Walking down the main street of Pillow City, Li Banfeng chatted idly with Zhao Lanmeng. With Zhao Lanmeng around, Li Banfeng did not feel drowsy at all, which was likely due to the influence of Zhao's technique.
The two had not gone far when they suddenly heard someone shout from behind: "I saw it! I saw something happen to the Peddler!"
Ye Haolong rushed out of the mansion, sprinting wildly down the main street.
This man just wouldn't settle down.
Li Banfeng asked, "Is he dreaming, or is he awake?"
Mengde replied, "He should be awake."
Ye Haolong rushed up to Zhao Lanmeng, looking frantic. "Master Zhao, something happened to the Peddler! A terrible disaster!"
Li Banfeng looked at him with an odd expression. "Something happened again?"
Ye Haolong was startled. "Who are you? What do you mean again? This time is completely different from before—the Peddler lost his life!"
Ye Haolong was beside himself with anxiety, but Li Banfeng remained unfazed.
Turning to look at Zhao Lanmeng, who wore an impassive, numb expression, Ye Haolong felt profoundly disappointed.
Pillow City was just like this. They simply couldn't grasp how important this matter was.
Ye Haolong sprinted off, preparing to carry the news outside the city immediately.
This was not the first time he had gone out of the city to deliver news. The information Liao Zihui had received came this way, and so did the news that reached the entirety of Puluo Province.
Ye Haolong was a cultivator above the clouds, so his words naturally carried some weight. After the message was passed around and spread through multiple hands, even if it wasn't true, it became true.
Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Lanmeng. "You're not going to stop him?"
Zhao Lanmeng shook his head. "No killing, no stealing. In Pillow City, people come and go as they please."
Li Banfeng sighed. "His intentions are good; he just can't distinguish dreams from reality. I'll go have a word with him."
The moment the words left his mouth, Li Banfeng had already overtaken Ye Haolong, pinned him to the ground, and given him a thorough, earnest talking-to.
"I'll teach you to talk nonsense! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused? I'll teach you not to sleep properly..."
Ten-odd minutes later, Ye Haolong made no more sound. Li Banfeng hoisted him onto his shoulder, carried him back to the mansion, set his broken bones, wiped away the blood, tucked him beneath the quilt, and bound him securely with iron chains. He turned back and said to Zhao Lanmeng, "He's fast asleep now. Whatever you do, don't let him wake up again."
Zhao Lanmeng understood what Li Banfeng meant. Ye Haolong couldn't be allowed to run outside anymore. This man had already stirred up trouble and threatened the security of Puluo Province; Li Banfeng had already felt the urge to kill him.
"I'll watch over him." Zhao Lanmeng agreed to make an exception this once and personally keep Ye Haolong under control.
Li Banfeng returned to the street and sighed. "In such a massive Pillow City, every matter great and small falls to you alone to manage. Even if a thief shows up, you have to handle it in person. It must truly be exhausting."
"Not exhausting," Zhao Lanmeng said with a slight shake of his head, turning his face toward a small courtyard.
Was there something special about this courtyard?
Li Banfeng looked over and saw a black cat at the base of the wall quietly prying open a jar, then pulling out a salted fish with its mouth.
The black cat leaped onto the top of the wall to make its escape, but its legs suddenly went limp, and it sprawled atop the wall, sound asleep.
"Humph!" Zhao Lanmeng cast a contemptuous glance at the black cat. He hadn't lifted a finger the entire time, yet the thief of a black cat was simply asleep on the wall.
Where this cat had come from, or how it had resisted the overwhelming drowsiness to come steal salted fish, was unknown. But in Pillow City, if you stole something, you couldn't dream of walking out. This seemed to be a rule that was almost impossible to break.
Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Lanmeng with utter sincerity, hoping for an explanation.
And Zhao Lanmeng actually gave one: "Once the dream is forged, it does not deceive; once the technique is perfected, it never ceases."
What did that mean?
Li Banfeng didn't quite understand. Zhao Lanmeng waved his hand, and the eight characters he had just spoken manifested in midair.
