Scattered branches and leaves, withered yellow seedlings—had he not seen it with his own eyes, Li Banfeng would never have believed what lay before him was real.
This was Li Banfeng's earliest territory, a newland acquired from the Mountain Uplifting Master, where the local spirit went by the name of Li Furong.
Li Furong's covenant deed was complete, and under Zhang Wanlong's management, the territory had been thriving. Li Banfeng had wanted to come back to check on Xiao Genzi's condition and gather the territory's human qi while he was at it, never imagining he would find it in such a wretched state.
The cropland lay in ruins. Li Banfeng went to the village Zhang Wanlong had built; the buildings were still standing, but the villagers were all gone.
Whether those villagers with distinct traits and complex behaviors, or those who looked virtually identical to Zhang Wanlong and could perform only simple labor, every last one had vanished.
Li Banfeng walked over to Zhang Wanlong's house. The furnishings inside were fairly clean, and there was still rice in the pot; though cold, it had not molded.
Zhang Wanlong should still be living here. Where had he gone?
Where had he taken Genzi?
Stepping outside, Li Banfeng twitched his nose. A desolate, ruined aura permeated the entire village. Even Zhang Wanlong's home felt strange, completely unlike the house Li Banfeng had known before.
Li Banfeng searched all around the fields and finally spotted Zhang Wanlong in one of them.
Zhang Wanlong held a water ladle, watering the seedlings, while Genzi followed behind with a spoon, applying fertilizer. Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Zhang, what happened?"
Had Li Qi not spoken, Zhang Wanlong wouldn't even have known he was there. A fourth-tier Dwelling Cultivator above the clouds possessed concealment that was simply too formidable.
"Master Seven, watch your step. Please, don't trample the seedlings." Zhang Wanlong looked far more haggard than before. He kept his eyes glued to Li Banfeng's feet, genuinely terrified that Li Banfeng might step on what few seedlings remained.
When Xiao Genzi saw Li Banfeng, his eyes reddened and his voice trembled. "Master Seven, the crops all withered and died! Only these seedlings are left! Only these..."
Perhaps wanting to cry but unable to, Genzi spoke in a muffled, indistinct murmur.
Li Banfeng frowned. "Speak clearly. What on earth happened? Did someone attack?"
Genzi shook his head. "No one attacked."
"A pest infestation?"
"No."
"Hailstorm?"
Zhang Wanlong's eyes reddened as well. "Master Seven, there was no disaster, no calamity. Yet across ten square li, the crops just... vanished!"
Li Banfeng could press no further. When it came to farming, he was a layman, whereas Zhang Wanlong was a top-tier master. He shouldn't butt in blindly.
Even so, the matter needed a thorough investigation. This was his territory. Who had dealt such a ruthless hand to Zhang Wanlong here?
He Jiaqing?
Or Xuehuapu?
Li Banfeng gathered the nearby anomalies. The most literate among them, Old Ox, explained the situation to him: "Master Seven, we've gotten along well with Brother Zhang. Especially those of us who eat greens—we've taken plenty of grain from him. Just these past few days, for reasons unknown, the crops failed patch by patch until everything was ruined. We don't know who played dirty, but if we catch the bastard, we'll beat him to death!"
Li Banfeng instructed Old Ox, "Inquire further and see if anyone knows the inside story."
Old Ox nodded. "Rest assured, Master Seven. I will do my utmost to investigate."
"Good. If you find a lead, I'll speak to the local spirit to credit you with top merit and reward you with cultivation!"
He said as much, but counting on this bunch of anomalies would rarely yield results.
Li Banfeng went to the neighboring territory. The moment Meng Yuchun heard Li Qi had arrived, she was overjoyed. Taking Li Banfeng by the hand, she led him straight into the inner room.
Half of Meng Yuchun's territory had been cultivated, all thanks to the three-headed people Li Banfeng had lent her.
What was more, Li Banfeng had given her the other half of the covenant deed.
Meng Yuchun didn't know how to repay Li Qi. As a Dwelling Cultivator, she knew little of etiquette to begin with; she simply felt that to a benefactor like Li Banfeng, she should give everything she had.
"This is where I sleep. This is my bed. Over there is another room where my dwelling spirit sleeps. Go in and take a look."
She pulled Li Banfeng into the dwelling spirit's room. Inside stood a mahogany vanity table, and upon it sat a bronze mirror.
Meng Yuchun said, "This is my dwelling spirit."
