The Cloud Door Technique

Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyaowu. He didn't look for Ma the Fifth, nor did he seek out Zhang Xiuling. Instead, he went straight back to his room, placed the Judge's Brush on the bed, cushioned it with a pillow, pulled up the quilt, and asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Ah Bi, this is the highest etiquette of a sloth cultivator. Tell me in detail again—how did you leave a part of yourself in the sky?" Ever since learning that the Judge's Brush was the Flower God, Li Banfeng felt he had gained a fresh understanding of Puluo Province. "Didn't I say it all already?" The Judge's Brush rolled over under the covers and yawned. Li Banfeng circled around to face it. "What you said is too hard to grasp. Splitting yourself in two, sending half to the sky and leaving half on earth—what kind of logic is that?" "That's all I remember." The Judge's Brush rolled over again, turning its back on Li Banfeng once more. Li Banfeng lost his patience. "Either you tell me how to split in two, or you tell me how to get to the sky. Otherwise, you won't be sleeping today." "How to get to the sky... In a dream." The Judge's Brush sat up in bed. "Are you playing with me?" Li Banfeng reached to throw off the covers. "I remember now, it really is in a dream!" The Judge's Brush spoke in an utterly solemn tone; it wasn't deceiving him. Li Banfeng pondered this for a long while before asking, "Did you reach the sky using a technique?" "Mmh! Split half out in a dream." "How do you split half out in a dream?" Li Banfeng was neither a dream cultivator nor a sloth cultivator, and he truly couldn't fathom the concept behind it. Ah Bi rolled around on the bed, seemingly recovering a few more memories. "First, imagine what the sky looks like." "All right!" Images of open skies and cloud layers drifted through Li Banfeng's mind. "And then?" "Dream." "And after dreaming?" "Make the dream come true." "How can a dream come true?" "Can't remember!" The Judge's Brush burrowed under the quilt and went to sleep. When it couldn't remember, it simply couldn't remember. Faced with that, no one could force anything out of the Judge's Brush. Though the explanation was fragmentary, Li Banfeng gleaned plenty of information from what the brush had said before and after. The key to leaving a portion of one's power in the heavens was immersive presence. Sensing oneself reaching the sky from within a dream was a near-tangible sensation. Perhaps Mengde could achieve this. Li Banfeng brought Mengde out from home. "I want to have a dream where I fly up to the sky." Mengde patted her chest. "That's easy!" She brought Li Banfeng into a dreamscape, ascending step by step along a staircase woven of clouds until they stepped onto a cloud bank. The cloud was made of vapor, yet it bore a somewhat solid texture, matching the clouds in Li Banfeng's imagination down to the finest detail. And that was precisely where the problem lay. Sitting atop the cloud, Li Banfeng looked at Mengde. "This cloud is fake, isn't it?" Mengde lowered her head slightly, feeling a touch sheepish. "Master, this is a dream." That single phrase yanked Li Banfeng straight back to reality. The immersive feeling from before vanished without a trace. The Judge's Brush could reach the clouds within a dream, yet this method surprisingly did not suit dream cultivators. Dream cultivators drew an exceptionally clear line between dreams and reality. Take Mengde—she knew she had created this cloud, so it was impossible for her to feel truly immersed. If the brush's method did not work for dream cultivators, it likely wouldn't work for Li Banfeng either. He had to find his own way. What method could achieve true immersion? Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains! Li Banfeng sat on the bed, constructing in his mind a scene above the clouds. The technique did not flow smoothly. Because Li Banfeng had never actually been above the clouds, according to the principles of Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains, constructing a place one had never visited required the false moving technique. Back when his cultivation was still at the Ground level, Li Banfeng had rarely used Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains. The false moving technique could only be utilized freely once above the clouds, and Li Banfeng still had only a vague grasp of what "false moving" meant. Hong Ying had explained the essentials before: the key lay in visualization. He might as well take this chance to polish it properly. Yet after trying for a long time, Li Banfeng did not succeed even once, and he couldn't pinpoint what had gone wrong. Returning to the companion