Li Banfeng took Little Genzi to Lu's Bookhouse.
Boss Lu set up a copper hotpot, bought freshly sliced mutton, cabbage, and tofu from a restaurant, and the three of them shared hotpot together.
Little Genzi didn't feel much like eating. He first drank two bowls of liquor, his face flushed, and said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, to tell you the truth, before the fight started, I had zero confidence. That was an order's founding patriarch—someone at the same level as my master! If a person like that just glanced at me, I figured I'd lose my life.
"Yet when I grabbed my gear and charged to the front, I don't know why, but I didn't feel that scared anymore. A fight's a fight! I've fought so many battles alongside Seventh Master, and I've never once chickened out! Once I dumped that ladle of night soil right over the demonic cultivator patriarch's head, I wasn't scared at all. I realized these patriarchs are human too—hit them and they hurt, drench them in filth and they suffer just the same."
"Brother, well done!" Li Banfeng praised him. Holding a piece of mutton in his chopsticks, he looked down at the sesame paste in his bowl and fell into deep contemplation.
Talk about tactless—the boy just had to bring up night soil right now.
Boss Lu chuckled. "After this battle, I feel somewhat more confident. Those senior masters are still of the same caliber as years ago; holding Moxiang Shop shouldn't be too difficult. But I'll say it again, Seventh Master: guarding against thieves day in and day out is no real solution. Moxiang Shop still needs a ward god."
Li Banfeng kept silent. Boss Lu's advice was sound.
Moxiang Shop truly ought to have a ward god. Leaving such an important territory to a scholar fashioned from a writing brush was indeed somewhat absurd.
Moxiang Shop's true ward god was right inside the companion dwelling, but Li Banfeng didn't want to put his own family in a difficult spot.
Hearing this, Little Genzi lifted his bucket, puffed out his chest, and said to Boss Lu, "Senior, though my cultivation is still at the ground level, I have guidance from a famed master and train very hard every day. Advancing to cloud level is only a matter of time! Entrusting Moxiang Shop to me would truly be putting the right man and the right tools to best use!"
Boss Lu furrowed his brows slightly and said nothing.
Little Genzi turned to Li Banfeng again. "Seventh Master, others might not know my character, but you do! As long as my bucket and ladle are here, I will never let outsiders lay a finger on Moxiang Shop!"
Genzi had prepared this speech for a long time. Some of the phrasing had been learned fresh from a schoolteacher just to suit Moxiang Shop's scholarly ways!
Li Banfeng could understand Genzi's feelings.
This matter required gentle coaxing; he couldn't crush the lad's enthusiasm.
"Genzi, put the bucket down!" Li Banfeng said earnestly. "I've already prepared a piece of land for you. Once this business is settled, I'll give you the covenant deed."
"Seventh Master, I'm talking about Moxiang Shop!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Moxiang Shop isn't quite suitable for you."
Genzi was crushed. "Seventh Master, why isn't it suitable?"
Li Banfeng explained, "Because this place is called Ink... Fragrance... Shop."
Genzi said stubbornly, "Seventh Master, in my hands, Moxiang Shop will smell miles away just the same!"
Li Banfeng's brow furrowed in dismay, while Boss Lu sighed deeply in silence.
After eating, Genzi went out to cultivate. Li Banfeng said to Boss Lu, "Boss Lu, if I leave Moxiang Shop temporarily, can you truly hold the fort here?"
Boss Lu nodded. "If the Inner Province doesn't send more elite reinforcements, I only need to handle these old masters, which won't pose too much difficulty."
Li Banfeng took a sip of tea. "I'm not worried about the others, but there's one whose strength I can't see through."
"You mean the Blood Tooth Monster?" Boss Lu went inside and brought out a stack of newspapers; he, too, had noticed this person was out of the ordinary. "The earliest record of the Blood Tooth Monster appeared in newspapers thirty-two years ago.
"Back then, there was a prominent figure in Yaowang Gully named Huang Yechan. She had three daughters and two sons, all of whom entered Daoist paths before age ten. Even her youngest daughter, who had the lowest cultivation, reached ground level second layer by the time she came of age.
