He Jiaqing studied the bamboo shoot for a long time before shaking his head. "Patriarch, I still don't understand. There are over a hundred pathways in Puluo Province. How could a single bamboo shoot possibly be refined into over a hundred kinds of medicinal powder?"
Xiao Qianshou, the progenitor of Thief Cultivators, chuckled at his words. "You little brat, if I knew how to refine the powders, would I be wasting my breath jawing with you here? I'd have brewed up ten thousand batches long ago and added ten thousand disciples to our pathway."
He Jiaqing asked, "Patriarch, do you really want to add that many disciples to our pathway?"
Xiao Qianshou sighed. "Why wouldn't I? Day in and day out, I dream of making our Thief Cultivator pathway the foremost in Puluo Province. But that isn't up to me—everything answers to the Peddler!
"The Peddler calls the shots in Puluo Province not because of how well he fights, but because he holds the lifeblood of every single pathway. Which pathway flourishes with numbers and which languishes with few—it's all held in the palm of his hand. Let me put it to you straight: without the Peddler, seventy to eighty percent of Puluo Province's pathways would vanish. Even the two greatest—Scholar and Martial—might go extinct."
He Jiaqing was skeptical. "How could the Scholar and Martial pathways ever go extinct? They are orthodox, grand pathways!"
"Why couldn't they? Who says they're orthodox? Go out and ask any young person in Puluo Province. How many of them genuinely want to study scholarship or train in martial arts?
"In the old days, studying scholarship meant ten years of bitter labor at a cold window, all to pass the civil exams and win wealth and prestige. It was the most agonizing hardship in this world. Nowadays, Puluo Province doesn't recognize official degrees anymore, so how many are still willing to study literature? Martial arts is just as grueling, and on top of that, it tests a family's wealth. Without solid backing at home, who dares let their child practice martial arts when they can't even afford food and drink?
"If the Peddler sells a few extra packets of powder, Scholar and Martial become orthodox. If one day the Peddler stops selling the powder, both pathways will collapse completely. Look at our pathway—there are plenty of people under heaven who want to gain without working, so why have we Thief Cultivators never truly prospered? Because the Peddler won't allow it! Because he won't give us the powder! If the Peddler loses his temper one day and cuts off our powder entirely, our pathway will die out within a few years. Whichever pathway the Peddler allows to survive, survives; whichever pathway he marks for extinction, must be wiped out. That is what it means to turn the clouds and overturn the rain at a whim. That is the power and stature of the Lord of Puluo!"
He Jiaqing stared at the bamboo shoot in his hands, his eyes gradually glazing over.
Clink!
Xiao Qianshou tapped his teacup lid against the rim, snapping He Jiaqing back to his senses.
"Little brat, why are your eyes fixed like that? Taken a liking to this treasure? Thinking of becoming the Lord of Puluo?"
He Jiaqing hurriedly set the bamboo shoot back on the table. "Patriarch, I'm hardly cut out for that. This belongs to you, and I wouldn't dare harbor improper thoughts."
Xiao Qianshou sighed. "I actually think you might just be the right material. I'm giving you this bamboo shoot. If you can figure out the recipe for refining the powder, remember this above all: the first thing you do is bring glory to our pathway."
He Jiaqing waved his hands frantically. "How could I dare—"
Xiao Qianshou's smile vanished, his brow furrowing slightly.
He Jiaqing swiftly scooped up the bamboo shoot. "Thank you for your favor, Patriarch."
***
Returning home, Qiu Zhiheng was still gripped by lingering fear. He couldn't eat or sleep. Venturing up Bitter Mist Mountain, even with an eighth-layer constitution, he had suffered some degree of poisoning. Yet he refused even to drink his detoxifying decoction, pacing back and forth across the room endlessly.
His wife, Zhuzi, stepped forward and asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"
Qiu Zhiheng replied, "I've offended the people of Xuehuapu."