dwelling, Madam was still making the rope. She was missing one material: water snake grass. Water snake grass was a precious medicinal herb. It couldn't be found in the Outer States and was exceedingly rare even in Puluo Province. Li Banfeng's return to Green Water City wasn't solely for the Baihua Sect; he also needed to investigate the going rate for water snake grass. After spending a brief, affectionate moment with his wife, Li Banfeng hurried over to ask Hong Ying, "What other essentials are there for the false moving technique in Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains?" Hong Ying asked in surprise, "Don't you already know them? I've told you several times." "Do me a favor and say it once more." "False moving relies on visualization. The more vividly you imagine it, the more real the moving becomes. Just picture it a few more times, and won't you master it?" Hong Ying's rough-and-ready guidance was truly hard for Li Banfeng to work with. The girl in Room Nine also seemed to be a journey cultivator; it wouldn't hurt to ask her. Li Banfeng entered Room Nine. The red lotus was darting up and down, seemingly fighting with Miss Nine. Li Banfeng first calmed the red lotus, then asked Miss Nine about the false moving technique. Miss Nine asked him, "Why do you want to learn false moving? Isn't true moving enough once you've mastered it?" "Not enough," Li Banfeng answered truthfully. "I want to genuinely experience what it feels like to stand above the clouds." "Why experience that? Didn't you go to Green Water City to find water snake grass?" Miss Nine still didn't quite understand. This girl was wonderful in every way, except she asked far too many questions. The red lotus chimed in from the side, "I know a little about the false moving technique. The hardest part is that some things are tough to visualize." Li Banfeng nodded. "It's this very visualization that's giving me trouble." The red lotus said, "As long as you promise to change my room, I can teach you a few tricks." "That's easy. I'll move you right away." Li Banfeng carried the red lotus to Room Eight. "Satisfied now?" The red lotus was fairly pleased, and passed along the trick to Li Banfeng: "You've never been onto a cloud, but you've at least seen them. Clouds come in all sorts of strange shapes. You need to know which specific cloud you want to step on. Find a clear evening, pick out a good cloud for yourself, observe it thoroughly several times until it's crystal clear in your mind, and then using the false moving technique to shift that cloud down will yield twice the result with half the effort." "If I observe it that closely, does it still count as the false moving technique?" "Why wouldn't it? You've never been onto the cloud. Just by looking at it, you can move it over—isn't that false moving?" It sounded fairly simple. Li Banfeng pushed open the window and observed for a while. It was dusk, the sky clear, with only a solitary cloud hanging aloft. This cloud looked utterly ordinary and heavy. Li Banfeng watched for a long time without seeing any change. No change was good; at least it left a fixed impression in his mind. Li Banfeng closed his eyes, conceiving the mist and vapor above the cloud, focused his attention on a single spot, and felt the shift brought about by the technique. *** Ma the Fifth was in his room reading *Yuxiang Ji*. He loved reading books, especially those by Zhang Xiuling and Shen Rongqing. Reaching the climax, he was about to head to Zhang Xiuling's room to discuss the plot when a cleaner came running over in panic. "Fifth Master, there's a fire!" "Where's the fire?" "Seventh Master's room is on fire!" Ma the Fifth rushed into the hallway. Smoke was pouring from Li the Seventh's door. Old Seven wasn't home—how had the room caught fire? Ma the Fifth asked the cleaner, "Do you have the key?" "The room was cleaned today; the key was handed over to Manager Zhang." There was no time to track down Manager Zhang. Just as Ma the Fifth prepared to kick the door open, Li the Seventh opened it and walked out. More than half of his jacket was scorched away, and small flames still flickered on his collar. "Old Seven, when did you get back? How did it catch fire?" Li the Seventh used the flame on his collar to light a cigarette, then blew the fire out. "Just got back. I was tired, smoked in bed, and ended up setting the quilt on fire." The quilt had burned, along with the sheets and pillow, but that didn't matter so long as he was unharmed. Ma the Fifth quickly ordered another room prepared for Li Banfeng, but Li the Seventh refused to move, replacing only the sheets and quilt. Standing by the window, he gazed out at the cloud. That dull, heavy