The Wail from the Basement

Xiao Zhengong's thoughts were still on why it was necessary to completely eliminate potential hidden dangers.

He even devised a story to make Li Qi realize the seriousness of the situation.

He wanted to tell Li Qi that his friend from Outer State was in a very bad situation, and what price Li Qi would have to pay if he wanted to save his friend.

Xiao Zhengong wanted to use this rhetoric to show a relatively friendly attitude to Li Qi, so as to get through tonight's banquet.

His thoughts followed the slope Li Qi had built, extending downwards until five bullets pierced his head, at which point his thoughts ceased.

This is Ling Miaoying's pistol; it is extremely powerful.

After being shot five times, Xiao Zhengong's thoughts almost completely ceased.

He quickly got up and ran away.

The physical strength of a high-level martial artist is very tough, but how could he possibly outrun Li Qi?

Li Qi caught up with Xiao Zhengong in two steps from behind, then his figure blurred and disappeared from Xiao Zhengong's sight.

He used Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers, but Xiao Zhengong's body didn't explode.

The reason it didn't explode is simple: Xiao Zhengong's brain was severely damaged, and he was unaware of Li Qi's existence, so the prerequisite of Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers did not hold.

Xiao Zhengong now has only one thought: he wants to escape, to escape to the safest place.

The safest place was the basement at the bottom of the lake. As for whether going to the bottom of the lake would expose Zhao Xiaowan or his entire plan, he couldn't think about these things. Compared to his life, they were not important to him.

Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers won't do any good, but that's alright.

Li Banfeng appeared behind Xiao Zhengong and kicked out.

Amidst the rising dust and debris, Xiao Zhengong's back was a bloody mess as he continued to run.

Li Qi kicked again, exposing Xiao Zhengong's spine.

After Li Qi kicked out for the third time, Xiao Zhengong's head split open, his brains spilled out, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Li Banfeng touched Xiao Zhengong's nostrils; he was still breathing.

It's good to be breathing!

Li Banfeng picked up Xiao Zhengong, crawled behind the artificial hill, opened the Portable Abode), and threw Xiao Zhengong into the room.

When dealing with Gu Rusong, Sun Tiecheng used Ironclad Evidence Technique to completely destroy Gu Rusong's soul.

Sun Tiecheng once said that he was afraid Inner State might have a backup plan.

Xiao Zhengong also had dealings with Inner State, and these dealings were very close. If Xiao Zhengong is already dead,

Li Qi was genuinely worried that this might leave behind hidden dangers.

Once he entered his Wife's womb, the potential dangers were completely eliminated.

"My Wife, eat it while it's hot!"

Upon seeing Xiao Zhengong, the record player didn't ask any questions and immediately started eating.

Li Qi closed the door to his Portable Abode, put away the key, and pulled his hat brim down low.

Xiao Zhengong wanted to destroy Jiang Xiang Gang, using a fake death and resurrection to transform it into the Flying General Camp.

To whitewash this notorious gang.

Li Qi deduced Xiao Zhengong's intentions, but was not entirely satisfied with the faked death part.

Don't fake your death! It would be better if you were really dead!

There's no need to wait for the Flying General Camp; we'll grant your wish tonight.

He Yuxiu had already made her move, Li Qi was about to rush to her aid when he suddenly heard Gloves say, "Master, there's something good!"

"What good stuff?"

"This is a priceless treasure, sir. Please help me out, and I'll bring this treasure back to you."

"Now is not the time." Li Qi was eager to return to the battlefield.

"Honey, it'll be ready in a minute, it won't take up much of your time. This seems to be our old man's favorite thing. These things are said to have a spirit, and I'm afraid they'll run away on their own."

Rail?

With Xiao Zhengong gone, the remaining few scoundrels in Jiang Xiang Gang are indeed not difficult to deal with; taking some time shouldn't be a big problem.