"Xuehuapu? The ones who mint the silver dollars?" Zhuzi gasped. "How did you end up crossing them?"
"They wanted to take our family hostage to force Old Seven out. I refused and fought with him. I was no match for him and nearly lost my life, but Old Xu stepped in and saved me."
Zhuzi was even more astonished. "How did Old Seven offend Xuehuapu?"
Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "None of this makes sense yet. What worries me right now is whether we can even stay in Yaowanggou."
Zhuzi stood stunned for a moment, then lowered her head and asked, "We worked so hard to build this business... are we just going to abandon it?"
Qiu Zhiheng couldn't bear to let it go either. But after tumbling through the world for so many years, he could smell danger. If he ran into someone like Fan Zhongfu again and no one came to his rescue, he wouldn't stand a chance. His entire household would simply wait for death alongside him.
Caught in this dilemma, the couple was still discussing the matter when a shop assistant called out from the front, "Shopkeeper, that old patron surnamed Xu says he brought you a batch of medicinal herbs."
Xu Han was a frequent buyer at the medicine shop, and the workers all recognized him.
Qiu Zhiheng hurriedly invited Xu Han into the back hall, while Zhuzi brought tea and refreshments for the elder.
"Old Xu, if not for your rescue on the mountain today—"
Xu Han offered no pleasantries. Instead, he opened a cloth sack filled with bright red apricots.
Qiu Zhiheng exclaimed in surprise, "Are these blood-skin apricots?"
Old Xu nodded. "You went up the mountain to gather them today and came back empty-handed. I brought some back for you."
Qiu Zhiheng waved his hands repeatedly. "Old Xu, I went to pick blood-skin apricots for Old Yao in the first place. We can't possibly accept this."
"Just take them. Yao Xin won't go without," Xu Han said, setting the bag aside. "Let's not dwell on that. The person you ran into on the mountain—do you know him?"
Qiu Zhiheng replied, "Do you mean the man from Xuehuapu? I'd never seen him before."
"I don't mean the one from Xuehuapu. You don't need to worry about Xuehuapu. I mean the other one."
"The other one..." Qiu Zhiheng racked his brains for a long time. It felt as though someone else had indeed been there, yet he had virtually no impression of him.
Old Xu sighed. "That's Trimming Head and Tail. You fell under his technique."
Qiu Zhiheng was even more bewildered. "What technique did I fall under?"
Old Xu laid out the sequence of events for him. "On the mountain, you encountered Fan Fucheng of Xuehuapu. Afterward, I dealt with Fan Fucheng. Do you think I was the one who saved you?"
Qiu Zhiheng nodded. "Wasn't that how it went?"
"Little Qiu, think again. Before I arrived, wasn't Fan Fucheng already severely wounded? Who on earth injured him?"
Qiu Zhiheng thought for a moment, and sudden clarity struck him. "There was someone else! An honest, rustic-looking man! He was the one who beat Fan Fucheng senseless. How could I have forgotten him..."
"Which is why I said you fell under his technique."
"What pathway's technique is that?"
Xu Han shook his head. "Don't ask about this, and it's best you never find out. Does this man have dealings with Li Seven?"
Qiu Zhiheng recalled, "He told Fan Fucheng that he was very close with Li Seven. Whether that's true, I can't say. I've never heard Old Seven mention him."
Old Xu sighed. "Li Seven wouldn't bring him up lightly. Can you find a way to contact Li Seven? Best summon him to Yaowanggou and tell him what happened today. Remember, tell him in person. Don't use arts, and don't send word through others. You must find out clearly whether Li Seven and this man are friends or foes. If there is no bad blood between them, you can carry on your business here in peace. If they are enemies, you must pack up and leave immediately—even I might not be able to protect you."
Qiu Zhiheng said, "But the Xuehuapu people also want to lure Li Seven out. If I do this—"
Old Xu shook his head. "Xuehuapu wants to use you to lure Li Seven out, but they wouldn't dare lure him into Yaowanggou. You can rest assured on that."
