In New Land, there are two signs of successful land reclamation.
One is the sighting of Heavenly Light. It wasn’t the Heavenly Light that Li Banfeng himself could project, but rather a faint brightness from the sky casting light onto the plot of land. Although the Light Halo in the sky wasn’t conspicuous, there was definitely light.
The second is finding a water source.
Now there was water in the pit!
Li Banfeng was very excited, but he wasn’t sure if this was a true water source. He reminded himself to be cautious.
He took a bucket, carefully made his way to the edge of the water pit, scooped up a bucketful, and returned to the Portable Residence.
His wife looked at the water in the bucket and chuckled softly, "This water is a bit muddy, but it’s not poisonous. Just let it settle for a bit, and it can be used."
They had water.
The land had been successfully reclaimed!
Overjoyed, Li Banfeng quickly rushed out of the Portable Residence.
This plot of New Land now belonged to him.
Even though there was nothing on the plot, when Li Banfeng grabbed a handful of soil, he felt it was priceless. It was the first piece of land he had owned since he was born.
he mused.
The altar table was still there, and there was fine aged liquor in the Portable Residence.
Li Banfeng moved the altar table out of his plot, set it up, placed six bottles of aged liquor and six cans of food on it—for the auspicious meaning of "six-six smooth sailing"—and made an offering to the Local Deity.
He also set up Incense Candles. He had all these things in his Portable Residence; the only item missing was the Contract Book.
The Contract Book was easy to prepare. Its content was very simple; Li Banfeng had heard it recited once and remembered the gist.
After writing the Contract Book and burning it to ash, amidst the drifting paper ashes, Li Banfeng saw a cluster of blue-green flames.
he thought.
The liquor on the table vanished, the cans were opened, and soon their contents were devoured.
The Local Deity accepting the offerings meant that the contract was accepted.
Li Banfeng looked around but did not see the Light Halo of the Boundary.
Li Banfeng broke into a run, heading into the distance. After running for a long time, he still could not see the Light Halo.
WHOOSH~
A cold wind blew.
SPLOOSH~
Rain suddenly began to fall.
Amidst the sound of rain, Li Banfeng faintly heard a deep and ancient voice.
The voice kept repeating one sentence: "Bah! This shameless creature!"
As the Local Deity refused to grant more land, Li Banfeng, with no other choice, took the altar table back into the Portable Residence.
There was light, there was water, and the land had been claimed, but Li Banfeng still felt something was missing. he wondered.
Li Banfeng dashed towards the Orange Orchard. After wandering about for a moment, he saw the owner of the Orange Garden.
"Young man, craving Oranges again?" the owner asked.
Li Banfeng nodded. "Actually, I am a bit hungry for them."
The old man picked an Orange and handed it to Li Banfeng. While eating, Ban Feng inquired, "Has any young man come to the Orange Garden in the past few days?"
The elder pondered for a moment before saying, "There was one who came, picked a few Oranges, and then left."
As if sensing Li Banfeng’s thoughts, the elder added, "Since you left, only one person has come to the Orange Orchard. I guess that’s who you’re looking for. He went east. You could go and check, but I’d advise against it. The person you’re seeking may have encountered someone formidable."
Li Banfeng thought.
Li Banfeng ate an Orange, carefully devised a plan, took his feather duster, left the Orange Orchard, and headed east.
His plan was this: first, to confirm whether Ma Wu was together with that eminent person.
Then, to find out the condition of that eminent person.
And then, to discern that eminent person’s attitude.
If the eminent person held good intentions, the matter would be easily resolved.
If the eminent person bore ill will but was in poor condition, then he would fight him.
If the eminent person harbored malice and was in good health... Li Banfeng thought,
But one thing was clear. Ma Wu was his friend. Ma Wu had followed him to reclaim this land.