Li Qi walked around to the front of the artificial hill and saw two gatekeepers standing there. He raised his sickle and slit their throats.

The glove entered the cave and saw the stone cones on the wall. He said to Li Banfeng, "These are indeed valuable items, but they can't be taken out easily. Husband, please use the Cut Path Opening Road to clear a way out for me."

Li Banfeng looked at the stone door next to the stone cone. The door was open, and it was pitch black inside. There were stone steps leading down to the underground.

What's down there?

The basement was Work Method, and Li Banfeng couldn't hear anything even with his Thread-Pulling Earring, but he was still worried that someone might be down there.

The glove also noticed the stone door. He lowered his voice and said, "Master, use your strength evenly."

"Don't make a sound. Let's not frighten these precious babies, and let's not disturb the people inside."

Li Banfeng said, "You also think there's someone inside?"

After listening for a moment, Gloves said, "I don't think anyone's inside. Just to be on the safe side, I'll close the door first. We'll deal with it after we've finished our business."

Li Banfeng carefully used his technique to carve a path next to the stone cone.

In the basement, He Jiaqing was still dealing with Lu Xiaolan.

"Xiao Lan, be a good girl and give me Zhao Xiaowan."

"Zhao Xiaowan?" Lu Xiaolan gritted her teeth and said, "I am Zhao Xiaowan, come and get it if you dare!"

"You're Zhao Xiaowan?" He Jiaqing laughed.

Lu Xiaolan said calmly, "What, you don't believe me? I went to Inner State, Zhao Xiaowan's soul has been trapped Inner State ever since. Her soul is parasitizing my body, and I have also gained some of her power. I am Zhao Xiaowan now."

He Jiaqing sighed, "Is this the story Xiao Zhengong came up with for you? He wants you to impersonate Zhao Xiaowan, help him destroy the Jiang Xiang Gang, and then turn the Jiang Xiang Gang into the Flying General Camp. At that time, he will be the leader, and you will be his famous general. Is that the order?"

Lu Xiaolan was startled; He Jiaqing was right.

He Jiaqing once again exploited her weakness.

He Jiaqing continued, "Xiao Lan, from the day I met you, you couldn't hide anything from me. You took the initiative to approach me in college, and then you tried to ambush me on the train. The way you lied to me seemed as childish as a child."

"Give me the spear you're holding first. That spear is the real Zhao Xiaowan's; you know that better than anyone."

Lu Xiaolan took a step back and said, "No, don't come any closer!"

"Give me the spear. I haven't forgotten our engagement. Since you came into my life, I haven't touched another woman."

Once this is over, we'll be a proper married couple again.

Lu Xiaolan's hands were trembling, and her eyes were gradually getting wet.

She was moved!

Dabo Ensi, who was in the dark room, couldn't understand how Lu Xiaolan could be fooled by just a few lies.

He had never been exposed to the Fool Cultivation Skill before, but he knew that the situation was very bad.

He wanted to launch a sneak attack on He Jiaqing, but He Jiaqing shouted, "Spider Detective, don't be impulsive. I know your rules, and you should understand the situation here. How much money can buy your life?"

Dabo Ensi didn't listen to He Jiaqing say anything more.

He knew that there was a huge gap between his strength and He Jiaqing's, and if He Jiaqing continued to lead him in his thinking, he might give up resisting.

In this situation, if he gave up resistance, based on Dabo Ensi' years of experience, he would surely die.

But what can he use to resist?

There's no chance of a direct confrontation; the two sides are not on the same level.

There was no chance of a sneak attack, He Jiaqing had already spotted him. The only remaining opportunity was Zhao Xiaowan.

The spear was always adorned with Dabo Ensi's spider silk.

Judging from the current situation, He Jiaqing still has the mind to deal with Lu Xiaolan, which is entirely out of fear of that spear.

Dabo Ensi' body trembled, and the spear in Lu Xiaolan's hand trembled as well, its power instantly surging.

