Dusk, Li Banfeng strolled through the wilderness.
Last night, he had practiced with the Phonograph and the Iron Ruler inside his Portable Residence for the entire night. After eating two cans of food, he slept. By the time he woke up, it was already five in the afternoon.
Taking advantage of the daylight, Li Banfeng hurriedly completed the basic cultivation practices of a Traveling Cultivator.
Hemp Bamboo Mountain was vast and treacherous. Walking a mile on its pathways was equivalent to one and a half miles’ worth of cultivation effort under normal circumstances.
After traversing over thirty miles of mountain paths, Li Banfeng sensed that his basic cultivation was sufficient for the day.
Since becoming a Traveling Cultivator over two months ago, Li Banfeng had never interrupted his cultivation. By his calculations, after deducting the expenses of his routine cultivation, he had still managed to accumulate an extra three-plus months of cultivation time.
This was mainly due to Li Banfeng’s habit of cultivating in dangerous environments (courting death).
Li Banfeng wanted to walk a few more miles to accumulate more cultivation time, when suddenly he saw a figure moving within the bamboo forest.
He took out his Silk-pulling Earrings and listened for a moment, hearing the voice of Patrol Officer Wu Jinming.
"Everyone look sharp. Once we get past this mountaintop, we’re done for today," Wu Jinming instructed.
"Head Wu, let’s just go through the motions. Patrolling the mountain this late at night—I’ve never done this since I started working here," a subordinate complained.
"What can we do? The Lu Family calls the shots and insists we find Li Banfeng," Wu Jinming said helplessly.
"We’re men of the Border Defense Envoy, and he’s from the Outside Provinces. Why should we get involved in the Lu Family’s affairs?"
"Our Border Defense Envoy must have received significant benefits from the Lu Family. Why else would he be so dedicated?"
"If he received benefits, he should damn well share some with us! We’ve been wandering around all day, my leather shoes are worn through, and he hasn’t even offered to issue us a new pair," another voice grumbled.
"Stop talking nonsense. This isn’t about benefits. The Lu Family is about to dominate Puluo State. The He Family, Ma Family, and Chu Family are no match for them. After all, the Border Defense Envoy operates in Puluo State and needs the Lu Family’s support."
As the sun was setting, Wu Jinming led his men past a patch of forest and told his subordinates, "Alright, let’s call it a day. We have the border crossing tomorrow, and we can’t afford any mistakes. Everyone get some rest early and don’t go wandering off."
After the group of Patrol Officers descended the mountain, Li Banfeng emerged from his Portable Residence.
「Late at night, Li Banfeng arrived at Oil Peach’s home.」
Seeing Li Banfeng, Oil Peach was overjoyed and quickly closed the door of her bamboo house. She lowered her voice and said, "Brother Bai Sha, you scared me! When you said you had to hide from your enemies, did you mean the Lu Family?"
Li Banfeng nodded slightly.
Oil Peach clicked her tongue. "That’s tough. If the Lu Family is looking for someone, as long as you’re in Medicine King Valley, you definitely can’t escape."
Li Banfeng nodded. "That’s why I was originally planning to go to Greenwater Bay."
"To Greenwater Bay? Are you insane?" Oil Peach was perplexed. "The Lu Family’s stronghold is in Greenwater Bay! Going there would be suicide, wouldn’t it?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "You’re right. I’ve thought it through now. I can’t go myself, but I need to get something delivered there. Can you help me take an item to Greenwater Bay?"
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Oil Peach. However, the situation was pressing, and there were certain things she couldn’t be told.
"Take something..." Oil Peach pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Tomorrow, I’ll go find a Middleman and ask about the rates."
After interacting with Yu Nan for a while, Li Banfeng could understand some of their slang.
A "Middleman" was an intermediary.
On the border, there was a special type of Middleman who specifically sought out travelers with valid Guide Tokens to do business.
These travelers had Guide Tokens and could legitimately cross the border. The Middleman would ask them to carry small items in exchange for thirty to fifty thousand yuan.
Of course, they couldn’t carry too much.
Carrying an envelope or a small package wouldn’t attract the Border Defense Envoy’s attention, but trying to take a horse-drawn carriage across was out of the question.
There was a postal service, but it had many regulations, especially for cross-border mail, which involved even more restrictions.
Elixirs couldn’t be mailed, Magic Artifacts couldn’t be mailed, weapons couldn’t be mailed, living creatures couldn’t be mailed, and nothing with a Spirit Attribute could be mailed.
All items sent by mail had to undergo thorough inspections, and postal efficiency was extremely low. By the time items arrived at their destination, it could be a month or two later. Li Banfeng couldn’t afford to take such a risk.
"A Middleman pays thirty to fifty thousand yuan for someone to carry an item once, and they themselves will earn that much again in profit. So, to get something carried across, it could cost up to a hundred thousand yuan. That’s completely different from mailing something," You Xue Tao explained, looking somewhat troubled as she faced Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng had shown her kindness, even saved her life. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t want to bring up money with him.
But You Xue Tao had no money.
She was the kind of person who would risk her life for eighty-five yuan’s worth of Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemum. Even though she had received several Elixirs from Li Banfeng, her finances were still tight.
A hundred thousand yuan was not a big deal for Li Banfeng.
"I’ll give you two hundred thousand," he offered.
Oil Peach quickly shook her head. "That much isn’t necessary..."
"Whatever is left is yours. Do you know about the pond halfway up the western slope of Hemp Bamboo Mountain?" Li Banfeng asked.
Oil Peach nodded. "The water there is very clear, and few people go there. I often bathe there."
"Beside the pond, there’s a large bluish-green stone. It’s huge, and there’s a hollow underneath it. Do you know it?"
Oil Peach nodded. "I know it. When I bathe, I often place my clothes on that bluish-green stone."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why do you keep talking about bathing? Tomorrow night, at two o’clock, go to the pond. In the hollow underneath that stone, you’ll find a package. Help me take this package to Blue Poplar Village in Greenwater Bay. Place it at the village entrance; just find a secluded spot to hide it well."
Blue Poplar Village was a place Li Banfeng had seen on a map; it was a village close to the border.