Chapter 479.2: New Grudges and Old Scores (2)

The old man in the round cap offered one last word of advice. "I have always believed in putting virtue first, so I am telling you this with complete sincerity. Big Old Bro, if you are determined to get yourself killed, go ahead, but don't drag the child along with you."

The old farmer stopped pushing the cart. A sudden pang of guilt struck him. What if they really did run into one of those monsters? He was already an old bag of bones. If he died, so be it. But what if he got his grandson killed too?

Then again, they had already come this far without seeing a single monster. When he had left the house, he had deliberately chosen this moment to show the Sage his sincerity. Was he really going to lose his nerve and run away just because of a few words from some old man?

The more the farmer thought about it, the more something felt wrong. He turned around, wanting to say a few more words to the old man, only to discover that the man in the round cap had vanished.

OH MY MAMA! THAT OLD MAN WAS A MONSTER?

The old farmer felt a chill of fear. He hurriedly gathered up his grandson and began pushing the cart back down the mountain.

Before long, he spotted a beggar and a young man making their way uphill.

The old farmer did not dare ask any questions. He hurriedly pushed the cart down the mountain.

The Greenwater Beggar glanced back at him. "Why was that guy in such a hurry? We should have stopped him and asked."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "No need. He probably saw a Toilblade Ghost. I saw one in the woods just now too."

The Greenwater Beggar chuckled. "Now that's strange. The Toilblade Ghosts can actually leave Ghostblade Ridge. I would really like to know whose handiwork this is."

He Jiaqing frowned slightly. "I really can't make sense of the methods being used here. Someone has laid out an elaborate scheme against the Sage, with one move following another and catching him off guard every step of the way. Don't be in a hurry to make your move later. I will sweep through his estate first and see what I can find. Whatever I find, we will split it fifty-fifty."

The Greenwater Beggar shook his head. "Keep it all for yourself. I don't care about any of that. All I want is his miserable old life."

He Jiaqing chuckled. "Wait until you have seen what he's got before you say that. Who could look at treasures from the imperial household and not be tempted?"

The Greenwater Beggar hefted the alms bowl in his hand. "Before you make a move, you should think about how capable you are. The Ink Scholar of Eightfold Talent is here, the Painter of a Hundred Blossoms is here, the Smiling Ghost King is here, Half-Sip Yellow Broth is here, and Three-Pot Tobacco Pipe is here too... Every one of them is above the Cloudborne Layer, and plenty more dangerous figures at the Cloudborne Layer are still on their way here. If you sweep up all the good stuff for yourself, you might have a hard time making it out of Vilefolk Hillock alive."

He Jiaqing was taken aback. "Why are you showing so much concern for me today?"

The Greenwater Beggar sneered. "I couldn't care less about whether you live or die. I just don't want this dragging me into trouble. All I want is that old bastard's life. I have no intention of offending any of those people."

***

The old farmer pushed his cart down the Sage's Peak and headed back toward the village. Just as he was nearing the entrance, he saw a man in a black suit and a foreigner walking toward him.

Li Banfeng said nothing. Cedric stepped forward and greeted him. "Old Sir, where are you taking that cartload of grain?"

Seeing the foreigner, the old farmer didn't really dare to respond. He stammered for quite a while before answering, "Th-this... this was meant for the Sage."

Cedric asked, "But isn't the Sage's Peak all the way over there? Why are you heading in the opposite direction?"

The old farmer smacked his lips, trying to think of what to say.

Vilefolk Hillock was a little different from the rest of Puluo Province. Foreigners rarely appeared here, and most of the locals had never even seen a foreigner. Those who had met foreigners before would usually treat foreigners with great respect. Now that a foreigner had asked him a question, the old farmer did not dare refuse to answer.

However, if he admitted that he had gotten scared and no longer dared take the grain up the mountain, word would surely reach the Sage. If the Sage found out, his grandson would no longer have any hope of studying under him.

That foreigner was clearly no ordinary man, so the old farmer knew he had to choose his words carefully. "The Sage said the grain wasn't good enough," he replied. "I am going back to get another cartload."

With that, the farmer pushed the cart and hurriedly went on his way.

