A Way to Have It Both Ways After All

He Yuxiu fought for three days and effortlessly reclaimed her plot. Li Banfeng hired a few hands from Meng Yuchun's territory to help He Yuxiu build a house. He also bought wine and food from the chef and laid out a feast in the tent to celebrate He Yuxiu's success. He Yuxiu picked up a sheep's head, took a bite, and praised repeatedly, "This chef's skill is truly marvelous. Chef Cultivators are rare nowadays. If he weren't native to the newland, I'd really love to take him back to Lüshui City." Descended from a prominent family after all, He Yuxiu might be reckless, but she was well-traveled and knowledgeable enough to taste the origins of the food and drink. Though pleased with the meal, looking at the wooden cabin under construction, He Yuxiu frowned slightly. "Brother, do I really have to live here long-term?" When outsiders were around, He Yuxiu addressed Li Banfeng as "brother," just as the two of them had agreed. Li Banfeng nodded. "At the very least, a few months." He Yuxiu sighed. "When I was young, I never liked coming to the newland. This place is always pitch-black, full of talking birds and beasts, but hardly any talking people. Stay here too long, and it'll bore a person to death." Beside her, Youtao said, "Elder Sister, if you ever want to chat, you can always talk to me." He Yuxiu pinched the bridge of Youtao's nose with a fond smile, saying nothing. Youtao knew He Yuxiu likely had private matters to discuss with Li Baisha, so she made an excuse to leave the tent. Lowering her voice, He Yuxiu asked, "Any news from Lüshui City?" Li Banfeng indeed had gleaned some information through Luo Zhengnan: "The bad news is that the Garrison Commissioner is still targeting the He family, and business gets worse by the day. The good news is that none of the family branches are stirring up trouble, so things remain relatively peaceful within the clan for now." He Yuxiu nodded. "Haiqin was ruthless. He cleaned out all the fierce characters in the branch families. The branches became obedient, but when something really happens, they're completely useless—not one of them can shoulder any responsibility. Now that Haiqin is gone and Haisheng is in the Outer States, if I don't show my face soon, the He family is probably finished." Li Banfeng said, "If you show your face and fall straight into the Garrison Commissioner's hands, won't the He family be finished even faster?" "Hiding in the newland isn't necessarily safe either." He Yuxiu looked outside the tent. "I've seen plenty of Farm Cultivators, but one this wicked is a first for me. Look at his plot—it doesn't even look like newland anymore." The plot reclaimed by Zhang Wanlong indeed looked nothing like newland. Across the one-li area, neat paths crisscrossed between lush, thriving crops. Even before the reclamation period was over, he had already managed it into meticulous order. The next afternoon, the three days were up. Zhang Wanlong successfully reclaimed the land—a foregone conclusion. Li Banfeng brought over some wine and food to the plot to offer his congratulations, but the two of them were busy at work and couldn't pause to eat just yet. Zhang Wanlong had planted a few mu of crops, not for humans to eat, but specifically for anomalies. Across Li Banfeng's domain, two-faced sheep, headless cows, donkey-headed maggots, and eight-legged rabbits arrived in droves. These anomalies had not come to make trouble; they had come for a meal. The crops Zhang Wanlong grew for them were harmless and non-toxic, not to mention quite delicious. Feeding them had only one purpose: to let them produce raw materials for Xiao Genzi's night soil as they ate. Genzi no longer needed to scour around with his spoon and fork to pan for gold; right before his eyes were heaped mountains of gold waiting to be harvested. Carrying his food container, Li Banfeng sighed inwardly. No matter how brilliant the chef's culinary skill was, the aroma of wine and food ultimately could not rival the majestic presence of these gold mountains. Zhang Wanlong smiled. "Seventh Master, this is no place to eat. Please wait a moment while I tidy up another spot." A one-li plot was neither too big nor too small. Aside from the gold mountains and farmland, Zhang Wanlong had specially arranged a flower garden. A dining table set amidst the blossoms made for an atmospheric meal. After a couple of cups of wine, Li Banfeng asked Zhang Wanlong, "With your skills, reclaiming another three to five li of newland wouldn't be an issue, would it?" Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "We didn't come here to amass property. We truly came to cultivate. If we open up too much territory and human vitality can't keep up, wouldn't that just be causing trouble for the local spirit?" His words were beyond reproach, and so were his actions. Having eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Wanlong and Genzi went about their respective tasks. Li Banfeng took a walk around the plot; the fields were full of proper crops, and those eggplant versions of "Zhang Wanlong" sprouted earlier were nowhere to be seen. Where had those eggplant men gone? Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave the plot, he saw several "Zhang Wanlongs" returning. They carried wicker baskets on their backs, filled with all kinds of medicinal herbs. Li Banfeng glanced at the real Zhang Wanlong. "Looks like that fine crop of yours isn't just for relieving boredom—they can do plenty of chores too." Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "They can only handle rough labor. Seventh Master, take a look at the herbs in those baskets—eight or nine out of ten are useless. They mistook short leaves for long ones, thorns for flowers. When they finally found a proper ginseng plant, those fools didn't know how to dig up the root and brought back the leaves! What good is that?" The utility still seemed considerable, however. Li Banfeng carefully compared these grown "Zhang Wanlongs" with the original. There were slight differences, but without close inspection, one couldn't tell. "Could you sell me some of those seeds?" "That's easy!" Zhang Wanlong immediately produced a small pouch of seeds and handed it to Li Banfeng. Holding the seeds, Li Banfeng asked, "When these grow, do they all look like you?" Zhang Wanlong chuckled. "Seventh Master, you jest! If they all looked like me, what use would they be to you? What kind of fruit grows depends on whose blood you use to breed them. Before the seed goes into the soil, it must drink a drop of blood. Whichever blood it drinks, the resulting fruit will look like that person." Surprised, Li Banfeng asked, "Just one drop of blood is enough?" "Just a single drop." "How much for this pouch of seeds?" "Talking about money makes us strangers! I'd like to make you my friend, so the seeds are a gift." Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't accept things for nothing. If you won't name a price, I can only return them." Zhang Wanlong nodded. "Seventh Master speaks frankly! Since you insist on paying, I won't ask for too much. One thousand silver dollars for this pouch." Given what these seeds could do, one thousand silver dollars was genuinely not expensive; in fact, it was outrageously cheap. Li Banfeng said, "Isn't that price set a bit too low?" Zhang Wanlong smiled. "For anyone else, I might not sell no matter how much they offered. But you're different, Seventh Master. Whenever you come to buy seeds of this quality from me, that's always the price." "Alright, I'll remember this gesture. I'll take the seeds now and bring the money tomorrow." Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode with the seeds, placed one on the table, unscrewed the bloody pendulum Hanxue, and dripped a drop of blood onto the seed. The gramophone picked up the seed with her stylus, examined it for a moment, and seemed to notice something extraordinary. "What a formidable method! This could be of immense use! Perhaps... perhaps..." "Perhaps what?" Li Banfeng didn't understand why his wife was so excited. Pausing, the wife sang, "Aiya, Husband, your humble servant was merely babbling nonsense. Pay it no heed." Li Banfeng buried the seed in the plot He Yuxiu had reclaimed. Without Zhang Wanlong's techniques, it grew much slower; after waiting over an hour, only the roots had just sprouted. Li Banfeng went back to the Portable Abode to sleep. The next morning, when he went to look, a cabbage over a meter tall had grown from the ground. Why had it turned into a cabbage? Wasn't it supposed to be an eggplant? Could it be that eggplant men and cabbage men had different functions? Li Banfeng sliced the cabbage open with a knife, and a man crawled out from inside. He Yuxiu had just stepped out of her tent to wash up. Seeing this man, she nearly struck. She recognized him—he was a disciple of the Jiangxiang Gang's Soda Hall who had died at Li Banfeng's hands. Before dying, Hanxue had sucked quite a lot of his blood. Fortunately, He Yuxiu was knowledgeable and perceptive. Seeing the split cabbage nearby and the dull-eyed figure, she realized this must have been grown using that wicked Farm Cultivator's method. "What a fine thing!" He Yuxiu scrutinized the cabbage man from head to toe several times and marveled, "He looks exactly like the real person." Li