Li Banfeng and Lian Buda sat across from each other, sipping tea.
Lian Buda said, "Tell me first. What did the peddler do in the Suihuang Plains?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "You tell me first. How did my brother's legs heal?"
Lian Buda was indignant. "I'm only asking about surface matters, but you jump straight to the crucial point! If we trade like that, I'm getting the short end of the stick."
Li Banfeng countered without yielding an inch. "These aren't surface matters at all. The peddler and I went through a great deal in the Suihuang Plains, and all of it connects to the hidden truths from back then!"
The moment hidden truths from back then were mentioned, Lian Buda grew keenly interested. "What hidden truths did you discuss? Good brother, just give me a tiny hint, will you? Tell me a little first, and I'll talk later. I definitely won't renege on my word!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Our trip to the Suihuang Plains this time was for the exit to the Inner States."
Lian Buda's beady eyes widened. "The exit in the Suihuang Plains opened again?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "It opened. While there, I ran into Chuiduanfa, Wankaishan, and Xing Baizhao. The peddler ran into even more. They plan to make a joint move against the Suihuang Plains."
Lian Buda's facial features twitched in spasms. Li Banfeng's words had struck a sorrowful chord in him.
"Actually, back in the day, we were all friends. I keep calling Shan Chengjun a bastard, but once upon a time, I was friends with him too.
"He and Shu Wanjuan, those two bastards, tricked me. If they hadn't, I wouldn't have suffered so much, and Big Lian Buda wouldn't have ended up trapped."
As he spoke, Lian Buda grew deeply dejected. His temperament was truly difficult to pin down.
At times, Li Banfeng found him shrewd and calculating, capable of seeing right through the schemes of someone like Qiao Yi.
Yet at other times, he behaved like a child—whenever something saddened him, it was written plainly across his face.
Seizing the moment, Li Banfeng asked, "Did those two trick you into going to the Inner States?"
Lian Buda nodded. "After the peddler and we drove the Sage away, we were living good lives in Puluo Province. The peddler ran all over the place, while Old Train and I opened a factory."
Li Banfeng followed the thread. "When you opened the factory back then, you must have made quite a bit of money, didn't you?"
Lian Buda tossed a lump of charcoal into the tea stove, a bitter look on his face. "We made plenty of money, but I swallowed a bellyful of grievances, too."
"What kind of grievances did you suffer?"
"Old Train knew how to build steam engines. In all of Puluo Province, his steam engines were the best. Some people even said his steam engines were better than the ones in the Inner States.
"He built the steam engines for every factory, while I was only good for making lubricating oil. He looked down on me, never letting me touch any of the crucial steps of the process, and always telling me to talk less and do more.
"I was furious. Later on, a few outsiders from other states came to Puluo Province carrying internal combustion engine technology.
"I realized what a great thing it was, so I studied under them.
"But Puluo Province can't store oil. Old Train told me not to waste my breath, and said I should find a way to make better lubricating oil instead!
"Am I, an exalted patriarch of a path, supposed to make lubricant for the rest of my life? I made up my mind: I had to crack the secret of the internal combustion engine."
Li Banfeng asked, "Did you manage to develop it?"
Lian Buda looked somewhat dejected. "I fell just a bit short. Oil truly is hard to store. In order to get more oil, I modified something."
"What did you modify?"
Lian Buda's brows and eyes twitched. Across his face flashed a hint of excitement, a trace of pride, and a lingering touch of terror.
"I modified myself."
Li Banfeng asked, "How did you modify yourself?"
"I turned myself into an oilfield. The oil I produce myself can keep for a very long time."
Li Banfeng turned it over in his mind for a long time, unable to fathom what kind of process that could possibly be. "The oilfield you're talking about... is Big Lian Buda?"
Lian Buda nodded and explained, "I split myself into two halves. One half became Big Lian Buda. He only needs to do two things: one is to grow bigger, continuously growing bigger; the other is to produce oil, constantly producing oil."
Li Banfeng stared with his mouth agape, asking in a daze, "Then what about everything else?"
