Yuan Shoulu

Inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng checked his magical treasures and weapons one by one. The gramophone asked, "Husband, who are you setting your sights on this time?" "Wife, Yuan Shoulu has blocked my way. I plan to take him out." "Yuan Shoulu?" Hong Ying gasped in shock. "Where is he?" The gramophone vented a puff of steam, scorching Hong Ying so badly that she shuddered. "Wench, my man was calling his wife! What are you answering for?" Hong Ying did not dare make a sound. The gramophone turned its horn toward Li Banfeng, its voice softening at once. "Precious husband, how do you know that man is Yuan Shoulu?" Li Banfeng said, "The man is a Beggar Cultivator, with cultivation above the clouds." "Did you fight him, husband?" Li Banfeng gave a rough account of the battle. "His techniques are very peculiar, and he's extremely experienced. I nearly suffered a major loss." Hong Ying said, "Husband, if it really is Yuan Shoulu, you must stay far away from him in the future. With your current cultivation, you're no match for him." The gramophone snarled, "Wench, is 'husband' yours to call? "Precious husband, after Yuan Shoulu left the army, he switched to become a Beggar Cultivator. He was originally a Martial Cultivator and quite skilled in combat. Are you truly certain you didn't mistake him for someone else?" "I couldn't be mistaken. His combat skills are indeed good; in close quarters, I couldn't get the upper hand at all." "A Beggar Cultivator?" Hong Ying froze for a moment. "He really went and became a beggar?" The gramophone sneered, "Blind old hag, you told me yourself back then that Yuan Shoulu said he'd rather beg for food than fight in wars. Well, he truly got his wish." Hong Ying turned to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Brother, since it really is him, you truly need to steer clear of him." Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can't steer clear. He's blocking the only path to Zhengjing Village." Hong Ying said, "Then just travel back and forth using our house. The station is already built anyway." Li Banfeng looked at Hong Ying. When building the station, she and Muskmelon Hong Ying had carried earth together, working with great diligence. Muskmelon Hong Ying had been worn out to exhaustion, and after repeated repairs failed to fix her, Hong Ying had eaten her herself. For some reason, Hong Ying's sense of belonging to this home had grown stronger. Her actively brainstorming ways to help Li Banfeng like this had been exceedingly rare in the past. Something must have happened between her and the wife. Li Banfeng looked first at the gramophone, then at Hong Ying, arriving at a rough conjecture in his mind. *While I was away, the two of them must have been scissoring!* Traveling back and forth using the station was fine for one person, but trying to bring along another would be troublesome. Moreover, the Portable Abode could only stay for one hour, which was not enough time to get many things done. Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can't let Yuan Shoulu block this road. I have to find a way to see him off." Hong Ying said, "Seventh Brother, relying on you alone is far too risky. I'll go with you. Yuan Shoulu is still afraid of me." "No!" the Portable Abode refused. Hong Ying pointed at the gramophone. "Why can this vicious woman go out, but you won't let me?" The Portable Abode said, "From now on, neither of you gets to go outside. There is no negotiating this." *Whoosh—* The gramophone sang, "Husband, don't rush. Beggar Cultivators are hard to deal with, but it's not as though there is no way. As long as you pick the right moment and send him into our house, you still have a chance of winning." Li Banfeng nodded. "I'm not in a rush. We definitely need to find a good time. What do you think about tonight?" "Oh, this temper of yours, husband," the gramophone sighed softly. "Husband, let us first learn about the techniques of the beggar pathway. Because this pathway is rather filthy, this humble servant does not know all that much, so I can only explain the basics. "From the moment they enter the pathway, Beggar Cultivators must learn the technique of Pleading for Pity. Up until the third tier, this is the only technique they have, which goes to show just how difficult it is. "Through pleading, a Beggar Cultivator can evoke pity in their opponent's heart, inducing them to give alms. Once they obtain alms, they can strip away a portion of the enemy's combat strength. The higher the Beggar Cultivator's cultivation, the more valuable the alms received, and the more combat strength they strip away. "The opponent you encountered is above the clouds, so he definitely holds the advantage in cultivation. But as long as you do not let him take anything too valuable, he cannot take away too much of your combat strength either. "Once Beggar Cultivators reach the fourth and fifth tiers, they learn the technique of Playing the Chi and Begging for Food. The result of this technique is similar to Pleading for Pity—both strip away some of the opponent's combat strength. "However, Pleading for Pity begs for