Cultivation was a peculiar thing: one part resided in the soul, and another part in the body. The cultivation in the soul had been consumed by the wife, while the cultivation in the body was left to the lotus. Li Banfeng understood this well.
Refining pills naturally caused loss, and the lotus had to earn a little something for her hard work. Li Banfeng could understand that as well.
Yet Ling Miaoying had possessed tier-seven cultivation, which meant that after advancing in tier, he still possessed sixty years of lifespan.
And that had only yielded six Golden Origin Pills?
Six Golden Origin Pills amounted to six hundred days of lifespan—not even two full years. Under such circumstances, Li Banfeng had to look into the matter.
"A-Lian, how much did you skim off this?"
The Red Lotus lacked the Portable Abode's methods; given Li Banfeng's current standing, he still couldn't hear her speak.
She wanted the wife to relay her words. The wife listened to her explanation for a moment, then turned to Li Banfeng and said, "Husband, there's no need to fuss over this."
Seeing how confident the wife was, Li Banfeng felt reassured.
The lotus indeed had her own schemes, but the wife seemed to have her own ways of dealing with her.
Li Banfeng rested for a day and then returned to the newland.
With the first round of land reclamation over, Li Banfeng had worried that no one would be willing to join the second round.
The outcome proved different from what he had expected. Quite a few people signed up for the second round. For one, Meng Yuchun was very generous, giving the land reclaimers plenty of local specialties.
Secondly, food could be found in this place. Within Meng Yuchun's territory lay a stretch of woods with numerous fruit trees that had green bark and red leaves. The fruits were the size of a fist and edible. In terms of flavor, some tasted like glutinous rice, some like naked oats, some like beef or mutton, and some like toenails—each completely different.
Not only were the fruits edible, but plenty of edible wild greens also grew nearby, ensuring a steady supply of both meat and vegetables.
Finding food was an extremely difficult task in the newland. For hunters, as long as there was food, it was a place where they could make a living; they could tolerate it even if it was remote.
That everyone was willing to reclaim land was naturally a good thing. Li Banfeng took the opportunity to stroll around the surroundings. After walking several dozen li, he suddenly saw Meng Yuchun standing amid a patch of flowers, a smile on her face, waving at him.
"Come here! Hurry, come over!"
Li Banfeng paused, surprised. What had happened to make her smile so happily?
Meng Yuchun called out, "Come over quickly, while no one's looking."
While no one's looking?
What did she want to do?
Rob me?
Li Banfeng raised his guard.
Meng Yuchun grew anxious. "Why aren't you coming over yet?"
Li Banfeng said, "Tell me first, what do you want me over there for?"
"What else could it be? I've been waiting for you forever."
Li Banfeng found this even more baffling. "Why were you waiting for me?"
Meng Yuchun chided with a pout, "I've put it so plainly. Do you really not understand?"
Li Banfeng genuinely didn't understand. "If you want to do something, just say it straight!"
Meng Yuchun sighed. "What a dull blockhead. Our meeting was destined by fate—do some things really have to be spelled out so plainly?"
Destined by fate?
Those words seemed rather out of place.
Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and asked, "You don't know who I am?"
"I..."
Meng Yuchun froze where she stood. The smile vanished from her face, and her expression gradually warped into a sinister scowl.
This Meng Yuchun was an impostor.
Who was impersonating her? And how could they look so identical?
The two faced off in silence for a moment, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Suddenly, someone called out from the side, "Little brother, don't do anything rash! That's an Injured Demon Fiend."
Li Banfeng looked toward the voice and saw a man around sixty years old, with scruffy, grizzled hair and beard, wearing a grime-stained gray cloth shirt. He was crouching amid the wild grass, pressing his palm down to signal Li Banfeng not to make any sudden moves.
Who was this now?
While he was pondering, the fake Meng Yuchun on the slope suddenly charged straight at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng fell back to evade, intending to gauge his opponent's moves first. But the crouching man sprang up before him, pulled a bronze mirror from his robes, and shone it at the fake Meng Yuchun.
The bronze mirror burst with radiant light. Shrouded in the brilliance, smoke poured from the fake Meng Yuchun's body as she let out a shrill, agonizing wail.
The man turned his head and shouted to Li Banfeng, "Little brother, you go first!"
The moment his words landed, Li Banfeng's feet abruptly left the ground. His body floated into the air, flying straight toward the depths of the mountain woods.
What sort of spell was this?
How could it make him fly?
Was this the fake Meng Yuchun's spell, or the old man's?
