The thug led the way and brought Li Banfeng into the sect hall. The so-called sect hall was nothing more than a factory building.

The Green Fire Gang's leader was drinking wine inside the factory, while a photographer was doing a photoshoot. His models were three pretty and slender young women, posing nude.

So, the Green Fire Gang is in this line of business as well.

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat and walked toward the gang leader. By the time the man sensed Li Banfeng's presence, Li Banfeng was already at his side.

The gang leader's cultivation was too low, at most level three. He could barely sense the presence of a level-five Homebound Cultivator.

He was not the only one who did not sense Li Banfeng. The photographer and the models had noticed nothing as well and remained fully absorbed in the photoshoot.

The gang leader didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Lowering his voice, he said, "My friend, is something the matter?"

Li Banfeng rubbed his sickle blade against the gang leader's cheek. "You're the boss, right? What's your name?"

"Han Xianrong."

"Boss Han, I came to see you because I want you to publish a few news articles."

"That's easy. Just give me a few points, and I'll have someone write the articles."

"No need. I've already written them, and the photos are ready too."

"I'll have them printed in tomorrow morning's papers right away."

"One paper isn't enough. Call all the newspaper offices in your territory and have them publish the articles together."

"Understood."

"Also invite the leaders of the other gangs. I have something to discuss with them."

"Th-that might be difficult. Our gang isn't that big. We don't carry much weight in Blackstone Slope."

"I'm telling you to invite them. If you speak sincerely, they can't possibly refuse to come, right?"

"This really puts me in a difficult spot. If I do this, I won't have a footing in Blackstone Slope anymore..."

"Am I not being clear, or are you not understanding?" Li Banfeng said as he cut a line across Han Xianrong's face.

Won't have a footing here anymore? The Green Fire Gang has committed every evil imaginable. A gang like this has no right to have a footing anywhere.

The sickle was coated in deadly poison, and Han Xianrong felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

"Fine. I'll send someone to call them over..."

With a flick of his sleeve, a talisman slid out and into Han Xianrong's hand.

Li Banfeng smiled as he watched Han Xianrong. The other man's movements were far too slow, so much so that Li Banfeng even felt worried for him.

The talisman split into bits, and more than a dozen ghost servants appeared. They rushed forth, lunging at Li Banfeng.

The master was slow, and his ghost servants were no faster.

Li Banfeng pulled out the horsewhip that Prince Chun had given to him and lashed at the ghost servants twice.

Nearly half of the ghost servants were sent flying, the souls scattering. The rest froze in place before even reaching him, too terrified to move. Low-level ghost servants like these lost their ability to act the moment they heard the crack of the whip.

This was when the photographer and the models finally noticed Li Banfeng and the fact that their gang leader was fighting someone.

Li Banfeng ran his sickle's blade across Han Xianrong's face again, making another cut. "Do you understand now?"

Han Xianrong trembled. "Sir Hero, what should I call you?"

"My surname is Ye, as in night."

Han Xianrong quickly ordered the photographer, "Hurry, call our brothers over. Boss Ye, don't worry. I'm calling them over to work. I'll do whatever you say."

Li Banfeng nodded. "I'm not worried. Just make them move faster."

In their defense, Han Xianrong's men moved quite quickly. In just a short while, more than a hundred of them arrived one after another.

Li Banfeng sat beside Han Xianrong as if they were old friends, catching up after having not seen each other in years.

Han Xianrong did not dare to act rashly. He relayed Li Banfeng's demands to his men.

The men split into three groups and set off to carry out their tasks.

The first group gathered workers, arranged the layout of the newspaper articles, and commenced the printing.

The second group informed all affiliated newspaper companies to reprint tomorrow's front page.

The third group went to notify the leaders of the various gangs in Blackstone Slope, asking them to come to Han Xianrong's territory to discuss some matters.

The factory quickly emptied out as everyone rushed off to carry out their tasks.

Would any of the gangs actually come?

Han Xianrong's status was not as low as he claimed. The larger gangs in Blackstone Slope would ignore him, but the smaller ones would give him some face.

Han Xianrong was confident. As long as the gang leaders came, they would bring their support hooks. Then he would give them a signal, and they would take this madman down together.

The most urgent matter was to neutralize the poison in him as soon as possible. If the madman were to lose patience and strike first, things would turn disastrous.

"Hero, I'm feeling very dizzy. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on."

Li Banfeng nodded. "It's fine. Dizziness is normal."

