The Foundation of Dwelling Cultivation

Old Train declared that the Heavenly Maiden was a bane to Puluo Province, gritting his teeth in fury as he spoke. Li Banfeng offered no comment, and silence settled over the factory floor once more. With his head lowered, Old Train used his chopsticks to shovel food into his mouth, stuffing it fuller and fuller without bothering to chew. Li Banfeng asked, "If you could reclaim your other half, would you be willing?" Old Train gulped down the mouthful all at once. "Then I'd go completely mad." Li Banfeng asked again, "If I were to ask you to release the Heavenly Maiden, would you agree?" Old Train set down his chopsticks. "Am I the one who's mad, or are you?" A menacing chill rolled through the room, the killing intent plain across Old Train's face. "I'm not mad," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head. "You can't remain split like this forever, and the Heavenly Maiden can't remain locked away forever either." Old Train shook his head. "Whether I stay split or not doesn't matter, but she must stay locked up! She can never be allowed back into Puluo Province. You have no idea what Puluo Province was like under her control." "Puluo Province was once under her control?" "Because the peddler wasn't in Puluo Province back then," Old Train said. "He conquered the realm, but he wouldn't sit upon the throne. He left, and there was no one who could keep that menace under control. She manipulated Puluo Province however she pleased. You couldn't begin to imagine the state of it." Li Banfeng glanced at the grease on the machine tools, reminded of a memory. "I saw something similar at the Dark Star Bureau. Everyone became obsessed with cleanliness." Old Train said, "She loves cleanliness. She wants dwelling cultivators to be clean, she wants anyone who enters a dwelling to be clean, she wants all of Puluo Province to become a dwelling, and she wants every person in Puluo Province to be clean." Spitting out so many instances of "clean" in a single breath, Old Train's tongue nearly tripped over itself. Li Banfeng asked, "Just becoming clean?" Old Train laughed coldly. "You think being made clean is no big deal, do you? Do you even know what clean means? "Have you ever wondered why Puluo Province has Boundaries? Why doesn't anywhere else have them? What in the world is a Boundary? Why does a person vanish the instant they touch one? "Have you ever wondered why everyone in Puluo Province thinks Boundaries are completely natural and proper? No one asks where Boundaries came from or when they began—as if Puluo Province came into the world bearing Boundaries from the start. "Go out on the streets of Green Water City and ask around what Puluo Province was like without Boundaries. Ask them if they even know! "Pick any place in Puluo Province and ask people how we fought the Sage back in the day. See how many can tell you! "Aside from places like Baiji Commandery and the Desolate Plains, how many people elsewhere still remember that a war was fought? "Why are there no history books in Puluo Province? Even if there are no official histories, why isn't there even unofficial history? Why is there not a single person willing to write history? "Because they feel history doesn't need to be written, shouldn't be written, and cannot be written! "Tang Shijiang was my proudest disciple. Black Rock Slope opened so many newspaper offices, and he knew certain things ought to be recorded, yet not a single newspaper office had the sense to archive past papers! "When someone's cultivation reached Zhou Wencheng's level, he finally came to his senses. He knew enough to gather old newspapers, and he knew certain things ought to be remembered, yet as many books as he wrote, he never once thought to write a history book!" Stunned, Li Banfeng sat in silence for a long while before looking up at Old Train. "Why is that?" Old Train chuckled softly. "That eldest daughter of the He family is your sweetheart. Go ask her. Ask her about her family's ancestry through the generations, and she'll remember every detail crystal clear. Ask her about her relatives and friends, and she'll know everything inside and out. "Yet ask her about Puluo Province, and she definitely won't be able to tell you anything sensible. You might think the eldest He daughter isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so go find someone sharp and ask them. "Ma the Fifth is sharp enough, isn't he? Chu Huaiyuan has a good head on her shoulders, doesn't she? Go ask them how much they know about what lies outside their households! "Remembering everything within the family doors with utmost clarity, yet remaining in a muddle about everything outside—that is the ingrained nature of dwelling cultivation. "The Heavenly Maiden loves cleanliness, but what she swept clean wasn't just rooms—it