"For everything else, I handle it myself! With the remaining half, I became Little Lian Buda—which is me!"
After spending so much time in Puluo Province, Li Banfeng felt he could accept quite a lot, but Lian Buda's process of self-modification was not an easy pill to swallow.
"And then? Did you develop the internal combustion engine?"
Hearing this, Lian Buda grew even more disheartened. "I was just a bit short. And then Shan Chengjun sabotaged me, and I was captured by the Inner States. You know the rest. I was trapped and suffered a great deal."
Li Banfeng sorted out the logic.
"You hadn't even built the internal combustion engine yet, but the Inner States captured you simply because you had a way to produce fuel?"
Lian Buda fell silent for a long time before muttering in a very faint voice, "That wasn't the only reason."
"Then what was it for?"
Lian Buda snapped his head toward Li Banfeng, his gaze filled with wariness. "You only told me that the Suihuang Plains' exit opened and nothing else. Why should I tell you so much?"
Li Banfeng sensed a flicker of danger, but smoothed it over with a smile. "Brother, what do you want to ask? As long as I know the answer, I'll tell you."
Lian Buda stared straight at Li Banfeng. "Didn't you say you had secrets regarding the peddler? I want to hear the secrets!"
"The secrets are—"
Say that the peddler was injured?
That was not something to be disclosed lightly.
Li Banfeng told Lian Buda how the peddler had pinned the blame on Chuiduanfa and Wankaishan.
Lian Buda nodded. "A very clever move, but..."
His tone shifted, and Lian Buda's expression turned sinister once more. "Does this even count as a secret? Something like this, I would have found out sooner or later!"
Lian Buda was exceptionally sharp; deceiving him was no simple task.
What other secrets could he share? As Li Banfeng weighed his options, he suddenly heard Zhong'er shout from the courtyard, "Master, how is the texture of this oil?"
A bowl of oil sat before Zhong'er, produced through Oil Cultivator techniques.
Lian Buda inspected it, a smile spreading across his face. "Good lad, not bad at all! You're more talented than Xiaoning!"
Hearing this, Lightbulb grew disgruntled. "Master, he only just entered the sect! How can you say he's talented?"
Lian Buda shook his head. "You can't just judge by the present tier. Minghui, study diligently with your master. Once the peddler arrives, I'll get you some Joy Cultivator powder so you can study both paths together. In less than a year, you'll surpass your senior brother."
Lightbulb's face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead.
Lian Buda let out a cold sneer. "Refusing to accept it? A lack of talent is simply a lack of talent—go put in the hard work yourself! And don't even think about Joy Cultivation. You haven't even mastered a single craft, and you're already eyeing two?"
Li Banfeng hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Brother, you teach Oil Cultivation. Why are you always thinking about Joy Cultivation?"
At these words, Lian Buda slumped again. "I never got to enjoy that kind of blessing, so I want my disciple to enjoy it."
Li Banfeng paused. "What blessing are you talking about?"
Lian Buda whispered, "The blessing of Joy Cultivation."
"Don't you have a wife?" Li Banfeng had heard Lian Buda mention before that he had a wife, and that his wife had said his face wasn't big.
Lian Buda lowered his head. "That wife... I would have been better off never marrying her. Forget it, let's not talk about her. Let's get back to the secrets."
Li Banfeng followed Lian Buda back to the main hall, recounting what he could of the events in the Suihuang Plains.
This time, Lian Buda did not split hairs; he was pondering the finer points. "It's not enough to tell only Chu Shaoqiang and Gu Wuyan.
"Chu Shaoqiang came out of the Inner States, so the surrounding local deities might not fully believe what he says. And Gu Wuyan is determined to follow you through thick and thin, so the people around him won't necessarily believe him either."
Li Banfeng said, "I've also contacted the newspapers. Once the news is printed, everyone will believe it."
Lian Buda shook his head repeatedly. "Newspapers won't do much good. How many local deities can even read a paper?"
"It doesn't matter if they don't read them. Once the word spreads and reaches their ears, won't that do the trick?"
