Li Banfeng accepted Floating Clouds Seeking the Station. A'yi had prepared a victory feast and invited Li Banfeng and Tou Youlu to eat together.
Tou Youlu disliked crowded occasions, so Li Banfeng had A'yi send over some food and wine. They set up a table in the mountain woods and enjoyed a merry meal together.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Tou Youlu was ready to leave; he could never stay anywhere for long.
Li Banfeng brought out two chests of silver dollars. "This is just a small token. You're bound to need money on the road."
Normally, Tou Youlu wasn't keen on carrying so much money with him, but seeing Li Banfeng's warmth and hospitality, he found it hard to refuse. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the silver dollars, stashing them inside his left cheek.
A'yun and Li Banfeng saw Tou Youlu out of the village together. Tou Youlu wasn't picky about where he went—as long as it was in Puluo Province, it was fine, and someplace with fewer people was even better.
After bidding farewell, Tou Youlu tumbled forward along the way. His left cheek kept hitting the ground, and the silver dollars kept jarring his teeth. Once he had rolled far off, Tou Youlu held a tree branch in his teeth, dug a pit, and buried the silver dollars from his mouth.
Once they were buried, Tou Youlu carefully inspected the surroundings. "Must remember this place. If I ever run out of money, I'll have to come back here and dig it up."
Having seen Tou Youlu off, Li Banfeng went to find Sun Tiecheng and Qiu Luoye. Qiu Luoye had hoped Sun Tiecheng could swindle a way out for him; A'yi had declared she wanted to be intimate with him tonight, so Qiu Luoye had to flee Hulu Village before night fell.
Li Banfeng said, "Brother Qiu, no need to worry. Brother Sun usually has a sure handle on things."
"He might not have a handle on anything," Qiu Luoye said, drenched in sweat. "From what I see, he can't even get himself out."
Sun Tiecheng indeed couldn't get out right now—A'yu and A'yi were holding him down, trying to force him to swear brotherhood.
"It was fine when you made a fuss at home, but in front of so many people, you're still carrying on with this nonsense!" Sun Tiecheng struggled with all his might.
A'yu glared at him. "Take a piss and look at your own reflection! With a mug like yours, how could you ever match up to us sisters? Not to mention our beauty like flowers and jade, just look at our refined elegance and noble nature—who under heaven could compare to us? We didn't look down on you, and for the sake of our fate in this life, we dragged you along to swear an oath and even made you the eldest brother. Yet you don't appreciate the favor and stand here picking faults with us!"
After a brief argument, the three scuffled. Sun Tiecheng was skilled, but A'yu and A'yi were no slouches with their fists and kicks either. Two fists were no match for four hands; after tussling for a good while, Sun Tiecheng gradually fell into the disadvantage.
Seeing this, Jiu'er endured her injuries and shouted, "How could you do this?"
Sun Tiecheng shoved A'yu and A'yi aside, tears welling in his eyes. "Xiaoyu, your dad didn't dote on you in vain!"
Jiu'er's eyes welled with tears as well. "If you're swearing brotherhood, why didn't you include me? Quick, help me over there!"
Sun Tiecheng wiped his tears and glared at Jiu'er. "Seeing that you're hurt, I won't stoop to your level. Get far away from me, or I'll beat you up along with them!"
After fighting for another while, Sun Tiecheng truly couldn't fend them off, so he suddenly shouted, "Doesn't the Bandit-Subduing Battalion still have one camp left standing?"
At those words, A'yu and A'yi stopped one after the other.
Before the battle, A'yu had indeed spotted three camps, but after taking down two, everyone was at the end of their tether, so the third camp had been entirely out of consideration.
When it came to dealing with the Bandit-Subduing Battalion, Sun Tiecheng was a complete insider. Listening to A'yu recount the battle, Sun Tiecheng immediately formed a judgment.
"The first camp you took down was likely the Qingrui Battalion, all raw recruits fresh in the ranks."
Hong Ying agreed. "They really were greenhorns; they even had to look at markings on the ground to form ranks."
Sun Tiecheng continued, "The second camp that was wiped out was elite, likely the Difeng Battalion. The remaining camp should be the Cuihuo Battalion. They aren't recruits, but they aren't elites either—just a bunch of half-baked soldiers."
Hong Ying said with some worry, "Given more time, won't the Cuihuo Battalion eventually turn into another Difeng Battalion?"