was the minds of everyone in Puluo Province! To this very day, Puluo Province is still stuck like this, because the Heavenly Maiden drove the roots of dwelling cultivation deep into Puluo Province!" Li Banfeng felt waves of dizziness. Thinking carefully about it, he had harbored doubts about these very things before. If nothing else, among the prominent figures who had once shaken Puluo Province, not one had a clear origin story. His wife and Hong Ying were prime examples—in many folk legends, the two had even merged into a single person, a female general charging enemy lines with a red-tasseled spear. Was that really so difficult to investigate? Not at all. Plenty of people back then knew the truth. Yet dwelling cultivators were unwilling to look into it; it wasn't business within their own doors. There were matters that even Li Banfeng was reluctant to investigate. His own temperament had been gradually shifting as well. Old Train offered a cigarette to Li Banfeng and lit one for himself. Taking a deep drag, he sighed. "The Heavenly Maiden didn't want the people of Puluo Province remembering too much. It was of no benefit to her. "I knew I ought to record some things too. I wrote a train log. As I ran my train all over the place, I jotted down what I saw and heard along the way. But the more I wrote, the more jumbled it got, and later on, I lost track of where that log even went." A log? *Floating Clouds Inquiring at Stations*? *Floating Clouds Inquiring at Stations* had been written by Old Train? That book truly was a mess of notes. When Old Train wasn't having a fit, he spoke very coherently; Li Banfeng hadn't expected his writing to be so terrible. Speaking of the train log, Old Train felt a touch of regret. "I reckon A'yu found that log. She must've told the Heavenly Maiden, and who knows what means the Heavenly Maiden used to take it away." Li Banfeng said, "She wouldn't even let something like that slip past?" "She let nothing slip past. If it was human, she wouldn't spare them—she wished everyone in Puluo Province would become dwelling cultivators. "If it was a ghost, she wouldn't spare them either. As long as a dwelling cultivator calls out the right name inside a dwelling, aggrieved souls and fierce ghosts will all become dwelling spirits." So even the process of a dwelling spirit recognizing a master originated with the Heavenly Maiden. Li Banfeng asked, "Why did the Heavenly Maiden later go to the Outer States?" Old Train stubbed out his cigarette butt and gave a gratifying grin. "Because the man who could put her in her place came back." "The peddler?" Old Train nodded. "When the peddler first returned, even he couldn't do anything to her. Every territory was locked down tight by her. When he wanted to settle scores, he couldn't even track her down. "Later, the peddler developed the Peddler Path and finally cornered her. The two fought a brutal battle, and the Heavenly Maiden was defeated." Even at the peak of her power, the Heavenly Maiden was still no match for the peddler. Li Banfeng asked, "Did she flee in defeat to the Outer States?" At this, Old Train gritted his teeth once more, his face full of resentment. "She shouldn't have even had the chance to flee! The peddler could have killed her— "Yet he didn't do it!" Li Banfeng considered it and could understand the peddler's position. "If he had killed the Heavenly Maiden, would the Boundaries have disappeared?" Old Train nodded. "Yes, gone! And wouldn't it be better if they were gone?" Li Banfeng said, "If the Boundaries were gone, how would Puluo Province hold off the Inner States?" "What's there to be afraid of? Forget her damned Boundaries! I'd rally the brothers and fight them head-on!" "What if you couldn't beat them?" Li Banfeng asked. Old Train said, "Even if we threw our lives away, at least we'd go down on our feet." Li Banfeng asked again, "And what if all of Puluo Province were lost along with you?" Old Train said, "Still better than living inside the little boxes drawn by the Heavenly Maiden!" Li Banfeng fell silent. Old Train lowered his head, drinking gloomily. Once Old Train had calmed down a bit, Li Banfeng asked, "How did you manage to trap her in the Dark Star Bureau?" Old Train shook his head. "There was no Dark Star Bureau back then. After the Heavenly Maiden was defeated by the peddler, she was grievously wounded. The peddler spared her life, and the two signed a covenant deed. "The Heavenly Maiden was to retract the Boundaries within Puluo Province and leave only the Boundaries defending against the Inner States. She agreed and signed the deed, but before long, the Boundaries inside Puluo Province returned. "The peddler searched everywhere for her, but she had fled to the Outer States. The peddler sent her a letter declaring that their next meeting would be a fight to the death, and