Twisted Rumors

Li Qi was looking around the teahouse and dealing with the sedan chair carriers.

The best way to deal with Bartering Cultivator is to keep an accomplice by your side.

Up in the teahouse, a high-ranking subordinate of Liao Zihui, a spy, silently observed the situation of the two.

At their current speed, if they passed by an ordinary person, the person wouldn't even see a shadow of them, and it would be difficult for even this high-level spy to lock onto one of them.

After he finally managed to pinpoint the sedan chair carriers, he immediately took out a monocular telescope and placed it against his eye socket.

His eyebrows twitched, and a beam of light shot out from the telescope toward the sedan chair carriers.

A coin-sized spot of light appeared on the sedan chair carrier; when the spectator put away his telescope, the beam of light disappeared.

The light spots are still there; these are the marks that Kuixiu left on the sedan chair carriers.

Liao Zihui ordered, "Steam Machine Gun, prepare!"

Four men carried in a square iron box about one meter in size. One strong man added water to the box, another strong man added coal to the bottom of the box, and a Fire Cultivator preheated the box.

Two iron pipes were taken out of the box and connected to two steam nozzles. Once the steam pressure was reached, the two spectators spotted the marks on the sedan bearers and prepared to fire.

Liao Zihui summoned a shaman and ordered, "Send away all irrelevant people."

Sheng Xiu stood on the rooftop, folded his upper lip towards his nose, trembled for a moment, and emitted a piercing, sharp sound.

Amidst the sharp whistling sound, ordinary people and low-level cultivators alike felt intense fear and quickly left the teahouse, leaving only Li Banfeng and the sedan chair carriers circling downstairs.

Liao Zihui shouted, "Fire!"

Steam was ejected.

Can you see it?

It's invisible.

The high-temperature, High-Pressure Steam is colorless and invisible. The Steam Machine Gun does not need bullets. After the nozzle is opened, the steam, guided by the markings, hits the sedan chair carriers directly.

The sedan chair carriers initially felt nothing unusual, as if something had passed through their bodies.

When he finally noticed, he looked down and realized that a section of his chest was already fully cooked; the fat had melted and the lean meat could be pulled apart in strands.

The sedan chair carriers were a little flustered.

Who did this?

Was it Li Qi who did it?

The sedan chair carriers kept their eyes fixed on Li Banfeng. If it was Li Qi who did it, the carriers didn't need to worry; their wounds would definitely heal.

But if it weren't for Li Banfeng, things would be very complicated.

The sedan bearers kept reminding themselves that it was Li Qi who did it, but they hadn't seen his methods clearly just now.

But Liao Zihui's shouts from the teahouse were clear, "Don't resist! Surrender now, and I'll spare your life!"

Did they do it?

The Steam Machine Gun started up again. The sedan chair carriers saw the steam nozzles, but they couldn't avoid the steam jets.

This was not only because of the marks on his body, but also because the sedan chair carrier himself was in poor condition; his physical condition was deteriorating at a visible rate.

Li Banfeng seized the opportunity and disappeared from the sedan chair carriers' sight.

Bang!

The sedan bearers swayed as they took a sudden, Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers.

He coughed once; that was all the harm he caused.

This is really strange. Steam Machine Gun can cause serious harm to sedan chair carriers, but Li Qi's Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers are almost ineffective against them.

The sedan bearers wanted to give chase to Li Qi, but then they reconsidered. The battle was already going badly, and now Li Qi had suddenly disappeared.

I might as well just leave.

This line of thought is smooth and clear; the sedan chair carriers took off running and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Li Banfeng breathed a sigh of Riding the Donkey Downhill, saying that it didn't necessarily have to be said.

He glanced back at the teahouse, and Liao Zihui smiled at Li Qi.

Li Qi lowered the brim of his hat, nodded slightly as a thank you, and then disappeared into the night.

The journey was very unsettling for Li Banfeng, who was constantly worried that someone might suddenly appear beside him and force him into a sedan chair.

Being targeted by Bartering Cultivator was a truly dangerous situation. It wasn't until they arrived at Xiao Yeci's mansion and returned to their Portable Abode that Li Banfeng felt somewhat at ease.

