Gold Cultivator

Liu Liangyi had made up his mind to seek revenge on Ma the Fifth, but he did not act immediately. Unlike Liu Changyu, Liu Liangyi had to take every factor into account before making a move. First, the strike had to succeed. A Nightmare Cultivator left far too many traces when acting, making it easy for the other side to seize evidence. To wipe out all traces, no living witness could be left at the scene. This was not difficult for Liu Liangyi. He had sixty ghost servants at his command; as long as they cornered Ma the Fifth and hemmed him in front and back, slaughtering everyone in sight, he could ensure not a single person escaped alive. Second, he had to guard against techniques and treasures. Ghost servants could shift between tangible and intangible at will, which certainly gave them an advantage in battle, but they were also countered by certain techniques from specific pathways. Joy Cultivators possessed a portion of techniques that could counter departed souls, but that required at least a Tier 3 cultivation. Did Ma the Fifth have Tier 3 cultivation? Liu Liangyi was not certain. According to his deductions, since Ma the Fifth had managed to kill Song Jiasen, his cultivation could not be too low. Aside from techniques, there were also artifacts that countered departed souls. Did Ma the Fifth have such an artifact? He used to. He had owned a dog-skin coat—filthy, greasy, looking like something worn by a beggar. As long as one wore that dog-skin coat, any ordinary soul touched by it would instantly scatter into oblivion. Now that Ma the Fifth had been driven from his family, was that dog-skin coat still on him? Liu Liangyi did not dare gamble. If Ma the Fifth still had that pelt on his back, relying solely on ghost servants would not only fail to kill him, but would also cost Liu Liangyi a huge number of his servants. Those sixty ghost servants had taken Liu Liangyi years of painstaking effort to temper. Losing even one meant a drop in the Liu family's combat strength. To lose his ghost servants without killing Ma the Fifth was a loss Liu Liangyi simply could not afford. To ensure nothing went wrong, Liu Liangyi decided to deploy paper figures. Ghost servants could possess paper figures. This prevented the ghost servants from coming into direct contact with Ma the Fifth. Even if a paper figure was destroyed, the ghost servant could withdraw at leisure and attach itself to another. With ghost servants flitting back and forth among the paper figures, Ma the Fifth would have no clear target for his techniques. When the time came, they could wear him down to death, if nothing else. The method was sound, but controlling it presented some difficulty. Liu Liangyi had not used paper figures in many years. A single ghost servant could control at most five paper figures, meaning sixty ghost servants could control three hundred paper figures. That was equivalent to using his own cultivation to direct a small army. Liu Liangyi was getting on in years, and his strength fell a bit short of his will. After thinking it through, he decided to use forty ghost servants to control two hundred paper figures, keeping the remaining twenty ghost servants by his side to protect his own safety. Third, he had to maintain secrecy. Mobilizing so many paper figures could not be noticed by anyone. Not only could Ma the Fifth's people not find out, but not a whisper of wind could leak even to his own subordinates. Did Liu Liangyi trust his own men? He did not. He did not even trust his closest bookkeeper, Hu Juncai. After walking the greenwood for decades, he trusted no one but himself. He resolved to head to Lanyang Village alone, but he could not go over the next couple of days. He had heard that someone would be arriving in the vicinity of Lanyang Village. Whenever that person appeared, it was best not to stir up trouble; otherwise, there would be immense grief to pay. *** *Clatter, clang, clatter, clang!* "Foreign soap, vanishing cream, foreign matches, foreign candles, foreign shovels! Come take a look, come have a browse, a whole cart of fine goods for you to choose!" The peddler propped his cart by the roadside. He had barely hollered twice before Li Banfeng came rushing over with three people in tow. Having heard that the peddler would be passing through these days, Li Banfeng had kept people on the lookout for news, and at long last, he had caught him. Li Banfeng was considered an old customer. Even though he wore a fedora and a thick fake beard glued to his face, the peddler recognized him instantly. Seeing his old customer approach, the peddler pushed his cart and made to leave, unwilling to do business with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng darted forward a step, cutting the peddler off. "I'm buying medicine—initiation medicine!" The peddler stared at Li Banfeng for a moment. "You want to buy initiation medicine? You still dare buy initiation medicine?" He had already entered two pathways. Buying more medicine was practically courting death. Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's not for me. Two of my brothers want to buy it." Behind him stood Ma the Fifth, along with Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi. Both were road-construction workers who were utterly devoted to Ma the Fifth. They had previously saved up money in secret to buy medicinal soups and accumulated Dao affinity. Seeing that their foundations were decent, he had brought them along to undergo initiation. Ma the Fifth asked with a smile, "Could I trouble you to show us what powders you have today?" The peddler cast a disdainful glance at Li Banfeng, then turned to Ma the Fifth. "Aren't you just here for an initiation? It would've been fine to just bring these two. There was no need to bring him." Li Banfeng was thoroughly displeased. "I'm here to buy things too. You're out here selling goods, so how can you be picky about customers?" "You're the one selling yourself!" The peddler spat at Li Banfeng, then turned back to Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi. "I brought plenty of powders today. Which pathways do you two want to choose?" Xiao Chuan was still hesitating when Li Banfeng offered a suggestion: "Choose Joy Cultivator along with your young master. That way you can cultivate together." Xiao Chuan shook his head. "I don't think that line of work has much of a future." Ma the Fifth kicked Xiao Chuan in the rear. "Who the hell are you calling useless!" Xiao Chuan said to the peddler, "Actually, I want to become a Literary Cultivator." The peddler laughed. "Ambitious! Do you like reading books normally?" Xiao Chuan answered very earnestly, "I love reading books, but I don't know how to read." The peddler frowned. "If you're illiterate, what Literary Cultivator are you trying to be?" Xiao Chuan lowered his head. "I just wanted to learn how to read." Ma the Fifth told the peddler, "Give him the Literary Cultivator powder. I'll teach him to read." The peddler shook his head. "Nonsense. Do you think learning to read is an easy task? How many years did you study? Don't you know in your own heart? "Once initiated as a Literary Cultivator, you must read a book every day. If he can't read, what is he going to read? If he fails to finish his daily cultivation, isn't he just waiting to die?" Xiao Chuan looked miserable. "I just don't want to be a blind illiterate." The peddler waved a hand. "Then go learn your letters first. Once you've learned to read, come back to me!" Xiao Chuan felt even more aggrieved. "I know how to drive a steamroller. I'm not a good-for-nothing." The peddler gave a chuckle. "Who said you're a good-for-nothing? Becoming a Literary Cultivator isn't the only way to make something of yourself. You know how to drive a steamroller, right? Can you repair one?" Xiao Chuan nodded. "I can repair them!" The peddler put on gloves, picked up a scoop, dug out a spoonful of powder, and said to Xiao Chuan, "This is the powder for a Craft Cultivator. It specializes in mechanical arts and craft techniques. The more craft techniques you learn, and the more exquisite your skills become, the faster your cultivation grows." Xiao Chuan asked excitedly, "What are craft techniques?" "Craft techniques are..." For a moment, the peddler could not think of how to explain it to him. "They're... repairing steamrollers, fixing trains, airplanes, mechanisms, traps... As small as a bamboo basket or earthenware pot, as large as a towering skyscraper—all of those are craft techniques. It all comes down to how much you can master!" Xiao Chuan nodded. "I can do that!" "Doing it is fine, but the powder isn't cheap. Craft Cultivator is a hundred and ten thousand, non-negotiable." Hearing the price of one hundred and ten thousand, Xiao Chuan looked nervously toward Ma the Fifth. Without hesitation, Ma the Fifth produced a hundred and ten thousand and handed it to the peddler. Money in one hand, medicine in the other. The peddler cautioned him, "Even after learning craft cultivation, you still need to learn to read. Otherwise, it will be hard to make progress down the line." Xiao Chuan agreed, took the bright silver powder that smelled faintly of raw iron, endured the sharp pain, and slapped the medicine onto his belly, successfully completing his initiation. Xiao Genzi wanted craft cultivation as well. However, he felt the price of a hundred and ten thousand was simply too steep. Ma the Fifth was closer to Xiao