Lai Baifan

The young man lay in the snow, slowly opening his eyes and murmuring in a faint voice, "My hand hurts... it hurts..." Li Banfeng handed the severed hand back to him. "Here's your hand. If it hurts, rub it." From his left shoulder down, there was only empty space. The young man wept, "Who... who are you people?" "Businessmen. We came to do business with you. How about I give you a silver dollar as a deposit to start?" Li Banfeng produced a silver coin. Seeing traces of blood on the coin, the young man shuddered in terror. Li Banfeng wiped the blood away. "My sister was putting on lipstick just now and accidentally got some on it. Take the money first, and let's talk about where we're headed next." The young man cried, "Where are you taking me?" Lightbulb chuckled. "What kind of question is that? Aren't we following you? Where were you going to take us?" After sobbing for a good while, the young man answered, "There's a quarry ahead. If you go work there with total sincerity, as long as your sincerity is proven, you can become a proper physical cultivator. The greater your sincerity, the finer the form you grow into." Tangyuan asked, "What counts as a 'fine form'?" "If you have ten tenths of true heart, you can turn into decent creatures like cattle, horses, chickens, or ducks. If you only have six tenths, you end up as lowly vermin like spiders and ants." Lightbulb asked, "What if someone turns into a three-headed person?" The young man shook his head. "This quarry was opened by the founding ancestor of physical cultivation himself! As long as you work under the Ancestor with a sincere heart, you'll never become a three-headed person. Anyone who turns into one simply lacked sincerity!" Lightbulb turned to Li Qi. "Seventh Master, a guaranteed win with zero risk of loss—now that's someone who knows how to run a business." Li Banfeng asked the young man, "For every person you deliver to the quarry, how much does the founding ancestor pay you?" "Eighty a head." Tangyuan fumed, "You sell a human being for a measly eighty dollars?" Lightbulb remarked, "He wasn't the one who found them; the old lady did. He doesn't have to handle anything afterward either—just hand them off to the quarry. All he did was lead the way for this one stretch. Eighty isn't bad at all. "On top of that, he took a silver dollar from us. It was supposed to be a sweet deal profiting from both ends. Too bad that on today's order, he truly lost his capital." Li Banfeng left the young man in the snow and headed toward the quarry with Tangyuan and Lightbulb. The quarry was vast. More than three hundred laborers were cutting stone at the foot of Radish Mountain. These stones were not meant for building houses. The heavenly light over Radish Mountain was not particularly dense, but it was still within Santoucha territory. Year in and year out, the mountain face was bathed in heavenly light. The quarried rock was ground into powder, and drinking it mixed with water accumulated Dao affinity. Medicines that accumulated Dao affinity were never cheap. Back in Yaowanggou, Li Banfeng had heard of families draining their entire fortunes just to accumulate enough Dao affinity to nurture a single cultivator. Li Banfeng looked up at the quarry. They weren't mining stone here—they were mining gold! The laborers cost nothing, and heaven only knew who this mountain slope was rented from. This was truly a massive business with boundless profit. Strange, though—why were there three-headed people working here too? For a physical cultivator, sprouting two extra heads meant failure to enter the pathway. Since they had already failed, why were they still doing hard labor for the Ancestor? A three-headed person trudged down the slope carrying a boulder. The rock had many sharp edges, leaving his shoulders covered in bloody gashes. Seeing how the three-headed laborer swayed and struggled with every step, Tangyuan furrowed her brow. There was a trail on the mountain slope. If they had been given even a single wheelbarrow, the work wouldn't have been so agonizing. The three-headed laborer had just brought the boulder to the foot of the slope when an overseer with a leather whip stepped up and lashed him twice. "How long do you plan to drag your feet? Didn't you eat? Run, damn you!" The whip was as thick as two fingers. The laborer's clothes were thin; a single strike tore through fabric and flesh alike. Carrying the boulder, the three-headed laborer stumbled forward at a jog while the overseer lashed him from behind. "I told you to run! Are your ears plugged? Not happy