"My Wife, I ran into that Bartering Cultivator again today."

"My lord, did you foresee any danger beforehand?"

"We noticed, but it came too suddenly, and we didn't have a chance to escape. We couldn't win a direct confrontation."

Hong Ying turned around and said, "Let me out. I want to see just how strong this bastard is."

"Girl, don't boast," the record player sighed. "With your temper, if you really run into Bartering Cultivator, lifting you up five or six times would be considered lenient."

Li Banfeng asked, "Can the Bartering Cultivator? After it's been lifted three times, can it still be lifted indefinitely?"

Will their combat power continue to rise?

"That makes sense, but it also depends on whether the Bartering Cultivator's can handle it," the record player explained. "After three 'Bartering Cultivator's' attacks, the combat power doubles, which is already difficult for him to control. If he attacks again, the combat power might increase to three or four times. If he's not careful, Bartering Cultivator might get injured himself."

The projector said, "Perhaps we can use this to study a new way of fighting, so that Seventh Director and Bartering Cultivator can keep fighting until the opponent's combat power increases dozens of times, causing him to not dare to attack Seventh Director."

The phonograph's horn shook repeatedly. "This is nonsense. If the strength of the Bartering Cultivator's is stacked too high, he might injure himself, but if my husband gets hit, he will definitely die. This is absolutely not something to gamble on."

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth. "Why is this Local Earth God targeting me?"

The record player sighed, "My dear husband, since we've offended the Local Earth God, if we can't afford to offend him, we should at least avoid him. Let's leave Ye Song Bridge."

Hide?

How long are you going to hide? Are you going to never come to Ye Song Bridge again?

Moreover, we still don't know what the sedan chair carriers' intentions are, and even if we leave Ye Song Bridge, we may not be able to get rid of this argumentative person.

Knowing that Li Banfeng didn't want to hide, the record player said, "Husband, let's hide for now and figure out a way to deal with him after we advance to the Cloud Realm."

"No," Li Banfeng shook his head, "We must get to the bottom of this."

Does this Local Earth God have connections with the Chasing Light Group and want to protect the Boundless Camp?

The Chasing Light Group and Li Banfeng have a grudge, and the Local Earth God has added three stripes to Li Banfeng. If they are on the same side, it won't matter where Li Banfeng hides.

If this sedan chair carrier is truly a member of the Chasing Light Group, then he must be eliminated.

The record player sighed, "If you really don't want to leave, try not to act alone. It's best to have someone look after you."

Li Banfeng shook his head. He had too many secrets and had to act alone most of the time.

Li Banfeng didn't sleep well all night. The next morning, He Yuxiu went to manage the business. Xiao Yeci wanted to tell Li Banfeng a story, but seeing that Li Banfeng was deep in thought, she didn't dare to disturb him.

At noon, Zheng Siyi, the Guanfang Envoy, arrived. Li Banfeng thought Liao Zihui was preparing to take action against the Chasing Light Group, but then he heard Zheng Siyi say, "Seventh Master, the General Envoy said the operation has been postponed."

"What's the reason?"

"The members of the Chasing Light Group have left Stone Tower Mountain and no one knows where they went."

They withdrew?

Did the sedan chair carriers really have an affair with them?

Zheng Siyi sighed, "Actually, we should have thought of this when we were attacked last night. If the enemy dared to attack us, they must have already planned their escape route."

Liao Zihui still believes the attackers came from the Chasing Light Group.

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you know who attacked me last night?"

"He must be a high-ranking member of the Chasing Light Group. To be able to withstand Steam Machine Gun, his cultivation level must be quite high."

Li Banfeng said, "I suspect that this person is Ye Song Bridge's Local Earth God, the one who carried the sedan chair."

Zheng Siyi stared in disbelief, and after thinking for a long time, he didn't know what to say, "Seventh Master, you can't be kidding me. I've lived in Ye Song Bridge for eleven years and have never seen this Local Earth God before."

Li Qi said, "Please convey this to General Envoy Liao, and tell him to be extra careful."

