Qiu Luoye wanted to keep a few of his old subordinates, including a tiger that often stayed by his side and a rock that sat outside his front door.
"Back when I fought that war with Old Shui, that dog cheated me. He refused to clash with me directly and took his men straight to my house. I had plenty of people guarding the place, but the moment they saw Old Shui, they pissed themselves in fright. Only the tiger, the rock, and a couple of others had the guts to trade blows with them. They're genuinely loyal to me, and now that my territory is becoming proper land, I don't want to cast them aside."
Li Banfeng had no idea how to handle such a matter.
He knew quite a few local spirits, but in Old Yao's case, there were no anomalies following at his side.
Today's Yaowanggou was formerly Bitter Medicine Pass. Old Yao had held fast to this territory all along, and quite possibly had never gone through the process of turning newland into proper land.
As for whether local spirits of other proper lands kept anomalies around them, Li Banfeng didn't know, and Qiu Luoye didn't know either.
Fortunately, Xiao Yeci found some books containing similar records.
"When a newland turns into proper land, if anomalies want to stay, they have to become covenant-guarding spirits."
Qiu Luoye nodded, looking as though he understood. "So you mean we just have to change their name? That shouldn't be hard. First tell me how to write the characters for 'covenant-guarding spirit.' Give me a month, and I can definitely teach them!"
Xiao Yeci was a little scared of Qiu Luoye. She stole a glance at Li Banfeng, unsure whether this local spirit was joking.
Li Banfeng kept a straight face, knowing that Big Brother Qiu was in dead earnest. "Miss Xiao, you'd better explain this thoroughly. I doubt merely changing their title will do the trick."
Xiao Yeci nodded. "Just changing the name definitely won't work. Covenant-guarding spirits can only move within a designated boundary, and this area must be drawn out by the local spirit. Once the newland becomes proper land, that place is known as a secret realm or forbidden grounds. There are places like that all over Puluo Province. Most such locations hide the local spirit's covenant deed, and the covenant-guarding spirits move only within that secret realm. Their duty is to help the local spirit guard the covenant deed."
Qiu Luoye pondered for a good while, catching Xiao Yeci's drift. "In other words, someone needs to keep watch over my deed, and that duty can just go to these old pals of mine. That makes it easy. I don't even need to pick a spot—tomorrow I'll mark off ten li right next to my house and have these old brothers stay right by my front door. Leaving the deed in their hands puts my mind at ease, too."
Li Banfeng felt something wasn't quite right about that, though he couldn't put his finger on what.
Xiao Yeci said to Qiu Luoye, "Quite a few people know where your home is, don't they?"
Qiu Luoye glared at her. "What are you getting at?"
Xiao Yeci shook her head repeatedly. "Please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything bad! When newland becomes proper land, according to the records, you're allowed to move the deed's location once—meaning you can dig it up and bury it again. Wouldn't you want to relocate it?"
At once, both Li Banfeng and Qiu Luoye realized where the issue lay.
Far too many people knew where Qiu Luoye lived.
In the newland, the land was vast and sparsely populated. While anomalies possessed sentience, they weren't as scheming as humans, so very few ever dared to make a play for the covenant deed.
Once it became proper land, however—growing into a town or even a city—the population would multiply dozens of times over. If the location of Qiu Luoye's home got out, people looking to dig up his deed would probably form a line. He really did need to find a new spot for it.
Where would be suitable?
Qiu Luoye scratched his head. "I'll have to give this some thought. What sort of place can serve as forbidden grounds?"
Xiao Yeci said, "I read in the books that there doesn't have to be just one forbidden ground. Some local spirits set up a dozen forbidden grounds across their territory, so no one ever knows which one hides the covenant deed."
That only gave Qiu Luoye more of a headache. "That's way too much trouble. I hear Old Yao lives deep in the mountains, and plenty of people know where his place is. I'll just follow his lead—find a mountain, build a house, and guard it together with my old brothers. That'll be enough."
Xiao Yeci added, "Once the location is chosen, you have to sign a covenant deed with the covenant-guarding spirits. After that, they can never leave the forbidden grounds."
The tiger was somewhat disgruntled. "Never allowed to leave for a whole lifetime? Can't the few of us take turns standing watch and rotate shifts down the mountain to enjoy life?"
Xiao Yeci shook her head. "I'm afraid that would be difficult. On no proper land anywhere has anyone seen tigers just wandering all over the place."
