Frantic and Overbearing

Inside the companion dwelling, the gramophone had built a fire, roasting Red Lotus over the flames. "I won't make things difficult for you. Find a way to cure my husband, and we'll let this matter pass!" Red Lotus unfurled her petals amid the fire and rubbed her scorched red base. "I've thought it through carefully. There is a way, but I'm afraid you won't trust me." The gramophone tossed some charcoal into the fire. "Let's hear it first." Shielding her base, Red Lotus quickened her pace: "Being bathed in the sky light added Dao affinity. With an excess of Dao affinity, it must be channeled and dispersed. There are two ways to do this. First is to open more Dao gates—that disperses it fastest. But Li Qi has already opened quite a few; opening more would likely cause a backlash, so that's ill-advised. That leaves the other path: using human presence to channel it." Holding a fire poker, the gramophone prodded the embers. "Using human presence to channel Dao affinity—isn't that just advancing in cultivation? Husband has only just reached the fourth layer above the clouds. If he tries to advance another layer now, he probably won't be able to bear it, will he?" Red Lotus spoke faster and faster. "If he tries to advance as a Dwelling Cultivator, he certainly won't survive it. But advancing as a Travel Cultivator might just work!" The gramophone glanced at Hong Ying. Hong Ying was facing the mirror, applying lipstick. With tear tracks on her cheeks and a smile on her lips, she whispered softly to herself, "He called me his wife. He said it twice in a row. I'm content. I'm content for this lifetime..." The gramophone sighed, picked up a fan, and fanned the charcoal fire before asking, "Advancing to Cloud Four requires an immense amount of human presence. Where is that human presence going to come from?" Red Lotus switched two lotus leaves to cover her base. "To gather that much human presence in a short time, you'll have to take some risks. In the stairwell of the Dark Star Bureau building, there is an idol of a heavenly maiden. That idol gave Li Qi a great deal of human presence before. Li Qi nearly lost his life because of it, but it was also by riding that surge of human presence that he leaped straight to the fourth layer above the clouds in one go." The gramophone asked, "You want Husband to go find that Heavenly Maiden idol again?" Red Lotus said, "It's the quickest way to gain human presence. Last time you weren't home, and the situation developed so suddenly that Li Qi ran into a host of problems handling it. But now you're here to plan everything out. While it remains dangerous, with careful deployment, it's certainly worth a try." The gramophone gently stroked its stylus against the lotus core. "You think that highly of me?" Red Lotus sighed. "When it comes to strategizing, few in this world can truly compare to you." The gramophone chuckled. "Listen to how smooth you are. Are you particularly eager for my Seven to return to the Dark Star Bureau?" Red Lotus batted the stylus aside. "What do you mean by that?" The stylus continued to rub against the lotus core. "If he runs into that stone idol of the heavenly maiden again, will you look for a way to contact her? Will she look for a way to rescue you? Last time, by sheer coincidence, Husband just happened to run into that idol. Do you dare swear that had nothing to do with you?" Beads of dew welled from the lotus core. Zhao Xiaowan's shrewd scheming struck wave after wave of dread into Red Lotus. Closing her lotus leaves, Red Lotus said, "I kindly offered you an idea. Believe it or not, it's up to you." "How could I not believe you? I just feel our friendship isn't genuine enough yet; it needs a bit more tempering." The gramophone fetched fuel oil and poured it over the charcoal. Flames swallowed Red Lotus in an instant. Going to the Dark Star Bureau was certainly no good option, but what other way was there right now to cure Li Banfeng? Mengde spoke up to remind her: "Mistress, our Master is about to wake up." The gramophone said, "Find a way to make him sleep a little longer." "Mistress, Master's cultivation is so high that I really can't keep him down anymore." The gramophone glanced at Mengde. "Can't keep him down because you haven't been beaten enough?" Mengde fell silent, not daring to speak. The glove piped up: "Once the master of the house wakes up, he'll definitely want to go out. Whatever fuss he makes at home is manageable, but once he steps outside, who knows what kind of havoc he'll cause, or what kind of people he'll provoke." The clock pendulum had also thought of this: "Mistress, whatever you do, don't let Master go outside these next few days. If he runs into a ruthless character like Shu Wanjuan again, Master won't be able to fight him off in this state." The wine gourd didn't quite agree: "What solution