Lian Buda still found it unsuitable. "This isn't something a newspaper can explain clearly. In Puluo Province, very few people even know the Inner States exist. No matter how detailed you make it, they won't understand."
"Do you have a better idea, Brother?"
Lian Buda paced back and forth across the room twice before turning to Li Banfeng. "This news must be spread by word of mouth, spoken in words they can understand.
"Do you know people in the gangs? The gangs of Puluo Province have always been the main source of crucial information. Have them circulate the news, and the local deities will receive word before long."
Li Banfeng gave it some thought and settled on a plan.
As for how Zhong'er was able to walk again, Lian Buda had no intention of discussing it, feeling he would suffer a massive loss if he spoke of it.
Li Banfeng pressed no further. Just as he stood to take his leave, Lian Buda suddenly called out to him, "Bufeng!"
Li Banfeng turned around. Only Lian Buda called him that.
"Are you truly not mad?" Lian Buda asked for confirmation.
Li Banfeng squared his shoulders. "A doctor examined me. I am not mad!"
Lian Buda asked again, "You're a Travel Cultivator, but do you truly love Travel Cultivation from the bottom of your heart?"
"Of course I do! I love wandering around!" Li Banfeng answered with absolute certainty.
"Then why do you reek of Dwelling Cultivator qi?"
Li Banfeng stood speechless for a long moment, a shiver running through him. Lian Buda always managed to spring surprises on him.
"Brother, how can you smell Dwelling Cultivator qi?"
Lian Buda offered no explanation. "Brother, if you don't like Travel Cultivation, stop practicing it. Your cultivation is already quite high. Continuing to cultivate a path you dislike will turn you into a madman."
Li Banfeng was baffled. "Why would it turn me into a madman? What does liking it have to do with anything?"
"It has everything to do with it!" Lian Buda said earnestly. "Do you know who possesses the highest talent for Martial Cultivation in all of Puluo Province?"
Li Banfeng thought about it. "Surely it must be the Martial Cultivator Patriarch, Shan Chengjun!"
"Not him!" Lian Buda shook his head. "It's his disciple, Ai Yeqing. Ai Yeqing's talent for Martial Cultivation is the greatest in Puluo Province.
"Yet Ai Yeqing dislikes Martial Cultivation. Shan Chengjun recognized his talent and forced him to practice martial arts, but even after studying his whole life, he couldn't surpass Shan Chengjun.
"It's just like a bearing running out of oil. Without slickness, it can't turn. Ai Yeqing's cultivation will never rise any higher.
"If he keeps cultivating, he'll either ruin his physical body and become a cripple, or ruin his mind and become a madman."
Li Banfeng found Lian Buda's way of speaking fascinating; he loved using oil as a metaphor.
"Are you saying that as long as you love it, the bearing has oil?"
Lian Buda nodded. "Exactly! With oil, it becomes slick, and once it's slick, there's nothing to fear. Brother, if you don't like Travel Cultivation, just tell me. I'll help you modify it."
Li Banfeng was astonished. "Cultivation can even be modified?"
"Of course it can!" Lian Buda replied with absolute conviction.
By modifying, did he mean dual-cultivation?
Li Banfeng added, "My cultivation is hardly low anymore. I'm no longer down at the ground level."
"I know!"
Li Banfeng spelled it out more clearly: "I'm considerably higher than the ordinary above the clouds tier, too."
"I know that as well!"
"Even that can be modified?"
"It can!" Lian Buda looked around in all directions and dropped his voice to a faint murmur. "Your cultivation certainly can't compare to Old Train's, right?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Certainly not."
Lian Buda said, "Even Old Train could be modified!"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Brother, what are you talking about?"
Lian Buda dropped his voice even lower. "Old Train didn't want to study artisan cultivation; he wanted to be a Travel Cultivator. But back then, his artisan cultivation was already too high, and he couldn't cultivate Travel alongside it.
"I helped him. I helped him slide past it, and then he was able to cultivate Travel Cultivation on the side."
Li Banfeng pondered for a long time, then smiled faintly. "So that's how it was."