Sun Tiecheng thought about it. "It doesn't quite work that way. The Difeng Battalion selects men based on natural aptitude. Those without it will never become elites in their whole lives. In this battle, so many royals were slain that it snapped the backbone of Shang. If they want to rebuild the Difeng Battalion, I'm afraid they won't be able to pull it off within a decade or two."
A'yu looked at Sun Tiecheng, her face full of disdain. "You certainly took the peddler's assignments to heart—you even investigated the names of the camps down to the last detail."
Sun Tiecheng smacked his lips. "Why do you always twist things? The Bandit-Subduing Battalion was divided into camps like that back in the day. I fought them before, so I already knew this inside information. Besides, the peddler isn't making us work for nothing this time. He said he got his hands on a good item that can restore flesh and blood to the City of Fools."
A'yu sneered. "Does it need him to restore it? Didn't you already get the flesh and blood back for the City of Fools yourself?"
Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "Mine is no good. That was the art of Body Masonry, an Adhesive Cultivator method. To put it bluntly, it's just sticking flesh and blood onto souls by force. Even stuck on, that flesh isn't living. Without powder on their faces, they don't look alive at all."
A'yu grew curious. "Then what does the peddler plan to do? Can he make living ones?"
"Yes!" Sun Tiecheng said with utter seriousness. "He made a deal with me. Every person in the City of Fools will get a body—not a puppet, not a hollow skin, but a proper body with the spark of life."
A'yu sneered coldly. "Just keep falling for his lies. The Lord of the City of Fools got duped by someone else, and more than once at that. Don't you think that's hilarious?"
Though she said this, A'yu was actually very interested in the peddler's promise, and A'yi was listening with great excitement. It seemed everyone had completely forgotten about swearing brotherhood.
Jiu'er lowered her voice and said to Li Banfeng, "This is called changing the subject—watch closely and learn the trick."
Sun Tiecheng said to A'yu, "Once the City of Fools gets its flesh and blood back, do you want to go back and take a look?"
A'yu cast her eyes down, her cheek twitching slightly. Biting her lip, a few tears rolled down.
Seeing this, Sun Tiecheng felt a pang of pity. "Why cry? Isn't this a good thing?"
A'yu wiped her tears and said, "I do want to go back and see it, but I'm not my own master now. Li Qi, can you agree to this?"
Sun Tiecheng looked at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng squared his chest. "That's easy enough. Say the word, and I'll send you back to the City of Fools."
A'yu nodded. "The City of Fools is like my maiden home. After so many years away, I've missed it constantly. I even think of it in my dreams."
Jiu'er leaned in and said in a low voice, "Mother, your maiden home isn't the City of Fools. My maternal family is in the City of Fools."
A'yu kicked Jiu'er aside and continued weeping, "Going back alone feels a bit lonely. Can I bring a companion along?"
Sun Tiecheng looked at Li Banfeng again. Both shoved their hands into their sleeves, squatted on the ground, and spoke in unison: "No way!"
A'yu flared up. "Why not?!"
Li Banfeng looked up at A'yu. "You want to bring a companion—who are you talking about?"
A'yi grinned. "Me!"
A'yu didn't smile.
A'yi felt a bit awkward.
Sun Tiecheng said, "You mean the Heavenly Maiden, don't you? If you want to bring the Heavenly Maiden into the City of Fools, I won't agree to that."
A'yu raged, "Why won't you agree?"
Sun Tiecheng was riled up as well. "Have you forgotten how you died? Have you forgotten that the Heavenly Maiden nearly drove our A'yi to her death?"
A'yu countered, "Have you forgotten what happened to the City of Fools? Why do you still trust the peddler?"
Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "One thing at a time. The peddler was helpless back then. Though I hate him, some things make sense to me. But the Heavenly Maiden took the Boundary and carved Puluo Province into pieces—to this day, I still can't make head or tail of that."
At the side, A'yi chimed in, "To tell the truth, I can't understand it either. Whoever messes with the Boundary, she wants to kill them. Don't you think the Heavenly Maiden has lost her mind?"
Li Banfeng squatted nearby, listening intently. This was something he was very keen to understand as well.
A'yu picked up a wine bowl and took a sip. "What's there not to understand? What was Puluo Province like back then—couldn't you see it for yourselves? The peddler conquered the realm, flung his sleeves, and walked away. Among his old subordinates, who could keep them in check? Let's not speak of others; just look at Eighteen Wheels. How much territory did he seize for himself alone? The others snatched turf and set up their own strongholds, fighting until Puluo Province was torn to shreds! Do you know how many people died every day back then?"
