Waigou, Hemp Bamboo Mountain.
Li Banfeng, wearing a top hat and sporting a big beard, squatted in the bamboo forest, silently watching the clearing in front of him.
This clearing was piled with thick dust, bare of any grass, and beyond that, it didn’t seem to have anything special about it.
A butterfly flew toward the clearing, and as it reached the center, it suddenly turned into a whiff of smoke and disappeared without a trace.
A rabbit hopped onto the clearing, took a couple of leaps forward, and mid-air, it also turned into a puff of smoke and scattered with the wind.
A bamboo leaf blew across the clearing and likewise turned into smoke.
A mosquito buzzed, driven across the clearing by Li Banfeng, and it, too, turned into smoke—a very small puff.
Li Banfeng folded a paper airplane and tossed it over the Border Line; it also turned into smoke.
He picked up a stone and threw it over; it, too, turned into smoke.
A patch of dark clouds passed by, dropping a few raindrops.
Popping sounds erupted along the Border Line; even raindrops hitting the Border Line evaporated quickly.
Hemp Bamboo Mountain was located on the border between Medicine King Valley and Greenwater Bay.
If traveling by train, one would first reach Greenwater Bay, then Pants Belt Pit, and finally Medicine King Valley.
But in actual geographical terms, Medicine King Valley, Pants Belt Pit, and Greenwater Bay all bordered each other, each with its own boundaries. It was just that the border between Greenwater Bay and Medicine King Valley was very remote.
This was thanks to Li Banfeng recently reading many newspapers.
Pants Belt Pit was also a town, nearly half the size of Medicine King Valley.
Not only was the place small, but its environment was also very particular.
In Medicine King Valley, there might be more Medicine Cultivators, but there were also quite a few cultivators from other Taoist Sects.
However, those who resided long-term in Pants Belt Pit generally fell into only two categories: practitioners of Lust Cultivation and their companions.
It would be normal for an outsider like Li Banfeng to visit Pants Belt Pit for a few days of leisure, but a prolonged stay would inevitably attract attention.
The situation in Greenwater Bay, however, was completely different.
Here lay Puluo State’s largest city, Greenwater City!
There was also a vast expanse of villages and towns outside the city.
Greenwater Bay’s area and population surpassed those of Medicine King Valley, Pants Belt Pit, Hai Chi Ridge, and several nearby towns combined. In Li Banfeng’s view, such a place was more suitable for hiding.
But precisely because all Four Great Families were there, Li Banfeng was confident the Lu Family wouldn’t make any significant moves in Greenwater City. There were certain matters they definitely wouldn’t want the He Family to know, much less all Four Great Families.
Li Banfeng had walked along the Border Line for an entire day, and the current situation wasn’t promising.
Between Medicine King Valley and Greenwater Bay lay an invisible Border Line. Nothing larger than a speck of dust on the ground could cross this Border Line.
A man clad in a white robe appeared, accompanied by a Crane that stood two heads taller than a human.
The man glanced at Li Banfeng, who was hiding in the bamboo forest, and sneered, "Ultimately, just a common mortal."
Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Aren’t you a common mortal too?"
The man sneered, "I’ve been in seclusion cultivating for twenty years and have already attained an immortal affinity. How can I be compared to mere mortals like you? Do you wish to cross the border? I can give you a send-off!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "After you, Immortal. I’ll observe from the side for now."
The man sat on the Crane’s back. The Crane let out a long cry and soared into the sky.
Li Banfeng had seen people riding horses, donkeys, and camels, but this was the first time he had seen someone riding a Crane.
While circling in the air, the man riding the Crane spoke, "My Lord, this person is too unappreciative."
The Crane spoke, "A being of mortal flesh and blood. Let him broaden his horizons."
Li Banfeng looked up at the Crane for a long while.
The Crane hovered in the air for a long time, at an estimated altitude of fifty to sixty meters.
It let out a loud cry and, carrying the man, charged towards the Border Line. The man held a long flute, playing a melody that Li Banfeng couldn’t comprehend.
Li Banfeng took out the Gold Earring, ready to carefully discern the style of the melody.
The moment they crossed the Border Line, the flute’s sound stopped abruptly.
The immortal and the Crane, together, turned into flying ash. Not even the flute remained.
Li Banfeng thought not.
Li Banfeng thought not.
Previously, Li Banfeng had considered going to the train station, hiding the key in a passenger’s suitcase, and then sneaking onto the train.
The idea was good, but it wasn’t feasible.
The Lu Family would undoubtedly set up defenses at the train station, heavy defenses at that. It would be just like when Chu Yunlong had previously ambushed Li Banfeng near the station. However, with accurate information, the Lu Family would definitely dispatch experts. If Li Banfeng entered the station, he would surely be captured.
Even if he successfully infiltrated the station and put the key into a passenger’s suitcase, the subsequent problems were equally troublesome.
Li Banfeng didn’t know when to step out of the Portable Residence.
He didn’t know when this passenger would get off the train.
Even if he managed to see the passenger’s ticket, he still couldn’t accurately predict their disembarking time.
If Li Banfeng emerged too early, before the passenger had disembarked, he would be in trouble. Without a Guide Token or a ticket, encountering that formidable conductor could lead to uncertain consequences. A slight misstep could very well cost him his life.