Technique of Flesh Laying

Sun Tiecheng imparted the core essentials of the Technique of Ironclad Evidence to Li Banfeng. “When it comes to Ironclad Evidence, first, the ironclad evidence must truly be iron. Second, the conclusion must be decisive. “Some people can’t produce ironclad evidence, so they babble about swearing oaths to your face or swear every word is true—that’s all nonsense. “True ironclad evidence must be seen and touched, laid out solid and tangible right before the other person. “Once you bring out the ironclad evidence, your conclusion must be crisp and absolute. You must never say things like ‘it ought to be so,’ nor should you say it’s ‘nine chances out of ten.’ “If you’re nine-tenths sure, that remaining tenth of uncertainty will breed doubt in the other person. The moment even a shred of doubt arises, the technique will break. “Before ironclad evidence, there is no room for ambiguity, no room for defense, and no room for hedging or maneuvering. Only then does the ironclad evidence become an unshakeable mountain. Whoever refuses to submit will be crushed until they cannot move!” So the reason Li Banfeng had been pinned down by Yan Cui’er and unable to move was that he was genuinely being crushed by a mountain. What a fine technique! Li Banfeng felt enlightened. With this move, he could definitely help Qiu Luoye pass the first trial. After expressing his gratitude, Li Banfeng wanted to head back to Qiqiu City, but Sun Tiecheng was displeased. “You come whenever you feel like it, and the moment you learn something, you run off. What do you take this place for? Weren’t you celebrating the New Year? Eat your New Year’s Eve dinner before you do anything else!” Li Banfeng said, “I can have the New Year’s Eve dinner another day. I won’t forget the remuneration either, but wait until I finish handling my proper business.” Sun Tiecheng refused. “Nonsense! If you wait a few days, how can you still call it celebrating the New Year? Yanhong, have the kitchen prepare a table of food and wine! Yan Qing’er, tell the girls to sing tunes! Yan Cui’er, pin him down for me!” Sun Tiecheng was playing hardball. Li Banfeng tried to flee, but his legs had lost their strength. He had barely reached the doorway when Yan Cui’er dragged him back. Li Banfeng hopped around anxiously. While the hall was thrown into chaos, a peddler’s cry suddenly drifted in from the street outside: “Foreign soaps, vanishing cream, foreign matches, foreign candles, foreign iron shovels! Come look, come see, a whole cart of fine goods for you to choose from!” The peddler! Li Banfeng rejoiced, thinking he was saved. Just as he was about to rush out, Sun Tiecheng barred him inside. “Shut the doors!” Sun Tiecheng commanded. Yanhong hurriedly shut the front entrance, while Yan Cui’er cracked a window open slightly to peer into the street. Sun Tiecheng said to Li Banfeng, “Quiet down. Don’t let him know I’m here.” Li Banfeng was surprised. “You’re that afraid of the peddler?” Sun Tiecheng shook his head. “I’m not afraid of him. He’s afraid of me. He’s looking pathetic right now, and he doesn’t want me to see him looking so pitiful.” “Looking pathetic?” Li Banfeng was astonished. In Puluo Province, not many people dared call the peddler pathetic. Li Banfeng peered out through the gap in the window. The peddler really did look somewhat pitiful. “Big Sister, what do you think of these hair ribbons? You’re taking the whole bundle? And you’re only paying one dollar?” An old woman bought a bundle of hair ribbons and tossed the peddler just one single dollar. The peddler endured it. “Uncle, you took a liking to this bucket?” An old man had his eye on a leather bucket. He threw down a single dollar and took off running. The peddler endured that too. A young woman brought a jar to scoop vanishing cream. She scooped two large spoonfuls and paid only one dollar. Never mind that the peddler sold vanishing cream in bulk—it was genuine, high-quality stuff. Hong Ying loved it dearly; when applied to the skin, it left it exquisitely smooth and supple, which made his wife terribly jealous. Even such good stuff was going for a single dollar. Since when had the peddler opened a dollar store? If someone bought the initiation medicinal powder today, would it also cost just one dollar? An old man rummaged through the peddler’s cart for ages, tossing everything into a mess without buying a thing, yet the peddler didn’t get angry. A child came over, grabbed a fistful of white sugar, stuffed it into his mouth, and turned and