Whatever the case for the others, Li Banfeng knew nothing of this past. To this day, he had never found a single mention of it in any book.
His wife gave no sign. She likely had some recollection, but during that period her condition had also been peculiar, so she didn't remember much either.
Sun Tiecheng said, "The fighting was chaotic back then, sure, but that doesn't mean you use the Boundary to cordon off every territory. Doesn't that just turn Puluo Province into a pigeon coop?"
A'yu felt nothing wrong with what the Heavenly Maiden had done. "What's wrong with cordoning them off? When you can't even cross between territories, nobody can fight anymore even if they wanted to. Isn't that a good thing?"
Sun Tiecheng sneered. "What kind of good thing is that? Once the Inner States forged newlands and pasted them piece by piece along the edges of Puluo Province, didn't that just bypass the Boundary anyway? Didn't the various territories still fight each other just the same?"
Li Banfeng had a sudden flash of insight.
All these years, the Inner States had continuously sent newland to Puluo Province, not merely to invest local spirits, but also to infiltrate Puluo Province geographically.
Yet Puluo Province truly owed the Inner States thanks for this. Without the conduit provided by the newland, transit rights across Puluo Province would have fallen almost entirely under the control of the Outer States, and Puluo Province's territories would have been fractured even more severely.
Sun Tiecheng added, "Once the peddler returned, he laid down the rule: anyone whose cultivation surpassed Above the Clouds could no longer kill local spirits within territories. Only then did the chaotic fighting stop. In the end, the only one who can truly run things in Puluo Province is still the peddler."
A'yu remarked with derision, "With abilities so great, why didn't he take charge sooner? What did he run off to Wansheng Province for back then?"
Li Banfeng had always wondered where the peddler had gone after driving off the Sage.
So he had gone to Wansheng Province.
A'yu wasn't wrong to ask. What did he go to Wansheng Province to do? Was Wansheng Province really that wonderful? Did so many people want to go there?
Sun Tiecheng said, "What he was thinking back then, I don't know. But what you're thinking right now, I know full well. No matter what, you cannot bring the Heavenly Maiden to the City of Fools. I can't stand the things she did."
A'yu frowned. "Make it clear. Which thing can't you stand?"
"I can't stand any of it! All day long, she claims it's for Puluo Province, but down to the bone, isn't it all for herself? Meddling in everything from morning to night, governing so harshly, wishing she could draw boundaries on every street and alley to lock everyone inside their homes before she'd be satisfied! Puluo Province became a tray of loose sand, indifferent to the outside world—do you dare say she isn't to blame for that? Isn't all of this just so Puluo Province would obey her every word?"
A'yu poked Sun Tiecheng's forehead. "You sure do overthink things every day. Whose word Puluo Province obeys—is that any of your business to manage?"
Sun Tiecheng maintained his honest, simple look. "Other places are none of my concern, but she resolutely cannot go to the City of Fools."
A'yu turned her head away. "Fine, don't let her go then. Who'd want that place of yours anyway!"
Sun Tiecheng chuckled. "Oh, you want it all right. I have the Mysterious Life Red Lotus in hand. Do you want it or not?"
The moment he said this, A'yi, Jiu'er, and Li Banfeng all stared at A'yu.
A'yu blinked and said with a beaming smile, "Of course I want it. But who knows if that red lotus of yours is real?"
Sun Tiecheng said, "It's real, genuine as can be. I'm just asking if you want it."
"Of course I want it! That makes it even more necessary for me to visit the City of Fools." A'yu poured Sun Tiecheng a bowl of wine; the argument just now seemed to have come to an end.
Li Banfeng was not a Peep Cultivator, but Autumn Scrutiny through Golden Eyes was no ordinary art either. Having practiced it to his current level, no matter how well something was concealed, he could spot a few clues.
A'yu repeatedly told Sun Tiecheng she wanted the red lotus, every word spoken with apparent sincerity. Yet back in the companion dwelling, A'yu had risked her very life to seize the red lotus. The difference between her attitude then and now was stark.
A'yi announced that the celebration feast would last three days and three nights, and tonight she was going to enter the bridal chamber. Qiu Luoye had disappeared somewhere, and A'yi was driving a tank all over the hills and fields searching for him.
Li Banfeng took his wife and Hong Ying back to the companion dwelling to recuperate. Having stayed in the companion dwelling for so long, Jiang Ling'er felt thoroughly uneasy.