she replied, sealing the terms." "The peddler didn't go to the Outer States to find her?" "The peddler couldn't leave. There was too much to deal with in Puluo Province at the time. But I could leave, so I went!" Murder flashed across Old Train's face. "I couldn't let her harm Puluo Province any longer. I had to take her life. "But once I reached the Outer States, I found things weren't right. To reclaim Puluo Province, the Heavenly Maiden had already colluded with the Outer States. That was when the Border Defense Bureau came into being. "A few old friends in the Outer States had already become her subordinates. There weren't many, but together with her, they were tough to handle. "Still, tough or not, I had to deal with them. They intended to launch a counteroffensive on Puluo Province. If they had succeeded back then, even the peddler might not have held them off. "The peddler had shouldered plenty of burdens for me, so it was my turn to shoulder one for him. While the Heavenly Maiden had yet to recover from her heavy injuries, I struck first. I prepared thoroughly that time. I couldn't kill her, but I trapped her. "Using a method Lian Buda taught me, I divided myself into two through the art of slithering. The artisan cultivator half of me locked down the Heavenly Maiden and A'yu tight, while the Travel Cultivator half kept fighting for his life against my old friends. "I was beaten half to death, left with only a breath in me, but I won." At this point, Old Train smiled. "I did a lot of shameful things in the past, but on this matter, I did right by the peddler." With things put this way, Li Banfeng hardly knew how to broach the subject. He tipped up the brim of his hat and asked Old Train once more, "What if I still want to release her?" A sudden chill gusted through the factory floor, bringing the air near the freezing point. Old Train looked at Li Banfeng. "Brother, I owe you my life. But after everything I've told you, do you still not understand the consequences of releasing the Heavenly Maiden?" Li Banfeng said, "Brother, I understand everything you said. If the Heavenly Maiden invades Puluo Province again, the province will certainly be in grave peril. But if someone uses her as a weapon to attack Puluo Province, is that peril any less? "You've been to the Dark Star Bureau; you know the situation there. What if the Outer States take full control of her one day? What if she's handed over to the Inner States as a bargaining chip? What will the consequences be then?" Old Train said nothing. Li Banfeng added, "The Inner States are about to attack. We need to settle this matter sooner rather than later." Old Train picked up the wine jar, moved to take a gulp, then set it down. "Do you have a way to deal with her?" "I do," Li Banfeng nodded. "But the two of us brothers have to do it together." Li Banfeng and Old Train agreed to meet the day after tomorrow at the Dark Star Bureau. Before heading to Yuezhou, Li Banfeng went first to Green Water City, arriving at the Border Defense Bureau's headquarters. The bureau was rather deserted today. Liao Zihui sat alone in his office. Seeing Li Banfeng arrive, Liao Zihui dispensed with official jargon and invited him straight over to the sofa for tea. "Chief Commissioner Liao, there is a matter I'd like to discuss with you." "Please go ahead, Director Li." "I want you to close all checkpoints in Puluo Province, including rail, water, and overland routes." Liao Zihui showed no surprise. Calmly, he asked, "Could you tell me why?" "No," Li Banfeng shook his head. He intended to rescue the Heavenly Maiden and A'yu from the Dark Star Bureau. When that happened, whether the Border Defense Bureau's control over the Boundaries would remain effective, and whether the train conductors created by the Heavenly Maiden through her Golden Bower technique would still be able to cross the Boundaries, were completely unknown. Li Banfeng did not want innocent people dragged into the fallout. Liao Zihui tapped his fingers twice against his knee. "Director Li, in an official capacity, I ought to keep this from you and use it to win a favor from you. "Setting official duty aside, however, I'll tell you the truth, Brother Li: the checkpoints are closing tomorrow. Right now, Puluo Province is exit-only—no one is allowed in. All trains leaving Puluo Province will only carry Border Defense Bureau personnel. The bureau is pulling out of Puluo Province. So this request can be granted, but not on your account." Li Banfeng blinked, caught somewhat off guard. "Could you tell me why?" "No," Liao Zihui shook his head. Li Banfeng gave a wry smile. The very words he had just spoken had come right back to him. Liao Zihui poured Li Banfeng a cup of tea. "Brother Li, it's not that I'm unwilling to tell you—I genuinely don't know. The only information I have is