The heavy rain poured down, extinguishing the large fire at the warehouse.
The warehouse suffered significant damage.
Li Banfeng examined Zuo Wugang’s injuries. Zuo Wugang waved his hand and said, "It’s nothing serious. I have a way to neutralize the poison. But if those Bird People from Iron Sheep Mountain come again tonight, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold them off."
"No need to hold them off. I’m here, and I have the Local Deity’s support. You just mentioned Iron Sheep Mountain—what’s their story?"
"They’re mountain bandits from the Old Land. The Big Dipper is called Rong Yeguang. I heard he used to be a Sixth Layer Body Cultivator. As for his current level, I wouldn’t dare say. Even Du Shuping, that Bird Person, is at the Sixth Layer."
Li Banfeng didn’t quite understand. With a Sixth Layer cultivation level, why would someone choose to be a bandit?
"The Old Land is different; it’s a good place to make a fortune."
"And what exactly is the Old Land?"
"How should I put it? It’s not too different from the New Land, I guess. It’s just a place with fewer people, a place where money can be made. But the means of making money are different from the New Land. He’s just..."
Zuo Wugang’s ability to express himself was limited, and being poisoned, he couldn’t hold out for long.
Li Banfeng told him to go back and rest first. He then went to the edge of the New Land, dragging the half-dead Wang Qi and Du Shuping into the Portable Residence.
"Oh, my lord! You’re finally back from buying groceries!" The Phonograph was very excited, tears of emotion dripping from its horn.
"Buying groceries?" Du Shuping looked at the Phonograph in surprise, unaware of what this place was, or the Phonograph’s origins.
"Don’t worry about the groceries," Li Banfeng consoled Du Shuping. "First, tell me, who ordered you to cause trouble on my territory?"
Before Du Shuping could respond, Wang Qi spoke first. "Young brother, you are a man of virtue. While it’s not our place to tell you this, we’re now in your hands and would like a chance to live. If we tell the truth, will you let us go?"
Li Banfeng sat solemnly before the two. "That depends on your sincerity."
Wang Qi nodded sincerely and began to recount their story. "We are the stout men of Iron Sheep Mountain, carrying out orders from our Big Dipper, Rong Yeguang. We were told to join forces with the Chief Qian newly associated with the kilns and come to your territory to smash your kilns."
Li Banfeng kicked Wang Qi. "Speak plainly."
He had indeed learned some underworld slang from Yu Nan, but Wang Qi’s slang was too dense for Li Banfeng to understand.
The Phonograph couldn’t wait any longer. "Joining a kiln means partnering up, smashing a kiln means robbing, and a Chief Qian is someone who specializes in reconnaissance! My lord, if there’s anything you don’t understand, Little Servant can translate for you. Please, ask quickly!" The lady was truly anxious, tears streaming down her face.
Li Banfeng then asked, "Who is your Chief Qian?"
Having been kicked, Wang Qi didn’t dare to speak rashly.
Seeing that Li Banfeng couldn’t understand the jargon, Du Shuping tried to express himself plainly. "The Lu Family’s fallen daughter, Lu Xiaolan."
"I have no grudge against your Big Dipper, so why did you target us?"
Wang Qi shook his head. "I don’t know about that. We just follow the Big Dipper’s commands. Whatever he tells us to do, we do."
"That Chief Qian of yours, Lu Xiaolan—she planted a traitor on my territory. Do you know who it is?"
"We don’t know that; we’re not supposed to ask. Whenever Chief Qian tells us to act, we smash the kilns."
"Where is Iron Sheep Mountain located?"
"In the Old Land."
"What is the Old Land?"
"Same as the New Land—a place hidden from the light."
The Phonograph urged, "My lord, the New Land and Old Land are different. Little Servant will explain it to you slowly later. Please continue asking."
Li Banfeng asked again, "How far is Iron Sheep Mountain from here?"
"That depends on whether you know the way. If you can’t find the way, it’s a thousand miles off. If you can, it’s just a day’s journey. Young brother, just give us a chance to live, and I’ll draw the route for you."
As expected of a Sixth Layer Literature Cultivator, Du Shuping knew how to negotiate.
