Looking at Chu Yunlong lying on the ground, Li Banfeng’s heart grew heavy.
The area was so desolate that wild beasts might be prowling. Li Banfeng couldn’t bear to leave Chu Yunlong’s body exposed to the wilderness, so he decided to take him back to the Portable Residence and use the Copper Lotus Flower for Alchemy.
Upon entering the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng lit the candelabra and placed Chu Yunlong’s corpse next to the Copper Lotus Flower.
he wondered.
HISS, HISS...
The Copper Lotus Flower sensed Chu Yunlong’s presence, its petals slowly unfurling one by one.
PSSSHHT...
Li Banfeng glanced back at the phonograph; it seemed to have just emitted a puff of steam.
As he puzzled over this, the candlelight flickered, and a whirlwind stirred within the Portable Residence.
Chu Yunlong’s gray suit and white shirt disintegrated, and even the forage cap on his head shredded into strips of cloth.
His naked corpse twisted and deformed, eventually becoming a paste-like Coagulated Cream that flowed into the Lotus Heart of the Copper Lotus Flower.
The petals of the Copper Lotus Flower immediately closed, and it was surrounded by Light Halos, in the process of Refinement.
Shattered cloth pieces littered the floor. Among them, Li Banfeng found a dagger with an exquisite appearance, complete with a scabbard.
He pulled the dagger from its sheath. Its chilling gleam proved it was a rare and fine weapon.
Just as Li Banfeng was about to examine the dagger more closely, another whirlwind kicked up inside the Portable Residence.
The whirlwind still emanated from the Lotus Heart, and a powerful force snatched the dagger from Li Banfeng’s grasp.
Li Banfeng tried to retrieve the dagger, but he was a step too slow.
The dagger turned into paste and was swallowed by the Lotus Heart.
Li Banfeng instinctively clutched his sickle and shovel tightly. But then he recalled that these two items had been near the Copper Lotus Flower many times before, and it had shown no interest in them.
Losing the dagger was a slight regret for Li Banfeng as he continued to search through Chu Yunlong’s belongings.
He found Chu Yunlong’s wallet.
He opened it carefully, afraid the banknotes inside would be devoured by the Copper Lotus Flower.
Inside Chu Yunlong’s wallet were 1,226.82 yuan in banknotes and six Ocean Dollars. Li Banfeng pocketed the banknotes and carelessly tossed the Ocean Dollars onto the bed.
While the Copper Lotus Flower was still in Refinement, Li Banfeng contemplated his current situation and future plans.
Li Banfeng peeled off two green Lotus Seeds. The first Lotus Seed quickly burst, revealing a rust-red Iron Bead, identical to the Rust Pill he had seen before.
Seeing the Rust Pill, Li Banfeng felt his scalp tingle and hurriedly threw the Elixir onto the ground.
Despite his swift action, Li Banfeng’s palm still felt a faint, sharp sting. The Elixir’s toxicity and corrosiveness were too potent; he still felt an urge to test it himself.
Li Banfeng carefully collected the Rust Pill into an eyeglasses case. The two Rust Pills lay quietly in the case, showing no reaction to each other.
After a while, the second Lotus Seed burst.
Li Banfeng peeled it open, and two entirely red Elixirs appeared.
"Brother Yunlong, I’m sorry," Li Banfeng muttered. "Next time, I’ll definitely let you show your strength."
Li Banfeng swept the scattered pieces of fabric into a corner of the room and lay on his bed, continuing to ponder his next moves.
Li Banfeng got up and started pacing back and forth inside the room.
Pacing in such a confined space was extremely difficult for Li Banfeng. If he didn’t carefully control his strength, he could slam into a wall at over twenty miles per hour.
Li Banfeng estimated he paced back and forth in the Portable Residence for at least five hours, ending up bruised and swollen.
He had mostly gained control over his legs, but Li Banfeng sensed his cultivation level hadn’t increased at all.
Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and retrieved the key from the rubble of the abandoned farmhouse.
Dressed in a beige suit and wearing a black top hat, Li Banfeng pulled the brim down low and swiftly made his way across the wilderness.
The sky had darkened. With no one in the desolate village, Li Banfeng initially restrained his steps. Once he left the village and arrived at a stretch of open field, he no longer held back, running wildly and unbridled.
Running, for a Traveling Cultivator, was an extremely gratifying activity.
There were no roads in the wilderness, but for Li Banfeng, everywhere was a road. Running without restraint brought an internal satisfaction and release.
After running for over an hour and passing several villages, Li Banfeng felt his cultivation level respond—he had done enough for today’s basic practice.
He didn’t stop running but continued to sprint forward.
He didn’t stop because he hadn’t run his fill, but because he was hungry and needed to find food.
This wasn’t difficult, as he remembered the roads and every place he had passed.
Approaching a village entrance, Li Banfeng looked at the stone stele. It bore three characters: Changliu Village.
There was still a light on in one of the houses in the village. Li Banfeng walked up to the door, preparing to ask the homeowner for something to eat.
Calming himself, Li Banfeng carefully sensed his surroundings. Detecting no danger, he knocked on the door.
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