Retaining only the Spirit Attribute is the best way to preserve a Magical Treasure’s combat power and ensure its execution capabilities. Of course, the Spirit Attribute can also cause problems. As my dear once mentioned, all Magical Treasures have their costs, which must be endured.
The Copper Lotus Flower was still engrossed with the Insect Leader Level, and Magical Treasures couldn’t be refined for the time being. Consequently, the Phonograph had no choice but to endure the Winkle Flower’s singing.
"That vixen loves singing far too much; even a gag couldn’t stop her! If your singing were even slightly pleasant, it might be tolerable. But that racket sounds like a tearing dishrag, and you still have the gall to show it off."
The Winkle Flower stopped singing and stared fixedly at the Phonograph, retorting, "Do you sing any better? If you’re so capable, then sing something yourself!"
The Blood-Thirsty Pendulum said angrily, "You’ve got some nerve!"
The Phonograph wasn’t annoyed. She exhaled a puff of steam, enveloping the Winkle Flower, and sang in a slow tempo, "You claim you can sing, but you won’t concede. Today I’ll teach you a line or two; listen carefully:
Winter arrives, with snow vast and wide,
Cold garments are made for the lover’s side,
Behind closed doors hides the blushing bride,
Adding yet another room for the husband’s pride!"
"Hold on!" Li Banfeng immediately stood up. "My dear, hold on, I’m not ready yet! Please, slow down!"
"Song of Four Seasons"!
The "Song of Four Seasons" is not sung on a whim.
Actually, Li Banfeng had a premonition. His dear had been consuming many good things recently and seemed to be in excellent condition. Taking Li Banfeng to the Fourth Layer was a natural progression.
But the process caught Li Banfeng off guard. A wave of steam swept over him, sucking him right into the horn’s mouth.
Fifteen minutes later, Li Banfeng struggled his way out of the horn. His hair, beard, and eyelashes were all curled into big waves.
The Phonograph looked at the Winkle Flower and asked, "Have you learned yet?"
The Winkle Flower dared not speak.
She was ashamed.
In front of the Phonograph, her singing truly wasn’t presentable.
Li Banfeng wiped the water from his face and sat down beside his dear. "My dear, let’s not worry about her for now. Let’s talk about this Fourth Layer Technique."
KLANG, KLANG, KLANG...
"Oh, my dear husband, the Fourth Layer Technique of Home Cultivation is called ’Golden House Concealing Beauties.’ It’s a technique that all Home Cultivation practitioners possess. This technique is difficult, extraordinarily so, and it will require your careful and gradual study."
Golden House Concealing Beauties.
Li Banfeng laughed. He put his hand under the Phonograph’s needle support and scratched, saying, "My dear, as for ’Golden House Concealing Beauties,’ aren’t you the beauty I’ve concealed?"
"Hey! Hey! My husband, don’t tickle me! Your little servant is ticklish; I can’t stand it! I can’t take it anymore! I’m laughing so hard I’m wheezing! My husband, please spare your little servant."
"Laugh! I’ll make you laugh! Talking about advancement as if it’s nothing, not even giving a heads-up! I’ll apply the oil later; let’s see if you can still laugh then!"
"You won’t apply any oil, and you can’t tickle me! I know I was wrong; isn’t that enough? Please, my husband, no more teasing. Your little servant really can’t breathe..."
HUFF... PUFF... The whole house filled with steam.
The Gourd felt envious while the other Magical Treasures dared not make a sound. Red Lotus sent the couple two clear dewdrops.
The Phonograph composed herself after a moment and said, "This little servant will first impart the principles of the technique to you, my husband. Can you fetch some clay? If there’s no clay, flour will do."
Flour would definitely be hard to find.
Li Banfeng remembered coming across some clay on his journey.
He went out and, in less than a quarter of an hour, returned with a bag of clay on his shoulder. A Traveling Cultivator’s pace is just that fast.
His dear took out an iron basin, added water, and asked Li Banfeng to mix the clay.
"Oh, my dear husband, use this clay to sculpt a beauty—the more beautiful, the better."
Li Banfeng thought deeply for a moment, grabbed a lump of clay, and fashioned a large sphere.
Then he grabbed another lump of clay and made a smaller sphere.
He took another lump of clay and rolled four long strips.
The small sphere for the head.
The large sphere for the body.
The four long strips for the arms and legs.
The Mud Person was ready.
The Phonograph observed for a while, then asked Li Banfeng, "My husband, do you call this a beauty?"
Li Banfeng took some Rouge and painted red lips on the Mud Person.
"My dear, is it beautiful enough now?"