An invisible force supported Li Banfeng's body, carrying him swiftly forward through the air.
Li Banfeng stomped repeatedly in mid-air, continually disrupting the source of the force. After flying for more than two minutes, he finally broke free of the spell and landed back on the ground.
Looking back, the fake Meng Yuchun had long since vanished without a trace. Li Banfeng had no idea how far he had flown, but the speed of flight had seemed roughly on par with his all-out sprinting speed.
What on earth was going on?
Completely mystified, Li Banfeng suddenly saw the old man catching up, panting for breath. "Little brother, you have a tenacious life. If you'd taken one more step forward back there, even I couldn't have saved you!"
Li Banfeng stared at the old man, his face full of suspicion, and said nothing.
The old man smiled. "I am the local god of the neighboring territory. By the rules, I shouldn't cross into Meng Yuchun's domain. But Meng Yuchun has only just become a local god; there are rules she doesn't know, and things she hasn't seen before. The girl is rather careless by nature, and that Injured Demon Fiend disguised itself as her to stir up trouble on her land. I was worried she might suffer a mishap, so I came over to have a look."
Li Banfeng still said nothing.
The old man said, "Were you scared out of your wits? Don't worry, this Injured Demon Fiend knows some restraint. As long as I'm here, she won't dare give chase lightly."
Li Banfeng blinked, eyeing the old man with grave scrutiny.
The old man dragged over two rocks, set them on the ground, and said to Li Banfeng, "Stop worrying. Let's sit and talk."
With that, the old man sat on one of the stones.
Li Banfeng didn't sit. He remained standing, staring at the old man.
The old man frowned. "What's the matter with you, kid? You won't sit when told, and you won't answer when spoken to?"
"You don't know who I am?" Li Banfeng finally spoke.
The old man gave a start. He looked Li Banfeng up and down, then asked tentatively, "You are...?"
Li Banfeng frowned. "You really don't recognize me?"
The old man's cheek twitched, and then he broke into a smile. "You've seen me before? Then there's no need for further words. It's about time I made my move."
Li Banfeng sprang off the balls of his feet and took off running at top speed!
The old man hung suspended in mid-air, in relentless pursuit.
What incredible speed! Was this old man a journey cultivator too?
"Mountain trails are treacherous—let me gift you a walking stick!" The old man tossed a tree branch toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng dodged swiftly. The branch plunged into the ground without touching him.
The old man called out again, "Since you're in such a rush to leave, let me send you on your way!"
A bizarre force surged up beneath his feet. Having experienced it once, Li Banfeng struck before his feet could leave the ground, executing Treading Ten Thousand Rivers to crush the source of the force to powder.
"Seeing you run so hard, let me wipe your sweat for you!"
A gentle breeze brushed past, drying the beads of sweat on Li Banfeng's face.
"Halt!" the old man shouted, and Li Banfeng froze where he stood like a clay figurine.
Just like that, he stopped—his legs freezing completely outside his control.
Hovering before Li Banfeng, the old man said sternly, "Listen to me closely. You have received three acts of devotion from me. Now it is time for me to collect my payment. Stand there and do not move—that is the first payment."
What did that mean?
What were three acts of devotion?
When had he ever received this man's devotions?
The old man began with a question. "I will ask you some things—this is the second payment, and you must answer truthfully. You said just now that you knew me. When was that?"
Li Banfeng had no desire to speak, yet his mouth opened uncontrollably.
Breath pushed through his throat. Despite struggling to hold back with all his might, he still spoke the truth:
"I don't know you. I only asked if you knew me."
The old man's cheek twitched again. "Clever brat, bluffing me! Let me ask you another thing: what is your relationship with Meng Yuchun?"
Once again, Li Banfeng uncontrollably spoke the truth: "I reclaim land in her domain. Aside from that, there is no other relationship."
The old man nodded. "Then you are of no use, and there is no need to keep you alive."
Li Banfeng's thoughts raced, searching for a way to escape.
His feet were beyond his control, rendering journey cultivator techniques unusable.
Even if he pulled out his key and unlocked the door, he couldn't move to step through.
He had to find a way to break this man's technique, or else he could only wait for death.
What Dwelling Cultivator techniques could be used?
Try Heart Arrowing Home?
He tried, but his legs still wouldn't budge.
What about treasures?
Have the projector produce a helper?
The projector was too slow; before the helper could materialize, he would likely be dead.
Use the pistol?
What if it failed to fire?
The Tang dao?
