His wife had awakened and asked about the origin of the aroma.
Li Banfeng offered no elaborate excuses. He opened the box.
"Wife, the pill has been refined."
His wife looked at the pill, inhaled the fragrance, and gasped in astonishment. "This pill... this pill... it's a Profound Accumulation Pill!"
A Profound Accumulation Pill?
"What effects does it have if taken?" Now that his wife already knew, Li Banfeng figured he might as well ask.
"Aiya, husband, if you take it, it definitely won't do anything for you. You're a Dwelling Cultivator; your cultivation advancements rely on your humble servant." As she spoke, the gramophone's voice trembled slightly.
She was too excited.
Li Banfeng said, "What effect would it have if an ordinary cultivator took it? I need to explain it clearly to someone if I'm to sell it for a good price."
"Ordinary cultivators wouldn't benefit either. Taking it below the tenth tier has no effect whatsoever!"
Below the tenth tier, no effect at all.
Li Banfeng glanced toward the outer room, realizing something was wrong.
"Wife, then what kind of person should I even sell this pill to?"
"Such people are not easy to find. Husband, do not take this pill outside. The medicinal fragrance might bring disaster upon us."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I was worried about the aroma leaking out, which is why I wrapped it in so many layers."
"Not enough, far from enough! Husband, your humble servant smelled this fragrance the moment I woke up. Out there, there are noses far sharper than mine."
Li Banfeng fell silent.
The fragrance could not be contained at all. Taking it outside meant being discovered, and by truly ruthless experts at that.
He could not understand Red Lotus's intentions.
"Aiya, husband, this pill is wonderful!" Steam coated his wife's brass horn.
"Hah!" Li Banfeng suddenly chuckled.
The gramophone asked in surprise, "Why does husband laugh?"
Li Banfeng sighed. "In the end, it's still us, a proper husband and wife, who share true devotion!"
*Clack, clack, clack—clatter—*
"Husband, why say something so pleasing all of a sudden?"
"Wife, can you eat this pill?"
"Your humble servant could certainly eat it, but such a fine pill shouldn't be wasted on me. If husband ever encounters danger, you could use it as a bargaining chip..."
Did the gramophone truly not want to eat it?
She wanted it desperately.
Yet she feared Li Banfeng would refuse to give it to her.
If he refused, should she snatch it?
She could not snatch it.
She could not let this madman get shortchanged.
This madman had risked his life to bring back the insect chief's head; she had consumed its spirituality, and that bunch of wenches had each skimmed some spoils too. No matter what, this pill had to be left for the madman.
This thing was enough to trade for a territory of a hundred li, enough to make him a local spirit.
Yet if she ate this pill, she could...
No, even so, she could not snatch it. She could not...
"Husband, keep this pill safe. When a good opportunity arises in the future, you can—"
Li Banfeng held the pill out to the gramophone.
"Husband, you mean to give this to me?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes. For my wife!"
*Chuff... chuff...*
The gramophone remained silent for a long time.
"Husband, such a precious pill should be kept for now. Your humble servant thanks you for the thought, but I..."
Li Banfeng said with resolve, "If there's something good, it must go to my wife! A man has to cherish his own wife properly!"
*Chuff... chuff...*
The venting steam trembled slightly.
"Husband, do you know what this pill is worth? This is a treasure that even a thousand pieces of gold couldn't buy."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Whether it's worth a thousand gold, ten thousand, or countless millions, giving it to my wife, I wouldn't begrudge a single bit of it."
*Chuff! Chuff!*
Plumes of steam billowed out, swirling around Li Banfeng.
"Husband, do you truly mean that?"
"Wife, every single word comes from the bottom of my heart!"
*Chuff! Chuff!*
"If you're deceiving me with those words, I will never forgive you."
"If what I just said was a lie, may I die a horrible death!" Li Banfeng moved the pill beside the stylus.
The gramophone pinched the pill between two needles, the metal trembling ceaselessly.
Was this madman truly sincere?
"Hurry and eat it, wife."
He was sincere.
The gramophone carefully lowered it into her water tank.
Steam surged, and a rosy blush spread over the gramophone's body.
Had the pill taken effect?
The record spun swiftly on the turntable. Accompanied by pipa and guzheng, an erhu began to play leisurely.
An old Yuedong song drifted into Li Banfeng's ears.