that the Inner States are going to war, and the Outer States don't want to get involved. "The Border Defense Bureau will leave only a small skeleton crew behind. Those staying will lead the Sinless Army to set up defenses in Puluo Province. Brother, if you want to leave Puluo Province, I can arrange a special train for you. If you want to take anyone else along, give me a list as soon as possible. Past midnight tonight, there's nothing I can do." Li Banfeng looked at Liao Zihui. "Why haven't you left?" "I'm not leaving," Liao Zihui replied. "I'm someone who intends to retire in Puluo Province. Back in the Outer States, I wouldn't even know how to live. I'm staying to oversee the defenses." Li Banfeng put on his fedora. "After you retire, we'll share a proper drink at Xiaoyaowu." Liao Zihui lifted his teacup. "You can drink below the stage while I sing up on it. I still want to earn a little extra for my retirement fund." Li Banfeng smiled, pulled down the brim of his hat, and vanished. Liao Zihui took out a vinyl record and set it on the gramophone. Looking out at the setting sun, he swayed his body, singing along to the melody: "Fear not the gale that blows passion astray, Across ten thousand streams and mountains, love still holds sway. Gathering and parting are writ in the skies; Blame not fate, nor cast curses on high, Let only hills and streams bear witness as time goes by." *** Li Banfeng returned to the Dark Star Bureau. Today, it was exceptionally quiet as well. Ever since he arrived in the Outer States, his cell phone had been ringing off the hook. Candied Fruit, Crabapple, Tangerine, Clam, Cornbread—familiar Dark Star Bureau members called one after another, all eager to tell him one thing: they were being given time off. Knowing full well how hard it was to reach Director Li by phone, they still kept calling, because something was about to happen at the Dark Star Bureau. Li Banfeng had arrived early at the Dark Star Bureau intending to clear out uninvolved personnel, but that seemed unnecessary now. Gao Yina and Chen Changrui were waiting in his office, aware that Li Qi would be returning. Li Banfeng did not beat around the bush; some things were already obvious to him. "Is the Dark Star Bureau really pulling out this time?" Gao Yina shook her head. "It can't be considered a retreat. It's a relocation. We need to relocate the Dark Star Bureau to a suitable location to continue serving its function. The bureau must still maintain a high level of operational readiness and awareness, thereby—" Li Banfeng cut her off. "In other words, you're abandoning this building?" Accustomed to Li Qi's demeanor, Gao Yina gave a slight nod. "This is a decision from higher-ups. Through the joint efforts of Director Li and our personnel, Puluo Province has demonstrated strong development momentum. Certain unnecessary interventions in Puluo Province should naturally be adjusted at an appropriate juncture—" "Cut the crap," Li Banfeng interrupted again. "Be more direct." Gao Yina said, "We hope to launch the next phase of cooperation with Puluo Province on the basis of mutual benefit, and so we—" "Still talking crap?" Li Banfeng's tone was calm, but Gao Yina could sense his anger. A'yu gave a soft chuckle. "Woman, just tell the truth." There were things Gao Yina was forbidden from disclosing, but influenced by A'yu, she spilled them anyway: "We received intelligence regarding the war—the war that the Shang State is about to wage against Puluo Province. "This war far exceeds our capacity to bear, so we decided to temporarily evacuate personnel and institutions associated with Puluo Province to avoid being dragged into the conflict." As she spoke, Chen Changrui kept his eyes on Li Banfeng. Things had unfolded somewhat suddenly, but Chen Changrui had warned Li Banfeng long ago, even showing him the relevant plans. Even though he was mentally prepared, the speed with which the Outer States acted exceeded Li Banfeng's expectations. Something wasn't right; it couldn't be that simple. The Outer States would never launch such a massive operation over mere rumors. "Was it really just intelligence you received?" Sweat rolled down Gao Yina's face. She didn't want to say another word, but she could not resist A'yu's scrutiny. Scrutiny was sometimes not secret; it was out in the open. Ultimately, she confessed the full truth: "We received threats from the Shang State. If we do not terminate our cooperative relationship with Puluo Province, we will face strikes of the same magnitude as Puluo Province." Li Banfeng fixed cold eyes on her. "Just threats?" Gao Yina bowed her head. "Their stance was extremely firm—" Li Banfeng said, "Just tell me the price. What did the Inner States offer you?" Pressed by A'yu, Gao Yina began stammering. "W-What I know is... if we don't interfere in the war this