Walking through several villages in a row, Li Banfeng never used the medicine.
Elder Yao’s medicine was meant to save people, but these villages either had no one left or only a group of people who survived by cannibalism.
Villages without people didn’t need saving. As for those who survived by cannibalism, if they only scavenged corpses, Li Banfeng might spare their lives; if they hunted innocent people, Li Banfeng would save them in a different way.
He would chop off their limbs and then send them to the Portable Residence, letting his wife save their souls.
As for whether the remaining parts had any nutritional value, it depended on Red Lotus’s mood.
When it came to corpses without cultivation levels, Red Lotus generally showed little interest. Although Hai Chi Ridge was a gathering place for Food Cultivators, there were not as many people with cultivation levels as one might imagine.
But this place was indeed special; every two hours, Li Banfeng had to return to the Portable Residence to eat something. Some force seemed to govern this land, where hunger came easily.
This was Third Ridge, the most isolated and severely insect-infested area of Hai Chi Ridge—almost forgotten by all. For the first time, Li Banfeng saw what "nine out of ten houses were empty" and "starved corpses strewn across the fields" truly meant.
This was nothing like the famines depicted in TV dramas; this was suffocating depression and fear.
"Thank goodness I’m mentally ill; otherwise, you would have scared me sick," Li Banfeng touched a man’s head and asked seriously, "Weren’t you afraid when you cooked your wife?"
The man had tied up his wife, intending to boil her alive, and Li Banfeng happened to see it.
Li Banfeng let his wife go and then began to seriously educate the man.
The man cried, "I had no choice! I was so hungry..."
"Boil her alive? You could do such a thing? You should have at least stabbed her first; I would have let you die quickly!"
Li Banfeng threw him into the Portable Residence and continued searching the village. By nightfall, he had found nothing. He went back to his house and ate six entire cans of food.
At this rate, even Li Banfeng’s own supplies might not suffice.
His wife had eaten her fill that day. Seeing Li Banfeng return with the Wine Gourd, she greeted him warmly, "Hey, sister, our whole family has eaten their fill today. Are you hungry? Here are two fresh Souls I saved for you."
The Wine Gourd hopped next to her and replied, "Thank you for your kindness, sister, but I don’t eat Souls."
"How about flesh? That bitch Red Lotus is picky; she left a heap of good stuff uneaten. Would you like to try some?"
"I can eat some flesh, but today, following the little brother, I saw too much blood and felt sick. Maybe another day."
"Hey, sister, you’re always out fighting with my husband and don’t even want a single bite or drink. Sister really doesn’t know what you like. Since you’re a Magical Treasure, you must have a cost, right?"
At these words, Li Banfeng’s cheeks twitched.
The Gourd replied, "Of course, I have a cost, but I’m afraid you’ll laugh if I say it out loud, sister. You see, I’m greedy for alcohol; I never get enough of it all year round. I’m just afraid of getting cold. But I can only produce one catty of wine each day, and I have to leave that for the little brother. When there’s no wine, I need a warm place. If there’s no warm place, I have to cuddle with the little brother to warm up. If that’s inconvenient, I can cuddle with you for warmth, sister. That’s my cost."
Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng had an epiphany: apart from that night he’d had drinks with his wife, the Wine Gourd had indeed always stuck very close to him.
Li Banfeng was very satisfied. His wife scoffed, "Tsk! You flirtatious girl, you have no shame. Tonight I’m sharing a room with my husband; are you going to follow us for warmth too?"
"I’ll just snuggle up nearby; I won’t be in the way."
"Pah! The more you talk, the less shame you have!"
Li Banfeng also felt bashful and moved closer to the Phonograph. "My lady, are we truly sharing a room tonight?"
"Oh, my dear husband, your Little Servant was only joking just now. I’m not feeling well today; you should go rest in the outer room."
"My lady, are you running low on oil?"
"Oh, my dear husband, your Little Servant isn’t lacking oil, not at all. You should rest early, Husband. Go to sleep now... Oh, Husband, Husband..."
Her voice was too enticing.
Li Banfeng slept in the Third Room for the night. At dawn the next day, he continued his search in Third Ridge.
In the house, only the Phonograph and Red Lotus remained. Red Lotus spoke to the Phonograph in the outer room, "Do you see it now?"
"TCH. I see it. Not only her capital but also her Taoist Sect."
"Let’s hear it."
The Phonograph snorted coldly. "You should have seen it too, so why ask me?"
"That madman is suspicious by nature, yet he hasn’t the slightest doubt about the Gourd. That’s her capital. She can influence others’ thoughts, making them believe her. When she was alive, she must have been a Mental Cultivator."
Red Lotus pondered for a long time, feeling something was amiss. "That madman has peculiar thoughts, a natural counter to Mental Cultivators. If the Gourd really is a Mental Cultivator, she shouldn’t be able to control his thoughts."
"TCH. It’s not about controlling; it’s about influencing. This Gourd isn’t like ordinary Mental Cultivators. She doesn’t use force; she uses soft tactics to win the madman over, making him unlikely to suspect her."
Red Lotus was somewhat worried. "This is a tricky situation. Why didn’t you expose her in front of the madman?"
"What’s the rush? If I exposed her, how could we probe her deeper intentions?"
"Don’t worry. Besides you and me, there’s one more person who suspects her. That person is from her sect and will help the madman be on guard against her."
Red Lotus sneered, "As if my worrying would make any difference. It’s not like I want to become his wife."