Cedric sighed. "When I first came to Puluo Province, I couldn't understand why this place was called Vilefolk Hillock. I couldn't understand why anyone would give a place a name like that. Now I do."

He gazed toward Sage's Peak with his face filled with anticipation. "We created a disaster here with our own hands. I can't wait to see what this disaster will look like."

Li Banfeng sighed and said, "I feel like I barely contributed anything to this."

Cedric responded, "You don't have to be so humble. I provided the technical expertise for the Toilblade Ghost mutation, while you created the opportunity. Our contributions were entirely equal."

Li Banfeng had no response to whatever Cedric said.

Cedric let out another soft sigh. "I don't know how many people live here. If I remember correctly, there should be tens of thousands. After this catastrophe, I wonder how many of them will still be alive.

"The disaster has already started on Sage's Peak. My friend, are you ready? Are you ready to witness this great achievement with me?"

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly.

Every so often along the way, a chill ran through him.

Some dangers at higher levels could not be sensed directly, but the rickshaw driver had warned him never to overlook the smallest details. Those details could often mean the difference between life and death.

Cedric said, "You are a Wanderlust Cultivator. I know you have the ability of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, so I can understand why you don't want to go up the mountain. However, I have no intention of missing such an important moment."

With that, Cedric headed toward Sage's Peak alone.

Li Banfeng found a secluded spot and went back inside the Pocket Dwelling.

When Li Banfeng emerged, more than a dozen cabbage people followed behind him. They scattered in different directions, while Li Banfeng headed into the nearest village.

At the village entrance, he came across a young man and walked straight up to him. "Do you want to die?"

The man was terrified. He lowered his head and backed away repeatedly, too afraid to answer or even look Li Banfeng in the eye.

"If you don't, bring your whole family out here and wait at the village entrance. I will take you with me."

Without waiting for a response, Li Banfeng pulled the brim of his hat lower and continued into the village. He stopped beside a woman with a child. "If you don't want to die, bring your family to the village entrance and wait for me."

Vilefolk Hillock was full of vilefolk, and they were repugnant . But at the very least, they deserved a chance to live.

One man had spent eighteen years seeking to become the Sage's disciple. Though the Sage had never accepted him, his admiration had never wavered.

Standing in the village road, he pointed at Li Banfeng and called out, "Fellow villagers, do not listen to this outsider spreading heretical lies and misleading the people. All changes beneath Heaven started out with a single thought of our Sage, and with a single thought, the Sage can destroy every demon and evil spirit. We live here under his protection. How could we possibly let ourselves be misled by a petty scoundrel like this?

"Villain, I saw through your malicious intentions long ago. Turn back before it is too late and stop clinging to your delusions. If you wait until the Sage brings down his power, you will be smashed to piec..."

Crack!

Li Banfeng twisted the man's neck and snapped it.

He pointed at the corpse. "Anyone who wants to die can follow him on his way. Anyone who doesn't, wait for me at the village entrance."

***

On the Sage's Peak, corpses were everywhere, and the entire place was in ruin.

Apart from the Sage's estate, nearly every other building had been destroyed.

The Sage had recalled several hundred disciples from across Puluo Province, but only a little over thirty remained. They had barricaded themselves inside the residence and were holding out against the assault.

Outside the courtyard walls, things grew a little quieter as the Toilblade Ghosts surrounding and attacking the estate withdrew. They had gone back to Ghostblade Ridge to replenish their yin energy, but another group would soon take their place. The intelligence of these Toilblade Ghosts was not to be underestimated. They were clever enough to take turns fighting.

When they were up close, they were tough enough to simply charge in and brawl. When they were far away, they knew to take advantage of their ability to attack from afar. They were even more dangerous in a group, attacking from inside clouds of poisonous mist and coordinating their attacks extremely well.

At first, the Sage still held on to a little hope. He wanted to use these days of fighting to find a way to control the Toilblade Ghosts. He tried thirteen Daoist paths with control abilities, but not a single one had any real effect on the Toilblade Ghosts.

Both sides had suffered heavy losses, yet there were far more Toilblade Ghosts than the Sage had expected. His disciples were almost wiped out, while the Toilblade Ghosts seemed to have lost less than a tenth of their numbers.

