Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1359 626: Elbow Mountain_4

"Sister-in-law, take the coachman outside the woods to check the situation. Be sure not to let him run away, I'll deal with the corpses here."

"Don't let him run away?" Lu Qianjiao looked at the coachman and gave a bitter smile, "That's really not easy."

The two of them exited the woods, leaving Li Banfeng alone to put all the corpses of the Three-Headed People into the Portable Residence and clean up the bloodstains in the snow with gloves and the wine gourd.

At the foot of the mountain, the commotion had lessened considerably. Many from the No Sin Army had been lured by the peddler to the East Slope, leaving few enemies on the South Slope.

Li Banfeng handed the snow cream bottle to Lu Qianjiao: "Sister-in-law, use it when you see fit. I'll lead the way upfront; you follow closely behind."

The coachman pulled the carriage forward: "No need for you to lead, just leave it to me. I'll take you all through."

Lu Qianjiao was taken aback: "Where did you get such nerve?"

"It's not about courage. Either way, we're heading up the mountain. You don't know what things are like up there. Just let me lead the way."

The coachman moved to the front and actually found the right path. His thinking was completely different from Li Banfeng's.

Li Banfeng planned to use his talent in unnoticed Home Cultivation to scout ahead. Even if they encountered the Three-Headed People, it was unlikely they'd be discovered.

But the coachman relied on seeking fortune and avoiding disaster, the most renowned skill in Puluo State.

Li Banfeng's approach was to go unnoticed if encountered, while the coachman's was to avoid encounters altogether.

He led the way, winding through the slopes, going from the bottom to the middle of the mountain, meandering through the mountain forest, never encountering a single Three-Headed Person!

After climbing a bit further, the coachman stopped the carriage: "Ahead, there's no avoiding it. There are many people, and they all bear malice."

Are these people still the No Sin Army?

Judging by their location, they weren't the No Sin Army. They were likely the Three-Headed People trapped at the mountain top, the ones meant to be rescued.

They were fighting desperately and were hostile to anyone coming up the mountain.

Li Banfeng warned the coachman and Lu Qianjiao: "You two stay here; I'll go negotiate with them alone."

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to go with you anyway." The coachman turned the carriage around, ready to descend at any time.

Lu Qianjiao said, "I'll go with you."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Too many people will just complicate things. You look after the old car here, I'll bring people down in a bit."

Li Banfeng used the Wind Riding Cloud Driving Skill, flying close to the snowy ground towards the mountain top. The Three-Headed People on guard in the grass were exhausted and hungry, nearly asleep, but suddenly woke up.

The middle head asked, "Did something just pass by?"

The left head said, "It seemed like a person."

The right head's eyes were still closed: "Was there really someone? I didn't see anything."

Li Banfeng said, "There really was someone, don't shout."

The Three-Headed People were shocked, wanting to sound the alarm.

Li Banfeng held them down, explaining: "Don't be afraid, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I'm here to rescue you. Do you recognize this?"

As he spoke, Li Banfeng took a head from his waist, which he had just severed in the Portable Residence.

The Three-Headed People glanced at the head, finding it unfamiliar.

Li Banfeng pulled out another head: "Do you recognize this one?"

Judging by their expressions, they didn't recognize this one either.

Li Banfeng sighed: "How are you fighting a battle without recognizing a single enemy?"

After trying six heads, the rightmost Three-Headed Person finally spoke: "I recognize this one; he's from the No Sin Army!"

"You've finally got it right. This is a No Sin Army person, they're your enemies. I killed your enemies, which makes me your benefactor. Now, take me to your leader so I can lead you down the mountain."

The Three-Headed People looked at Li Banfeng and asked, "Are you really a benefactor?"

Li Banfeng waved the head: "Ironclad evidence as firm as a mountain!"

The Three-Headed People led Li Banfeng near the mountaintop, where he finally met their leader.

The leader's three heads consisted of a woman in her thirties, a man in his forties, and an old man in his seventies.

The forty-year-old man, named Tu Heng, held the central position. Among them, he was in charge and didn't trust the nighttime visitor.

"Where do you plan to take us? We're not going to the City of Sinners!"

"I never said I'd take you to the City of Sinners. I aim to get you out of Three-Head Fork."

Tu Heng sneered: "Deceiving us again. Outside provinces people initially said they'd let us leave Three-Head Fork, and then they reneged, didn't they?"

"Who reneged?" Li Banfeng didn't understand.

The left head of Tu Heng, called Tu Min, had a relatively mild temperament: "Where can we go if we leave Three-Head Fork? Li Qi was initially going to take us in, but he changed his mind and refused us, insisting on sending us to the City of Sinners. Where else can we go?"

"Li Qi?" Li Banfeng was momentarily puzzled. After some explanations, he understood the situation here.

The reason over ten thousand people had gathered was that Liao Zihui had initially chosen them to give to Li Qi.

But for some reason, Liao Zihui later selected another group to hand over to Li Qi.

Fearing trouble from those initially selected, Liao Zihui planned to send them to the City of Sinners.

Originally, these Three-Headed People thought they could leave Three-Head Fork and find freedom. Now, equated to falling into a bottomless abyss in the City of Sinners.

The drastic disparity had driven them to despair, pushing them to the brink against the Defense Agency.

This was, of course, not Li Qi's fault, but Liao Zihui had pinned the blame on Li Qi to pacify the Three-Headed People.

If this issue were to spread through Three-Head Fork, Li Qi's reputation would be severely tarnished.

These ten thousand should be my responsibility to rescue, but I can't be forced into it because it's not my fault.

Li Banfeng finally grasped the meaning behind these words.

He indeed saved thirteen thousand Three-Headed People, but he did put the ten thousand before him in jeopardy. Initially, they could still survive; now, they're facing death, though it wasn't his fault.

How to communicate with them?

Tell them, "I am Li Qi right here?"

All their grievances are directed at Li Qi, revealing it now might lose their trust.

Li Banfeng looked at Tu Heng, then at the group of Three-Headed People: "Come with me, I'm a friend of Li Qi's. Once we leave Three-Head Fork, Li Qi will certainly take you in."

Tu Heng shook his head: "Why didn't he accept us before?"

"Because Li Qi prefers to take in friends; back then, you weren't his friends yet."

Tu Heng's right head, called Tu Mang, sighed: "We're not his friends now either. Who are we, what's our fate, how can we climb to such lofty branches as his?"

"You are Li Qi's friends now," Li Banfeng patiently explained, "You are my friends, and I'm Li Qi's friend. The friends of friends are all friends.

Look down, follow this slope down, we're all friends. Keep walking down this slope, and we can leave Three-Head Fork!"

This slope was smooth, and the surrounding people were successfully led down, all looking at the leader.

Tu Min and Tu Mang both turned their gazes to Tu Heng in the center.

After a long deliberation, Tu Heng gave the order to gather.

...

At the border line, Zhao Xiaowan kept her eyes fixed on the other side, waiting for Li Banfeng's figure.

Hong Ying took several deep breaths in the cold wind: "How many years has it been since I saw snow? Maybe I've been cooped up at home too long. This cold weather, going out on a trip, is really not something I'm used to."

As she spoke, Hong Ying shivered.

Zhao Xiaowan was startled: "Is it that cold?"

Hong Ying looked at the Dark Bridge Cannon: "Can we put this away for a bit?"

"Without the cannon, how will the husband come out?"

Hong Ying glanced around: "Enemies are coming, and quite a few of them."