Li Banfeng called out, "Old Pan."
Niu Fuzhi didn’t know who he was calling. He looked at his wife in the kitchen. She was still agonizing over the salted pork.
"Um, Benefactor, what you just said was..."
Before Li Banfeng could answer, Niu Fuzhi covered his own mouth.
Li Qi was his benefactor, the benefactor of their entire village. Their benefactor just wanted a quiet place to talk, yet here he was, pestering him with questions.
Not only did Niu Fuzhi feel a sense of guilt, but his wife did too.
Their Benefactor wanted to eat, but she couldn’t bear to use their rice; he asked for a vegetable dish, but she couldn’t bear to cut their meat.
They couldn’t stay in the house any longer. The couple retreated outside, then exited the courtyard.
This was the method and power of Virtue Cultivation.
Li Banfeng sat silently in the room. He watched an old man sit down in front of him. The man wore a round cap, circular-framed glasses, and a long robe, leaning on a cane—the very attire of a remnant from a former dynasty.
Li Banfeng guessed correctly: this person was Pan Dehai, the Local Deity of Hai Chi Ridge!
"Young man, you can actually see me," Pan Dehai smiled at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng didn’t smile and replied calmly, "What’s so strange about seeing you?"
In fact, this was quite unusual. Pan Dehai was not a living person but a Lost Soul. Not many people could see Lost Souls; even some high-level cultivators from the Taoist Sect couldn’t see them without the aid of Spiritual Objects. Pan Dehai also had a special Technique that allowed him to conceal his figure. When he ambushed Feng Daiku, even she hadn’t detected him. It was a surprise to Pan Dehai that such a young man could notice a flaw. However, he didn’t know that the Golden Gaze Autumn Hair Technique was a special Technique given to Li Banfeng by the Phonograph.
"Young man, what Magical Treasure did you use?" Pan Dehai continued to probe.
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I didn’t use any Magical Treasure. This is my own Technique."
Pan Dehai’s gaze darkened, and his tone grew colder. "Don’t you lie to me."
Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. "If you can’t even discern a lie, what good is your cultivation level?"
Pan Dehai was increasingly astonished. Virtue Cultivators were experts at discerning lies. What Li Banfeng said was indeed the truth: he had used his own Technique.
What puzzled Pan Dehai even more was Li Banfeng’s attitude.
Normally, Li Banfeng was very respectful towards his elders, like Old Master Yao and the Coachman. But today’s situation made Li Banfeng somewhat annoyed. Pan Dehai had taken advantage of Niu Fuzhi’s family, exploiting their sincerity and naivety, making Li Banfeng feel guilty and forcing him to hand over the medicinal recipe; this sort of behavior was loathsome to Li Banfeng.
Pan Dehai sized up Li Banfeng and, in an interrogative tone, asked slowly, "Did Old Yao send you here?"
Li Banfeng picked up his wine bowl and took a sip. "It was you who sought medicine from Elder Yao. I’ve brought the medicine to you."
Pan Dehai’s tone became even more severe. "You are a formidable young man. To be appreciated by Old Yao, you must be no ordinary person. Which Taoist Sect do you belong to, and what’s your cultivation level?"
Li Banfeng replied with an expressionless face, "Why should I tell you?"
Pan Dehai was taken aback for a long moment. Li Banfeng remained neither servile nor overbearing, completely unaffected by his intimidation.
He changed his approach, his face now showing a slight smile. "I am a few years older than you, and I have cultivated for a few more years. Now, I’m asking you a few inconsequential questions. That’s not offensive, is it? When you first arrived at Pancake Village, did you see me?"
He was testing Li Banfeng.
"No," Li Banfeng answered truthfully.
At that time, he indeed hadn’t seen Pan Dehai, because Pan Dehai simply wasn’t in Pancake Village then.
It was when Li Banfeng had uttered the words, "I am here to deliver medicine."
"To deliver medicine"—these three words were a brand, the brand that Pan Dehai had etched into Hai Chi Ridge. Knowing that Elder Yao was to send him medicine, he had carved these three words into everyone’s hearts. As soon as the people of Hai Chi Ridge heard these three words, Pan Dehai would be able to sense it. That is why he immediately rushed to Pancake Village and influenced the behavior of the entire village.
Pan Dehai continued to ask, "Then when did you know I was in Pancake Village?"
Li Banfeng said, "I felt you were in Pancake Village as soon as I entered."
Pan Dehai’s brow furrowed; Li Banfeng’s statement was still the truth.
In fact, Li Banfeng hadn’t sensed Pan Dehai’s presence at that moment. Although Traveling Cultivators possessed the Technique to Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster, Pan Dehai’s stature was clearly beyond Li Banfeng’s range of perception.
What Li Banfeng said was indeed the truth; as soon as he entered the village, he felt something was wrong.