Li Banfeng didn’t fall for it. He stopped asking about directions, as the other party would surely keep haggling if he continued. Instead, he inquired about the situation on Iron Sheep Mountain. "How many people are in your mountain stronghold?"
"Sixty-six. It may not seem like many, but they all have cultivation. Young brother, in the Jianghu, we all tread the same path. No matter which specific route one takes, we are all comrades on that journey. Today, we brothers have fallen into your hands, and we accept our defeat. We’ve told you everything we know. You shouldn’t go back on your word; give us a way out."
"There is a way. First, you’ll join my lady for a meal. After you’ve eaten, you can be on your way."
"A meal? Where is the meal?" Du Shuping looked puzzled.
HEE HEE. The lady laughed. "You *are* the meal!"
Two phonograph needles pierced the brains of Du Shuping and Wang Qi. Both looked at Li Banfeng in anger as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Half an hour later, the lady finished her meal.
Li Banfeng dragged the corpses over to Red Lotus. "Eat up."
Red Lotus sighed internally.
But she dared not say more. A Sixth Layer Cultivator and a Fifth Layer Cultivator were rare delicacies. Her flower petals unfurled, and Red Lotus took the two Cultivators into her Lotus Heart.
Li Banfeng asked the Phonograph, "What exactly is the Old Land?"
"When a New Land gains enough human energy, it becomes Proper Land. When Proper Land loses its human energy, it becomes Old Land."
Li Banfeng was stunned for a long time.
"A New Land becomes Proper Land when its human energy flourishes? Isn’t it that once you pioneer new territory, it becomes Proper Land?"
"Far from it, far from it. Pioneering, that’s just seeing the Heavenly Light. A Hundred Miles of Land, fully bathed in Heavenly Light, with a permanent population of ten thousand or more—that is what it means to achieve the True Fruit. That is Proper Land..."
The lady explained in detail. Under a Local Deity, if all the Hundred Miles of Land within their domain were successfully pioneered, and if there was a guaranteed permanent population of over ten thousand on that land, only then would it be considered to have formed Proper Land.
Li Banfeng’s understanding was different. "Blue Poplar Village has been constantly encroached upon by the major families, but they continue to pioneer into the New Land. Its territory hasn’t shrunk; the area is about the same as before."
"It’s not the same, not the same, my lord. Go check the area of Blue Poplar Village that borders the New Land. Are there people living there?"
"There are people living there, just not many. There are no houses; people have set up makeshift shelters. It’s said that Strange Monsters from the New Land often come out to harm people, so most are afraid to live there."
"That’s exactly the point. Those places are not considered Proper Land, only newly pioneered New Land. Strange Monsters from the New Land cannot venture into true Proper Land. Otherwise, it would be seen as trying to seize territory in the Proper Land, and the Local Deities of the Proper Land would not let them off."
"Is Green Flower considered a Local Deity of the Proper Land?"
"Yes, my lord. The Local Deities of the Proper Land are of a higher level than those of the New Land. But if Proper Land lacks human energy for many years, it becomes Old Land, and the Local Deity’s level falls, becoming not much different from that of a New Land’s Local Deity."
With sufficient human energy, a Local Deity’s level would rise. Conversely, without it, their level would fall.
No wonder Qiu Daxiang cared so much about Pioneers; it affected their advancement in levels.
No wonder Local Deities didn’t allow an individual to claim too much new territory; otherwise, if one person monopolized the land, the standard of ten thousand permanent residents could not be met.
But this also served as a reminder to Li Banfeng: in the future, he could not let the major families casually interfere in Blue Poplar Village. The fact that newly pioneered Earth Skin was not Proper Land directly impacted Blue Poplar Village’s future survival.
"But since the population determines the Local Deity’s level, why is there an examination when pioneering new land? The more Pioneers there are, doesn’t that mean more human energy?"
"Oh, my lord, it doesn’t work that way. Just because there are more people pioneering land doesn’t mean there will be more people on the land itself. An unskilled person pioneering new land can, at most, bring their family. It’s hard to find food in the New Land, and with Strange Monsters attacking, after a few years, they might not be able to continue living there and would move away, leaving the land abandoned. But because the pioneering was successful and the original owner is still present, new people cannot be allowed to pioneer it again. Wouldn’t the Local Deity suffer a great loss then? To pioneer land, one needs real skill, the ability to manage, and the capacity to fight. Only such people have a chance to turn New Land into Proper Land and be accepted by the Local Deity."
"So if the population on Proper Land falls below ten thousand, will it become Old Land? And if Old Land gains ten thousand people, does it turn back into Proper Land?"
HEE HEE. The Phonograph laughed.
"My lord, if a Hundred Miles of Land had exactly ten thousand people, and today one left, turning Proper Land into Old Land, and tomorrow another arrived, turning Old Land back into Proper Land, wouldn’t the Local Deity be tormented to death? Ten thousand is a significant threshold; once surpassed, it’s recognized as Proper Land. Only if the population within a Hundred Miles of Land drops below one hundred will it then be considered Old Land."
Li Banfeng suddenly remembered a place.
"The area surrounding Bitter Vegetable Manor definitely spans over a hundred miles, but there aren’t even a hundred people there. Does that mean it’s classified as Old Land?"
"Bitter Vegetable Manor, Bitter Granny’s territory... Bitter Granny, who is she again? She’s not a Local Deity, then what is she? Bitter Vegetable Manor, Bitter Granny, hee hee hee..."
"Let’s not talk about Bitter Vegetable Manor. There’s no Bitter Vegetable Manor. Let’s talk about something else. My lady, what else would you like to eat? I’ll go out to buy some groceries..."
Having taken the Xuanyun Pill, although my lady had nearly lost her life, her state had improved considerably afterward. But even so, Bitter Granny could not be mentioned casually.
While my lady was still in a reasonable state of mind, Li Banfeng coaxed her to sleep.
He left the Portable Residence and went to his own plot of land.
He set up an altar and summoned Shui Yongquan. "The matter has been investigated. It was done by that group of Pioneers. The leader of those Pioneers is Lu Xiaolan, the Chief Qian of Iron Sheep Mountain."
"Iron Sheep Mountain, a den of bandits in the Old Land," Shui Yongquan stroked his beard. "I will first discuss this with Qiu Daxiang to make him understand the situation. If his people dare to cause trouble here again, we’ll kill them on sight from now on, no mercy."
"There’s one more thing I need Manager Shui’s help with. How do I get to Iron Sheep Mountain?"
Shui Yongquan was stunned. "Brother Li Seven, what are you planning to do? Are you going to attack their mountain stronghold?"
Shui Yongquan signaled for Li Banfeng to calm down a bit. "What did you do to offend Iron Sheep Mountain?"
"I’ve never offended Iron Sheep Mountain; I only learned their name today."
"You should first clarify the cause and effect here before we discuss these bandits."
"Can’t I fight them while investigating?"
Shui Yongquan didn’t know how to answer. "Brother Li Seven, those are bandits, renowned bandits in the Jianghu! They’re not just street thugs. Let’s take care of the matter at hand first!"
"Is there a difference between bandits and thugs?"
"What do you think?" Shui Yongquan left in displeasure.
Li Banfeng looked blank.
But Shui Yongquan’s words made sense; the current matters indeed needed to be handled.
First, he needed to find the traitor.
Then, he had to take care of Lu Xiaolan and her people.
He Jiaqing lay on his sickbed, staring at the ceiling, his gaze somewhat vacant.
"The Iron Sheep Trio just died like that? That associate of mine is quite ruthless! I underestimated him before, and he even outsmarted me!"
A voice responded from beside him, "This matter needs to be settled. How should I explain it to Rong Yeguang?"
"What’s there to explain? Give him some money as compensation."
"Iron Sheep Mountain isn’t short of money."
"If they aren’t short of money, then don’t give it. We’ll even save some! Also, tell Rong Yeguang that if he wants to clean up his identity, he has to pay the price!"
The person opposite sighed, then asked, "Are you still listening to the live broadcast?"
"Of course. If there’s any news about him, play it for me. That associate of mine is no ordinary man; I find myself thinking about him more and more.
"As for their territory, don’t go there for now, but we still have to blockade their supply routes.
"If Ma Wu insists on using Bagworm Moths for deliveries, let him. The moment he shows any sign of slacking, hijack his goods. I want to see how long he can hold out.
"Remind our people to be very careful when talking with Lu Xiaolan. She is suspicious by nature; don’t let her discover our true identities."