Li Banfeng opened the seal box. Inside lay a golden-yellow seal.
On the front face of the seal was carved a silvery-white circle, identical to the pattern on the box.
Li Banfeng stowed away both the seal and the box.
The soil beneath the seal box was relatively soft, likely to make it easier for the seal to draw in cultivation.
Li Banfeng dug down more than half a foot with his hands. He found no books, but instead uncovered an arched, tile-shaped, gleaming piece of iron.
What was this iron piece used for?
Vertically inscribed upon the iron piece were eight large red characters: *A territory of one hundred li, held by this proof.*
Was this the covenant deed?
Specks of blood dotted the writing. Whose blood was this? The local spirit's?
Li Banfeng turned the iron piece over to inspect the back. Two lines of small text were carved there:
The first line read: *Lord Mountain-Uprooter was enfeoffed with this land.*
The second line read: *Lord Mountain-Uprooter was defeated by Bei Wushuang; ten li ceded to the southeast.*
What did that second line mean?
Lord Mountain-Uprooter had been defeated by a local spirit named Bei Wushuang and had ceded ten li of land.
But who had written these words?
Did Lord Mountain-Uprooter carve them herself after her defeat?
That didn't add up.
Once a covenant deed was buried, it could not be unearthed; digging it up meant forfeiting the station of local spirit. Lord Mountain-Uprooter's covenant deed couldn't possibly have been dug up before.
If it had never been unearthed, who had written that line?
Li Banfeng grew increasingly puzzled, sensing that the object in his hands was somewhat uncanny.
He opened the Portable Abode and brought the covenant deed, local seal, and seal box before his wife.
The wife praised him, "Husband has marvelous means! To fetch the covenant deed so quickly."
"This iron piece is the covenant deed?"
"This is the covenant deed of a local spirit, also known as the covenant iron tally. It is the token by which a local spirit establishes life and footing."
Li Banfeng flipped the deed over. "Then who wrote these characters?"
"The deed wrote them itself."
"The deed can write by itself?"
"Yes. The first line was recorded by the deed itself after that crone was enfeoffed and shed her blood upon the territory.
"The second line..."
The wife paused, then continued, "...was when that crone fought the local spirit Bei Wushuang, lost the battle, and ceded ten li of land to them.
"Both parties drew up an agreement, shed their respective blood on the ceded land, and burned the agreement. Their covenant iron tallies resonated with one another and automatically wrote down the land cession."
It actually had such a function!
Speaking of the second line, the wife's tone turned somewhat somber. "That old wretch simply had to cause such a mess. This is the hardest part to handle."
Li Banfeng said, "I think it sounds easy enough to handle. I can write an agreement as well, stating that the old wretch fought me, lost, and ceded all her territory to me. Then we shed blood and burn it—won't that record it on the covenant iron tally?"
"This is a major matter that would alarm the Inner States! Husband must not write recklessly."
"A war between local spirits alarms the Inner States?"
"A battle between local spirits won't alarm the Inner States. But Husband, are you a local spirit?"
"No."
"You are not a local spirit, so by what right would you take over a local spirit's land? If such a massive affair comes to the notice of the Inner States, they will surely dispatch people to find you. When that happens, losing the station of local spirit would be guaranteed, and you might not even keep your life."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "The deed stays buried underground where no one can see it. How would the Inner States know about it?"
"Oh, Husband! Any writing that appears upon a covenant iron tally can be seen by the Inner States! We have to find a way to keep them from noticing."
"How can we keep them from seeing it?"
"Local spirits number in the hundreds; the Inner States might not even remember someone like Lord Mountain-Uprooter exists. As long as we keep them from noticing you, we can pull the wool over their eyes."
"That's simple. As long as my name doesn't appear on the tally, they won't notice me. I'll have Meng Yuchun draw up an agreement saying she defeated Lord Mountain-Uprooter and seized all her land."
"Precious Husband, that won't work. That would just be handing a territory to Meng Yuchun on a silver platter—what would be left for you? The iron tally must bear your name, and it must have your blood."
As she spoke, the gramophone puffed out a cloud of steam that swirled back and forth over the iron tally.
After a moment, the bloodstains upon the iron tally gradually vanished.