By this point, it was clear that the Sage's estate could not hold out much longer. However, it was already too late to leave.

His disciples had already gathered some information. Pan Dehai, the Greenwater Beggar, the Ink Scholar of Eightfold Talent, Half-Sip Yellow Broth, the Painter of a Hundred Blossoms, the Smiling Ghost King, and Three-Pot Tobacco Pipe had all made their way up Sage Peak.

The Sage knew exactly how powerful those people were. He let out a long sigh. "You have followed me for many years. Now, you are about to die with me on the battlefield. Do any of you regret it?"

The disciples answered in unison, "We have no regrets!"

Tears welled in the Sage's eyes as he sighed with emotion. "You are all loyal and worthy subjects. My heart is greatly comforted."

The scene was solemn and tragic when one of the Sage's disciples came to report. "Pan Dehai, the local land deity of the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, has arrived outside the estate."

The Sage gritted his teeth and shouted, "A subject who receives his ruler's salary should serve his ruler faithfully! Pan Dehai, you were once an official of my court, yet now you intend to kill your ruler and rebel. Do you know your crime? Do you know shame? You call yourself a man of virtue, but do you still remember how to write the word 'virtue'?"

Standing outside the gate, Pan Dehai laughed. "I studied hard for twenty years. At twenty-eight, I passed the imperial examination. I served as an official for ten years and worked diligently the entire time. You know how much I did for you.

"When I was thirty-eight, you discarded me once I was no longer useful. With a single line, 'Virtue comes first when appointing officials,' you removed me from office. When I was forty-eight and the country was unstable, you called me back. I helped you stabilize the country for two years, and then, with another line, 'Talented but lacking in virtue,' you removed me again.

"For a long time, I couldn't understand it. I had always been utterly loyal to you, and my conscience was clear. Why did you think I was so lacking in virtue?

"After I became a Moralism Cultivator, I finally understood. Virtue isn't in your heart. It's on your face. The thicker your skin, the deeper your virtue!"

The Sage shouted angrily, "You shameless madman! How dare you act so insolently!"

Pan Dehai laughed. "You foolish ruler without virtue. You are already at death's door, so why keep pretending to be tough?"

"Well said, Pan!"

A painting scroll appeared in midair, and an extraordinarily beautiful woman stepped out of it.

She wore a brown long robe with a high collar, diagonal front, wide sleeves, and round floral patterns. The outfit looked old-fashioned, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty, which could topple cities and kingdoms.

When Pan Dehai saw the woman, he hurriedly bowed. "Old Senior Mu, this junior pays his respects."

The woman frowned. "Calling me 'Senior' is one thing, but did you really have to add 'old'? You make it sound like I am your grandmother."

Pan Dehai laughed. "If we are really going by seniority, it wouldn't be wrong to call you Grandma."

The Sage was feeling agitated in the courtyard. The Painter of a Hundred Blossoms, Mu Yuejuan, had arrived.

"Whose woman is this, shamelessly coming out here to claim a grandson?" A drunken man staggered over to Mu Yuejuan with a smile. "Don't think I don't know about you. You have slept with plenty of men, but you can't have children. You don't even have a son, so how can you get a grandson?"

Half-Sip Yellow Broth, Qiao Wuzui, had arrived as well.

A middle-aged man carrying a smoking pipe said, "No matter how many men Miss Mu has slept with, it will never be your turn, you drunkard. There's no point lusting after her!"

Three-Pot Tobacco Pipe, Ye Jianhuang, had arrived too.

Qiao Wuzui frowned. "If she wouldn't look twice at a drunkard like me, why do you think she would be interested in a smoker like you? Why don't you take a piss and get a good look at yourself?"

Ye Jianhuang laughed. "I have had too much internal heat these past couple of days, so my piss is yellow. Can't see a reflection in it. If you don't believe me, I will take a piss and you can have a look yourself."

A middle-aged man, who looked deathly pale and had no trace of color in his face, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Everyone, let's not argue here. We are here to see the Emperor today, so let's not forget the proper courtesies."

The Smiling Ghost King, Gui Jianchou, had arrived as well.

Mu Yuejuan looked around at the others. "Since we are here to see the Emperor, it wouldn't be proper for a woman like me to go first. Which of you is willing to be the first to see him face to face?"

