Late at night, Li Banfeng familiarized himself with the terrain inside the gorge.

The terrain offered a significant advantage. The gorge was five kilometers long and a little over three meters wide. It twisted and turned in countless bends, with thick vines all over. Sprinting at full speed, it had taken Li Banfeng over two minutes to go from one end to the other.

He was a level-three Wanderlust Cultivator, yet it still took him that long to run through it. If the opposing party only sent low-level ordinary cultivators, it would be very difficult for them to exit the gorge within ten minutes.

So in that case, do I only need to hold out for ten minutes? But what if the land deity came in person?

Just as he was thinking about the speed of ghostly fire, the ghostly fire appeared in the distance and arrived before him in the blink of an eye. It hadn’t taken even a minute to make it through the five-kilometer-long gorge.

Can every land deity transform into ghostly fire?

Even if Qiu Luoye can’t become ghostly fire, what if he has an aberrant creature similar to a Wanderlust Cultivator?

Li Banfeng slowly strolled through the gorge, carefully observing everything.

When he reached a bend, the Tang saber spoke. “My lord, this is an excellent spot for an ambush.”

The Tang saber had been used in wars before. Among Li Banfeng’s enchanted artifacts, the Tang saber was the only one with military experience.

Li Banfeng marked that spot and continued moving through the gorge, marking over twenty spots. After making a careful comparison, he and the Tang saber selected the three best spots.

All twenty marked spots had their uses, but the top three were key spots for ambush.

When he reached the mouth of the gorge near Fallen Leaf Flats, Li Banfeng saw shattered offering tables scattered across the ground and dense mist rolling in the distance.

Shui Yongquan floated to Li Qi’s side. This time, he appeared in human form. “Brother Li Qi, don’t go any farther. If you take another step, you’ll enter Qiu Luoye’s territory. You’ve made a contract with me, so you’re counted as one of my people. The battle hasn’t begun yet. You can’t enter Qiu Luoye’s territory. Step across that boundary and into that mist, and you’ll lose your life.”

Li Banfeng stared at the mist for a moment. It was dense, but he could faintly make out figures within it.

Shui Yongquan glanced at the offering tables on the ground and said to Li Banfeng, “These were left behind by that group of land activators. Three times in a row, they chose the mouth of the gorge. Once might be coincidence. Twice might still be coincidence. But three times? That’s someone stirring up trouble.”

Li Banfeng had no interest in listening to Shui Yongquan’s analysis of the situation. Instead, he continued studying the terrain.

Shui Yongquan let out a sigh of admiration. “Brother Li Qi, you’re truly putting your heart into this. But where’s Brother Ma Wu? Don’t tell me he’s not coming.”

Li Banfeng gave a perfunctory explanation. “He’s coming. We’ve already discussed it. He’s only responsible for fighting. I’ll handle the troop arrangements.”

Shui Yongquan chuckled. “Troop arrangements? That’s unnecessary. When land deities fight, do you think it’s like armies clashing? There aren’t that many formalities here. Once the fight begins, everyone strikes immediately. Delay even a moment, and morale falls apart. They’re fighting you to gain cultivation. If you’re going to fight, don’t hold back. Whoever moves fastest and strikes hardest wins!”

Li Banfeng frowned. “Isn’t that just a brawl?”

“What did you expect? Qiu Luoye’s subordinates are a rabble!”

That differed from what Li Banfeng had imagined.

He had been hoping to read out a proclamation before the battle, negotiate for a while, and stall for some time.

If they were to start fighting the moment they met, that would make things far more troublesome.

Li Banfeng had to change tactics.

Shui Yongquan sighed. “You’re the one who signed the contract. Whether you bring Ma Wu is your business. Young man, I’ll only tell you this: one more helper on the battlefield means one more life for yourself. Even if it’s just someone helping you defend the main gate, one more person means more strength. I’m speaking seriously. It won’t be easy for you to defend the Waterfall Gate alone.”

Li Banfeng looked at the steep cliffs on both sides. “The Waterfall Gate can only hold for three minutes. Relying on it alone won’t work.”