In truth, this was easy to understand. Lian Buda had been bullied by Old Train for so long that it was only natural he wanted to score some verbal victories.
Lian Buda grew anxious. "I'm not lying to you! I slid half of Old Train's artisan cultivation over to Travel Cultivation, and then Old Train wasn't mad anymore."
Slid artisan cultivation over to Travel Cultivation?
Perhaps Lian Buda's cultivation was so high that he had gone a bit mad himself.
Yet he didn't look mad at all.
Li Banfeng glanced at Zhong'er. "Brother, when you said you'd let him cultivate Joy Cultivation alongside it, you weren't joking?"
Lian Buda replied with utter gravity, "How could that be a joke? If you don't believe me, go ask Old Train!
"I told Old Train not to practice artisan cultivation anymore, but he wouldn't listen to me. He couldn't bear to let go of his exquisite craftsmanship, yet deep down he had no love for it. The friction wore him down, scraping and grinding without any smoothness, until he finally drove himself mad.
"Cultivation is a grinding affair. You must find a path you love. Otherwise, the friction will only worsen. By the fifth or sixth tier, the friction will destroy your body, which is why advancing beyond the fifth or sixth tier is so extraordinarily difficult.
"Once you reach the ninth tier, the wear and tear of the cultivation path becomes so severe that even if your heart loves it, your physical body can't endure it, and it easily tears apart.
"At that point, one must undergo a rebirth to exchange for a new body. That's where the saying comes from: to ascend from nine to ten, you must go to the Inner States. The Inner States can grant a cultivator a new physical body and provide a territory to support their status.
"However, going to the Inner States isn't the only way. With oil, you can slide past it. Once you slide past, your body transforms alongside your cultivation, growing tough and resilient, allowing you to keep cultivating onward..."
Lian Buda's voice grew fainter and fainter.
Li Banfeng held his breath, terrified of missing a single word. "With oil, you can slide past?"
Lian Buda's cheeks twitched uncontrollably. Lowering his head, he said, "I was just rambling for fun. Don't take it seriously, and whatever you do, never tell another soul."
"Understood." Li Banfeng nodded.
The two stood inside the room for a long while without speaking.
Lian Buda picked up his teacup. "Brother, if there's nothing else, then..."
Li Banfeng turned around. "Then I shall take my leave."
Walking along the road, Li Banfeng recalled Lian Buda's words, examining every single syllable.
Now he understood why the Inner States wanted to capture Lian Buda.
Now he understood why the peddler had been so determined to rescue him.
Ascending from the ninth to the tenth tier was a tribulation that awaited every cultivator.
Yet Lian Buda claimed that with oil, one could slide right through.
Lian Buda had to be protected at all costs.
Li Banfeng hurried back to Lian Buda's residence and handed a telephone to Zhong'er.
Returning to Xiaoyaowu, Li Banfeng summoned Qin Tianjiu and recounted what had transpired in the Suihuang Plains.
Little Fat listened with mounting excitement. "Even patriarchs fell by your hand? Seventh Brother, I'm truly in awe of you!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "That was because the peddler was there."
"Even with the peddler backing you, didn't they have a Champion on their side? Seventh Brother, I admire you to pieces! If I could win a battle like that, it would give me bragging rights for several lifetimes!"
Li Banfeng said, "Go brag about it right now. Spread the word far and wide. Have the disciples of your gang disseminate it, highlighting the key details, and make absolutely sure you identify Chuiduanfa and Wankaishan."
"Don't worry, Seventh Brother! Not just our gang—as long as the other gangs show respect to the Sanying Sect, they'll help spread it too. It's just those few gangs under He Jiaqing; I don't hold much sway over them..."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "He'll spread it himself. We don't need to worry about that. What tier is your cultivation at right now?"
Qin Tianjiu pondered. "I reckon I'm at the seventh tier, and not far off from the eighth."
"You reckon?" Li Banfeng shook his head helplessly. This brother of his was still as muddle-headed as ever. Yet after a single trip into the wormhole, his cultivation had skyrocketed at an astonishing pace.