Zhao Xiaowan said, "Husband, take Ling'er back to Yucui Tower. Stay there for a couple of days. Yucui Tower is your residence too; you can't keep neglecting it."
Li Banfeng took Jiang Ling'er back to Yucui Tower. His wife also happened to keep Jiang Ling'er company for a couple of days. Hong Ying had to stay behind to guard the companion dwelling; she was now a residence spirit and could not leave as she pleased.
Taking advantage of these two relatively leisurely days, Li Banfeng continued reading Floating Clouds Seeking the Station. The volume Tou Youlu had given him was what Li Banfeng referred to as the second volume. Its writing style was identical to the first, recording what he saw and heard along his travels in straightforward prose.
Yet when he turned to about a third of the way through, Li Banfeng spotted something unusual. On a few pages, the handwriting was peculiar. Judging by the script, Tou Youlu had still written it, but it was messy and scribbled, with intense fury brimming between the lines:
"I am a person of great magnanimity. If someone bullies me, I just kill them, never haggling or holding petty grudges. But the fellow I met today was troublesome. He was a formidable fighter. I couldn't kill him, and he kept pestering me."
Li Banfeng was very curious: who would dare pester Tou Youlu?
"This fellow kept asking me where it would be interesting to go. Off the top of my head, I told him to head east. He said east was nice, but his enemies were there. I spoke up again and said, then head west. He said there were no enemies to the west, but it wasn't as nice as the east. I told him, then run east and rush west! The fellow couldn't understand that either."
It was indeed rather hard to understand. What did running east and west mean?
Li Banfeng read on:
"Since he didn't understand, I fought him. You see, this fellow was so skilled, yet he tripped himself up and fell to the ground. In the end, did he want to go east or did he want to go west? Even he couldn't figure it out. I left, letting him waste his breath tangling with himself here."
After reading Floating Clouds Seeking the Station for so long, this was the first time Li Banfeng had seen an account of a battle. Although the narrative remained plain, Li Banfeng could sense that it had been a fierce battle—one that had even threatened Tou Youlu's life.
Li Banfeng calmed his mind and read the passage repeatedly. He wanted to understand a concept: what exactly did running east and west mean?
"Brother Qi!" Luo Shaojun called out from downstairs. "Qiao Yi sent you a letter, asking us to forward it to Puluo Province. He doesn't know you're right here in Boundless City, so I'll just bring it straight to you."
Li Banfeng took the letter. With a blush, Luo Shaojun said, "Brother Qi, there's a market in the city today. Why don't we go out for a stroll?"
"Not today," Li Banfeng smiled. "Wait until I rest for a couple of days and heal my injuries, then I'll go out with you."
Luo Shaojun walked away, her face full of disappointment.
In truth, Li Banfeng's wounds had healed long ago. Using the technique of Sit Back and Relax, recuperating in the residence for so long, external injuries mended quickly. Yet he simply didn't want to step outside.
He would return to the companion dwelling to handle family matters, or use Broadening the Bridal Chamber to visit the residence in Hulu Village to check on A'yu and the Heavenly Maiden. But nearly all his activities were confined to residences.
Zhao Xiaowan noticed the signs. "Husband, this must be the backlash of Residence Cultivation."
The gap between Cloud Three and Cloud Four was immense, and the gap between Cloud Four and Cloud Five was even greater. With Travel Cultivation reaching Cloud Five, the imbalance with Residence Cultivation became glaringly prominent.
This was no major issue, however. As long as he waited a while longer and gathered more human aura—with Xiaodu as his backing—it wouldn't take long before his Residence Cultivation could advance to the fifth tier.
Li Banfeng opened Qiao Yi's letter. He had assumed Qiao Yi was going to declare war on Puluo Province formally; even if Qiao Yi exercised restraint, he ought to have vented his frustration at least a little.
But Li Banfeng was mistaken. Qiao Yi's tone in the letter was humble and earnest: he wished to invite Prince Pingyuan to Chaoge to discuss governmental affairs.
What governmental affairs could possibly require discussion with Li Banfeng?
Qiao Yi had written with great ambiguity. Li Banfeng read it carefully twice before finally grasping Qiao Yi's meaning. Stripping away the useless polite formalities, the core message was singular: Qiao Yi's position was unstable, and he needed someone to lend him support.
Li Banfeng penned a reply, refusing Qiao Yi's request. He had no desire to offer Qiao Yi any form of help, nor did he place any degree of trust in him.