This old man's cultivation was clearly superior to his own, and by more than a single tier. The Tang dao had limited combat power and most likely couldn't hurt him.
What other treasure could he use?
The old man was pondering how to finish Li Banfeng off. "I'll burn you to ashes to save the trouble of collecting a corpse. This is the third payment: you are not permitted to extinguish the fire."
Not permitted to extinguish the fire?
Did his word make it law?
It really was possible.
When he said not to leave, Li Banfeng couldn't leave.
When he commanded the truth, Li Banfeng had to speak the truth.
This was the man's technique.
If this technique was so potent, why hadn't he used it earlier?
Three acts of devotion?
Devotion and payment were equal—this was some kind of rule, a rule the man had to abide by.
Li Banfeng ducked his head at once, wrapping his arms tightly around his head.
Could this block fire?
The old man sneered, and a burst of flame instantly engulfed Li Banfeng.
The flames roiled up and down against Li Banfeng's body.
His clothes didn't catch fire, the treasures on him didn't catch fire, and not even a strand of hair burned.
The old man froze, baffled by what technique this could be.
This was the tier-six Dwelling Cultivator technique, Benevolent Dwelling Heart!
By visualizing oneself as the Portable Abode, one could withstand fatal attacks.
The Portable Abode was fireproof, so Li Banfeng was immune to being burned!
The old man drew a short blade from his waist, intent on hacking Li Banfeng down.
Li Banfeng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Three acts of devotion, three payments! Are you trying to take advantage?"
Would that count as taking advantage of him?
The old man hesitated for a moment, dispersed the flames, and shook his head. "I intended to burn you, but failed to burn you. The payment does not count as retrieved, so I am not taking advantage of you."
He's reasoning with me?
Why bother reasoning with me?
If he believed he wasn't taking advantage, he could just strike directly—why did he have to justify it aloud?
The old man's blade was about to hack down.
Benevolent Dwelling Heart could only be used once; Li Banfeng had to find a way to parry.
The Tang dao leaped into the air, straining to block the old man's short blade.
The old man bellowed, "No resisting!"
With a clatter, the Tang dao fell to the ground.
Even my treasures are controlled by him?
The liquor gourd jumped up, aiming at the old man's eyes to spray liquor, but the old man shouted, "Until the third payment is returned, you are not permitted to strike back!"
Sure enough, the liquor gourd couldn't spray a drop.
What pathway was this?
How could a technique be so formidable?
With such powerful techniques and such speed, why did he still rely on a knife to kill?
He must have a weakness. Where on earth was that weakness?
Li Banfeng suddenly felt something vibrating in his breast pocket—the pocket watch was twitching incessantly.
Mengde?
What did she want to do?
Li Banfeng pulled the watch stem, and a calendar poster swiftly unfolded before him.
Seeing the short blade hacking down, Mengde shouted fiercely, "You shameless old bastard, where do you get three acts of devotion?!"
The old man was startled, then chuckled. "What is there to question about that?"
Mengde barked, "If you don't make things crystal clear, what right do you have to demand payment?"
Li Banfeng suddenly felt the restraint on his legs loosen slightly.
That meant the old man's technique had slackened.
Reason!
He must adhere to reason!
Reason was the key!
The old man nodded. "Fine, I will state the three devotions clearly. He nearly encountered an Injured Demon Fiend, and I saved his life—that was devotion one.
"When he fled, I used my technique to carry him the entire way—that was devotion two.
"He ran until he was dripping with sweat, and I wiped his sweat away—that was devotion three.
"I have explained myself clearly. What more do you have to say?"
Mengde fell silent; for the moment, she couldn't think of anything to say either. Those three devotions had indeed been spelled out plainly.
The previously loosened grip on his legs tightened once more; the old man's technique was reinforced.
The old man raised the blade once again, when Li Banfeng suddenly shouted, "Was what I encountered really an Injured Demon Fiend?"
The old man fell silent for a moment, offering no answer.
Mengde shouted, "You shameless old thief! You lied and cheated, yet you dare demand payment!"
Virtue Cultivator technique: Emulating the Virtuous.
The old man felt a pang of guilt. What Li Banfeng had encountered earlier was not an Injured Demon Fiend.
Li Banfeng flexed his knee—his right leg could move!
The old man's arm trembled slightly; he was suffering the backlash of some power.
PS: If he ran into a deaf person who couldn't hear him speak, would they be able to dodge the old man's technique?
Could things really be that convenient?
Chapter 310