Li Banfeng still didn't fully comprehend their meaning, but he felt a flicker of concern regarding his current situation.
Zhao Lanmeng could write characters in midair at will—was this a dream, or reality?
Li Banfeng nudged Mengde, but she couldn't tell for certain either.
Zhao Lanmeng could see Li Banfeng's doubts and remarked, "Why bother drawing such clear lines?"
He escorted Li Banfeng outside the city. His originally tangible physique gradually grew ethereal.
Li Banfeng looked around at Pillow City. He had thought Pillow City would vanish along with Zhao Lanmeng, but Pillow City remained firmly, undeniably in place.
"The city is real. I am not." Leaving behind those words, Zhao Lanmeng vanished completely.
The one who had been speaking with Li Banfeng all this time was not Zhao Lanmeng's true body, but Zhao Lanmeng's dream.
This closely resembled the situation of someone from before. Li Banfeng thought of Old Train.
He thought back to the eight characters Zhao Lanmeng had uttered.
"Once the dream is forged, it does not deceive" was likely a certain technique.
"Once the technique is perfected, it never ceases" meant that once the technique was executed, it would never stop.
Could it be that Pillow City's near-absolute rules were actually Zhao Lanmeng's technique?
A single person's technique could become the rules of an entire territory?
Then what level had Zhao Lanmeng reached?
This gave Li Banfeng a whole new understanding of local spirits.
According to his previous understanding, local spirits were at the level above the clouds, far inferior in cultivation to the ruthless figures beyond the clouds.
Yet Zhao Lanmeng seemed to be an exception. He was likely not inferior to cultivators beyond the clouds like Gui Jianchou or Ye Jianhuang—he might even be stronger.
The cultivation hierarchy of Puluo Province was apparently not that simple.
Leaving Pillow City, Li Banfeng headed for Glue-Lacquer Stream.
The slip of paper Zhao Lanmeng had provided included a map. The map was truly crudely drawn; it didn't even note any intermediate place names, showing only a rough direction.
Partway along the road, the magical treasures woke up one after another. Every one of them felt refreshed, as if they had enjoyed a fine sleep in Pillow City.
The projector said in a low voice, "I had a wonderful dream."
The liquor gourd teased, "What kind of wonderful dream? Did you dream about art again?"
"It truly was art. I was lying on a white cloud, watching other white clouds drift past me, watching colossal dark storm clouds soar overhead, watching fearsome rain clouds flashing with lightning and rumbling with thunder."
The pendulum chuckled. "That counts as art? Aren't things like that quite common on televisions in the Outer States?"
"This is true art, not forced art. It was so pure..." The projector was still savoring the dream.
Not only him, but all the magical treasures were sharing their dreams. Only the glove was in a foul mood.
"Master, I fell asleep earlier, but I could still hear some rustling—I just couldn't wake up..." The glove's abilities were truly impressive; although forced into slumber, it had never dropped its guard.
Li Banfeng said, "No need to worry anymore. The matter in Pillow City is behind us. Ye Haolong mistook what happened in his dream for reality and spouted nonsense that spawned rumors, which just happened to coincide with the Peddler's absence and nearly caused a catastrophe."
"Master, that bastard deserves to die!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "He truly deserves it. But if I really killed him, it would look like silencing a witness. Without anyone to cross-examine, the rumor would seem even more authentic."
The glove pondered this and found it made total sense, though its distaste for Pillow City only deepened. "Master, let's not go to that place again in the future!"
Li Banfeng smiled without saying more.
"Hmph!" Hanging at Li Banfeng's waist, the judge's brush went back to sleep.
After traveling through the newland for the better part of a day, Li Banfeng finally found Glue-Lacquer Stream.
A great golden-yellow river came surging out from deep within the mountains.
It was late autumn, and the mountain colors were kaleidoscopic. Li Banfeng used the technique of Mounting the Wind and Riding the Clouds to hover in midair. He could faintly see several golden ribbons winding slowly through the red maples and yellow leaves.
Approaching the foot of the mountains, these golden streams converged, ultimately flowing together into a subterranean river several dozen li away.