alms, while Playing the Chi and Begging for Food forces alms. You heard that beggar's tune as well, husband. For a fourth-tier Beggar Cultivator, if you listen to an entire song, you will involuntarily give alms. The better the beggar plays, the more alms you give, and the more combat strength you lose. "At the fifth tier, Playing the Chi and Begging for Food changes. You don't need to hear the Beggar Cultivator play an entire song; hearing just a short phrase will cause the target to fall under the technique. Just how long or short that phrase needs to be depends on the difference in cultivation." Li Banfeng frowned. "That's way too bothersome. If I see someone playing a tune by the roadside one day, I might end up ensnared by a Beggar Cultivator without even realizing it." "What husband says is true. Beggar Cultivators are extremely difficult to guard against. Some don't even play tunes; they might sing ballads or clatter bamboo clappers, and any of that could earn them alms. "At the sixth tier, Beggar Cultivators learn the technique of Forcible Seizure. Instead of coercing alms, they snatch them outright. The more alms they snatch, the more combat strength is lost. "At the seventh tier, Beggar Cultivators learn the technique of Thick Face and Thick Skin. From what you described of your fight just now, husband, you encountered Thick Face and Thick Skin as well. "Among defensive methods, Thick Face and Thick Skin is a superior technique—it defends solidly with very little consumption, but the technique is very slow to activate." Li Banfeng recalled the fight and shook his head. "He managed to activate it before Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse. His technique couldn't have been that slow." "My, husband, you can even use Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse now!" Li Banfeng looked composed. "I borrowed it from Hong Ying." Standing beside Li Banfeng, Hong Ying linked her arm through his. "That's right, Seventh Brother borrowed it from me." *Smack!* The gramophone swung a wooden board, smacking Hong Ying hard on her peach. Then she continued, "The reason that Beggar Cultivator managed to defend against Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse is that he has abundant experience and prepared his defense in advance. Otherwise, he shouldn't have been able to beat you to the punch, husband. "At the eighth tier, Beggar Cultivators can learn the technique of Thousand-Jin Bowl. This technique..." Hong Ying said, "There's no need to worry about this technique. It just uses his bowl to trap someone under it. A Beggar Cultivator only has one bowl, and until the bowl is retrieved, the technique can't be used again. We journey cultivators aren't afraid of that—one Unimpeded Passage and you're right out." *Smack! Smack!* The gramophone swung the board, giving Hong Ying's peach a vicious thrashing. "What journey cultivators? Who's a journey cultivator with you? All journey cultivators deserve to die!" Rubbing her peach, Hong Ying said aggrievedly, "I meant Seventh Brother could borrow Unimpeded Passage from me..." The gramophone said, "Husband, pay no attention to this wench's nonsense. Although Thousand-Jin Bowl is countered by journey cultivator techniques, there's no telling what variations there might be. It's better to be cautious. "At the ninth tier, Beggar Cultivators learn the technique of Give an Inch and Take a Foot. This is the Beggar Cultivator's most lethal technique, and you must be on full guard against it, husband. "Whether it is Pleading for Pity, Playing the Chi and Begging for Food, or Forcible Seizure, whichever technique catches you, once you give away alms, it may trigger Give an Inch and Take a Foot. "Unlike the earlier techniques, Give an Inch and Take a Foot doesn't just want combat strength. So long as the gap in cultivation is large enough, he can take whatever he wants. "And once they reach Cloud First Tier, Beggar Cultivators possess the technique of Escalating Demands. That technique is even more lethal. Give an Inch and Take a Foot only demands one thing, but Escalating Demands is cast on top of Give an Inch and Take a Foot, continuously demanding things from the opponent. "If Give an Inch and Take a Foot takes the opponent's left eye, Escalating Demands can demand their right eye. "Obtaining the right eye counts as another alms, allowing them to cast Give an Inch and Take a Foot again to take the opponent's left hand. "After Give an Inch and Take a Foot, they can use Escalating Demands once more to claim the right hand as well." Li Banfeng was dumbfounded. *Was this even a technique?* *An infinite loop?* *How could a technique be so completely unreasonable?