about it, are you? Let me tell you, if you don't want to work, get the hell out! There's plenty of people waiting in line to take your place!" The three watched silently from a distance. Tangyuan ground her teeth, Lightbulb wore a blank expression, and Li Banfeng had pulled his hat brim so low that his face was hidden. The overseer walked over, eyed the three of them, and asked, "What are you doing here?" Li Banfeng gave a simple, honest smile. "We came to see the founding ancestor of physical cultivation to beg for a dose of entry powder." This overseer was named Ge Yugen, commonly called Foreman Ge. In this quarry, he was a figure of some standing. Noticing that Li Banfeng had a nice hat, he reached out to snatch it. Li Banfeng moved slightly—it didn't look fast, but Ge Yugen couldn't touch it no matter how hard he reached. "What are you dodging for?" Ge Yugen snapped in annoyance. "Can't I take a look at your hat?" Li Banfeng stated his purpose again: "I came to see the Founding Ancestor." "With an attitude like that, you expect to meet the Ancestor? Everyone who comes here sincerely stakes their very life on it! You're making a fuss over a lousy hat. With such narrow sights, you think you can enter the pathway?" As he spoke, Ge Yugen reached for Li Banfeng's hat again. After several attempts, he still couldn't lay a finger on it. Growing frantic, Ge Yugen kicked off the ground and vaulted into the air. Judging from the posture of his leap, he was likely a grasshopper. Leaping over two meters high, Ge Yugen sailed above Li Banfeng's head, leaning down to snatch the hat from above. He reached out several times midair, yet still failed to touch it. When he landed, Lightbulb splashed a bit of oil on the ground. Ge Yugen lost his footing and plunged face-first into a snowdrift. "Bloody hell!" Ge Yugen shouted in fury. "Get over here! We've got troublemakers!" There were over fifty overseers in the quarry, and more than thirty of them came marching over brandishing weapons. "What happened, Foreman Ge?" Ge Yugen pointed at the trio and barked, "These three claim they're here to pay respects to the Ancestor, but they gave me foul talk and laid hands on me!" The quarry workers were stunned. Who had the guts to lay hands on Foreman Ge? A few workers tried to watch the commotion, only to be struck by several lashes from the overseers nearby. "What are you staring at? Is your work done? Do you still want to meet the Ancestor? Do you still want to enter the pathway? Do you still want dinner tonight?" Ge Yugen swung his whip straight at Li Banfeng. "You blind dogs, daring to cause trouble here! The Ancestor isn't here today, so I'll teach you some manners in his place!" The man possessed immense nerve; even knowing Li Banfeng was remarkably skilled, he showed not the slightest fear. After several strikes failed to land, Ge Yugen yelled to the crowd, "Get them! Beat them to death! If they die, I'll take the blame! If they walk out of this quarry in one piece today, from now on I, Ge Yugen, will crawl on all fours in front of you!" The quarry hands held genuine admiration for him. Although Foreman Ge was normally vicious and cruel, when it came time to act tough, he truly didn't back down. A mob rushed forward to swarm Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng didn't bother lifting a hand. If Ge Yugen only had that much skill, how much better could the rest be? Tangyuan used her art of Counting Ink and Tracing Lines, summoning a sweep of characters that knocked the overseers flat. Once they hit the ground, getting back up was no easy feat. Lightbulb had drenched the ground in oil, leaving dozens of men flailing, kicking, and rolling in the slush. While they couldn't stand, Lightbulb stood firm on the oily surface. Dagger in hand, he began bleeding them one by one. Tangyuan supported him from the side; the characters circling midair were entirely unaffected by the oil on the ground. These overseers all possessed some level of cultivation, but most were only at Tier 1. Against Tangyuan at Tier 5 and Lightbulb at Tier 3, they stood no chance whatsoever. In less than two minutes, the entire group was beaten into submission by Lightbulb and Tangyuan, lying on the ground, not daring to rise. Lightbulb walked up to Ge Yugen and asked, "Who was it that said he'd crawl on all fours just now?" Ge Yugen's face was pale, but his mouth remained stubborn. "Don't run if you've got the guts! Once our Big Manager gets here, he'll flay the skin right off your backs!" Li Banfeng looked at Ge Yugen. "Who is your Big Manager? The Founding