Looking at the small town he hadn't seen in so long, Paben felt a mix of emotions. He pointed to the open space by the river and said, "Master, let's go there first, and then we'll go into the town." His voice sounded hollow and dry.
Mei'er happily flew out, transformed into a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, and landed first.
Geng Feng then slowly flew down, about three or four meters above the ground, when he suddenly let go, Nashan cried out in surprise as he fell down.
The height posed no danger to him, but he hadn't expected Geng Feng to let go at that moment. He stood up angrily, clutching his backside, glaring at Geng Feng with a Geng Feng: " Fengzi! You want to kill me... Ouch, my butt..." He secretly glanced at Paben, who was still dazed, and thought, "Sigh, what a pointless fall."
Geng Feng laughed and scolded, "Shouting and yelling at such a small height, you call yourself a cultivator?" He didn't know that Nashan was deliberately shouting and yelling to divert Paben's attention.
Looking at the familiar scenery, Paben felt weak all over. He had been away from his hometown for more than ten years, and it seemed to be exactly the same place as when he first left.
Li Qiang remained silent and waited quietly for him.
Mei'er grabbed Paben's hand and shook it, saying, "Brother, is your home here? Oh, why are you crying?"
Paben awkwardly wiped away his tears. "Ah, no. Master, let's go."
Mei'er seemed to sense his sadness as well, and obediently took his hand without saying a word. A warm feeling welled up in Paben's heart; he could feel everyone's concern for him.
The town is small, with only one main street. The houses are all made of wood, and the street is dirty and messy. There are not many pedestrians, only a few children chasing and playing in the street. It was lunchtime, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.
Paben appeared even more flustered after entering the city, Mei'er could feel his hands trembling slightly.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat somber.
The five of them were dressed in a distinctive way, which immediately attracted the attention of the children playing in the street. They followed them closely, chattering and pointing at them curiously, and many pedestrians also stopped to watch.
As they were walking, a man emerged from a side alley. He spotted Paben immediately and exclaimed, "Isn't that Paben?"
Paben turned his head and saw a large man staring at him in astonishment.
Before Paben could speak, the burly man stepped forward, looked him up and down, and, seemingly unsure, asked doubtfully, " Paben?"
Paben said calmly, " Bu Andong, I am Paben."
Bu Andong was a relative of his enemy, Bu Jigong. In this small town, the Bu Household was a large Lineage.
Bu Andong asked in surprise, "You... you weren't... already dead?"
Paben said coldly, his expression blank, "I was dead, but I crawled out from underground again."
Bu Andong shivered. He could clearly sense that Paben was different from before. The old Paben was always smiling, extremely timid, and never fought with anyone. The current Paben exuded an unusual aura, with a stern and imposing expression on his face.
Not daring to act rashly, Bu Andong forced an awkward smile and said, "Oh, I have something to do. Let's talk later." Without waiting for Paben's reply, he turned and hurried away.
Nashan remarked from the side, "This guy is interesting. He ran off before he finished speaking. What does he do for a living?"
Paben said, " Bu Jigong is his cousin, of course he came and went in a hurry."
Nashan suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. Damn it, that guy has no manners. Old Pa, ignore him, let's go home first."
Paben silently pointed to the entrance of an alleyway on the side of the street.
Li Qiang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, Paben, we'll follow you."
Paben mustered his courage and walked into the alley.
It was a small courtyard with a sparse wooden wall, only half a person's height, covered with green vines. There was no gate to the courtyard, only an opening for people to enter and exit.
Paben at the gap, staring blankly at the dilapidated little wooden building.
The door of the wooden building suddenly opened, and a man in his thirties walked out. He said to the person inside, " Lingniang, next time I'll get you some fresh meat, hehe, besides your tender flesh, when I come here..." He suddenly noticed several people standing at the door, but without seeing them clearly, he shouted, " Lingniang, your lover is here... hehe... uh..."
The man suddenly recognized Paben.