ran, yet the peddler didn’t get angry. People were practically robbing him in broad daylight, yet the peddler still wouldn’t get angry. What on earth was going on? Once the whole cart of goods was plundered clean, the peddler wheeled his cart away. He departed quietly, without a sound, because his rattle drum had been snatched away as well. Watching the peddler’s retreating figure, Li Banfeng truly couldn’t fathom the reason behind this. The peddler had once warned Li Banfeng to stay far away from Fool Cultivators. Who could have thought the peddler himself would run into the City of Fools and suffer such massive losses here? Li Banfeng turned to Sun Tiecheng. “Brother Sun, did the peddler lose a bet to you?” Sun Tiecheng shook his head. “I never made any bet with him.” Li Banfeng asked again, “Then did he fight you and lose?” Sun Tiecheng chuckled. “In Puluo Province, I fear no one in a fight, but I really can’t beat that peddler.” Li Banfeng couldn’t understand. “It’s not a bet, and it’s not a fight, so why did he come here looking to take a loss?” A trace of resentment showed in Sun Tiecheng’s smile. “Because he owes me!” What did the peddler owe him? Sun Tiecheng didn’t want to elaborate. Li Banfeng never pried into things others didn’t want to talk about. Sun Tiecheng brought up Qiu Luoye again. “You came all the way here to learn techniques because you want to strip Qiu Luoye of his above-the-clouds cultivation and then help him fish it back.” Li Banfeng was shocked. “You even know that?” Sun Tiecheng said with considerable smugness, “What is my status? What kind of figure am I? The moment you barged into the city making a racket, I already guessed it. “You learned the Technique of Ironclad Evidence, which is indeed the right technique, but you’ve only grasped the bare surface. That fraction of skin and fur isn’t enough to save Qiu Luoye. “Among local spirits, Qiu Luoye has a bit of a reputation, and that reputation wasn’t blown out of that long nose of his—it was earned through real ability. “If you don’t master the technique to fluency, you won’t be able to fool him at all. Stay here for a couple of days and let the girls temper you properly. Your Fool Cultivator skills are far behind theirs.” Li Banfeng shook his head. “I want to master it thoroughly too, but I don’t have the time. The Inner States might make their move this very day.” “They won’t!” Sun Tiecheng said with certainty. “The Inner States went through so much trouble to get a grip on a parcel of proper land; how could they kill Qiu Luoye so easily? They’ll definitely wait at least three to five days. “Settle down and learn the technique properly here. Don’t leave until you’ve truly mastered it. This matter has to succeed in one shot. Once you bungle it, you won’t get another chance. “There’s one more thing you must keep in mind: before Qiu Luoye grows his own flesh and blood, you must never tell him he has become a spirit, or else the technique will shatter. “Once he sheds his bones and flesh, you must immediately find another set of flesh and blood to attach to him as a temporary substitute. Until he grows his own flesh and blood, that replacement flesh cannot be taken off.” Shedding the original flesh and blood, regrowing his own flesh and blood, with a transitional set of flesh and blood needed in between. The difficulty of this was rather high. Li Banfeng asked, “How do I attach flesh and blood to Qiu Luoye?” Sun Tiecheng said, “That is the Technique of Flesh Laying. I’ll have Yan Cui’er teach it to you. Mind what you say while learning—don’t go talking nonsense and hurting Cui’er’s feelings. “And remember this above all: ironclad evidence must be iron. This set of flesh on his body must look like him to keep him steady. You must absolutely prevent any suspicion from arising in him, or all previous efforts will be wasted.” Li Banfeng asked, “Brother Sun, do you hold Brother Qiu in rather high regard?” Sun Tiecheng didn’t say a word. Li Banfeng said, “Brother Sun, if you think Brother Qiu is someone worth saving, would you be willing to make a trip in person? We can negotiate the remuneration; I’ll figure out a way.” Sun Tiecheng looked at Li Banfeng and asked a pivotal question: “You claim to be my closing disciple, so why are you calling me ‘Brother’? Where are your manners?” Li Banfeng tucked his hands into his sleeves and chuckled. “We’re all family here. Whatever sounds closest is what we call each other. Why bother with so many rules?” Sun Tiecheng chuckled and yelled, “Yan Cui’er, pin him down! I’m