Zheng Siyi left, and Li Banfeng continued to ponder countermeasures. Lu Chunying wanted to go to town for a stroll. "Seventh Brother, shall we go together?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Go ahead, take a few extra bags with you, and don't talk to anyone on the way."

Lu Chunying, accompanied by Lu Yuanxin and six servants, had just reached the door when she heard the sedan chair bearers say, "Miss, would you like to ride in a sedan chair?"

Li Banfeng shuddered and rushed to the door. He saw several sedan chair carriers standing there, none of whom were Local Earth God under Ye Song Bridge.

It's good that it wasn't him; everyone's been driven to illness by this Local Earth God.

Lu Chunying didn't want to ride in a sedan chair, and for Travel Cultivator, climbing a hill wasn't a difficult task.

The sedan chair carriers, having failed to secure any business, returned to the base of the large tree to wait for more, their words tinged with sarcasm. "They're reluctant to ride in a sedan chair, insisting on walking instead."

"People like that are the most pretentious. No matter how much money you offer, I won't lift a finger."

Li Banfeng suddenly heard someone say, "How come you got tricked by that Bartering Cultivator? That's really embarrassing."

Who's speaking?

Li Banfeng looked at the group of sedan chair carriers, who were chatting amongst themselves, seemingly none of them speaking to him.

The voice sounded familiar. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, returned to the hall, sat down in a chair, and began to talk to himself.

"Who just spoke?"

I didn't say anything.

"I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say."

Li Banfeng paused for a moment, then asked, "Does anyone know how to deal with Bartering Cultivator?"

"If he hadn't argued with us yet, there might still be a way. But now that he's argued with us three times, it's too late to say anything."

"You acted too rashly, without any preparation, and dared to go to the Local Earth God."

"You've seen too many Local Earth God and don't take them seriously anymore. Go ask other people how many people never know what Local Earth God looks like in their entire lives."

Hearing Li Banfeng talking to himself, arguing fiercely with himself, Xiao Yeci entered the hall.

He asked cautiously, "My Benefactor, what's wrong?"

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about the stories you told me yesterday."

Xiao Yeci sat down next to Li Banfeng: "If you want to hear more, I'll continue. I have quite a few more good stories to tell."

Li Banfeng turned his face and stared at Xiao Yeci for a long time.

Xiao Yeci's cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was somewhat rapid.

Li Banfeng asked, "Any particularly interesting stories?"

"What makes it special?" Xiao Yeci, somewhat incoherently.

Chunying isn't here, and neither is Sister Xiu. Is today a special day?

What kind of stories will unfold on such days?

Li Banfeng asked, "Were there any heroes who performed acts of chivalry in Ye Song Bridge and ultimately stayed there instead of leaving for other places?"

"You mean this story? ---." Xiao Yeci was a little disappointed, but she still thought about it seriously for a long time. "There was a person who was quite famous, and he died in Ye Song Bridge. I don't know if he counts."

"So, what kind of person is he?"

"It's hard to say, we don't even know if he's a hero."

Tell me in detail.

Xiao Yeci recalled, "This person was called Song Laizi. He had a head full of yellow eczema, no hair, and his face was pockmarked. He was quite frightening."

He was originally a local ruffian, known for his street brawls, insults, and outrageous behavior; he had done many bad things.

Years ago, a band of bandits came to Ye Song Bridge and killed many people. The townspeople either fled or died, all believing that the bandits were going to wipe out the entire population of Ye Song Bridge.

But Song Laizi refused to give up. He led a hundred or so brave men, armed themselves, and fought the bandits. The battle lasted a year, and Song Laizi narrowly escaped death several times. Finally, he drove the bandits away.

The Local Earth God admired Song Laizi and wanted to take him as a disciple, bestowing upon him great cultivation. However, Song Laizi's skull was damaged in battle, causing him to become insane. He first insulted the Local Earth God, and later claimed that he was not Song Laizi, but had become someone else.

The Local Earth God was enraged and told the people of Ye Song Bridge that they must kill Song Laizi, otherwise he would bring disaster to Ye Song Bridge.