"Hero, don't worry, I mean no harm. I'll stay here and wait with you obediently. Just give me a bit—"

Li Banfeng looked at Han Xianrong and interjected, "It's late. There's no need for you to wait with me. Go get some rest."

"That works too." Han Xianrong nodded. "I'll take my leave first."

"Don't go alone. Look at you. You can barely stand. I'll see you off," Li Banfeng said. He actually got up and supported him.

Realizing something was wrong, Han Xianrong slipped his hand into his pocket.

Hidden in his pocket was his last talisman. It splits apart upon his contact, and a ghost servant lurking in the factory's backyard charged over.

This was Han Xianrong's strongest ghost servant, his final trump card.

With that ghost servant leading the way, the intimidated ghost servants from before regained their courage and rushed at Li Banfeng together.

"Shadows of bamboo sway in crimson light, a drifting body, the fragrant concubine's couch... The memories of my man enter my dreams, making it difficult to want to wake up... " Li Banfeng softly sang a verse from "Drunken Chimes."

All the ghost servants stopped beside him, frozen in place.

Li Banfeng looked at Han Xianrong. "The song is over. Time to rest."

He opens the door, drags Han Xianrong along, and takes the group of ghost servants into the Pocket Dwelling.

"Oh, husband dear~ You haven't brought back groceries for days, and now you return with these scraps to fool me?"

"Wifey, make do for now and fill your stomach. I'll go out and gather more."

Then Li Banfeng left.

Hong Ying trembled. She poked a soul with the tip of her spear and drained it completely.

The Gramophone snapped, "You shameless woman, how dare you steal a bite!"

After tasting the soul, Hong Ying said, "What's the point of eating a common soul like this? I can't taste anything at all. Why do you enjoy it so much?"

The Gramophone snorted. "My man brought it back, so I like eating it!"

"Vile woman, what have you gone through since you died? How much strength do you even still have?"

The Gramophone ignored Hong Ying. She moved the ghost servants to one side first. Then she pierced Han Xianrong with her stylus, poured some engine oil onto him, and savored him slowly.

Hong Ying got a whiff of the engine oil and sneered, "Vile woman, why are you consuming so much oil? Is it to make things easier for your man?"

"None of your damn business!" the Gramophone snapped. She let out a cold snort and kept eating.

***

Li Banfeng whistled, and Zuo Wugang walked in. The Nightfiend Cultivators had already been dealt with, and no one in the Green Fire Gang could pose a threat to him.

Li Banfeng told him, "In a while, the major gangs will send people over. You handle the talk with them first."

Zuo Wugang nodded. He had fallen and risen in the jianghu in the past and knew how to deal with people from the jianghu.

That night, a total of six gang leaders arrived. Zuo Wugang told them to publish the new articles in their respective territories, but none said a word in response. They did not want to offend the Pure Conduct Society.

Wei Jiangpeng of the White River Gang said, "Boss Han called us here. Where is he?"

Zuo Wugang says, "Boss Han is tired and has gone to rest. If any of you are worried, I can take you to see him."

Wei Jiangpeng froze for a moment, then he deliberately avoided Zuo Wugang's gaze.

The others exchanged glances and lowered their heads in silence.

People of the jianghu instantly understood what Zuo Wugang meant. Han Xianrong was already dead.

At that moment, Li Banfeng quietly entered the factory. Not a single person present noticed him. He signaled to Zuo Wugang that he could be a little more ruthless with them.

Zuo Wugang turned around and casually twisted off a chunk of iron from a machine.

The gang leaders felt their pulse jump at their throats. They could tell that Zuo Wugang's cultivation level was far above theirs.

Wei Jiangpeng was the first to speak. "Cobber, could you please throw us a vine[1], so we know who we're working for."

Zuo Wugang shook his head. "No need for that. You don't need to remember me either. Our boss's surname is Ye. This Ye doesn't mean the leaves that grow on tree branches; it means night. Make sure you remember that."

Wei Jiangpeng nodded. "Understood. We'll remember. We'll handle it."

"Since you said you'll do it, you'd better do it!" Zuo Wugang waved his hand, and Cao Zhigang brought over a stack of contracts. "You all know the rule in Puluo. If any of you sign a contract and still go back on your word, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Contracts carried special significance in Puluo. None of the gang leaders present knew whether Zuo Wugang was using the proper contract paper. They truly did not want to sign the contract, but Zuo Wugang's terrifying aura compelled them to comply.