can we come up with by staying cooped up at home? If the young brother doesn't go out, none of us can leave either. How are we supposed to seek medical help?" Caught in a dilemma, the gramophone found it difficult to make a call for the moment. The old teapot offered an idea: "There is a place that doesn't fear madness. Old Seven even holds some status there, and perhaps that place has a cure for madness." The gramophone looked at the old teapot. Due to her fiery temper, the old teapot rarely gave her advice. He spoke up today because earlier, when Li Qi went mad, it was only thanks to the gramophone that the old teapot had been saved. "What place are you talking about?" The old teapot said, "Hulu Village." When speaking these words, the old teapot was extremely careful. He knew the gramophone and A'yi shared a past friendship, and that history was very likely connected to Lady Nine as well. The gramophone weighed it for a long while. "Hulu Village is indeed a possibility. A'yi might actually have a way to cure my husband." Jiu'er chuckled mockingly. "What crazy talk is that? Are you counting on a madwoman to cure Ah Qi's madness? Besides, will Ah Qi even be willing to go to Hulu Village? He doesn't even recognize who you are. Go ask him if he'll listen to you right now!" Li Banfeng hugged the gramophone and declared, "I recognize her! This is my wife, I can't mistake her!" The entire household jumped in fright. Not even the gramophone had noticed Li Banfeng suddenly appearing beside them. "Husband, there is something your humble servant has never told you," the gramophone said in a soft, gentle voice, pressing its large horn against Li Banfeng's cheek. "Your servant and A'yi are old acquaintances, but I haven't seen her in ages. I've been missing her these past few days. Could Husband take your servant on a trip to Hulu Village so us two sisters can chat?" Li Banfeng nodded. "If my wife wants to go, then let's go. How do we get to Hulu Village?" The old teapot reminded him, "Old Seven, didn't A'yi give you a jade pendant back then?" "A jade pendant?" Li Banfeng fumbled around for a while before unfastening the pendant from his neck. "Can we go to Hulu Village with this?" The wine gourd said, "Young brother, you used this pendant to go there once before. As long as you put aside what's before your eyes, you'll be able to find the entrance to Hulu Village. Do you remember now?" "Put aside what's before my eyes?" Li Banfeng scratched his head. The concept was a bit too complicated for him. "How about I go outside and give it a try?" The gramophone stopped Li Qi. "Husband, you can't go alone! Don't forget to take your humble servant along!" Li Banfeng stroked the gramophone's two small horns. "Wife, how can I take you out? The old gentleman is still asleep, so things can't be adjusted!" "Husband, use Connecting Chambers! Since you managed to bring Red Lotus out, you can definitely bring your servant out too." Li Banfeng thought about it, nodding repeatedly. "That makes sense. I need to plan this carefully. I have to bring my wife out, and I can't bring anyone out who shouldn't be brought out." Muttering to himself, Li Banfeng walked from the main room to Room Five, and from Room Five to Room Seven. He was earnestly trying to figure out a method, and the gramophone had to make preparations on her end as well. She wanted to follow Li Banfeng outside, but under no circumstances could she let Red Lotus out. "Yingying, move that wretched Red Lotus to Room Ten and keep roasting her over the fire." Hong Ying picked up the brazier and walked silently toward Room Ten. As she passed Li Banfeng, Hong Ying asked earnestly, "You called me your wife earlier. Do you still remember?" Li Banfeng was pondering the matter of Hulu Village and paid her no mind. Hong Ying felt terribly hurt, but then Banfeng Two crawled out from beneath Li Banfeng's feet. "Let me carry it. Don't burn your hands." Banfeng Two took the brazier from her. Hong Ying stared at Banfeng Two for a long time. "You are my husband too. You still care for me." "I care for you!" Banfeng Two answered with absolute certainty, carrying the brazier toward Room Ten. When Hong Ying returned to the main room, her mood was much brighter. The gramophone had witnessed the scene as well, but she wasn't angry. She was contemplating an extremely important matter. Husband possessed many shadows, each harboring its own thought. This shadow named Banfeng Two wasn't mad, which proved Husband wasn't entirely mad either. Perhaps only one or two thoughts had lost their sanity. If those one or two thoughts were drawn out, would Husband return to normal? Just as the gramophone was wondering how to ferret out the mad shadows, she saw Banfeng Two carrying the brazier right back to Li Banfeng's side. Activating Discerning Spiritual Sound, the lady listened closely, only to hear