Li Banfeng walked to the riverbank and examined the water closely. This golden-yellow color did not come from the reflection of sunlight or the riverbed below; it was the inherent color of the water itself.
Li Banfeng wasn't even certain whether what flowed in this river was water at all. The golden fluid somewhat resembled grease, yet wasn't quite as viscous.
He was about to scoop up a handful to examine it when he suddenly heard someone say behind him, "Young master, don't touch it with your bare hands. Once stained with gold lacquer, it's not easy to wash off."
Li Banfeng turned around to look. The newcomer was a woman who looked about twenty years of age, wearing a bright red dress, tied with a bright red hair ribbon, and wrapped in a bright red silk scarf.
Her brilliant crimson outfit formed a striking contrast with the golden river water, drawing a gasp of admiration from the liquor gourd: "This is way too gorgeous!"
The woman seemed to hear the gourd's praise; she turned her head and smiled at Li Banfeng.
Was she beautiful?
Li Banfeng thought she was just average. A beauty without a big horn always felt like she was missing something.
Yet the other magical treasures genuinely found her stunning. Even the Tang dao, which held great respect for Hong Ying, offered an opinion: "She seems... a bit prettier than General Hong."
The scythe scoffed, "I still think Hong Ying looks better!"
The liquor gourd asked the Tang dao, "Can she compare to your Marshal?"
The Tang dao scrutinized her for a long time. "She's still a bit inferior to the Marshal. I do think she falls short by a touch."
Li Banfeng patted the Tang dao. "You're the one with good taste. How could it be just a touch? She's clearly nowhere near as pretty as my wife."
He stepped forward and greeted the woman politely: "Excuse me, are you the Peddler's sweetheart?"
The woman blinked her almond-shaped eyes, staring at Li Banfeng for a moment.
Seeing her surprise, Li Banfeng added an explanation: "Is the Peddler staying at your place?"
The woman smiled and nodded. "You're right. I am the Peddler's sweetheart, and the Peddler is indeed at my home."
With that, the woman scooped up a bucket of water from the river and turned to leave.
Li Banfeng followed behind her and asked, "What is this river water used for?"
"This is gold lacquer. Gold lacquer from the Golden Lacquer River. I'm using this gold lacquer to build a golden house for the Peddler, so he'll stay here with me forever and never want to leave."
Li Banfeng nodded in praise. "Junior Sister-in-law is truly deeply devoted!"
The woman paused, startled. "What did you just call me? Junior Sister-in-law?"
Li Banfeng said, "I am Li Qi. I'm the Peddler's senior martial brother. Counting from his side, you are naturally my junior sister-in-law."
"Oh my, hearing you say that makes me blush," the woman said, stroking her cheek with a chuckle. "Are you really the Peddler's senior martial brother?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I really am."
The woman laughed. "Aren't you ashamed?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not ashamed at all. To become his senior brother, I was nearly beaten to death by him. I earned this with my own ability."
The woman nodded. "Fine, I'll grant you have ability. You're looking for the Peddler?"
"Yes!" Li Banfeng looked at her with utter sincerity.
The woman pointed toward a clearing in the distance. "Do you see that wooden cabin?"
Li Banfeng looked up. On a patch of wasteland stood a two-story wooden cabin. The area around it was pitch-black, without a single blade of grass growing.
The woman said, "The Peddler is inside that cabin. Once you enter the cabin, you'll see him."
Li Banfeng looked at the cabin and asked, "It shouldn't be that easy, right? There must be traps around the cabin."
The woman was candid. "There are no traps, but the cabin is surrounded entirely by sticky mud. You should know what sticky mud is, right?"
"I do. It sticks to your feet so you can't walk."
The woman led Li Banfeng toward the wooden cabin. When they were still over two hundred meters away, she stopped.
She rubbed her index finger and thumb together, conjuring a feather between them.
She blew gently on the feather, and it drifted on the wind toward the wooden cabin.
Halfway there, the wind dispersed, and the feather drifted down onto the ground.
The woman waved her sleeve, whipping up a gust of wind, yet the feather remained on the ground, completely motionless.
