CHAPTER 507: 355

Lotus Pond Tea House, a tea house opened by the Ling brothers, was not normally open to the public but mainly used for business negotiations. Most of the Ming Xings’ film salaries were negotiated within this tea house.

Shen Rongqing had arrived early at the tea house, having made all the necessary arrangements.

To be honest, she did not trust this Saint’s disciple or his followers. He Jiaqing had snubbed them several times by not meeting with them, so it was hard to say whether they might take some drastic actions.

With personnel and traps arranged, Shen Rongqing waited in the tea house for the person in white to attend the banquet. Meanwhile, He Jiaqing, far away in Yuezhou, worried that troublemakers might appear.

Perhaps He Jiaqing was overthinking things. No matter what he did in Puluo State, he always felt that Li Banfeng could disrupt his plans at any moment. Seeing that it was not yet six o’clock, He Jiaqing contacted the Spies from Xiaoyao Lodge.

"Where is Li Qi?"

"Li Qi and Ma Wu have invited Lu Chunying. Lu Yuanxin and Tan Fucheng are also here. They’ve been drinking since noon and, according to hearsay, plan to play cards tonight. Ma Wu has also arranged for the Singing Empress to perform."

"Are you sure you saw Li Qi?"

"I saw him. I just cleaned the private room a moment ago. I’ll go check again later."

"Don’t go. Going again might arouse suspicion."

The Spies from Xiaoyao Lodge were vital. Their identities couldn’t be exposed.

He Jiaqing rubbed his scalp. He figured he must have consumed too much human energy lately, which muddled his mind and made him excessively suspicious. How could Li Banfeng possibly know that Shen Rongqing is meeting with the Saint’s disciples today?

He let out a self-deprecating laugh, changed into his gardener’s clothes, and went to the park again.

「...」

In the private room, Lu Chunying was holding a roast chicken, eating heartily. She had intensified her cultivation recently, and with the help of Elixirs, her cultivation level had been increasing rapidly, as had her appetite.

After finishing an entire chicken, Lu Chunying wiped her mouth and asked, "Where’s Brother Seven? Why did he suddenly disappear? Aren’t we supposed to play cards later?"

Ma Wu smiled and said, "Old Qi isn’t feeling well and has gone to rest. Besides, he doesn’t play cards anyway. I’ll play with you all tonight, until dawn."

As they spoke, the Singing Empress Jiang Mengting arrived to perform. Her beauty and voice captivated everyone, and no one questioned Li Qi’s whereabouts any further.

At that moment, Li Banfeng was hiding near Lotus Pond Tea House, waiting for the gathering to disperse, unsure how long their tea drinking would take.

In fact, the tea drinking was quite brief because the two sides were not in harmony.

The Saint’s disciple Zhong Huairen, the Disciple in White, expressed his dissatisfaction with He Jiaqing’s attitude, "Miss Shen, how many times have I sought you out? To this day, I still haven’t seen He Jiaqing. You are truly lacking sincerity."

Shen Rongqing smiled. "Brother Zhong, please calm down. Courtesy is a matter of reciprocity. We’ve met so many times, yet I haven’t met the Saint either."

Zhong Huairen frowned. "Why should the Saint meet you? He wants to meet He Jiaqing!"

Shen Rongqing’s smile remained unchanged. "And He Jiaqing doesn’t want to meet you; he wants to meet the Saint."

Zhong Huairen’s face turned livid, and he warned Shen Rongqing, "Some people have knelt on Sage Peak for years and still might not get to see the Saint. You have this opportunity—don’t miss it."

Shen Rongqing’s brow furrowed slightly. "The way you say it, it’s as if we’re the ones lacking gratitude. I don’t even know where Sage Peak is. Could you enlighten me, why are the people there so spineless?"

Zhong Huairen nodded, stood up, and took his leave.

Shen Rongqing escorted him down from the tea house but made no further attempt to detain him.

After Zhong Huairen left, Shen Rongqing sent a message to He Jiaqing: "He’s gone. He’s very dissatisfied because you didn’t show up."

When He Jiaqing received the message, he was silent for a long while.

