Chapter 471.1: The Cry in the Basement (1)

Xiao Zhenggong was still thinking about why they needed to eliminate every potential threat. He had even been putting together a tidy little speech to make Li Qi see how serious the situation was.

He wanted to tell Li Qi that the friend from the Outer Province was in a terrible situation. He wanted to tell Li Qi what price he needed to pay to save that friend.

He wanted to use this whole speech to show a relatively friendly attitude toward Li Qi, so as to get through tonight's banquet.

His thoughts continued all the way down the slippery slope that Li Qi had laid for him, carrying him smoothly along until five bullets tore through his head. Only then did his train of thought come to an abrupt stop.

The handgun belonged to Ling Miaoying, and it was extraordinarily powerful. After taking five shots, Xiao Zhenggong's thoughts had just about stopped altogether. He shot to his feet and ran.

Xiao Zhenggong, being a Martial Cultivator, had an incredibly tough physique. However, how could he possibly outrun Li QI?

Li Qi caught up to Xiao Zhenggong from behind in just two steps. His figure blurred, and he vanished from Xiao Zhenggong's sight.

He had used Passing Flowers on Horseback, but Xiao Zhenggong didn't explode.

The reason was simple. The five bullets had severely damaged Xiao Zhenggong's brain, leaving him unable to even sense Li Qi's presence. Without that awareness, the prerequisite for Passing Flowers on Horseback wasn't met.

Only one thought remained in Xiao Zhenggong's mind. He had to escape and get somewhere safe.

The safest place was the basement beneath the lake. He was no longer capable of thinking about whether going there would expose Zhao Xiaowan or reveal their entire plan. Compared to staying alive, none of that mattered anymore.

Passing Flowers on Horseback failed, but it didn't matter.

Li Banfeng appeared behind Xiao Zhenggong and stomped a foot into his back.

Stone shattered beneath them and dust billowed into the air. Xiao Zhenggong's back was torn into a bloody mess, but he was still running.

Li Qi kicked him again. This time, Xiao Zhenggong's back split open so badly that his spine showed through.

By the time Li Qi brought his foot down for the third time, the back of Xiao Zhenggong's skull had split open. Brain matter spilled out as he collapsed to the ground.

Li Banfeng checked under Xiao Zhenggong's nose. He was still breathing.

Good! Good that you are still breathing!

Li Banfeng picked Xiao Zhenggong up, carried him behind the rockery, and opened the Pocket Dwelling. He tossed Xiao Zhenggong inside.

Back when they dealt with Gu Rusong, Sun Tiecheng had used the Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence technique to completely destroy Gu Rusong's soul. At the time, Sun Tiecheng had specifically mentioned that he was worried the Inner Provinces might still have another move in reserve.

Xiao Zhenggong also had very close ties with the Inner Provinces. If Xiao Zhenggong was already dead, Li Qi really would have worried that there might still be some hidden problem left behind.

However, once Xiao Zhenggong ended up inside Wifey's stomach, any potential trouble would be completely wiped out.

Li Banfeng called out, "Wifey, eat him while he's still warm!"

The Gramophone took one look at Xiao Zhenggong and didn't ask any questions. It got straight to eating.

Li Qi shut the door to the Pocket Dwelling, put the key away, and pulled the brim of his hat lower.

Xiao Zhenggong had planned to destroy the Jiangxiang Gang himself. He wanted to fake his death and start over, turning the Jiangxiang Gang into the Flying General's Battalion and washing clean the name of a gang that had become notorious for all the wrong reasons.

Li Qi had deduced what Xiao Zhenggong was trying to do. He just wasn't too happy with the part about faking his death.

Why fake it? Wouldn't it be better if you actually died? You don't need to wait for the Flying General's Battalion. I can make your dream come true tonight!

He Yuxiu had already made her move. Li Qi was just about to hurry over and back her up when Glove suddenly spoke. "Boss, there's something good here!"

"What is it?"

"Something worth a fortune. Boss, give me a hand and I will bring it back for you."

"Now's not the time," Li Banfeng answered. He was in a rush to head back to the battlefield.