"Sweetheart Husband, bear the sting for a moment." The gramophone pricked Li Banfeng's finger with her stylus, and Li Banfeng sprinkled his blood over the iron tally.
"Husband, that's half the battle won. Next is the name. The iron tally must bear your name."
"Won't having my name give the game away? The people of the Inner States haven't seen me before anyway."
"Didn't I tell you? Local spirits number in the hundreds; the people of the Inner States can't remember so many names.
"If we quietly alter the name, the Inner States won't notice, especially since this place is so remote—they're even less likely to pay attention.
"The pity is that this old wretch lost a battle. Her name is definitely on Bei Wushuang's iron tally too. I can't alter Bei Wushuang's iron tally, and if the two sides don't match, that leaves a hidden danger. That's why this matter is tricky."
Indeed, Bei Wushuang's tally surely read: *Bei Wushuang defeated Lord Mountain-Uprooter; gained ten li of land.*
"Lord Mountain-Uprooter" versus "Li Banfeng"—the discrepancy was glaring.
Unless he toppled Bei Wushuang too and dug up his covenant deed alongside it.
What was he thinking?
Did he think local spirits were wild greens, to be plucked at a whim?
After a moment of silence, the gramophone asked, "Husband, this humble servant cannot think of a foolproof solution."
"If you can't think of one, don't dwell on it," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head. "Just carve my name directly onto it. Either way, the Inner States can't keep track of so many details, and they probably won't cross-check the skirmishes of two local spirits."
"That may be, but this servant cannot rest easy. It would be best not to leave Husband's real name upon this iron tally."
"Will it work without using my real name?"
Pondering as she sang, the gramophone replied, "You cannot leave a real one, nor can you leave a false one; you must leave one that is half-real and half-fake. Husband, do you have a nickname?"
"Nicknames? I have plenty!"
"An ordinary nickname won't do. It must be a special nickname—one you acknowledge in your heart, and not known to too many people."
This left Li Banfeng thoroughly confused.
The wife explained, "Oh, Husband, only if you acknowledge it yourself can the iron tally resonate with you and elevate you to the station of local spirit. But after all, you aren't a local spirit; this is a subterfuge to deceive heaven and cross the sea. If someone traces the nickname back to you, things will get messy. That's why not too many people can know it."
"Then I'll just make up a nickname right now. Nobody will know it except us."
"Oh, Husband, making one up on the spot certainly won't work! The nickname must at least have been called by someone before, and it must be deeply familiar to your ears, or even Husband won't feel a resonance."
That made it tricky.
Li Seven certainly wouldn't do—too many people knew it.
Fort Lord, Benefactor, Boss Ye—quite a few people knew those as well.
Li Baisha!
Not many people knew this nickname.
Apart from the people at the welfare home, only He Jiaqing, Qin Xiaopang, Youtao, and Caoye knew it.
Still not safe enough. Qin Xiaopang, Youtao, and Caoye were still in Puluo Province.
Was there a safer nickname...?
"Li Furong." Li Banfeng thought of a nickname.
Old Lady Wu at the welfare home, whenever times were slightly better, would always make Li Banfeng go buy Furongwang cigarettes. This nickname was unquestionably familiar to his ears.
Apart from the folks at the welfare home, only He Jiaqing knew this nickname. It had only been mentioned casually over a meal back then; he had most likely forgotten it.
Even if he hadn't, He Jiaqing would never imagine that I became a local spirit in such a remote place.
The moment the words left his mouth, Hong Ying burst out laughing. "Li Furong? How is that a man's name!"
The other dharma treasures joined in the laughter.
The gramophone didn't laugh. "Husband, this servant told you just now, this cannot be made up on the spot. The stakes are immense—Husband must be prudent!"
"It's not made up. This really is my nickname."
Seeing Li Banfeng so certain, the gramophone questioned him no further.
Using steam, she heated the covenant iron tally red-hot, and stroke by stroke with her stylus, she rewrote the text upon it. Half an hour later, the name on the tally was altered.
The first line of small text: *Li Furong was enfeoffed with this land.*
The second line of small text: *Li Furong was defeated by Bei Wushuang; ten li ceded to the southeast.*
"Husband, the iron tally has been altered."