The feather was stuck.
Li Banfeng knew full well the power of sticky mud. Back then, he had used sticky mud to kill Song Jiasen in Lanyang Village.
Yet to the Li Banfeng of today, things like sticky mud were hardly worth mentioning.
With a leap, the woman transformed into a streak of red light and flew to the wooden cabin. "Senior Brother, the Peddler and I will be waiting inside. You're welcome to come as a guest before dark. But once night falls, don't you dare come knocking—the two of us have proper business to attend to."
This set a time limit for Li Banfeng. If he couldn't enter the cabin before dark, it meant he wouldn't get to see the Peddler.
The woman went inside the cabin. Li Banfeng stared at the sticky mud on the ground, not thinking this would be particularly difficult.
Can't I just fly over?
Using his technique of Mounting the Wind and Riding the Clouds, he had just risen into the air when he saw the woman appear on the second floor of the cabin, drawing a slingshot toward him.
Whoosh!
A pebble shot toward Li Banfeng.
Shooting at me with this? What a joke.
Although Li Banfeng was not as nimble in midair as on the ground, dodging a single pebble was certainly no challenge.
When the pebble was twenty-odd meters away, it suddenly split into three.
Dodging three pebbles was still not very difficult.
When they were a dozen meters away, they split again into around thirty.
This was becoming difficult to dodge.
By the time the projectiles reached Li Banfeng, they had split into over a hundred.
Li Banfeng exerted his footwork and employed the Carefree and Unfettered technique, while the Tang dao and pendulum helped him parry, but a stone still struck him square in the chest.
The blow left Li Banfeng coughing and wheezing, forcing him back down to the ground.
The woman giggled. "Senior Brother, your footwork isn't very nimble. You still need to polish it for some time. We two will wait for you inside, so make sure you come early!"
She retreated into the cabin. Li Banfeng paced around the perimeter, preparing to rush toward the cabin again when she wasn't looking.
The liquor gourd called out, "Little brother, don't be hasty! Back when I was serving Old Yao, I heard him mention a formation called the sticky mud formation. It's simple yet practical. He said the essence of the sticky mud formation isn't underfoot, but in midair."
Li Banfeng recalled the encounter carefully. "That woman earlier was an Arrow Cultivator, wasn't she? Using Arrow Cultivator techniques to strike enemies in midair—is that the essence of this formation?"
"Spot on, brother," the liquor gourd said, hovering in midair as it explained earnestly. "When sticky mud is laid before battle lines, the enemy can't possibly walk across. Their only choice is to fly over. There are a thousand ways to fly, but most methods demand mental focus, and maneuvering in midair is never as nimble as on the ground. At that point, sending in Arrow Cultivators leaves the enemies with no cover in open air. They can't easily dodge, and they can't land on the ground—they can only hang there and take a beating."
Li Banfeng looked at the wooden cabin in the distance. He had never seen a sticky mud formation on a battlefield, but the liquor gourd's description was crystal clear.
Under these circumstances, Li Banfeng couldn't fly across; he had to find a way to walk across.
Walking across didn't seem too difficult either—Li Banfeng had iron shoes specifically designed to counter sticky mud.
Returning to the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng was changing his shoes when the gramophone asked, "Husband, what are you doing putting on iron shoes?"
Li Banfeng said, "At Glue-Lacquer Stream, I met a woman who's the Peddler's sweetheart. She laid out a sticky mud formation for me to cross. I wanted to fly over, but she knows Arrow Cultivator techniques and caught me off guard in midair. I'm getting ready to put on iron shoes and walk across."
Hearing this, Hong Ying turned her head from the dressing table: "Qilang, was that woman dressed entirely in red?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, all in red. Do you know her?"
Hong Ying nodded. "Arrow Cultivators are uncommon to begin with. She's an expert at using sticky mud, and she's the Peddler's sweetheart—it has to be that bitch Lu Qianjiao! Qilang, you can't wear iron shoes. The sticky mud formation is her specialty. You must listen to me and charge all the way across using the Wa Steps."