Li Banfeng handed him a pair of covenant deeds and explained the location of the territory and the procedure for transferring ownership.
"Go claim the territory. If you can shoulder the burden yourself, shoulder it. If there's anything you don't understand, go find Ma the Fifth. If you can't bear it alone, seek out Pan Dehai to help you carry it, and put the favor on my tab."
Qin Tianjiu dropped to his knees. "I can carry it, Seventh Brother! In this lifetime, I'll never be able to repay your—"
"Get up and speak!" Li Banfeng hauled Little Fat to his feet. "Let me warn you: this is no trifling matter. If you can't carry it, you must speak up. Don't go slapping your cheeks just to look like a fat man!"
Qin Tianjiu puffed out his chest. "Seventh Brother, I was a fat man to begin with!"
After seeing Qin Tianjiu off, Li Banfeng called Luo Zhengnan. "Old Luo, we've known each other for so long, yet I've never asked about your cultivation. What tier have you reached?"
Luo Zhengnan replied, "Following Seventh Master all these years, I've earned quite a few fine spirit pills. I won't hide it from you: my cultivation has reached the eighth tier."
"The eighth tier is plenty," Li Banfeng said. "I acquired some new covenant deeds. Hand off matters in the Underground City to your subordinates for now, and come back to take over a new plot of land as its local deity."
Bringing so many people to the Underground City in the first place had been intended as an opportunity to temper them. Now it was time to let them test their wings.
Old Luo was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was choked with emotion. "Seventh Master, I... how could I be worthy—"
"You are worthy. I picked out a prime territory for you."
Luo Zhengnan thanked him repeatedly. "Seventh Master, as soon as I settle matters in the Earth Market, I'll head over immediately."
Old Luo had always been cautious in his dealings, and this was not something to be rushed.
Li Banfeng then contacted Qiu Zhiheng. "Brother Qiu, I have a territory for you."
"Brother, you've given me too much already. I cannot accept it. Besides, I can't easily leave the Underground City right now."
Qiu Zhiheng truly could not leave. The Mortal Market was the most complex territory in the Underground City, and it held the economic lifeline of the entire place.
"Have your subordinates gradually take over. When you feel the time is right, come find me in Green Water City."
Li Banfeng had someone fetch Lu Chunying. "How high is your cultivation?"
Lu Chunying lowered her head. "If I said the fifth tier, I'd be bragging a bit..."
Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. "I didn't skimp on giving you spirit pills, did I?"
Lu Chunying nodded. "Seventh Brother gave plenty, but the medicinal potency is too fierce. I can't take them all the time..."
"What about your mother's cultivation?"
"About the same as mine."
Li Banfeng calculated: two fourth-tier cultivators, added together, made eight tiers...
That wouldn't do!
Making mother and daughter local deities would turn into a laughingstock.
Li Banfeng said, "I'll reserve a territory for the two of you in the newland. Come claim it within two years. If you can't hold it by then, don't blame me for giving it away to someone else."
Lu Chunying nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Seventh Brother! I'll hold Seventh Brother's friendship in my heart forever, I'll never forget Seventh Brother's kindness, and how good Seventh Brother has been to his little sister—"
Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Hurry up and cultivate. Ask the elders in your family how your father trained his cultivation."
After sending Lu Chunying off, Li Banfeng summoned Ma the Fifth and handed him a pair of covenant deeds. "The favor owed to Li Haoyun can be settled now. Also, what sort of person is Zhang Xiuling? Can we consider her one of our own?"
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "With me, not particularly. With you, I reckon there's nothing to question."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Am I that familiar with her?"
Ma the Fifth sighed. "You haven't had much contact with her, but she definitely holds you in her heart."
Li Banfeng was skeptical. "Really?"
Ma the Fifth grinned. "If you don't believe me, go visit her tonight. After one night, you'll certainly know her depth, and it'll save you from talking around the subject."