From Old Xu's attitude, he truly didn't take Xuehuapu seriously at all, yet harbored deep apprehension toward that rustic fellow.
After Old Xu departed, Qiu Zhiheng used the simple telephone Luo Zhengnan had given him to get in touch with Li Seven.
Li Seven was still familiarizing himself with the layout of Huaxian Manor. Hearing that Qiu Zhiheng had run into trouble, he rushed straight to Yaowanggou.
At the medicine shop, Qiu Zhiheng recounted his ordeal on the mountain. "I've never encountered such an odd man. I didn't even see him make a move, yet he battered Fan Fucheng until he couldn't fight back at all."
From Qiu Zhiheng's description alone, Li Banfeng knew exactly who it was.
In this world, there was probably only one villain who looked that thoroughly honest.
"Brother Qiu, no need to worry about him. I'll have a chat with him another day; he definitely won't cause you trouble. What was that bamboo you mentioned earlier? What's its story?"
Qiu Zhiheng's wife walked in just then. "Old Seven, did you call for me?"
Her childhood name was Zhuzi, which meant bamboo.
Qiu Zhiheng waved a hand. "Old Seven was talking about iron-tendon bamboo."
Zhuzi smiled. "I know about that too. Iron-tendon bamboo is a legendary medicinal herb. Brewing soup from its leaves can cure internal injuries."
Just for an herb to treat internal injuries, Senior Brother Sun made a personal trip to Bitter Mist Mountain and nearly fought Old Xu?
Hardly seemed worth it.
Iron-tendon bamboo surely had other uses. Li Banfeng went up the mountain to ask Old Xu himself.
"About this bamboo..." Old Xu seemed reluctant to speak the moment the topic came up.
Li Banfeng said, "If you don't wish to say, Old Xu, I won't press you in the slightest. But if there is danger involved, please give me a heads-up so I'll know how to react if I encounter it in the future."
Xu Han nodded. "Iron-tendon bamboo shoots concern the vital core of all Puluo Province. Even I cannot explain some of the secrets behind it. If anyone brings it up to you in the future, just tell them you know nothing at all."
That was the honest truth; Li Banfeng truly knew nothing about it.
Old Xu continued, "If the other party possesses formidable methods and refuses to let the matter drop, bring him here to Yaowanggou. As long as you make it to Yaowanggou, I'll have a way to save you. If that person refuses to follow you here and keeps pressing you, only one option remains."
"What option?"
Old Xu produced a bamboo shoot and handed it to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng took it and examined it closely. From the tip down to the base, metallic striations ran along its surface, catching the light strikingly.
"This is iron-tendon bamboo?"
Old Xu nodded. "If it truly comes down to the wire, hand this shoot over to them and save your own life first. Giving away a shoot or two is fine. So long as no one finds where the shoots grow, the lifeblood of Puluo Province won't be touched."
The lifeblood of Puluo Province?
Was this bamboo really that important?
Li Banfeng carefully stowed the bamboo shoot away, then went to check on Old Yao's condition. Under Qiao Wuzui's care, Old Yao's constitution had recovered considerably. Though still unconscious, some color had returned to his face.
Before leaving, Li Banfeng left a crate of silver dollars for Old Xu.
Old Xu laughed. "Young fellow, could I ever be short on money?"
Li Banfeng laughed as well. "Even Xuehuapu runs short on money sometimes. Keep it around for an emergency."
At the mention of Xuehuapu, Old Xu offered a specific warning: "I planted an insider in Xuehuapu, and he keeps me informed in advance. Those people possess high cultivation and nasty tricks. Keep your guard up."
***
Coming down the mountain, Li Banfeng carried the bamboo shoot back to his companion dwelling.
"Madam, do you recognize this?"
The gramophone examined the bamboo shoot for a moment, then called out to Hong Ying, "Bring that wretched red lotus over here."