"Use the Wa Steps?"
Li Banfeng considered the extent of the sticky mud formation.
"It's two hundred meters of sticky mud all around. How can I cross that with the Wa Steps?"
"How long is two hundred meters?" Hong Ying was accustomed to traditional measurements of chi and cun and had little concept of two hundred meters.
The gramophone gestured the length of a meter. Hong Ying thought it over roughly and said, "That's not very far; the Wa Steps are plenty. Qilang, just charge straight ahead—as long as your feet don't touch the ground, you'll be across in the blink of an eye."
Charge two hundred meters straight using the Wa Steps?
The Wa Steps was a technique fraught with great uncertainty. Forget two hundred meters—even for fifty meters, Li Banfeng couldn't guarantee his feet wouldn't touch the ground.
The gramophone swayed her horn. "Yingying might have the skill for it, but husband, you might not be able to pull it off. Think of another way."
Li Banfeng held up the iron shoes. "Isn't this a good way? Sticky mud can't stick to iron shoes."
Hong Ying said, "Lu Qianjiao's formation is different. Beneath the sticky mud is silt. If Qilang wears iron shoes, although the sticky mud won't stick to them, the iron shoes are bound to sink into the silt. When you end up trapped in her formation, taking off the iron shoes will leave you stuck in the sticky mud, while keeping them on leaves you bogged down in the silt. If she uses Arrow Cultivator techniques on top of that, where will you be able to hide?"
"There's silt under the sticky mud..." Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Then I can only use Sever the Path to Forge a Way."
"Sever the Path to Forge a Way won't work either." Hong Ying knew Lu Qianjiao's sticky mud formation intimately. "There's no telling how deep the silt beneath the sticky mud goes. Even if Qilang exhausted all his strength, you might not be able to clear a path. Moreover, silt can flow; a cleared path wouldn't hold for a moment before closing right back up. If Qilang hasn't made it across yet, wouldn't you end up swallowed by the silt?"
With her putting it that way, Li Banfeng couldn't think of a good solution.
If all else failed, he could throw the key—tossing it next to the wooden cabin before retreating into the companion dwelling.
But what if Lu Qianjiao snatched the key away?
Li Banfeng sank into deep thought. "Judging by the look of things, I need to find the right opportunity to launch a sneak attack."
The gramophone said, "Husband, launching a sneak attack on Lu Qianjiao won't be that easy. The sticky mud acts as sentries for her."
Li Banfeng was startled. "How can sticky mud act as sentries?"
His wife explained, "Sticky mud is a spiritual living creature. If bred properly, there are countless things it can do. Lu Qianjiao is skilled in wielding sticky mud precisely because she understands how to breed and raise it."
"Sticky mud can be bred?" Li Banfeng felt as though his understanding of sticky mud was completely out of date.
"Of course," the gramophone explained. "The sticky mud husband used back then was harvested from the newland, so it was considered wild. But if one knows its dietary habits, it can actually be raised."
"What does sticky mud like to eat?"
"That's the key. There are thousands of varieties of sticky mud, and their feeding habits differ from one to the next. Lu Qianjiao has mastered the habits of nearly all of them, which is why her mastery over sticky mud is second to none. But we Homestead Cultivators have ways to counter her methods—it all depends on whether husband's skill in Enumerating Household Treasures is proficient enough."
Among the techniques above the clouds—Carefree and Unfettered, Body and Shadow Comforting Each Other, and Mounting the Wind and Riding the Clouds—Li Banfeng didn't dare claim mastery over any.
Only Enumerating Household Treasures was a technique he had learned exceptionally well.
Li Banfeng smiled. "I'll go wheedle the truth out of them. I'll see what they want to eat. Once I bribe them, won't this formation crumble on its own?"
The gramophone praised him, "Husband's brilliant calculations will surely bring instant success."
Hong Ying chimed in from the side, "Xiaowan, didn't you come up with that idea? How does it become his brilliant calculations..."
Smack!