"What depths and subjects?" Li Banfeng didn't catch the double entendre. He took out another pair of covenant deeds. "I'll go sound out Zhang Xiuling shortly. I'm leaving this pair of deeds with you. If you see any of our brothers whose cultivation is up to par, give them a helping hand."
Ma the Fifth took the deeds, looking troubled. "Among those close to us, there really aren't any brothers whose cultivation is sufficient. If anyone has that kind of momentum, I'm afraid it's only Jiang Mengting."
Li Banfeng laughed. "Aren't you teasing me? How many days has Jiang Mengting even been in the sect?"
Ma the Fifth said, "Jiang Mengting has reached the fourth tier. You don't believe it, do you? She always feels she isn't worthy of you, so she cultivates relentlessly every day. Today, her voice has gone hoarse again."
Li Banfeng said, "I'll fetch some medicine and go see her in a bit."
At daybreak the next morning, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling.
He had administered medicine to Jiang Mengting, and her illness was more than half recovered. She had insisted on singing for him.
From her singing, Li Banfeng could hear her exhaustion. She was exceptionally diligent, but pushing herself so brutally was no long-term solution.
Ma the Fifth had found a few teachers for her, but their cultivation was none too high either. Li Banfeng thought about consulting his lady for cultivation methods, though he didn't know whether she would agree.
As for Zhang Xiuling, the two of them had spent the entire night discussing *Yuxiangji*. Her literary foundation was profound, and her potential ran deep; of that, there was no doubt.
Selecting this batch of local deities was not about picking personal confidants; it was about choosing future pillars for Puluo Province.
Zhang Xiuling was someone capable of bearing that weight. Though their interactions had been limited, Li Banfeng decided to grant her a pair of covenant deeds.
Li Banfeng was contemplating whether to discuss the matter of Oil Cultivation with his lady when, before he could speak, Hong Ying took the initiative and grabbed his hand. "Seventh Brother, I missed you."
As she spoke, Hong Ying gazed affectionately at Li Banfeng. A significant transformation had occurred on her face, and she waited eagerly for his appraisal.
"I missed you quite a bit too," Li Banfeng replied casually, noticing nothing out of the ordinary about her.
Hong Ying clutched Li Banfeng's hand tightly. "Seventh Brother, look closer."
Li Banfeng looked carefully, but still didn't notice any difference. His lady prompted from the side, "Husband, look at how lovely Yingying's cheeks have grown."
This time, Li Banfeng saw it: cheeks had grown upon Hong Ying's head.
Yet the face was still incomplete. Everything above the nose, including the forehead and eye sockets, remained a cold spearhead, bare of flesh and blood.
"Very pretty!" Li Banfeng praised her.
Hong Ying was overjoyed. Tugging his hand, she said, "Seventh Brother, give me a kiss, won't you?"
The gramophone spoke up from the side. "Husband, give Yingying a kiss. I won't be angry."
These were sincere words; the gramophone truly wasn't angry.
Ever since Hong Ying had grown cheeks, she had been showing them off around the house all night. Although the family found it somewhat hard on the eyes, everyone had praised her beauty. Jiu'er had hesitated for just a moment and had already been beaten by Hong Ying.
If Seventh Brother showed even the slightest distaste for her, there was no telling what kind of tantrum she would throw today—even the gramophone might not be able to keep her in check.
Still, in the old teapot's view, planting a kiss on that face was an undertaking of considerable difficulty. He spoke slowly: "I am old..."
Hong Ying snapped angrily, "Where do you think you're going?"
The old teapot didn't dare move.
Without a shred of hesitation, Li Banfeng planted a kiss on Hong Ying's cheek.
"It truly is very pretty." These were Li Banfeng's genuine feelings.
Hong Ying's cheeks flushed bright red, her fingertips trembling.
The glove praised, "Master, well done!"
The projector marveled, "I suppose this counts as a form of art!"
The Tang dao sighed with profound admiration. "Our lord is truly extraordinary! He can actually bring his lips to that!"
Hong Ying grabbed the Tang dao in a flash. "This blade has been used for too long and has grown dull. Why don't we toss it back into the furnace and reforge it!"
Chapter 700