Hong Ying carried the red lotus inside. The gramophone waved the shoot before the blossom.
The red lotus immediately unfolded its petals. A miniature vortex stirred at its center, attempting to pull the shoot inside.
Madam kept a firm grip on the shoot without letting go, speaking coolly to the lotus, "What's the matter, sister? Do you want it that badly?"
The red lotus halted its vortex and said, "You placed such fine medicinal material right before me—wasn't it so I would help you refine pills?"
Madam chuckled at that. "Our A-Lian is so diligent! Thinking about refining pills without even being asked! A-Lian, take a closer look: is iron-tendon bamboo an ingredient for pills?"
The red lotus replied calmly, "Why wouldn't it be? Pills refined from such prime material can heal ordinary internal injuries with a single dose."
"Stubborn to the end. Yingying, take her back. She won't be tasting such fine bamboo shoots today."
Hong Ying carried the red lotus back to Chamber Nine, where a soft sigh drifted from within: "What a waste of your fine cultivation, to be ordered around like a mere maidservant."
Hong Ying's brows drew together. "Are you talking to me?"
The room fell silent. The red lotus chuckled softly. "She isn't wrong, you know."
Hong Ying tossed the red lotus into the room, turned on her heel, and walked back to the main hall.
Holding the shoot, the gramophone told Li Banfeng, "Husband, seeing how greedy the red lotus got just now confirms it. This really is iron-tendon bamboo."
Li Banfeng asked, "Aside from curing internal injuries, what else is it good for?"
"Your humble servant has heard some rumors. It's said that these iron-tendon bamboo shoots can be refined into medicinal powder—the entry-level powders for every single pathway."
Madam delivered the words with utter tranquility, but Li Banfeng was left dumbfounded. It took him a long while to find his voice. "Medicinal powder can be refined from bamboo shoots?"
The gramophone replied, "Your humble servant doesn't know the specifics of how it's done. It is a secret art jointly created by the Peddler and the man from heaven. The red lotus was crafted by the man from heaven, so she surely knows the inside story. Or perhaps... the red lotus itself can turn iron-tendon bamboo into medicinal powder."
Li Banfeng still found it incredible. "The entry powders for all pathways can be made from this bamboo shoot?"
After thinking for a long time, the gramophone said, "Perhaps different pathways require different secondary ingredients. Your humble servant truly cannot say for certain."
Senior Brother Sun had come to Bitter Mist Mountain for iron-tendon bamboo shoots.
And he had a red lotus in his hands.
Was he trying to use the bamboo shoots to refine entry-level powders?
Would doing so enrage the Peddler? Would it bring catastrophic ruin down upon the City of Fools?
Li Banfeng left the companion dwelling and headed straight for the City of Fools.
Arriving at Sun Tiecheng's residence, he found Sun Tiecheng squatting on the ground, teacup in hand, talking to a red lotus. "Brother, isn't one bamboo shoot enough to fill your belly?"
*Brother?*
*Is this red lotus male?*
The red lotus spread its petals toward Li Banfeng. "Do I know you? Why do you feel so familiar?"
The voice was unmistakably female, sounding exactly like his own red lotus.
Why did Sun Tiecheng call her brother?
Could Sun Tiecheng not hear the lotus's voice?
Li Banfeng pretended not to hear it either, squatting down beside Sun Tiecheng. "Senior Brother, what are you up to?"
With an air of great mystery, Sun Tiecheng said, "I'm refining pills! Top-grade pills, worth more than a thousand pieces of gold!"
Li Banfeng feigned surprise. "What kind of pill is worth more than a thousand gold? How come I've never seen one?"
"Aren't you looking at one right now?" Sun Tiecheng pulled a Profound Accumulation Pill from a drawer and handed it to Li Banfeng. "This red lotus only refined two for me. One went to Ah Gui, and I'll give this other one to you."