Everyone lowered their heads and said nothing.

Mu Yuejuan sneered. "And this is why I look down on all of you. Pick any young man at random, and he would have more spirit than you, not to mention more courage."

Qiao Wuzui laughed. "Miss Mu, how do you know I am afraid? I am not scared of that foolish ruler. I haven't gone into the courtyard because I am worried that someone might stab me in the back."

Ye Jianhuang tapped out his pipe. "What do you mean by that? Who are you talking about?"

Qiao Wuzui said, "Whoever has stabbed someone in the back before is exactly who I am talking about. Have you already forgotten what you did before?"

Ye Jianhuang sneered. "Why bring up all that old history? If you have really got the guts, go in there right now and cut off that foolish ruler's head. Let's see you do it."

Qiao Wuzui said, "I have got the nerve to do it, but you have to go in ahead of me. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Gui Jianchou chuckled. "Brothers, let's not fight among ourselves. Everyone who came today is a brave man."

Mu Yuejuan said, "You are a brave man, aren't you? Then you go first!"

Gui Jianchou shook his head. "It's not that I am afraid. I have plenty of ghost servants with me, so sending a few ahead to scout the way wouldn't be difficult. The effects of Neverending Peaks are gone now, but who knows if the Sage has some other trick waiting for us? Old Xu didn't explain things clearly in his letter, and he hasn't shown himself either, so I think we should be careful about this..."

Qiao Wuzui was not happy when he heard this. "Stop talking nonsense! Old Xu is helping Yao Xin guard his territory. Of course he can't come. If you don't have the guts, don't drag someone else into it."

Cedric watched from a distance. There was no place for him to speak in a situation like this, but he really couldn't understand what these people were doing.

A Nightfiend Cultivator, a Smoking Cultivator, an Inebriate Cultivator, and a Brushwork Cultivator had all gathered here. These four had reached levels of strength that were almost unimaginable. Now that Vilefolk Hillock was no longer protected by the effects of Neverending Peaks, it did not seem like any of them would have a hard time killing the Sage.

Yet all of them were hesitating. None of them wanted to make a move, and they were even more wary of one another than they were hostile toward the Sage.

The Greenwater Beggar raised his brows and shook the bowl in his hand. "I will go."

Ye Jianhuang looked down at him and sneered. "What makes you think it's your turn?"

From his tone, it was clear that the Greenwater Beggar was beneath him in both status and cultivation. But in Cedric's opinion, the Greenwater Beggar had more guts than any of them.

The Green Beggar looked up at the others. "You won't go, but you won't let me go either. So are we just going to wait here? Wait for the Toilblade Ghosts to come and then fight them in the middle of all this?"

No one said a word. The Green Beggar gave his bowl a shake and started toward the estate gates.

Before he could get much farther, the gates burst open.

Song Deke, one of the Sage's disciples, came charging out with more than a dozen men behind him. The Sage had sent them ahead as the vanguard, hoping they could knock some of the fight out of the enemy before the real battle began.

They might have been wary of charging into the estate, but taking care of a few disciples at the gate was easy enough.

The Smiling Ghost King, Gui Jianchou, summoned his ghost servant and prepared to make the first move.

Song Deke showed no fear. He held his head high, puffed out his chest, lifted the hem of his robe, and led his men forward. Then, with a thud, they all dropped to their knees before the others.

The situation changed so suddenly that everyone was a little confused.

Without saying a word, Song Deke planted both hands on the ground and led his men in a deep kowtow.

Bang!

More than a dozen men kowtowed at the same time, producing a single loud thud. What did that mean? It meant that they had kowtowed in perfect unison. More importantly, it proved just how sincere Song Deke and his men were.

After three kowtows, there was no need to explain why they had come.

The Greenwater Beggar asked, "Which one of you is going to lead the way?"

Everyone eagerly volunteered, each trying to be the one to lead the way. However, Song Deke asserted himself over the others. "I have the most seniority, so I must be the one to lead the way!"

Author's Note:

PS: Mu Yuejuan once had a relationship with Hong Ying's second brother, back in Chapter 475.

Dear readers, I wish you all a happy and peaceful Dragon Boat Festival.