The Local Spirit Horn

Li Banfeng was chased along the way by eight bagworm moths. Six gave up the chase, but the remaining two pursued him all the way onto his own plot. Once on his plot, Li Banfeng immediately scattered his blood, praying for the local spirit's protection. Yet the local spirit did not appear. What was going on? Had the local spirit abandoned him? Was it still holding a grudge over what happened earlier? Even if you hold a grudge, you still have to honor our agreement! The two bagworm moths entered the plot and giggled at Li Banfeng. "Little brother, we've been chasing you all day. You have to reward us, no matter what." Li Banfeng gripped his key tightly. Several times, he wanted to retreat into the Portable Abode, but in the end, he did not. Once he went inside, the Madam Bagworm Moths might force their way in. His wife's condition had been unstable all this time; if something went wrong, it could trigger a disaster. He would stall them a little longer. The local spirit was bound to come. As Li Banfeng was contemplating a countermeasure, he suddenly saw Ma the Fifth riding Yanzi, blocking the path of the two bagworm moths. "You cheap wenches, who gave you permission to run wild here?" Yanzi barked angrily. The other two bagworm moths froze. One said, "Who is this woman? Why is she carrying a man on her back?" "Acting as a mount for a man—what a disgrace to our kind." Yanzi flared with anger and said to Ma the Fifth, "Little master, I haven't been able to take it these past two days and couldn't satisfy you. I'll take in these two cheap wenches for you, so you can thoroughly enjoy yourself." With those words, Yanzi charged at the two bagworm moths. In Li Banfeng's eyes, taking on two at once seemed bound to put her at a disadvantage. He had always assumed all bagworm moths in Puluo Province were equally formidable. Yet he had not expected that Madam Bagworm Moths also had disparities between them. These two Madam Bagworm Moths lived near Kucaizhuang and had taken form not long ago. Their cultivation was considerably inferior, making them nowhere near a match for Yanzi. After trading several blows, three massive bodies tumbled together, sending constant tremors through the ground. Yanzi spewed insect silk, effortlessly binding one bagworm moth. Then she bared her venomous fangs and sank them into the other. As venom seeped through, that bagworm moth became paralyzed as well. "Little master, just enjoy them," Yanzi said, looking at Ma the Fifth with tender affection. "Even if you do them to death, it doesn't matter. I'll find you new ones!" Ma the Fifth wore a grim expression as he stepped up to the two bagworm moths. Both bagworm moths trembled shiveringly, unsure of what Ma the Fifth was going to do. First, Ma the Fifth asked the one wrapped in silk, "What is your name?" The bagworm moth trapped in the silk answered meekly, "My name is Qianqian." Li Banfeng took a deep breath. Ma the Fifth turned to the bitten one and asked, "What is your name?" "My name is Qiaocui." Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. Bagworm moths truly knew how to name themselves, each name more delicate and dainty than the last. Ma the Fifth looked at Qianqian. "We'll start with you." He got started. Li Banfeng knew Ma the Fifth had come to rescue him, so certain things were awkward to say. Still, this matter... "Uh, Old Five, this is my plot. Shouldn't we hold on a moment..." "Old Five, don't make too much noise. There are a lot of people around..." "Chuanzi, tell the brothers to head back. There's nothing to see here." "Hey, Miss Centipede, are you looking for Fifth Brother? Go wait at his place. He'll be finished in a bit." ... Having subjugated the two bagworm moths, Ma the Fifth asked about what had happened over the past couple of days. "Old Seven, where did you go? I was worried to death!" "Nowhere much. I just wandered around the newland and found a few novel spots." Li Banfeng did not mention Kucaizhuang. Would Chu the Second bring it up to Ma the Fifth in the future? She would not. She had that one good trait: her lips were sealed tight. She would rather be beaten to death than utter Li Banfeng's name, so she certainly would not divulge anything else. Li Banfeng asked how things were going with managing the newland. Ma the Fifth replied, "Houses are simple enough, and timber is easy to find. The key issue now is grain. Although the master of the orange grove is generous, our numbers have grown, so we can't keep begging him for food. I've been discussing prices with him these past two days, but he adamantly refuses to accept payment." "Even if he refuses, we must pay. We can't take advantage of people." Li Banfeng was not in the habit of taking things from others for nothing. Ma the Fifth's cultivation had progressed considerably, and he also told Li Banfeng about advancing to the second tier. Li Banfeng nodded. "I can tell. You're far more fierce and vigorous than before." "I plan to stay in the newland for three years. Tier Three is a given, and there's a shot at Tier Four as well!" What speed! When a Joy Cultivator found the right cultivation partner, it was like boarding