Li Banfeng waved his hands repeatedly. "There were only two in total! If you give them both away, won't you have none left for yourself, Senior Brother?"
"I'm in no rush," Sun Tiecheng said, staring at the red lotus. "The red lotus told me it needs supplementary ingredients—it wants iron-tendon bamboo. So I brought it some. With the bamboo, the red lotus can make even better pills for me, far superior to Profound Accumulation Pills."
Sun Tiecheng came right out and told Li Banfeng about the iron-tendon bamboo.
Li Banfeng glanced at the red lotus. "Eldest Brother, can bamboo really refine pills? Don't let her fool you!"
"Why would she fool me? What do I have left to cheat?" Sun Tiecheng gave a self-deprecating laugh, then turned to ask, "Old Seven, why did you come by? Did something happen?"
Li Banfeng sighed. "I've been drifting outside for a long time, seeing far too much deceit and intrigue. I started feeling a bit homesick."
Sun Tiecheng nodded. "Our own people are still the most honest. Are Tang Changfa and the others doing well?"
"Doing fine. Running small-scale businesses in the Outer States, operating honestly, fair to old and young alike."
Clatter!
The teacup slipped from Sun Tiecheng's grip, shattering on the floor.
At the words *fair to old and young alike*, Sun Tiecheng had visibly shuddered.
Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
Sun Tiecheng waved it off. "Nothing. Fair to Old and Young Alike is the Peddler's exclusive technique, and it counters our pathway. Be extremely careful in the future. By the way, Tang Changfa doesn't know that technique, does he?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I didn't mean a technique. I just meant he runs an honest, decent business."
"Decent is good. We're all honest folks," Sun Tiecheng said, gesturing for someone to clean up the broken cup. "Old Seven, you must treat Tang Changfa and the others well. Just because they're dead people, don't look down on them."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I've never thought of them as dead. They're my brothers and sisters."
Sun Tiecheng nodded. "I know you wouldn't mistreat our own people. Anyone following you is bound to enjoy good fortune."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Life ought to be lived striving for comfort and fortune."
"Aye, striving for good fortune! Whoever tries to stop us from enjoying it, we kill 'em!" Sun Tiecheng glanced toward the red lotus. "Once these pills are finished, I'll let a few more people head out to follow you and enjoy some good fortune. How does that sound?"
*Why wait until the pills are finished?*
Li Banfeng smiled. "Sounds great! Once they're out, I'll find honest work for them in the Outer States!"
Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "The Outer States are too different from Puluo Province. Sending them straight out there is rushing things. If they get terrified and refuse to step foot outside ever again, I won't have any way to deal with them."
"Then send them to Moxiang Shop. That's my turf."
Sun Tiecheng shook his head again. "Too many scholars there. Hardly anyone in our city can read a single character. If they go to Moxiang Shop, they'll only get bullied."
"Then Huaxian Manor! That's our territory too!"
"What about Hua Manchun?"
"He was from Xuehuapu and tried to scheme against me, so I killed him!"
"Hua Manchun is dead?" Tears welled up in Sun Tiecheng's eyes. "He was quite a figure, you know. When he died, did you cry?"
Li Banfeng's eyes reddened as well. "I cried. Shed real tears, and cried out loud."
Sun Tiecheng wiped his tears. "Good, as long as you cried. Once our sentiment reaches him, his death is clean and settled. See, I told you those Xuehuapu people are nothing to fear! But Xuehuagao—him you must fear. When that fellow turns hostile, he is downright terrifying."
"No worries, I have ties with Xuehuagao as well—"
As they spoke, Li Banfeng kept an eye on the red lotus.
The iron-tendon bamboo shoot was inside. What in the world would it refine?
Li Banfeng stayed for dinner at Sun Tiecheng's home, discussing some of his encounters in the Outer States over the meal.
"I'm planning to pull Tang Changfa out of the black market and find him another trade."
Sun Tiecheng asked, "Why pull him out?"