Niu Fuzhi possessed a respectable cultivation level and was responsible for guard duty at the village entrance. A misunderstanding between him and Li Banfeng had led to a fight.
When Li Banfeng said he was here to deliver medicine, Niu Fuzhi let him in.
Initially, Li Banfeng tried to understand Niu Fuzhi’s thoughts.
After having a meal, Li Banfeng realized something was wrong. Based on Niu Fuzhi’s description, Pancake Village wasn’t short of medicine at all. Peddlers had delivered plenty of medicine, and many medicines were no longer effective for them.
After meeting Farming Cultivator Niu Jingchuan and hearing some of the past from Niu Fuzhi, Li Banfeng realized the situation was even more amiss. Pancake Village had just suffered from Thief Cultivation, incurring huge losses. Under such circumstances, they couldn’t possibly take in outsiders so easily. Yet these villagers showed no wariness towards Li Banfeng.
From that moment on, Li Banfeng suspected that these simple villagers were all under the influence of some unknown power. As for the source of this power, the first person Li Banfeng thought of was Pan Dehai.
These things, of course, Li Banfeng would not speak out, but his silence seriously impacted Pan Dehai’s judgment of him. Pan Dehai could not be sure what level of Cultivator Li Banfeng was, so his speech became even more polite. He said, "You call yourself Li Qi, so I shall address you as Old Qi! Since you are here on behalf of Old Yao, isn’t it time to hand over the prescription to me?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "The matter of the prescription is easily discussed. But since you have been inquiring for so long, there is a saying that it is discourteous not to reciprocate. May I also ask you a few questions?"
Pan Dehai nodded. "Ask away."
Li Banfeng asked, "Do you intend to lead the insect disaster to Medicine King Valley?"
Pan Dehai was silent for a while and then, surprisingly, did not deny it. "Yes."
Li Banfeng was stunned for a moment and then asked, "You fought with Feng Daiku from Pants Belt Pit. Was that also because of the insect disaster?"
"Yes!" Pan Dehai still did not deny it. "I wanted to lead the mosquitoes to Pants Belt Pit but was discovered by Feng Daiku. That wicked woman insisted on fighting me."
He admitted it. He admitted it just like that, so openly, and he even called Feng Daiku a wicked woman.
Li Banfeng squeezed out a smile and asked, "Could you tell me why you are doing this?"
Pan Dehai calmly stated, "I am doing it for Hai Chi Ridge."
Li Banfeng did not understand. "So, if you lead the insects elsewhere, the insects in Hai Chi Ridge will be gone?"
Pan Dehai shook his head. "My purpose in doing so is to encourage collective effort."
Li Banfeng still did not understand.
Pan Dehai sighed. "You have seen the disaster in Hai Chi Ridge: kin devouring kin, the starved littering the ground.
"In my territory, countless tragedies happen every day. I watch with my own eyes, and it hurts my heart, the pain like being cut by a knife."
As he said this, Pan Dehai even coughed twice.
Feng Daiku had gouged out a piece of his heart, and it had not yet completely healed.
After the cough, Pan Dehai wiped away his tears and continued, "Hai Chi Ridge is not a big place, lacking both talent and financial resources.
"If we speak of talent, Medicine King Valley has plenty—a handful of skilled Medicine Cultivators.
"If we speak of financial resources, Greenwater Bay has plenty—real gold and silver piled like mountains.
"But have they ever cared for Hai Chi Ridge?
"Sending over a bit of food, a few prescriptions—can that save Hai Chi Ridge? Can that save the suffering people?
"They do not know the pain, so I must make them feel it. Only by making them understand the severity of the insect disaster will they put all their effort into finding a solution to the insects. Only then can Hai Chi Ridge be saved!
"My well-intentioned efforts have only brought me countless curses. Who knows the pain of this?"
While speaking, Pan Dehai covered his chest again.
Li Banfeng had intended to drink some wine and listen slowly, but he almost didn’t manage to drink it down; the wine bowl nearly dropped to the ground and shattered.
"You mean to say, if you drag everyone down with you, Hai Chi Ridge will be saved?"
Pan Dehai shook his head. "This is not about dragging anyone down. It is about uniting the whole of Puluo State against a common enemy! This is a great virtue."
"I want to ask one more thing," Li Banfeng said. "You mentioned earlier that Greenwater Bay has the most wealth. Why don’t you lead the insects to Greenwater Bay?"
Pan Dehai let out a long sigh, his eyes full of helplessness. "Because the Greenwater Beggar is fierce and brave. I am no match for him."
Because he couldn’t beat him, he didn’t dare. He admitted it. He admitted it outright.
PS: Dear readers, isn’t Shala amazing?
It’s New Year, and I wish all you dear readers good health and smooth sailing in everything.