Banfeng Two say to Banfeng, "I've got the fire now. Let's go burn down the peddler's house!" Li Banfeng couldn't quite bring himself to do it. "The peddler has it tough too. How about we wait a couple of days before burning it?" "If we don't burn him every three days, the bond will grow cold!" "That makes sense too!" The gramophone immediately retracted her earlier thought. Banfeng Two was mad as well. Should she really let Husband go to Hulu Village? She did indeed share a past friendship with A'yi and had always trusted A'yi's character, but pinning all their hopes on A'yi felt far too precarious. Clack! Li Banfeng shut the door. Sensing something was amiss, the gramophone pushed the door open to look, only to find Li Banfeng gone, leaving behind nothing on the floor but the brazier and Red Lotus. "Where did Husband go?" Red Lotus extended a leaf and pointed toward the door. "He went to Room Eight." The gramophone stepped forward to open the door to Room Eight, but couldn't get it open. The position of Room Seven had shifted; it was no longer connected to Room Eight, but hooked directly to the exit of the companion dwelling. Li Banfeng had simply walked right out of the companion dwelling, and the gramophone had no idea what he had set off to do. Taking the companion dwelling's key, Li Banfeng found that he couldn't leave Lian Buda's room. The room had been locked by the peddler. Li Banfeng produced Lühuazi's alms bowl and tested it several times before finally getting the main door open. Stepping outside, he walked a lap around the courtyard. Lian Buda, Zhong'er, and Lightbulb were nowhere to be found, and he had no idea where they had gone. Dialing to contact Zhong'er, it was Lian Buda who answered the phone: "Dong Xiaoning is mostly recovered here. Qin Minghui was too close, so it'll take a few more days for him to recover. How are you doing right now?" Li Banfeng felt he was in great shape. "Nothing's wrong with me at all. I'll leave those two brothers in your care for now." Putting aside what was before his eyes, Li Banfeng felt he was in fine form. Squeezing the jade pendant in his hand, he wandered about. Not far after stepping outside the residence, he spotted A'yun at an intersection. A'yun hadn't noticed Li Banfeng and was still looking around in all directions. Li Banfeng greeted her warmly: "You're here! Hurry, come with me!" A'yun started. "Where are we going?" Li Banfeng said, "To the village, of course! It's not your first time there." He dragged A'yun into Hulu Village. Arriving beneath the village chief's building, Li Banfeng saw Qiu Luoye washing clothes with a washboard. "Big Brother Qiu, what are you doing?" Qiu Luoye hid the washboard behind his back, stood up, and said, "Just washing my hands. The weather's been dry these past couple of days. Old Seven, what brings you here?" "I came looking for A'yi about something. Where did she go?" "She went up the mountain. She got her hands on some explosives recently, claiming they're exceptionally potent and can blow Hulu Village to pieces." Li Banfeng chuckled. "Big brother, you've learned to be mischievous too. What kind of explosives could blow up a Hulu Village this big?" Rumble! A thunderous boom sounded, and the ground trembled violently. In the distance, a small mountain collapsed halfway under everyone's gaze. Dust and smoke surged toward the crowd along with the shockwave, sending large numbers of villagers scattering in all directions. Li Banfeng didn't flee; this bit of dust couldn't harm him. Qiu Luoye didn't flee either. Sitting on the ground with his washboard, he resumed scrubbing clothes. "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. If it blows up, so be it. Once everything's blown to bits, it'll finally be quiet." The explosive's power genuinely astonished Li Banfeng. Before long, A'yi returned to the foot of the building covered in soot and greeted Li Banfeng: "Big brother, you came!" "Elder Sister, were you the one behind that bomb just now?" A'yi nodded repeatedly. "That was me! Powerful, right? I used only two jin of explosives, and it blew that mountain apart." Li Banfeng was even more amazed. "Just two jin?" A'yi puffed up with pride. "Would I lie to you? Tonight I'm taking ten jin of explosives to blow up the entire village and broaden your horizons!" "Ten jin is enough?" "If you don't believe me, let's weigh it right now!" The two of them went off to weigh the explosives. Beside them, A'long watched Qiu Luoye. Qiu Luoye looked up. "What are you looking at me for? Go home and pack your things! When she says she'll blow it up, she blows it up. When the time comes, you won't have a thing left." A'long hurried off to pack his belongings. Qiu Luoye looked at Li Banfeng and A'yi in the distance, feeling more and more that something was off with Old Seven. After weighing the explosives, Li Banfeng rolled them into a bundle and had the glove tuck them away first. A'yi was displeased. "Weren't we going to blow up the village? Why did you take my explosives?" Li Banfeng said, "I have a use for these explosives. Just treat it as a gift to me. If you're unwilling, I can pay for them." A'yi grew even more unhappy. "Did you come to find me specifically to swindle me out of my explosives?