Chuan, whereas Xiao Genzi was not nearly as favored. He worried the fifth young master would not put up the money for him. Seeing that the peddler's attention was entirely on Xiao Chuan, Xiao Genzi quietly slipped toward the peddler's cart. The drawer the peddler had drawn the powder from was still open. Xiao Genzi secretly slipped on a glove, scooped a handful of powder from the drawer, and smeared it over himself. The peddler whirled around abruptly, staring at Xiao Genzi. "What are you doing?" Enduring the pain, Xiao Genzi shook his head. "Nothing." The peddler barked angrily, "You stole my medicine!" Xiao Genzi still shook his head. "No, I didn't." Ma the Fifth grew angry. "Genzi, if you took his medicine, own up to it! I'll pay for it, so don't go pulling such disgraceful stunts!" Xiao Genzi hung his head, not daring to make a sound. The peddler scrutinized Xiao Genzi's complexion and asked, "What powder did you just grab?" Xiao Genzi pointed at Xiao Chuan. "The same as his. It came from the very same drawer." The peddler shook his head. "Just because it came from the same drawer doesn't mean it's the same type. Take a look—is it this color?" The peddler scooped a spoonful from that same drawer. The powder inside was a dazzling golden-yellow, far more striking than the gold powder of a Dwelling Cultivator. Everyone was stunned. The powder scooped from this drawer just a moment ago had clearly been silver. How had it suddenly turned gold? When Xiao Genzi had stolen the medicine, he had been in far too much of a hurry to notice the color. He opened his palm and looked down, discovering golden traces of powder clinging to his glove. What he had scooped out really was golden powder! The peddler chuckled. "Little brother, you're in luck. The powder you picked is cheap. Only a hundred dollars." Xiao Genzi's face lit up with pleasant surprise. "Just a hundred dollars?" This was great—he did not need the young master to pay for it; Xiao Genzi could afford it himself! The peddler nodded. "A hundred dollars is enough. And it comes with free gifts." With that, the peddler brought out two slender buckets from his cart, each about a foot and two inches tall and roughly two fists wide in diameter. Xiao Genzi asked in bewilderment, "What are these buckets for?" "No rush, no rush, there's another gift." The peddler handed Xiao Genzi a ladle with a handle nearly a meter long. "This bucket must be used together with this ladle." Holding the ladle, Xiao Genzi asked, utterly puzzled, "Why must they be used together?" The peddler explained, "That bucket is a gold bucket, and that ladle is a gold ladle. They are used to scoop golden broth." Xiao Genzi looked at the ladle in his hands again, a bad premonition rising within him. "What is golden broth?" "The golden broth from the latrine!" "Isn't that just shit?!" "You chose Gold Cultivator, so of course you have to scoop gold broth!" "What kind of Gold Cultivator is this? This is a Shit Cultivator!" Xiao Genzi burst into tears on the spot. "I won't do it! I'm not choosing this pathway!" The peddler shook his head and sighed. "You've already chosen the pathway. Where are you going to find regret medicine to swallow?" Xiao Genzi wailed, "I'd rather lose my life than follow this pathway!" The peddler sighed. "You can look on the bright side. Among the pathways of this world, each counters and produces another, keeping one another in check. "Poison Cultivators and Medicine Cultivators counter each other; Water Cultivators and Fire Cultivators counter each other; Dwelling Cultivators and journey cultivators counter each other; Joy Cultivators and Ascetic Cultivators counter each other. Only this pathway of yours is formidable—it counters everyone else, and nobody can counter you! "Journey cultivators flee for their lives when they see you; Literary Cultivators cover their noses; Dwelling Cultivators slam their doors; Food Cultivators retch; Martial Cultivators keep a wide berth; Joy Cultivators turn completely limp in body and spirit! "Departed souls fear filth; even a Nightmare Cultivator's ghost servants wouldn't dare act presumptuously before you. If this pathway is cultivated to great completion, it will surely be invincible!" Xiao Genzi wailed, "I'm not cultivating this! I just won't!" "Look on the bright side, look on the bright side. You've already undergone initiation. From now on, you must carry this nightsoil bucket on your back. Before advancing a tier, you must carry it five hours a day. You can't carry an empty bucket—there has to be goods inside, and you must replace it with fresh goods every day. The more frequently you change it, the faster you advance. "Once you advance a tier, you must carry it eight hours a day. After