Ancestor?" Ge Yugen shook his head. "The Ancestor isn't usually around. The Big Manager runs everything here! I'm going to fetch him right now. If you admit defeat, apologize to me right now and we can call it even. If you don't, once our Big Manager gets here, don't you go regretting it!" Li Banfeng offered a compromise. "How about this: let someone else fetch the Big Manager, and you take us on a proper tour around here." Ge Yugen pressed his lips together. "Only I can summon the Big Manager! No one else will do!" A chorus of overseers volunteered immediately: "We can! Any of us can fetch the Big Manager!" They truly didn't want to take any more beatings. "Don't listen to them—" Before Ge Yugen could finish, Lightbulb pinned him to the ground, looped a rope around his neck, and took hold of the leash. Lightbulb kicked Ge Yugen to the dirt. "Let's go. Show us around first." Sprawled on the ground, Ge Yugen refused to concede. "I'll warn you one last time. It's not too late to run." Lightbulb raised his whip and struck Ge Yugen a few times. "Cut the chatter and move faster!" Ge Yugen gritted his teeth and walked ahead. As they climbed the slope, he stole a backward glance at Lightbulb. *Just you wait, brat.* *When the Big Manager gets here, I'll cut out your tongue first, then chop off your hands.* *Or maybe I won't chop him. The kid's quite handsome—I'll just gift him to the Big Manager...* *Crack! Crack!* Two sharp whip cracks shattered Ge Yugen's fantasies. Lightbulb brandished the whip and shouted, "Didn't you eat? Run!" Ge Yugen led the three on a round through the quarry. Li Banfeng noticed quite a few three-headed laborers working there. He approached one of them and asked, "What are you still doing here? Waiting for the entry powder?" All three of the laborer's heads nodded in unison. The center head replied, "The Ancestor said our karmic chance isn't broken yet. As long as we are sincere, we still have an opportunity to enter the pathway." Once someone became a three-headed person, they could never become a physical cultivator. Everyone in Puluo Province knew this plain and clear. Yet this three-headed laborer still clung to that last sliver of delusion, willing to suffer through torment here just for the hope of becoming a proper physical cultivator. Did all the other three-headed laborers think the same way? Was there not a single one who understood the truth? Plenty did. Many of them knew they would never enter the pathway in this lifetime, but where else could they go? Unless they voluntarily went to Sinners' City to spend their lives as convicts, three-headed people were despised wherever they went. Lightbulb led Ge Yugen down the slope. Having taken lashes the entire way, Ge Yugen finally broke and answered whatever Li Banfeng asked. He explained that their Big Manager was called Iron Baldy, a prominent figure in Santoucha. Li Banfeng felt Ge Yugen was telling the truth. "Iron Baldy"—the name sounded prominent indeed. "What is Iron Baldy's relationship to the founding ancestor of physical cultivation?" "Our chief is the Ancestor's disciple. The Ancestor's businesses around Radish Mountain are all managed by our Big Manager." It seemed this Ancestor ran more than one business. Just as Lightbulb prepared to check where the workers slept, he saw the laborers on the mountain suddenly seize their tools and throw themselves into hard labor. Not a single one dared watch any longer. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the overseers who had been sprawled on the ground rubbed their fists and perked up, full of vigor. Lightbulb looked into the distance. Big Manager Iron Baldy had entered the quarry, flanked by roughly thirty men. Iron Baldy was indeed bald. His bare scalp shone brilliantly against the snow. He glanced at the leashed Ge Yugen, then at Lightbulb. "Walking blindly without a lantern, not even checking whose mountain lair you've stepped into." Lightbulb wasn't sure how to reply. Seeing that the man was a fellow of the martial underworld, he cupped his hands in greeting. Iron Baldy's eyes bulged. "Who the fuck are you cursing?" Lightbulb turned back to Li Banfeng, baffled as to how cupping hands in salute could count as an insult. Li Banfeng said, "This man was likely a mountain bandit. Bandits in certain places consider cupping hands taboo—it resembles wearing handcuffs, which brings bad luck in their line of work. Old rules like this are rarely seen in Puluo Province nowadays." Indeed, they were rare. Li Banfeng had only learned such antiquated customs from reading books at the Moxiang Shop. Santoucha's customs differed greatly not only from the Outer States, but also from the rest of Puluo Province. Iron Baldy grinned and turned to Li Banfeng. "An insider? The two recruiters by the roadside—did you do them in?