He knew his absence would definitely displease the other party. But why didn’t Shen Rongqing smooth things over? Had she clashed with them again?

"It’s alright, Sister, it’s alright," He Jiaqing said, cutting off the communication.

Shen Rongqing was a sensitive woman; she picked up on He Jiaqing’s reproach. But what could reproach do? Do they expect me to kneel at Sage Peak as well?

Shen Rongqing returned to the tea house and sat in the tea room, pouring and drinking tea by herself.

「...」

Zhong Huairen walked down the street, unable to contain his burning anger, when a voice reached his ears, "Junior Brother Zhong, I think we used the wrong method. We should have dealt with it like we did with the Lu Brothers—made things simple and decisive."

"I want to be decisive too, but with He Jiaqing not showing up, how can we make a move?"

"Kill this woman. From our few meetings, we can see she has an extraordinary demeanor—either He Jiaqing’s lover or his favored general. Killing her will undoubtedly infuriate He Jiaqing. As long as we can force him out, we can then eliminate him, and our task will be complete."

"Can we really do this?" Zhong Huairen hesitated. "I’m worried the Master will blame us."

"Blame us for what? When has our Master ever forbidden us from killing? He probably doesn’t even remember this woman’s name. Killing her and luring He Jiaqing to Puluo State—what’s wrong with that?"

"But what if He Jiaqing gets scared off and refuses to meet with us again?"

"He’s already refusing to meet us. If he shows up, we profit. If not, we’ve at least crippled one of his arms, causing him suffering for a while. We won’t lose out either."

Zhong Huairen nodded. "That’s a sound plan. Senior Brother, when do we act?"

"We should strike when she’s most relaxed. I think now is best. After parting unhappily, this is when she’d be most off-guard."

"Alright, I’ll go with you!"

Zhong Huairen turned to go back, but the voice by his ear cautioned him, "You just left, and now you’re returning. Going back so soon might make her suspicious. Just keep walking. I can handle this myself. Don’t worry about the credit; you’ll receive your due share. Be very careful on the road. The Master instructed me to protect you, so ensure you don’t run into any mishaps yourself."

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother." Zhong Huairen nodded and continued walking forward.

The white garment on his body suddenly flew up, fluttering from high above towards the tea house.

Li Banfeng, who was following, quickly hid. Thanks to his Sixth Layer Home Cultivation talent, the garment almost discovered him.

Is this garment a Magical Treasure? No wonder he always wears that white shirt wherever he goes. Why would the garment fly back? To deal with Shen Rongqing? Does he dare to confront Shen Rongqing with just a Magical Treasure? Or could it be that it’s not a Magical Treasure? Could this be the Garment Cultivation Zuo Wugang spoke of?

Lu Yuanxin was also at Xiaoyao Lodge, and he knew how to deal with Garment Cultivation. This was an opportunity.

Li Banfeng found a quiet place and took out a circuit board from his bosom. He connected two dry cell batteries, attached an antenna, and plugged in a dial pad.

This device was somewhat cumbersome to use, but under the conditions in Puluo State, this was as far as Luo Zhengnan’s technology could go.

Luo Zhengnan was adjusting antennas in Xiaoyao Lodge when his head suddenly vibrated violently; the antenna plugged into it almost scrambled his brains.

Seeing it was Li Banfeng calling, Luo Zhengnan quickly answered.

"Send Ma Wu to the Lotus Pond Tea House..."

After relaying his message, Li Banfeng continued to tail Zhong Huairen. When they reached a narrow alley and the time was right, Li Banfeng prepared to make his move.

The Disciple in White always remained by the Saint’s side, and Li Banfeng was certain of his formidable strength. His target this time was not to kill him but to use his mouth to relay a message.

Li Banfeng’s plan was to strike him with a blade first and then immediately disengage.

He suddenly appeared in the alley and slashed Zhong Huairen across the back.

The cut was deep, nearly a foot long. After striking, Li Banfeng quickly retreated and hid in the shadows, observing Zhong Huairen’s reaction.

Zhong Huairen showed no excessive reaction. He didn’t pause, instead walking briskly as if unhurt.