The people were terrified, and they conspired to poison Song Laizi. He fell for their Song Laizi and died from the poison. The Local Earth God, still not satisfied, destroyed Song Laizi's body and destroyed his soul.

From then on, every now and then a strong wind would blow across Ye Song Bridge, filled with dust, which was said to be Song Laizi in disguise.

Li Banfeng listened very attentively and asked many detailed questions, "Do you know the background of that band of bandits? How did Song Laizi defeat them? Did he have any cultivation?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head and said, "I can't remember most of it. There are a few storytellers in town who occasionally mention Song Laizi. My Benefactor, if you want to hear more, I'll take you to them!"

"Alright!" Li Banfeng followed Xiao Yeci out of the mansion, where several sedan chair bearers approached them, soliciting business. "Gentlemen, would you like a sedan chair ride?"

Li Banfeng was somewhat sensitive to the sedan chair bearers, Xiao Yeci also wanted to accompany Li Banfeng a little longer, so the two of them didn't ride in the sedan chair. The group of sedan chair bearers returned to the big tree and continued chatting idly:

"Even wealthy families can't afford to ride in sedan chairs when they go out?"

"I don't know how they managed to save up for such a big house."

"Are they genuinely rich, or are they just pretending?"

A middle-aged man, with his hands clasped together, squatted on the ground and said, "Rich people don't necessarily ride in sedan chairs."

The person riding in the sedan chair isn't necessarily rich, and even if they are, they might pretend to be. And pretending to be rich might even become real. Who can really say for sure who's carrying that sedan chair?

One of the sedan chair carriers next to him asked, "I can't understand what you're saying?"

The middle-aged man laughed and said, "You haven't read much, have you?"

The sedan chair bearers snorted and said, "You're so well-read, yet you're carrying a sedan chair? But come to think of it, are you even a sedan chair bearer?"

The middle-aged man said, "Why can't I be?"

The sedan bearers looked him up and down. "How come I've never seen you before?"

"There are plenty of sedan chair carriers in the world, haven't you seen them all?"

The sedan chair bearers looked around. "Who are you traveling with? You can't carry this sedan chair all by yourself, can you?"

The middle-aged man lifted the sedan chair with both hands. "Who says one person can't carry a sedan chair? I've done it, haven't I?"

"What you're doing isn't lifting, it's carrying."

"What's it to you? The front and back bumpers are already up. As long as the sedan chair can move, we'll consider it as carrying it!"

The middle-aged man carried the sedan chair away.

If they can walk, then they're being carried?

The other sedan chair carriers were stunned for a long time. After thinking about it, they all felt that what the middle-aged man said made a lot of sense.

After listening to storytelling all day, Li Banfeng returned to his residence and carefully tidied up.

Judging from the accounts of different storytellers, Song Laizi should be a real person. Because of his special circumstances, he was an unconventional hero and was not overly embellished by the storytellers. Most of the plot can withstand scrutiny.

In addition, Li Banfeng also deduced that this Song Laizi had cultivation; he was a martial arts cultivator, and at a high level. In the book, Song Laizi did not have a fixed weapon; he could kill more than a dozen people with just a broom, which is a typical characteristic of a martial arts cultivator.

As for Song Laizi's various evil deeds, most books only mention them briefly, and a few storytellers have described them, but they are all petty thefts and thievery.

The fact that Song Laizi went mad seemed quite abrupt. After driving away the bandits, Song Laizi went back to his familiar life as a rogue. He had no intention of dominating Ye Song Bridge, and he didn't even ask for a word of gratitude from others.

What could have driven a powerful but unambitious man mad? Was it really due to an injury sustained while fighting bandits?

Why didn't he go mad when he was injured? He only went mad after the bandits had been gone for a while.

Is he faking madness?

Why is he pretending to be crazy?

If he wasn't insane, why was he poisoned to death by the people?

Ordinary people could not possibly deceive him. Even if they could, given his cultivation level, the poison that could kill him would not be something ordinary people could obtain.

As his thoughts raced, Li Banfeng put himself in Song Laizi's shoes.