He Jiaqing was shocked. "Xiao Lan, calm down."

Dabo Ensi's prediction was correct. He Jiaqing was not afraid of Lu Xiaolan, but he was really afraid of Zhao Xiaowan. Once Zhao Xiaowan made a move, she could make his head roll at any time.

Under the pressure, Lu Xiaolan seemed to have sobered up a bit. Holding her spear, she pointed it at He Jiaqing and said, "Are you scared?"

He Jiaqing pressed his palm down. "Xiao Lan, put her down first, let's talk slowly."

"Let go? You're dreaming!" Lu Xiaolan slowly backed away.

He Jiaqing followed closely behind.

Lu Xiaolan retreated into the dark room, Dabo Ensi activated the mechanism, closing the door to the dark room.

There's no way that one door could stop He Jiaqing.

He fumbled around the door for a moment and quickly found the mechanism hidden in the crack.

He Jiaqing plucked a hair and stuffed it into the crack in the door. The hair moved like a thin snake through the crack. Soon, the mechanism was broken, the stone door loosened, and He Jiaqing gently pushed it open.

The dark room was small and empty; there was no one in sight.

Concealment Technique?

Wrong.

A person may conceal themselves, but the power of the spear will not disappear.

Lu Xiaolan and Dabo Ensi left the secret room.

The key question is, where did they go?

This dark room has another exit. Where does this exit lead?

It should be the outside leading to the basement.

Things are getting tricky. We need to find this exit as soon as possible and catch up with Lu Xiaolan and Dabo Ensi.

He Jiaqing looked around the room, and a rock on the ceiling caught his attention.

The crevices around this rock are different from those of other rocks.

He Jiaqing held the rock with one hand and gently pressed it upwards, carefully controlling the force bit by bit.

Pressing it down a little over an inch, the mechanism was broken, but the exit didn't appear.

Is the technique wrong?

He Jiaqing plucked another hair. He felt quite distressed, as he had lost a lot of hair recently and his hair volume was very limited.

The hair wandered through the cracks in the rocks for a long time before returning to He Jiaqing's palm.

The technique was correct; the mechanism was indeed cracked.

Why didn't exports occur?

After several attempts, He Jiaqing discovered a serious problem: the mechanism on the roof seemed to have lost its central control and was no longer connected to the exit.

How could the central hub of the organization be gone?

He Jiaqing realized something was wrong and quickly headed towards the entrance.

He Jiaqing climbed the stone steps and found the stone door tightly closed. He quickly felt around in the cracks to try and crack the mechanism.

The situation was the same as in the dark room; the mechanism was quickly solved, but the stone door remained locked.

Force your way in!

He Jiaqing increased the pressure on his hands, trying to forcefully break down the stone door, but he failed.

Turn into water!

He Jiaqing turned into liquid and tried to squeeze through the crack in the door, but blue smoke came out of the crack and burned the liquid directly into steam.

The steam gathered and transformed into He Jiaqing, He Jiaqing was burned all over and stared in astonishment at the stone gate in front of him.

What an impressive Work Method!

Who built this basement?

Who closed this stone door?

Who took away the central control unit?

He Jiaqing's head was buzzing; he realized he might not be able to get out.

Holding a pair of stone awls, the gloved man said with delight, "Master, give these to the old man."

There will definitely be plenty of opportunities for flexibility in the future.

Li Qi laughed and said, "Put your things away carefully, and we'll send Jiang Xiang Gang on his way first."

In the main hall, He Yuxiu captured the Hall Master Yao Zhiyi alive, broke his hands and feet, chained him up, and threw him aside.

Several Jiang Xiang Gang disciples tried to rescue their Hall Master, but Lu Yuanxin released a swarm of flying insects from his body, instantly turning those Jiang Xiang Gang disciples into skeletons.