cloud still drifted in the sky. When he had used Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains just now, that cloud was what he had kept in mind. Clearly what had appeared before his eyes was cloud and mist; why had it ultimately turned into smoke and fire? Li Banfeng had been so absorbed in operating the technique that he hadn't even noticed the quilt catching fire. If the Judge's Brush hadn't woken up and called out to him, there was no telling how badly he might have been burned. Ma the Fifth recounted what had happened when He Jiaqing came to Xiaoyaowu: "That kid is no simple character. He stole quite a few of Miss Feng's threads of affection that were buried in the room. His cultivation shouldn't be at the Ground level anymore." "He left the Ground level long ago." Li Banfeng wasn't surprised by He Jiaqing's cultivation level. What truly puzzled him was He Jiaqing's objective. As the two were talking, Zhang Xiuling entered the room. Without a word, she dropped to her knees, preparing to kowtow to them. "What's going on?" Li the Seventh frowned. Ma the Fifth hurried over to help her up. "You must never do this! Old Seven hates it!" "I don't know how to repay your great kindness." The foremost literary talent of the province was momentarily at a loss for words. Ma the Fifth said, "If you don't know how to repay it, write an IOU first. I'm not joking with you—that's the rule between us brothers. Old Seven just returned, so I'll go fetch him something to eat. You two take your time and chat." Only Zhang Xiuling and Li the Seventh remained in the room. Zhang Xiuling recounted the entire affair in detail. Before this happened, she and He Jiaqing had had little interaction, let alone grievances. Even now, she couldn't understand where she had offended him. Li Banfeng sorted through the sequence of events. The only explanation that made sense was that He Jiaqing wanted to expand the He family's influence. But why hadn't he chosen someone else, targeting the Baihua Sect instead? Li Banfeng asked Zhang Xiuling, "Do you want to take the Baihua Sect back?" Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "I don't." "Do you truly not want to, or are you just trying to save face?" "Seventh Master, I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart. Looking at that bunch of spineless cowards in the sect, I don't want to be sect master anymore." The Judge's Brush murmured softly, "Baihua Garden is good." That garden was very important to the Judge's Brush. Li Banfeng asked Zhang Xiuling again, "Do you want to take Baihua Garden back?" Zhang Xiuling gave a bitter smile. "The sect is gone. What use is taking the garden back?" "Once it's taken back, you can write your books in peace in the garden. In all of Puluo Province, there probably isn't an estate more beautiful than Baihua Garden, is there?" Zhang Xiuling truly hated to part with Baihua Garden, but she didn't dare face He Jiaqing. After a moment's thought, she decided to steer the conversation away. "I almost forgot—Volume Twelve of *Yuxiang Ji* is finished, and I haven't shown it to you yet." Zhang Xiuling handed the manuscript of *Yuxiang Ji* to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng looked it over, offering critiques as he read: "There's too much environmental description, which makes it feel somewhat contrived. When two people reunite after a long separation, who has the mind to arrange the room? They'd definitely attend to proper business first." Unconvinced, Zhang Xiuling countered, "The bedroom wasn't arranged on the fly. The heroine has always kept the room well-tended." "If she kept it well on ordinary days, and it's well-kept upon reunion, with no change either way, why write about it? Isn't this chapter supposed to be about their reunion?" Zhang Xiuling nodded. "That makes sense. I was being pretentious." Ma the Fifth stood by the doorway, staring at Li Banfeng in astonishment. He had indeed heard rumors that Li Banfeng had guided Zhang Xiuling's writing, but he had never believed it. How many people in Puluo Province were qualified to guide Zhang Xiuling? Old Seven truly was guiding her, and not with hollow platitudes—he was offering concrete guidance on phrasing and structure. "Sister Xiuling, are you afraid of Old Seven, so you listen to whatever he says?" Ma the Fifth truly couldn't wrap his head around it. Zhang Xiuling smiled. "Seventh Master speaks with reason. Naturally, I should listen." "I don't buy that," Ma the Fifth said, shaking his head repeatedly. "When it comes to the reasoning of fists, Old Seven explains it clearly enough. But when it comes to the reasoning of the pen, who in Puluo Province speaks clearer than you?" Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "If something lacks purity, no matter how ornate the prose used to embellish it, it cannot mask that affectation. From Seventh Master, I can learn true purity." Li Banfeng read through Volume Twelve of *Yuxiang Ji* word by word. By the latest chapter, Zhang Xiuling had already moved out of Baihua Garden into an outside residence, and the overall quality of the writing had dropped noticeably. After weighing the matter, Li Banfeng offered a suggestion: "If you don't want the Baihua Sect, then so be it. Go find He Jiaqing and take Baihua Garden back." Zhang Xiuling lowered her head, blushing, and whispered, "I don't dare." "I'll lend you some courage. Several of He Jiaqing's businesses have been shut down by the Garrison Office. Tomorrow, go take over those businesses and tell He Jiaqing to trade Baihua Garden for them. If he feels it's an unfair trade, tell him on the spot that the Garrison Office can shut down several more of his businesses before trading with him again." Zhang Xiuling could hardly believe her ears. She knew Li the Seventh had close ties with the Garrison Office and held considerable status in the Outer States, but what kind of entity was the Garrison Office? It was a common consensus among everyone in Puluo Province that the entire province was governed by the Garrison Office. How could someone from Puluo Province turn around and command the Garrison Office at will? Li the Seventh didn't think there was anything remarkable about it. "Zihui is a loyal friend; there's no need to take such a trifle to heart." The next day, Zhang Xiuling wanted to consult Li the Seventh about taking over the businesses, but as soon as she reached his door, she found dense smoke swirling all around it. "Fifth Master, something's wrong! Seventh Master's room is on fire again!" "Fire again..." Ma the Fifth hadn't fully woken up. Groggy, he made his way to Li the Seventh's door, only to find Li the Seventh holding a towel, wiping black soot from his face. "This... smoking in bed again?" "Yeah!" Li Banfeng couldn't offer a plausible explanation either. He truly couldn't fathom why, when he visualized clouds and mist, what he shifted over was always smoke. There was no rush, though; practicing once a day was plenty. After confirming a few details with Li Banfeng, Zhang Xiuling immediately took over the seized businesses and relayed the message to He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing certainly didn't want to yield Baihua Garden, but speaking to Zhang Xiuling was useless; he knew this was Li the Seventh's doing. Approaching Li the Seventh was equally pointless. If he didn't return Baihua Garden, Li the Seventh wouldn't return his seized businesses. Could he bypass Li the Seventh? He Jiaqing hosted a banquet at Qianyue Tower, inviting Liao Zihui to dinner. Liao Zihui arrived as promised, entirely courteous in conversation. Moreover, Liao Zihui was exceptionally considerate of the young man: the moment the banquet began, he paid for the meal. He Jiaqing felt awkward. "Chief Envoy Liao, I invited you to dinner. How could I let you pay out of pocket?" "A single meal hardly counts as paying out of pocket. I merely gave a rough estimate; have the kitchen tally it up later—refund any excess, cover any shortfall." If He Jiaqing truly accepted Liao Zihui's money for the meal, he could forget about Liao Zihui doing anything for him. Yet if Qianyue Tower didn't accept the money, Liao Zihui wouldn't eat the meal either. With matters pushed to this point, He Jiaqing simply asked directly, "Li the Seventh can shut down the He family's businesses with a single word. Isn't that inappropriate?" Liao Zihui shook his head. "Young Master He, where did that come from? Your family's businesses were shut down because your business practices were improper. What does that have to do with Director Li? "Director Li has made monumental contributions to the cause of peace in Puluo Province. As far as the Garrison Office is concerned, any groundless accusations or slander against Director Li are completely unacceptable." He Jiaqing frowned slightly. "This is the strength of a Balancer, isn't it?" Liao Zihui nodded slightly. "Since you know Li the Seventh is a Balancer, you should also know a Balancer's duties and mission. Some things cannot be done, and some things cannot even be spoken of." Knowing Liao Zihui wouldn't help anyway, He Jiaqing stopped beating around the bush: "Not even spoken of? Has Li the Seventh's status reached such a height? Did he use the Balancer's Seal?" Liao Zihui actually answered He Jiaqing's question seriously: "Past Balancers have all used the Balancer's Seal, but Li the Seventh alone has never