"This youngest daughter took a crew to open up new land at the Sanpan River newland. After going there, she never returned, and all fifty-odd people who accompanied her vanished without a trace. Huang Yechan led search parties everywhere and found traces of her youngest daughter near a desolate mountain. That desolate mountain later came to be known as Blood Tooth Mountain."
Li Banfeng read through the newspaper carefully.
Huang Yechan was a ground level seventh-layer Medicine Cultivator. In a place like Yaowang Gully, having such cultivation was indeed enough to dominate for a time.
At the foot of Blood Tooth Mountain, she found an article of her daughter's clothing. Her daughter was a second-layer Scholar Cultivator, and on the garment's lining, her daughter had used Scholar techniques to leave a line of characters: *This is Blood Tooth Mountain. On the mountain is a Blood Tooth Monster.*
This was the only clue Huang Yechan found, confirming that something had happened to her daughter on Blood Tooth Mountain.
According to the subsequent reports, Huang Yechan went up Blood Tooth Mountain sixteen times in total. Not only did she fail to find her daughter, but her family's fortune was entirely depleted.
Li Banfeng asked, "How was her family's wealth depleted? Did she run into the Blood Tooth Monster and get severely injured?"
Boss Lu shook his head. "According to the reports, Huang Yechan never once saw the Blood Tooth Monster. Her hired hands did, but only two people ever made it out alive from the monster's hands.
"During Huang Yechan's sixteen trips up the mountain, over a hundred people lost their lives—some killed by the Blood Tooth Monster, others blown apart by Blood Tooth Mountain's rocks. Just paying the blood money compensation for these casualties ruined Huang Yechan financially, and that was the end of the matter."
Boss Lu brought over more newspapers one after another, all containing reports about Blood Tooth Mountain, their contents derived from survivors' accounts.
He manipulated the text on the newspapers, arranging them chronologically to form a trail of clues. "These reports share a common trait: high-level cultivators who went up Blood Tooth Mountain almost never encountered the Blood Tooth Monster. This proves the Blood Tooth Monster's own cultivation isn't particularly high, and she has always been avoiding powerful opponents.
"In recent years, reports on Blood Tooth Mountain have practically ceased. In Puluo Province, it has become common knowledge that Blood Tooth Mountain is a perilous place, and that the Blood Tooth Monster is an indigenous monstrosity born of the mountain."
Li Banfeng finished reading most of the reports. Judging by their contents, as long as a cultivator above ground level fifth layer went up Blood Tooth Mountain and didn't carelessly break the mountain's rules, there was a high probability they would leave alive.
"Boss Lu, do you think the Blood Tooth Monster's cultivation is around the fifth layer?"
"Around the fifth layer is certainly an underestimate, but how high she truly is cannot be verified from records. How about we test her?"
Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "Not knowing her cultivation level or her Daoist order, probing her rashly could cause us serious grief."
Boss Lu was surprised; Li Qi actually had his cautious moments.
Li Banfeng handed the newspapers regarding the Blood Tooth Monster back to Boss Lu. "Have you ever heard of a place called the Zhougu Ruins?"
Boss Lu pondered for a moment, took a book box down from the shelf, and retrieved six volumes of ancient books from it. Checking the tables of contents, he found records concerning the Zhougu Ruins in each book.
The writing in these books was somewhat faded, but fortunately Boss Lu had read them more than once. Glancing over a few sentences was enough to recall most of the contents.
"The Zhougu Ruins is an unnamable place in Puluo Province. Ordinary people cannot reach it, and once they do, it's very difficult to leave."
"How can extraordinary people reach the Zhougu Ruins?" Li Banfeng had asked the Liangwucai sisters, but they didn't remember the route to the Zhougu Ruins. He had also asked the Fifth Chamber maiden, but the moment she heard the name of the Zhougu Ruins, she vanished immediately.
"There are three methods," Boss Lu said, pointing to a line of text in the book. "Arrive through a dreamscape, arrive through an illusion, or arrive through the Realm of Life and Death."
Li Banfeng understood dreamscapes and illusions. "What does the Realm of Life and Death mean?"
Boss Lu explained, "The Realm of Life and Death is a special state one attains only after passing through life and death. How long one lingers in it depends on the nature of their soul. Most people can only remain in the Realm of Life and Death for a brief instant, but some can linger there for three to five years. While within the Realm of Life and Death, one can find the unnamable path to reach an unnamable place."