"TCH. Say what you will, don’t you still have to live under the same roof as him?"
Shortly after, a door opened; Li Banfeng had returned, searching for canned food.
"Oh, my dear husband, with an appetite like that, you must be in Hai Chi Ridge! Our supplies at home won’t last."
Indeed, they couldn’t last much longer. Li Banfeng needed to wrap up matters in Hai Chi Ridge quickly.
From dawn until dusk, Li Banfeng still hadn’t seen a proper village. As he approached a crossroads, a pungent, spicy odor wafted into his nostrils.
Li Banfeng rapidly retreated, carefully observing his surroundings.
Danger approached from behind. Without rushing to turn, Li Banfeng first drew his Tang Sword and thrust it backward.
A cry of pain came from behind. Li Banfeng immediately spun around and stomped forcefully with his foot.
THUD!
Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique.
It didn’t succeed.
The pebbles on the ground were unbroken. Li Banfeng’s technique had failed.
This technique often failed. Since mastering it, Li Banfeng had only successfully executed it twice in New Land, and that was when his legs felt extremely heavy.
A middle-aged man stood behind him, looking to be in his fifties. He held a Wolf Fang Club and pointed it at Li Banfeng, demanding, "Who are you?"
Li Banfeng recalled his Tang Sword and looked at the man. "I should be asking you. Who are you? Are you here to eat meat too? Do you want an arm or a leg?"
"Eat meat?" The man grew furious. "You’re the beast that eats humans!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man charged with the Wolf Fang Club raised high.
Just from the sound of the wind, one could tell the Wolf Fang Club weighed over a hundred pounds. The man’s shoulder was injured by the Tang Sword, yet it didn’t hinder his performance in the least. Each swing was swifter than the last, forcing Li Banfeng to retreat step by step.
After a brief exchange, Li Banfeng slipped in a step, came close to the man, and pressed his Sickle against the man’s chest, demanding, "Who exactly are you?"
The man neither dodged nor retreated, instead ramming himself onto the blade as the Wolf Fang Club continued to swing towards Li Banfeng’s head.
Li Banfeng withdrew his Sickle. He hadn’t struck to kill, deducing from their brief exchange that there was a misunderstanding.
"I came to deliver medicine."
That single sentence made the middle-aged man halt.
He froze for a moment, then looked at Li Banfeng with excitement. "Did Second Master Lu send you?"
"Which Second Master?" Li Banfeng was confused.
"Second Master Lu, of course!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "No, it wasn’t Second Master Lu who sent me. Another eminent figure did, but I can’t reveal their identity."
The middle-aged man was quite disappointed. "If it’s not medicine from Second Master Lu, I doubt it’ll do any good."
"Whether it works or not, just try it first. I’ve come all this way, after all." Li Banfeng felt a little awkward, having gone through so much trouble to reach Hai Chi Ridge only to be met with such a lack of enthusiasm.
"Fine, I’ll give it a try." The middle-aged man sized up Li Banfeng before readily agreeing.
He just agreed, like that.
"Follow me." The middle-aged man led Li Banfeng into a village. At the entrance, three men stood ready—one with a hammer, one with a Halberd, and another with an axe. Each weapon was of substantial weight.
"Lower your weapons. This man is here to deliver medicine."
"Is it the Second Master’s medicine?" The three men were all excited.
Li Banfeng frowned. "It’s not the Second Master; it’s from Seventh Master. Now step aside."
The three men exchanged looks.
The man with the Wolf Fang Club said, "He really is here to deliver medicine."
"Delivering medicine... Alright then." The men made way.
Li Banfeng entered the village and saw the long-missed sight of cooking smoke.
There were still people cooking in the village, and Li Banfeng smelled the fragrance of rice.
The middle-aged man asked, "Have you eaten? Have some food first."
Li Banfeng was indeed hungry. He entered the man’s home and saw a robust middle-aged person bringing a food basin and placing it before him.
"Is this your brother?" Li Banfeng casually inquired.
The man took offense. "What are you talking about? This is my wife!"
Li Banfeng took another look at the middle-aged person.
The woman gave Li Banfeng a disdainful glance and went back inside.
The man introduced himself, "My name is Niu Fuzhi, with both fortune and ambition. What do they call you?"
"I go by Li Qi."
Niu Fuzhi showed disdain. "That name sounds so unrefined. Obviously, you’ve never been educated. I guess your medicine can’t be that effective either."
But there was no need to fuss over it. The food basin was covered with a fine mesh. Seeing the white rice, Li Banfeng felt his appetite stir. He sniffed it; besides the rice fragrance, there were no strange smells.
After sensing with Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster for a moment and detecting no danger, he lifted the mesh cover and began to eat confidently and quickly. Some mosquitoes here didn’t even spare cooked rice.
After eating about eight liang of rice, knowing that food was hard to come by, Li Banfeng didn’t have the heart to eat more.
Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Li Banfeng asked, "Where did this rice come from?"
"We grew it."
"You can still grow rice in this season?"
Niu Fuzhi explained, "We have Farming Cultivators; even in this season, we can grow crops. The problem is these damned mosquitoes. You’ve had your fill? Bring out the medicine and let’s give it a try!"
"Where should we test it?"
"In the fields! We’re about to harvest the rice."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Were you the ones spreading poison in the fields earlier?"
Niu Fuzhi replied, "Poison? That was a fumigant for the mosquitoes. We’ve already tried plenty of remedies."