Paben slowly stepped into the courtyard, his face pale and uncertain, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Nashan drew his Light-Reversing Sword and was about to step forward when Li Qiang quickly stopped him and whispered, "Let him handle it himself, we shouldn't go in." He knew that Paben had to face all of this himself, otherwise he would never be able to resolve this knot in his heart.
"What are you doing in my house, Bu Jisi?" Paben said dryly. He walked up to Bu Jisi, his eyes flashing with cold light.
Bu Jisi suddenly saw Paben, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He paused for a moment, wondering, "Why is that coward Paben back? Didn't my brother say he was done for? Ugh, why am I afraid of him? Where did this useless thing come from today?"
Bu Jisi was used to bullying Paben, and he roared angrily, "Oh? You've gotten all high and mighty, daring to talk to me like that. Let me tell you, this is the Bu Household's place. Your wife remarried my brother a long time ago, Lingniang... hehe, let me tell you, she's nothing but a piece of trash..."
Paben seemed to suddenly regain his composure, and said coldly, " The Bu Jigong is dead."
Bu Jisi shivered. He then realized that Paben seemed like a different person. Suddenly, he felt an unbearable pain in his stomach. Just as he looked down to check, Paben's knee came hurtling towards him again. He didn't have time to react at all, and the knee hit him squarely in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Paben's kung fu is now considered top-notch in the secular world. Although the Bu Household members all know some martial arts, they are far inferior to Paben.
Nashan shouted, "Good! Well done! Old Pa, beat him up again!" This kid seemed to thrive on chaos.
Paben stepped forward, and before Bu Jisi could lie down, he kicked him in the shoulder.
Bu Jisi slammed his head against the wooden fence, dazed and confused by Paben's barrage of attacks, babbling incoherently.
"Stop!"
Paben shuddered. A woman, about forty years old, emerged from the wooden building, her face full of displeasure.
Paben slowly turned around and whispered, " Lingniang..."
Lingniang never expected that it would be her husband who came. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly burst out cursing, "What are you doing? Get out of here..." She rushed to Bu Jisi's side and helped him up. "There's blood coming out, don't move, I'll wipe it for you." She took out a soft towel and carefully wiped his wound.
Li Qiang was stunned. He couldn't help but ask, " Paben, who is she?"
Paben's face turned blood red, and he roared, "Who is she? She's my wife! She... she... now... she's nothing... whoa!" He pulled a spear from his storage belt and swept it at the wooden building with a howl, "Bang... Boom!" A large hole was punched through the wooden building.
The spear deftly traced an arc in his hand, and with a "crack!" a wooden wall shattered into small pieces, scattering across the ground.
Paben raged at the wooden house like a madman, and in less than ten minutes, the house he had built with his own hands was reduced to rubble. Standing on the ruins, he said menacingly, "Now... I, Paben, no longer have a wife like this."
Lingniang and Bu Jisi were terrified; they never imagined that Paben would be so powerful.
Lingniang mustered her courage and screamed, "You... you useless wretch! You've been gone for so many years, never caring whether we live or die, and now you still have the nerve to come back? If it weren't for the Bu Household, my daughter and I would have starved to death long ago, boohoo..."
In the midst of the commotion, more than a dozen burly men rushed in from outside the alley, led by Bu Andong. They surrounded Li Qiang and his companions.
Bu Andong was startled when he saw the collapsed wooden building. He walked over to Bu Jisi and asked, "Little brother, who did this?"
Unable to bear the pain any longer, Bu Jisi said bitterly, "It's that bastard Paben! How dare he hit me!"
Paben slowly walked to Lingniang's side and coldly asked, "Where is my daughter?"
Lingniang was so frightened that she backed away. She never expected that Paben would become so terrifying. Little did she know that Paben had been tempered by countless bloody battles and was no longer the cowardly little merchant he once was. He was now a worldly cultivator.