touched it. The Balancer's Seal does more harm than good; he probably won't use it in the future either." He Jiaqing nodded. "No wonder you all always say he is the finest Balancer. But if I were the Balancer, perhaps I could do even better than him." "'Perhaps'?" Liao Zihui shook his head. "There can be no 'perhaps' in this. If you failed, what should I do? Kowtow on the ground and beg Li the Seventh to come back? Anyone can speak pretty words, but Li the Seventh has already accomplished several magnificent deeds, and all of them were major affairs. "Speaking of major affairs, I hear some people are secretly researching how to manipulate the Boundary. Do you know anything about this?" He Jiaqing shook his head. "That has nothing to do with me." "I know it has nothing to do with you," Liao Zihui said with a smile. "Now all of Puluo Province knows it has nothing to do with you. They all know the eldest young master of the He family is going all out to rebuild the family enterprise. This move of yours was played truly brilliantly. "I think this current state is wonderful, and you should continue to maintain it. Puluo Province's Boundary has always been managed and controlled by the local Garrison Offices. I trust the Garrison Office's work in this regard is very thorough. Under no circumstances do we wish to see anyone recklessly meddling with the Boundary." The two clinked their glasses. With serious matters concluded, all that remained to talk about were trivial everyday pleasantries. Both sides enjoyed a very pleasant meal. The next day, He Jiaqing returned Baihua Garden to Zhang Xiuling. Duan Shuqun felt this was unwise. "Baihua Garden is the public face of the Baihua Sect. If we return it, I'm afraid the Baihua Sect will be difficult to manage." "Manage what?" He Jiaqing flipped through the Baihua Sect's account books and rosters. "With a name as resounding as the Baihua Sect, they have neither decent businesses nor decent manpower. Their businesses are handed over to you to manage: keep whatever barely works for now, and sell off whatever truly doesn't directly at valuation. As for personnel, keep a few useful ones and send all the rest away." Duan Shuqun asked again, "The Baihua Sect has mountain land in the east of the city, and it isn't small. Whether to keep it or sell it, you have to make the call." He Jiaqing truly hadn't known about this land. Duan Shuqun made a few strokes on the map. After examining it, He Jiaqing nodded repeatedly. "With this land, at least we haven't returned empty-handed. Go find hands to build a manor here—bigger than Furong Zhai!" Duan Shuqun worked swiftly, immediately gathering workers to begin construction. In Puluo Province, so long as good artisan cultivators were hired, construction progressed remarkably fast. In less than a week, the manor already had a basic outline. He Jiaqing personally went to the construction site to oversee the project. Seeing the boss arrive, the artisan cultivators worked with extra vigor. A foreman shouted at a worker, "Hey, you! Bring the blueprints over for the master to see!" He Jiaqing felt a touch of displeasure at the foreman's attitude. That worker had a name and surname, and looked considerably older than the foreman. Forgetting his name was one thing, but what did calling him "hey, you" mean? Holding a stack of blueprints, the worker walked toward He Jiaqing. When he was less than ten paces away, the worker stopped. Standing in place, he cast a glance at He Jiaqing, and his figure vanished into thin air. The foreman was terrified. "Master Qing, that worker worked here for several days, seemed like an honest fellow. I don't know what got into him..." He Jiaqing remained speechless for a long time. Someone who could slip away so effortlessly right before his eyes was extraordinarily rare. At the moment that man departed, He Jiaqing hadn't even been able to discern his silhouette. Who could that be? The first person He Jiaqing thought of was Smiling Thousand Hands. Just now, the two of them had been so close, and He Jiaqing had been completely off his guard. If Smiling Thousand Hands had struck directly, He Jiaqing might already have lost his life—or become one of Smiling Thousand Hands' gloves. Yet why hadn't Smiling Thousand Hands struck? While He Jiaqing was still trying to fathom Smiling Thousand Hands' thoughts, he suddenly heard a hawker's cry in the distance: "Foreign soaps, vanishing cream, foreign matches, foreign candles, foreign shovels..." He Jiaqing let out a long breath. No wonder Smiling Thousand Hands had run; the Peddler had arrived! Why had the Peddler entered Green Water City this time? In the past, the Peddler would go to Lüshuiwan on designated