going to get a cleaver and chop him into pieces!” Yan Cui’er actually stepped forward and pinned Li Banfeng down. Tang Changfa tried to persuade him: “Venerable Elder, please calm your anger!” Sun Tiecheng shoved Tang Changfa aside. “No! I have to chop him to bits!” ... Over the course of three days, Li Banfeng was tempered day and night by the group of girls, and his techniques improved substantially. Just then, Sun Tiecheng arrived, and Li Banfeng brewed him a pot of tea. Seeing Li Banfeng show rare manners, Sun Tiecheng was quite pleased. He raised his teacup, took a sip, smacked his lips over the flavor, and asked, “Isn’t this tea a bit weak?” Li Banfeng replied, “Weak tea is good! Weak tea won’t upset your stomach.” Sun Tiecheng took another sip, savored it for a moment, and said, “It certainly won’t upset my stomach. This is clearly plain water. Why do you insist it’s tea?” Li Banfeng stared blankly. “How could it be plain water? It was brewed from a teapot! Naturally, whatever comes out of a teapot is tea. Ironclad evidence!” Sun Tiecheng said, “Yet there are no tea leaves in this pot of yours. Isn’t it still water?” “There are tea leaves!” Li Banfeng picked up a pouch of tea leaves from the tray. “Aren’t the tea leaves right here? Ironclad evidence!” “Did you put the tea leaves into the pot?” Li Banfeng looked at Yan Cui’er. Yan Cui’er nodded. “The shopkeeper put them in personally. I saw it.” Sun Tiecheng was astonished. “You saw it?” Yan Cui’er nodded vigorously. Li Banfeng said, “Witness and material evidence are both present!” Sun Tiecheng picked up the teacup and took another sip. Believe it or not, this mouthful actually carried a hint of tea flavor. Fool Cultivator techniques disregarded cultivation tiers; that Sun Tiecheng tasted tea meant Li Banfeng had truly mastered the technique. “Good lad, you’ve got some skill!” Sun Tiecheng was very satisfied. “How did your study of the Technique of Flesh Laying go?” Yan Cui’er said with a blushing face, “He learned exceptionally well.” Sun Tiecheng was startled. “Cui’er, since when do you blush?” Li Banfeng frowned. “Can you just ask that sort of thing out of the blue? Aren’t you hurting Cui’er’s feelings?” Sun Tiecheng chuckled. He had already seen through to the bottom of the trick. In truth, the method wasn’t complicated: Li Banfeng had taken some stored blood from the Hanxue pendulum and used the Technique of Flesh Laying to inject it into Yan Cui’er’s body. Once her body had blood, her face could naturally blush. In fact, it wasn’t just her cheeks that had turned rosy; other places on her body had grown rosy and supple as well. However, Yan Cui’er wouldn’t let anyone else look. She had declared that from now on, no one was permitted to look except Li the Seventh. Tang Changfa huffed. “If you won’t let anyone look, how will the shuyu do business in the future?” Yan Cui’er gave a scoff. “Has our shuyu ever really done business? Have I ever done business in my whole life? How come I don’t remember?” Tang Changfa’s face contorted, and he fell silent. Anyone from outside the city who had visited this shuyu had been shaved of their flesh and blood. Even within the City of Fools, nobody dared come to the shuyu for entertainment. This shuyu had never concluded a single piece of business. Dressing up gorgeously to greet guests at the door—could they really welcome anyone in? Practicing songs and learning to brew tea every day, and comparing bedroom tricks amongst the sisters at night—could any of that ever be put to use? Setting them aside, how much business did the eateries and inns outside get all year round? Hanging a signboard outside the door was just to give oneself an occupation. Keeping up a fruitless occupation was just to have something to hold onto. Holding onto something was to remain steadfast in the conviction that they were still alive. This matter could never be laid bare. If even this truth were shattered, someone of even Tang Changfa’s profound cultivation likely wouldn’t be able to bear it. With color in her face, Yan Cui’er naturally became far more gorgeous. Yanhong and Yan Qing’er were envious to no end. How long this blood could remain active, however, depended on how Yan Cui’er maintained it. Having received much care from Yan Cui’er over these days, Li Banfeng promised that the next time he came, he would bring her more blood. Sun Tiecheng was fairly satisfied with Li Banfeng’s skills. “Go find Qiu Luoye. The Soul Departure Pass should be manageable, but don’t rush into acting. “Neither the