"I, I," Sui Donglan stammered, eventually responding, "I was willing, Peddler Sir. I realize my mistake. I won’t dare do it again!"
Li Banfeng sighed. "Alright, I’m a generous man. Go back to Iron Gate Fort and return all the money you scammed, to each and every household. After you’re done, kowtow three times to them. Then I’ll give you the antidote. Go now."
Sui Donglan fell to the ground with a thud. "Peddler Sir, I’ll do it right away! Please, just dull the pain for a moment. I really can’t bear it."
The severe pain made her convulse. Li Banfeng took out his Wine Gourd, poured a cup of wine, and gave it to Sui Donglan.
Sui Donglan took the cup and drank it all in one gulp. Before long, the pain eased.
"Thank you, Peddler Sir!" Sui Donglan kowtowed twice and got up to leave.
Having been swindled out of three hundred thousand by the "Peddler," her heart was still bleeding; how could she bear to part with more money?
Seeing her about to leave, Li Banfeng tossed her a mirror. "Don’t rush. Take a look at your face first."
Sui Donglan looked in the mirror. The character for "deceive" was written on the left half of her face, and "cultivator" on the right.
Sui Donglan frantically rubbed her face, but the two characters wouldn’t come off.
"Peddler Sir..."
Li Banfeng’s smile vanished. "You wanted to be a Deceive cultivator, didn’t you? I’ve made your wish come true. These two characters will never wash off for the rest of your life. No matter where you go, others will know you as a Deceive cultivator."
"Peddler Sir, please forgive me this once! I truly know I was wrong!" Sui Donglan ran back to Li Banfeng and continued to kowtow.
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why are you kowtowing to me? Go to Iron Gate Fort."
"Sir, with my face like this, how can I show myself to anyone!"
"If you don’t want to show yourself, then just wait for death. By this time tomorrow, once the alcohol wears off, the pain will return, and you’ll die in agony. Even in death, your face will still bear those two words."
Having said that, Li Banfeng pushed his cart and shook his rattle, preparing to leave. Sui Donglan clung to his pant leg, crying, "Sir, I’ll go return the money now! But... but I gave all my money to you. I have nothing left..."
Li Banfeng turned back with a smile. "All of it to me? Didn’t you keep a little for yourself?"
"I... I kept a little..." Sui Donglan didn’t dare to lie.
"Bring it all out!"
Sui Donglan went back to her dwelling and took out the remaining sum, over two hundred thousand.
Li Banfeng said, "First, return the money you have on hand. The other three hundred thousand must also be returned, but that’s a debt you owe me. You’ll pay it back with yourself."
Sui Donglan blushed. "Then... can you give me some sort of status?"
"Yes, there’s status for you. From now on, you’ll be a cart puller!"
Li Banfeng handed his goods cart to Sui Donglan. He then headed toward Iron Gate Fort, shaking his rattle.
Sui Donglan pulled the cart, following behind. As they walked, Li Banfeng asked her about Iron Gate Fort.
"How many Home Cultivators are there in Iron Gate Fort?"
Sui Donglan replied, "There are two to three hundred households. Iron Gate Fort is very large, stretching for several miles from the entrance inward."
"Is there another exit at the end of the mountain stream?"
"No, Iron Gate Fort is a dead end, with only one gate for entry and exit."
"Did these Home Cultivators undergo Entering the Path within Iron Gate Fort?"
Sui Donglan shook her head. "I haven’t been here long, but I’ve never seen anyone Entering the Path here. The few Home Cultivators I know all moved from outside."
Li Banfeng looked back at Sui Donglan, doubting her honesty. "How could Home Cultivators just move so casually? Abandoning their houses and House Spirits?"
"I wouldn’t know about that. I’m just a White Lamb; I don’t understand much about cultivation level matters. I only heard an uncle say that he carried his House Spirit over."
"Why did he move to Iron Gate Fort?"
