The Station

Li Banfeng set down the oil can, sat by the edge of the bed, and carefully considered the question his wife had raised. This was a vital matter: what should be done with Bei Wushuang's covenant deed? Send it back to Bei Wushuang's dwelling? Leaving aside the difficulty of entering Bei Wushuang's dwelling, even if he did get inside and safely stashed the deed away, Pan Dehai would ultimately reap the reward. What would happen if Pan Dehai took the deed? If he wanted this land and stayed here to be its local spirit, that wouldn't be a problem. Yet Pan Dehai had his own territory; he was the local spirit of a proper land, so how could he possibly care for such a remote newland? If he got his hands on the deed, he would most likely send it to the Inner States to trade for lifespan. And if the Inner States got hold of it, certain matters that had slipped under the radar might end up drawing unwanted attention. "Wife, why don't I just keep this deed on me for now and decide what to do when a use comes up later? What do you think?" "There is no harm in that for you, my husband, but I fear trouble will brew in Bei Wushuang's territory. A demon anomaly might be born there." "What is a demon anomaly?" "Monsters possessing extraordinarily high cultivation and immense combat prowess, yet bereft of humanity. "Day and night, newlands continuously generate cultivation, but this cultivation does not appear evenly. "Some places might not yield a shred of cultivation in eight or ten years, while in others, the generated cultivation can allow an anomaly to advance several tiers within a few months, or even a few days. "If such cultivation is claimed by an anomaly, they ought by all rights to burst and die on the spot, as their body cannot withstand such rapid ascension. "However, if an anomaly with an exceptionally sturdy physique happens upon it and survives the ordeal, their cultivation will soar while their humanity remains stunted. Such a creature becomes a demon anomaly." "Are demon anomalies similar to roaming anomalies?" "Far more ferocious than roaming anomalies. Roaming anomalies retain their humanity, whereas demon anomalies possess scarcely any at all. They have zero regard for rules, and some even dare venture into proper land to commit atrocities." Monsters that dared cause havoc in proper land? In the year and a half Li Banfeng had spent in Puluo Province, he had never heard of anything like that. "Wife, do all ownerless lands without a local spirit spawn demon anomalies?" "My husband, an ownerless land simply means it lacks a local spirit. Lacking a local spirit and lacking a covenant deed are two entirely different things. "Some local spirits die, yet their deeds remain within the territory. The deed gathers the newland's cultivation and channels it into the local seal for safekeeping. "A local seal has vast capacity; holding several decades' worth of cultivation is no trouble at all. When another local spirit takes over the newland in the future, as long as they distribute the seal's cultivation evenly among the territory's anomalies, no sudden surges will occur. "If you take Bei Wushuang's local seal away with you, the cultivation here will be left unchecked, and demon anomalies may well arise. "What's more, many anomalies will flock here to seek a living. After all, obtaining cultivation here will be completely unrestricted, governed purely by the law of the jungle." That wouldn't do. The likelihood of a demon anomaly forming wasn't high, so he could put that aside for the moment. However, if anomalies gathered in large numbers, word would spread that the deed had been dug up. If the Inner States turned their attention to this territory then, certain secrets were bound to unravel. Once some time had passed and Pan Dehai ceased paying attention to Bei Wushuang, he would find an opportunity to bury the deed back in the ground. As Li Banfeng was talking with his wife, he suddenly heard soft sobs coming from his ear. It was the Thread-Hook Earring. "What are you crying for?" Li Banfeng asked repeatedly, but the Thread-Hook Earring gave no answer, only continuing to weep. Sensing something was amiss, the gramophone told Li Banfeng to take off the earring and place it on her platter, where she inspected it closely for a moment. No matter who called out to it, the Thread-Hook Earring showed no reaction. The gramophone sighed. "The poor girl was hurt by a Sound Cultivator technique. She's deafened. The skill is called Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. Qiansi follows the Scrying Cultivator pathway; this is the very thing she fears most." At the mention of Sound Cultivator arts, Li Banfeng remembered something. "When I fought Bei Wushuang, I suddenly heard a deafening roar. My vision blurred and my hearing went dead. It was only thanks to your voice, Wife, that I managed to recover. Did you save me?" Whoosh! The wife chuckled. "Your humble servant heard that tremendous roar and knew someone had deployed a Sound Cultivator technique. "I was worried for you, my husband. Our residence knew where you were, so it used the train whistle to carry my singing over to you." Li Banfeng embraced his wife, pressing his face against the front cabinet. "Thank you