Resurrection Pass nor the Territory Guarding Pass can suffer the slightest mistake. Make your preparations as thorough as possible, and never be careless over minor details. “Thorough as you must be, don’t drag it out too long either. Three days have already passed; I reckon within a day or two, the Inner States will pull some new tricks.” Sun Tiecheng knew the process of passing the three trials inside out. Li Banfeng never had people do things for him for nothing. Sun Tiecheng teaching him techniques previously had counted as a reward for passing the trial; this time, the price had to be settled separately. He bowed deeply and said, “Brother Sun, is there anything I can do for you? If one thing isn’t enough, just name a few more.” Sun Tiecheng truly did want Li Banfeng to do something. He looked toward everyone in the shuyu. “Who among you wants to go outside and broaden your horizons?” Li Banfeng understood immediately. “Whoever wants to go out, follow me.” Tang Changfa hung his head in silence, and none of the girls spoke either. Sun Tiecheng glanced at Yan Cui’er. Yan Cui’er bit her lip. She wanted to go with Li the Seventh, but after agonizing over it, she still didn’t say a word. All of them wanted to see the outside world, yet they were all terrified of leaving. Sun Tiecheng sighed. “You bunch of useless cowards. What are you going to do when the time comes? “Old Seventh, when fighting the Inner States, keep your guard up at all times. Never be careless. Take care of yourself.” “Thank you for the warning, Brother. I’ll remember this kindness, and when it’s time to repay it, I won’t hesitate in the slightest.” Li Banfeng ran like the wind, sprinting all the way from the newland back to Qiqiu City. Ma the Fifth had already procured the medicinal herbs. Li Banfeng sent them all into the Portable Abode for the bronze lotus to refine pills. The original agreement had been two days. Li Banfeng had spent three days learning the craft and nearly a day on the road. After four full days, Qiu Luoye should have familiarized himself with the bounds of Wuqin Township. Qiu Luoye was also full of confidence: “Any place I’ve visited, I can remember.” Li Banfeng took Qiu Luoye around for a stroll. The moment they stepped off Junyang Avenue, something seemed off about Qiu Luoye’s condition. “There’s an alley here. Across the alley is a river, and across the river is someone selling soybean milk. His soybean milk is quite tasty.” Li Banfeng glanced at the alley Qiu Luoye pointed out. “Brother, did you take this path to drink soybean milk across the river?” Qiu Luoye nodded. “It’s this alley. Can’t be wrong.” “Brother, this is a blind alley.” “Could I have remembered wrong? Is it the alley next door?” Qiu Luoye scratched his scalp, sweat beading on his face. It wasn’t that he hadn’t taken it to heart; he had spent the last few days wandering around Wuqin Township, but he simply couldn’t remember directions. Once they left the town, Qiu Luoye lost his sense of direction entirely. Li Banfeng recalled some popular science programs he had watched in the Outer States, which had mentioned that elephants possessed extraordinary memories, particularly when it came to remembering routes. In this regard, Qiu Luoye bore little resemblance to an elephant. Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode. The Red Lotus had already refined the pill for regrowing flesh. The first and second trials were fully prepared, but the third trial had unexpectedly turned into the most grave problem. Li Banfeng explained Qiu Luoye’s condition to the gramophone, and the gramophone delivered a straightforward verdict: “Precious husband, in this state, even passing the first two trials will be of no use. He is unfamiliar with his own territory, and the territory itself isn’t large. Even if he fishes his cultivation back, he won’t be able to keep it steady. Once his cultivation is retrieved only to plummet again, Qiu Luoye will certainly die on the spot.” Let Qiu Luoye wander around for two more days? Two days probably wouldn’t help. Giving him a month or so might yield some improvement. Li Banfeng still remembered Sun Tiecheng’s warning. The man seemed to understand the Inner States well. When he had said there was no rush, Qiu Luoye was indeed safe; when he said they couldn’t drag it out, it likely meant the Inner States was about to strike. With the blade pressed against their throats, how much longer could they wait? After deliberating for a long while, Li Banfeng said, “No more waiting. We act tonight.”