Bu Andong blocked Paben's path, saying with a strange expression, "You want to see your daughter?"
Paben said in a deep voice, "What? You know?"
Bu Andong suddenly felt discouraged. Unable to withstand the aura emanating from Paben, he took a step back and said, "This is your family matter, it has nothing to do with the Bu Household, let's go!"
Bu Jisi cried out, "Brother Anton... he... he hit me... I want to..."
Bu Andong cunningly stopped him, saying, "Little brother, let's go, we'll talk about it when we get back." He noticed that Paben had become very powerful, and the people who came with Paben seemed even more powerful.
Li Qiang hadn't said much until now, when he finally spoke up, "Nobody's leaving. Let's make things clear before we go."
Bu Andong shouted, "Explain yourself? Who should explain themselves? Damn it, our Bu Household..." Before he could finish speaking, He-Tu- Nashan slapped him hard across the face.
Nashan looked absolutely ferocious. He grabbed Bu Andong's hair, his one eye wide open, and his voice was twice as loud as Bu's. "You bastard! Talking to my boss like you've eaten shit, who the hell are you trying to piss off!"
Bu Andong was stunned by the beating; he mumbled incoherently. Immediately, five or six burly men rushed over, each wielding a sharp knife, and pounced on Nashan.
Li Qiang said calmly, "Don't kill anyone, everything else is up to you."
But Bu Jisi shouted, "Kill... kill them... kill them all..."
Geng Feng had been itching to act for a while. Seeing that Li Qiang didn't move, he chuckled and said, "Hey, brother, this Fengzi's hands are itching. Sorry." He couldn't resist making a move.
Li Qiang had never seen a cultivator like him before, with such a strong urge to fight. He was a Leaving the Body Realm expert, considered a formidable master in the Cultivation Realm, yet he was interested in fighting these mortals; it was simply unbelievable.
Geng Feng concealed his true power and relied entirely on his techniques to fight. However, his own skill was simply too high. As soon as these people's fists and feet met his, it was as if they had encountered an impenetrable wall. With "crackling" sounds, every man who fought him was left with torn skin, broken bones, and screaming in pain.
Nashan didn't use the Light-Reversing Sword. He and Paben easily defeated the remaining men. Paben no longer held back and fought with great relish.
Li Qiang squatted down and asked politely, " Bu Jisi, could you tell me where Paben's daughter is?"
Bu Jisi's nose was still bleeding profusely, and the intense pain made him tremble all over. He stammered, "I... I... don't know..."
Bu Andong lay on the ground and cried out, "His daughter has nothing to do with our Bu Household, go ask Lingniang... My brother doesn't know..."
Nashan threw a punch, using only a third of his strength, and cursed, "Damn it, the boss didn't ask you, why should you tell me?"
This punch shattered half of Bu Andong's upper and lower rows of teeth. Bu Andong roared in pain, but his voice was still muffled and unclear.
Paben in front of Lingniang, not saying a word, but staring intently at her.
Lingniang's face was deathly pale, her purple lips twitching uncontrollably. Finally, she couldn't bear Paben's gaze any longer and screamed, "I'm no longer your woman, it's none of your business what happens to my daughter..." She shouted hysterically, acting like a shrew and a rogue.
Previously, Paben never dared to speak loudly in front of her; she despised him to the core. Paben once had a considerable ancestral fortune, but she felt it wasn't enough and forced him to do business on the Tanbang Continent. Paben dared not argue with her and had no choice but to go to the Tanbang Continent in a cowardly manner, where he suffered a series of misfortunes until he met Li Qiang in the Black Prison.
Lingniang shouted fiercely, but was actually terrified. Paben had really changed; he used to never dare to meet her gaze with such unwavering determination.
Paben said coldly, "Where is your daughter? Speak!" The word "speak" resounded like a thunderclap, and he used his True Essence Power.
Lingniang shrank back in fright. She felt it was very embarrassing to be scolded by Paben. How dare this good-for-nothing speak like that? She suddenly screamed like a madwoman.
