Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Calamity

Li Banfeng had genuinely never expected that a first-tier journey cultivator possessed two techniques. Startled, Li Banfeng asked, "'Seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity'—how do you use that technique?" The puller said nothing, keeping his head down as he pulled the rickshaw. Li Banfeng was about to press further when a sudden chill swept over him, making him shiver involuntarily. Subconsciously, Li Banfeng felt an inexplicable sense of dread. He had the feeling that if he asked a single question more, he would die at the puller's hands. The puller glanced back and asked, "Afraid?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Afraid." The puller chuckled. "Just now, I directed killing intent at you. Don't worry, I wasn't really going to kill you, just helping you test out the technique. "Seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity is the simplest technique. You getting into my rickshaw today—that's seeking good fortune. "A racing heart, trembling hands, shivering, goosebumps—any of these might be omens of danger. Whenever you run into something like that, stay as far away as possible. That is avoiding calamity. "The technique is easy enough, but there are always people who never quite get the hang of it—especially the careless ones who never take such minor signs to heart. "A journey cultivator travels across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers. You must be attentive to every detail. With every step you take, you have to weigh your very life." This technique pleasantly surprised Li Banfeng. "So as long as there's danger, a journey cultivator can always detect it?" The puller shook his head. "Where would you find such an easy deal? It depends on your cultivation level, on your magical treasures, and on your opponent's pathway. "If your opponent is two tiers above you, they can conceal their malice. If they want to harm you, you won't sense a thing. "Or if they have a treasure or technique that conceals ill intent, you still won't be able to detect it. "There are also secretive places that can mask peril. If your cultivation isn't high enough, you won't sense it either. "And if you run into a Dwelling Cultivator of the same tier, you won't see through any of their thoughts, nor will you perceive their malice." Dwelling Cultivators could avoid other people's notice, but who knew they could also hide their own malicious intent? The mind of a shut-in was truly impossible to fathom. Wind Rises on Level Ground, and seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity! Li Banfeng had learned quite a lot from the rickshaw puller; those five hundred dollars had been well worth it. "Brother, from the sound of it, Dwelling Cultivators seem to counter us journey cultivators quite a bit." "More than just 'quite a bit,'" the puller said with a wry smile. "Let me put it this way: usually, we steer clear of Dwelling Cultivators, and they steer clear of us. But once you get into a fight with a Dwelling Cultivator of the same tier, you have to be prepared for a fight to the death. "If we step into their dwelling, we're dead for sure. If we drag a Dwelling Cultivator to a perilous place, they're dead for sure. "Back in the day, I ran into a Dwelling Cultivator. Seeing that I was about to be forced into his dwelling, I took a brutal beating the whole way, hoisted him up, and charged toward the edge of a cliff. "Our footing as journey cultivators is steady, so I managed to keep my balance. But him being a Dwelling Cultivator? He couldn't stay on his feet, fell off the cliff, and plunged to his death. That's how I won. "Don't ever think either side will just stop when they've proved a point. There's no such luck. These two pathways are natural enemies. Whoever lets their guard down for a moment loses their life!" Seizing the opportunity, Li Banfeng asked, "Brother, do you know what techniques Dwelling Cultivators have?" "Hard to say," the puller replied, shaking his head. "Some Dwelling Cultivators share techniques, while others have different ones. They're all hard to identify—that part is consistent. But the ones I've run into each had their own tricks. "Dwelling Cultivators are rare to begin with, and there's no predicting a dwelling spirit's temperament. That makes them tricky to deal with. If you encounter one, just do your best to avoid them." Li Banfeng wanted to ask a few more questions, but the puller abruptly stopped. "We've arrived at the station. Take care." In just that short span of time, they had reached the station. As he stepped down, Li Banfeng asked one more thing: "Besides 'Wind Rises on Level Ground' and 'seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity,' do journey cultivators have any other abilities?" "Sure do, plenty of them. But you've reached your destination." Li Banfeng pulled out his wallet. "Pull me a while longer. Or even if you don't pull me, just chat with me. I'll pay. Name your price." The puller laughed. "Save your money. Today's affinity ends here. If fate brings us together again, I'll take my time telling you." With that, the puller wiped his face with a towel and pulled his rickshaw away from the station square. A few days ago, Li Banfeng had just stepped out of this station, and now he was about to set out on a journey back to Yuezhou. Once he returned, should he go visit He Jiaqing? Who knew whether the person lying in the hospital was actually He Jiaqing or not? Even if it really was him, getting involved would inevitably lead to entanglement with the Dark Star Bureau. Li Banfeng hesitated over whether he should meddle in He Jiaqing's affairs any further. Better buy the train ticket first. Once I get back to Yuezhou, I'll be able to... I'll be able to find a place to move bricks. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. What was so great about Yuezhou anyway? The station was very small, just a row of single-story buildings. The waiting hall was slightly taller, with the ticket office right beside it. Following what the puller had taught him, Li Banfeng first focused on controlling his hips, then his knees, and next his ankles and toes. The approach was correct, but that strand of force—about a finger-width thinner than hemp rope—was difficult to calibrate. The moment Li Banfeng lifted a leg, his entire body shot forward into the ticket office. Fortunately, the ticket office was empty. Li Banfeng braked just in time and arrived before the counter. The ticket clerk was dozing off and hadn't noticed anything unusual about him. Li Banfeng called out several times, "Ticket, please!" The clerk rubbed her eyes, yawned, and asked, "Where to?" "Yuezhou." "Seat or sleeper?" A seated ticket was definitely out of the question; it had to be a sleeper, and a first-class sleeper at that! The clerk prepared to print the ticket. "Train 1160, first-class sleeper is thirteen thousand. Earliest departure is tomorrow night at nine o'clock." Thirteen thousand! So expensive! Li Banfeng froze for a moment. He hadn't brought that much cash on him; most of his money was back in the Portable Abode. Just as he was thinking of heading into the Portable Abode to grab some cash, the clerk added, "Show your travel permit first." "Travel permit? What's that?" Li Banfeng asked, confused. The clerk frowned. "Without a travel permit, how do you expect to buy a train ticket?" Why shouldn't I be able to buy a ticket? What kind of ridiculous rule is this? While Li Banfeng was still puzzling over the concept of a travel permit, a man wearing a flat cap walked into the ticket office and quietly fixed his eyes on Li Banfeng. He had been waiting here for a long time. His name was Chu Yunlong, a "Big Nine"—a patrol squad leader—under the Wind Scout of the Jiangxiang Gang's Medicine King Hall, Second Branch. The gang leader was right: Li Banfeng really had come. Chu Yunlong slowly walked toward Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng was still arguing with the clerk. "Taking a train requires a travel permit? Why don't you ask for an imperial transit pass while you're at it? Is this train heading to the Western Heaven to fetch the Buddhist scriptures?" Li Banfeng was furious, trembling with indignation. He felt the clerk was deliberately making things difficult for him. "Have you ever taken a train before? You don't even know this basic rule?" The clerk grew angry as well; to her, Li Banfeng was making trouble out of nothing. Taking advantage of their argument, Chu Yunlong drew closer and closer to Li Banfeng. With both hands in his pockets and an expressionless face, he appeared as though he were merely lining up behind Li Banfeng to buy a ticket. In reality, the moment he touched Li Banfeng, he had ways to take control of him, force him to reveal the whereabouts of the bronze lotus, and then end his life. He was still seven or eight meters away from Li Banfeng, and the argument between Li Banfeng and the clerk was growing louder. "How come I never heard anything about a travel permit when I came here? Why are there so many rules once I get to you?" "I don't care where you came from. Without a travel permit, you can't buy a ticket. No use whining to me about it—those are the rules. Buy if you want to, or get lost if you don't!" Very good. Keep arguing just like that. The corners of Chu Yunlong's mouth curled up slightly as he continued to approach Li Banfeng. "What kind of rule is that? Bring out your rulebook and let me see it!" Li Banfeng roared, his temper fraying. "Why should I show you anything? Who do you think you are?" the clerk shot back, refusing to back down an inch. "If you won't show me the rules, that proves there are no rules! I'm coming in right now to take my ticket, and let's see why you shouldn't sell it to me!" Chu Yunlong was already standing directly behind Li Banfeng, slowly reaching out a hand. Argue, keep arguing, don't look back, just stay like that... Wait! What was this? Chu Yunlong's hand didn't touch Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng leaped onto the counter, intending to force his way into the ticketing booth! The clerk was stunned. "Don't you dare! Just you try coming in!" Li Banfeng really was about to barge in; he wasn't the sort to let himself be pushed around. At that moment, Chu Yunlong and the clerk shared the exact same thought: Is this guy insane? Chu Yunlong couldn't strike now because Li Banfeng was up on the counter. The clerk quickly sounded the alarm, and a deafening siren rang out through the ticket office. Li Banfeng didn't force his way any further into the booth. Crouching on the counter, he glanced back at Chu Yunlong behind him, then toward the entrance of the ticket office. Two uniformed men burst through the door. Li Banfeng didn't recognize them, but Chu Yunlong did. They were the station constables. The clerk pointed at Li Banfeng and shouted, "He's here to rob tickets! He has no travel permit, he's trying to cross illicitly!" Without a word, the two constables lunged toward Li Banfeng. Chu Yunlong quickly stepped aside; he had no desire to draw trouble onto himself. Li Banfeng jumped down from the counter, looked at Chu Yunlong, and shouted, "Brother, run! What are you standing around for?" "Wait, what—" Chu Yunlong blinked, at a complete loss for words. Li Banfeng took off like a shot. Blindingly fast, he broke right through the two constables' attempt to box him in and dashed out of the ticket office in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, the two constables immediately moved to surround Chu Yunlong instead. Chu Yunlong licked his lips, staring at the constables rushing him, entirely unsure of how to explain himself.