What It Means to Keep an Empty Room Alone

Lian Buda followed Li Banfeng up above the clouds, fretting the whole way. "Old Seven, Dan Buda and I haven't been in touch for years. She may be my sister, but that girl is full of schemes. Even if I speak up as her elder brother, she might not listen to me." Li Banfeng had plenty of confidence in Lian Buda. "Show some brotherly authority. It's not often an older brother asks for a favor; would she really have the nerve to refuse?" Lian Buda wore a look of deep worry. "What if she really doesn't agree? What can I do, beat her up?" The Heavenly Maiden looked at Lian Buda and Li Banfeng with open disdain. "What kind of skill is hitting someone? Only the incompetent rely on violence to solve problems. You'd better heed my advice and not lay a hand on Dan Buda. To accomplish great things, you must keep your cool. If you can't even control your own temper, how do you expect to protect Puluo Province?" Looking at the Heavenly Maiden, Lian Buda felt even more uneasy. "Back then, dividing you in two was something I was forced into doing. Because you weren't willing yourself, I could only split your body, not your soul..." "Don't bring up the past," the Heavenly Maiden said magnanimously. "Let's settle the matter at hand first." The three of them arrived downstairs, and Li Banfeng called out, "Sister-in-law, I've come to see you!" Dan Buda's voice drifted from inside the house. "Don't bother coming in, your senior brother isn't here!" Li Banfeng was used to bantering with Dan Buda, so he chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm not looking for Senior Brother. I made a special trip just to see you!" Dan Buda let out a laugh. "You always come looking for me when your brother isn't around. Don't you think your intentions are a bit crooked?" Li Banfeng puffed out his chest, looking solemn and upright. "I conduct myself with total propriety, Sister-in-law—don't you know that? Just let me come in and sit for a bit!" Dan Buda sneered. "Better not. My husband is narrow-minded. If he catches you, I'm afraid he won't let you off lightly—" *Crash!* The Heavenly Maiden kicked open the door and stormed in. "Your husband? Who's your husband? Whom are you calling husband! You shameless wench!" Sounds of a brawl broke out inside the room. This time, Dan Buda had truly been caught off guard. She had known Li Qi was here because he had greeted her aloud. She had also known Lian Buda and Yuan Miaoping were present; none of them could escape her perception. But she truly hadn't known the Heavenly Maiden had come—she hadn't sensed her at all. Li Banfeng waited by the entrance for a good while. Beside him, Lian Buda asked, "Didn't someone just say not to lay a hand on Dan Buda?" "They aren't necessarily fighting. They might just be reasoning with each other," Li Banfeng said calmly, standing before the door. "To accomplish great things, one must keep one's cool." After a few more minutes, the Heavenly Maiden's voice called out from the room. "Everyone come in!" Li Banfeng and Lian Buda entered. The Heavenly Maiden smoothed back her disheveled hair, while Dan Buda wiped blood from her face. After a moment of silence, Dan Buda yelled at Li Qi, "Are you insane? You dare bring her here? Do you know what would happen if she ran into the peddler?" At the mention of the peddler, tears welled in the Heavenly Maiden's eyes. Dan Buda frowned. "What are you crying for? What happened?" Li Banfeng offered no explanation, and Lian Buda kept his head down, silent. The atmosphere grew awkward. Yuan Miaoping hurried to smooth things over. "Nothing happened! We came this time because we want to take you out on a trip. If we didn't bring Sister Heavenly Maiden along, you wouldn't be able to get out anyway!" "You want to take me out? Care to tell me why?" Dan Buda looked at Yuan Miaoping, stepped forward, and turned the channel dial. On the screen, the background changed from a school campus to a blue sky. Yuan Miaoping's athletic suit turned into a skydiving jumpsuit, and she began plummeting rapidly through the air. Yuan Miaoping quickly pulled her parachute. "Sister, why do we need a reason? We just saw you've been cooped up here for so long, and we worried you'd be bored out of your mind. We're taking you out to unwind!" "Taking me out to unwind?" Dan Buda turned the television dial