a rocket. It was just that this particular rocket was rather hefty. Everything else was normal; the only abnormal thing was the local spirit. "Old Seven, did you truly sprinkle blood earlier?" "I did." "Then why didn't the local spirit come?" Ma the Fifth could not understand it. The two made several guesses, but had no way to verify any of them. Ma the Fifth could think of only one countermeasure: "Tomorrow, let's hold a sacrificial rite to see what the local spirit actually means by this. If it truly won't protect us in the future, we should quickly relocate while our losses aren't too great." With the matter settled, just as Ma the Fifth was about to prepare the offerings, a droning hum suddenly resonated outside the building. "Wuu—wong!" What was that sound? A low, rumbling roar persisted for over two minutes. Li Banfeng had sharp hearing, but he could not pinpoint the sound's origin. Ma the Fifth had never encountered this situation before either, suspecting that some sort of foreign entity had arrived. "Old Five, head back to guard your plot and tell the brothers to be on high alert." Worried about Li Banfeng, Ma the Fifth said, "Come back with me." "Don't worry about me for now. I'll be over shortly." Living in the newland, one's greatest reliance was the local spirit. If the local spirit did not offer protection, it was like living in a dragon's den or tiger's lair. Now that an abnormal situation had arisen, if the local spirit still did not come, they would have to make a swift decision and abandon this plot. After Ma the Fifth left, Li Banfeng opened the Portable Abode and told his wife what had happened: "A sudden noise broke out in the newland—wuu-wong, wuu-wong. I don't know what kind of thing has arrived." "My, husband, what kind of sound is 'wuu-wong'?" The gramophone could not quite comprehend it. How was he supposed to describe it? "Wuu-wuu-wuu—" Li Banfeng did his best to imitate it. "Is it the wind?" "It's not the wind. It was exceptionally loud, shaking my chest until it ached." "How long did it sound?" "Around two minutes." *Hoo-chug, hoo-chug.* The gramophone pondered for a moment. The stylus trembled, and the large horn in the middle emitted a low drone: "Wuu—wong—" "My, husband, was it this sound?" "That's the one, Madam. Exactly that sound." *Clang-clang-clang—* "Husband, that is the local spirit horn. How could you hear that sound? Did you clear wasteland in the newland?" Since his wife had already guessed it, Li Banfeng naturally did not deny it. "I did indeed clear a plot of wasteland in the newland." "Ordinary creatures cannot hear the local spirit horn; only the subordinates of the local spirit can hear it. The local spirit is about to go to war. Such an event is exceptionally rare, not necessarily occurring even once in decades. Husband, do you want to join the war?" Join the war? Fight for the local spirit? "Can I choose not to join?" "Why couldn't you? You are different from the foreign entities of the newland; you were not born and raised here. At worst, you just give up the plot." "What if I still want this plot?" "Oh, husband, whenever something lands in your grasp, getting you to part with it is truly difficult. If you can't bear to let the plot go, then you must join the war. You can choose only to defend your territory without going on campaign; just send people to guard your own plot. According to the covenant, as long as the local spirit wins, the plot is still yours." "And if the local spirit loses?" "If the local spirit loses, you must flee for your life immediately. All covenants become void, and this land will no longer belong to you." Could the local spirit lose? Earlier, when he sprinkled blood, the local spirit had not responded. Could it be in bad shape? "Husband, if the local spirit asks you to go on campaign, you must under no circumstances agree. It might promise you plenty of benefits, but those benefits are not easily won. Once you truly reach the battlefield, a life is no longer treated as a life. Husband, listen to your humble servant: you must not go." On this matter, he really ought to listen to his wife. For a single li of land, it certainly was not worth gambling his life. Going on campaign was out of the question. Defending the territory, however, was worth considering. Ma the Fifth had three bagworm moths in his hands; holding down a one-li plot shouldn't be too difficult. Li Banfeng also had quite a few magical treasures on his side. When the time came, he could call head guard Zuo Wugang over, so guarding the plot wouldn't be too difficult either. If the local spirit lost, they would simply move. With his and Ma the Fifth's capabilities, clearing new land in another place wouldn't be hard either. With his mind made up, he heard the gramophone speak again: "Husband, that wench Red Lotus seems to have had some stirrings these past two days. That insect chief had too much vital energy, and she seems unable to hold out. I fear the pill won't be concocted. When you have a moment, go over and check on that wench. Your humble servant is terribly drowsy and will sleep first." *Hoo-chug, hoo-chug.