Chapter 316: Chapter 215: Five Parts Truth
The next day, Iron Gate Fort was sealed shut, and Li Banfeng began to inquire about the surrounding situation.
There were many villages around Iron Gate Fort, inhabited by simple farmers. He encountered two cultivators at the First Layer of Farming Cultivation; the rest had no cultivation level.
Li Banfeng found out the location of Flying Eagle Mountain. It was more than twenty miles from Iron Gate Fort. The Grass Bandits there had a formidable reputation, seemingly even greater than that of Iron Sheep Mountain. Both their Fort Master, He Zhenlei, and Luo Dagui the cannoneer, were figures whose names alone made locals lose courage.
These bandits’ "achievements" were not few; through the villagers’ stories, Li Banfeng particularly picked up on the word "ruthless."
Every year, they would take away more than half of the villages’ grain. The slightest resistance would often lead to the slaughter of a village.
This was different from most mountain bandits in Puluo State. Ordinary bandits wouldn’t slaughter nearby residents; they often even maintained good relations with neighboring villages, looking out for each other in times of trouble.
With such evil bandits as those on Flying Eagle Mountain, were there no great households or powers coming to exterminate them?
There were!
The largest power nearby was Iron Gate Fort itself, where three hundred families of Home Cultivators lived together—a force to be reckoned with indeed.
Fortress Lord Zhou Anju once went to Flying Eagle Mountain alone to fight a great battle against He Zhenlei, with neither side claiming victory.
Zhou Anju had also led a group of more than a dozen men to fight He Zhenlei at the foot of the mountain, but they had been defeated and forced to retreat.
According to local villagers, the reason for Lord Zhou of the Fortress’s defeat was that Home Cultivators could not be away from their homes for long periods.
The explanation made sense, but Li Banfeng always felt that something was off.
He asked an old farmer, "Old brother, did you personally witness the battle between Fortress Lord Zhou and He Zhenlei?"
The farmer shook his head, "That’s a fight between immortals; how would I dare to watch."
"If you didn’t see it, how can you talk about it so clearly?"
"This matter has spread all around Iron Gate Fort. Those two battles were earth-shattering, and everyone in this area knows about them! Lord Zhou of the Fortress is a hero, yet he can’t withstand such cruel bandits. Even Iron Gate Fort can’t defeat them, let alone us ordinary folk."
They talk about earth-shattering events, yet when you ask, no one has actually seen them.
Li Banfeng truly felt an urge to go to Flying Eagle Mountain and see the situation for himself.
But if that Fort Master is truly a Cultivator at the Seventh or Eighth Layer, wouldn’t going there be tantamount to seeking death?
Let’s wait and see.
I’ll find an insider to probe the details eventually.
「The following day.」
Iron Gate Fort opened its gates again, and Li Banfeng entered the fortress once more. Ma Dingfu shouted at the main gate, "Got business? Do it quick! The gates close in two hours!"
Li Banfeng asked Sui Donglan, "What time do they normally close?"
"Usually at seven in the evening. Closing so early today means the Flying Eagle Mountain issue is still unresolved."
Those selling rice, oil, and vegetables went about their businesses door to door. For those selling cloth, miscellaneous goods, and tobacco leaves, business was not so brisk.
Flying Eagle Mountain demanded ten thousand Ocean Dollars. Most people inside the fort had not paid, but they had to prepare the money. If pushed too hard, they could only compromise; after all, Home Cultivators could not easily move their homes.
A woman selling cloth went to collect clothing from Old Hu, a tailor with fairly good skills, from whom she had placed orders for years.
Today, Old Hu had not locked his door. It was slightly ajar.
The cloth seller didn’t dare to barge in. She knew Home Cultivators disliked letting others into their houses, so she stood at the door and called out, "Old Hu, are those two cheongsams ready?"
An elderly voice came from inside the house, "Who is it?"
Is that Old Hu? That voice doesn’t sound quite right.
"It’s me! Xiujuan, I came to collect the clothes!"
"Who really is it?"
"Me, it’s me..." Xiujuan took a couple of steps back.
A gust of cold wind blew through, and a thick fog rose in the pitch-black corridor.
Within the fog, Old Hu’s severed head slowly floated up in front of Xiujuan.
"Mother!" Xiujuan shrieked, scrambling away from Old Hu’s doorway.
A few of the Home Cultivators that had come out to shop gathered around, seeing Old Hu’s head still suspended mid-air.
The elderly voice echoed in the house, "Tell me, who killed him..."
Li Banfeng wanted to go in and take a look, but was stopped by Wu Yongchao, "Don’t go; the House Spirit might go mad."
A House Spirit without its master is very likely to turn into an Evil Spirit, and this particular House Spirit was special.
"Old Hu Tou has been in Iron Gate Fort for over fifty years, and this House Spirit has been with him for even longer. Now that Old Hu is gone, the House Spirit... might just..."
"Who is it!" Before he could finish, the House Spirit began to roar furiously, and the entire house shook with it.
Fifty years... So, the Home Cultivator from yesterday, the one who arrived even before Lord Zhou of the Fortress... that was him.
Ma Dingfu rushed over, yelling at the merchants, "Go! Everyone go! We’ve had an incident, and we’re closing the gates right away."
The gates were closing again.
The merchants raced to the exit, and then the sound of a steam whistle blared loudly. WHOO! WHOO!
Before anyone could run out, the steam door closed first.
After a short wait, a shout came from outside, "Lord Zhou of the Fortress, here I am again. I told you yesterday, if I don’t get ten thousand Ocean Dollars, I’ll take one of your lives each day. You got the head, right?"
Lord Zhou of the Fortress bellowed fiercely, "Luo Dagui, don’t push us too far!"
"I’m not bullying you; I’m sticking to the rules I set out in advance!"
As he finished speaking, a loud BOOM resonated, and a few stones tumbled into the valley.
Another Home Cultivator’s house was smashed, and all the traders hunkered down in silence.
They were waiting for Lord Zhou of the Fortress’s response, but he said nothing.
Luo Dagui the cannoneer shouted, "My friends, I’ll be back tomorrow. If I still can’t see the ten thousand Ocean Dollars, I’ll send you another generous gift!"
After that, Luo Dagui left.
Everyone waited for a long while, not daring to move.
Ma Dingfu swept his gaze over the crowd and barked, "Reckless! You’re all so reckless! Why didn’t you go out and fight him? Now look, a life has been lost because of you!"