*Sweetheart, darling,*
*Suddenly before my eyes,*
*My breath turns short and shallow,*
*Stirred with love for you,*
*Hoping you might see,*
*And return a string of yearning.*
*Sweetheart.*
"Husband~"
"Wife!" Li Banfeng thought his blushing wife looked exceptionally lovely.
"Good husband!" Calling out, his wife scooped Li Banfeng up with a cloud of steam and shoved him toward her large horn.
"What are you doing? Wait, no..."
What was she doing? An advancement?
He couldn't advance right now!
His journey cultivator level was only at the third tier. If his Dwelling Cultivator rank rose to the fifth tier, he would face cultivation backlash all over again.
After a brief struggle, Li Banfeng pulled his head out of the large horn.
"Husband~" The gramophone turned displeased. "Your humble servant was merely showing you some affection. Why are you dodging me?"
"Showing affection? You weren't trying to advance my cultivation?"
"Aiya, husband, you only just reached the fourth tier. If I let you advance again so soon, how could your body withstand it?"
So it wasn't an advancement.
Li Banfeng had been frightened for nothing.
"Wife, first get rid of this fragrance on me."
"Husband is so thoughtful~" His wife agreed, puffing out steam to cleanse the scent from Li Banfeng. Then she released another plume of steam, embracing him for a long time.
In the outer room, the Red Lotus's leaves trembled, as if grinding its teeth in fury.
***
Li Banfeng arrived at Ma the Fifth's plot and saw him standing outside the wooden cabin, looking extremely nervous.
Three bagworm moths lay nearby, silently watching Ma the Fifth's cabin.
"Old Seven, we have a guest."
Through their long-standing tacit understanding, Li Banfeng read Ma the Fifth's expression in an instant.
"The local spirit is here?"
Ma the Fifth nodded. "His name is Shui Yongquan. He wants to discuss going to war with us."
Shui Yongquan—a good name.
Li Banfeng recalled how this local spirit could summon a downpour just by spitting.
Entering the wooden cabin, Li Banfeng saw the local spirit.
He was not a wisp of ghostly fire. The local spirit had taken human form: a middle-aged man around fifty years old.
He had an average build, slightly thin, with a hunched back, a receding hairline, thick eyebrows, small eyes, and a bulbous nose. When he smiled, wrinkles stacked across his face, making him look like a very easygoing uncle.
This was completely different from what Li Banfeng had imagined a local spirit to be.
"Greetings, young talents. Pardon the intrusion. I came specifically to apologize. I ran into a bit of trouble earlier, as I just explained to Brother Ma. When Brother Li Qi called for help, I couldn't assist in time. I hope you will forgive me."
So polite?
Having apologized, Shui Yongquan looked toward Ma the Fifth.
Ma the Fifth turned his face toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng rose. "A minor matter, don't take it to heart. Chuanzi, see our guest out."
*Uh...*
Seeing him out already?
Shui Yongquan looked awkward.
Chuanzi also felt Master Seven was being a bit too rude.
Yet Ma the Fifth understood clearly: Old Seven had responded correctly. The rude one wasn't him, but Shui Yongquan.
Li Banfeng had come to Ma the Fifth precisely to discuss how to deal with the local spirit horn, yet the local spirit had arrived directly at their doorstep without even giving them time to confer.
He was relying on his vast experience to catch the young men off guard.
Li Banfeng refused to take the bait. He would see the local spirit out first and discuss things thoroughly with Ma the Fifth.
Shui Yongquan refused to leave.
"Brother Li Qi, you're too hasty. I haven't finished speaking."
"Didn't you say you came specifically to apologize? The matter is in the past; we brothers don't mind. Chuanzi, see the guest out!" Li Banfeng insisted on ushering the local spirit out.
Shui Yongquan gave a dry laugh. "Putting earlier matters aside for now, there is a major event taking place in our territory, and I intended to discuss it with you two."
Thick-skinned, Shui Yongquan proceeded to lay out the situation anyway.
Shui Yongquan's territory was called Shui Linglin. The neighboring local spirit, Qiu Luoye, ruled a territory called Luoyeping. These two plots bordered each other closely, and the two local spirits had shared years of friendship.
Last year, several land reclaimers had set up offering tables. Not understanding the rules, they set them right on the border line between the two territories.