dates, but rarely entered the city. He usually appeared near villages outside the city walls. He Jiaqing quickly ran up to the Peddler and cupped his hands. "Senior, many thanks." "Why thank me?" The Peddler waved his hand. "I'm just a vendor selling sundries. If you want to buy something, just say so." He Jiaqing bought a great deal of merchandise, nearly emptying the handcart of sundries, wanting only to make the Peddler happy. The Peddler was indeed quite pleased. He looked around the construction site. "So many buildings—what do you plan to build here?" He Jiaqing replied truthfully, "I want to build a manor, bigger than Furong Zhai." "Good, ambitious." The Peddler pointed toward a site ahead and asked, "The foundation is dug so deep—you're building a multi-story building?" He Jiaqing nodded. "Yes, a building, six stories high." "Six stories! That isn't low in Puluo Province!" The Peddler tidied his cart. "Once this building is finished, post a notice downstairs: anyone who goes upstairs shouldn't keep staring down at the Ground. If they get dizzy, they might fall. Even if they don't feel dizzy, don't jump down to the Ground on their own. Jumping once or twice might be fine, but if there's a next time, they will surely fall to their death here. Did you get that?" He Jiaqing nodded repeatedly. He understood the Peddler's meaning: this was a warning from the Peddler. The Peddler was telling him not to keep making moves against the Ground, or else he might lose his life. The Peddler pushed his cart away, and He Jiaqing let out a long breath. Smiling Thousand Hands definitely wouldn't dare return anytime soon; his life was preserved. Yet the Peddler's warning had to be heeded as well. His next target had originally been the Sanying Sect, but now he had to rein in his hands. Shen Jinzhong, however, did not know that He Jiaqing had stopped. At this moment, he was at Xiaoyaowu, seeking out Li the Seventh to apologize over the matter of Qin Tianjiu. Li Banfeng thoroughly detested Shen Jinzhong's servile demeanor. "Little Fatty has been missing for over a month. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "I've been sending people to search for him all along. Ever since that incident last time, I've been deeply worried about Little Fatty..." Of the three major sects in Puluo Province, He Jiaqing had already wiped out two. How could Shen Jinzhong not be terrified? He explained word by word, treading on thin ice, terrified of misspeaking and offending Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng assigned Shen Jinzhong a task: "Go find some medicinal herbs for me. Once you gather all of them, this matter will be put behind us." He wrote a list containing dozens of rare herbs, and water snake grass was among them. Shen Jinzhong looked over the list and hurriedly sent his subordinates to scour for them. Shortly after he left, the Peddler pushed his cart straight in through the window. Sitting by the bedside, Li Banfeng looked at the Peddler, then at the handcart. His eyes fell on a feather duster on the cart, and he said to the Peddler, "I'll take this one." "What do you mean, you'll take it? Do you think I came here to sell goods to you?" "Listen to yourself. Is it like you haven't sold to me before?" The Peddler pulled the feather duster from the cart, looked at Li Banfeng, and said, "Did you just say you wanted this?" Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "I have several feather dusters at home. I just wanted to take a look." The Peddler shoved the feather duster into Li Banfeng's hand. "I'm giving this to you! Now, I'm going to ask you something, and you must tell the truth!" Li Banfeng said with utmost sincerity, "When have I ever lied to you?" The Peddler asked, "Have you been practicing the Cloud Door technique?" "What is the Cloud Door technique?" "Opening a door within the clouds, stepping onto the clouds, and even storing things inside them!" Li Banfeng thought for a moment and felt the Peddler's description wasn't far off. "I haven't thought about stepping onto the clouds yet, and storing things is even further out of reach. What I want to do right now is use the Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains technique to pull a cloud down. I'm still learning and haven't mastered it yet. Once I do, we can look into it." "Don't practice it anymore!" The Peddler shook his head vigorously. "Why?" Li Banfeng felt he had made great progress over the past few days. "You still ask why?!" the Peddler fumed. "One of the clouds nearby belongs to my family! I built a house on it, and my sweetheart lives inside! Every single day you run up to the cloud, set a fire around my house, and run off! You tell me why?!"