Indeed, someone trusted by the Saint is no ordinary individual! He must have a Magical Treasure on him, or perhaps his physique is incredibly robust.

Back at Benefactor’s Stronghold, Li Banfeng had noticed this man was not easy to deal with.

A single strike might not be enough. To provoke the Saint’s wrath against He Jiaqing, I need to make him truly feel the pain.

Li Banfeng appeared once again and delivered another slash.

Despite being struck twice, Zhong Huairen still showed no response. He walked faster and faster, completely ignoring Li Banfeng’s sneak attacks.

Is his strength truly that formidable?

Another slash.

Zhong Huairen still did not fight back.

Another slash!

...

After seven slashes, Zhong Huairen lay on the ground, motionless.

What’s going on? Is he luring me closer to counterattack at the right moment?

Li Banfeng certainly wouldn’t fall for that. He prepared to use the Passing Glance Technique to probe.

Just as he was about to make his move, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could it be that Zhong Huairen isn’t unwilling to counterattack, but simply unable to? Could his brisk walking have been just an attempt to escape? Impossible, right? The disciple most trusted by the Saint is of such poor quality? He showed considerable strength back in Benefactor’s Stronghold; I remember it vividly. How can he be so weak now? Could that considerable strength have come from the garment? Is he just a garment rack? He wouldn’t be dead, would he? If he’s dead, who will deliver the message to the Saint?

Li Banfeng wasn’t wrong; Zhong Huairen was indeed close to death.

Should I give him an Elixir to save his life?

「...」

In the tea house, Shen Rongqing was still pouring her own drinks.

The person in white had left, and Shen Rongqing had instructed her Supports to return to the Shadow Play Company and await orders. She was planning to finish her cup of tea and then go rest.

Just as she poured the tea, she suddenly felt her wrist go limp. The cup in her hand was not brought to her lips but instead placed back on the table.

Who is it? Shen Rongqing wanted to demand.

But she couldn’t open her mouth.

Her jaw seemed to be bound by fine threads, and her throat was constricted too.

Every joint in her body felt tightly bound, as if a garment was wrapped around her, slowly suffocating her.

It wasn’t just a feeling; a real piece of clothing was materializing on Shen Rongqing.

When did this white garment get on me? This white garment looks familiar! This is Zhong Huairen’s white garment.

Amid her horror, Shen Rongqing’s right hand drew a dagger from her waist, aiming it at her own throat.

The tip of the dagger slowly approached as Shen Rongqing resisted violently.

Zhong Huairen wants to kill me?

At this moment of life and death, Shen Rongqing maximized her Mental Cultivation Technique but could not sense Zhong Huairen’s thoughts.

The thoughts of the waitstaff in the tea house, the accountants, and even the Coachman waiting outside were crystal clear to her, yet she couldn’t sense Zhong Huairen at all.

Is Zhong Huairen not nearby? The garment on me seems to have some faint thoughts—vague and elusive, but they seem to truly exist. Is this garment trying to kill me? This isn’t just a garment; this is a Garment Cultivator! What should I do? Who will save me?

Shen Rongqing could not call for help. Due to the suffocation, her consciousness also began to blur.

She desperately tried to control her right hand, but the dagger in it inched closer and closer to her throat.

She wanted to overpower the garment’s will, but her cultivation level was no match for it.

In her desperation, she suddenly felt the garment on her body emit a slightly tense aura.

Is he scared? What is he afraid of? Has someone come to save me?

Suddenly, the joints in her body relaxed a bit, and her right hand gradually regained control.

The white garment abruptly left Shen Rongqing’s body and vanished in an instant.

It felt as if insects had crawled over her, but Shen Rongqing had no mind to pay attention to them. As the constriction completely disappeared, she immediately dropped the dagger and stood up.

She wanted to flee and call for help but, in her bewilderment, suddenly saw a man approaching her.

Shen Rongqing was startled and almost attacked Ma Wu.

Ma Wu stepped forward and embraced her, saying, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here."

PS: Dear readers, do you still remember the cause of Lu Yuanshan’s death?