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I did. Could you speak without the underworld jargon?" Iron Baldy's expression darkened. "State your background first." Li Banfeng smiled. "Can I pass on that?" "Picking a fight on my turf and talking so arrogant? Release my man first." Li Banfeng's smile didn't waver. "Can I pass on that too?" Iron Baldy said, "So you refuse to listen to reason. I'll give you two choices. First, let my man go and kowtow a hundred times on the ground. You can take the girl—I have no use for her. But leave this tender, pretty lad for me, and we'll call this settled." Lightbulb froze, looked at Tangyuan, and asked, "Why does he specifically want me?" "Why are you looking at me? How should I know!" Tangyuan didn't even know why she was angry. Iron Baldy continued, "The second choice: I flay the three of you alive and hang your skins at the quarry entrance as shop banners. Take your pick." Li Banfeng asked, "Is there a third choice?" Iron Baldy pointed at Li Banfeng. "There is no third." Li Banfeng held Iron Baldy's index finger and asked, "Think a little harder." Iron Baldy saw that he was missing a finger and shuddered in shock. "Y-You... what is this..." "I asked you, how does the third path go?" Li Banfeng held Iron Baldy's ear and tossed it casually into the snow. Iron Baldy felt the side of his head—his ear was gone. Just as he was about to shout for his men to attack, a massive blood bubble sprayed from his face the moment he opened his mouth. The blood bubble hadn't come from his mouth—it had burst from his nostrils. Li Banfeng held Iron Baldy's nose and tossed it into the snow. Iron Baldy wailed and pissed his pants in terror. Not only did he wet himself, but the more than one hundred overseers lying on the ground also wet themselves, as did a huge swathe of the quarry workers. This was Iron Baldy! A disciple of the founding ancestor of physical cultivation! In their eyes, his standing was equivalent to what Lu Dongliang's had once been in Green Water City. Yet this man in the black suit had sliced off Iron Baldy's ear and nose using methods no one could even comprehend. Was this real? It felt entirely like a nightmare! Iron Baldy was still sobbing and wailing. Li Banfeng walked up, patted his bald head, and said, "I'll point out the third path for you. Go crouch over there, put the rope around your own neck, and let my brother lead you." Iron Baldy was surprisingly obedient. He truly picked up a rope, looped it around his neck, and squatted beside Ge Yugen. Seeing Iron Baldy in this state, Ge Yugen lost all hope and squatted meekly next to Lightbulb. None of the other overseers dared speak, and the men Iron Baldy had brought were completely petrified. Li Banfeng looked at the men behind Iron Baldy and asked, "Which of you knows where the Ancestor is? Do me a favor and deliver an invitation!" The crowd raised their hands in succession, all claiming they knew. As long as they could leave this place, they would do anything. Li Banfeng actually wrote out an invitation, then asked Iron Baldy, "Which of them is reliable?" Iron Baldy stayed silent. Li Banfeng patted the bald head. "If tomorrow comes and I still haven't seen your Ancestor, this head of yours is gone." Iron Baldy picked a middle-aged man in his forties. "He's followed me for over twenty years. We have deep feelings between us." Li Banfeng frowned. "Feelings alone won't cut it. Can you bring the Ancestor here within a day?" The middle-aged man nodded. "Don't hurt our chief. Even if it costs my life, I'll bring the Ancestor here." Their bond ran deep indeed—no wonder Iron Baldy had taken a liking to Lightbulb. As soon as he spoke, the middle-aged man stretched out both hands and kicked both legs, transforming them into four hooves as he dropped to the ground. He shook his neck, flicked his ears, and let out a loud bray: "Hee-haw—" The man bolted away. He was a donkey. Lightbulb led Iron Baldy and Ge Yugen on their leashes, escorting Li Banfeng to the accountant. They brought out the rosters and ledgers to distribute wages to all the workers present. Among the laborers at the quarry, the newest had worked for a few days, while the oldest had been here for over a decade. None had ever received wages even once. Such an unheard-of development genuinely frightened them. Li Banfeng had Lightbulb announce