Li Banfeng glanced with the skill of Golden Eyes Discerning Autumn Hair. In the bronze mirror was a woman who appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six, roughly Meng Yuchun's age. In terms of looks, she could be called charming, though she fell considerably short of Meng Yuchun.
She was peering curiously outward from the mirror, wondering what kind of person Li Qi was. But sensing that Li Qi seemed to be looking right at her, she hastily averted her gaze in fright.
Meng Yuchun continued, "Over there is my treasure room. All the treasures in my house are kept in that room. There's another room for little trinkets—women's playthings. If you like, go see them too. And that door over there is for my escape; I have to leave myself a way out—"
"Hold on!" Li Banfeng waved his hand. "You don't need to tell me these things."
Meng Yuchun shook her head. "I should tell you everything about me. Nothing should be kept from you!"
Li Banfeng said, "I came to find you for one matter. In my territory, there's a master Farming Cultivator. You know him."
Meng Yuchun nodded. "You mean Zhang Wanlong. I've bought plenty of grain from him; we're somewhat acquainted."
"Something happened to him recently. Do you know about it?"
"A little. His crops withered, and to this day no one knows why. I suspect a Bug Cultivator or Poison Cultivator harmed him, but that's only a guess. I have no clues here."
Meng Yuchun had no leads either.
Who on earth could have done it?
Li Banfeng returned to Zhang Wanlong's village. Zhang Wanlong was still in the field tending to the seedlings. Li Banfeng wanted to ask if Zhang Wanlong had crossed paths with any enemies lately, yet unexpectedly, someone asked the question in his stead.
"Wanlong, have you offended anyone recently?"
Though Li Banfeng detected no malice, he retreated into hiding at a distance.
Zhang Wanlong started, and Xiao Genzi shuddered in fright. Both hurried to bow. "Master."
Xu Han had arrived.
Li Banfeng had heard Old Yao mention that Old Xu had matters to handle. Could he have come specifically to deal with Zhang Wanlong?
Xu Han squatted down and plucked a leaf from a seedling. "Didn't you hear what I just asked? Have you offended anyone?"
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "I haven't offended anyone."
Xu Han inspected two more leaves. "Think carefully."
Zhang Wanlong pondered for a long while before recalling three people. "A Dance Cultivator came by once. He wanted to buy seeds, but I didn't sell to him."
He meant Du Wenming.
Xu Han waved his hand. "Not a Dance Cultivator. Who else?"
"Another was He Jiaqing. He also wanted to buy seeds, but he doesn't get along with Master Seven. I didn't want to offend anyone on his account, so I refused him."
Xu Han was silent for a good while before saying, "He's a Thief Cultivator; it could be him. Mention someone else."
Zhang Wanlong added, "There was also a foreigner named Critick. He came to buy seeds too, but trouble had just broken out at Desong Cliff at the time, and I didn't want to be implicated, so I didn't sell to him either—"
"Say no more," Xu Han sighed. "Even as a simple farmer, you cannot escape these squabbles!"
Zhang Wanlong wept, "Master, the few mu of land I painstakingly worked up have only these few seedlings left, and even these leaves seem a bit off—"
Xu Han took another look at the leaf in his hand, then tossed it into the field. "Come with me."
Zhang Wanlong saw a glimmer of hope and eagerly hurried after Old Xu with Genzi.
Li Banfeng followed behind them. The four walked to the edge of the fields. Old Xu took out his pipe and smoked a bowl.
Halfway through the bowl, Old Xu flicked out the ash from the pipe bowl.
The ashes flew into the sky and turned into a shower of sparks, raining down across the cropland.
Zhang Wanlong wailed, "Master, what are you doing?!"
He tried to rush into the fields, but Xu Han held him back. "These crops are diseased. I have never seen such blights before. If they spread, the calamity will be boundless!"
Diseased? Blights?
Li Banfeng felt a chill in his heart. Going by Old Xu's words, the culprit was practically confirmed.
Could it really be Critick?
Zhang Wanlong was still weeping and shouting. Xu Han frowned. "What are you crying for? Can't afford to lose? As a farmer, you lack the slightest wit; you deserved to be plotted against!"
"Master, put out the fire, let me think of another way!"
Old Xu shook his head. "This fire cannot be extinguished. It must burn for three days to cleanse the blights completely. They must never be carried beyond this territory. Wanlong, wipe away your tears. This fire will burn away the blights, burn away the pests, and the resulting ash can nourish the soil. Once everything is burned clean, you can sow seeds anew. As for the previous harvest, just treat it as if bandits robbed you. We are farmers; when we fall, we must learn to get back up on our own."