"Ah... where did you get a daughter from... you useless thing, you have a daughter? Haha... what nonsense! You think she's still your daughter? Haha! Let me tell you... you'll never see her in this lifetime!" she screamed madly.
Paben suddenly raised his spear and roared, "Die!" His eyes were bloodshot.
Li Qiang leaped to his feet, grabbed the gun barrel, and shook his head, saying, " Paben, she's not worth your shot. Think of your daughter."
Paben froze, slowly sheathing his spear. He understood his master's meaning: if he killed the child's mother, he would never be able to face his child again, no matter what the child's mother had done.
Li Qiang said softly, " Paben, come with me." He walked up to Bu Andong, pulled him aside, and began chanting a spell over Bu Andong — Mind-Bewildering Incantation he had learned in the palace of the Ladu Kingdom.
Bu Andong was gradually becoming confused. Seeing his unfocused gaze, Li Qiang tentatively asked, "Who are you?"
Bu Andong answered blankly, " Bu Andong."
Paben's spirits lifted; he realized that his master had intervened on his behalf.
Li Qiang asked, "Where is Paben's daughter?"
Bu Andong said, "He died long ago."
Paben's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground, clutching his head tightly with both hands.
Li Qiang was also shocked. "How did he die? Does Lingniang know?"
Bu Andong seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Li Qiang said softly, "Speak."
Bu Andong said, " Lingniang doesn't know, that little girl is very stubborn. She keeps asking Lingniang for her father, which infuriates Lingniang. It was Brother Bu Jigong who brought the little girl back to the Bu Household to be a maidservant to the Elder Da. Who knew that in a few years, the little girl grew more and more beautiful. First, she caught the eye of the Elder Da's only son, and later the Elder Da also took advantage of her. The little girl was incredibly strong-willed. One night, she ran away. We mobilized many people to chase after her and blocked her at the riverbank. In the end, the little girl jumped into the river. Before she jumped, she said, 'My father will come back to find you.'"
After being controlled by Li Qiang's Mind-Bewildering Incantation, he truly said whatever came to mind.
Li Qiang's face turned ashen, and he asked, "Who is this Elder Da '?"
Startled by Li Qiang's Sha Qi, Bu Andong shifted uncomfortably and said, " Elder Da is Bu Huan, Bu Jigong's uncle."
Paben was heartbroken. The only person he cared about in this world was this little girl. He hated himself for being so weak. He whispered, "Baby, your father is useless. He made you jump into the river. Baby, don't be afraid. You... you... I..." He couldn't finish his sentence, and his shoulders began to tremble violently.
Li Qiang patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Hey, Paben... try to take it easy."
Bu Andong suddenly woke up and shouted, "What did you do to me?" He looked at Li Qiang in confusion.
Paben slowly drew his spear, bowed to Li Qiang, and said, "Master, please forgive my rudeness."
Bu Andong looked at Paben in horror.
Li Qiang sighed, "I understand." He turned and walked back into the courtyard.
Paben turned to leave, but his spear suddenly shot backward from his elbow, piercing Bu Andong's neck. Bu Andong hadn't expected Paben to actually kill someone, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.
Li Qiang walked over to Geng Feng and said, "Let's wait on the main street; Paben will be out soon."
Just as Nashan was about to speak, Li Qiang stopped him, saying, "Let's go!" He pulled Mei'er and walked outside.
Mei'er followed Li Qiang without a word. Nashan shook his Baldy and went out as well.
Paben walked towards Bu Jisi expressionlessly, two lines of tears still streaming down his face.
Amidst Lingniang's screams, he slaughtered all of the dozen or so burly men from the Bu Household, leaving Lingniang screaming incessantly, before turning and walking out of the courtyard.
Nashan smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect Paben to be in such a terrible state. Boss, please let me go help him kill him, okay?"
