Five minutes later, Li Banfeng, feeling refreshed, asked the Phonograph, "My dear, take your time and tell me."
The Phonograph sobbed. "Tell you what, you shameless madman? You’ve had your satisfaction, what else is there for me to say to you?"
"My dear, please just tell me," Li Banfeng said, touching the cabinet door in front.
"Don’t touch my belly! I ate too much today!"
"My dear, please just say something," Li Banfeng urged, touching the cabinet door at the back.
"And don’t touch the Peach either, it’s sore!" the Phonograph sang out, slowly and irritably. "My lord, since you have dealings with the Local Deity, you must know that advancing from the Ninth Layer requires undergoing a tribulation."
"I am aware of that," he replied.
"My lord, do you know that undergoing this tribulation is an ordeal with a slim chance of survival?"
"I know that as well."
"My lord, do you know that even if you succeed in the tribulation, you will still have to suffer in the Inner State?"
"I am also aware of that."
"My lord, do you wish to suffer?"
"Naturally, I do not," he answered.
"My lord, do you know there are ways to evade the tribulation?"
"I’ve heard of two methods: one is stealing, the other is robbing."
"HMPH." The Phonograph scoffed. "Stealing and robbing... Little Servant truly despises such actions."
Li Banfeng nodded. "My dear, do you have any other methods?"
"Ah, my lord, I just heard that old crone say she’s willing to give you the position of Local Deity."
Li Banfeng nodded vigorously. "I heard that too."
"Since she’s offering, it would seem ungracious of us not to accept."
"Indeed. We wouldn’t want to disappoint the old woman," Li Banfeng said, patting the back cabinet door.
"Stop patting the Peach! Didn’t I tell you it’s sore?" The Phonograph’s tone softened. "My lord, obtaining the Local Deity’s Contract Book is tantamount to gaining the position itself. With that position, my lord, you can bypass the tribulation, leaping from the Ninth Layer of Earth Skin directly to the Cloud Top First Layer. Once there, you can cultivate using the methods of the Cloud Frontier. It’s just that this opportunity has come a bit early; my lord, you might not be able to handle it. I didn’t dare tell you these things before, fearing you would act rashly."
"It’s not too early; the timing is just right," Li Banfeng said, touching the horn of the Phonograph.
"Ah, my lord, it truly is too early. Forcibly taking a position carries risks. To jump from the Ninth Layer to the Cloud Top First Layer, you must possess a strong physique. That, at least, can be slowly achieved through Tempering. But my lord, you have only just reached the Sixth Layer; you may not be able to defend the position of a Local Deity. You heard it yourself just now: Local Deities will fight and kill each other to extend their lives. If another Local Deity targets you, my lord, how will you respond?"
Although Li Banfeng had witnessed two wars between Local Deities, he still lacked the strength to confront one directly. Some Local Deities had characters comparable to the general conduct in Blue Poplar Village; holding onto a territory was an exceedingly difficult task.
"But such a great opportunity cannot be missed." "We haven’t discussed the price for this deal yet. I’ll talk it over with Meng Yuchun; there should still be a way. First, let’s find that old thing’s Contract Book."
"My lord, once you find the Contract Book, let Little Servant see it first. There are some things inside that need to be handled," the Phonograph said.
Exiting the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng pocketed his keys and stepped out of the cavern, where he saw Meng Yuchun circling the rock walls.
"Li Qi!"
When the Mountain-Uprooting Master had entered Li Banfeng’s cavern, Meng Yuchun had immediately followed. However, once inside, she found neither Li Qi nor the Mountain-Uprooting Master.
Meng Yuchun searched, her mind in turmoil, never expecting Li Banfeng to simply walk out on his own.
Meng Yuchun was both shocked and delighted. "Li Qi, how did you escape? Where’s the Mountain-Uprooting Master?"
"The Mountain-Uprooting Master had some business to attend to and left early."
"Left?" Meng Yuchun didn’t quite understand.
Li Banfeng asked, "Those Strange Monsters under her command, are they still alive?"
"They’re all here." In a corner of the cave, Meng Yuchun had used a Boundary to encircle all the Strange Monsters.
Li Banfeng marveled, "This Technique is truly useful! What Layer of Home Cultivation is this?"
Meng Yuchun feigned annoyance. "How could I just tell anyone that? Now, if you were to say it’s part of the price for our deal, I might consider telling you."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Let’s not discuss this now. We need to find a place to talk about the price."
Meng Yuchun led Li Banfeng to her residence. As before, he only stood at the entrance, not stepping inside.
"The price I’m offering is the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s territory. Do you agree?"
Meng Yuchun was confused. "The Mountain-Uprooting Master’s territory? Is that for me to decide? Where is the Mountain-Uprooting Master anyway?"
"Don’t worry about where she is. She has already agreed to this."
Meng Yuchun stared at Li Qi in astonishment. Even if Home Cultivators were somewhat slow-witted, she understood the implication of his words.
"The Mountain-Uprooting Master is dead? At your hands?"
Li Banfeng gave a slight nod.
"How is that possible..." Meng Yuchun was dumbfounded.
"You don’t believe me?"
"I saw you clearing the wilderness. Your cultivation level isn’t low, but you’re still on Earth Skin. How could you possibly have killed the Mountain-Uprooting Master?"
Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "I was concealing my true strength back then."
Meng Yuchun blinked. "You concealed it for three whole days?"
Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat. "I concealed it very deeply."