The Liangwucai sisters must have lingered in the Realm of Life and Death for a prolonged period after death due to their unique souls, inadvertently entering the Zhougu Ruins.
Li Banfeng asked, "Is Hen Wuyou connected to the Zhougu Ruins?"
Boss Lu took out another ancient volume, flipped through it briefly, and said, "The Zhougu Void is the birthplace of curses and witchcraft. Hen Wuyou is the founding patriarch of Curse Cultivators, and reputedly the territorial ruler of the Zhougu Void."
Li Banfeng looked at the characters Boss Lu pointed to. Earlier it said Zhougu Ruins, and later it became Zhougu Void.
"Boss Lu, are these referring to the same place?"
Boss Lu nodded. "They refer to the same place."
"Then which character is correct?"
"Each character has its own explanation." Boss Lu opened another volume. "One theory says 'Zhougu Ruins' is correct, because the place has degenerated into oldland, taking the character for ruins and desolation. Another theory says 'Zhougu Void' is correct, because the place is a Land of Xuyuan."
Seeing Li Banfeng's clear, searching gaze, Boss Lu continued to explain, "A Land of Xuyuan is among the earliest territories formed in Puluo Province. The Xuyuan silkworms living in a Land of Xuyuan were the earliest life-forms in Puluo Province."
"What do Xuyuan silkworms look like?" Li Banfeng recalled the worm he had plucked from the Liangwucai sisters.
For a moment, Boss Lu didn't know how to describe it. He went up to the second floor of the bookhouse, brought down a clay jar, and used tweezers to pull out a worm from the jar.
This black worm was identical to the one Li Banfeng had removed.
"Boss Lu, did you get this worm from a Land of Xuyuan?"
Boss Lu hesitated for a long while before speaking the truth: "Seventh Master, you might already know this, but Yu Yaoming, a wormhole scientist from the Outer States, has been staying with me. We have been conducting research regarding the Boundary. To protect the research results, I offended Qin the Great Gold Seal of the Three Heroes Sect. For that matter, I truly owe you an explanation."
Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "No explanation needed. You're not to blame for that."
Boss Lu put the worm back into the clay jar. "Since Seventh Master is so righteous, I shouldn't keep secrets either. This Xuyuan silkworm was obtained by me inside a wormhole crossing the Boundary. I obtained more than one, and together with Yu Yaoming, we have conducted extensive research on these Xuyuan silkworms."
"You entered a wormhole and came back out alive?" Li Banfeng asked in pleasant surprise. "Do you have a way to cross the Boundary?"
Boss Lu didn't know how to answer; he had never revealed this matter to anyone.
Li Banfeng said, "No need to worry. This is a good thing; I certainly won't spoil your plans. Let's get back to the worms. Can Xuyuan silkworms boost a person's cultivation?"
Boss Lu said, "I haven't tested that; I don't have the nerve. But Yu Yaoming tested them on machinery, and the machines underwent significant changes. Some machines came alive. A few were considerate and helpful, assisting Yu Yaoming with various tasks. Others were violent and bad-tempered—a sewing machine stitched Yu Yaoming's two hands together. And some machines were mischievous—a printing press printed an entire newspaper right across Yu Yaoming's body."
"Living machines... isn't that what the Inner Province people are? Xuyuan silkworms can create life?" Li Banfeng sorted through his thoughts. "If Hen Wuyou is the Blood Tooth Monster, and she is also the leader of the Zhougu Ruins, and if the Zhougu Ruins truly is a Land of Xuyuan packed with large numbers of Xuyuan silkworms, then this matter is perilous indeed."
Boss Lu's thoughts couldn't quite keep up. "Seventh Master, why do you think the Blood Tooth Monster is Hen Wuyou?"
Li Banfeng couldn't explain. "There are too many things entangled here. Do you have a way to reach the Zhougu Ruins?"
Boss Lu shook his head. He had collected materials on the Zhougu Ruins, but had never studied them in depth.
Li Banfeng tipped out a scalded-to-death worm from the old teapot and handed it to Boss Lu. "Have Yu Yaoming examine this and see whether it's a Xuyuan silkworm."