"Xuehuapu has set its sights on the people around me. Qiu Zhiheng nearly fell victim to them. I'm worried Ah Fa and the others might be targeted as well."
Sun Tiecheng set down his chopsticks, pondered for a moment, and said, "You can't pull him out!"
Li Banfeng said, "If Xuehuapu discovers Ah Fa and the others are connected to me, then—"
"Even if they discover it, you still can't pull him out," Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "From what you described, Xuehuapu is hurting for money. The Outer States don't have that many lucrative opportunities either, so Xuehuapu will definitely reach into the black market again. As long as they haven't caught on to Ah Fa, he can gather intel on them. And if they do discover him, you can follow the vine to the melon and take them down in one sweep."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "If Ah Fa is discovered and I can't get there in time, the three of them will be done for."
"Then they only have their own uselessness to blame," Sun Tiecheng said, looking at Li Banfeng. "Old Seven, I handed Tang Changfa and the others over to you not so you could cradle them in the palm of your hand, but so they could get things done for you. If they want to enjoy good fortune with you, they have to earn it with real ability! If they can't even keep themselves alive, why bother going out with you at all? They'd be better off idling their days away in the City of Fools."
"Ah Fa has already done a great deal for me."
"Then you have all the more reason to trust him." Sun Tiecheng poured a cup of liquor for Li Banfeng. "Threatening people through those around them is a cheap, dirty trick. I've suffered from that dirty trick before, and you can't fall for it too. Listen to me: Tang Changfa must not be pulled out!"
The two drank and talked until dusk. The radiant glow on the red lotus had yet to fade; apparently, the refining was not yet complete.
That night, Li Banfeng did not leave.
He stayed at Changsan Shuyu. Yan Cui'er and Yan Hong'er had both gone to the Outer States, leaving only Yan Qing'er behind to watch the establishment. She spent her days practicing tunes, dances, and mirror techniques, running a business without customers.
A bedroom was always reserved for Li Banfeng, kept clean and swept. Li Banfeng entered the room, hid his key, and stepped into his companion dwelling.
Walking to Chamber Nine, Li Banfeng sat down beside the red lotus. "Hua Jiu'er, can you tell me the truth?"
The red lotus bloomed its petals. "I have never lied to you."
"I saw another red lotus. She looks just like you, and her voice is nearly identical. Is that red lotus real?"
"I haven't seen that lotus. How could I judge true from false based merely on a few words from you?"
Her response was reasonable enough.
Li Banfeng went straight to the point: "If that red lotus is real, can she refine entry-level medicinal powders?"
"She cannot," the red lotus replied without hesitation. "In this world, the only one who knows how to refine the powders is the Peddler. No one else knows the formulas."
"Wasn't the recipe researched together by the man from heaven and him?"
"The man from heaven lent the Peddler some assistance, but the formulas belong to the Peddler alone. It was precisely over the formulas that both sides turned against each other, carrying their feud to the death."
So that was why the man from heaven and the Peddler had fought.
If the red lotus spoke the truth, it proved Senior Brother Sun had not yet mastered the method to refine the powders.
After sleeping a night in the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng returned to Sun Tiecheng's residence at dawn. He was still deliberating how to persuade his senior brother when, before he could cross the threshold, Sun Tiecheng came rushing out.
"Old Seven, it worked! It's finished!"
Li Banfeng gasped, "What worked?"
"The pills are refined! Come see!"
Li Banfeng followed Sun Tiecheng inside. There in the main hall stood Gui Jianchou, holding ten pills in his palms.
Sun Tiecheng barked sharply at Gui Jianchou, "You didn't sneak any, did you?"
Gui Jianchou was indignant. "Why would I sneak these? I don't even know what these pills are!"
Sun Tiecheng counted them twice: exactly ten pills, not one missing.
"Old Seven, look closely at these ten pills. Every single one is distinct."