"Boss, it will only take a moment. It won't hold you up for long. I think this might be something our Old Man really likes. These things have spirit essence, and I am worried they might run off on their own."

Railroad tracks?

With Xiao Zhenggong gone, the few worthless stragglers left in the Jiangxiang Gang really weren't that hard to deal with. Spending a little time here shouldn't be a problem.

Li Qi circled back around to the front of the rockery. The two guards were still standing where he had left them. He swung his sickle and slit both their throats.

Glove went into the cave and spotted the stone awls embedded in the wall. "These really are good stuff, but getting them out won't be easy. Boss, use Severing Paths to Forge a Way and open up a path for me."

Li Banfeng looked past the stone awls at the stone door beside them. The door was already open. Beyond it was pitch-black, with a flight of stone steps leading underground.

What is down there?

The basement had been soundproofed with an Artificer Cultivator's abilities. Li Banfeng couldn't hear a thing even with the Threaded Earring, but he was still worried there might be someone down there.

Glove had noticed the stone door too. He lowered his voice. "Boss, keep your force steady and don't make a sound. We don't want to scare these two precious treasures, and we don't want to alert whoever's inside either."

Li Banfeng asked, "You think there's someone in there too?"

Glove listened carefully for a moment. "I don't think there's anyone inside. But just to be safe, I will close the door first. Once we are done with what we came here for, we can deal with whatever's down there."

Li Banfeng carefully used his ability and opened up a passage beside the stone awls.

***

Down in the basement, He Jiaqing was still trying to talk Lu Xiaolan around.

"Xiaolan, listen to me. Give me Zhao Xiaowan."

"Zhao Xiaowan?" Lu Xiaolan gritted her teeth. "I am Zhao Xiaowan. If you want her, come and take her yourself!"

"You're Zhao Xiaowan?" He Jiaqing burst out laughing.

Lu Xiaolan remained calm. "What, you don't believe me? I went to the Inner Provinces. Zhao Xiaowan's soul has been trapped there all this time, and now her soul is living inside my body. I gained some of her power too. So now, I am Zhao Xiaowan."

He Jiaqing sighed. "Is that the story Xiao Zhenggong came up with for you? He wants you to pretend to be Zhao Xiaowan and help him wipe out the Jiangxiang Gang. Then he will turn the Jiangxiang Gang into the Flying General's Battalion. He'll become the leader, and you will serve under him as one of his famous generals. That's the plan, isn't it?"

Lu Xiaolan was startled. He Jiaqing had gotten it exactly right. Once again, he had found her weak spot.

He Jiaqing continued, "Xiaolan, ever since the day I met you, you have never been able to hide what you are thinking from me. You approached me on purpose back in university, and later, on the train, you tried to plot against me. Whenever you lie, you look like a child to me. Give me the spear first. That spear is the real Zhao Xiaowan, and you know that better than anyone."

Lu Xiaolan took a step back. "No. I am not giving it to you. Don't come any closer!"

"Give me the spear. I haven't forgotten our engagement. Ever since I had you, I haven't touched another woman. Once all this is over, we will still be a proper married couple."

Lu Xiaolan's hands began to tremble, and her eyes slowly filled with tears. She was touched by what he said!

Hidden away in the dark room, Daboinsky couldn't quite understand it. Just a few lies like that, and Lu Xiaolan was already falling for them? He had never dealt with Folly Cultivator abilities before, but even he could tell that the situation was very terrible.

He was about to launch a sneak attack on He Jiaqing when He Jiaqing suddenly called out, "Spider Detective, don't do anything rash. You do as much work as you're paid for. I know your rules. You should understand the situation here too. So tell me, how much would it cost to buy your life?"

Daboinsky stopped listening to whatever He Jiaqing was saying. He knew that there was a huge gap between his strength and He Jiaqing's. If he let He Jiaqing guide his thoughts on top of that, he might actually end up giving up without a fight.

And in a situation like this, surrendering meant death. Daboinsky had spent enough years clawing his way through danger to know that much.

But what could he possibly use to fight back? A direct fight was out of the question. The two of them simply weren't on the same level.