for saving me, Wife." "Why thank your own woman? You'll only make me feel like a stranger. "My husband, leave Qiansi with me to recuperate for a few days. How much she recovers will depend on my skills and her own fortune. "I have also prepared a few pills here. Take them to your friends outside. Anyone afflicted by the Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar can use these pills to dispel it." Li Banfeng nodded and stepped out of the Portable Abode. Arriving at Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi's territory, Li Banfeng first expressed his gratitude for the earlier assistance and then inquired about the price. Li Banfeng never expected anyone to work for nothing. Zhang Wanlong had been a massive help just now, so proper compensation was only right. Zhang Wanlong held a cucumber in his hand, munching on it as he spoke. "Seventh Master, you're being far too polite. I was merely testing some new seeds to see what would grow. As for what was really going on, I genuinely haven't a clue." A clever man indeed. It wasn't that he didn't know; he simply wished to avoid getting tangled in unnecessary strife. Li Banfeng looked over the one-li plot of land. All manner of crops grew thick and dense, so crowded there was hardly room to set foot. "What you've grown here looks exceptionally good. Tomorrow, I'll consult with Miss Meng and have her grant you another three li of land to clear." Zhang Wanlong smiled. "As I told you before, we didn't dare clear too much land because we can't bring in foot traffic, and we didn't want to cause trouble for the local spirit." "That's no problem. It all comes down to what the local spirit wants. As long as she agrees, you two should hurry and start reclaiming the wasteland over the next few days." Zhang Wanlong voiced his thanks repeatedly. Li Banfeng called Xiao Genzi over and gave him ten Xuanchi Pills. This was not solely for the night soil; Xiao Genzi had also been dealing with Zhang Wanlong on his behalf, so Li Banfeng had to make sure he was well compensated. Xiao Genzi was still suffering from ringing in his ears, so Li Banfeng handed him one of the pills meant to dispel Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. "Swallow this and your ears will recover. Brother Zhang, take one as well." "Seventh Master, I have no need for that." Zhang Wanlong had heard the Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar as well, but had not been particularly affected. He picked a cucumber, rinsed it with clean water, and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, have a taste. Crisp and sweet." Li Banfeng accepted the cucumber, but did not eat it. The fake Bei Wushuang had been made of cucumber. Pan Dehai had once said that relying on the power of a single pathway, it was impossible to create a new species. Now, Li Banfeng harbored deep doubts about that statement. Did the things Zhang Wanlong cultivated count as new species? When he reached He Yuxiu's territory, Li Banfeng pulled out twenty Xuanchi Pills. He Yuxiu waved her hands dismissively. "Seventh Brother, you're looking down on me! Helping you is only right and proper for your little sister. Why would we keep score over this?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Even real brothers and sisters keep clear accounts. Take them." He Yuxiu examined the quality of the pills. "Seventh Brother, this is good stuff, but I have no use for it." Xuanchi Pills were indeed precious, and He Yuxiu had consumed plenty in the past. Having reached her current tier and age, she no longer took Xuanchi Pills. The pill poison was too potent and hard to purge; taking too many was more than her body could handle. "If you won't take them, you can keep them for those by your side." He Yuxiu glanced over at Youtao, who was crouching beside the wooden hut with a pale face, still not recovered from the harm of Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. Li Banfeng handed two more medicinal pills to He Yuxiu. "This medicine can dispel Sound Cultivator techniques." He Yuxiu waved a hand. "It was just a single loud bang. I don't need medicine. Give them both to that girl. "Seventh Brother, when can we head back to Lüshui City? I want to take this girl out to see the world, so she doesn't spend all day thinking about grinding mirrors." Li Banfeng smiled. "Soon." "Seventh Brother, was that camel a local spirit?" "Yes." Li Banfeng didn't hide it. "Do you know where his covenant deed is?" "It should still be at his dwelling. Why are you interested in that?" He Yuxiu said, "Turning a local spirit's covenant deed over to the Inner States can get you a hundred years of lifespan. "Back then, my father risked nearly the entire He family fortune to buy a local spirit's covenant deed. But when it was delivered to the Inner States for inspection, it turned out to be a fake. "My father was furious. He staked what remained of our assets and called in every contact the He family had just to snatch our family business back. "Back then, I couldn't fathom how my father could let himself get swindled over something like that. But thinking about it now, that's a whole century of life. Put that before anyone, and none could resist the temptation." Trading a covenant deed