Shui Yongquan smacked his lips. There were some things he did not wish to say, but Li Banfeng had already signed the contract. Even if he spoke, Li Banfeng could not back out now. After weighing the pros and cons carefully, he decided to give Li Banfeng a warning.

“If Qiu Luoye charges into the gorge, the only thing that might stop him is the Waterfall Gate.”

Li Banfeng frowned. “Will he come?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“So the Waterfall Gate is the only option?”

Shui Yongquan pondered for a while before replying, “Besides the Waterfall Gate, there are some special abilities that could be used against him. Qiu Luoye isn’t particularly sharp-minded. Any Daoist Path that disrupts the mind can restrain him. Hedonism Cultivation is one of them.”

He still wanted Ma Wu to enter the battlefield.

However, Li Banfeng did not think of Ma Wu. He asked Shui Yongquan, “Does the Moralism Path count as a Daoist Path that disrupts the mind?”

Shui Yongquan nodded. “It does.”

“What about Dream Cultivation?”

“That counts too. If you can find helpers from the Moralism or Dream Cultivation, you could stall him for a while,” Shui Yongquan said. Then he drifted through the gorge and returned to his own territory.

The Gramophone had guessed correctly. Shui Yongquan had not placed all his bets on Li Qi. He had kept a backup plan for himself.

The wild boar was also wandering near the mouth of the gorge, searching for a spot to set up an ambush.

The centipede mother and daughter had already chosen their spot, yet they were still arguing.

“Mother, can you be a little less shameless? We’re here on serious business. Stop thinking about that Ma fellow.”

“Bah! Who gave you the nerve to meddle in your mother’s affairs?”

The centipede mother kept glancing into the gorge. She hoped to see Ma Wu one more time.

Shui Yongquan snorted coldly. “If you two want to guard the gorge, I won’t stop you.”

The centipede mother swayed as she spoke. “Oh, my. Lord Shui, we don’t have that ability. Once we’re inside the gorge, there’s only one path. If we’re flanked, there’s nowhere to run.”

Shui Yongquan knew they lacked the ability. They were merely stragglers, not the main force. Their task was to guard the mouth of the gorge and, if Li Qi fell, continue delaying the enemy.

At the Hundred-Leg Cavern, the aberrant creatures there were the true main force of the battle.

Their levels varied, but they were fiercely loyal to Shui Yongquan.

An eagle flew over and spoke beside Shui Yongquan’s ear. “Qiu Luoye has defenses on both routes. The forces on each side are evenly matched.”

Shui Yongquan let out a cold laugh. “I knew he would do this. If he sees someone, he charges. If he doesn’t, he splits his forces to guard both sides. With wood for brains, he only knows this blockhead tactic. Go make some noise near the gorge. Don’t overdo it. Just enough to make Qiu Luoye send more men to that side.”

***

Li Banfeng walked out of the gorge. Using the sensing ability of the Threaded Earring, he found the wild boar hidden among the wild grass.

“Old Boar, I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

The wild boar did not move. He believed he was well hidden and that Li Banfeng could not see him.

“Old Boar, I can see you.”

The wild boar still did not move. He sneered inwardly. I won’t fall for his trick. He can’t see me at all.

“I’ve got something good for you,” Li Banfeng said, taking out a Profound Scarlet Pill.

The wild boar caught the fragrance of the pill and rose from the grass. “What do you want me to do? I’m not guarding the gorge with you.”

“I’m not asking you to guard the gorge. I just want you to help me move some stones. The bigger, the better.”

The centipede woman lowered half her body from the tree. “Moving stones earns pills? How many do you want moved?”

Li Banfeng smiled. “That depends on how much strength you have. After the stones, there’ll be timber.”

The centipede mother flicked the feelers on her head. “You want us to help set traps, don’t you? My daughter and I are quite good at that. But don’t shortchange us on the pills.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t be. Who else knows how to make traps?”

Two bears, six deer, three centipedes, and a python crawled out from the grass and trees, all turning their gaze toward Li Banfeng.

***

On the second day, Li Banfeng stayed inside the Pocket Dwelling all day and did not emerge even once. At night, he continued using pills to hire those at the mouth of the gorge to help set up traps.

