Upon hearing the voice of a middle-aged woman, Li Banfeng quickly corrected himself, "Big Sister, it’s my first time coming to Bitter Vegetable Manor, and I’ve gotten lost. I was hoping to go to New Land to hunt."
The big sister shook her head. "Young man, do you know why you’ve gotten lost?"
"It must have been... just a moment of carelessness..."
Such a profound question caught Li Banfeng off-guard; he really didn’t know how to answer.
"It’s not carelessness. It’s because you haven’t thought it through; you haven’t truly understood. You don’t know why you’ve come to this place, just as you don’t know where you will go in the future. Don’t let desire blind your eyes, don’t let comfort veil your heart, don’t let indulgence erode your ambition, and don’t let laziness corrupt your character."
Li Banfeng stood rooted to the spot. "I just wanted to ask for directions..."
On him, a Magical Treasure was trembling, struggling to blurt out two words: "Shut up!"
Look how angry the Judge’s Pen got—it actually uttered two words!
The big sister sighed. "Young man, since you have come here, you should calm your mind. Only by calming down can you settle down, can you understand where you truly want to go, and can you comprehend the meaning of this life."
"What you said makes sense," Li Banfeng nodded and stepped away.
"Stop!" The woman wouldn’t let Li Banfeng leave. "Where are you going?"
"To the place where I’m supposed to go," Li Banfeng replied, his answer rather profound.
"Your heart is too restless," the big sister extended her hand and grabbed Li Banfeng’s clothes. "You don’t really know where you’re going. Listen to me, stay."
Li Banfeng shook off the big sister and straightened his clothes. "I know where I’m going. There’s no need for you to worry."
The big sister seemed disappointed in Li Banfeng. "You don’t want to stay? After all that’s happened, haven’t you truly understood yet?"
"Whether I’ve truly understood is my own business, and it doesn’t concern you," Li Banfeng’s tone changed; he was getting annoyed.
The big sister lifted her head, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Li Banfeng. "Why can’t you stay? Why must you leave? If you really leave, won’t all your previous efforts be wasted? You still haven’t truly understood. You don’t know why you are here, but I do. The first time I saw you, I knew why you would be here."
Li Banfeng didn’t want to tangle with her and bolted.
The big sister, seemingly strolling, followed behind Li Banfeng and said, "Do you really have to go?"
Li Banfeng stopped running, realizing he couldn’t escape. "Big Sister, I really just accidentally ended up at Bitter Vegetable Manor. I’m a stranger in a strange land, so please let me go. Once I leave Bitter Vegetable Manor, I won’t forget your kindness. One day I’ll buy some nice things in Greenwater City and come back to visit you."
The big sister paused for a moment. "You want to go to Greenwater City? You just want to leave Bitter Vegetable Manor?"
Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Otherwise? Did you think I meant to leave some other place?"
Upon hearing this, the big sister nodded. "Leaving Bitter Vegetable Manor isn’t impossible, but you must follow my rules. If you can beat me, I’ll let you leave."
Li Banfeng massaged his forehead in exasperation. "Big Sister, you must be joking. We don’t know each other; why would I fight you?"
The big sister flexed her limbs. "I won’t use any Techniques or weapons; otherwise, it would be bullying you. Let’s just compare our unarmed skills. If you can beat me, not only will I let you leave, but I’ll also escort you part of the way."
"The way you put it," Li Banfeng shook his head and sighed, "I’m a man, and you’re a woman. How could I possibly hit a woman?"
The big sister chuckled. "That sounds quite gentlemanly..."
THUMP!
Li Banfeng landed a punch on the big sister’s face.
The big sister went silent.
Li Banfeng spoke very earnestly, "Big Sister, I hit you first. This has to count as my win. We agreed on this."
The big sister sighed deeply. "Fine, I’ll let you leave."
Li Banfeng’s face lit up with joy. "Then I will..."
THUMP! Suddenly, the big sister raised her leg and kicked Li Banfeng.