"He said Iron Gate Fort is a good place and the Fortress Lord is a good person."
"Is the Fortress Lord also a Home Cultivator?"
"I’ve heard he’s an Eighth Layer Home Cultivator, but I’ve never seen him. That uncle I mentioned only saw him once, when bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain broke into the fortress. The Fortress Lord personally took action and drove them away."
"I have a friend who wants to settle down in Iron Gate Fort. Does he need the Fortress Lord’s approval?"
Sui Donglan nodded. "First, you need the Fortress Lord’s approval. Then, you buy a piece of land from him, build a house according to his rules, and sign a Contract Book. Only after paying monthly rent can you settle in Iron Gate Fort."
"I bought the house, so why do I still have to pay rent?"
"That’s the rule of Iron Gate Fort. Not just them; everyone who does business in Iron Gate Fort has to pay rent to the Fortress Lord."
As they spoke, they arrived at Iron Gate Fort. Sui Donglan, with tears in her eyes, said, "Sir, please give me another dose of the medicine to remove the writing from my face first."
Li Banfeng smiled kindly. "That won’t do. Repay the money first."
Sui Donglan sobbed twice, found a headscarf, covered her face, and began going door-to-door to repay the money.
The words "Deceive cultivator" were written very large. The headscarf ultimately couldn’t cover them. The Home Cultivators who had been cheated out of money had various reactions when they saw Sui Donglan at their door, apologizing, repaying the money, and even kowtowing.
Some chose to forgive her.
Some not only forgave her but even sympathized with her.
Some were very angry but didn’t pursue the matter after receiving their money. The young man who had pointed the way for Li Banfeng was one of them.
He was very annoyed with Sui Donglan but very grateful to Li Banfeng. He voluntarily told Li Banfeng his name and cultivation level.
"My name is Wu Yongchao. I’m a Fourth Layer Home Cultivator." He was the type of person who would pour his heart out to anyone who was good to him.
Li Banfeng, also a straightforward person, responded, "I’m a Peddler."
Wu Yongchao stared at Li Banfeng for a moment, then shook his head. "I’ve seen Peddlers before, but you seem..."
Home Cultivators take their lifestyle very seriously and generally don’t forget people’s faces. He remembered that Peddlers didn’t look like this.
Li Banfeng explained, "The Peddler you saw is my junior brother."
"You’re from the same Master’s Sect? Then your cultivation level is like his..." In Wu Yongchao’s impression, the Peddler had a very high cultivation level.
Li Banfeng answered evasively, "I’m a little different from him."
Watching Sui Donglan apologize from house to house, Wu Yongchao strongly agreed with Li Banfeng’s statement. "If it were that other Peddler, he wouldn’t bother with this kind of thing. You’re a better person than him."
Li Banfeng sighed. "Anyway, we’re different..."
Sui Donglan apologized to everyone she could and repaid what money she could. Some money she simply couldn’t repay.
Some of it had already been spent.
"I do business here and also have to pay rent to the Fortress Lord," she explained. "I had no choice but to charge the Home Cultivators a bit more."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Even swindlers pay rent?"
"Yes! And more! The Fortress Lord said someone like me shouldn’t even be allowed inside the fortress and must pay double."
Li Banfeng silently furrowed his brow.
"Peddler Sir, I’ve repaid all the money. Now please give me the antidote."
"No rush. I have other things to ask you. Do you know where the Fortress Lord lives?"
Sui Donglan shook her head. "I’ve never seen the Fortress Lord. I’ve only seen his two subordinates..."
Before she could finish, a loud siren blared.
WEE-OO! WEE-OO!
Wu Yongchao was startled. "Oh no, the main iron gate is closing!"
Sui Donglan exclaimed, "Peddler Sir, quickly, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to get out!"
PS: Why did they suddenly close the gate?
Because the bandits are coming!
What kinds of techniques do Eighth Layer Home Cultivators have? I’m really looking forward to it!