The Three-Tenths of Puluo

The Tier 4 technique of a journey cultivator was Unimpeded Passage. The essential trick was to hold nothing in one's eyes, keep no obstruction in one's heart, and concentrate the mind on unobstructed movement. The essentials were not difficult; the difficulty lay in speed and resolve. Immediately after using Half-Step, one had to unleash the Tier 4 technique, or it would not succeed. Just how fast was "immediately"? Li Banfeng went out to an open plot outside Xiaoyaowu and found an abandoned work shed. The shed had three rooms in total, and the dividing walls were very thin—just a single layer of bricks, a little over ten centimeters. Li Banfeng tested the technique for the first time. After Half-Step: nothing in the eyes, no obstruction in the heart, concentrating the mind... *Bang!* Li Banfeng slammed into the wall. Try again. *Bang!* The wall shook a bit, and Li Banfeng felt a little dizzy. Half-Step executed with extreme speed, leaving Li Banfeng far too narrow a window to unleash the Tier 4 technique. Practice again. *Bang!* Who invented this wicked technique? Why did it have to be used right after Half-Step? *** An hour later, the technique was half-successful. What did half-successful mean? Li Banfeng's lower half had passed through, while his upper half remained stuck on the outside of the wall. So this was what it felt like to be wedged in a wall. The pressure was immense, nothing like the sensation inside the big horn. *Tang dao, you're up.* "Lord, tearing down walls is hardly fitting for me." "I am the lord, you are the subject. You constantly call me Lord, yet you won't even cut open a wall for me. Where does that leave your loyalty?" After some agonizing, the Tang dao made the choice that favored Li Banfeng. There was no other way. When Li Banfeng left the City of Fools, he had been too lazy to bring any magic treasures with him, and no one could know that he had learned the techniques of a Fool Cultivator. *** When the ceremony ended, Ma the Fifth saw off the guests. Just as he was about to find Li the Seventh to celebrate, Xiao Chuan came to report, "Seventh Master tore down the work shed, though I don't know why." Ma the Fifth hurried over to check and found Li Banfeng covered in dust, still standing by the work shed. "Old Seven, what happened to you?" "The shed was an eyesore," Li Banfeng said, unable to find a better excuse. "We're here to do big things. Weren't you planning to expand Xiaoyaowu? Get to it right away." Ma the Fifth looked at the crumbling ruins, inwardly astonished. Old Seven really was impatient. Still, what he said was true; getting things done required bold resolve. However, funds in the accounts were running low now, so business in Lanyang Village and Zhengjing Village needed to be stepped up as well. *** This technique was tough to cultivate. It didn't just take a toll on the body; it took a toll on walls. Li Banfeng took a walk around Lüshui City but couldn't find a suitable spot, so he went out to the suburbs, bought a cluster of abandoned houses, and practiced at his own pace. *** He Jiaqing sat half-propped up on his hospital bed, pondering his next move. He pondered for a long time without coming up with a countermeasure. "Ma the Fifth's temperament actually changed. Does he really not want to return to the Ma family?" Ling Miaoying replied, "Ma the Fifth's temperament may not have changed. I suspect he was influenced by that friend of yours. In the newland, they have a ten-li parcel. In the distant suburbs, they have Lanyang Village. And now, right in Lüshui City, they have Xiaoyaowu. "If things keep going like this, Puluo Province will see another major household rise—ostensibly called the Junior Ma family, but in reality, the Li family." He Jiaqing let out a sigh with a chuckle. "Banfeng isn't crazy after all. Let's not make a move against him for now; wait and see how things develop. He's been in Puluo Province for less than a year. There will always be things he doesn't understand, and times when his judgment fails him." *** Taking three days, Li Banfeng completely mastered the technique of Unimpeded Passage. To be fair, while the technique was moderately difficult, it was still far easier than Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. Returning to Xiaoyaowu, Li Banfeng found a private box to rest. Ma the Fifth suddenly walked through the door. "Old Seven, I've finally found you! I've got good news." "What good news?" "The Lu family introduced a Garrison Commissioner who came to Xiaoyaowu to discuss business with us. As long as we pay a monthly fee from now on, we'll have trade rights in the Middle Three-Tenths." "What are trade rights in the Middle Three-Tenths?" "The Middle Three-Tenths of Puluo Province!" Li Banfeng wished he could flip through an encyclopedia; Puluo Province simply had too much terminology. "What does Middle Three-Tenths mean?" Ma the Fifth explained, "The Middle Three-Tenths are the most normal regions in Puluo Province, and the most populated. Lüshui City, Yaowanggou, Qingliuwu, Huangtuqiao, Heishipo... big and small, eighty-one territories in all. That's what is called the Middle Three-Tenths." Li Banfeng asked, "What about Haichiling?" Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Haichiling isn't in the Middle Three-Tenths because that place isn't normal. You haven't stayed in Haichiling, so you might not understand how it is. Stay there too long, and you'll want to eat every three hours." *Of course I've been there; you just didn't know because you were busy having fun with Feng Daiku.* Ma the Fifth continued, "Haichiling, Kudaikan, Zhentou City, Baisun Commandery, Wumian Town... including Santoucha—all these places are called the Front Three-Tenths because their lands are peculiar. "As for the business in the Front Three-Tenths, we haven't secured it yet, but if we deal more with the Garrison Commissioner in the future, we'll probably have a chance." The Front Three-Tenths, the Middle Three-Tenths. "What about the remaining four-tenths?" "Then there's the Rear Three-Tenths," Ma the Fifth elaborated. "Jianrengang, Tiemenbao, Moxiangdian, Wuqinxiang... These places are called the Rear Three-Tenths." "Are they also because their lands are peculiar?" Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Those places don't have peculiar land, but peculiar people. Business there is generally tough to conduct. Once you deal with them more in the future, you'll understand." The Front Three-Tenths, the Middle Three-Tenths, the Rear Three-Tenths—together, that was nine-tenths. What about the remaining one-tenth? Ma the Fifth said, "The remaining one-tenth is called the Unexplained Lands." "Unexplained? Or un-named—because they have no names?" "Not that they have no names, but because they can't be explained clearly. Kucaizhuang is one of them." Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Kucaizhuang can be explained clearly. I heard from others that it's utterly desolate, the domain of Ascetic Cultivators, and everyone who goes there has to suffer." In truth, he hadn't heard it from others; Li Banfeng had experienced it firsthand. Ma the Fifth nodded. "The affairs can be explained, but the place itself cannot. Routes leading to Kucaizhuang exist throughout Puluo Province, yet no one can say clearly where Kucaizhuang actually is. "If you don't believe me, go buy a map. Not a single map can depict Kucaizhuang's location. Someone once stayed in Kucaizhuang for a while just to draw a map, and in the end, they couldn't even measure how large Kucaizhuang was. "Others rode hot-air balloons to observe Kucaizhuang from above, and the balloons never returned." Li Banfeng agreed with that. Running all over Kucaizhuang, he had never found its boundaries either. Yet Old Yao's map marked Kucaizhuang's location. Although it was just a single dot, that was enough to show how precious the map was. Ma the Fifth went on, "We won't be going to the Unexplained Lands. There's no business to be done there anyway." "How can you say there's no business to be done? Can't we do business in Kucaizhuang?" Ma the Fifth shook his head. "What business could there be? They only occasionally buy a bit of grain and nothing else. Where can't one buy grain? For such minor business, going to that place isn't worth it. "Now that we've secured trade rights in the Middle Three-Tenths, we can sell many things to other places. The place I have my eyes on this time is Heishipo. It's rich in stone, and any anomalies related to stone have a market there. "It's just that this market has been controlled by the Lu family for years. Trying to reach a hand in won't be easy." Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "Going to Heishipo to do business—doesn't that count as undermining the Lu family?" "It does, but Monkey Qiu took the initiative to let me undermine them." "Monkey Qiu actively told you to undermine the Lu family?" Li Banfeng was bewildered. "The business over in Heishipo is firmly held in Lu Maoxian's grip. Buying stone and stoneware, selling grain and rare treasures—between buying and selling, the profits are enormous. Uncle Qiu wants us to reach in to check Lu Maoxian. "However, Lu Maoxian is no pushover either. I plan to take Old Zuo and Ah Qin to Heishipo first to scout out the market. If Lu Maoxian plays for keeps, we really won't dare act rashly." "Ah Qin? Can she leave the newland?" "She can't," Ma the Fifth said, troubled by the matter as well. "I plan to talk it over with Qiu Daxiang to see if we can loosen Ah Qin's covenant deed." Li Banfeng waved a hand. "Is Qiu Daxiang someone you can reason with? A guy who flies off the handle over the smallest thing—why provoke him? "Besides, there is a boundary between newlands and proper lands. Ah Qin is an anomaly. Even if Qiu Daxiang agrees, Ah Qin can't just enter proper lands as she pleases." Ma the Fifth said, "I found a book with records that say there seems to be a way..." "Stop fooling around. Even if there is a way, it's not one we can use." The wife had told him that anomalies could not come to proper lands casually, or they would anger the local spirits. The local spirits of proper lands were not to be trifled with. Bringing Ah Qin to Lanyang Village would likely draw Lü Huazi. "Besides, if you leave, what happens to Xiaoyaowu?" Ma the Fifth smacked his lips. "That's where I need to rely on you, Old Seven. Run it for me for a bit..." "How would I know how to run this?" "It's actually not hard; there are tricks to it..." "Even with tricks, no!" The crucial issue wasn't Xiaoyaowu; Li Banfeng simply didn't want to keep staying in Lüshui City. The incident with the City of Fools had taught him a lesson. His reputation in Lüshui City had grown too large. Whether in the newland, the oldland, or proper lands, people recognized him. It was time to change locations. "I'll make a trip to Heishipo. No need to bring guards—I'll go alone." Ma the Fifth shook his head repeatedly. "That's pure madness. Going to Heishipo alone—aren't you throwing your life away?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Old Five, you haven't thought this through. We're going to scout the path, not wage war. "If it were war, we'd need to bring plenty of men. But for scouting, going alone is just right—I can dig up information quietly without drawing attention." Ma the Fifth pondered for a long time before shaking his head. "No, you going alone definitely won't do." Li Banfeng lit a cigarette and said, "Just listen to me. This matter is settled. Can you get a travel permit to Heishipo?" "That's easy. We aren't what we used to be; a travel permit is just a matter of a single word." "Can you get a travel permit to the Outer States?" Ma the Fifth froze, staring at Li Banfeng. "Old Seven, you're still thinking of returning to the Outer States?" "It's nothing, just asking," Li Banfeng said, holding his cigarette between two fingers. "Now's not the time. We'll talk about it when an opportunity comes along." *** "Ma the Fifth secured a travel permit to go to Heishipo?" Receiving the message from Ling Miaoying, He Jiaqing pondered for a moment and asked, "How many people is he taking?" "According to the latest information I received, he only bought one train ticket." "One ticket? Ma the Fifth going to Heishipo all by himself? Is he looking to die?" He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm afraid the person going isn't him, but that friend of mine. He likes to act alone. What time is the train?" "Tomorrow night." "Are you certain you can capture him alive on the train?" "If he boards a real train, I'm not certain. If he boards my train, I have an eighty percent chance. The remaining twenty percent depends on your friend's cultivation." He Jiaqing calculated carefully. "Even though he has that item, he joined the path too late. I estimate his cultivation doesn't exceed Tier 3." "Then that's easy. As long as he doesn't know a Tier 4 technique, I have a one hundred percent certainty of capturing him alive." He Jiaqing felt a bit concerned. "Can't we wait until he reaches Heishipo before making a move? The situation in Lüshui City is too complicated; I fear an accident." "I am unfamiliar with Heishipo. Making all kinds of preparations there will be difficult. If the arrangements aren't thorough, something could go wrong." "Then do it at the Lüshui City station!" "What if Ma the Fifth goes to see him off?" "Kill him! There's no need to capture Ma the Fifth alive." P.S. Lu Dongjun was killed by Ling Miaoying at the railway station; using a fake train to trap his targets was one of Ling Miaoying's most practiced tricks.