The kick was ferocious, and Li Banfeng almost fell to the ground.
"Big Sister, you’re so venomous!"
"You were caught off guard because your Tempering isn’t sufficient yet. I’ll let you go when your Tempering is sufficient."
「...」
The sun was setting in the west, and Chu Er was making a fire to cook in the courtyard when Li Banfeng, bruised and swollen, walked back.
"Seventh Master, what happened to you?" Chu Er patted the dust off his palms. "Didn’t you say you were leaving? Why have you come back?"
Li Banfeng chuckled dryly. "On my way, I met a big sister who’s really nice. She insisted on keeping me a few more days.
"I said no, but she said I could only leave if I beat her. I tried, but I didn’t win.
"I said I wouldn’t fight. She said my Tempering wasn’t enough, and then she just kept pounding me until now."
Chu Er couldn’t help but smile. "Seventh Master, you’ve encountered Bitter Granny."
"Who’s Bitter Granny?"
"Bitter Granny is just Bitter Granny. It’s easy to get into Bitter Vegetable Manor, but to leave, you need Bitter Granny’s permission."
Li Banfeng stared blankly at Chu Er. "Can’t you leave either?"
"Can’t leave," Chu Er shook his head. "I have to wait for Bitter Granny to go before I can leave Bitter Vegetable Manor."
"When will she go?"
"She comes in the second lunar month and leaves in the fifth. She usually stays for three months in Bitter Vegetable Manor. I’m talking about the lunar calendar."
"The fifth lunar month?"
"What’s the story with this Bitter Granny anyway?"
"I don’t know her origins either. In any case, you should just stay put here. Otherwise, Bitter Granny will beat you every time she sees you."
Dinner was again bitter vegetables and Cornbread.
Chu Er looked affectionately at Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, eat. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it; I saved it all for you."
Li Banfeng ate the bitter vegetables, chewing on the Cornbread, as if he had returned to his days in the Outside Provinces.
Seeing Li Banfeng had eaten quite a bit, Chu Er sighed softly. "When you and Ma Wu were going through hard times, you must have suffered like this too, right?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Ma Wu never suffered after he met me. He’s my Brother. As long as there was a way, I’d never let my Brother suffer."
Chu Er sneered. "Suffering a bit isn’t really a bad thing."
"There are plenty of disadvantages to suffering; I can’t see any benefits."
"How can you say that? I’m a Bitter Cultivator, and you’re telling me there’s no benefit to suffering?"
"Keep the suffering to yourself! There’s only one bed here; where am I supposed to sleep tonight?"
Chu Er said tenderly, "Don’t be a stranger. We can squeeze together."
Li Banfeng snorted coldly. "Are you serious?"
"Not serious," Chu Er shook his head. "Not right now. Bitter Granny is here. We can’t sleep together, or she’ll beat us both to death."
"She cares about that too?"
"She does! She doesn’t let us do anything pleasurable. It’s not just that; she even controls when we bathe. When she’s in Bitter Vegetable Manor, nobody here is allowed to bathe. Do you think I really bathe only once every half-year? I’m just avoiding her. Today, I couldn’t stand the filth anymore, so I secretly wiped myself down with water. If she caught me, she’d beat the hell out of me!"
In the dead of night, Li Banfeng quietly left Chu Er’s house, relying on his talent for Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster to pick a direction.
Li Banfeng sprinted for twenty miles without encountering Bitter Granny.
In his joy, Li Banfeng stumbled over a Stone, and the Judge’s Pen fell to the ground.
"How careless of you," Bitter Granny said, picking up the Judge’s Pen for Li Banfeng.
"I’ll be more careful next time," Li Banfeng replied, taking back the Judge’s Pen.
Bitter Granny shook her head. "I see you still haven’t truly understood."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Then I’ll go back and reflect on it some more."
"You can’t just understand it on your own. You need someone to help you with your Tempering."
Li Banfeng held his head. "Can we get someone else for this Tempering?"