* His wife fell asleep. After so long without the insect head being digested, Li Banfeng was somewhat concerned as well. Entering the outer chamber to take a look, he saw Red Lotus's petals and leaves trembling. She had words for him. And they were words that were inconvenient for others to overhear. Li Banfeng went to Room Five, took out the liquor gourd, the pendulum, the Tang dao, the earring, and the teapot, placed them all on the table, and returned to the outer chamber. With everything cleared out, the lotus quietly bloomed. Had it just finished refining? It finished right when he arrived? Could it really be such a coincidence? It probably wasn't such a coincidence. Red Lotus seemed to have refined the pill long ago, yet had not brought it out before. What was the reason? Was she afraid he would act impulsively again and swallow them all? You overthink things, A-Lian; I'm not that kind of person. How many pills could that insect head yield? At a conservative estimate, there had to be at least a hundred Golden Origin Pills, right? Wouldn't that mean he could surge straight to Tier Ten! And wouldn't reaching Tier Ten give him triple the lifespan? *Hwahahahaha!* A ferocious grin broke out across Li Banfeng's face as he quietly waited for the lotus seed to burst open. *Crack.* The lotus seed burst, producing a single pill. One pill. Just one? Li Banfeng's smile froze. "A-Lian, did you pocket something good for yourself? Such a massive insect head, hailed as an insect chief and said to be stronger than a local spirit, and you only refined one measly pill for me?" Red Lotus was covered in dewdrops. It wasn't saliva, but aggrieved tears. This was a supreme-grade pill. A rich medicinal fragrance quickly wafted out, filling the entire outer chamber with an intoxicating aroma. Li Banfeng realized this pill was extraordinary. Red Lotus whipped up a small whirlwind, rapidly drawing the medicinal aroma back into her lotus core. Her leaves fluttered continuously, urging Li Banfeng to store the pill away at once. Li Banfeng found a cloth bag and placed the pill inside, but the fragrance continued to drift out. He then found a wooden box to store it in, yet it still couldn't hold back the scent. A few sheets of white paper blew over from the lotus core. Li Banfeng wrapped several layers around the box, and this time, the fragrance was finally contained. Red Lotus's leaves curled back and forth, signaling Li Banfeng to leave the Portable Abode immediately. Why the big hurry? The leaves swayed back and forth, and after a long while, Li Banfeng understood Red Lotus's intention. Red Lotus had refined the pill long ago. The reason she hadn't produced it was to wait for an opportunity. An opportunity when his wife was asleep. Once his wife fell asleep, she would give this fine pill to him so he could sneak it outside. Since his wife hadn't seen this extraordinary pill, she naturally wouldn't ask about its whereabouts, and once he consumed it, his wife wouldn't suspect anything either. "But if the wife asks where the insect head went, how will you explain it?" Another lotus seed emerged from Red Lotus's core, bursting directly inside the core and dissolving into nothingness. What did that mean? The pill refinement failed? Would this explanation be a bit forced? Not forced at all. Earlier, Red Lotus had created a false impression to make his wife think something was wrong with her, specifically prompting him to come and check. Since something was wrong, a failed pill refinement was entirely reasonable. Li Banfeng gently caressed Red Lotus, and she shyly curled her leaves. Considerate A-Lian was truly alluring. Doing things behind his wife's back was thrilling indeed! If he consumed this pill, he might advance his cultivation by a tier, bringing his journey cultivator rank on par with his Dwelling Cultivator rank, and he wouldn't have to worry about cultivation backlash. The pill poison of a single pill was easy to endure; even without taking a Blue Leaf Pill, he could shoulder it on his own. The more Li Banfeng thought about it, the more excited he became. Taking the pill with him, he left the outer chamber and stepped into the main room. As he passed the gramophone, its breathing grew rapid, as though it were about to wake up. Li Banfeng quickened his pace to the door. Just as he was about to open it, he suddenly heard a loud *clatter-clang*—the Judge's Brush dropped from his waist onto the floor. Didn't he put all the magical treasures into Room Five earlier? How had he forgotten about it? Why had this wretched thing fallen out now? The Judge's Brush didn't know why it had suddenly fallen out either, shrieking in fright, "Ah!" The two consecutive noises woke his wife. *Clatter-clatter-clang—* "My, husband, where are you going? My, oh my~ what is that aroma smelling so sweet?" ... In Kucaizhuang, Granny Bitter was picking bitter greens when a leaf suddenly fluttered to the ground. Granny Bitter picked up the leaf, glanced at it, and murmured, "Did that boy use up his first stroke of luck so quickly? What did he get into?" Granny Bitter continued picking greens. Used up was used up. Either way, he would have to pay it back. PS: Why was this good luck?