After signing the contracts, they returned to their territories to carry out the work. By the next day, news of the fierce fight outside the movie theater spread across Blackstone Slope.

These smaller gangs controlled over thirty percent of the newspapers in Blackstone Slope. However, most of them were tabloids, which were not widely distributed.

Nevertheless, things were different this time around.

Firstly, the news seemed legitimate, with photos to back up the contents of the articles. There were two photos that stood out the most: the one of Ai Chixiang grabbing an old woman by the hair and the one of Tang Peigong just as he was removing a bucket from his head.

Secondly, there were eyewitnesses. Everyone who had gone to the cinema the day before had witnessed the incident. When people chatted leisurely as they drank tea after their meal, they all brought up the incident, becoming witnesses to the event.

If the news was real, then the commentary on page two had to be real as well! And the stories on pages three and four, how could those be fake? They were all real!

"The man who played Song Chunjie went into Tang Peigong's house?"

"Of course, it's true. I heard it from my neighbor. The man who played Song Chunjie disguised himself as a hired hand and got into the household. Out of Tang Peigong's twenty-six concubines, he slept with at least half of them."

"How would your neighbor know something like that?"

"My neighbor's nephew has a sworn brother who works odd jobs at Tang Peigong's house. What he said matches the newspaper exactly."

"No wonder Tang Peigong was so furious, smashing up the movie theater like that. Turns out he took such a huge hit."

"Actually, he didn't even need to get that angry. Didn't the paper say it? He can't even perform. All those concubines are just for show."

"That's what makes him so shameless. He can't fucking perform, yet he won't let us watch movies? We can perform!"

Someone nearby asked, "Where are you reading all this? Why don't I have it?"

"I'm reading Night-Blooming Jasmine. It's got everything in it!"

***

That day, Night-Blooming Jasmine sold out again. Ma Wu raised the price to five mao[2] a copy, and it still sold out.

By the next morning, two more movie theaters began screening The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. Li Banfeng sent people to keep watch at the theaters. If anyone from the Pure Conduct Society dared to cause trouble, they would deal with them on the spot!

***

Tang Peigong did not emerge from his home to cause trouble. He had fallen ill.

After having had a bucket of filth dumped onto his head, the stench just wouldn't wash off. Tang Peigong fell sick that very night.

Later, when he saw the newspaper, Tang Peigong collapsed in the corridor and lay bedridden for several days.

"Outrageous slander! Baseless accusations! Those evildoers are savages! How can this possibly be tolerated?" Tang Peigong roared hoarsely.

Meanwhile, the servants by his side trembled incessantly—not from fear of him but from the stench he still carried.

Logically, the servants should have gotten used to the stench after smelling it for so many days. When Tang Peigong kept his mouth shut, they could endure it, just barely.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, it was as if a spoonful of filth had been boiled inside it. One whiff was enough to make someone vomit on the spot.

Even so, his wife and twenty-six concubines still had to sit by his bedside, listening to his lectures and studying the Sage's teachings.

Just after the morning lesson ended, dozens of Tang Peigong's disciples entered his residence, bringing an elderly man with them.

Seeing the old man, Tang Peigong burst into tears and grabbed his hand. Tang Peigong said in a trembling voice, "Elder Wu, you've finally come. I've been humiliated by a vile wretch and can no longer face the world. If you had come any later, you might not have been able to meet me again."

Elder Wu comforts him. "Peigong, don't cry. I already know what happened."

"A gentleman may be killed but not disgraced. I am not one who clings to life. Having suffered such disgrace, I would rather die to prove my resolve."

His disciples kneeled by the bed and cried out, "We are willing to follow Master even in death!"

Elder Wu's eyes watered up as well. "Stop crying, all of you. This smell is truly unbearable..."

Tang Peigong grabbed the newspaper from the table and waved it wildly. "It's this vile wretch. I cannot live under the same sky as him!"

Elder Wu snatched the newspaper away. "Stop fanning it. The more you do, the worse the smell gets. It's too dim in here, I'll take it outside to read."

Once outside, Elder Wu took a deep breath and looked at the newspaper. The newspaper was called the Night-Blooming Jasmine.

"This is the newspaper that's causing trouble?"

Tang Peigong cried out, "That vile wretch and I—"

Elder Wu interrupted impatiently, "I'm asking if it is."

"It is."

Elder Wu held the newspaper and said, "Then I'll go pay them a visit."

1. Slang for “name me a contact”. In this case, it’s probably more like “give us a name”. ☜

2. 0.5 yuan ☜