Chu Er confronted a Jiang Xiang Gang disciple, shoved his head into the boiling hot pot, and peeled off the man's face while it was still hot.

As soon as another Jiang Xiang Gang disciple approached, Chu Er used chopsticks to flip his skull, splattering his brains all over the table.

Cui Tike picked up a roasted chicken, shook off the brains, and ate the chicken.

A Jiang Xiang Gang disciple, whose cultivation was decent, attempted to ambush Chu Er from behind, but was instead defeated by Lu Chunying.

Tan Fucheng quickly helped the Jiang Xiang Gang disciple to a seat and said, "Sit still and don't move."

Jiang Xiang Gang didn't move, and just watched as Tan Fucheng slit his throat.

The Jiang Xiang Gang's main headquarters originally possessed considerable fighting strength, but that was only under the organization of others.

Now that the Gang Leader is dead and the Hall Master has been captured alive, the remaining members are in a chaotic mess, some fighting and some running away.

Some people vaguely saw a figure flash before their eyes, and in the blink of an eye, that person exploded into flesh and blood.

After killing dozens of people, Li Banfeng contacted Luo ZhengNan and asked him to bring his men to clean up the mess.

"Lao Luo, we're all old friends from within the organization, you haven't forgotten our past friendship, have you?"

"Seventh Master, you must have forgotten your old feelings. I've come to see them off on their final journey."

Dabo Ensi crouched by the lake, sensing his surroundings through the spider silk.

He Jiaqing's deduction was correct; there was another exit in the basement. Dabo Ensi's, with Lu Xiaolan in tow, managed to get out before Li Qi took the stone awl.

Lu Xiaolan said, "Let's go quickly. The power of the spear is hard to control; they'll find us soon."

"By then, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

Dabo Ensi shook his head and said, "Wait a little longer, I need to find something else that's very important."

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"The body, Xiao Zhengong's body."

Luo ZhengNan soon brought his men to the main hall, where he caught up with his old friends in the gang and saw them off one by one.

"Seventh Master, where is Gang Leader Xiao? I'd like to see him one more time."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "They're dead. Not even their bodies were left."

Luo ZhengNan sighed, "What a pity, I still have many things I want to ask him."

Li Qi smiled and said, "I should have spared his life so you could ask him a few questions."

"Forget it, I won't ask anymore. I get angry every time I talk to him. I'll just say a few words to Yao Zhiyi."

Luo ZhengNan squatted down in front of Yao Zhiyi and asked, "Brother, do you still remember me?"

Yao Zhiyi was startled. "Luo ZhengNan, weren't you dead?!"

Luo ZhengNan patted Yao Zhiyi's face. "We've come this far, and you still don't know how to say a few nice words?"

Aren't you afraid I'll cut out your tongue?

Yao Zhiyi shook his head repeatedly and said, "Lao Luo, your matter has nothing to do with me. This was all ordered by the Gang Leader to be done by Pei One-Bite."

"Let's put aside my business for now and talk about our faction. What exactly is the Flying General Camp up to?"

Now that things had come to this, Yao Zhiyi no longer concealed anything. "The Gang Leader said that the Jiang Xiang Gang had no future and planned to change its banner. I don't know how, but they got in touch with Iron Sheep Mountain and asked their chieftain Lu Xiaolan to impersonate Flying General Zhao Xiaowan, thus setting up the Flying General Camp."

Lu Xiaolan?

She was the one impersonating the Flying General?

This person is shameless; she even dares to use Zhao Xiaowan's name.

Li Qi asked, "Was it Lu Xiaolan who wiped out the bandits of Thousand Pearl Mountain?"

Yao Zhiyi actually knew the inside story. "It can't be called an annihilation, it's more like a bloody battle. There has always been conflict between Iron Sheep Mountain and Thousand Pearl Mountain. Lu Xiaolan went up the mountain, killed the chieftain of Thousand Pearl Mountain, took over all his bandits, and spread the news that the Flying General was eliminating evil and upholding justice."

