Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Mr. Pu shook his head.
“I don’t know where the Branch Master is. After Ye Qingmei raided the branch headquarters, he disappeared.”
The man was a lamb before the slaughter now. The bones in both hands were damaged — he couldn’t even put up a fight.
Li Suifeng sealed Mr. Pu’s pressure points and hoisted him one-handed onto the large ship.
He began tearing open sacks.
“Bloodvine herb.”
“Salvia root? Safflower?”
“These are all medicinal herbs — for healing wounds?”
“You were shipping these to Mingzhou Prefecture?”
Li Suifeng’s frown deepened. Every herb here was used for treating injuries. Based on the intelligence he had, it was the Red Lotus Sect’s Mingzhou branch that had suffered devastating losses — they were the ones who’d need this volume of medicine.
“Who arranged this ship for you?”
“Who inside the Canal Gang is working with you?”
“And this much medicine — even our Canal Gang would struggle to assemble this quantity in one go. Who’s been supplying you?”
The questions came rapid-fire.
This volume of medicinal herbs — only Nanyang Prefecture’s two largest herb merchants could have provided it. Did the Red Lotus Sect have agents embedded among the city’s merchant class too?
“I only handle logistics. I don’t know who supplied the herbs.”
Mr. Pu shook his head.
His hands were still trembling.
“Still holding out on me?”
Li Suifeng sighed. He raised his palm, and a thin Life-Death Talisman materialized in his hand.
FWIP!
The talisman sank into Mr. Pu’s body and vanished.
“Hm?”
At first, Mr. Pu managed to endure it. But after barely a dozen breaths, his face had gone beet red.
Every inch of him — inside and out — was consumed by an unbearable, maddening itch.
The worst part? With his pressure points sealed, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t even scratch.
He tried to grit his teeth and fight through it.
He found that he couldn’t.
“Just make it stop — don’t kill me — and I’ll tell you everything!” Mr. Pu’s eyes were pure, desperate pleading.
“Deal.”
“Cooperate, and I won’t kill you.”
Li Suifeng pressed several points on Mr. Pu’s body, and the agonizing itch subsided. He unsealed the pressure points for good measure.
“Hah…”
Mr. Pu exhaled with visible relief.
“The herbs were pulled from the Yang family’s stores. But I truly don’t know where the Branch Master is.”
“I was usually stationed at the branch headquarters. After Ye Qingmei broke in, the headquarters was abandoned. I’ve been waiting for instructions at the Yunlai Inn. I have no way to contact the Branch Master directly.”
“That’s everything I know. You promised — you wouldn’t kill me.”
“I lied.” Li Suifeng flashed a grin.
One hand reached for Mr. Pu’s throat.
What?
Disbelief exploded across Mr. Pu’s face. A man’s word was his bond in the jianghu.
This kid had gone back on it just like that?
Ignoring the screaming pain in his hands, he forced his fingers into claw formation and raked at Li Suifeng’s outstretched arm, driving his Eagle Claw to its absolute limit.
CLANG!
Nothing but white scratches on Li Suifeng’s skin.
CRACK!
Li Suifeng’s hand closed around Mr. Pu’s throat. A casual twist.
The neck snapped. The corpse was tossed onto the ship’s deck like a sack of grain.
【Ding!】
【Congratulations, Host. All intruders eliminated. Extract Phantom Steps (maxed) now?】
“Extract!”
No hesitation.
BOOM!
A complete qinggong cultivation method poured into his mind, accompanied by a lifetime’s worth of practice and experience — as though he’d trained Phantom Steps for decades.
Dozens of breaths later, Li Suifeng opened his eyes.
“Phantom Steps is solid — and it barely drains internal energy. Perfect for where I am right now.”
“But what do I do with all these herbs?”
His brow furrowed.
This stockpile was worth at least a hundred thousand taels. Handing it all over to the branch stuck in his throat.
Only silver in your own pocket was truly yours.
“Hurry — move! Find Boss Li!”
Right on cue, Chen Shan’s voice rang out from the dock.
They stepped past the carpet of bodies and spotted Li Suifeng standing on the deck.
“Boss Li is up there!”
“Boss Li is safe!”
The collective sigh of relief was almost audible.
They’d only been enjoying the good life under Li Suifeng for a few days. Nobody wanted the ride to end this soon.
“Boss Li — who are these people?”
Liu Yuan took one look at the bodies strewn across the dock and nearly lost his dinner.
But he swallowed hard, fought down the fear, and asked in a low voice.
“Red Lotus Sect.”
Li Suifeng glanced at Liu Yuan, then addressed the assembled Canal Gang brothers:
“Get these bodies moved outside.”
“Yes, Boss Li!”
Chen Shan acknowledged the order and started directing men to haul corpses.
Then Li Suifeng turned his back to Liu Yuan and spoke quietly:
“Find a few men you trust. Dispose of this body separately — keep it out of sight.”
“The herbs — load everything into the warehouse. On the way, peel off a few men you trust absolutely and divert half the shipment.”
He had no intention of surrendering the full haul. Letting the Helmsman see a seventh-rank fighter’s corpse would raise questions he couldn’t answer.
Even if the Canal Gang’s embedded mole knew the truth, the man wouldn’t dare expose himself.
Liu Yuan’s heart clenched.
The volume of herbs was staggering. Fortunately, the Red Lotus Sect had left their cargo mules at the dock — the transfer could be done quickly.
Still — Boss Li’s nerve was something else.
Skimming half in one go?
If this came to light, could Boss Li weather the storm?
“Alright.”
“I’ll pick a few reliable men and handle it.”
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth.
Right now, following Li Suifeng was the only path to the good life. He had no real martial ability — even if he betrayed Li Suifeng, the Helmsman’s side would never give him a position of value.
There was only one road now, and it led straight ahead.
“The dock is yours.” Li Suifeng nodded. “I’ve got somewhere to be. If anyone from the branch shows up, tell them I went after the Red Lotus Sect stragglers.”
“You didn’t notify the branch yet, did you?”
Liu Yuan shook his head rapidly.
“The moment I found Chen Shan, we came straight here.”
“The branch doesn’t know yet.”
“Good. Finish dealing with things here first, then send word to the branch.” Li Suifeng scooped a steel saber off the ground and vaulted into the night, heading north.
The Yang family was Nanyang Prefecture’s largest herb merchant.
Beyond medicinal herbs, they had fingers in other trades as well — and connections to factions outside the city.
None of which mattered. He was going anyway.
Even if Song Xian was hiding inside the Yang compound, Li Suifeng was confident he could fight his way out.
The Divine Blade Slash was a technique that no peak seventh-rank martial artist should have been capable of comprehending. It had already transcended the level of blade intent, touching upon something deeper — the realm of spirit.
That was territory reserved for fourth-rank Grandmasters.
He was fully confident he could cut down a wounded Song Xian.
Besides — he had a helper waiting back home, didn’t he?