"Oh, Wife, does that mean I'm a local spirit now?"
"Oh, Husband, as long as the Inner States don't find out, Husband is a local spirit!"
"If my territory gains human presence, will my cultivation grow as well?"
"Not just yet, Husband. Husband's cultivation is still on the ground-crust, while the cultivation brought by human presence belongs to the clouds. Once Husband reaches the Cloud First Tier, you will be able to enjoy it. By then, even if the Inner States discover it, Husband will have the ability to deal with them!"
"Wonderful, Wife!" Li Banfeng brimmed with confidence for the future.
"Husband, find a place to bury the deed first. It must be buried discreetly, and place the local seal on top of it. Once that's done, the deed is complete."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I'll bury it back in its original spot."
"Is the original spot discreet?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Very discreet. Ordinary people can't find it, and even if they did, they couldn't get in."
Stepping out of the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng buried the covenant iron tally back in its original spot, restoring the earth as closely to its prior state as possible.
He took the local seal and phased out of the cellar using Unimpeded Passage. There, he saw the eyeless wolf.
The mountain wolf padded forward, sniffed Li Banfeng, and asked, "Master, did you find the deed?"
"Found it. I'm taking the deed away with me now."
"Th-then... will you abandon us, Master?" The wolf grew anxious.
Li Banfeng asked, "Can't you get out?"
"How could we? This compound has no exit!
"Besides, none of us have eyes—how would we survive outside?"
"What do you usually eat?"
"The living spirits of the territory offer incense, candles, and tributes to the local spirit. Carried by the smoke of the incense and candles, these tributes are delivered to the compound's granary. Lord Mountain-Uprooter would distribute whatever leftovers she didn't finish to us."
Seeing how the wolf was skin and bones, Li Banfeng guessed it had rarely had a full belly.
"From now on, everything in the granary belongs to you lot. You're quite a sensible fellow. Come with me in a bit to distribute the grain, and in the future, it'll be distributed according to my rules."
Overjoyed, the mountain wolf asked, "Truly?"
"Truly!" Li Banfeng lifted the local seal and said, "I'm also going to bestow some cultivation upon you as a reward."
The mountain wolf howled with delight.
Li Banfeng lowered his voice and asked, "How is the local seal used?"
The wolf said, "You just stamp it on my head. Just gently—"
Before it could finish speaking, Li Banfeng stamped the seal onto the wolf's head.
Blue smoke rose from the wolf's head as it collapsed to the ground, twitching violently.
"M-Master... you only need to stamp it lightly... That much cultivation... I can barely withstand it..."
Li Banfeng looked at the local seal, brow furrowing slightly. "Too much?"
"Master, that one touch just now was twice what Lord Mountain-Uprooter ever gave." The mountain wolf's voice trembled.
Li Banfeng stroked the wolf's head. "My fault. I'll exercise better restraint next time."
"I'm not blaming you," the wolf said, shivering even harder. "You are a good person. As long as you don't cast me aside, I'll follow you for a lifetime. Could you tell me your name?"
Li Banfeng said, "I am the local spirit. My name is Local Spirit."
...
Yuezhou, Garden Stadium. A soccer match had just concluded, and tens of thousands of spectators were filing out.
Two spectators chatted as they walked:
"First time watching a match live in the stadium—feels different, doesn't it?"
"Different, completely different! I shouted until my throat went hoarse."
"That's the whole point of the atmosphere!"
Posters hung at the stadium entrance advertising a concert the following day by a popular boy band.
He Jiaqing stood beneath the posters, quietly watching the streaming crowds before him with a faint smile.
At two in the morning, He Jiaqing slipped into the deserted stadium. His body transformed into a mass of clear water, flowing along the sewer and draining deep underground.
Within the sewers, He Jiaqing resumed human form and opened a hidden door beside a sluice gate.
Behind the hidden door lay a small subterranean hollow under three square meters in size. Inside rested a box—a yellow wooden box carved with a white circle.
He Jiaqing opened the box and retrieved a golden-yellow seal from within.
Looking at the seal, He Jiaqing sighed softly. "If this keeps up, won't I go bald?"
Gritting his teeth, he stamped the seal onto the crown of his head. His body twitched violently.
Chapter 317