Meng Yuchun looked bewildered, still finding it hard to believe.
Li Banfeng said, "Believe it or not, the Mountain-Uprooting Master is dead. I want her territory, but I don’t want anyone else to know about this. I want to use your name to claim her territory, as the price for this deal. Do you agree?"
It took Meng Yuchun a long time to grasp Li Banfeng’s meaning. "Are you saying you want to register this territory under my name?"
Li Banfeng nodded.
Meng Yuchun shook her head repeatedly. "How could that work? An ordinary Local Deity can’t possibly hold two territories. What would the other Local Deities think?"
"Other Local Deities have always wanted to deal with you because you’re too easy to bully. As for what they’ll think in the future, you no longer need to care. They won’t trouble you again because they’ll be afraid of you."
"They’ll believe I killed the Mountain-Uprooting Master?"
"The Mountain-Uprooting Master tried to kill you first. It was a life-or-death situation; your killing her was perfectly justified. If they don’t believe it, they can always come and test you, but I wager they won’t dare."
Meng Yuchun considered for a long time, then sighed. "To be honest, I still don’t quite understand all this, and I’m rather afraid to do it. But I owe you. If it weren’t for you today, I would undoubtedly have died at the hands of the Mountain-Uprooting Master. Since it’s my life on the line anyway, I agree to this."
"Excellent! Let’s go find the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s Contract Book first."
Meng Yuchun led Li Banfeng to a group of Wandering Monsters. Playful Matron lay among them, apparently already dead.
After observing for a moment, Li Banfeng said to Meng Yuchun, "This one’s dead. Burn it. Destroy the corpse and eliminate all traces."
Playful Matron’s eyes snapped open, tears streaming down his face as he begged, "Spare me, sirs! I didn’t mean to provoke you! I was deceived by Weng Fangqu! He forced me to come!"
Li Banfeng had Meng Yuchun open an exit in the Boundary, letting Playful Matron out.
Playful Matron hugged his shoulders, shivering uncontrollably, perfectly displaying the helplessness of a vulnerable woman.
Li Banfeng asked very seriously, "How did Weng Fangqu deceive you?"
Playful Matron lamented tearfully, "I encountered him while wandering in the Wilderness and inadvertently accepted his offerings. He desired my body. I couldn’t resist him, nor could I refuse, so we became like husband and wife for a time, and I even bore him a child."
Li Banfeng said in surprise, "You even bore him a child?"
Meng Yuchun explained from the side, "It’s quite common for Strange Monsters to mate and have children."
Playful Matron cried, "I implore you both, show mercy and spare my life! Not just for my own sake, but for my poor, ill-fated child!"
These words were spoken so pitifully that even Meng Yuchun began to feel a little soft-hearted. Playful Matron wept so wretchedly that the surrounding Strange Monsters also started to shed tears.
Li Banfeng wiped his own eyes, then kicked Playful Matron over. "A child, you say? You’re a man! How could you possibly bear a child!"
"A man?" Meng Yuchun looked at Li Banfeng in surprise. "This... Playful Matron is a man?"
"Not just this Playful Matron. All Playful Matrons are men. Playful Matron is a special type of Wandering Monster. They are not just Drama Cultivators; they also engage in Dual Cultivation, specifically Lust Cultivation. Influenced by the New Land, all Playful Matrons can only impersonate women. They share a common characteristic: deceiving women by posing as women. First, they gain a woman’s trust, then they trick their way into her bed. Because they practice Lust Cultivation, they have many techniques for such situations, so even if a woman realizes she’s been deceived, she usually won’t resist."
Li Banfeng displayed a surprising breadth of knowledge. Even in the New Land, very few people knew the true nature of Playful Matrons. The Strange Monsters present, including two Wandering Monsters, had never even heard the name Playful Matron, let alone knew their habits; they had all mistaken this one for a high-level Drama Cultivator.
Even Playful Matron himself was astonished that the man before him knew his background so thoroughly.
Meng Yuchun stepped forward and kicked Playful Matron twice, demanding, "Where is Xiao Die?"
No longer daring to feign pitifulness, Playful Matron scrambled up and answered honestly, "Xiao Die has gone to a mountain to the southwest to form a cocoon and undergo metamorphosis. She told me about the temperaments and habits of everyone nearby but absolutely refused to reveal your residence. That’s why I impersonated her, followed Red Butterfly and Yellow Butterfly when they were delivering wine, and used the opportunity to scout the location."
Meng Yuchun wanted to find Xiao Die to get a clear explanation, but Li Banfeng reminded her there was no rush for that, as more pressing matters were at hand.
Li Banfeng asked Playful Matron, "Do you know where the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s dwelling is?"
Playful Matron nodded. "I’ll take you there."
Li Banfeng and Meng Yuchun followed Playful Matron to the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s territory. Arriving at the side of a sheer cliff, Playful Matron said, "Heroes, the Mountain-Uprooting Master lives inside this cliff."
"Where’s the entrance?"
Playful Matron shook his head. "This cliff face is the entrance. The Mountain-Uprooting Master’s Ghost Fire can pass through Stone."
Li Banfeng asked, "So, no one has ever entered the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s dwelling?"
"I’ve seen someone go in, but I’ve never seen anyone come out."
"Then how did they get in?"
"They passed through the wall, following the Mountain-Uprooting Master. I don’t know what kind of Spell they used."
Li Banfeng stared at the precipice, pondering a way to enter.