The bandits have left. In Ye Song Bridge, there may only be one person left who can threaten Song Laizi: the Local Earth God.

Song Laizi feigned madness to appease the Local Earth God.

It was the Local Earth God who poisoned Song Laizi.

The Local Earth God chose to use poison because he couldn't defeat Song Zi in a direct confrontation.

The reason he couldn't defeat Song Laizi was because Song Laizi refused to accept the cultivation he offered.

If the Local Earth God of Ye Song Bridge has always been that sedan chair carrier, then Li Banfeng can confirm one thing.

This sedan chair carrier does not have the ability to grant cultivation to others.

His claim of gifting cultivation was a complete scam, and Song Laizi was not fooled.

What would be the consequences if Song Zi fell for it?

He will become the talented scholar Liu Yuansheng, and he will become the chivalrous Wang Saihong.

He will gain a high level of cultivation and then leave Ye Song Bridge.

Is it really about leaving Ye Song Bridge?

Why is there no story about them afterwards?

Why does a strong wind blow every few years in Ye Song Bridge, and why is the wind full of dust?

People always hope that heroes will have a happy ending.

In the legends of heroes, many stories have been distorted in order to achieve this happy ending.

Just like the legends about Zhao Xiaowan, many of the stories are true, but the endings are all twisted.

No one wanted to believe that the hero Zhao Xiaowan died in an internal military order. In order to give Zhao Xiaowan a more dignified ending, people even ignored Hong Ying's existence and made her a part of Zhao Xiaowan.

Similarly, no one wants to believe that heroes like the talented scholar Liu Yuansheng and the chivalrous heroine Wang Saihong would suddenly vanish from the face of the earth without a trace.

A chill ran down my spine and up to my skull.

Li Banfeng shivered.

In Li Banfeng's mind, the clues became increasingly clear.

Qiu Luoye dare to defy the Inner State for the sake of their own territory.

Yao Xin was willing to risk his life for the sake of Medicine King Gully.

Even someone like Pan Dehai, when faced with a desperate situation at Sea Eat Ridge, did not hesitate to fight to the death with the Local Earth God around him.

After experiencing so much, Li Banfeng seemed to have developed a kind of illusion that the Local Earth God were all protecting their territory.

But are all Local Earth God guardians of their respective territories?

Not necessarily.

The Local Earth God of Ye Song Bridge is likely not a guardian.

He had been targeting high-ranking cultivators in the mortal realm, using the rumor that "three lifts in a sedan chair bring abundant good fortune" to lure and deceive them, ultimately killing them.

The so-called "giving them a set of excellent skills" was achieved by using three rounds of arguing to lock them in.

Every few years, a strong wind blows, carrying dust, because all these people have turned to ashes.

What is the purpose of doing this?

Li Banfeng couldn't figure it out for the time being because he had put himself in Song Laizi's shoes.

It is precisely because this person countered the Local Earth God that he is not a hero in the traditional sense in Ye Song Bridge.

That's why his story wasn't distorted too much.

From Song Laizi's perspective, he pretended to be crazy in order to deal with the Local Earth God and this Bartering Cultivator.

Why can feigning madness help deal with Bartering Cultivator?

He said he wasn't Song Laizi.

After thinking for a long time, Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Yeci and smiled.

Xiao Yeci sniffled and shivered, saying, "My Benefactor, what's wrong with you now?"

"Ye Zi, you've been a great help! I'll listen to your storytelling every day from now on!"

At Smoke Cloud Tower, Li Banfeng invited Liao Zihui to dinner. After they sat down, Liao Zihui immediately asked Li Banfeng about the Local Earth God: "Brother Li, you said that the person you fought that day was Ye Song Bridge's Local Earth God. What makes you say that?"

Li Qi smiled and said, "General Envoy Liao, you don't believe me?"

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "I really don't believe it. I know you're young and promising, but you're just a fifth-level Travel Cultivator. How could you possibly be entangled with Local Earth God for so long?"

Li Banfeng said, "This is all thanks to the help of General Envoy Liao."

Liao Zihui shook his head again. "My men are capable, but I don't think I have that much ability to drive back the Local Earth God with just Steam Machine Gun."

