Li Banfeng, leading Xiao Yeci and a group of twenty-seven, continued south.
The mountain path grew narrower and more rugged. By two o’clock in the morning, most of the group could walk no further; even Xiao Yeci stumbled.
Li Banfeng instructed Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to lead everyone in setting up camp on the spot. He, under the pretense of scouting ahead, didn’t rest at the camp but returned to his Portable Residence.
Although others found the journey arduous, such a distance meant nothing to Li Banfeng. He wasn’t the least bit sleepy and decided it was a good opportunity to thoroughly read the history book given by the Saint.
The moment he started reading, Li Banfeng felt sleepy.
Annals-style history books narrate historical progress along a timeline. For historians, such books are excellent for referencing events and their historical context.
The book detailed the history of a dynasty called Great Huan. The very first sentence marked a date:
"The Sixth Year of Xiankang, March: A great drought in Dongping. The Emperor dispatched the Grand Tutor to provide relief."
By April, Emperor Xiankang had a son.
Come May, Emperor Xiankang went hunting outside the city.
...
Li Banfeng read through to the end of the year but found no more information related to the disaster relief.
It made Li Banfeng’s eyelids grow heavy, and he soon fell asleep.
「The next day」
Li Banfeng woke up to the sound of Meng De’s time announcement.
"Sir, on such a beautiful morning, please allow me to sing you ’I Want You’:
I want you
beside me,
to keep watch through the night,
until tomorrow.
I want you
..."
SLAP!
Li Banfeng threw the history book at Meng De’s face, dressed, and left the Portable Residence.
Xiao Yeci and the others passed the night without incident. They packed their bags and continued on their way with Li Banfeng.
The mountain road grew increasingly difficult. By noon, the trail had disappeared.
Li Banfeng thought.
Brambles blocked their path, wild grass tangled their feet, mosquitoes bit them relentlessly, and spiderwebs clung to their faces. By dusk, the group was on the verge of collapse.
Only two people didn’t feel tired: Li Banfeng and Lu Chunying. If not for matching the group’s pace, Lu Chunying alone could have covered several times the distance.
As darkness approached, Fortunately, they found a water source. Li Banfeng ordered everyone to collect water and rest there for the night.
Since they had set up camp early, Li Banfeng had more time to flip through the history book from the Saint.
He read carefully where he understood and skimmed over the parts he didn’t. Forcing himself to stay awake, Li Banfeng went through all five volumes. Finally, at the end of the scrolls, he found a piece of useful information:
"The Sixth Year of Yuanxi: The Demon Land rebelled. The Emperor dispatched Zhao Xiaowan, the Valiant Cavalry General, to suppress it. The Valiant Cavalry General was defiant, and the Emperor reprimanded her."
Li Banfeng had finally found his wife’s name in the history book.
Turning to the end of the history book, Li Banfeng didn’t see his wife’s name again. However, he did come across another familiar name:
"The Eighth Year of Yuanxi: The Demon Land rebelled again. The Emperor dispatched Hong Ying, the Material Officer General, and Cong Shixiang, General Hengbo, to quell it."
Li Banfeng looked at the Phonograph and the Long Spear, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.
「The next day」
Li Banfeng and the group continued their journey.
They traveled for a full twelve days. Their food had long run out, and they struggled to survive by hunting.
On the afternoon of the thirteenth day, amidst a torrential downpour, the group actually laughed.
Ahead, there were no mountains, only a plain.
Ever since arriving at Cheap Person Ridge, all they had seen were interconnected mountains. No one present had ever experienced such an expansive view.
Finding the plain meant they had finally left the territory of Cheap Person Ridge.
Though he hadn’t, someone else had.
Xiao Yeci was the first to speak. "Benefactor, I know this place! Nannan and I passed through here when we came!"
Lu Chunying nodded. "We did indeed pass through here."
Many others present also claimed to have passed through the area, yet no one could recall its name.
Now, Li Banfeng had to make an important decision: where exactly should these people go?
The general consensus was for everyone to return to their respective homes, as most claimed they knew the way back.
"When you came, you all had Guide Tokens, right?" Li Banfeng asked. "Do you still have Guide Tokens to return with?"
The crowd looked at each other in dismay. It seemed that, apart from Li Banfeng, no one else had a Guide Token.
It seemed to be the only feasible solution. But then, Xiao Yeci revealed something crucial to Li Banfeng.
"Benefactor," she said, "I’m not sure about other places, but you don’t need a Guide Token to come here from Greenwater Bay."
Li Banfeng paused. "Are you sure?"
"Certain! You really don’t need a Guide Token."
Lu Chunying could vouch for this. Unlike the others who had been kidnapped, Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying had been tricked into coming here. When they reached this wilderness, their freedom hadn’t been restricted, and the "friend" who brought them hadn’t shown any Guide Token either.
They had already left Cheap Person Ridge, Xiao Yeci remembered the way they had come, and Lu Chunying was a Traveling Cultivator. So, Li Banfeng confidently let the mother and daughter lead.
They walked from dawn until dusk, and the heavy rain never stopped.
Along the way, Xiao Yeci encouraged everyone, "Just a bit more effort! There’s a village ahead. Once we reach it, we can find a place to stay for the night."
They walked late into the night, but Li Banfeng still saw no sign of a village.
Xiao Yeci started to panic. "We haven’t taken a wrong turn, this is the right road! Where has the village gone? There was a forest just now, and we walked east around it, didn’t we? Did I remember wrong?"
Lu Chunying said, "Mom, you didn’t remember wrong. That’s the way we came."
CRACK!
A flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, faintly revealing a cluster of buildings up ahead.
Li Banfeng asked, "Is that the village?"
"Yes, yes! There are houses, so it must be the village!" Xiao Yeci declared, quite certain.
Lu Chunying remained silent as the group headed towards the buildings.
As they drew closer, Li Banfeng’s heart lurched. He saw the very thing he least wanted to see.
The so-called cluster of buildings was, in fact, a large estate.
It had earthen-red courtyard walls, vermilion gates studded with rusted nails, and a pair of massive door knockers.
Li Banfeng looked at Xiao Yeci. "Have we circled back?"
Xiao Yeci vigorously shook her head. "Impossible, impossible! I’m sure this is the way we came! I didn’t remember it wrong..."
Lu Chunying was also surprised. "We did come this way, but I don’t remember seeing an estate like this."
Li Banfeng stepped closer to the estate. Using the lingering flashes of lightning, he carefully examined the mansion.
Li Banfeng turned to look at the others. After traveling in the heavy rain for an entire day, most were barely able to stand. If they continued, many might fall ill.
Li Banfeng lifted a door knocker and rapped a few times. KNOCK. KNOCK.
There was no response from inside for a long time.
He pushed on the door panel. It wasn’t locked. With a jarring SCREECH from the rusted hinges, the door swung open.
His gaze passed through the doorway, into a front courtyard choked with weeds, and fell upon a moss-covered brick wall.
PS: Visiting relatives and friends during the day, staying up all night to write updates—Shala is exhausted! Dear readers, Happy New Year! Please give Shala some encouragement!