Returning to the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng found himself caught in a dilemma.
He ought to make a trip to the Zhougu Ruins. If Hen Wuyou had submitted to the Inner Province, the Zhougu Ruins had most likely submitted along with her.
If the Zhougu Ruins was truly a Land of Xuyuan, it could supply vast numbers of Xuyuan silkworms to the Inner Province.
If that was truly the case, Li Banfeng ought to wipe out the Zhougu Ruins completely.
Yet if he went to the Zhougu Ruins and couldn't return in short order, would something go wrong with Moxiang Shop?
If the Blood Tooth Monster truly was Hen Wuyou, could Boss Lu hold her off on his own?
Boss Lu gave the worm Li Banfeng had handed him to Yu Yaoming. Yu Yaoming had substantial expertise in biology, and he quickly produced results:
The worm Li Banfeng had pulled off Liangwucai was extremely similar to a Xuyuan silkworm—more precisely, it was a mutated variety of Xuyuan silkworm.
This proved one thing: the proper name for the Zhougu Ruins was indeed the Zhougu Void; that place was a Land of Xuyuan.
Li Banfeng had to make a trip to the Zhougu Void, but who could he find to help Boss Lu guard Moxiang Shop?
He knew quite a few masters, but after thinking it through, he couldn't find a suitable candidate. Not every expert would be willing to come help in Moxiang Shop, and some might even pose a threat to Moxiang Shop themselves.
While he was lost in thought, Murong Gui stepped out of the second chamber.
"Seven, I'll go."
Li Banfeng sat in his chair and looked up at Murong Gui.
In Li Qi's memory, Murong Gui spent most of his time lying down, but now this gaunt scholar stood straight as a ramrod, appearing considerably taller and grander.
"Are you truly willing to go?"
"No," Murong Gui shook his head. "But I ought to."
Late at night, Li Banfeng took Murong Gui to the Willow Tree Garden.
Beneath a willow tree, Murong Gui wrote the character for wisdom, and a lake materialized within the Willow Tree Garden—the residence that originally belonged to him.
Li Banfeng felt reluctant to let him go.
Murong Gui spoke word by word, "Seven, when this business is done, come back and fetch me!"
He gathered the hem of his long gown, clasped one hand behind his back, held his judge's brush, and walked toward the pavilion step by step.
He dared not look back, fearing he wouldn't be able to bear parting.
He didn't want to look forward, fearing he wouldn't endure the miserable hardship of life there.
"Seven, go!"
He urged Li Banfeng to leave quickly, lest he change his mind at any moment.
Entering the pavilion, Murong Gui gritted his teeth. No matter how much hardship lay ahead, he had to shoulder it alone. He was the ward god of Moxiang Shop; this was his duty!
He sat down by the writing desk and closed his eyes with resolute determination.
Another scholar was currently writing at the desk. This scholar was the one Murong Gui had crafted from the peddler's writing brush.
When the brush scholar saw Murong Gui, he felt the scene was rather tragic and solemn, and felt a strong urge to weep.
Not only did he weep for Murong Gui, but he also wept for himself—he was finally free.
"The blind should feel shame," "The literate should strive," "All under heaven should practice letters"—these three lines, he had written who knew how many times, and today was the final time.
The brush scholar neatly filled an entire sheet of paper, then set the brush in his hand onto the book rack.
He had completed his mission; now he could begin a new life.
Even though he had originally been wronged and trapped by Murong Gui, the brush scholar still gave Murong Gui a deep bow.
Murong Gui opened his eyes, forcing the corners of his mouth upward into a faint smile. "Going somewhere?"
The brush scholar pointed outside; he was leaving this place.
Murong Gui blinked, and the paper and brush drifted right back in front of the brush scholar. Murong Gui looked up at him and uttered a single word: "Write!"
The brush scholar froze.
*When you weren't here, I wrote. Now that you're here, why am I still the one writing?!*
Seeing the brush scholar standing motionless, Murong Gui asked, "Objecting?"
The brush scholar straightened his back, showing his refusal to yield!
Murong Gui slowly rose, looked at the brush scholar, and said evenly, "Then let's fight!"