in the Inner States for a hundred years of lifespan was something Li Banfeng had known for a while. Yet a newland stripped of its covenant deed would breed demon anomalies. Was the Inner States deliberately offering such exorbitant prices to purchase deeds in order to foster favorable conditions for demon anomalies to arise? Li Banfeng asked He Yuxiu, "How did your father travel to the Inner States?" "With a travel permit, of course. You can obtain one from the Garrison Commissioner. Prominent families all possess permits to enter the Inner States, though procuring one is terribly difficult—far harder than getting a permit to the Outer States." Was the path to the Inner States held in the hands of the Garrison Commissioner as well? ... When he arrived at Meng Yuchun's residence, she was still groggy and far from fully recovered. If she had taken on Bei Wushuang alone today, no matter what method she used, she would have stood little chance of victory. Meng Yuchun asked, "Where is Bei Wushuang?" "His whereabouts are unknown. Pan Dehai went after him." It wasn't that Li Banfeng wanted to withhold the truth, but some things would only bring harm if Meng Yuchun knew about them. Meng Yuchun sighed. "Let's just hope Pan Dehai disposes of that bastard. Otherwise, this place of ours will never know peace. "And I hope Pan Dehai never comes back either. That old codger makes my stomach turn..." At the mention of Pan Dehai, Meng Yuchun couldn't help but retch. Li Banfeng blinked. However bad Pan Dehai might be, surely he couldn't be sickening to this degree. "Take this pill first. It dispels Sound Cultivator arts. As for the Virtue Cultivator arts, there's nothing for it right now; you'll have to slowly neutralize that yourself." Meng Yuchun pushed the pill aside, looking piqued. "Who wants your medicine? First tell me: why did you write on my peaches?" "The circumstances were unusual. I was worried word would get out." "Couldn't you find anywhere else?" "Everywhere else was unsuitable. Pan Dehai was watching." Meng Yuchun's face flushed. "Knowing someone was watching, you still dared put your hands on me? Your guts are getting bigger by the day!" Li Banfeng offered a mild smile. "I'll need you to look after matters on my territory." Meng Yuchun nodded. "That's no problem." "Also, have the cook and the others inquire after news of Bei Wushuang. If anything comes up, we'll discuss it together." ... Five days later, the cook gathered news: Bei Wushuang was nowhere to be found, and nobody knew where he had buried his covenant deed. Pan Dehai had searched for three full days without success, eventually departing with Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyed Fish. Li Banfeng asked, "Is the news reliable?" The cook was very confident. "This friend served at Bei Wushuang's side for years. He saw it all with his own eyes." Pan Dehai truly hadn't found Bei Wushuang. He had seen flesh and blood scattered everywhere, but whether that constituted the whole of Bei Wushuang was impossible to verify. Meng Yuchun was somewhat puzzled. "Why did Pan Dehai take Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyed Fish with him?" Li Banfeng said, "Those two ladies are good-looking. The Great Paragon of Virtue might be taking concubines." Three days later, once it was confirmed Pan Dehai had not returned, Li Banfeng buried Bei Wushuang's covenant deed within Bei Wushuang's territory, and using the method his wife had taught him, transferred the cultivation stored in the local seal into his own local seal. Cultivation was hard currency; for anomalies, nothing held greater value. Another two days passed, and the station was completed. Li Banfeng walked out of the Portable Abode. He could clearly see the platform and canopy, but no tracks or train were in sight. The station was small and styled in a very antique fashion, yet finely crafted. The packed earth was leveled so smoothly that without a close look, one could hardly distinguish it from stone. Walking roughly twenty meters away from the train door, the platform vanished. Stepping back toward where the door was and waiting a moment, the station reappeared. The Portable Abode called this process "ticket validation." "Riding without a ticket shall be severely punished!" the Portable Abode specifically emphasized. Over the telephone, Luo Zhengnan delivered news: the Garrison Commissioner intended to acquire the Paramount. The Chu family had already agreed, and they were currently waiting on the Lu family's response. The Chu family had agreed? Had Chu the Eldest agreed, or had Chu the Second agreed? Li Banfeng did not care about the Chu family's stance, but half of the Paramount belonged to the Lu family. By making this move, the Garrison Commissioner was putting pressure on the Lu family. Luo Zhengnan also mentioned, "The Garrison Commissioner has shown some interest in the book and newspaper business at Black Rock Slope as well." This was putting pressure on Li the Seventh and Ma the Fifth. Li Banfeng changed into his familiar black suit, put on his black fedora, tucked away his keys, pulled the brim low, and departed his hundred-li territory, walking in the direction of Lüshui City. P.S. Let's see who breaks under the pressure first.