Ma the Fifth had brought up Li Banfeng. It came completely out of nowhere.
Li Banfeng set down his chopsticks and silently fixed his gaze on Ma the Fifth.
The atmosphere was not particularly tense. Li Banfeng knew that if Ma the Fifth meant him harm, he would never sit at the same table sharing a meal, let alone bring the matter out into the open of his own accord.
Ma the Fifth chuckled. "Brother Li, I'm talking about Li Banfeng, not you.
"Li Banfeng is a friend of mine. We met back in Yaowanggou.
"Down on my luck though I am, I can still catch wind of some news. I heard Li Banfeng offended the Lu family, and the Lu family is looking all over Yaowanggou for him.
"If you happen to know Li Banfeng, do me a favor and pass him a word: as long as he hides out in Lüshuiwan, he's played the right move.
"Lüshuiwan is the very foundation of the prominent clans. Not a single family dares make major moves in Lüshuiwan.
"Puluo Province is vast. Tracking down a single person is hard. Strong as the Lu family's influence is, if they can't find Li Banfeng in Yaowanggou, they won't bother searching elsewhere, because after all, this whole thing rests solely on Lu Xiaolan's word.
"Besides, plenty of rumors have been circulating lately. Word is that after Li Banfeng went to the He family estate, he vanished without a trace. Many believe Li Banfeng has already died at Lu Xiaolan's hands.
"People from great families don't have that kind of patience. With Li Banfeng gone without a word, their eyes will turn to Lu Xiaolan, and they'll assume she was lying—whether it's the Lu family or the He family, it's the same. As time drags on, Li Banfeng will slowly slip from memory.
"Brother Li, you must find a chance to pass these words along. Tell Li Banfeng not to go where crowds gather, keep his temper in check, and slowly ride it out. He'll surely weather this ordeal."
Such was the breadth of view of a young master from a prominent clan.
This was Ma the Fifth's repayment to Li Seven.
He knew Li Seven was Li Banfeng; the person before him was Li Banfeng.
He knew Li Seven came from the Outer States, and he bore a slight resemblance to Li Banfeng's photograph.
Moreover, the timing of Li Seven's appearance matched the Lu family's description of Li Banfeng to the letter.
Li Banfeng took a sip of liquor and said to Ma the Fifth, "You could take this news to the Lu family and tell them Li Banfeng is right here in Lüshuiwan. The Lu family would give you a handsome bounty, perhaps even grant you an entire estate of your own."
Ma the Fifth nodded. "I thought about it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because when I was starving, Li Banfeng gave me food to eat."
After a long silence, Li Banfeng filled his cup to the brim.
Ma the Fifth poured one for himself as well.
Both raised their cups at the same time and drained them in a single gulp.
Li Banfeng took a bite of sauced beef. "What do you plan to do next?"
Ma the Fifth smiled. "I counted the days. At most, I have five or six days left to live. I plan to give you a proper tour around Lanyang Village and, along the way, explain what makes Lüshuiwan so unique."
Only five or six days left.
"Since you still have five or six days, why not seize the time to cultivate? Do you really have no desire to live?"
Ma the Fifth shook his head with a bitter laugh. "Back then, heaps of girls threw themselves into my arms. I never imagined cultivation could be so difficult. But now that I've fallen on hard times, the hardships are immense.
"If I want a partner now, put mutual affection aside—let's talk cold, hard cash first.
"Passing the first gate is out of the question for me. Just taking it by the book requires three times a day, and the money for those three times isn't easy to come by.
"Brother Li, I know you're a righteous man. You might say you'll cover the cost for me. I thank you for your kind intentions, but I'm a bottomless pit no one can ever fill.
"Besides, I broke off my cultivation for ten whole days. My constitution has taken severe damage. Even if a girl were delivered right into my arms right now, I'd be utterly useless."
Li Banfeng blinked. "You mean you're beyond saving?"
Ma the Fifth laughed. "Brother Li, you certainly don't mince words. It's not entirely hopeless. Right now my meridians are withered, but they haven't ruptured yet. If I had medicinal pills, they could still be nourished back. Once the meridians rupture, I'd have to rely on Soul-Recalling Decoction just to prolong my life.
"But this isn't Yaowanggou. Pills aren't so easy to buy, and the prices are murderously steep. Don't even think about Soul-Recalling Decoction—who knows where the peddler is? My lifespan has simply run its course."
Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of pill could nourish you back?"
Ma the Fifth replied, "The most common is the snake-spot pill. I don't know if you've heard of it, Brother Li. Taking seven snake-spot pills in a row would pretty much restore me. But snake-spot pills..."
Never mind seven—Ma the Fifth couldn't even afford a single snake-spot pill now.
"I don't have snake-spot pills. I wonder if this pill will do." Li Banfeng took out a red pill and handed it to Ma the Fifth.
Ma the Fifth stared at it for a moment, eyes widening. "Is this a Xuanzhi Pill?"
Li Banfeng asked, "Can this pill save you?"
"Yes! Yes!" Ma the Fifth grew intensely excited, but then he asked, "Why do you want to save me?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "It hardly counts as saving you. I never had the chance to sell off this pill, and I'm strapped for cash myself, so for now I'm selling it to you.
"If you pull through this time, hurry up and figure out how to make money, and pay me back as soon as you earn it.
"If you can't pay it back all at once, just write me an IOU. We'll make the principal and interest clear.
"If you take the pill, prolong your life, and then just keep waiting to die, I'll count it as my bad luck—the pill can serve as a burial gift for you."
Li Banfeng spoke in earnest; he truly wanted to sell the pill to Ma the Fifth.
