She sat upright in the yard, while Li Banfeng held the drawing board, carefully sketching the lines.
"Does my unmade-up face look less attractive?" Chu Er was a bit nervous.
Li Banfeng shook his head, "It looks quite nice."
"Isn’t it a bit silly sitting like this for so long?"
"Not silly at all, just stay still."
"Should I really..." Before she could finish, Chu Er shivered and quickly stood up.
When Li Banfeng looked back, Bitter Granny was standing at the door.
As if she had expected him to be there, Li Banfeng put down his pen and paper and smiled at Bitter Granny, "Are we going to have a Tempering session today?"
Chu Er hurriedly explained, "Granny, listen to me, it was my idea for him to paint..."
"Girl, go back inside and wait. I’ll come to you later," Bitter Granny sent Chu Er away and said to Li Banfeng, "You, come with me."
Li Banfeng followed Bitter Granny to the Wilderness, where she said to him, "Do you know that there aren’t many Cultivators left in Bitter Vegetable Manor to begin with?"
"I know." Li Banfeng nodded.
"Do you realize that if you keep this up, this Taoist Sect will be extinct?"
"Really?" Li Banfeng smiled, "If it truly could become extinct, I’d like to keep this up forever."
Bitter Granny frowned slightly. "You’re very bold to say such a thing to my face. Do you know that there will always be someone in this world who must suffer?"
Li Banfeng nodded, "I know, but one should always aim to live a blessed life."
"Do you know that those who haven’t suffered don’t understand what blessings are?"
"I know, but one must still aim to live a blessed life."
"Do you know that cultivating amidst hardships is also the right path?"
"It is the right path, but in the end, one must live aiming for blessings."
Whenever he spoke of aiming for a blessed life, Li Banfeng’s face was always graced with a smile.
Seeing Li Banfeng’s smile, Bitter Granny was reminded of someone. "Do you know Feng Daiku?"
Li Banfeng nodded, "I’ve met her once."
"Her name carries the character for ’suffering,’ but she hates this character the most. Later, some called her Feng Koudai, and she wasn’t angry. Others called her Feng Trousers Belt, and she still wasn’t angry. As long as that character for ’suffering’ was gone, she was willing to respond to whatever people called her. You have a similar temperament to hers."
Li Banfeng sneered, "She refused to endure hardship herself, yet she made me suffer quite a bit."
"Did she harm you?"
"That depends on how you look at it. All things considered, I didn’t lose out too much."
Bitter Granny sighed, "Ultimately, it’s karma. Do you know why you came here?"
"Are you talking about Bitter Vegetable Manor?"
Bitter Granny shook her head.
"Why I came here, I’m not quite sure, but staying here is pretty good. Whether enduring hardships or enjoying blessings, it’s all good."
"Well, I saw you off once before, now I’ll see you off again." Bitter Granny grabbed Li Banfeng’s clothes and brought him to a barren land where, amid the swirling sand and dust, Li Banfeng saw a thick cloud of pitch-black fog.
This was the edge of the New Land.
Bitter Granny looked at Li Banfeng. "Remember how many times you’ve undergone my Tempering?"
"Three times." Li Banfeng had been thrashed three times; something he would never forget.
"This settles our karma. Blessings and hardships beget each other; there is debt and repayment. Originally, you should have repaid more, more severely. But if you keep causing trouble, I fear this Taoist Sect of mine will indeed be no more."
Li Banfeng blinked and said, "Big Sister, could we speak more plainly?"
Bitter Granny frowned, "You call me Big Sister? Do you know who I am?"
Li Banfeng thought for a long time. "It’s unclear."
Bitter Granny sighed, "Take care, young man."
Li Banfeng walked deep into the fog. He turned back, saw Bitter Granny was still there, and said, "Take care, Second Aunt."
Hearing this ’Second Aunt,’ Bitter Granny couldn’t help but laugh.
"Second Aunt, blessings and hardships beget each other. Letting those in Bitter Cultivation occasionally enjoy some blessings wouldn’t be a loss for you."
"Rascal! Knowing that blessings and hardships are interdependent, all the more reason you shouldn’t let this Taoist Sect become extinct!"
Li Banfeng couldn’t understand. He smiled at Bitter Granny and left.
Watching Li Banfeng’s retreating figure, Bitter Granny sighed.
Bitter Granny returned to Chu Er’s residence. Chu Er gazed at the unfinished sketch, spellbound.
"He’s gone," Bitter Granny said calmly.
Chu Er’s body shivered, and she clutched the drawing paper tightly in her hand.
"Does it hurt?" Bitter Granny asked.
"It hurts," Chu Er nodded, her hand unconsciously covering her heart, "it hurts terribly."
"It’s good that it hurts. When your heart knows pain, your cultivation level can advance."
Chu Er couldn’t help but shed tears, "It’s too painful."
"Just a heartache is not enough; you also need to feel physical pain." Bitter Granny pulled over a stool, grabbed a firewood stick, and roared, "Lie down here!"
Chu Er whimpered and lay down on the stool.
"Wretched hussy! I told you to seduce men! You seduced a man but couldn’t keep him, throwing the manor into chaos! Now do you feel the pain?"
Bitter Granny swung the firewood stick, pounding ferociously on Chu Er’s buttocks.
Chu Er clenched her jaw, gazing at the drawing paper, tears incessantly falling.
Li Banfeng walked for over a dozen miles in the New Land, gradually figuring out his position.
Comparing it to Elder Yao’s map, Li Banfeng quickly found the route back to Blue Poplar Village.
Turns out, the two places weren’t far apart. If he hurried, he could make it back in less than a day.
Li Banfeng felt a surge of joy. Just as he was about to quicken his pace, he saw a large figure ahead, lying on a tree and munching on leaves.
Li Banfeng dared not count anymore.
Li Banfeng carefully contemplated his life. He thought Bitter Granny made a lot of sense, and he wanted to stay in Bitter Vegetable Manor for a while longer.
"This man is so handsome," one of the Straw Moth Ladies noticed Li Banfeng.
"Just look at that beard! I love men like that."
Li Banfeng tore off his beard, put it in his pocket, and said, "I don’t have a beard."
"My, my, even more handsome without a beard!"
Li Banfeng turned and fled, a group of Straw Moth Ladies chasing behind him.
In Blue Poplar Village, Li Banfeng had been gone for over ten days, and Ma Wu was frantic with worry.
In the midst of his anxiety, Xiao Chuanzi suddenly reported, "Master Wu, Seventh Master has returned! He’s followed by two Straw Moth Ladies, and he can barely run anymore!"
Ma Wu was alarmed. He rushed outside the house, mounted Yanzi, and told Xiao Chuanzi, "Quick, lead the way!"
Yanzi said, "Little Brother, don’t panic! Those two wretched hussies, I can deal with them myself!"
Ma Wu asked Xiao Chuanzi, "Has Old Qi returned to his own plot of land?"
"He has!"
"Sprinkle blood! Sprinkling blood can stop the Straw Moth Ladies!"
"I did! It’s no use! The Local Deity didn’t respond!"