Zhang Wanlong squatted on the ground and cried. Xiao Genzi cried along with him, tears falling drop by drop; grieved to the core, he seemed afraid to let out a sound.
Old Xu turned his eyes toward Li Banfeng. "Old Seven, whose man is Critick in the end? Is he yours, or the peddler's?"
Li Banfeng said, "He can be considered a friend of mine."
Old Xu nodded. "Since he's your friend, I'll trouble you to pass him a message. He and my disciple did have friction before, and I don't care to parse right from wrong anymore. My disciple took a loss this time, and I don't plan to settle scores with him over it. But if there is a next time, I will demand an explanation from him."
With that, Xu Han turned and vanished into the night.
Xiao Genzi cried, "Brother Zhang, the master is gone. Let's put out the fire, quick!"
Zhang Wanlong wept and shook his head. "Brother, don't you dare do something foolish. What kind of methods does our master possess? If he said this fire must burn for three days, then burn for three days it must. Not a single day less."
Li Banfeng consoled them, "Don't grieve for now, you two. Whatever happens, let's head home first before talking."
Zhang Wanlong also wanted to go home, but his home was gone.
The village and houses he and Xiao Genzi had managed were all consumed by fire. Old Xu's blaze covered virtually the entire territory across ten square li.
Li Banfeng had built wooden cabins on the territory before, so he settled the two there for the time being. Youtao and He Yuxiu's territories still had people managing them, with food and water aplenty, so the pair would not go hungry.
The anomalies from the surrounding area rushed over, bringing plenty of supplies for them. Truth be told, Zhang Wanlong was genuinely well-liked, and under everyone's comfort, his emotions gradually settled.
After seeing the others off, Li Banfeng asked Genzi, "How is your cultivation coming along?"
Xiao Genzi said, "Thanks to Brother Zhang's guidance, I'm around the sixth tier now."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Put in a bit more effort. Once you reach the seventh tier, remember to come find me."
Having suffered such heavy losses, Zhang Wanlong was offered some elixir pills by Li Banfeng. Zhang Wanlong waved his hands repeatedly. "I can't accept this, Master Seven. This grudge is of my own making; it has nothing to do with you."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not making amends on Critick's behalf. I'm thanking you on Genzi's. Given your cultivation, you might not have use for these pills, but you can trade them for money or something else. In any case, grit your teeth and build this land back up."
After chatting a while longer, Li Banfeng departed. Zhang Wanlong and Genzi saw him off along the road.
When the time came to part ways, Genzi sobbed, tears spilling again.
Zhang Wanlong sighed, "Brother, stop crying. We've cried our fill already. Cry any more and you'll make Master Seven laugh at us!"
Genzi wiped his eyes. "I'm not crying. It's the wind and sand in my eyes."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I'll be going now. If anything happens, remember to come find me."
His figure drew farther away, the flames behind him still clearly visible, yet Li Banfeng never heard Genzi cry out loud.
Should Genzi have cried out loud?
He should have!
Li Banfeng had seen Genzi cry before. Back when he stole the medicinal powder and forcibly stepped onto the Gold Cultivator path, Genzi had wept aloud at the top of his lungs.
That was his temperament: when triumphant, he laughed aloud; when downcast, he bawled aloud; and in a fight, he hoisted his bucket. He was never one to grit his teeth and swallow his tears.
Wind and sand in his eyes.
Was there such heavy wind and sand here?
Li Banfeng took a circuitous route, using Unimpeded Passage to pass into the cliff and enter the local spirit's residence.
Smelling that Li Banfeng had returned, the blind mountain wolf was overjoyed. Li Banfeng had worried they might go hungry and specifically brought plenty of food and drink for them.
The mountain wolf wagged its tail and said, "Master, you rarely come back. How could we eat your food? The anomalies in the mountain bring us plenty to eat on ordinary days. I'll have the kitchen prepare wine and dishes. Whatever happens, you must have a meal at home!"
Li Banfeng went to the back courtyard first, took up the local spirit seal, and absorbed the human qi.
The local spirit seal held an abundance of human qi, which was within expectations. The crops Zhang Wanlong grew could generate human qi—a fact verified before.
Holding the local spirit seal, Li Banfeng distributed cultivation to the anomalies in the residence, then returned to the territory to distribute cultivation to the anomalies there until the local spirit seal was emptied. He then brought the local spirit seal back to the residence.