On the third day, Li Banfeng painted inside the Pocket Dwelling.

Huff… huff…

The Gramophone’s labored breathing continued.

The pendulum pressed against the back of Li Banfeng’s hand, coloring together with him.

The Tang saber scraped back and forth against the whetstone.

The liquor gourd smacked her lips. “I really want a sip.”

The old teapot laughed. “If you want a drink, come have tea. The wine isn’t to be touched. Save it. If you must drink, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”

The earring let out a sob. “Master, I’m scared.”

The pendulum spat. “Wretch. If you’re scared, don’t go out. Just wait for the Second Madam to refine you.”

The earring cried loudly.

The Judge’s Brush snorted. “What time is it?”

Four words! Even the Judge’s Brush is taking this seriously.

Li Banfeng looked at the illustrated calendar hanging on the wall.

The illustrated calendar was an object that had been used in Puluo up to this day.

It could be called a New Year print or a wall almanac. It was a painting hung on the wall, with dates and solar terms printed beneath the image.

The length of Li Banfeng’s illustrated calendar stretched over a meter. A delicate and beautiful woman sat upright within the painting.

Hearing Li Banfeng repeat the Judge’s Brush’s question, the beauty quickly raised her watch. “Sir, it is now 3:30.”

From this point on, they would rely on the watch in the calendar to keep time because the pocket watch was not accurate enough.

***

Little Chuanzi entered Ma Wu’s cabin. “Master Wu, I just went to Master Qi’s plot. He’s not there.”

Ma Wu opened his pocket watch. It was four in the morning.

Old Qi left already? That can’t be! If he were leaving, he would have told me.

Zuo Wugang said from the side, “Master Wu, I’ve never seen a land deity wage war, but I know this is a matter of life and death. Since Master Qi has already gone, you should set off as well.”

Ma Wu walked to the doorway and saw Swallowie, Xianxian, and Qiaocui were already prepared to leave.

“Handsome little fella, when are we leaving?”

Ma Wu furrowed his brows deeply.

Did Old Qi really leave?

***

4:30 AM. The Tang saber came before Li Banfeng and bowed. “The jade command token leaves the Phoenix Towers. The iron cavalry encircles the Dragon City! [1]

My lord, it is time to march!”

Li Banfeng looked at the Tang saber and felt that he seemed rather like a general today.

“Can you strike one more time?” Li Banfeng asked.

“My three strikes remain as three strikes, but each strike will take an enemy’s head!”

“Good.”

Li Banfeng first made sure he was carrying all of his enchanted artifacts. Then he went out and ensured all the traps were in place in the key spots.

4:45 AM. He returned to the Pocket Dwelling and spread out all three hundred and three paintings.

Three were painted by hand. Three hundred were printed copies.

4:50 AM. Li Banfeng pierced his fingertip and began sprinkling blood onto the slips of paper.

After sprinkling the blood, he walked over to the Gramophone. He first filled the fuel tank, then he stared at the Gramophone for a moment.

There was a speck of dust on the record tray. Li Banfeng carefully wiped it away.

“Wait for me to come home.”

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his fedora, gathered all the paper maidens, and stepped out of the Pocket Dwelling.

Huff…

The sound of the Gramophone’s breathing continued to fill the space.

***

4:55 AM. The paper maidens took their assigned spots in the gorge.

If left untouched, the printed paper maidens could last for fifteen minutes.

4:58 AM. The mist thinned slightly. While hiding behind some vines, Li Banfeng saw the faint figures of the enemy forces.

Over the past two days, Shui Yongquan had been making a show of force near the gorge. To be safe, Qiu Luoye had stationed sixty percent of his troops near the Hundred Vines Gorge.

He knew that he held the advantage when it came to the overall strength of his forces, so there was no reason for him to remain on strict defense.

On the day of battle, Qiu Luoye arrived at the mouth of the gorge.

Li Banfeng hid within the vines and observed quietly. In his understanding, the name Qiu Luoye[2] suited a creature like a butterfly or perhaps a ball of ghostly fire that drifted endlessly.

