At dusk, a crowd of old folks returned to the village, wailing and shouting as they denounced the bandits' sheer cruelty.
Had Li Banfeng been there, he would have felt compelled to offer a few words of comfort:
Naturally they were cruel—how could anyone pull off a robbery without being ruthless?
Both soft and hard tactics had been tried, all to no avail.
The villages conferred and agreed that they had to ask the Sage's disciples to step in.
Their heartfelt offerings to the Sage had been plundered by highwaymen; the Sage's disciples couldn't just stand by and watch!
Yet the Sage's disciples were not easy to deal with; if anything went against their liking, they would start beating people.
The villagers were thoroughly sincere—ready to endure beatings and scoldings, all for the sake of their devotion to the Sage.
They knelt before the disciples' gates, refusing to rise, pleading only that they inform the Peak of the Sages of the villages' predicament.
Now it was the disciples' turn to be put in a bind.
The villagers were proving their sincerity to the Sage, and as disciples of the Sage, they couldn't simply ignore it.
They were vicious men who would strike any child without hesitation, no matter how young.
But beating children was one thing; dealing with bandits was another entirely.
When children were beaten, they didn't dare fight back.
When bandits beat them, they wouldn't go easy.
In the end, three of the bolder disciples agreed to the task and headed up the mountain in the dead of night to deliver word to the Sage.
Could they make it up to the Peak of the Sages?
They could.
The mountains ran on and on in this region, and there was more than one path leading to the Peak of the Sages. Li Banfeng couldn't possibly lay ambushes on every single one.
Besides, his aim was plunder; he wasn't going to jump every passerby who crossed his path.
Donning coarse cloth garments to disguise themselves as farmers, the three disciples delivered the message to the Peak of the Sages.
As disciples of the Sage, did they lack even a shred of cultivation?
As it turned out, they truly had none.
There were ranks among the disciples; those who possessed cultivation resided on the Peak of the Sages and never went down the mountain to lecture.
Inside the sprawling compound, the youth who had opened the door for Li Banfeng back then stood beneath the covered corridor, waiting outside the door for his master's command.
Rapid, ragged breaths drifted out from the room without pause; the Master was currently cultivating.
When the breathing finally leveled out, the youth at last heard his master's voice: "This man claims to be the peddler's senior brother?"
The youth replied, "That is what the villagers said. It is likely just nonsense."
"Not necessarily. He arrived uninvited and stirred up so much turmoil; he must have some backing. Send Jingzhang and Wenlie down the mountain to teach him a lesson first."
The youth assented. The sound of heavy breathing rose once more from within the room; the Master had resumed cultivating.
Leaving the residence, the youth went to two other compounds and summoned his senior brothers, Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie.
Hearing their master's orders and getting a clear grasp of the situation, the two disciples immediately went down the mountain to look for Li Banfeng.
Finding Li Banfeng was not hard.
During this time, over two hundred people from various villages had come one after another to seek refuge under Li Banfeng. All of them were outsiders who wanted to leave but couldn't.
With so many people, their numbers and presence swelled. At first they had lived in the cave, but soon there wasn't enough room, so everyone began constructing wooden cabins. The cabins were built in connected rows, growing into a mountain stockade.
Li Banfeng named the stockade Benefactor Stockade.
Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie were both in their early fifties. Each changed into a short coarse-cloth jacket bearing multiple layers of patches, looking for all the world like impoverished commoners.
When the two reached Benefactor Stockade, they ran into Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu on patrol outside and asked them for a drink of water.
Fang Lianfu asked, "Are you beggars from out of town?"
Qu Jingzhang shook his head. "We aren't beggars. We are locals. We don't want food, just a mouthful of water."
Niu Guangda frowned. "You're locals, so why didn't you go to the villages instead of running out into this deep forest to ask us for water?"
Ren Wenlie let out a sigh. "Young man, how can you speak like that? At our age, do you think we'd trick you out of a sip of water? Even if you just drew a bowl of cold well water for us, we would remember your kindness. Yet you interrogate us back and forth as if we came here to steal."
Niu Guangda blinked. "I was just asking. I didn't mean anything by it..."
Fang Lianfu flushed. "We're young and not well-versed in proper etiquette. Wait here, elders. I'll have someone brew tea for you and bring out some pastries."
Two farmers venturing into the wild, desolate mountains to beg for water was suspicious by its very nature.
Yet after being rebuked by the two, Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu felt deeply ashamed instead.
Having finished the tea and pastries, Qu Jingzhang let out a burp. "Young men, not that I mean to lecture you, but respecting the elderly is the foundation of being human. Will you never grow old yourselves? When you reach our age and go out into the world only to be questioned like thieves, would you feel good about it?"
Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu were red-faced, unable to utter a word.
Ren Wenlie stretched lazily. "Young men, is there a place where we can rest our feet? We won't stay long. We're truly worn out and just want to sleep for a bit."
Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu were in a dilemma.
Letting outsiders stay in the stockade without permission was forbidden—that was a rule set by the Benefactor.
Yet these two old men were well on in years and only wanted a short nap; refusing such a small plea felt wrong on their consciences.
After discussing it for a moment, the two youths told them, "We'll take you to our quarters to rest for a while, but you must leave before dark."