The gramophone gave Hong Ying a slap with her plank, then turned back to advise Li Banfeng: "Lu Qianjiao truly adores the Peddler. Her pulling her punches earlier proves the Peddler must have mentioned you to her. Out of respect for your bond with the Peddler, she shouldn't want to hurt you. But she crawled her way up from the battlefield. Once the desire to kill arises, there's no telling what she might do. Husband must never let his guard down."
Li Banfeng exited the companion dwelling and sat beside the sticky mud.
Lu Qianjiao pushed open the second-floor window and looked down at Li Banfeng. Seeing that he neither flew nor walked, but simply sat there in silence, she couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Senior Brother, it's getting late. Are you coming or not?"
Li Banfeng waved a hand. "No rush. I'll rest here for a bit."
"Then take your sweet time." Lu Qianjiao closed the window, took a bucket of golden liquid, and brushed lacquer inside the room.
Homestead Cultivators possessed the technique of Enumerating Household Treasures—had Lu Qianjiao taken no precautions?
She had precautions, but not against Li Banfeng.
First of all, she could tell Li Banfeng was a Traveler Cultivator. Under normal circumstances, a Traveler Cultivator could never cultivate the Homestead path as well.
Furthermore, this was Li Banfeng's first time visiting Glue-Lacquer Stream. His home wasn't here, nor was this sticky mud sitting right outside his front door. Lu Qianjiao wasn't worried in the slightest that the sticky mud could be controlled by Li Banfeng.
She would never have imagined that Li Banfeng truly was a Homestead Cultivator—and that his home traveled right beside him.
Staring at the sticky mud for over an hour, Li Banfeng lowered his voice and said, "Do you really never lack food?"
The sticky mud bubbled gudu-gudu, its mood thoroughly smug.
Lu Qianjiao didn't mistreat them; they truly never lacked food.
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then took out the liquor gourd. "How about... having a drink?"
The sticky mud churned, and a faint sound of laughter drifted out.
They were mocking Li Banfeng.
"What nonsense are you spouting? We're mud! Have you ever seen anyone's mud that likes to drink liquor?"
Li Banfeng sprinkled a bit of liquor onto the sticky mud. Before long, the mud's laughter ceased.
"There's nothing good about this drink."
"A bit bitter, and quite spicy too. What's the point of drinking this?"
The sticky mud all claimed it tasted foul, yet they churned even more vigorously.
"How about a bit more then?" Li Banfeng sprinkled more liquor further out.
"We already told you it tastes bad! Why keep giving this to us? We really don't want to drink your liquor!"
Squish!
Lu Qianjiao set down the brush in her hand. She heard activity from the sticky mud outside.
This was the sound of the sticky mud giving a warning: a whooshing sound signaled someone flying through the air, while a squishing sound meant someone had stepped into the sticky mud formation.
Li Qi stepped in?
Why is this lad so reckless?
The gramophone had guessed correctly: the Peddler had indeed mentioned Li Qi to Lu Qianjiao, and she knew the two shared a friendship. If Li Qi were trapped in the sticky mud formation, she would have to rescue him.
Lu Qianjiao pushed open the second-floor window and peered into the distance, but saw no sign of Li Qi.
Creak...
Lu Qianjiao heard the door open. She rushed down to the ground floor, only to find that Li Qi had actually stepped inside.
"How did you get in?" Lu Qianjiao's eyes went wide.
Li Banfeng didn't answer her question. He glanced around the room and asked, "Junior Sister-in-law, where is my junior brother?"
Lu Qianjiao truly couldn't fathom how Li Qi had entered the house, but she was not one to be petty. Admitting defeat when beaten, she didn't press him on his methods, only asking him one thing: "Why are you looking for the Peddler?"
Li Qi told her the truth: "Rumors say the Peddler fought a duel with the person from heaven, lost, and was killed. I came looking for him to—"
Before Li Banfeng could finish his sentence, Lu Qianjiao suddenly clenched her fists.
"She fought a duel with the Peddler?" Lu Qianjiao's eyes turned bloodshot. Her originally flawless, beautiful face became hideous and terrifying. "That bitch! She should have been sliced into ten thousand pieces long ago!"
Chapter 578