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I came looking for you because I've gone mad. They told me that coming to you might cure it." Qiu Luoye grew anxious. "Brother, what happened?" Li Banfeng said, "I was bathed in the sky light—and hit exceptionally hard by it." Qiu Luoye turned to A'yi. "You have to help him!" A'yi toyed with her hair and gave a coquettish giggle. "Why should I help him? Give me a reason." Li Banfeng nodded. "That's right, Big Brother, give her a reason." Qiu Luoye grabbed Li Banfeng and said to A'yi, "This is my brother. My brother is your relative! You won't even help him?" A'yi sighed. "What is there to help? Isn't being mad great?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I think it's pretty great!" A'yi even offered a suggestion: "Since you're mad anyway, why not take a wife and settle down in Hulu Village from now on?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I already have a wife. I can't marry another." A'yi pondered for a moment. "Then marry a husband!" Li Banfeng nodded. "That works too!" Clatter! Qiu Luoye slammed down his washboard and pointed at A'yi. "I'm telling you, if you don't cure my brother today, this life is over!" A'yi was genuinely frightened. She scurried to pick up the washboard. "Look at that temper of yours! Wasn't I just teasing you? Don't be mad. I'll make you pumpkin tonight." Having pacified Qiu Luoye, A'yi led Li Banfeng into the building. "Back then, I let you enter our Dao order because I felt our temperaments matched. At the time, your natural talent was lacking, so I only taught you some basic methods of our Dao path. Now that your talent is more or less sufficient, it's time I imparted some techniques to you." Li Banfeng recalled: "I remember the technique. You shout 'Mad Cultivator Skill!' and then whatever you say comes to pass." A'yi sized Li Banfeng up and down. "Are you crazy? You actually believed that?" Li Banfeng felt a twinge of annoyance at A'yi's deception, but he remained thoroughly excited about the upcoming techniques. "What level am I at as a Mad Cultivator now? How many techniques can I learn?" A'yi opened a drawer and took out a small bottle of medicinal powder. "How many techniques you can learn has nothing to do with your level. It depends entirely on how many techniques I teach you." "As long as you teach me, I'm guaranteed to learn them?" A'yi nodded. "To what degree of mastery is hard to say, but you will definitely learn them." This reminded Li Banfeng of someone. "The Fool Cultivator skills are like that too." A'yi gently smeared the powder onto Li Banfeng's face. "Indeed. Mad Cultivator skills originally stem from the Fool Cultivators. Cultivation levels and techniques are separate. Those with higher levels don't necessarily know more techniques; they are simply more proficient in using them." Li Banfeng felt waves of pain across his cheeks. "When I learned Fool Cultivator skills, I never had this kind of powder smeared on me." A'yi smiled. "You did, you just didn't know it. Every time Sun Tiecheng taught someone a technique, he would smear the powder right in front of them, and the Fool Cultivator powder is far more painful. Yet those learning the techniques never realized there was any powder involved." Li Banfeng expressed doubt at A'yi's claim. Having learned so many techniques from Sun Tiecheng, how could he have never noticed him applying powder? "Could it be I didn't even feel the pain?" "That's right, you didn't know. Sun Tiecheng's technique was far too masterful. At the time, you certainly felt no pain at all, and even if you felt sore afterward, you would have suspected other causes. Our Dao path doesn't bother with such convoluted tricks. I apply the powder right to your face, and I spell out everything plainly before you. Learning Mad Cultivator skills carries danger: when a person isn't mad, they cannot unleash the technique, and when they unleash it, they are certainly mad. There is no medicine for regret here. Furthermore, learning Mad Cultivator skills won't cure your madness; it will only allow you to unleash and retract it at will, giving you a degree of control. Think it through carefully." Li Banfeng felt he ought to be able to control it. "Mad Cultivator skills are similar to Fool Cultivator skills, right? The process of learning them is the same." A'yi shook her head. "There are differences too. Fool Cultivators were far too lax. Whether someone was part of the Dao order or not, anyone