The mountain wolf's earlier words hadn't been mere politeness; he had genuinely instructed others to prepare wine and dishes. "Master, if you don't think it beneath you, let's share a meal."
Li Banfeng had a meal in the residence. He returned too seldom, so the household was somewhat afraid of him, but once they sat down to eat, everyone found their master quite easygoing. Knowing they were blind, Li Banfeng even pitched in himself when pouring wine and serving dishes.
Sated with wine and food, Li Banfeng went to the back courtyard and put the local spirit seal back in place.
Just as he set it down, Li Banfeng sensed something was amiss.
The local spirit seal resonated—it was receiving human qi.
Li Banfeng waited a moment, lifted the local spirit seal from the covenant deed, and pressed it against his head.
There was human qi. Not a massive amount, but Li Banfeng could distinctly sense it.
From taking down the local spirit seal, gathering the human qi, distributing cultivation, eating a meal, to putting it back, only a few hours had passed from start to finish.
Why had human qi gathered in these few hours?
Had it been Green Water City, it would have been understandable. With a large population, human qi was naturally abundant, and gathering some would be expected. But in such a desolate territory, with Zhang Wanlong's army of plant-men gone, where did this human qi come from?
Li Banfeng put the local spirit seal back, sat in the main hall of the residence, and sank into deep thought.
Zhang Wanlong's crops were diseased—was it truly Critick's doing?
Critick was a ruthless man; Li Banfeng granted that. But Zhang Wanlong had merely refused to sell him seeds. Did that really warrant Critick's revenge?
Moreover, Li Banfeng had resolved the seed matter for Critick. If he wanted to retaliate against Zhang Wanlong, how would he answer to Li Banfeng?
This didn't seem like something Critick would do.
Who on earth did it?
After pondering for a long time, Li Banfeng picked up the local spirit seal once more.
Once again, the local spirit seal held human qi, and the speed at which it accumulated astonished him.
Could it be that Zhang Wanlong's army of plant-men was still around?
Where were they?
Amidst the raging inferno, Li Banfeng shuttled back and forth through the flames.
In his hand, he held Lühuazi's bowl, quietly observing the movements of the three spoons.
The fire left by Xu Han was ferocious. Relying on Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, Stepless Trace, and Riding the Wind and Driving Clouds, Li Banfeng moved through the fire, stopping and starting, weaving through it for two full hours until he finally found an entrance.
When he opened the entrance, the sight before him left him stunned.
He saw a road lined on both sides with luxuriant crops.
The road led to a village. At the village entrance, an old man crouched by the doorway smoking a dry pipe.
A woman carried a child on her back, husking corn.
A bashful young girl sat inside a room by the light of an oil lamp, carefully tracing a calligraphy model.
Zhang Wanlong's two wives were in a courtyard washing clothes.
Li Banfeng walked into Zhang Wanlong's courtyard, sat down beside a table, and looked at the two women with a smile. "Please ask your man to come see me. Tell him Li Qi is looking for him."
The women dared not ask questions and hurriedly left the house. Before long, Zhang Wanlong arrived.
"Master Seven."
The moment Zhang Wanlong saw Li Banfeng, he looked somewhat embarrassed.
After a brief moment of awkwardness, his expression returned to normal.
"You've seen everything, so I won't say much."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Brother Zhang, can you tell me what this place is?"
Zhang Wanlong said, "After farming here for so long, I discovered this Unnameable Land. So I built another new village inside this Unnameable Land, considering it an extra precaution for myself."
Li Banfeng looked up and tipped up the brim of his hat. "Whom are you guarding against?"
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "Master Seven, I certainly wasn't guarding against you. I know you are the local spirit of this territory."
Li Banfeng didn't deny it. "How did you know?"
Zhang Wanlong answered, "That wasn't hard for me. Farming Cultivators make their living off the land. You've been to the underground city of Santoucha. There's a place in that underground city called the Earth Market where I stayed for a long time.
"I have a connection with the land, and this land has a connection with you. Every time you come, this land is thrilled out of its mind.
"I've been farming on this soil all along, and I've never guarded against you. I did this to guard against my master."
Li Banfeng said, "You knew your master was coming?"
Zhang Wanlong nodded. "In my whole life, the person I dread the most is my master. I have to keep tabs on his whereabouts."
Li Banfeng touched the dining table. This table felt familiar; he had eaten meals at it before. "So you rebuilt such a large village?"
