The man in white proposed that they all kneel and not rise, and the group quickly followed suit.
They knelt before the door.
Li Banfeng wasn’t afraid of evil people, but he had to stay away from despicable ones. Despicable people were more detestable than evil ones and much harder to deal with.
If he could determine true north, he could figure out the other directions. Li Banfeng decided to head east.
Halfway down the mountainside, Li Banfeng encountered an old man in his seventies pulling a cart of white rice up the mountain. Two others followed, pushing the cart: his son, in his thirties, and his grandson, a ten-year-old boy.
The white rice was very heavy, and the three of them struggled to push it. At the mid-slope, the old man stopped the cart. Drinking from a gourd of plain water, the grandfather, son, and grandson began to eat coarse grain cakes.
Seeing that these three were honest people, Li Banfeng approached them to ask for directions. "Excuse me, how do I get to the nearest train station?"
The old man’s son looked up and said, "You’re looking for the station? That’s quite far."
The old man laughed. "You must be a student seeking enlightenment on the mountain, right? Didn’t you see the Saint today? Young man, don’t be impatient. Once your sincerity is sufficient, the Saint will surely meet you."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I’m not here to seek enlightenment; I’m just passing by."
Hearing this, the old man’s son looked at Li Banfeng with disdain and seemed reluctant to engage further.
As if sensing the underlying situation, the old man offered Li Banfeng some advice. "Seeking enlightenment is not an easy task. The teachings of the Saint are profound secrets of this world, not to be casually passed on to others.
"Our family has been delivering rice to the Saint for a whole sixteen years. We originally hoped the Saint would accept my son. Now that he’s older and the Saint is unwilling, it all depends on whether my grandson has the good fortune."
"Delivering rice?" Li Banfeng looked at the cart full of white rice, then at the coarse grain cakes in their hands and asked, "How much does this rice cost per pound?"
The old man shot Li Banfeng a look. "Money? It’s all about sincerity! The Saint is willing to eat our rice; that is a blessing for our family."
Unable to contain his curiosity, Li Banfeng asked, "What incredible knowledge does this Saint possess?"
The smile vanished from the old man’s face as he put away his coarse grain cake.
The old man’s son became anxious, looking around before saying to Li Banfeng, "On the Saint’s mountain, one must speak cautiously. You don’t even understand basic etiquette; no wonder the Saint won’t see you."
The old man waved his hand, signaling for them to hurry on and stop talking to Li Banfeng.
The son hurriedly straightened the cart, and the old man began pulling it from the front.
Li Banfeng said, "You’re stronger than your father. Why don’t you pull the cart instead?"
The son huffed, "This is called sincerity. Do you understand?"
Indeed, the sincerity of an old man in his seventies delivering rice by pulling a cart was extraordinary.
The ten-year-old child had been eating his cake from beginning to end, never once raising his head.
Children that age have strong appetites, and a single coarse grain cake was clearly not enough for him.
Li Banfeng asked the child, "Have you ever eaten white rice?"
The child glanced at Li Banfeng, then scampered off to help his father push the cart.
Li Banfeng continued down the mountain, encountering many seekers of enlightenment and those delivering grain, vegetables, and livestock.
Compared to the people on the mountain, these individuals were somewhat more talkative. Upon seeing Li Banfeng, they wouldn’t simply turn away; they would at least exchange a few words.
But when he asked about the train station, everyone avoided the topic. They didn’t believe Li Banfeng was just passing through; they all assumed he had been rejected in his quest for enlightenment on the mountain, had become disheartened, and now wanted to leave.
Everyone urged Li Banfeng to stay a few more days, convinced that with true sincerity, he would surely be able to move the Saint.
Realizing he truly couldn’t communicate with these people, Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions. Whenever he encountered someone going up the mountain, he would take a detour. He just wanted to get down the mountain as quickly as possible.
Every person on this mountain, every blade of grass, every tree, even the air itself, filled Li Banfeng with extreme disgust—more so than he had ever felt even in Bitter Vegetable Manor.
Once he reached the foot of the mountain, Li Banfeng continued to hurry eastward. After traveling more than a hundred li, he finally saw a glimmer of hope.
A hill blocked his path ahead, but it was different from the previous mountains.
This was a hill, obviously much lower, with a village at its foot.
Li Banfeng entered the village and saw pleasant fields and farmers at work.
The repulsive air seemed to have vanished, and Li Banfeng’s nerves gradually relaxed.
However, the villagers’ nerves did not relax. Li Banfeng’s arrival made them exceptionally tense, even a bit fearful.
His attire made them fearful, his demeanor made them fearful, and even the tone of his voice made them fearful.
Li Banfeng could understand such reactions.
The village was so secluded that the villagers had likely seen few outsiders; it was perfectly normal for them to be wary.
When asked about the train station, a few villagers said they didn’t know, while most gazed blankly at Li Banfeng, as if the concept of a train station simply didn’t exist in their world.
Li Banfeng could understand this as well.
Many villagers had probably never ridden a train. It wasn’t just these villagers; even Qin Tianjiu, who grew up in Medicine King Valley, had never been on a train in his life. This was quite normal.
Walking from one end of the village to the other, Li Banfeng heard the clear sound of children reading aloud.
The students’ voices, brimming with naivety and vitality, convinced Li Banfeng that he had left the territory of the Peak of the Sages.
No matter how remote the place, there was still a school here teaching proper subjects, and such a place offered vitality and hope.
What were they learning?