Ten minutes later, tears welling in his eyes, the brush scholar slumped over the desk, continuing to write those three lines.
He couldn't beat Murong Gui in a fight.
A gust of chilly wind blew through. Murong Gui lay down next to the desk, stayed silent for a long while, and uttered another word: "Quilt!"
Wiping his tears, the brush scholar brought a quilt down from upstairs and covered Murong Gui with it.
Wrapped in the quilt, Murong Gui looked into the distance toward Li Banfeng, murmuring softly, "Seven, go... No matter how much hardship, I can bear it!"
Li Banfeng left the Willow Tree Garden and went to Lu's Bookhouse. "Boss Lu, Moxiang Shop's ward god has returned."
Boss Lu poured a cup of hot tea. "Seventh Master, so long as he has returned, you need not worry about Moxiang Shop."
Li Banfeng went to Black Rock Slope and found Tang Shijiang.
Tang Shijiang had just finished shooting a set of photographs, sweating profusely from exhaustion. "Old Seven, what do you need me for?"
Li Banfeng said, "I want to go to Mengqian Tower."
Tang Shijiang paused in surprise. "Did something go wrong? Hiding in a place like that is no long-term solution."
"Brother Tang, I must see Meng Qian."
Tang Shijiang hesitated for a moment.
Without asking Li Banfeng's reasons, he led him straight to the edge of the newland.
Ahead lay an abandoned train station. Tang Shijiang said, "Near the platform, there is an afterimage of Mengqian Tower. Inside a dreamscape, Dream Cultivators are extraordinarily difficult to deal with—be extremely careful. If anything feels off, leave the platform immediately. It's only an afterimage here, so you'll have plenty of chances to escape."
Tang Shijiang explained the relatively safe standing spots on the platform and the escape routes to Li Banfeng, repeatedly warning him not to wander aimlessly after leaving the platform, or he would fall into a dream once more.
Li Banfeng was no stranger to this platform; it was where he had first entered Mengqian Tower.
Having said all that needed saying, Tang Shijiang departed; he harbored a deep distaste for Mengqian Tower.
Once Tang Shijiang was far away, Li Banfeng used Broadening the Bridal Chamber to bring out his lady.
His lady opened her pocket watch, looked at Mengde inside, and instructed, "Watch closely. Speak up immediately if anything happens."
Mengde was very nervous. "Madam, my cultivation is far too low. I fear I won't be of much use."
Zhao Xiaowan's brow furrowed. "Focus on your job, unless you want a beating!"
Mengde dared not say another word. Li Banfeng felt the music box in his pocket; if he inadvertently fell into a dream, the music box could at least record what transpired.
Leading his lady onto the platform, he stood under the edge of the awning on the third blue brick—one of the relatively safe positions Tang Shijiang had pointed out.
Even with this relative safety, Li Banfeng still felt drowsy. He immediately pushed Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity to its limit.
A surge of peril struck. Li Banfeng pinched the space between his brows to stay awake, while his lady unleashed a mournful, piercing chant, pouring all her strength into dispersing Li Banfeng's weariness.
Mengde's expression turned dull; she had fallen into the dream first.
Li Banfeng opened the music box, but no melody sounded—the music box had fallen into a dream as well.
His lady's singing grew increasingly piercing as she attacked unseen foes.
Before long, an exquisite woman in white with a languid expression slowly appeared before Li Banfeng.
"You were looking for me?"
Li Banfeng looked Meng Qian up and down. To verify whether what he saw was a dreamscape, he produced a box of matches.
Meng Qian shook her head. "Don't burn my clothes. You aren't asleep."
Li Banfeng put away the matches and said, "I want to visit the Zhougu Void. I hope you can lead the way for me."
Meng Qian still shook her head. "I don't want to go to that place."
"I never ask people to work for nothing. You can name your price."
Meng Qian pondered for a long while before saying to Li Banfeng, "I want to build a Mengqian Tower in Xiaodu. Can you agree to that?"
Li Banfeng wasn't keen on agreeing.
Zhao Xiaowan spoke up from beside him: "Miss Meng, aren't you being far too greedy in this bargain? We're only asking you to guide us once, yet you want a permanent business in Xiaodu. The price you're asking is hardly appropriate."