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "There's nothing we can do to help. We'll just follow along. He has to resolve his own inner conflict."
Paben, carrying a black spear upside down and covered in blood, walked out of the alley and headed east. Li Qiang and his three companions followed him at a leisurely pace, followed by a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom recognized Paben.
The neighbors gossiped that Paben was notorious for his cowardice and timidity, and almost everyone had bullied him to some extent. News of the corpses found in the alleyway and the subsequent killing of over a dozen Bu Household the Paben family spread like wildfire throughout the small town, drawing ever larger crowds to Paben.
Geng Feng laughed, "This has really blown up! Hehe, Paben has truly made a name for himself!"
Li Qiang said calmly, "Unfortunately, this is not what he wanted." Li Qiang understood Paben's feelings very well. He knew that if Paben was not allowed to vent, he might very well fall into the demonic path if he continued to cultivate.
At the east end of the street was a small open space, where the Bu Household lived. The Bu Household's courtyard wall was built of stone, which was rare in the area.
Paben didn't even look for the gate. He grabbed his spear and smashed it against the wall. "Boom!" Dust and bricks flew everywhere. He shot three times and pierced a large hole in the wall. He walked straight in.
Nashan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, Paben is amazing!" The four of them followed him into the courtyard.
The crowd surged forward, their curiosity piqued by Paben's display of strength, and they risked their lives to push their way to the front to watch the spectacle.
Chaos erupted at the Bu Household as dozens of burly men rushed out. Someone exclaimed, "Isn't that Paben?"
An old man stepped out from the group of Bu Household members and shouted, "Are you Paben?"
Paben glanced at him and recognized him. He was the most powerful figure in the Bu Household, a very domineering person. Paben used to always avoid him when he saw him.
Paben said expressionlessly, " Bu Taban, I'm looking for Bu Huan!"
Bu Taban laughed heartily and teased, "Oh my, it really is Paben! I didn't realize you'd gotten so powerful. The old man wants to see you? Don't dream about it! You coward, you've finally found someone to back you up, haven't you? You're getting quite the temper, don't you know that? How dare you talk to Master Ban like that? You don't want to live anymore!"
His fierce and menacing appearance would have truly frightened the timid, but Paben was no longer the cowardly Paben of the past. He didn't even blink, and suddenly raised the spear in his hand, pressing it against Bu Taban's throat.
Paben coldly replied, "Hand over Bu Huan!"
Bu Taban grasped the spear tip, his skill failing to even see how Paben's spear had gotten to him. He tried desperately to pry the tip off, but Paben held the black spear with only one hand. No matter how hard Bu Taban tried, the spear tip remained firmly in place, as if it were welded from cast steel.
He retreated hastily, dodging left and right, while Paben followed gracefully, the tip of his gun still pressed against his throat.
Bu Taban was instantly enraged and roared, " Paben, if you have the guts, come in here, I..." If he had known that Paben had already killed more than ten Bu Household, he would never have said that.
Paben nodded and said, "Good!" With a soft "whoosh," the tip of a long spear emerged from behind Bu Taban's neck.
Paben said coldly, "Want to die? It's easy. Hand over Bu Huan!"
Bu Taban hung from the spear, his eyes wide open, he died without understanding how Paben had become so powerful and ruthless.
The Bu Household family panicked, and even the onlookers became flustered. The Bu Household members rushed forward with sticks and machetes.
Nashan and Geng Feng both looked at Li Qiang, Li Qiang shook his head and said, "Let him handle it himself." The two immediately hung their heads in dejection.
Nashan muttered to himself, "Sigh, didn't I come all this way for nothing?"
Paben brandished his spear and charged into the crowd. How could the rabble of the Bu Household be a match for him? He didn't kill anyone else; instead, he aimed his spear tip at their thighs and arms. His entire figure was hidden in the shadow of the spear, and in less than three minutes, the ground was littered with groaning and howling Bu Household men.