again. "Girl, since when are you so kindhearted?" The scene shifted. The blue sky turned into a sandy beach. Yuan Miaoping was wearing a sun visor and a swimsuit, playing beach volleyball. A ball came flying straight at her, and unable to dodge in time, it smacked her squarely in the face. Wiping sand from her face, she beamed at Dan Buda. "Sister, we found a great piece of business for you. You know our gang leader, and you and I have done plenty of deals before. We're all old acquaintances—could you stop switching channels and let's stand still to talk!" "Standing still it is!" Dan Buda let go of the channel dial, leaving it set on a hot spring. Yuan Miaoping stood draped in a towel in the center of the spring, surrounded by a ring of middle-aged men also soaking in the water. The Heavenly Maiden stared fixedly at the screen, waiting to see what would happen next. Yuan Miaoping smiled at the older men around her and discharged high-voltage electricity into the spring, knocking them all unconscious. The Heavenly Maiden looked slightly disappointed. Yuan Miaoping looked sincerely at Dan Buda. "Sister, we've done business together so many times. Do you think I've ever lied to you?" "That depends on whose side you're on right now." Dan Buda fiddled with the antenna, causing the picture to flicker. "I belong to the Companion Dwelling Gang!" Yuan Miaoping steadied herself in the hot spring and pulled her towel tight. "I've honestly never heard of that gang. Speak plainly—what exactly do you want me to go out and do?" Yuan Miaoping came straight to the point. "Our gang leader wants you to steal a mountain." "Who's your gang leader?" Yuan Miaoping pointed at Li Banfeng. "The renowned Li Qi! He calls you sister-in-law every day, and you still don't recognize him?" "What nonsense are you spewing?" Dan Buda glanced at Li Banfeng. "How does one steal a mountain? Why don't you teach me?" Li Banfeng looked at Dan Buda with admiration. "Sister-in-law, don't be modest. You can even steal houses. How could a single mountain pose a challenge to you?" Dan Buda glared at the Heavenly Maiden. "You tell him everything? Have you lost your mind?" "Have I lost my mind? No, I'm doing quite well." The Heavenly Maiden grabbed a fistful of her hair, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed on it crunchily for a long time. Dan Buda said to Li Banfeng, "Stealing a house was done using a Dwelling Cultivator magical artifact. That artifact could use a technique above the clouds called 'Adding Bricks and Tiles'—gathering bricks and tiles from elsewhere and attaching them to one's own house. I was just collecting bricks and tiles from a household, and while I was at it, I rummaged through their chests, cabinets, bottles, jars, tables, chairs, benches, clothes, and bedding. The artifact works well, but it has no restraint when gathering, so it stripped their place bare. After coming home, I gave that artifact a good scolding too. In the end, taking those things was just to bring them home for daily living. That's called applying Dwelling Cultivator techniques flexibly—how could it be called stealing?" Li Banfeng nodded in agreement. "Sister-in-law speaks reasonably. Daogui Ridge has mountains, water, trees, and plenty of simple, warmhearted daolao ghosts. You take all of that home to live well together; that wouldn't count as stealing either." Dan Buda narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you out of your head? Adding an entire mountain to a household—how big of a house would that take? What did you just say, Daogui Ridge? Where do you want to deliver Daogui Ridge? If a mountain full of daolao ghosts crawls out, won't they turn Puluo Province upside down?" Yuan Miaoping hurried to explain, "Precisely because daolao ghosts are formidable fighters, this time we need to move Daogui Ridge into the Santoucha Underground City..." She explained the full background, but Dan Buda refused outright. "When it comes to fighting wars, you definitely shouldn't come looking for me! If you lose, what do I lose? If you win, what good does it do me?" "There are plenty of benefits!" Yuan Miaoping looked toward Li Banfeng, assuming Dan Buda was simply naming her price. Li Banfeng said, "Name your terms first. What benefits do you want?" Dan Buda chuckled. "Then I'll say it. I want my freedom. I won't be a dwelling spirit anymore!" Everyone