* "Once you're hit with it, is there no chance to fight back at all?" "Husband, there are plenty of chances to fight back. While the Beggar Cultivator's techniques are vicious, executing them carries many restrictions. "First, there must be alms. If they cannot obtain alms, then aside from Thick Face and Thick Skin and Thousand-Jin Bowl, none of their other techniques can be cast. "Second, they must catch the alms. As the saying goes, 'begged food must not touch the ground.' No matter what means were used to gain the alms, the Beggar Cultivator must catch what they begged for; it cannot hit the ground. If it hits the ground, it must be picked up immediately, or it will lose efficacy in the blink of an eye. "Third, the techniques are linked link by link. To cast Escalating Demands, one must first cast Give an Inch and Take a Foot. To cast Give an Inch and Take a Foot, one must first cast Pleading for Pity, Playing the Chi and Begging for Food, or Forcible Seizure. "In particular, Give an Inch and Take a Foot hinges on precise timing—the technique must be loosed before receiving the alms, and it only takes effect after the alms are received. This timing is very difficult to master." Li Banfeng recalled his clash with the Beggar Cultivator. He had offered a piece of dry rations to the beggar, and before the rations landed in the bowl, the beggar had shouted: "Since you gave it already..." That was Give an Inch and Take a Foot—it had to be unleashed before the alms were received. "Wife, is that phrase 'since you gave it already' mandatory?" The gramophone said, "Yes, husband. That is the key to Give an Inch and Take a Foot. The moment he shouts that phrase, you must tighten your guard and not let him obtain the alms. "If he cannot cast Give an Inch and Take a Foot, he cannot cast Escalating Demands. Losing a bit of combat strength to him once in a while isn't that critical. "Besides that, to beg for food, Beggar Cultivators frequently have to dodge beatings and scoldings from people and bites from dogs. By the nature of this pathway, their footwork is quite fast. You must be on your guard, husband." Li Banfeng nodded. He had indeed experienced their fast footwork firsthand; although that beggar couldn't catch up to him, he had been able to tangle with him for a short while. The gramophone added, "Husband, simply knowing the opponent's techniques is still not enough to deal with a cultivator above the clouds. We must carefully consider our tactics." Li Banfeng thought for a long while. "I've conceived a set of tactics. I'd trouble you to give some guidance, Wife." Hong Ying smiled. "We're all family, why be so polite?" *Smack! Smack!* A flurry of board strikes made Hong Ying's peach shudder violently. The gramophone scolded, "Husband was addressing me! If you dare answer out of turn again, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Li Banfeng laid out his tactics. The wife pondered for a long time before praising, "This strategy is wonderful, truly wonderful! How did you think of it, husband?" Hong Ying also chimed in with praise from the side. "Our husband truly has a scheming mind!" The wife was an expert at warfare. She polished Li Banfeng's tactics, and with Hong Ying advising from the side, they revised it repeatedly. After three hours, it was finally finalized. The night had grown deep. Li Banfeng ate something, gathered the magical treasures he would need, and prepared to set out. The gourd definitely had to come along; she had experience fighting Beggar Cultivators. The Tang dao had to come along even more; his experience was richer than the gourd's. Hong Ying murmured softly, "Seventh Brother, don't leave just yet. It feels like I've forgotten something." The gramophone sneered, "You forgot a beating! Once husband leaves, I'll teach you a proper lesson!" Hong Ying waved her off. "Vicious woman, don't interrupt. It's right on the tip of my tongue, I'll remember it in a second." Li Banfeng didn't want to wait. "Tactics inevitably have a few oversights. Don't worry about it." "It's not just a minor oversight, it's a huge deal!" Hong Ying racked her brains for a long time, then yelled out, "Husband, wait! I remembered!" *Smack!* "Who gave you permission to call him husband? You just haven't been beaten enough!" This strike with the board was crisp and harsh. Clutching her peach, Hong Ying rubbed it for a long while before saying to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Brother, Yuan Shoulu's blade skills are superb. You must be extremely careful." Li Banfeng started, reflecting for a moment. "I didn't see him use a blade." Hong Ying urged, "Then you must be all the more careful! He's still concealing his killing moves. If you don't believe me, ask Xiaowan. Yuan Shoulu's blade skills are truly formidable!" *Chhh—* Venting steam, the gramophone said, "Was there such a thing? I don't recall." "How could you not recall?!" Hong Ying said urgently. "Wasn't there a saying in the army specifically about Yuan Shoulu? "What was it... 'Three blade strikes before the battle lines, every strike takes an enemy head!' Yuan Shoulu's first three strikes are exceptionally terrifying. Seventh Brother, you must be careful." Silence fell over the Portable Abode. Except for the Judge's Brush, all the magical treasures looked toward the Tang dao. The Tang dao stood in the corner, not uttering a single word. Li Banfeng hung the Tang dao at his waist and left the Portable Abode. Hong Ying asked in surprise, "Xiaowan, what's wrong with Seventh Brother?" The gramophone said slowly, "It's nothing. As long as he takes the Tang dao, nothing will go wrong."