time... "The Shang State can bring a... qualitative leap to our technology." Having spoken those words, Gao Yina felt considerably relieved. Li Banfeng leaned against his chair back, thinking of someone. He had great admiration for Qiao Yi's diplomatic maneuvering. Actually, he should have realized it long ago: ever since Qiao Yi drove out the Sage and seized control of the Shang court, his stance toward the Outer States was bound to undergo a quiet transformation. The Shang State held deep prejudices against the Outer States, and while Qiao Yi's footing was still unsettled, he wouldn't make his moves too overt. But now he had no need for caution; with his prestige in the Shang State, many strategies could be brought into broad daylight. Yet wouldn't Qiao Yi want the Heavenly Maiden? If he took control of the Boundaries, victory in this war would be practically guaranteed for him. Li Banfeng asked, "Why didn't you hand this building over to the Shang State as well? They'd definitely want it, and they'd pay a much higher price." Gao Yina wiped away her sweat. Saying this no longer felt difficult, as these were words she had intended to convey to Li Banfeng anyway; now it was just a matter of speaking more plainly: "Two days ago, the Dark Star Bureau lost an extremely critical object: a floor-standing television. That television was the incarnation of a dark-energy user. "This is neither the first time the Dark Star Bureau has been infiltrated nor the first time something has been stolen. Certain problems have become glaringly obvious, certain matters are completely out of hand, and a key figure is on the verge of slipping beyond our control entirely. "We once signed a special agreement with that key figure—an agreement with Puluo Province characteristics." Li Banfeng understood immediately: "You signed a covenant deed with her." Gao Yina nodded. "Correct, what Puluo Province calls a covenant deed. In accordance with the terms, we cannot hand that key figure over to the Inner States. "We understand the weight and significance of covenant deeds, and we also cherish the achievements we've attained in Puluo Province. Thus, we reached a decision: we are willing to return this figure to Puluo Province. This is part of our effort to balance the interests of all sides." "Balance?" Li Banfeng chuckled, laughing for quite a while. He was a balancer; right now, the word "balance" struck him as rather ironic. Gao Yina felt ill at ease, while Chen Changrui looked ashamed. Li Banfeng's smile faded. He asked Gao Yina, "So it really is just business?" Cold sweat beaded on Gao Yina's brow again. "This was decided after careful deliberation—" Li Banfeng lifted his teacup from the desk. "Then I wish you immense profits." Gao Yina left. Chen Changrui kept his head down and said, "Director Li, I should have told you sooner—" "I don't blame you. You made things clear enough last time, and I understood back then. Evacuate all our bureau personnel. It's dangerous here right now." Chen Changrui gave a slight nod and walked out of Li Qi's office. Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch: three-thirty in the afternoon. The operation was scheduled for the early morning hours, so there was still plenty of time. The tactics were clear, and Madam had already made arrangements back home. What should he do in the meantime? Li Banfeng pulled out *Floating Clouds Inquiring at Stations*. He wanted to see if Old Train had recorded any history relating to the Outer States, to learn how this strange relationship had begun in the first place. Flipping through several pages, Li Banfeng grew impatient. The narrative style made it impossible to find any key points or piece together a coherent train of thought. *"Today I saw a girl. Her skills were exceptional, yet she mocked me for not lasting long..."* Perhaps because Li Banfeng's mind was preoccupied, reading this line made him want to rip the book to shreds! What was Old Train thinking about all day? What on earth was he writing? What kind of history was this supposed to be? Was this thing really a train log? After calming himself for a moment, Li Banfeng kept reading. Even if he could only pick up a technique or glean a scrap of useful information, reading a bit more of such a valuable book couldn't hurt. *"I really don't think my time is short. Is twenty seconds considered short? Could this girl even hold out that long? I think I can win."* Li Banfeng chuckled. Twenty seconds wasn't short? Old Train actually had the nerve to write that down! Wait! Twenty seconds—that duration sounded a bit familiar. Using Broadening the Bridal Chamber, Li Banfeng retrieved an item from the companion dwelling. A snot-rag belonging to Old Train. There seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding here. PS: It seems this book wasn't written by Old Train.