Such an occurrence was rare. Shui Yongquan felt it should be first come, first served; he arrived first and accepted them.
This drew Qiu Luoye's resentment, and relations between them began to sour.
Early this year, more people came to reclaim land, once again right on the border line. Shui Yongquan was first again.
Qiu Luoye refused to accept it and snatched the land reclaimers away directly. The two nearly came to blows.
Then just today, yet another group of land reclaimers arrived, opening land right on the border of their territories. Shui Yongquan acted quickly and snatched them away once more. Qiu Luoye moved even faster and directly injured Shui Yongquan.
Shui Yongquan demanded an explanation, but Qiu Luoye offered none. Instead, he delivered a challenge of war, declaring outright hostilities.
Having finished explaining the course of events, Shui Yongquan sighed. "Matters like these are typically known only to the leaders of the territory. But I genuinely appreciate you two young brothers, so I'm making an exception to tell you."
Li Banfeng furrowed his brow and looked at Shui Yongquan.
*Making an exception? What a grand favor! I don't even care to hear your petty nonsense.*
*Yet two local spirits can go to war over just this?*
Ma the Fifth listened quite seriously. "Senior Shui, may I ask, are there not many people who come to reclaim land in your esteemed domain?"
"How should I put it?" Shui Yongquan looked a bit sheepish. "Blocked by the Wireworm River and the Lesser Underworld, very few people can truly make it to my lands. Ever since I took over Shui Linglin, the brave souls who succeeded in reclaiming land number only two."
Only two?
Li Banfeng looked at Shui Yongquan. "Senior, you wouldn't happen to be referring to the two of us, would you?"
Shui Yongquan looked at them with admiration. "Precisely you two young talents!"
He truly lacked all sense of shame, speaking of such an embarrassing matter with complete composure. Could he be Pan Dehai's fellow disciple?
In truth, Shui Yongquan felt embarrassed himself. He took a sip of tea and continued, "Brothers, your methods of reclaiming land were both rather unique. I am indeed an easygoing man, so I didn't hold it against you. Had you been on another plot of land, I fear things wouldn't have been so easy."
Selling favors again.
It was only because no one wanted to come to this desolate place that he didn't hold it against them.
Because visitors were few and far between, the two local spirits had squabbled over land reclaimers. A dispute was understandable, but going to war over it seemed excessive; there were bound to be other grudges between them.
Li Banfeng didn't want to hear him ramble any longer. "Let's get down to business. Do you want the two of us to join the fight?"
"Straightforward!" Shui Yongquan praised, raising an eyebrow. "Since Brother Li Qi asks, that must mean you've agreed."
Who invented that logic?
Since when did asking mean agreeing?
If Shui Yongquan wanted to play the rogue, Li Banfeng would play along to the end.
"Yes, agreed! We two brothers will do our utmost to defend these two one-li plots of land."
There was nothing wrong with those words; they had agreed to participate in the war.
"Brother Li Qi means only to defend your land?" Shui Yongquan looked deeply disappointed. "With the talent you two possess, if you merely guard your ground, I fear you will miss out on a great achievement."
Ma the Fifth smiled, shaking his head. "Senior flatters us. We brothers possess no great talent; we entered the pathway less than a year ago."
"Why be so modest?" Shui Yongquan gave a profound smile and drew a map from his robes. "This is the full map of Shui Linglin. Please take a look, gentlemen. Shui Linglin and Luoyeping share a thirty-seven-li border. Along this thirty-seven-li boundary, there are only steep mountains and perilous peaks, with only two passages crucial for troop movements. This valley is called Baiman Valley—a ten-li mountain ravine, narrow and winding, with precipitous terrain on both sides, easy to defend and difficult to attack. This cavern is called Baizu Cave, containing countless fork roads inside, but only a single path connects our two domains. As long as one holds the key point in the cave, one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."
As he spoke, Shui Yongquan looked at Ma the Fifth from time to time.
Why did he keep looking at Ma the Fifth?
Because Ma the Fifth held visible combat strength.
Three Madam Bagworm Moths were lying outside. Although they fell far short of a local spirit, among anomalies they represented peak combat power.
Shui Yongquan continued, "As long as you can hold one of these routes, I am willing to grant you ten li of land! Young talents, do you have the courage to try?"
Chapter 186