However, this land deity, Qiu Luoye, did not appear as ghostly fire. He revealed his true form. With four limbs planted on the ground, he stood over five meters tall. He had a massive head, long trunk, round ears, and no visible neck.

He’s an elephant. An elephant. Why would he have a name that means fallen leaves?

Wuuu~ weng!

5:00 AM. The land deity’s horn sounded again. The land deities had begun their war.

Qiu Luoye had made preparations to lead his forces into the gorge and battle Shui Yongquan.

His tactic was simple. If Shui Yongquan were inside the gorge, then they would clash head-on. If their numbers were to prove insufficient, then he would call in reinforcements from near the cavern.

If Shui Yongquan were to launch a surprise attack from the cavern, then Qiu Luoye would redirect his troops there instead.

Just as Qiu Luoye was about to give the order to charge, the mist-shrouded gorge trembled with shaking vines, as though thousands upon thousands of troops were about to surge forth.

Shui Yongquan seemed to have more troops than Qiu Luoye had anticipated.

Qiu Luoye commanded, “All troops await my signal. We attack after they emerge from the gorge.”

5:01 AM. The enemy did not emerge.

Dead branches and scattered leaves swirled within the gorge. The enemy appeared to be amassing their forces at the entrance.

Qiu Luoye shouted, “Prepare to attack!”

5:02 AM. Dust billowed inside the gorge. Qiu Luoye still had not issued the order to advance. He could not determine how many enemy troops lay within.

A scorpion approached and whispered, “They seem to outnumber us. We should send for more troops.”

A fox at the side shook her head. “We must not act rashly. Let us observe a bit longer.”

5:03 AM. The gorge suddenly fell silent.

The fox said to Qiu Luoye, “Master, something is amiss. The enemy must be waiting in ambush.”

Why had the movements suddenly ceased? Even Qiu Luoye could not understand.

In truth, the reason was simple. The paper maidens Li Banfeng created could only last three minutes when engaged in strenuous labor. Shaking vines, tossing leaves, kicking up sand—all of those actions consumed considerable strength. This was part of the battle strategy the Gramophone had taught Li Banfeng. There did not need to be much bait, but the show of force had to be grand, just enough to make the enemy want to attack but too much to make them wary about attacking.

Qiu Luoye hesitated for a moment. To attack or not to attack…

Then a pheasant leaped into the air. “I’ll go in and scout first.”

According to the Gramophone’s battle strategy, anything that could fly had to be shot down immediately. That was to blind the enemy’s eyes.

However, Li Banfeng wasn’t powerful enough to do that. The pheasant possessed level-three cultivation and flew high above. He could not reach her and could only crouch within the vines and watch.

The pheasant circled once and flew back to Qiu Luoye. “Master, I saw no enemy troops inside the gorge.”

The fox asked, “Not a single one?”

The pheasant answered cautiously, “I said I didn’t see any. The Hundred Vines Gorge is full of vines, so I didn’t have a clear view. Perhaps they are in hiding.”

Of course, the pheasant had seen nothing. The paper maidens Li Banfeng created had already crumbled to bits, and Li Banfeng was a level-four Homebound Cultivator, so he went unnoticed.

Qiu Luoye grew increasingly anxious, unsure whether to launch an assault on the gorge. The fox advised to continue observation.

However, the pheasant reminded Qiu Luoye, “Master, if there are no enemies, we should charge straight through. Our brothers do not wish to wait!”

These aberrant creatures were not an army. As Shui Yongquan had said, Qiu Luoye’s subordinates were a rabble.

They followed Qiu Luoye into battle to earn cultivation progress. They had gathered there to fight, and they wanted to get it over with quickly. No one wished to linger here. If they delayed taking action for too long, morale would crumble.

In his impatience, Qiu Luoye summoned a horse-headed man. “Take your men and scout ahead.”

The horse-headed man did not wish to go. He had no idea what awaited inside the gorge.

Qiu Luoye nodded. “You will be credited with first merit!”

Hearing that, the horse-headed man agreed to do it. First merit meant double cultivation rewards.

Twenty horse-headed men rushed into the gorge.