On proper land, anomalies truly did not roam at will.
Qiu Luoye nodded. "The young lady is right. Once this place becomes proper land, you won't be able to wander around aimlessly anyway. Just stay home with me. With me around, you won't feel bored."
The tiger agreed readily enough: "I'm willing to follow Master Qiu. Staying on the mountain is fine by me."
Xiao Yeci warned in a soft voice, "You must think it through carefully. Once you become a covenant-guarding spirit, you remain one for life. You won't even be able to be a roaming anomaly anymore."
The tiger swished its tail. "What's good about being a roaming anomaly? I'm sticking with Master Qiu."
The rock stayed silent.
Qiu Luoye looked at the rock. "What? You don't want to come with me?"
The rock replied honestly, "In the past, following Master Qiu would've been great. But just now, after that young lady sat on me, my heart... is a bit unsettled."
As it spoke, a flush of pink blush spread across the rock's surface.
*Bang!*
Qiu Luoye kicked the rock. "Someone parked her peach right on your face, and that's enough to set your heart fluttering? Get lost! I'm not keeping you. Come by my place later to collect some cultivation, and go find your own way in the world!"
Beyond settling matters with the covenant deed and covenant-guarding spirits, Qiu Luoye also had to measure the land meticulously to make sure it met the full hundred li in extent.
Any anomalies completely devoid of sentience had to be sent away as soon as possible. Once the area became proper land, anomalies of that sort might mutate and turn into a menace.
Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Yeci. "Which books did you learn all this from?"
Xiao Yeci said, "Both the Lu family's and the He family's archives have them. Sister Yuxiu is very kind; I'm allowed to read all of their books. The knowledge in them is extremely useful, though the records are rather fragmented, so one has to take notes while reading to piece it all together."
Li Banfeng felt a quiet admiration. Xiao Yeci was a diligent Literary Cultivator; it was just a pity she hadn't encountered good opportunities earlier.
Qiu Luoye asked, "Old Seventh, is she your sweetheart too?"
Xiao Yeci's face flushed crimson in an instant.
Qiu Luoye roared with laughter. "What's there to be shy about? Following our Old Seventh won't steer you wrong! Old Seventh, this sweetheart is great—far better than your previous one."
His previous sweetheart?
Was he referring to Chu the Second?
Thinking of Chu the Second, Qiu Luoye shook his head vigorously. "That one was no good. Put on all sorts of airs in front of others, but the moment she saw Old Seventh, she did nothing but throw tantrums. This one is much better—pretty, soft-spoken, and she can even read books! Old Seventh, you probably don't know, but people who can read know tons of characters. You've got to treat this one real well."
The rock voiced its agreement: "Young lady, come take a seat on me."
"Piss off!" Qiu Luoye kicked the rock flying, then hurried off to tend to business.
With the major families pitching in, plots were cleared faster and faster, leaving little uncultivated wasteland remaining. Qiu Luoye was terrible with numbers, so He Yuxiu brought in Calculation Cultivators to assist him. After measuring repeatedly by units of one square li, they found that Qiu Luoye's territory fell short of ten thousand plots.
"Over the years, fighting the surrounding local spirits, I gained a lot. Then I fought that one battle with Old Shui, and lost it all back." Qiu Luoye stared at the ledger, a headache coming on.
He truly had won plenty of battles back then, but he couldn't do math; the plots he had won were none too large, whereas the nine hundred plots he had lost to Shui Yongquan were solid and substantial.
"If we don't have ten thousand plots, can we still become proper land?" Qiu Luoye looked at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Yeci.
Xiao Yeci shook her head. "I dare not say for sure. The books say ten thousand plots are required."
Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode. He had checked with the wife before, and everything Xiao Yeci said had proved accurate.
On this matter, the wife couldn't say with certainty either: "Oh, my dear husband, transforming newland into proper land is exceedingly rare, and this humble servant doesn't know too much about it. I have heard of lands converting with eight thousand plots, and I've also heard of lands failing to convert even with nine thousand plots. It is best to err on the side of caution. In any case, you haven't gathered the ten thousand people yet either. While you're working on that, have Qiu Luoye acquire a few more plots."
...
"Where am I supposed to get them?" Qiu Luoye was at a complete loss. "None of the neighbors around here have provoked me. What right do I have to go seize land from them?"