His dear sighed lightly. "My husband, you really never take things seriously. The ’Golden House Concealing Beauties’ technique must emphasize glamour. The created objects must be exquisitely beautiful; the more elegant their appearance, the stronger their combat power."
Li Banfeng stared at the Mud Person in his hand. "This thing has combat power?"
The Phonograph nodded. "Once a Home Cultivation practitioner leaves their home, they won’t have an advantage against other Taoist Sects. They rely on the Fourth Layer Technique to enhance their power. My husband, focus your thoughts and give this Mud Person a drop of blood."
Li Banfeng took an awl, pricked his fingertip, and dripped a drop of blood onto the Mud Person.
"My husband, concentrate your thoughts! Look at this Mud Person!"
Li Banfeng stared at the Mud Person intently for nearly ten minutes. The Mud Person slowly stood up.
Li Banfeng was quite pleased.
The Phonograph praised, "My husband, you have fine talent. Now, take this Mud Person out and test its mettle."
Li Banfeng went out with the Mud Person and, in the wilderness, he spotted a rabbit foraging.
Li Banfeng gave an order to the Mud Person, "Go catch that rabbit for me."
When testing a technique for the first time, one shouldn’t choose too difficult a target. The important thing was to build one’s confidence and establish a rapport with the Mud Person.
The Mud Person received the order and, step by step, moved forward, starting the chase after the rabbit.
Its speed seemed a bit slow. Catching up to the rabbit was impossible, but there was still hope for the earthworm right in front of it.
Along the way, it encountered a stone.
The Mud Person tripped.
Its head fell off.
And then...
There was no "and then."
Half an hour passed, and the Mud Person never moved again.
Li Banfeng picked up the Mud Person and took it back to the Portable Residence. "My dear, this thing isn’t very useful."
PFFT!
"Oh, my husband," she said. "Didn’t this little servant tell you that you must make a Delicate Lady? The more beautiful the lady, the stronger the combat power."
"This is clay modeling; how would I know how to do this..." Li Banfeng scratched his scalp, somewhat troubled.
"Clay modeling is indeed difficult, my husband. How are your painting skills?" she asked.
"Painting skills? You mean drawing? I can handle that," he replied.
"My husband, drawing a Beauty Painting might work too, but the combat power of the beauty in the painting would be somewhat reduced," she explained.
Even with a reduction, it would still be much stronger than this useless Mud Person.
Li Banfeng took out paper and brush and seriously drew a beauty.
First, he drew a small circle for the head.
Then, he drew a big circle for the body.
Then, he drew four sticks for the limbs.
After looking at it, his dear asked again, "My husband, do you call this a beauty? I can’t even tell it’s a female."
Li Banfeng then drew a few long strands of hair on the "beauty."
His dear scrutinized it for a moment. Then, with steam puffing from all three of her horns, she exclaimed, "HUH! You madman! Go find a three-year-old child; even their drawings would look better than this!"
At dawn, the Centipede Woman’s mother, looking distraught, walked out of the plot of land.
She didn’t notice the wild boar beside the plot and headed straight towards the depths of the jungle.
The Centipede Woman was waiting halfway, glaring fiercely at her mother.
The Centipede Mother said with her head down, "Daughter, listen to me. Things aren’t what you think. I’m not the person you think I am. I was affected by his technique..."
"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!" the Centipede Woman shouted angrily. "Just think about how many tricks you played with him! Look at your old face; where can you show it now? Look at how we, mother and daughter, are going to live on this land from now on!"
"Let’s move," the Centipede Mother sobbed. "We can’t stay here anymore."
The Centipede Mother and Daughter left.
Ma Wu struggled to prop himself up and looked at the wild boar outside the plot, shouting, "Are you coming or not?"
The wild boar’s body shivered. After a long silence, his gaze changed.
He turned his head and walked towards the depths of the jungle.
The wild boar left.
Ma Wu heaved a sigh of relief.
The talent Feng Daiku gave him was only useful against females.
This wild boar was male.
If it had really charged in, Ma Wu would have only been able to join forces with Xiao Genzi and fight it desperately.
The affair of the Centipede Mother and Daughter had already spread within a hundred miles.
No Outsiders wanted to come to this place.
The Local Deity hovered above the plot, looking down at Ma Wu and grinding his teeth. "This one is even more shameless! He’s worse than the previous one!"
A Male Eagle flew next to the Local Deity and whispered, "A Wandering Monster has come to the land."
The Local Deity furrowed his brow slightly. "What kind of monster?"
"It’s a Bagworm Moth."
The Local Deity laughed. "Lead her here."
P.S. The Straw Moth Lady is not a single entity but a category of Strange Monsters. This was mentioned previously, and her origins and background will be further introduced later. For Ma Wu, the greatest challenge yet was about to arrive.