Ren Wenlie smacked his lips. "What are you implying now? Do you think we'd refuse to leave? Why are youngsters nowadays all like this? How did your parents raise you?"
The two youths didn't say another word, quietly leading the two old men back toward their cabin. Just as the old men were about to go in, they saw a man wearing a fedora and sporting a full beard walking toward them.
"What are you two doing? Shirking your patrol to hide in your cabin and slack off?"
Seeing it was Li Banfeng, Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie exchanged a glance. It seemed this bearded man was the person they were looking for.
Ren Wenlie spoke first. "Good hero, don't blame these two youngsters. We were passing through and just looking for a spot to rest our feet. These two young men were kind enough to find us a place."
Qu Jingzhang chimed in, "At our age, seeking a place to rest here—could that really violate some rule?"
Li Banfeng quickly replied, "You two misunderstand. Respecting the elderly is the foundation of being human. No matter what rules there are, respecting elders must come first. The quarters of these two boys are messy and filthy; it wouldn't do to have you two elders rest in such a place. Elders, come with me. You can stay right where I live."
Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie kept their composure and followed Li Banfeng into the cave.
Ren Wenlie looked around. "You live here?"
Qu Jingzhang sighed. "Look here, fellow, why lie to us? You're the chief of this bunch; how could you possibly live in a place like this?"
Li Banfeng bowed his head. "Please excuse me. I don't care to live in houses; I just happen to love caves."
Qu Jingzhang frowned. "Is it appropriate to make such jokes with two elders?"
Ren Wenlie said, "Did your parents never teach you the proper way to speak to elders?"
Li Banfeng replied truthfully, "They really never did."
As he spoke, sweat poured down Li Banfeng's face, hidden only because the brim of his hat was pulled low enough that the two didn't notice.
The enemies were employing a Virtue Cultivator technique—Emulating the Virtuous.
Under the effect of this technique, they imposed an exceedingly high moral standard upon Li Banfeng, plunging him into self-reproach and guilt beneath their accusations.
Could this technique be resisted?
That depended on their respective cultivation.
Judging from the situation, both Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie were around the fifth tier, on par with Li Banfeng's Dwelling Cultivator level. But with the two combining forces, Li Banfeng suffered a considerable disadvantage.
"Little brother, can you hold out?"
The liquor gourd and the Hanxue pendulum were using Mind Cultivator techniques to help Li Banfeng stay lucid, but with Li Banfeng having far too many stray thoughts, the situation was difficult to turn around.
Mengde, hanging from the cave wall, was also assisting in secret.
Only because Li Banfeng was thoroughly prepared had he managed to endure this long.
He looked at the two and said with a smile, "I gave you tea, served you pastries, and found you a place to stay, yet here you are, bitching and whining, picking fault with this and that! Did your parents never teach you manners? You've lived to such an age yet act with such disregard for decency—don't your faces burn with shame?"
The two were taken aback, never expecting Li Banfeng could still say such things.
Qu Jingzhang said angrily, "Is that how you speak to an elder?"
Ren Wenlie snapped, "Do you have no upbringing? Don't you know how to respect your elders?"
Li Banfeng swept his eyes over the two and retorted, "That's what I should be asking you. Do you understand respecting your elders? Do you have any idea that I'm older than you?"
Qu Jingzhang was struck dumb, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Ren Wenlie let out a cold laugh. "Aren't you afraid of making people laugh their teeth out, spouting nonsense like that?"
Li Banfeng glared at Ren Wenlie. "How many teeth do you have that they fall out so easily? I am the peddler's senior brother! I've eaten more salt than you've crossed bridges! What right do you have to act like elders before me? When you two were born, I didn't even know where I was yet! You two motherless, ill-bred bastards—is this how you speak when facing an elder? Did your mother never teach you manners?"
Li Banfeng's rant was completely scrambled and topsy-turvy, but most of what he said was actually the truth.
Yet Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie weren't paying attention to the facts; they were fixated on one question alone: Was this man truly the peddler's senior brother?
If he really was the peddler's senior brother, wasn't showing off techniques in front of him sheer stupidity?
Seeing their torn, conflicted expressions, Li Banfeng knew he had them. Both Incontrovertible Words and A Thousand Considerations of a Fool had succeeded.
Li Banfeng pointed at the pair and barked, "Have you no shame? If you know what's humiliating, get outside and stand there reflecting on yourselves!"
Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie couldn't be certain whether Li Banfeng's claims were true or false. After an agonizing internal struggle, they made their decision: leave this troublesome place for now.
If Li Banfeng truly was the peddler's senior brother, the only reason they were still alive was his mercy.
If he wasn't, they had already pinpointed his dwelling, and it wouldn't be too late to deal with him once an opportune moment arose.
Saying nothing further, the two turned and walked out of the cave.
This was a disastrous move.
A Thousand Considerations of a Fool—weighing gains and losses, racked with second thoughts.
This was the choice most advantageous to Li Banfeng.
Members of any other pathway must never turn their backs to a journey cultivator—otherwise, they will never have the chance to look back again.
Li Banfeng took a sudden, forceful step, crushing a stone on the ground beneath his foot.
Several shards of rock struck the backs of their heads.
Chapter 243