Gang Leader Xiao found a few writers and spread the word, thus establishing the reputation of the Flying General Camp.

Luo ZhengNan was skeptical. "Yao Lao, now that things have come to this, don't lie to me."

Yao Zhiyi said, "Brother Luo, how could I dare to lie to you? Everything I just told you is true!"

Luo ZhengNan said, "I've heard of Thousand Pearl Mountain; they do have some real skills. But what is Lu Xiaolan's worth? You went to Thousand Pearl Mountain alone and killed the chieftain. How can I believe you?"

Yao Zhiyi shook his head repeatedly and said, "I didn't say she went up the mountain alone. She brought a lot of people with her and infiltrated the mountain to carry out her attacks. Moreover, Gang Leader Xiao gave her a treasure at the time."

"What treasure?"

"Zhao Xiaowan transformed into a spear, this is the real thing. Just having it in front of you, its aura is so overwhelming that people can't even lift their heads."

Upon hearing the name "long spear," Luo ZhengNan and Li Banfeng's veins bulged.

Luo ZhengNan was filled with hatred!

He almost lost his life at Iron Gate Fort for this spear, but ended up handing it over to Xiao Zhengong. Xiao Zhengong went back on his word and didn't keep his promise to become the deputy Gang Leader. Thinking about this incident still makes Luo ZhengNan's teeth itch.

Li Banfeng was trying not to laugh.

That long spear was made of Copper Lotus; it wasn't Zhao Xiaowan, it was called Zha Hu.

Originally, it was just to trick Luo ZhengNan, but who knew it would trick so many people.

Luo ZhengNan said, "How could Xiao Zhengong possibly entrust something so important to Lu Xiaolan?"

Yao Zhiyi said, "Lu Xiaolan is truly capable. She has a fake foreigner by her side who has connections with Inner State."

This fake foreigner even had someone make a fake corpse for the Gang Leader, making it look exactly like the real thing, even the blood was the same, so no one could tell the difference!

The corpse was made to look exactly like the real thing?

Is this some kind of Flesh Grafting Technique?

Even with the Flesh Grafting Technique, it's impossible to make the blood look exactly the same. What other methods are there?

Li Banfeng was very interested in this.

Luo ZhengNan asked, "Where is Lu Xiaolan now?"

Yao Zhiyi said, "There's a basement at the bottom of the lake. Lu Xiaolan and the fake foreigner are both there. The basement has a special Work Method. It's a treasure that the fake foreigner brought from Inner State. You can't open it from the inside; you can only go in from the outside. They must still be down there. I'll take you to see it."

A basement beneath the lake?

Li Banfeng 1.

He saw the entrance to the basement in the cave. Could it be that Lu Xiaolan and Dabo Ensi lived in the basement back then?

Yao Zhiyi's leg was broken by He Yuxiu, and he couldn't walk. Luo ZhengNan had someone bring a small cart and pushed him over.

Once inside the cave, the stone door was tightly shut, and no cracks could be seen from the outside. Luo ZhengNan frowned and asked, "Where is the basement?"

Yao Zhiyi panicked. "This, next to the gate, there's a pair of stone cones, these stone cones—"

Li Banfeng angrily asked, "Where's the stone awl?"

"It, it's right here!" Yao Zhiyi didn't know how to explain; the stone awl that was originally embedded in the wall had disappeared.

Li Banfeng then asked, "Where is that body you're talking about? The one that looks exactly like the real one!"

Yao Zhiyi said, "It's kept in the back building. I'll take you to see it."

Luo ZhengNan had someone push a cart to the back building. Once inside, they went to the third room on the second floor. When they opened the door, they saw a bed with a shroud, but no body.

Luo ZhengNan grabbed Yao Zhiyi: "Yao Lao, it's one thing if you lie to me, but with our Seventh Master right here, you dare to lie to me?"