could learn Fool Cultivator skills. Those bastards wiped out the City of Fools and killed my sister just to learn Fool Cultivator skills. So I changed the rules. Only those who have entered my Mad Cultivator Dao order can learn Mad Cultivator skills. Mad Cultivators have weaknesses; if one day a Mad Cultivator coerces me into teaching him techniques, at least I will know how to subdue him." Hearing the circumstances behind the destruction of the City of Fools, Li Banfeng asked, "Was Big Brother Sun in the City of Fools back then?" "No," A'yi shook her head. "Had he been there, Shan Chengjun, Shu Wanjuan, and the rest wouldn't have succeeded." "Where did he go?" A'yi smiled. "He died." Li Banfeng frowned. "I'm asking you a serious question. Why speak out of spite?" "It isn't spite," A'yi said, shaking her head. "He died. On the very day the City of Fools fell, he died—yet he didn't die for the City of Fools. That's why I hate him to this day, and not just because he refused to become sworn siblings with me!" Li Banfeng tried to uncover the full story, but A'yi had no desire to bring it up again. "The powder I just rubbed on you is called Frantic and Overbearing. This is the technique I'm going to teach you, and it's one of the most formidable techniques in our Dao path." Li Banfeng asked, "How many formidable techniques are there in our Dao path?" A'yi first counted on her left hand, then counted on her right hand. Staring down at her feet, she hesitated for a moment and said, "I haven't washed my feet these past couple of days. Let's skip taking off my shoes, shall we?" Li Banfeng was a reasonable man. "No rush on that. Once you've washed your feet, we can count them properly. First, tell me how to use this Frantic and Overbearing skill." A'yi pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Li Banfeng's head. "Scared?" Li Banfeng said, "That depends on the location. If it's in Puluo Province, there's no need to be scared. This thing might not even fire." "Right now, Hulu Village is in Puluo Province. There are six bullets in this gun. Listen closely." A'yi fired six shots in succession toward the ceiling, and all six rounds went off. Li Banfeng was stunned. Puluo Province's suppression of gunpowder had actually been broken in A'yi's hands! If the Outer States knew A'yi possessed such capability, they would likely force her into cooperation at any cost. The value the Outer States placed on A'yi might even surpass the importance the Inner States attached to Lian Buda. A'yi pulled out a capsule and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Throw this on the ground and see if it explodes." Li Banfeng threw the capsule hard against the floor, but it didn't detonate. A'yi picked up the capsule and said, "This explosive is immensely powerful, but triggering detonation is extremely difficult, especially in Puluo Province. Out of a hundred attempts, it might not explode even once. Even if detonation succeeds, less than ten percent of the explosive actually goes off. Reasonably speaking, this stuff can't be turned into a weapon. But when combined with Mad Cultivator skills, the effect is entirely different. I can make this explosive detonate, and I can raise the probability above thirty percent. If one doesn't blow, we just use a few more. Tell me, isn't this technique extraordinary?" Li Banfeng nodded. "The technique is indeed extraordinary, but where lies the key principle?" "The key lies in madness. You have to make the explosive go mad!" A'yi looked at Li Banfeng with deep meaning. "Don't understand, do you? Explosives aren't living things, so how can they go mad? The difficulty of this technique lies in the fact that ordinary people simply cannot fathom it." Li Banfeng turned the capsule over and over in his hand. "Doesn't seem too hard." "If it's not hard, give it a try." A'yi smiled playfully, convinced Li Banfeng couldn't possibly master the technique in the short term. Li Banfeng looked around at the room's furnishings. "I'm afraid I'll wreck your house." "Are you genuinely mad or pretending to be mad? If you truly go mad, you wouldn't even care about your own house, so why care about someone else's? If you're pretending, then don't waste your energy. If you can't even go mad yourself, how could you expect the explosives to go mad?" Li Banfeng stared at the capsule. "This explosive feels so familiar. It looks just like family." A'yi gave a slight nod. "Then treat it like family and spend time getting along with it slowly. Mad Cultivator skills aren't easy to learn. If you can unleash it within a month and master it within a year, consider it your good fortune. Cultivate slowly." With that, A'yi headed downstairs and walked toward Qiu Luoye with a smile. Boom! The building blew up. A look of pure shock froze on A'yi's face. A wave of compressed air blasted A'yi into the distance.