When he handed the letter to Luo Shaojun, Luo Lijun was also present. She dearly hoped relations between Li Qi and Qiao Yi could thaw, but Li Banfeng gave her no hint, and she did not dare open Li Banfeng's letter.
Watching Luo Lijun's retreating figure, Li Banfeng stirred his intention. Without expending much physical energy, he watched Luo Lijun's feet tangle up and trip herself onto the ground.
Luo Shaojun hurriedly helped Luo Lijun up. "Sister, what happened?"
Luo Lijun looked at the ground, then looked at her own legs. She had no idea what was wrong with her either. Should she go east or west? Luo Lijun felt at a loss.
Upon receiving Li Qi's reply, Qiao Yi's brow furrowed in distress.
Qiao Yi had done everything he could to cover up the matters of the Great Crucible and the Hao City altar, but he simply could not cover up the catastrophe of the Bandit-Subduing Battalion. More than sixty thousand lives hung in the balance, and the royal family was waiting for him to provide an explanation.
In desperation, Qiao Yi had Nian Shangyou invite the Imperial Commissioner.
"Invite him?" Nian Shangyou was reluctant. "My lord, this matter still requires careful consideration."
"You think I'm not being careful?" Qiao Yi asked in return. "Can you come up with a more cautious idea?"
Unable to think of an alternative, Nian Shangyou could only invite Critic over.
Qiao Yi briefly explained his predicament. Critic immediately had a solution: "Certain members of the royal family have been blinded by hatred; they need to calm down. I can handle this matter for you."
As he spoke these words, Critic wore a rather excited expression.
Qiao Yi had originally made up his mind, but looking at Critic, he weighed the consequences once more. After weighing them, he nodded to Critic.
Critic left, and Nian Shangyou wished to leave as well. He knew Chaoge was about to face a plague; even if he could not leave himself, he wanted to send his family out of Chaoge for the time being.
Qiao Yi understood his thoughts. "Shangyou, some things can wait. Go check on the progress of repairing the Great Crucible, and inquire about how the investigation into the case is proceeding. I have a feeling the thieves who stole those two lotus leaves haven't gone far."
He Jiaqing sat in a university library, reading quietly.
Within the Dream-Tethering Tower were sixteen universities spread across eleven cities. Aside from modernized cities, He Jiaqing had also seen several ancient cities, with vast stretches of countryside, wilderness, and even oceans and islands between them.
The space inside the Dream-Tethering Tower was immensely vast, which also stoked a sliver of hidden anxiety in He Jiaqing: he feared he wouldn't be able to get out. Inside the Dream-Tethering Tower, he tried to do as little as possible; the more one did, the more one was exposed, and Meng Qian remained a subject of the Inner States.
He Jiaqing spent most of his time in the library, passing the hours by reading various renowned classics.
More and more students filled the library. He Jiaqing couldn't tell whether they were dreamers guiding the dream or merely background scenery. Their expressions varied and their manners differed. In this world of interwoven dreams, He Jiaqing felt his surroundings growing increasingly real.
Old Train took a newspaper from a bookshelf and sat down beside He Jiaqing. "Tonight there's a chance to get out, but the three of us can't take the same route. Where we end up once we're out isn't certain either."
He Jiaqing looked at Old Train, evaluating his identity.
Lowering his voice, Old Train continued, "That item is to be split into three parts, but right now I can't separate it, so I've entrusted it to your safekeeping for the time being. You mustn't break your word."
The item he referred to was the lotus leaf. Besides He Jiaqing himself, the only ones who knew of this matter were Old Train and Lian Buda. This proved that Old Train was genuine.
He Jiaqing nodded. "This junior is willing to sign a covenant deed and follow Senior's arrangements."
Old Train stepped out of the library first, and He Jiaqing quickly followed.
Leaving the university, the two rushed down the street. When they reached the city's edge, the vibrant colors gradually faded, and the surrounding scenery turned a uniform grayish-white. This was a sign that the dream was thinning; it seemed Old Train truly had found an exit from the Dream-Tethering Tower.
"Senior, the exit won't lead to Chaoge, will it?" He Jiaqing knew full well that Chaoge would not let matters rest. If they were to head into Chaoge now, it would be worse than remaining in the Dream-Tethering Tower.
Old Train smiled at He Jiaqing. "The exit shouldn't be in Chaoge, but as for where it actually is, that depends on your fortune!"
Chapter 783