The man added, "Yesterday, someone took one of my plasters. When he got home, since it didn’t cost him anything, he didn’t feel bad and just threw it away. Gentlemen are easy to manage, but villains are hard to guard against. For the plaster you’re taking, please cover my cost. Just one Yuan will do."
Li Banfeng shouted, "Wasn’t it supposed to be free? Why are you asking for money now?"
The man replied, "This brother is right. We must keep our word; my word is my bond. If I said it’s free, then it must be free. One Yuan is just to cover the cost of one plaster. I’ll give you another one for free. If it doesn’t work, you can come back for a refund. If it does work, you can help me spread the word."
Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly.
「Five minutes later.」
Li Banfeng, holding two plasters, continued walking with Sun Tiecheng.
"Sir, I told you that man is a swindler. How could you still fall for it?"
"It’s fine; one Yuan isn’t much. Just consider it for amusement. I have been having some leg pain these past two days."
Li Banfeng indeed had leg pain. It wasn’t due to injury, but because his Home Cultivation level had suppressed his Traveling Cultivation level.
Not much further on, they overheard an old man shouting, "Not many have come for readings today, but there’s no shortage of issues! Auspicious and ominous fates are all written on your faces.
"The marvelous changes of Yin and Yang, the whole world in the palm of my hand! I can see the signs with just one glance.
"Some have suffered misfortune at home, some have been slandered behind their backs, and still others have come seeking vengeance, their faces marked by the omen of bloodshed!"
Li Banfeng stopped in his tracks.
Sun Tiecheng whispered at his side, "He’s a fortune-teller from the Gold-picking Sect—that’s Jianghu fortune-telling—and also a scam artist. Don’t be fooled by him."
Li Banfeng continued walking without stopping. Soon after, the old man caught up with him.
"Young man, I’m not looking to do business with you. I’ve chased you half a block just to give you a warning.
"Today, you court a baleful sha! Put aside your thoughts of revenge for now. Every grievance has its source, every debt its debtor; the heavenly principles cycle with fixed certainty. There’s no need to rush this!"
Li Banfeng stared at the old man for a long moment, then pulled out one hundred Huan Country Banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them into the old man’s hands.
The old man sighed. "Youngster, I’ll accept this money. One look at your face tells me you are Benevolent and Righteous. I’ll teach you a way to break the curse.
"Stay in the city for one night. Whatever you do, don’t leave the city. Wait until tomorrow, then come back to me for another look at your face. At that time, I’ll teach you how to respond."
After saying that, the old man left.
Sun Tiecheng stomped his feet in agitation. "Sir, how could you be fooled again?"
After long contemplation, Li Banfeng said, "What he said was indeed quite accurate."
"Let’s not waste any more time here. I’ll quickly escort you to Iron Sheep Mountain."
Li Banfeng waved his hand. "I won’t go up the mountain tonight. I’ll stay in the city for the night and decide tomorrow."
"You really believe what he said? I’m not staying here!" Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "Sir, I’ve said all I can. Tomorrow, leave the city and head south, and you’ll see Iron Sheep Mountain."
Li Banfeng gave Sun Tiecheng another twenty Ocean Dollars, a total of fifty in all, as a token of gratitude.
Sun Tiecheng pursed his lips. "Sir, you’re a good person. If you insist on staying in the city, I’ll take you to Friendly Inn. That inn doesn’t cheat people."
Li Banfeng followed Sun Tiecheng to the inn. The Shopkeeper of the Friendly Inn had a greenish complexion, clearly not one of the Living People, but his prices were fair: eighty-one Yuan for a night in a private room.
That night, Li Banfeng settled in at the Friendly Inn.
No sooner had Li Banfeng settled in than the Shopkeeper glanced at the waiter beside him and instructed, "Go to the backyard, call the brothers, and get your weapons! The feast begins!"
The waiter whispered, "Start the feast now? Shouldn’t we wait until he’s asleep?"
The Shopkeeper retorted angrily, "Pah! You want me to wait so you can make the first move and enjoy it while it’s fresh? You think I can’t see through your little scheme?"