There was no chance for him to launch a sneak attack as He Jiaqing had already noticed him. That left Zhao Xiaowan as his only chance.

Daboinsky still had a strand of spider silk attached to the spear. From the way things looked, the only reason He Jiaqing was still taking the time to deal with Lu Xiaolan was because he was afraid of that spear.

Daboinsky gave his body a slight shake. The spear in Lu Xiaolan's hands trembled with it, and in an instant, the pressure coming from the weapon surged.

He Jiaqing went pale with alarm. 'Xiaolan, calm down!"

Daboinsky had guessed right. He Jiaqing wasn't afraid of Lu Xiaolan, but he was genuinely afraid of Zhao Xiaowan. If Zhao Xiaowan made a move, she could take his head at any moment.

Under the pressure of the spear, Lu Xiaolan seemed to come back to her senses a little. She raised the spear and pointed it at He Jiaqing. "You are scared?"

He Jiaqing pressed one hand downward in a calming gesture. "Xiaolan, put her down first. We can talk this through slowly."

"Put her down? Dream on!" Lu Xiaolan slowly backed away, while He Jiaqing followed her step by step. She retreated into the hidden room. Daboinsky activated the mechanism, and the door to the room slid shut.

A single door like this could never stop He Jiaqing. He felt along the edge of the door for a moment and quickly found the mechanism hidden in the gap.

He Jiaqing plucked out a strand of hair and slipped it into the gap around the door. The hair wriggled through the narrow crack like a tiny snake. Before long, it found the mechanism and disabled it.

The stone door loosened. He Jiaqing gave it a light push, and it opened. The hidden room wasn't very large, and there was almost nothing inside. There was no sign of anyone.

Invisibility technique? No.

A person could hide themselves, but the imposing presence of the spear wouldn't disappear with them.

Lu Xiaolan and Daboinsky had already left the hidden room.

The real question was, where had they gone? There had to be another exit from this room. But where did it lead? Most likely somewhere outside the basement.

Things were getting troublesome. He Jiaqing needed to find that exit as quickly as possible and catch up with Lu Xiaolan and Daboinsky.

He swept his gaze around the room. A rock in the ceiling caught his attention. The gaps around that rock looked different from the ones around the other rocks.

He Jiaqing held the rock with one hand and gently pushed it upward, little by little, carefully controlling his strength. After pushing it in a little over an inch, he disabled the mechanism, but no exit appeared.

Did I do it wrong?

He Jiaqing plucked out another strand and winced at the thought. He had been losing quite a bit of hair lately, and he really didn't have much left to spare. The strand of hair wound through the cracks between the rocks for a long while before returning to He Jiaqing's palm.

His method wasn't wrong. The mechanism really had been disabled. So why hadn't the exit appeared?

After trying several more times, He Jiaqing realized there was a serious problem. The mechanism in the ceiling seemed to have lost its core, cutting off its connection to the exit.

How could the mechanism's core just disappear? He Jiaqing immediately knew something was wrong and hurried back toward the entrance.

He followed the stone steps back up, only to find the stone door tightly shut. He quickly felt along the crack around the door, searching for the mechanism and trying to disable it.

The same thing happened as in the hidden room. He cracked the mechanism without much trouble, but the stone door still wouldn't open.

Then I will force my way out!

He Jiaqing poured more strength into his hands and tried to break the stone door open by force, but even that failed.

Turn to water!

He transformed into liquid and tried to squeeze through the narrow gap around the door. The moment he entered the crack, green smoke poured out and burned the liquid straight into steam.

The steam gathered together and reformed into He Jiaqing. His entire body was badly scorched, and he stared at the stone door in shock.

Such powerful Artificer Cultivator abilities!

Who had built this basement? Who had closed the stone door? And who had taken away the core controlling the mechanisms?

He Jiaqing's head was buzzing as the questions piled up. Then the realization hit him. He might not be able to get out.

***

Glove held the pair of Awlys in his hands, absolutely delighted.

"Boss, if we give these to our Old Man, I'm sure we'll have plenty of room to maneuver in the future."

Li Qi smiled. "Put them away for now. Let's first send the Jiangxiang Gang on their way."