He walked up to one of the men, pressed the tip of his gun against his throat, and asked, "Where is Bu Huan?" His voice was even colder and more hoarse.
The man was terrified, stammering, "I... I..."
Paben frowned. "Don't know?" He stabbed someone through the neck, then turned and pressed the gun tip against another person's neck. "Where is Bu Huan?" The man burst into tears.
Three more people ran out of the house, shouting, "Stop! Let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!"
Paben looked up. "Hmm, I thought all the people in charge of the Bu Household were dead. Very good! Very good! Bu Zong! Your son took Lingniang for himself, and your brother drove my daughter to her death. Your Bu Household is truly remarkable, very good at bullying people. I, Paben, crawled out of a pile of corpses, and I want to see if Heaven has eyes. Very good! Today, Heaven seems to be very kind to Paben... Haha... Where is Bu Huan? Tell me!"
Bu Zong was stunned to see the Bu Household members lying all over the courtyard. He looked at the murderous Paben and said helplessly, "You... you killed so many... so many people from our Bu Household... you, I'll fight you to the death!" He rushed forward like a madman.
With a flick of his spear, Paben sent the blade grazing Bu Zong's thigh, Bu Zong suddenly realized that one of his legs had flown off. Before he could fall, Paben flipped his wrist, and the spear swept back, severing his other leg. Bu Zong's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Li Qiang and his companions were also shocked by Paben's ruthless killing; they hadn't expected him to be so insane and bloodthirsty. Li Qiang frowned slightly, sighing deeply in his heart. Hatred could completely cloud a person's judgment, just like when he was deceived back home and betrayed by his girlfriend. His feelings at that time were probably similar to Paben's now.
When Paben pointed his spear at another man, that man broke down, crying out, " The Elder Da is inside... he's inside..."
Paben brandished his spear, which emitted a buzzing vibration, and dragged the handle into the house.
Bu Huan sat on a wooden recliner, several members of the Bu Household standing behind him. He stared at Paben and said weakly, " Paben, you're ruthless! Tell me, what do you want?"
Li Qiang and the other three followed him into the house. Nashan whispered, "Was it him who drove Paben's daughter to her death? That old bastard, he's so wicked."
Paben's spear slid across the ground with a crisp metallic sound, its tip silently pressing against Bu Huan's groin. With a slight twist of his wrist, the spear tip pierced through Bu Huan's crotch, and Bu Huan let out a scream.
Paben said coldly, "Didn't you enjoy bullying people? Now you can't bully anyone..."
Bu Huan was in so much pain that he saw stars. He groaned incoherently, "Ouch... you... you..." The Bu Household members all fell silent, frozen in place.
A man in his thirties burst into the house. Bu Huan's expression changed drastically, and he shouted through gritted teeth, "What are you doing here? Get out! Get out now!"
Paben laughed maniacally and pierced the man's chest with a gunshot, causing the entire Bu Household to scream.
Paben said, "I won't kill you, but I'll let you taste the pain of losing a child and the hatred of a destroyed family, ha ha ha!"
That man was Bu Huan's only son, the first person to defile Paben's daughter.
Bu Huan screamed, "You killed me... you fucking killed me..."
Li Qiang said calmly, "That's enough, Paben, let's go." He turned and walked out of the room.
Paben suddenly snapped out of his extreme anger, feeling a surge of sorrow wash over him. He listlessly followed Li Qiang into the courtyard, behind him Bu Huan wails echoing.
Li Qiang stepped forward, lifted Paben's arm, and said, "Let's go!" The five of them soared into the sky.
The onlookers gasped in surprise.
After this tragedy, the Bu Household's fortunes rapidly declined. Bu Huan, consumed by resentment over the murder of his only son, died soon after.
After the Bu Household fell from grace, Lingniang learned that her daughter had been forced to death by the Bu Household. Overwhelmed with remorse, she went mad, wandering around calling out her daughter's nickname until she disappeared without a trace.