nap, when he suddenly sensed danger approaching.

Li Banfeng put away his keys and saw a woman carrying a lantern walking towards him from a distance.

The woman was around fifty years old, wearing a blue floral-patterned jacket with a diagonal front. Her hair was tightly tied on top of her head with a hairpin, and her sideburns were slicked back with some kind of oil.

Such an old-fashioned outfit is rare even in Pro State. The woman stepped forward and said to Li Banfeng, "My name is Qiao Shaofen. I am here on the orders of my wife to invite you to my home for an audience."

"Who is your wife?"

"The Kinless Madam, the master of the Kinless Village."

Judging from her description, she must be Local Earth God.

Li Banfeng asked, "Why do you want to see me when we're not related?"

Qiao Shaofen said, "Our lady admires your skills and would like to be your friend."

Li Banfeng frowned; "Has your wife seen me before?"

Qiao Shaofen nodded and said, "Just now in town, you fought with Madam's maid Lü Dehua."

Lü Dehua level is not low; she is utterly powerless against you. Our lady highly values a young talent like you.

"The Lü Dehua you're talking about, is she the one who runs the noodle shop?"

Qiao Shaofen nodded.

Li Banfeng clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam. It's already this late, and it's not appropriate for a man like me to visit your wife alone. I will prepare a gift and pay you a visit another day."

After saying goodbye, Li Banfeng turned to leave, but Qiao Shaofen called out, "You're here to find your way, aren't you?"

Li Banfeng turned around and asked, "How did you know?"

"The eastern side of Kinless Village was originally next to the Ink Fragrance Shop, but for some unknown reason, a piece of unknown land suddenly appeared."

The people in that area are trapped inside and can't get out. Our lady saw that you were here to rescue them.

There was a discrepancy in the process; he thought Li Banfeng came from somewhere else.

But the result was unaffected; Li Banfeng did indeed come out to find his way.

Qiao Shaofen continued, "Our lady can point you in the right direction, but if you refuse to even meet her, you are underestimating her too much."

"That makes sense," Li Banfeng said after a moment's thought. "Could you trouble Madam to come and see me?"

Qiao Shaofen frowned and said, "What kind of talk is this? My wife coming to see you in the middle of the night, what kind of behavior is this?"

Li Banfeng said, "It would be improper for me to go to Madam's house. If Madam refuses to come, that's fine too. Just give me a map, and I will reward you handsomely."

Qiao Shaofen said with a stern face, "You wait here, I'll go and report to Madam."

She left, looking back every now and then, as if afraid that Li Banfeng would follow her.

Li Banfeng had no intention of following Qiao Shaofen.

When it comes to stalking, you need to consider both the timing and the methods. If the other party is on high alert, even the best methods can easily go wrong.

Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Abode and asked the record player, "Wife, have you ever heard of the Kinless Madam?"

The record player replied, "I've heard of her; she's the Local Earth God of Kinless Village, but Little Slave know nothing about her, and she doesn't easily associate with others."

"You don't easily associate with others, so why did you choose me?"

Sizzle~

The record player chuckled, "I guess it's because my husband is handsome!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "When I peed yesterday, I looked at my reflection in the puddle, and you know what, I actually looked pretty good."

The couple played around for a while, then Li Banfeng took a knife, cut his palm, and dripped the blood onto the seeds.

Qiao Shaofen returned and saw Li Banfeng waiting by the roadside.

"Our lady said that it is indeed inconvenient to meet at this time, so she asked me to lead the way for you. Since our two families are neighbors, it would be good for us to do each other a favor in the future."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Thank you."

"It's dark and the road is difficult to walk, so you'd better stay close."

Li Banfeng bowed slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."

The two walked one after the other along the mountain path, crossing a Xiao Shan. Thick fog covered the area ahead. Qiao Shaofen said, "We've arrived at a new place."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

After walking along the path for more than ten miles, Qiao Shaofen pointed to an old tree stump ahead and said, "Let's sit here and rest for a while."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Thank you."

Before Li Banfeng could even sit down, Qiao Shaofen suddenly spat at Li Banfeng's feet.

Li Banfeng was startled, only to find that the ground beneath his feet was wet, sticky, and soft. The once hard ground had turned into a swamp, Li Banfeng's body began to sink rapidly.

What kind of gate is this?

He tried to break free, but Qiao Shaofen spat again.

The mud became stickier and softer, and Li Banfeng couldn't break free. In the blink of an eye, he was submerged up to his chest by the silt.

He stared at Qiao Shaofen in astonishment. Qiao Shaofen said coldly, "We're not related, yet you want me to lead the way? Who do you think you are?"

Seeing that Li Banfeng was completely submerged in the mud, Qiao Shaofen took a breath and sucked the saliva back into her mouth. The mud on the ground disappeared, leaving only the hard, cold ground.

Qiao Shaofen turned and left. After taking a few steps, she concealed herself and quickly moved through the night.

Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes Autumn Down Technique and silently followed behind Qiao Shaofen.

PS: Qiao Shaofen makes her first appearance in chapter 418, and Juanzi recognizes her.