to everyone: he didn't care what the old rules were, but starting today, anyone who worked a day would receive a day's pay. As long as they quarried their quota of stone, the pay was fifty Huan notes per day. The workers' eyes went wide. Fifty notes a day? The nearby overseers were thoroughly spooked. This was Santoucha—overseers only earned two hundred Huan notes a month! Li Banfeng set the rule, and the money was distributed accordingly. Iron Baldy sneered coldly, saying nothing. Hoping to curry favor, the accountant approached Li Banfeng and whispered, "Sir, if you run things like this, the business won't survive." Li Banfeng asked, "Why do you say that?" "There are over three hundred men here. Paying fifty a day means fifteen thousand a day, four hundred and fifty thousand a month, and over five million a year! How much does this quarry even earn?" Li Banfeng picked up a stone and weighed it in his hand. "These are medicinal ingredients for entering the pathway. The money from a single month's quarrying is enough to cover their wages." The accountant shook his head. "Those are outside prices you're talking about. In Santoucha, you have to follow Santoucha's rules. "The Outer States have an edict forbidding commerce in Santoucha. For a quarry to open, a cut must go to the Border Commissioner. Once stone is cut and ready to ship, another cut goes to the Border Commissioner. If you're short by even a fraction, they'll shut you down tomorrow! "These stones can only be sold to designated buyers, and the price is pressed into the dirt. Furthermore, this business is registered under the Ancestor's name; the lion's share goes to him. If the scraps left over are paid out as wages, you won't make a profit, and the rest of us will starve. "These men all came seeking entry powder. They follow the Ancestor with sincere hearts and never asked for wages. It's not that we're heartless—it's just that the business..." "The business is going to change," Li Banfeng said, flipping through the ledgers one by one. "From now on, this business belongs to me. No cuts to the Border Commissioner, and none to the Ancestor either. I'll sell to whoever I please. If anyone objects, let them take it up with me." That night, Lightbulb and Tangyuan each took a wooden cabin and enjoyed a good night's rest. Li Banfeng gathered the overseers together to question them on business matters. Doing business in Santoucha truly wasn't easy; the accountant had spoken the truth. All kinds of regulations demanded cold, hard cash. Li Banfeng held legal operating rights in Santoucha—the only one of its kind in Puluo Province. He contacted Ma the Fifth via the simple telephone: "Old Five, how are things going with our business in Santoucha?" "Old Seven, business here is impossible to conduct. The roots run deep and tangled, there are too many local tyrants, and too many headaches. Let's discuss it slowly once you get back." No wonder business in Santoucha had been delayed for so long. Even a shrewd businessman like Ma the Fifth found it difficult to get a foothold. At daybreak the next morning, the workers rose early and went to work in the quarry. Out of more than three hundred workers, over two hundred had fled, leaving a little over a hundred. Those who fled fell into two categories. One consisted of smart people who realized they had been duped and refused to risk their lives here. The other consisted of fools—incurable fools still waiting for the Ancestor to bestow entry powder. Seeing that the quarry had changed hands, they hid outside for a while to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The remaining hundred or so worked with enthusiasm. Even without overseers, they didn't slack off. They hauled the quarried stone down the mountain, piling it together to let the new master inspect their work by dusk and see whether it was worth the wage. Lightbulb came over to check, roughly tallying their output. One pile was especially large. Just as he was about to see who had done the work, he saw all the laborers suddenly drop to their knees, foreheads pressed against the frozen earth, bodies motionless. Someone had arrived at the quarry. It was an old man, roughly 1.6 meters tall and weighing an estimated 250 to 260 jin. His body was completely spherical, his face pitted and scarred. His gait was heavily splay-footed, each step accompanied by a vigorous kick of the leg. This was plainly a physical cultivator capable of transforming into a toad—whether he was a Metamorphic or Generative physical cultivator remained uncertain. Seeing the crowd kneel so