Zhang Wanlong sighed. "I had no choice. After all the painstaking effort I poured into this place over so many days, finally making something of it, I couldn't let my master ruin it all."
Li Banfeng picked up a teacup. This teacup was also very familiar; he had drunk tea from it before. "Could you not have spoken properly with Old Xu?"
Zhang Wanlong gave a bitter laugh. "Master Seven, you don't know the bitterness of it. I want to do something different, but in my master's eyes, everything I do is wrong.
"You saw it just now. He said the crops had blights. There are many ways to destroy blights, yet he insisted on setting a fire.
"Master Seven, do you think Master truly trusts me? With this one fire, he burned the crops, burned the village, and burned the territory three feet deep.
"Had I not taken precautions early, I'm afraid I wouldn't have kept a single seed."
Li Banfeng looked up. "So, this village was newly made by you?"
Zhang Wanlong nodded. "It's newly made. I made the right call; at least I saved what was important.
"Master Seven, for the sake of our friendship, could you not tell my master about this?
"If you really tell him, then in the future, if you ever want those good seeds again, you won't find anywhere to get them."
Li Banfeng didn't answer. He asked a question first: "What really happened to the crops on the territory? Why did so many wither, and what method did you use to deceive Old Xu?"
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "I didn't deceive him. Those crops were truly sick, but I was the one who released the blights."
Li Banfeng was startled. "You possess the methods of a Disease Cultivator?"
Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "I don't, but a friend does. He's always wanted my seeds, so I made a deal with him."
Li Banfeng asked, "Is this friend of yours Critick?"
Zhang Wanlong did not deny it.
Li Banfeng set down his teacup and rose. "I won't disclose this matter to anyone for the time being."
Zhang Wanlong nodded. "Thank you, Master Seven."
He didn't see Li Qi to the door, knowing Li Qi certainly wouldn't want to be followed right now.
He trusted Li Qi's promise, but the words "for the time being" left him thoroughly unsettled.
Why had Li Qi managed to find this place? That was the biggest question in Zhang Wanlong's mind.
Could this be related to Genzi?
Genzi was still over by the wooden cabins. Should he go check on him?
As Zhang Wanlong stood up, he suddenly heard a crisp clink.
A silver dollar dropped to the floor.
Someone had placed a silver dollar on him!
Who placed it? When was it placed?
Zhang Wanlong picked up the silver dollar and examined it against the oil lamp.
On the front of the silver dollar were two carved characters: Farming Cultivator.
On the back were two carved characters: Champion.
Zhang Wanlong gripped the silver dollar tight. A mix of terror and thrill made his body tremble uncontrollably.
Walking along the road through the village, Li Banfeng wondered whether he should visit Critick to ask for the truth.
Looking at every blade of grass, every tree, and every passerby, Li Banfeng found them all exceedingly familiar.
Because he had been here before. A Travel Cultivator never forgets a road he has walked.
Zhang Wanlong hadn't told the truth. This village was not newly built; this was Zhang Wanlong's original village. The one burned down by Old Xu was the one he had newly built—which was why that village had felt strange to Li Banfeng.
Yet how had Zhang Wanlong moved an entire village into an Unnameable Land?
Had he moved it in, or locked it in?
Li Banfeng had seen the techniques of a Lock Cultivator in Huangtu Town, but the peddler said Lock Cultivation was long lost. How could Zhang Wanlong have used Lock Cultivator techniques?
If not for Genzi mentioning "wind and sand," which reminded Li Banfeng of the Land of Wind and Sand, he might never have found this place.
Genzi had also dropped another hint before: Zhang Wanlong had iron-sinew bamboo in his possession, though it wasn't yet ten-sinew bamboo.
Consider Critick's side of things as well.
If Critick truly created blights capable of poisoning crops, what kind of deal would he make with Zhang Wanlong?
Zhang Wanlong had just put on a show in front of Old Xu, pushing all the blame onto Critick. In this deal, Critick bore an immense risk, potentially even facing Old Xu's retaliation.
Facing such great danger, he certainly wouldn't settle for merely wanting some seeds.
What else had he demanded?
Li Banfeng walked out of the Unnameable Land. Amidst the roaring fire, chills ran down his spine wave after wave.
Could it be that Zhang Wanlong had already...
The peddler beside him said, "He may have already decoded the Lock Cultivator's medicinal powder."
PS: That gave me quite a startle—how did the peddler pop out?
Chapter 701