reaching Tier 2, one bucket won't be enough; you'll have to carry two. At that point, come back to buy a third from me in preparation for breaking through to Tier 3. "Even if you don't want to advance, you must carry it at least two hours a day, and the golden broth in the bucket must be changed at least once every two days. "I've pointed out the path. How you walk it is up to you." As Xiao Genzi sat on the ground bawling his eyes out, the peddler went back to hawking his wares. Ma the Fifth stepped up to the peddler and asked, "I'd like to buy some tonic medicine." "Tonic medicine for a Joy Cultivator?" The peddler smiled. "I have some. Do you want medicinal soup, powder, or pills? "Soups take effect slowly, powders don't last, and pills carry heavy toxicity. Choose for yourself." Ma the Fifth bought the medicinal soup. The peddler did not provide a recipe, only packets of herbs—one dose per day. He even warned Ma the Fifth that if the packets were opened beforehand, the medicine would lose its efficacy. Having bought over a hundred packets to ensure he had enough until the peddler's next appearance, Ma the Fifth was thoroughly satisfied and began mapping out the next stage of his cultivation. Li Banfeng also inquired about medicine. "Do you have anything that can neutralize pill poison?" The peddler shook his head. "None of that." "Really none?" "If I had something that good, would I still need to push a cart and run all over the place? "Different pills carry different toxins. There are no good ways to neutralize them. You either rely on your physique to endure it, or rely on time to wear it away. There are no shortcuts here." Finding no way to neutralize pill poison, Li Banfeng moved on to another matter: "Where is the Peddler's Path?" The peddler looked at Li Banfeng, at a loss for words. "Do you have no sense of propriety at all? I am a peddler, and you ask me where the Peddler's Path is? That's my trade secret. Can I just tell you?" Li Banfeng said very earnestly, "I'll pay." The peddler flared up in anger. "Is this a matter of money? That is the foundation of my livelihood! Can I just blab about it to anyone? To ask such a vulgar question—do you have any respect for me?" Li Banfeng pursed his lips. "So you can't tell me no matter what?" The peddler shook his head. "Not necessarily. If you were to join my pathway and cultivate to a certain tier, I could share a few things about the Peddler's Path with you." The peddler had a pathway too? This was the first time Li Banfeng had heard of it. Try joining his pathway? Li Banfeng had already entered two pathways. He pondered for a moment and asked, "What would happen if I entered yet another pathway right now?" "You'd die," the peddler replied bluntly. "Forget it, then." Seeing that there was no hope regarding the Peddler's Path for the time being, Li Banfeng simply asked an even more direct question: "Do you sell travel permits?" The peddler was speechless. "Do you think I'd sell such vulgar things? I don't!" Li Banfeng huffed, "You don't have anything, yet you have the nerve to come out doing business!" The peddler wanted to give Li Banfeng a thrashing, but with so many people watching, he feared ruining his reputation and could only force himself to endure it. Ma the Fifth and Xiao Chuan had both bought what they wanted. As for Xiao Genzi, he had at least achieved initiation. With the peddler coming around so rarely, Li Banfeng was unwilling to leave empty-handed. "I'll take that iron bucket. Give me two jars of vanishing cream, two bars of perfumed soap, that rice ladle, and that cooking pot. I want rouge and powder too, and give me a few of those pearl hairpins." "You're a grown man. What are you buying so much rouge and pearl hairpins for?" The peddler was thoroughly baffled. "What's it to you? I'm paying, aren't I?" Li Banfeng looked at the red lantern hanging from the peddler's cart. "I'll take this one too." The peddler waved his hands. "I can't give you that lantern. I told you last time, a friend gave it to me. I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money." The lantern was not for sale. "What about that feather duster?" "That feather duster is for me to sweep away dust!" "A hundred dollars—will you sell it or not?" "No!" "A thousand!" "No!" "Ten thousand!" The peddler furrowed his brows. "Why do you insist on buying this feather duster?" Li Banfeng did not answer. He felt as if the feather duster was speaking. What exactly it was saying, he could not hear clearly. He listened closely with the Thread-Hook Earring, and it seemed to say: *Have pity on me... give me a bite to eat...* The peddler glanced at Li Banfeng, then at the earring clutched tightly in his palm, his brow knitting slightly.