Clutching the pill, Ma the Fifth's fingers trembled ceaselessly, at a loss. "Brother Li, I don't know how I can ever repay such a debt of gratitude. I..."
"Why are you saying you don't know again? Playing dumb, are you? Didn't I just say you're to pay me back in cash? You're a man who knows how to make money. Start by telling me how you plan to make it."
Ma the Fifth put the pill away and spoke to Li Banfeng in all seriousness about ways to turn a profit:
"The speed of making money depends first on capital, and second on risk. Turning one dollar into a hundred is extraordinarily difficult. Turning a hundred into ten thousand is far easier."
Li Banfeng asked, "What if I want to turn one million into ten million?"
Ma the Fifth pondered for a moment. "The fastest way is hunting in the newland. There are risks, but not insurmountable ones. There's a thirty percent chance of losing half your stake, a twenty percent chance of losing everything, and the remaining fifty percent will make money—with a twenty percent chance of earning over ten million, and the other thirty percent earning an uncertain amount."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I'll get a million together for you first, and then we'll get right to work."
Ma the Fifth caught Li Banfeng's arm. "Brother Li, there's something I just mentioned to you: I've been targeted. Whenever I get a bit of money, someone comes to rob me."
Li Banfeng's brow furrowed tightly. "How could someone act like that? Robbery is wrong! Next time, introduce him to me. I'm an upright person; I'll give him a proper talking-to."
Ma the Fifth couldn't make sense of Li Banfeng's angle. "Brother Li, let me give you a heads-up: the people who come for me are different every time. It's impossible to guard against."
Different every time?
Li Banfeng frowned. "Do you know them?"
"No."
"If you don't know them, how do they recognize you and track you down?"
Ma the Fifth couldn't fathom the reason either.
Just as Li Banfeng was pondering a countermeasure, a knock sounded at the door. Opening it, he found Landlord Wei standing outside.
"Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen. Here is two months' rent, five thousand dollars in total. Please take it."
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "What's the meaning of this? You're kicking us out?"
Landlord Wei shook his head, gesturing to the bandages plastered across his face. "I'm not kicking you two out. Feel free to stay. This two months' rent is my repayment of gratitude."
He had seen Ma the Fifth step in to help him earlier.
"Tomorrow night is a wild duel. That son of a bitch Pockmark Yu and I are wading into a night arena. If I scrape through this hurdle, consider it my good fortune. From then on, you two can stay here as long as you like—even for a hundred years, I won't charge a penny of rent.
"If I can't survive tomorrow night, I'll be crossing the bridge. When it comes to your lodgings, I won't be able to help anymore."
With that, Landlord Wei took his leave. Ma the Fifth gave a wry smile. "That's Lanyang Village for you. Finding a secure place to live isn't even easy."
Li Banfeng asked, "What did he mean by 'duel,' 'night arena,' and 'crossing the bridge'?"
Ma the Fifth explained, "A duel is combat. A 'wild duel' means fighting on ground in Lanyang Village that has been torn down but not yet rebuilt.
"That's the rule in Lanyang Village. Disputes big and small can all be settled through duels.
"Small matters are fought right on the street with neighbors as witnesses. Whoever wins calls the shots, though they might renege later.
"Big matters require going out to the wild ground with the Song family bearing witness. Whoever wins calls the shots there too, and if someone refuses to honor the outcome later, the Song family steps in to uphold justice."
"The Song family?" Li Banfeng blinked. "What kind of background do they have?"
Ma the Fifth said, "The Song family is the head authority in Lanyang Village. Here, even if you set up a stall selling fried dough sticks, you need the Song family's permission. Even if you only earn a single dollar a day, fifty cents of it belongs to the Song family.
"Duels on wild ground are witnessed by the Song family. If they fight by day, it's called a daytime arena, and they fight until one side admits defeat. If they fight by night, it's called a night arena, and they fight until one side is dead.
"Landlord Wei and Pockmark Yu picked a night arena, meaning it's a fight to the death. If Landlord Wei crosses the Bridge of Helplessness tomorrow—which means dying out on the wild ground—this whole block of houses will belong to Pockmark Yu, and we'll have to pack up and move early."
Li Banfeng said in surprise, "Then we have to go watch and see who wins."
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Tomorrow all the idlers in the village will head to the wild ground to watch the spectacle. You'd better not go. It's best if you stay away from crowds. But I really do need to go take a look, and hire some hands while I'm at it.
"We'll need to make three hunting trips into the newland. The first one will require quite a few men, and we'll have to gather plenty of rotting fish—partly as bait, and partly as a smokescreen. Making money isn't hard; what's hard is pulling the wool over the Song family's eyes."
"Can we skip the rotting fish?" Li Banfeng despised the smell of fish, and the stench of rotten fish was more than he could bear.
Ma the Fifth looked at Li Banfeng with utter sincerity. "We're men aiming to achieve great things. Bearing a little hardship is only right."
That night, Li Banfeng continued going out to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
Having swallowed the pill, Ma the Fifth slept straight through until dusk the following day.
After sleeping a full day and night, Ma the Fifth looked vastly improved. He set off for the wild ground to watch the duel.
Li Banfeng remained in the village purchasing supplies in preparation for the hunt.
At one in the morning, Ma the Fifth returned, bringing back good news along with ten young men.
The good news was that Landlord Wei had emerged victorious from the wild duel; Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth would not need to move for the time being.
As for the ten young men, they were the helpers for their hunt into the newland.
Ma the Fifth brought out paper and brush and signed life-and-death contracts with the lads right on the spot. "I'm a straightforward man. Work under me, and there will be no shortage of coin. But if anyone cowers at the crucial moment or runs their mouth outside, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
Chapter 100