looked at the Heavenly Maiden; this was hers to decide. The Heavenly Maiden nodded. "I agree." Seeing her first demand met, Dan Buda made her second: "Everything in this room was earned by me. It all belongs to me." The Heavenly Maiden nodded again. "I agree to that as well." Dan Buda looked up, surveyed her surroundings, and named her third price: "I've lived in this house for so long that I've grown attached to it. Give me this house too." The Heavenly Maiden fell silent. This was the house that belonged to her and the peddler. Dan Buda smiled. "What, reluctant? Not only must this house be given to me, but that other half of your body will also belong to me from now on. Do you agree?" The Heavenly Maiden remained silent for a long while before looking up. "I'll give you the other half of my body. You must leave this house to me." Dan Buda shook her head. "No. I never said you could haggle. If you can accept the price, we have a deal. If you can't accept it—" "Then that means the talk has failed." Li Banfeng stood up. Yuan Miaoping adjusted her antenna, cinched her bath towel tighter, and said to Dan Buda, "Sister, look how unreasonable you're being, insisting on angering our gang leader." Dan Buda looked at Li Banfeng. "What, if the deal falls through, you want to flip the table? If you think my price is too high, go find someone else! Are you thinking of fighting me?" Li Banfeng rolled up his sleeves and gave Dan Buda an earnest explanation: "This isn't called fighting. This is called demonstrating combat capability within a reasonable scope to build trust between business partners. To put it bluntly, it should be called the flexible application of Martial Cultivator techniques." "Hold on a second, you're not being reasonable!" Dan Buda looked at the Heavenly Maiden and pointed at Li Banfeng. "He's bullying me right in my own home. Are you going to step in or not?" The Heavenly Maiden looked back at Dan Buda. "This is my home too. How did you treat me just now?" "How did I treat you? You have the nerve to ask?" Dan Buda looked at the Heavenly Maiden in fury. "All these years, I stayed in this place all alone. Did you ever care about me? Did anyone ever ask how much suffering I endured? Does anyone know what it feels like to keep an empty room alone?" The Heavenly Maiden had no answer. Dan Buda shouted at her, "Fine, you won't step in, right? I'll fight him myself! I don't count on anyone. I've relied on myself to survive to this day!" Li Banfeng was just about to trade blows with Dan Buda when he suddenly heard Lian Buda burst into tears beside them. Dan Buda gave a faint smile. "Brother, no need to feel bad for me. You don't have to be caught in the middle, either. Just watch from the side." "Who's feeling bad for you!" Lian Buda wiped his tears. "You know keeping an empty room alone isn't easy! You know how terrible it feels to be on your own!" Hearing this, Dan Buda sat back down on the sofa, resting both elbows on the armrests with her fingers laced in front of her. Dan Buda's expression thoroughly puzzled Li Banfeng—there was guilt, fluster, and an impulse to defend herself, yet she lacked the courage to speak... Why had Lian Buda's words struck her so deeply? Dan Buda rubbed her fingers together and murmured, "Back then, I wasn't very familiar with her either. If I had known she was like that, I definitely wouldn't have..." Lian Buda roared, "You weren't familiar with her, yet you introduced her to me as a wife! You ruined my entire life! How do we settle this score!" Thinking of Lian Buda's wife, even Yuan Miaoping felt an ache in her heart. "All these years, stuck with a woman like that—how on earth did he survive!" Lian Buda bellowed at Dan Buda, "I'm asking you, how do we settle this score?" Dan Buda lowered her head. "I was in the wrong on this. I'll listen to you!" Lian Buda said, "The previous conditions are all void. You go move Daogui Ridge from Jianrengang to the Underground City, and our score will be settled today." Dan Buda shook her head slightly. "I can't do that." Lian Buda frowned. "Didn't you just name your price?" Dan Buda blushed. "Brother, I was just talking big. I really don't have the ability to move a mountain." Li Banfeng said angrily, "You don't have the ability, yet you demanded such an exorbitant price? That's fraud! How do we settle that score?" Dan Buda had