Li Qi was furious. "Yao Zhiyi, how dare you! Lao Luo, this man is yours to deal with."

Yao Zhiyi said, "Brother Luo, everything I said is true. You must believe me!"

"Believe you?" Luo ZhengNan had someone bring him a chisel. "You always asked me how I got the hole in my head."

I'll tell you now how this hole came about, step by step.

After dealing with Yao Zhiyi, Luo ZhengNan sighed and said, "That kid is a tough nut to crack; we couldn't get anything out of him."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Forget it. The Jiang Xiang Gang is gone, you've avenged yourself, and you've resolved this knot in your heart. Why bother with other things?"

Luo ZhengNan sighed, "I really don't care about other things, but I'm really angry about Zhao Xiaowan's matter. This spear is a rare treasure. It originally belonged to you, but I begged and pleaded to buy it. Now I want to take that spear back and present it to Seventh Master again."

Li Banfeng waved his hand and said, "It's nothing important, there's no need to worry about it."

Li Banfeng was genuinely unconcerned. He muttered to himself, "Honey, how about I put those awls back in and we go downstairs to take a look?"

"Who are we going to see? What's so interesting about it?"

Is Lu Xiaolan prettier? Or is the Zha Hu Long Spear prettier?

Li Banfeng was too lazy to look at any of them.

If Lu Xiaolan isn't down there, going there would be pointless.

If Lu Xiaolan is down there, then let her be down there.

If this basement really can't be opened from the inside, then she'll just stay inside. She survived for so long in the He Family Old House, so staying a few more days won't hurt.

Actually, this analogy isn't quite accurate, as the situation in the basement is different from that in the He Family Old House.

Stray cats can come and go in the He Family Old House, but not even an insect can get into this basement.

He Jiaqing was frantic; with his cultivation level, he couldn't find a way out.

Did Lu Xiaolan make this?

He Jiaqing gritted his teeth and cursed, "Why are you so vicious?"

Lu Xiaolan asked, "Why do you insist on carrying this corpse?"

Dabo Ensi said, "Because this body was made with Xiao Zhengong's blood."

"What use is his blood?"

"Ordinary blood is of little use, but this blood is special. It is blood that I collected from him a month ago. This blood contains a part of his soul and memories."

Lu Xiaolan still didn't understand. "What use do you have for his soul and memories?"

Dabo Ensi said, "Because the real Xiao Zhengong is likely already dead, and the memories in this corpse are related to an important secret."

"What secret?"

Dabo Ensi looked at Lu Xiaolan and said, "If Xiao Zhengong cooperates with us, he will not only lose one of Jiang Xiang Gang, but he will also lose his important status in Outer State."

Lu Xiaolan said, "I've heard of his identity. He's a deputy Team Leader in the Dark Star Bureau. He's not a particularly remarkable person."

Dabo Ensi shook his head and said, "The position may not be high, but the identity is very important. There are many important secrets in the Dark Star Bureau. Xiao Zhengong has already obtained the secrets he wants, which is why he was willing to give up his position in the Dark Star Bureau and return to Pro State."

"What exactly is this secret? Is it true or are you just guessing?"

Dabo Ensi shook his head and said, "This isn't just wild guessing; it's a reasonable deduction. It's just a pity that his blood came from a month ago, and the important information from the last month is probably impossible to trace."

Cui Tike drank a glass of red wine, wiped his mouth with a napkin, straightened his white coat, stood up and said to Li Banfeng, "I'm full."

Li Banfeng said, "Please leave now that you've eaten your fill."

Cui Tike walked to the door and carried a large iron canister of disinfectant on his back.

The tin can was very light. He Jiaqing went out, but didn't come back.

Where did he go?

Did it get done?

Cui Tike didn't care; it really wasn't important to him.

His only responsibility was to bring He Jiaqing here; his task was already completed.

P. S.: How does Jiaqing make a living in the basement?

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