Banfeng nodded. "If kept in our hands, it truly is a fine thing." He Yuxiu touched the cabbage man's clothes. "He's even wearing a white shirt. Seventh Brother, did you prepare that for him?" Li Banfeng shook his head. He hadn't prepared any clothes for the cabbage man; the shirt and trousers had come out with him from inside the cabbage. He Yuxiu noticed something as well. "This doesn't feel like cloth. It feels like cabbage leaves." It didn't feel real to the touch, but visually there were no flaws. Li Banfeng tapped the cabbage man's cheek with his scythe. The cabbage man showed no reaction. He felt no fear. Li Banfeng asked the cabbage man, "What's your name?" The cabbage man didn't reply; it seemed he couldn't speak either. Li Banfeng told him to move, but the cabbage man couldn't comprehend the command. He Yuxiu shook her head. "If this thing can't move, it won't be of much use." Li Banfeng pondered for a long while, recalling his earlier encounter with the watermelon men. Using his knife, he sliced off two pieces of cabbage leaf and chewed them down. The cabbage was crisp and sweet, but just like the watermelon, it was intensely astringent—so astringent that Li Banfeng broke into a sweat, his perspiration carrying the raw tang of cabbage. The cabbage man turned his face toward Li Banfeng, seemingly sensing him. Li Banfeng barked, "Walk!" The cabbage man slowly began to walk forward. "Run!" The cabbage man immediately picked up his pace. "Kill!" The cabbage man spun around and charged at He Yuxiu. Apart from Li Banfeng, she was the only person present, and because Li Banfeng carried the scent of cabbage, the cabbage man wouldn't attack another cabbage. Naturally, He Yuxiu wasn't afraid of a cabbage. With a single punch, she smashed the cabbage head to mush. Yet the remaining cabbage torso kept tearing at her. Throwing punch after punch, He Yuxiu battered the cabbage man completely into shredded leaves. Even reduced to fragmented limbs, the cabbage man fought relentlessly against her. Flicking the cabbage juice from her hands, He Yuxiu said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Brother, you can't underestimate this cabbage. One or two are easy to deal with, but hundreds or thousands would be a real menace. If there were even more—say, tens of thousands—they could probably march through Puluo Province unopposed." Li Banfeng looked toward Zhang Wanlong's plot at the luxuriant crops in the farmland, murmuring, "It's certainly troublesome, but it's also truly a fine thing." Back inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng sat by the edge of the bed in a daze. The gramophone asked, "Aiya, Husband, what's troubling you now?" Li Banfeng said, "I don't want to stay in the newland all the time, but certain matters on this domain need careful handling. If anything unexpected happens, I must be able to return and check on it." *Whoosh—* "Husband, you're putting your humble servant in quite a bind. This domain of yours is so remote. If you go to Lüshui City and trouble breaks out here, even if you sense it, you won't be able to rush back in time. You don't want to stay in your territory, yet you want to manage affairs here—a way to have it both ways like that is simply beyond your servant's imagining." Li Banfeng racked his brains for a long time, but couldn't think of a good solution either. If he sensed something on the domain, could he use his intent to have the Portable Abode bring him straight back to the plot? The person could return, but the key couldn't. Once on the plot, Li Banfeng wouldn't be able to return home for a short while. He was now a seventh-tier Dwelling Cultivator and possessed the skill Live and Work in Peace; staying away from home for an extended period would severely harm his fortune. *Buzz!* The Portable Abode shuddered abruptly, and an aged voice rang in Li Banfeng's ears: "There is a way: build a train station here." "What good would building a station do?" Li Banfeng didn't understand the Portable Abode's meaning. "With a station, I can stop the train," the Portable Abode answered. "Where can't you stop?" "It's different. Stopping at a station is called a scheduled stop. Stopping anywhere else is called an unscheduled stop." "What's the difference?" "The difference is that during an unscheduled stop, the doors stay shut. When stopping at a station, the doors remain open." "And what good would that... Wait a second!" Li Banfeng had a sudden epiphany. "You mean, if I build a station on this territory, you can bring me here without closing the train doors?" "So long as it's within the scheduled stop time, the doors remain open." PS: The scheduled stop time is key!