nothing to say. Li Banfeng softened his tone slightly. "How about this: I'll find someone to move the mountain myself. You find a way to conceal the matter. Before Daogui Ridge reaches the Underground City, no one can be allowed to discover it." Dan Buda lifted her head. "I have some confidence in that." The Heavenly Maiden wrote out a covenant deed. "The matter between you and your brother has nothing to do with me. Once this task is accomplished, we will part on good terms. You will no longer be my dwelling spirit, and you may take anything in this room that belongs to you. If the price suits you, sign the deed." Dan Buda couldn't quite grasp what the Heavenly Maiden was thinking. "Why are you helping Puluo Province fight a war? You were driven out of Puluo Province, and you suffered plenty over these years. Now that they're at war, you're still stepping forward to help?" "This is Puluo Province!" The Heavenly Maiden offered no further explanation, simply laying the covenant deed before Dan Buda. Dan Buda asked no more. She picked up a pen and signed the deed. Lian Buda didn't know whether this would be of any use. The peddler was gone, and he felt the deed might not remain valid in the future. Li Banfeng wasn't worried about the deed. He turned his gaze toward the Heavenly Maiden. She now had to fulfill her first promise: granting Dan Buda her freedom. Dan Buda felt a bit nervous. She glanced at Li Banfeng and whispered, "You're the one who brought her here, so we must make this clear. If I am no longer the dwelling spirit of this house, no one inside this house will be able to restrain the Heavenly Maiden." Li Banfeng nodded. "I've already thought of that." Dan Buda continued, "The other half of her body is inside this house. If she wants to take it back, I doubt any of you can stop her." Li Banfeng nodded again. "I've thought of that as well." Lian Buda broke out in a heavy sheen of oil and sweat across his entire face. "Old Seven, if she suddenly turns back into what she used to be, we'll have our hands full!" Yuan Miaoping's screen filled with static snow. "Gang Leader, if you're having second thoughts, there's still room to turn back. I can think of a way..." Li Banfeng remained expressionless, keeping his gaze fixed on the Heavenly Maiden. The Heavenly Maiden extended her right hand, her thumb and index finger snapping together, and another covenant deed appeared in her grip. Dan Buda recognized it. Dwelling Cultivators and dwelling spirits usually bound themselves through verbal oaths, but the Heavenly Maiden had never trusted Dan Buda. The two of them had signed a paper deed, though Dan Buda had never known where it was kept. The deed had been in this house all along, and now, right before Dan Buda's eyes, the Heavenly Maiden burned it to ashes. "The covenant is destroyed. You are bound no longer," the Heavenly Maiden said, brushing aside her hair. "Dan Buda, our sisterly bond ends here." Dan Buda bit her lip, looking somewhat reluctant. Yet reluctance was pointless now. The Heavenly Maiden had burned the deed, shattering the contract between Dwelling Cultivator and dwelling spirit. Dan Buda's gaze hardened. "It's settled, then. From now on, we go our separate ways!" The Heavenly Maiden swept her cold gaze across the western-style house. "Now pack your things and leave this residence. You are never allowed to return!" "Fine!" Dan Buda stood, went through every room upstairs and downstairs, and before long came down carrying a cloth bundle on her back. She stopped before the Heavenly Maiden. "Everything is packed. Go ahead and inspect it." The Heavenly Maiden shook her head. "No need. I don't care to keep anything of yours, and what isn't yours, you couldn't take anyway." Dan Buda tied the bundle securely and turned back to Li Qi. "Let's go. Time to get to work." "Wait a moment," the Heavenly Maiden called out, looking at Li Banfeng. "There is one more matter I need to make clear with you. "The war has reached such a state that Puluo Province's chances of victory are exceedingly slim. Even if Daogui Ridge is moved to Santoucha, the tide of battle may not turn. "Even if you slaughter every last Totem soldier in Santoucha, Qiao Yi can keep drawing reinforcements from the Inner States. Even if you block the exit at Sea Market, he can find other exits in the future. "I have a proposal: I want to reinforce