Quick-tempered though he was, Qiu Luoye did not bully others.
Li Banfeng suggested, "How about we discuss it with Big Brother Shui and see if he can spare us a few plots?"
Qiu Luoye shook his head. "How could I ever open my mouth to ask? I lost the fight fair and square. The fact that he didn't dig up my deed was him going easy on me. How could I have the nerve to ask for the territory back?"
"Oh, aren't you dignified! Thin-skinned, so very noble!" A wisp of will-o'-the-wisp drifted over toward Qiu Luoye, and Shui Yongquan's figure emerged from within the ghostly flame.
Qiu Luoye started. "What are you doing here?"
"If I didn't come, where else would you get the territory?" Shui Yongquan produced a map from his robes, already marked out.
Shui Yongquan said, "Qiu the Elephant, I took thirty li of territory from you back then, and today I'm returning thirty li to you. But I can't return the exact same plots. The original ground holds Zhengjing Village and quite a few plots that have already been cleared—those I can't surrender to you. These other plots, however, I can give back. Do they look suitable to you?"
Qiu Luoye didn't look at the map. He stared at Shui Yongquan. "Old Shui, why are you helping me?"
Shui Yongquan chuckled. "Old Elephant, you've got guts. You really have the nerve to go through with this. You're about to become the local spirit of a proper land. If I said I wasn't envious, I'd be lying. But envy is one thing; I truly want to see you pull it off. One day, when people ask me, 'Have you ever seen newland turn into proper land?' I can say, 'Yes, I have. Right next door to my house, and the local spirit is my brother, Qiu the Elephant!'"
Qiu Luoye stammered, "Old... Old Shui, I don't know what... what to say..."
"Then don't say a thing!" Shui Yongquan produced a covenant deed, slashed his palm, and splattered his blood upon it. "Come on, brother."
...
A month later, the final plot Shui Yongquan transferred to Qiu Luoye—which was also the very last plot of wasteland on Qiu Luoye's territory—was cleared.
Originally, this plot was meant to be handed over to Ma the Fifth. But Qiu Luoye had given it careful thought: today, every plot in the territory would finally be cleared, and a massive crowd was bound to gather and watch.
Ma the Fifth's method of land clearing was too peculiar and hardly suited for an audience, so the plot had been given to He Yuxiu to clear instead.
A plot of one square li posed no difficulty whatsoever for He Yuxiu. By noon, the land had been cleared successfully, and from above, faint, glowing Heavenly Light cast down from the sky.
He Yuxiu walked out of the plot and stood beside Li the Seventh. "Old Seventh, I've seen land clearing done countless times, but this is the first time I've ever seen Heavenly Light so beautiful."
This Heavenly Light truly was magnificent. It was not like a single lamp hanging in the night sky, but more like the first glow of dawn, bathing the entire sky around it in radiance.
Li Banfeng was beaming. The most pressing matter now was gathering the ten thousand people.
"It won't be easy," Li Banfeng sighed softly. "Old Fifth offered high prices to recruit people, but hardly anyone wants to move out here. Counting what we have so far, it's only a bit over two thousand. Adding Juanzi and her people makes it just over five thousand—barely half."
He Yuxiu made a coy joke: "My constitution is sturdy enough. How about you and I get to having babies tonight, and just birth the rest?"
Li Banfeng stared in shock. "Five thousand?"
He Yuxiu laughed. "No rush! We'll take our time. Youtao has a good frame on her, too, and Yeci knows how to look after children. We sisters can bear them for you together."
Li Banfeng looked up at the bright sky and chuckled aloud.
Shui Yongquan stood looking up beside Qiu Luoye; both were smiling as well.
Ma the Fifth was smiling, Lu Chunying was smiling, Chu the Second was smiling—everyone looking up at the sky was smiling.
Juanzi stood with all the three-headed people, gazing into the heavens. Xiaoshan murmured softly, "Sister, our home... it's lit up."
Xiao Yeci nodded beside them. "Yes, it's so bright."
Youtao touched Xiao Yeci's hand. "Yeah, why is it this bright?"
Qiu Luoye blinked. "Isn't it getting a bit too bright?"
A blinding glare surged forth, illuminating Qiu Luoye's territory as bright as broad daylight.
Shui Yongquan cried out in alarm, "Look out! Heavenly Light! Take cover!"
Chapter 421