reverently, Lightbulb deduced that this man must be the founding ancestor of physical cultivation. The old man was accompanied by twelve attendants of varying heights, builds, and physiques. While Lightbulb watched the old man, the old man noticed Lightbulb. Out of all the people at the foot of the slope, only Lightbulb remained standing. The old man looked at Lightbulb and smiled. "Be so kind as to inform your master that Lai Baifan has come to visit him." Lightbulb hurried to find Li Banfeng, who was already standing outside the wooden cabin. Li Banfeng told Lightbulb and Tangyuan to find a place to hide. "If things look bad, you two get out immediately." "Seventh Master, what about you?" "Don't worry about me. Santoucha is the domain of physical cultivators. With their Founding Ancestor here, I might not have the upper hand, not to mention the experts he brought along. When I make my escape, don't become dead weight." Lightbulb quickly hid with Tangyuan. Li Banfeng stood by the door for a short while until Lai Baifan arrived before him. Matching the name with his appearance, the man was ninety-nine percent likely a toad. Li Banfeng greeted him first: "Boss Lai, I wonder if cupping hands in salute is appropriate in your presence?" Lai Baifan chuckled and cupped his hands. "The guest defers to the host. I am the guest, you are the host; I follow your etiquette." Li Banfeng returned the courtesy, invited Lai Baifan inside, poured tea, and after exchanging pleasantries, host and guest sat down. Holding his teacup, Lai Baifan looked at Li Banfeng for a moment before asking in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, you must be Li Qi?" This Ancestor possessed remarkable insight. Santoucha was utterly cut off, and though he had never seen Li Banfeng before, he was able to identify him simply by appearance and dress. "It's me," Li Banfeng admitted without hesitation. From outside the window came two grunts. Iron Baldy was still tied beneath the sill. Having finally seen the Ancestor arrive, he was waiting for his master to save his life. Lai Baifan cursed toward the window, "Embarrassing piece of trash! You still have the nerve to whimper? Do you have any idea who you've offended? You ought to gouge out your own eyes and crush them beneath your heel!" Iron Baldy didn't dare make another sound. Lai Baifan smiled. "Brother Li Qi, what brings you to this quarry, stirring up such a fight? Did this old man offend you in the past?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "We are complete strangers. What offense could there be? I simply took a liking to the quarry business and wished to discuss with Boss Lai whether you might part with it." Lai Baifan sighed. "This business isn't so easy to run." "Profit and loss are just part of business. I genuinely want this quarry. Name your price." Lai Baifan shook his head. "I am an elder, after all. Talking money with a junior like you would make me a laughingstock." Li Banfeng said, "Business is business. No need for modesty." "Between us, there is more than just business; there is karmic affinity." "Where does this affinity come from?" Lai Baifan recalled carefully. "Counting it up, it's been nearly three years. When you first arrived in Puluo Province, Granny Ku mentioned to me that if I ever crossed paths with Li Qi, I should look after him. She said Li Qi took something of hers. "You came by train, but you didn't get off at Santoucha back then. Even though I wanted to look after you, I couldn't." *This Lai Baifan has dealings with Granny Ku?* *Yet the way he describes it sounds rather strange...* Lai Baifan continued, "Later on, the Peddler came to see me too, saying he had a brother named Li Qi whom I should take good care of. "I had to give the Peddler face, of course. But you never came to Santoucha, and I rarely travel outside, so we never crossed paths. "Later, I heard you went to Mount Zhouzi, but the Peddler never told me about it, so in the end, we missed each other once again." *The Peddler has ties with him as well?* Lai Baifan added, "There was another master who hadn't stepped into the world for years. He also sent word asking me to look after you. Can you guess who that master was?" *Who could that be?* *City Lord Sun?* *Not-Big-Face?* *A'yi?* Li Banfeng listened intently. Lai Baifan lowered his voice. "That master was..." He opened his gaping maw and engulfed Li Banfeng's head. His belly contracted sharply. With a violent pull, he sucked Li Banfeng's entire body into his mouth and swallowed him whole. It was a Food Cultivator technique: Glutton's Gorge.