Li Banfeng examined them. Each pill bore unique patterns. "These ten pills were refined from the iron-tendon bamboo?"
Sun Tiecheng nodded. "One tendon corresponds to one pill. Pick three out of the ten pills and refine them once more, and you can produce the entry-level powder for a pathway."
Li Banfeng stood frozen in place, calculating in his head: *Choosing three from ten—how many combinations is that?*
Gui Jianchou's eyes shone with excitement. "City Lord Sun, you aren't fooling me, are you? Can they really be refined into entry powders?"
Sun Tiecheng sneered. "It'd be proper enough to fool a cur like you, but would I fool my own junior brother?"
Gui Jianchou asked, "You just said to refine them once more. Exactly how are they supposed to be refined?"
Sun Tiecheng tucked his hands into his sleeves and shook his head. "That, I don't know."
Gui Jianchou looked at the pills and asked again, "I'm a Ghost Cultivator; I don't poke into other people's business, but I have to ask about my own pathway. Among these, which three pills correspond to the Ghost pathway's entry powder?"
Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "That I know even less."
Gui Jianchou looked thoroughly disappointed. "If you don't know anything, wasn't this all for nothing? How about we just pick any three and try refining them?"
"Try? You make it sound so easy!" Sun Tiecheng snatched the pills back. "There are only ten pills in total. How many tries do you think that'll give you? If you can fetch me a hundred bamboo shoots, I'll let you try all you want!"
Gui Jianchou was genuinely tempted. "Maybe I should go try my luck on Bitter Mist Mountain!"
Li Banfeng finally understood: in Puluo Province, many people yearned to obtain the secret formula for the powders, and none of them were ordinary figures.
Perhaps not just in Puluo Province either...
Li Banfeng wondered silently: *Senior Brother Sun, trying it with the red lotus yourself was one thing, but why reveal this to Gui Jianchou?*
The red lotus truly couldn't refine the medicinal powder directly; it could only extract the iron tendons. Seeing this, Li Banfeng felt somewhat relieved.
Sun Tiecheng left Gui Jianchou to watch the house and walked Li Banfeng outside the city gates. "Old Seven, there's no one to look out for you in the Outer States. Be extra careful."
As the words fell, Li Banfeng felt a sudden weight in his sleeve.
"Senior Brother, what is this—"
Sun Tiecheng smiled. "Take them and study them well. Don't tell a soul about this. What I do has nothing to do with you."
With that, Sun Tiecheng vanished.
Li Banfeng reached into his sleeve and pulled out a handful of pills—exactly ten of them.
Ten pills bearing ten different patterns, corresponding to ten iron tendons.
***
"Does it really have to be ten? Wouldn't nine do?"
Xiao Genzi had spent the entire afternoon counting bamboo shoots in the grove, yet hadn't found a single one with ten iron strands.
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "No, it has to be ten. Only one with ten iron strands is the medicine for internal injuries. As long as we grow this kind of herb, we'll be filthy rich! The money we make will be enough to buy the Paramount!"
The two of them searched through every shoot, yet not one had ten iron strands. Looking out over the bamboo grove before them, Zhang Wanlong sighed. "We still haven't planted enough bamboo."
"Still not enough?" Xiao Genzi glanced around. "This grove is packed so tight there's barely room to step, and we don't have any more ground to plant bamboo on."
Zhang Wanlong pondered for a long while. "If it really comes down to it, we'll have to clear another patch of land."
Xiao Genzi brushed the dirt from his hands. "Then shall we prepare the offerings?"
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "No rush. The local spirit isn't home."
He casually scattered a handful of moss. The moss spread swiftly through the bamboo grove, tightly encasing every stalk and leaf.
Before long, the moss turned transparent and dissolved from view.
Every bamboo stalk in the grove remained lush green, but the metallic striations running along them were completely gone, leaving them looking just like ordinary bamboo.
Xiao Genzi watched in silence, committing every detail to memory.
Chapter 566