"The root of heaven and earth begins with the heart of the Saint,
The changes of heaven and earth begin with the thoughts of the Saint,
The essence of heaven and earth begins with the virtue of the Saint,
The source of heaven and earth begins with the will of the Saint."
Upon hearing the word "Saint," Li Banfeng’s scalp prickled.
Approaching for a closer look, he realized the sound of reading didn’t come from a schoolhouse but from a rice paddy.
A group of children, all under ten, were reciting the Sage Sutra while planting rice seedlings in the field.
After one child earnestly planted a row of seedlings, a middle-aged man walked into the paddy and stomped the seedlings into mush.
"Replant," the man commanded.
The child, not understanding what he had done wrong, looked up at the man.
The man slapped the child, sending him sprawling into the paddy. Before the child could get up, the man delivered another kick.
The child struggled for a long time but couldn’t get up. The man grabbed him, dragged him to the edge of the paddy, broke off a willow branch, and started lashing him with it.
The child’s parents watched from the sidelines. His mother’s heart ached so much she trembled uncontrollably.
His father stood by, restraining her, repeatedly mumbling, "This is for his own good... It’s all for his own good..."
After a few lashes, the man scolded loudly, "Don’t cry! Show some backbone! If you can’t even bear a little pain, what makes you think you’re worthy of learning the teachings of the Saint?"
Li Banfeng stood by the edge of the field, veins throbbing in his temples.
Unpleasant memories from his childhood surged into his mind.
The man looked at the child. "Do you know why I’m hitting you? Do you know why I’m making you replant the seedlings?"
The child shook his head, looking completely bewildered.
The man berated him, "If you harbor doubts, your resolve is not true! I told you to replant the seedlings, and you should just do it! What’s there to doubt? Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved!"
Seeing the child covered in wounds, the man said coldly, "I’ll apply some medicine."
With that, he grabbed a handful of salt and was about to smear it on the child’s wounds.
The child trembled violently in fear. His parents trembled along with him, still murmuring, "Child, this is for your own good... It’s all for your own good."
Clutching the salt, the middle-aged man said, "Endure the pain and reflect properly here. If you dare scream again, you don’t need to come for lessons tomorrow. You’re not worthy..."
BANG!
Li Banfeng’s foot struck the man’s face.
The man stumbled back several steps and fell into the rice paddy. Li Banfeng’s kick had skewed his nose, and blood gushed forth.
The man looked at Li Banfeng in astonishment.
Everyone around stared at Li Banfeng.
The man’s voice was muffled as he asked, "Who are you?"
Li Banfeng’s hat brim was low, and he stood with his back to the sun, so the man couldn’t see his face.
"Don’t ask who I am. Do you know why I’m hitting you?"
The man’s face showed total bewilderment.
THUMP!
Li Banfeng kicked his bewildered face again.
The man lay on his back in the paddy, sputtering a mouthful of mud and grit. It took him a while to sit up.
"You... by what right do you hit people?" Li Banfeng had kicked out two of his teeth, causing him to speak with a lisp.
THUMP!
Li Banfeng delivered another kick.
"If you harbor doubts, your resolve is not true! I hit you, and you should just take it! What’s there to doubt? Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved!"
Saying this, Li Banfeng grabbed the man’s hair and kicked him several more times.
The man screamed and wailed. Li Banfeng pinched his mouth shut. "Don’t cry! Show some backbone! You can’t even bear a little pain, so what Saint’s teachings are you talking about? I’ll apply some medicine to you. Bear the pain and reflect here properly. If you dare scream again, go find a rope and hang yourself. If you’re reluctant to do it, I’ll help you. Do you understand?"
With that, Li Banfeng grabbed a handful of salt and smeared it on the man’s face.
The man shrieked, "He’s hitting me! Beating me..."
Li Banfeng frowned. "You really didn’t understand, did you? Fine, I’ll find you a place to hang."
The surrounding villagers were petrified. One of them shouted, "He hit a Sage’s Disciple! Stop him! He can’t be allowed to escape!"
"So what if I hit him?" Li Banfeng, still holding the middle-aged man, twisted his wrist and snapped his neck.
He killed a Sage’s Disciple!
The villagers moved to stop Li Banfeng, shouting loudly, "He can’t be allowed to leave!"
"Take him to Sage Peak! Let him suffer a thousand cuts and a myriad slashes!"
Li Banfeng dropped the middle-aged man’s corpse and walked straight out of the rice paddy. He looked at the crowd of villagers and said, "Tell your Saint that I’m the one who killed this man. Let’s see who can stop me today!"
As his words fell, everyone went silent.
Li Banfeng strode away, and no one dared to follow.
A villager whispered, "We needn’t stop him. He’s committed a great sin; the Saint won’t let him get away!"
Li Banfeng snorted, curious to see just how capable this Saint was.
At dusk, Li Banfeng returned to the village.
Indeed, he hadn’t gotten away. After walking for half a day, he found himself back in the same village.
Upon Li Banfeng’s appearance, all the villagers retreated into their homes, bolting their doors shut.
Li Banfeng sat at the village entrance, patting the Wine Gourd. "Sister, do you remember? What is this place?"
After a long pause, the Gourd replied, "Sister has been thinking, but I really don’t think I’ve been here before."
"How about you?" Li Banfeng asked the Old Teapot.
Coughing twice, the Old Teapot said, "This place is damn strange; I’ve never been here either..."
Li Banfeng was about to pull out his keys when he suddenly heard someone approaching in the distance.
He rose to his feet and asked in a low voice, "Who’s there?"
A gentle female voice drifted over. "Benefactor, it’s me! How did you end up here?"