the boundaries of every territory in Puluo Province. Even if the entirety of Santoucha is lost, it won't matter; the other territories of Puluo Province can still be preserved." Lian Buda took a sharp breath; this was what he feared most. "You say you want to reinforce the boundaries of every territory—at the very least, train transit can still be maintained, right?" The Heavenly Maiden shook her head. "The enemy's route of attack must be severed completely. When that time comes, trains cannot pass, no vehicle of any kind can pass, and proper lands and newlands will also be cut off from each other by boundaries." Yuan Miaoping's expression turned grave. In the hot spring, one of the older men stirred awake, only to be violently jolted by an electrical shock from Yuan Miaoping. Scorched smoke rose from his body; he was likely dead. Chewing her gum, she asked the Heavenly Maiden, "What about Jianrengang? There's still a route leading to the Inner States there. Entering Jianrengang from the Inner States, they can reach Wuyouping and climb Mount Qunying. If Qiao Yi leads the Totem soldiers to Jianrengang next, how will you deal with that!" The Heavenly Maiden looked at Yuan Miaoping. "Once my body is fully restored, I will build a manor in Jianrengang. Once I make my home there, I can use boundaries to seal off Jianrengang completely." Lian Buda said, "The Imperial Seal is in Qiao Yi's hands; he can forge a path whenever he pleases. Do you know where he might open one? What if the next battle reaches Green Water City? Are you going to settle down in Green Water City too? Is establishing a residence really that simple?" The Heavenly Maiden remained entirely unmoved. "If the fighting reaches Green Water City, then we fight in Green Water City. If Green Water City can be held, all the better; if it cannot, the disaster won't spread to other places. Right now, Puluo Province is a heap of loose sand, and confronting the Inner States is simply too difficult. Only through my method can we buy enough time for Puluo Province." Having said this, the Heavenly Maiden looked toward Li Banfeng. "Li Qi, you are currently the chief of Puluo Province. I have spoken plainly, and I believe you understood." Li Banfeng nodded. "I understood." The Heavenly Maiden asked, "Are you willing to accept my proposal?" Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "I do not accept." The temperature inside the room plummeted instantly, the oil and sweat on Lian Buda's face nearly freezing solid. The Heavenly Maiden wound strands of hair around her fingertips, gently rubbing the ends. Li Banfeng adjusted the brim of his hat, pinching a key in the palm of his hand. This was the Heavenly Maiden's residence. Yet Li Banfeng's residence was right behind him. Lian Buda could see that the two were about to clash—in fact, he felt they had already begun, an indescribable spatial tugging sensation permeating the room. Dan Buda glanced toward the doorway. "We already agreed just now that I have no further ties to this residence. I'm leaving." Yuan Miaoping also wanted to follow Dan Buda toward the door, but before leaving, she offered the Heavenly Maiden a piece of advice: "Our gang leader refused, so he must have his reasons. Why don't you two talk it over some more?" "There is no need to talk it over, nor do I care to hear any reasons," the Heavenly Maiden said, shaking her head as she looked at Li Qi. "For now, fight this battle at Santoucha to its finish. If you can win, I will listen to your reasoning. If you cannot win, you must listen to mine!" Li Banfeng lowered his hat brim and gave a slight nod. Dan Buda said, "Since it's settled, let's head to Daogui Ridge." Yuan Miaoping stayed glued to Dan Buda's side, wishing only to get out of this house as quickly as possible. "Once you reach Daogui Ridge, what do you plan to do?" Dan Buda shook her head. "Can't say for sure yet. In our line of work, we always have to case the joint first." The group walked out of the western-style house. The Heavenly Maiden waved her hand, and shimmering halos flickered into view as layer upon layer of boundaries sealed the house completely. Li Banfeng asked her, "You aren't taking the other half of your body with you?" "Not for now," the Heavenly Maiden replied, shaking her head. "Things are fine as they are. We'll speak of it the next time we trade moves."