"Shopkeeper, what are you saying? I’m thinking of your interests! If we wait until he’s asleep before we act, it’ll be safer for us."
"Stop your damn nonsense and go get the others!"
Reluctantly, the waiter went to the backyard, intending to call the Odd-Jobs Worker, the long-term workers, and the kitchen maid.
He didn’t expect that these few had already sharpened their knives and were preparing to climb through the window.
The waiter scolded, "You ungrateful dogs! Without the Shopkeeper’s order, you were planning to sneak a bite? You have no respect for the rules at all!"
The kitchen maid covered the waiter’s mouth. "What are you yelling about? We were worried that kid might be up to something, so we decided to scout ahead for the Shopkeeper."
The waiter pushed the kitchen maid away, waving his hand. "Follow me to the main hall. The Shopkeeper is waiting. We’ll do this together."
When they arrived in the main hall, everyone looked around, but the Shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen.
The Odd-Jobs Worker asked, "Where’s the Shopkeeper?"
The waiter shook his head. "I don’t know; he’s the one who sent me."
The short-term worker stomped his foot in frustration. "That old scoundrel! He must have sent you away so he could hog all the food for himself!"
The group rushed to the second floor, to Li Banfeng’s door, and found it was still closed.
The kitchen maid smiled.
The short-term worker kicked the door in and immediately pinned the person down.
The Odd-Jobs Worker grabbed a large quilt and covered the person with it.
The waiter gave the order, "Chop!"
The kitchen maid stepped forward and brought her knife down.
The Shopkeeper cried out in pain, "Damn it, why are you chopping me?!"
The Odd-Jobs Worker pulled back the large quilt, revealing the person underneath was the Shopkeeper.
The waiter looked surprised. "Shopkeeper, how did you get up here first? Didn’t we agree to come up together?"
The Shopkeeper, his expression unchanged, said, "I came up first to scout the path for you. Now, which one of you bastards chopped me?"
The short-term worker pointed at the kitchen maid. "It was her! The knife is still in her hand!"
The kitchen maid defended herself, "This knife of mine can only chop Living People, it can’t chop the undead. Even if it did chop one of the undead, it wouldn’t hurt."
"Not hurt? Who are you kidding? Am I not made of flesh?" The Shopkeeper rubbed his back for a long time. "I’ll show you ’not hurt’! Let me chop you once and see how you like it!"
As the Shopkeeper was about to chop the kitchen maid, the waiter asked, "Shopkeeper, where did the guest go?"
The Shopkeeper, knife in hand, pondered for a long while.
Li Banfeng hadn’t gone anywhere. He had placed the key on a roof beam and was staying inside his Portable Residence.
He was holding the two plasters, sitting in front of the Phonograph, lost in thought.
"Oh, my husband, what is that sticky, disgusting thing you’re holding?"
Li Banfeng said, "I bought it on the street. It’s for leg pain."
"Does your leg hurt, my husband?"
"Just a bit."
"You’re using that thing to treat it?" The Phonograph sounded incredulous. "My husband, sometimes you might act a bit mad, but ultimately, you’re a clever man. How could you be fooled by a common street charlatan?"
"Not only was I fooled by that charlatan, but also by the Gold-picking Sect. It didn’t cost much, though, and I’m not short of money." Li Banfeng tossed the plasters aside.
Li Banfeng looked at the Phonograph and said slowly, "My dear, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Ever since I entered this city, my mind hasn’t been working right. I believe whatever anyone tells me."
"What city did you enter?"
"Fisherman City."
"The one on the Old Land?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, the one on the Old Land. I thought it would be full of fishermen, but it turned out to be full of tricksters."
"Oh, my husband, that ’Yu’ isn’t for ’fisherman’; it’s for ’foolishness’! You’ve entered Fool’s City and encountered Foolish Cultivators!"
"Foolish Cultivation? There’s such a Taoist Sect? And it’s so powerful?"
"My husband, Foolish Cultivation was once the number one Taoist Sect in the world. At the same level, no one was their match."
PS: Foolish Cultivation was the number one Taoist Sect in the world?
Would the other Taoist Sects even acknowledge that?