Li Qi sighed, "So, you trust neither me nor yourself?"

"I really can't trust it; the facts are right in front of us."

Li Banfeng asked, "What if Ye Song Bridge's Local Earth God is Bartering Cultivator?"

"Bartering Cultivator?" Liao Zihui was quite surprised. "Is it even possible for this Daoist sect to cultivate to the heavens? Arguing all day long in Pro State, how long can someone like that live?"

"This Local Earth God has lived for a very long time; he is clearly an exception."

Liao Zihui was stunned for a long time, then sighed and said, "The 'carriage poles' are being carried three times, not referring to the sedan chair itself, but to the carrying poles."

What you say makes sense. This Local Earth God Bartering Cultivator n't provoke us beforehand, so he couldn't unleash his full power, which is why we were evenly matched.

Li Banfeng asked, "How much information is available about Bartering Cultivator in Outer State?"

Liao Zihui thought for a long time, "Outer State know very little about Bartering Cultivator. I only remember that people from Outer State call Bartering Cultivator bullies."

"Bullying and arguing don't seem to have anything to do with each other."

Liao Zihui said, "I'll look for the specific information and give you an answer tomorrow."

Li Banfeng said, "General Envoy Liao, if this Local Earth God has close ties with the Chasing Light Group, do you still have the guts to wipe them out?"

Liao Zihui did not hesitate. "Even if the Local Earth God intervene, I must destroy the Chasing Light Group. This matter concerns the survival of Pro State."

Is the Chasing Light Group a very old organization?

"They're not ancient; they've only emerged in recent years, but their atrocities are countless."

If the Chasing Light Group isn't considered ancient, what happened to Liu Yuansheng, Wang Saihong, and Song Laizi, and is it related to the Chasing Light Group?

Li Banfeng raised his glass and said, "General Envoy Liao, please be careful and don't argue with anyone these days."

Late at night, Li Banfeng walked through a deep alley, still pondering the connections between the events, when a night breeze blew by and he suddenly got goosebumps.

Danger is imminent!

Li Banfeng didn't rush to run away; he looked around first.

A face wearing a felt hat suddenly appeared before us.

"Seventh Master, would you like to ride in a sedan chair?"

The sedan chair bearers have arrived.

The Local Earth God of Ye Song Bridge has arrived.

"You called me?" Li Banfeng stared at the sedan bearers for a moment.

"Who else would I call if not you? Do you think I don't recognize you?" The sedan chair carrier laughed, preparing to lift another load.

Li Banfeng laughed too, not taking the bait. "I'm not Li Qi, you've mistaken me for someone else."

"If you're not Li Qi, then who are you?" The sedan chair carriers prepared to continue their argument.

Li Banfeng said, "I am Li Qi's older brother, and my Li Liu."

The sedan chair carriers laughed out loud, "You're Li Liu? How many brothers are in your family?"

Li Banfeng answered seriously, "There are seven brothers in my family. I am the sixth, and I look most like the Seventh Brother."

"You're still talking nonsense to me before you die?" The sedan chair carrier decided not to argue anymore. This man wasn't going to back down, which clearly meant he had other plans. He had to finish him off quickly.

Li Banfeng remained calm. He wasn't angry, nor did he feel that the other party was being argumentative. "I'm not talking nonsense. I'm really not Li Qi. Li Qi is Travel Cultivator."

"Then what sect do you belong to?" The sedan chair carrier was ready to make his move. As long as his opponent was Li Qi, he was confident of victory.

Li Banfeng took out a clay doll from his pocket, and after pouring his energy into it, the doll began to move.

Sedan chair carrier 1: "You're... keeping a mistress in Golden House Hides Beauty?"

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I am House Cultivator. Dual cultivation is not allowed when traveling or staying at home. This is irrefutable proof known to everyone."

Now you understand, I am Li Liu, not Li Qi.

The sedan chair carriers remained silent for a long time.

He felt that he wasn't so confident about winning this battle.

PS: It seems that Ye Song Bridge has met an acquaintance, who seems to look down on Bartering Cultivator.