Were their cultivation levels high? Nope. They were all level-two cultivators. Yet, they ran extraordinarily fast, no slower than level-two Wanderlust Cultivators.

In less than a minute, they had already covered more than a kilometer. According to the Gramophone’s battle strategy, this type of opponent should be ignored and never chased.

However, Li Banfeng could not ignore them. According to his agreement with Shui Yongquan, if even one person broke through the gorge, he would lose.

The group of horse-headed men saw no enemy along the way. Their leader snorted coldly. “All that bluster, yet it was just a bluff!”

He stretched his neck, preparing to neigh three long cries to notify Qiu Luoye of the situation inside the gorge.

Li Banfeng controlled the pendulum. High upon the cliff face, it sliced through some vines, and massive boulders went crashing down with a thunderous roar.

These traps had been set with the help of the wild boar, the centipedes, and the others.

Three horse-headed men were crushed beneath the falling rocks. The leader of the group let out three cries, two long and one short, signalling that there was an ambush in the gorge.

The leader drove his remaining horse-headed men forward at a wild sprint. After covering more than half a kilometer, they reached a bend in the gorge. No more rocks fell.

Li Banfeng had prepared plenty of boulders, but the pendulum simply could not keep up with the speed of the horse-headed men.

“Petty tricks!” spat the horse-headed leader. He was about to neigh again when a sharp scent of liquor suddenly filled the air.

Where did that liquor smell come from?

The horse-headed leader sensed danger and shouted, “Run—”

But before he could finish the words, the Tang saber appeared in a flash and cleaved off the horse-headed leader’s head with a single strike.

This was the first ambush point Li Banfeng had chosen. The Tang saber had been waiting here all along.

With their leader dead, the remaining horse-headed men did not know which way to flee. Should they press forward, or turn back?

In their moment of hesitation, Li Banfeng struck a match and ignited the mist of liquor, then swiftly retreated upwind.

The liquor mist burst into flames. It clung to the horse-headed men like it was alive. One after another, the horse-headed men caught fire.

Leaderless, they fell into chaos. Some fled backward, only to be met with crashing stones that the pendulum sent tumbling down. Others pushed forward and found themselves trapped within the blazing inferno of burning liquor mist.

Half a kilogram of liquor was far too little. In the blink of an eye, more than half of it had been used. The liquor gourd sealed itself and stored the remaining small amount of liquor.

When the flames died down, three horse-headed men remained alive. One charged toward the end of the gorge, while two avoided the falling rocks and fled back the way they had come. The two who retreated could be ignored. But the one charging forward could not be allowed to live.

Li Banfeng sprinted after him, swiftly catching up using a burst of Traceless Quick Steps. He appeared behind the horse-headed man, swung his sickle, and dug into his skull, swiping out to the other side.

We pulled through the first wave!

Li Banfeng flipped open his pocket watch. 5:08 AM!

Eight minutes have passed!

He would stage another bluff soon and stall them for three more minutes. There wasn’t much liquor left in the gourd, but he had set many traps. That could buy another three minutes. With the Waterfall Gate, he could hold for three more minutes. The enemy needed time to advance. Judging by Qiu Luoye’s massive size, he would move slowly. If Li Banfeng delayed him another three minutes, wouldn’t that be enough?

Brrruuummmm~

An elephant’s trumpet call rang out.

Li Banfeng froze.

Qiu Luoye hadn’t given him the chance to make another bluff. The land deity himself had charged in.

Is he truly this reckless? Is he not afraid of an ambush?

Qiu Luoye truly was not afraid.

After hearing the horse-headed men’s report, he feared even less.

“Throwing rocks! Setting fires! Shui Yongquan! What do you take me for? Can’t you bring out some real skill?!”

Li Banfeng heard the footsteps before he even saw Qiu Luoye’s form. He finally understood why this land deity was called Qiu Luoye.

With each step the elephant took, the withered leaves on the vines fell like rain.

1. The meaning behind this is basically that the troops have left the imperial palace and surrounded the enemy. ☜

2. The name translates to “Autumn falling/fallen/dead leaves”. ☜

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep