A fingertip-sized pebble struck Ren Wenlie on the back of the head. His positioning was slightly off, so his condition remained acceptable, though a hematoma formed.
Qu Jingzhang took several solid hits; even his skull cracked.
The two knew they had been ambushed. Qu Jingzhang quickly turned around, while Ren Wenlie ran for his life.
Their different reactions had nothing to do with their cultivation levels; it was primarily a matter of experience.
Having encountered Traveling Cultivators before, Qu Jingzhang knew he couldn’t keep his back to Li Banfeng, or it would be a death sentence.
Ren Wenlie also knew from experience with Traveling Cultivators that he shouldn’t turn his back on Li Banfeng. However, his experience was focused on Qu Jingzhang. Familiar with Qu Jingzhang’s temperament, he knew Qu Jingzhang would undoubtedly turn back to fight to the death.
Seeing Ren Wenlie flee, Qu Jingzhang panicked. He also turned to run but didn’t dare turn his back on Li Banfeng.
But for a Virtue Cultivator to take on a Traveling Cultivator alone, the odds of winning were slim to none.
It was too late to run now. Ren Wenlie was already far away, and this Big Beard would definitely target the person closest to him.
In his dilemma, Qu Jingzhang barely managed to counter two moves before making a foolish decision.
He wanted to try reasoning with Li Banfeng.
If it had been purely a contest of physical skill, he might have lasted a little longer. But at this point, Li Banfeng wasn’t going to give him a chance to compete with techniques.
"Young man, listen to me—"
THUD!
Qu Jingzhang’s head fell to the ground. The Tang Sword scoffed, "Beheading with Every Blow."
With that, the Tang Sword flew back to Li Banfeng’s side.
Li Banfeng caught up to Ren Wenlie in two steps. Just as he was about to strike, he heard Ren Wenlie shout, "Do not pursue a desperate enemy!"
Li Banfeng swung his sword again. The blade swept out but failed to hit its target.
Li Banfeng was alarmed, unsure if the problem lay with the sword or his own hand.
When he swung again, he realized neither the sword nor his hand was the issue; the problem was with his feet.
Li Banfeng’s pace had slowed. Ever since hearing Ren Wenlie’s cry of "Do not pursue a desperate enemy," his steps had unconsciously slowed.
This wasn’t a restriction born from some moral baseline, nor was it manipulation by sheer willpower.
It was a fact that had suddenly materialized: Li Banfeng’s speed was limited, and he couldn’t catch Ren Wenlie.
Ren Wenlie was carrying an escape-type Magical Treasure; his robes billowed, creating a whirlwind that quickly swept him away into the forest, where he vanished.
Li Banfeng returned to the cave, contemplating the recent fight.
He had planned to return to his Portable Residence to ask his wife, but Xiao Yeci had witnessed that part of the battle and recognized the Technique.
"Benefactor, that man just used a Literature Cultivation Technique—’Uniform Rule.’"
"What layer technique is that?"
"It’s a Third Layer Technique, an extremely difficult one for Literature Cultivators to master. The cultivator utters a statement. This statement must not only be clearly understood by the opponent but must also resonate with their sense of reason. Once these conditions are met, the statement becomes law, a binding constraint, a rule both parties must adhere to."
Li Banfeng was astonished. That old man was clearly a Virtue Cultivator, yet he could use a Third Layer Literature Cultivation Technique.
Xiao Yeci had indeed heard of such cultivators. "Benefactor, it’s said that ’literature and virtue are not separate families.’ Cultivators who practice Dual Cultivation of both Literature and Virtue Cultivation truly exist."
The strength of a technique like ’Ethical Act,’ when displayed by a Dual Cultivator from a comparable Taoist Sect, indicated that the man’s Virtue Cultivation was likely around the Fifth Layer, while his Literature Cultivation was at least Third Layer. Such an individual was indeed hard to deal with.
Li Banfeng then asked Xiao Yeci, "Besides the Third Layer Technique, what other Literature Cultivation Techniques do you know?"
"There’s also the Second Layer Technique, ’A Single Word Becomes Reality.’ It can take something false, use something true as a basis, and turn the false thing into reality."
Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "I don’t understand."
Xiao Yeci explained carefully, "It is indeed hard to comprehend. I’ve only heard a few examples from my seniors. One such example involves a Literature Cultivator battling a Virtue Cultivator. The Virtue Cultivator, being advanced in age, requested that the Literature Cultivator concede three moves to him.
"The Literature Cultivator acknowledged the Virtue Cultivator’s age and recited an ancient poem: ’White hair three thousand yards.’ As a result, the Virtue Cultivator’s hair grew incredibly long. Though not quite three thousand yards, it was over ten meters long!
"During their fight, the Virtue Cultivator was careless, tripped over his own hair, and was killed by the Literature Cultivator.
"Hair growing three thousand yards long is obviously false, but that line of poetry genuinely exists. Using something real to make something false true—that’s ’A Single Word Becomes Reality.’"
This time Li Banfeng understood.
Back when the Iron Sheep Trio attacked Zhengjing Village, Du Shuping, a Sixth Layer Literature Cultivator, had used this Technique.
He had uttered the line, "After wearing out iron shoes, there’s nowhere to search," and directly caused Zuo Wugang’s shoes to disintegrate.
Xiao Yeci continued, "The technique ’A Single Word Becomes Reality,’ though only a Second Layer Technique, is as difficult to learn as the Third Layer Technique, perhaps even more so. Moreover, using both Second and Third Layer Techniques consumes a significant amount of one’s cultivation level. If the disparity in cultivation level is too great, the technique will be ineffective, no matter how cleverly worded."
Thinking of Alchemy, Li Banfeng took out a Gold Yuan Pill and consumed it along with a Blue Leaf Pill.
A single Gold Yuan Pill was equivalent to a hundred days of cultivation. Li Banfeng mentally calculated the Elixirs he had consumed recently. Adding the ’time’ accumulated from his extensive travels, he reckoned his Traveling Cultivator cultivation might soon reach the Fifth Layer.
Yet Li Banfeng had no idea what the Fifth Layer Technique was.
Li Banfeng still hadn’t figured it out. He dragged Qu Jingzhang’s body back to perform Alchemy.
...
Ren Wenlie returned to Sage Peak to report, recounting the entire battle at Benefactor’s Stronghold from beginning to end.
He reported mostly the truth but exaggerated certain aspects. After all, Qu Jingzhang had perished, and he alone had returned. If there were no extenuating factors, it would only prove they hadn’t given their all.
The Saint was still in the inner room, from where the sound of continuous, labored breathing emanated, wave after wave.
Once it had somewhat subsided, the Saint asked, "You claim you suffered a loss because you didn’t know he was a Traveling Cultivator? Now that you do know, dealing with him shouldn’t pose much difficulty, right?"
"There are still... some difficulties," Ren Wenlie stammered, starting to sweat. He didn’t want to face the Peddler’s Senior Brother again.
The Saint scoffed. "After all that, it just means your skills are inferior to his. I knew it; that man’s background couldn’t be simple."
Wiping his sweat, Ren Wenlie said, "Then, perhaps let the other Senior Brothers..."
He was implying he wasn’t up to the task and suggested his Master send someone else.
The Saint agreed. "Let your Eldest Senior Brother go. Shi Xiang is getting old; you must accompany him."
"Eldest Senior Brother... he..."
"Heh heh," the Saint chuckled. "What? Do you look down on your Eldest Senior Brother now? He raised all of you youngsters from nothing. Have you all forgotten his kindness?"
Ren Wenlie felt a pang of guilt and dared not say more. He hurried to the summit of Sage Peak to find his Eldest Senior Brother.
The Eldest Senior Brother lived alone, without any servants. Ren Wenlie knocked for a long time without a response, so he pushed the door open and went in.
The front courtyard was empty, so Ren Wenlie entered the main courtyard.
The main courtyard was also empty, as was the backyard. After searching for some time, Ren Wenlie finally found his Eldest Senior Brother, Cong Shixiang, in the eastern side-courtyard.
The corpulent Cong Shixiang was in the sun, catching insects.
He held a Short Knife and made an incision on his arm.
Peeling back layers of aged skin, Cong Shixiang fumbled in the underlying fat for a moment and pulled out a maggot about the size of his little finger.
The maggot had a long, rat-like tail and was covered in a layer of dark yellow grease.
Cong Shixiang tossed the maggot into the fire pit before him. The creature struggled for a moment, its fatty body emitting plumes of white smoke.
Cong Shixiang suddenly felt another itch and moved the Short Knife towards the back of his ear.
Ren Wenlie stepped forward. "Senior Brother, let me help you with the insects. Give me the knife first, so you don’t accidentally cut off your ear."
"Mmhmm..." Cong Shixiang grunted from his throat twice in response and handed the knife to Ren Wenlie.
The metallic reek of the knife, combined with the stench of fat and the maggots’ unique foulness, mingled into a singularly repulsive odor.
Ren Wenlie endured the smell, carefully cutting open Cong Shixiang’s skin and flesh, digging out the maggots one by one.
He couldn’t dig out too many, otherwise the numerous wounds on Cong Shixiang’s body would affect his combat ability.
Once the maggots in the fire were about five or six parts cooked, Cong Shixiang picked one out and offered it to Ren Wenlie.
Ren Wenlie waved his hand. "Senior Brother, you eat it."
Cong Shixiang shoved the plump maggot into his mouth. Having no teeth, he squashed it around in his mouth, savoring the taste for a long moment before swallowing it with a gulp.
There was a hole in his throat, and Ren Wenlie clearly saw the maggot slide down through it.
Cong Shixiang seemed very satisfied; he clearly enjoyed the taste.
After eating all the insects, Cong Shixiang stood up from the fire, his dry, withered eyes fixed intently on Ren Wenlie.
Ren Wenlie took two steps back, trying to maintain distance from Cong Shixiang. "Senior Brother, let’s head down the mountain. Master has an errand for us."
"Heh, heh..." Cong Shixiang chuckled twice and followed Ren Wenlie out of the large residence.
PS: How did this old man end up like this?