Meng Qian looked at Zhao Xiaowan and said impassively, "I've named my price. You're free to counter."
Zhao Xiaowan reminded Li Banfeng, "A shopfront doesn't have to be bought; it can also be rented."
Li Banfeng smiled; his lady's idea was brilliant. He said to Meng Qian, "I'll lease you a plot of land in Xiaodu where you can build Mengqian Tower. As rent, you must perform three tasks for me each month."
Meng Qian found this objectionable: "What kind of tasks would you have me do? If one day you want to seize Chaoge City, that's not something I can pull off."
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll only ask you to do things within your abilities. When the time comes, I'll make an offer first, and you can counteroffer."
After deliberating again and again, Meng Qian agreed: "If you want to go to the Zhougu Ruins, you must enter a dream first. I won't harm you within the dreamscape."
"I certainly trust you, but let's sign a covenant deed first." Li Banfeng drafted a covenant deed, and both pressed their handprints onto it, sealing the deal.
He and Zhao Xiaowan ceased resisting the drowsiness. One after the other, they entered the dream and followed Meng Qian into the newland.
The surrounding scenery sped backward beside them. Flying in midair, Meng Qian led the two through the dreamscape at great speed. Halfway through the journey, Meng Qian warned them, "The Zhougu Ruins is a village. Once we reach it, do not speak too much with the villagers, do not eat anything they give you, and do not spend the night in the village. When I tell you to leave, you must listen to me."
Li Banfeng and Zhao Xiaowan took mental note of everything.
Time within a dreamscape was exceptionally vague. To both of them, this half of the journey felt as though it had barely taken any time at all, but when Zhao Xiaowan opened her pocket watch to check, most of a day had already passed.
After traveling another stretch, Meng Qian, floating in midair, came to a halt beside them, and the surrounding scenery stopped moving.
"Found it. Right there." Meng Qian pointed ahead toward an expanse of skyscrapers.
"This is the Zhougu Void?" Li Banfeng was deeply skeptical. The scenery before them was clearly a city of the Outer States.
Meng Qian explained, "This is the dream of an Outer States native who is currently inside the Zhougu Ruins. I can transport you there through her dream."
She led the two into the city. Automobiles glided quietly along the streets without noise, exhaust fumes, or even a speck of dust kicked up.
The sidewalks were clean and neat, with a bench every few dozen meters nestled among clusters of flowers.
Meng Qian quickly located the dreamer—a young woman gazing wistfully at a fountain set among the skyscrapers, an enraptured smile on her face.
In this girl's dream, city life was surprisingly blissful.
Meng Qian said to Li Banfeng, "You can step out now."
She reached out a finger and poked the dreamer lightly on the forehead.
The dreamer shuddered and woke with a start from her slumber.
Skyscrapers, fountains, benches, flowerbeds—all the bliss of the dream vanished clean away.
The dreaming girl wore tattered clothes, lying in a damp cave. She cast a glance toward the faint light at the cave mouth.
Curling up, she closed her eyes, wanting to drift back to sleep, only to hear Li Banfeng ask by her ear, "What place is this?"
The girl shuddered in fright and scrambled to run.
Zhao Xiaowan stepped forward to block her. "Don't be afraid, we won't harm you. Tell me, is this the Zhougu Ruins?"
The girl nodded. "Yes."
Zhao Xiaowan asked again, "Why are you sleeping here?"
The girl didn't want to answer, but Zhao Xiaowan's voice carried a distinct majesty that felt impossible to defy: "I... I'm a Gu Cultivator. If the Curse Cultivators catch me, I'll have to become their slave."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Where would slaves come from in Puluo Province?"
"That's what the Curse Cultivator Ancestor said—that Gu Cultivators are all slaves to Curse Cultivators."
"She says you're slaves, so you're slaves? You're really that obedient?"
"We can't beat him!" the girl cried in terror. "There's a man beside the Curse Cultivator who killed our patriarch! Even if all of us charged him together, we couldn't beat him!"
Li Banfeng knew who that man was. "When the Curse Cultivators capture you, what do they make you do?"
Trembling, the girl said, "Raise worms... If we don't raise them well, they feed us to the worms."
Chapter 817