Upon hearing Ma Wu bring it up, Li Banfeng suddenly remembered the matter. "We can’t keep talking about this! Why didn’t you pick one?"
Ma Wu arched his eyebrows. "It’s your land. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to pick."
"Why do you care about that? Won’t this cause problems? I made an agreement with him: we have two days to pick the plots. If I don’t choose, he’ll pick for me."
Li Banfeng hurriedly had Chuanzi prepare the offering table. Once the incense candles and offerings were set up, Shui Yongquan’s figure appeared again.
"Brother Li Qi, you’re back."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I’m back. I came back specifically to choose a plot of land."
Shui Yongquan smiled. "No need to choose. I’ve chosen for you."
Li Banfeng glared at Ma Wu, took a deep breath, and chuckled dryly. "You didn’t pick a swamp for me, did you?"
Shui Yongquan frowned. "What kind of person do you think I am? I picked you a top-notch plot of land. Follow me."
Li Banfeng turned to Ma Wu. "You own half of this land. Come with me."
Ma Wu shook his head repeatedly. "That’s not appropriate."
"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up."
The two followed Shui Yongquan all the way to a gorge. Li Banfeng said, "You didn’t give me this ten-*li* gorge, did you? That can’t be counted as ten square *li*."
"Don’t worry, it’s still early."
Having crossed the gorge, Li Banfeng said, "This is already Qiu Luoye’s territory."
Shui Yongquan laughed. "It used to be Qiu Luoye’s territory, but now it’s mine."
After exiting the gorge and walking forward for another twenty *li*, Shui Yongquan stopped. He turned to Li Banfeng and said, "Standing here, ten *li* to the east and ten *li* to the south—from now on, this will all be your territory."
Li Banfeng walked around the area. The territory was truly good.
There was flat land, forests, a modest hill, and a three-square-*li* lake.
"The lake water isn’t drinkable; it’s poisonous. But the fish and shrimp in the lake are edible," Shui Yongquan said, looking at Li Banfeng. "Brother Li Qi, the place I chose for you isn’t bad, right?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "It’s good, alright. But is all of this your territory?"
Shui Yongquan curled his lip. "Of course, it’s my territory. Could I possibly be deceiving you? Look at the fish in this lake. With one net, you can catch more than ten *jin*. Feel free to eat as much as you like."
Ma Wu thought for a moment and asked, "I remember you once said that Qiu Luoye would compensate you with thirty square *li* of territory. Are you talking about this piece of land?"
"Yes, this one." Shui Yongquan pointed at the lake and continued, "Not only are there fish here, but also shrimp. These shrimp are truly fresh. I’ve tried them a few times, and just thinking about the taste... it’s really good."
Ma Wu then asked, "Where is your boundary with Qiu Luoye?"
"Over there. Let me tell you, not only are the shrimp delicious, but there are also crabs here. This lake is saline, and its crabs taste even better than sea crabs!"
Li Banfeng said, "Manager Shui, you didn’t place our plot right on the boundary between your two families, did you?"
This topic couldn’t be avoided.
It took walking twenty *li* from the gorge to reach Li Banfeng’s ten-*li* plot.
Walk another ten *li*, and that’s thirty *li*. That would definitely lead to the boundary between Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye!
Shui Yongquan had no choice but to speak plainly. "It’s on the boundary between the two families, but it’s all my territory. What I’m doing doesn’t violate the contract."
Li Banfeng said, "If the plot is on the boundary, aren’t we basically your gatekeepers? If you start fighting with Qiu Luoye again, won’t we be the first to go to war?"
Shui Yongquan pressed down with his palm. "Brother Li Qi, don’t rush. Don’t get angry. I’ve already discussed it with Qiu Daxiang, and we won’t be fighting anymore."
Li Banfeng said, "If you’re not fighting anymore, why are you still asking us to be gatekeepers?"
Shui Yongquan looked at the calm lake surface. "The territory is mine, and it’s a good piece. I haven’t violated the Contract Book, nor have I betrayed our goodwill. Brother Li Qi, you shouldn’t nitpick about this anymore."
What he said was reasonable.
Li Banfeng walked along the lakeside for a while and realized the crux of the problem. "You’re afraid of someone else coming to develop the land at the boundary between the two families, aren’t you?"
Shui Yongquan didn’t respond.
Ma Wu understood Li Qi’s implication. "Boss Shui, you and Shopkeeper Qiu have agreed not to fight anymore. But you know Shopkeeper Qiu’s temperament. You’re afraid that provocations on the boundary line might lead Shopkeeper Qiu to stir up trouble again, so you deliberately chose Old Qi’s plot to be on the boundary."
Li Banfeng sneered. "In the end, it’s still about us being your gatekeepers."
Shui Yongquan didn’t defend himself further. He looked at Li Banfeng. "From this perspective, do you not want this land?"
"I’ll reluctantly take the land. But if you’re making us gatekeepers, shouldn’t there be some compensation?"
Shui Yongquan pinched his chin. He knew Li Banfeng wasn’t easy to deal with. "You name it. What compensation?"
"Can a piece of land have two masters?"
Shui Yongquan looked at Ma Wu. He understood Li Qi’s meaning.
One piece of land with an additional master wasn’t just a nominal matter—it meant that whether Li Banfeng or Ma Wu shed blood, the Local Deity had to provide protection.
Li Banfeng said, "Actually, it’s not a loss for you. We help you act as gatekeepers, and you help us settle conflicts. It’s only fair."
"Fair?" Shui Yongquan scoffed. "If your plot sprouts a hundred owners, wouldn’t I have to come running every time one of them calls? What do you take me for?"
Li Banfeng said, "There aren’t a hundred. Just the two of us."
"Fine then. Let’s draw up a Contract Book. Shed blood!" Shui Yongquan agreed.
Whatever it was, with Shui Yongquan, a Contract Book had to be drawn up for it to count.
The three drew up the Contract Book. Li Banfeng and Ma Wu shed their blood, and thus, the matter of the land was settled.
Ma Wu felt he had taken advantage of Li Banfeng, and this left him feeling very guilty.