"This matter is not urgent; it still depends on the Local Deity’s will. As long as the Local Deity agrees, you should hurry to cultivate the land in the next few days."
Zhang Wanlong repeatedly expressed his thanks. Li Banfeng summoned Root and gave him ten Mysterious Red Pills. This was not only for the affair of the Golden Juice; Root had always been dealing with Zhang Wanlong, so Li Banfeng had to provide him with enough security.
Root’s ears were still ringing. Li Banfeng handed him a pill capable of neutralizing the Blood-Splattered Homophone. "Eat this, and your ears will recover. Big Brother Zhang, you should take one too."
"Seventh Master, I don’t need it." Zhang Wanlong had also heard the Blood-Splattered Homophone but was not much affected.
He picked a cucumber, rinsed it with clean water, and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, please try this. It’s both crunchy and sweet."
Li Banfeng took the cucumber but didn’t eat it.
The Fake Unparalleled Back was made from cucumbers. Pan Dehai once said that it was impossible to create a new species with the power of a Taoist Sect alone.
When he reached He Yuxiu’s territory, Li Banfeng took out twenty Mysterious Red Pills.
He Yuxiu repeatedly waved her hands. "Brother Seven, you’re belittling me. It’s my duty to help you; should we even be keeping score?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Even among siblings, accounts must be clear. Take them."
He Yuxiu examined the quality of the Elixir. "Brother Seven, these are good things, but I don’t need them."
Indeed, the Mysterious Red Pill was precious; He Yuxiu had consumed quite a few in the past.
But at her current cultivation level and age, He Yuxiu no longer consumed Mysterious Red Pills. The Pill’s Poison was too potent and hard to eliminate; she couldn’t bear it if she consumed them in excess.
"If you won’t eat them, at least leave them for those around you."
He Yuxiu glanced at Oil Peach, who was squatting next to the wooden house with a pale face, still not recovered from the damage caused by the Blood-Splattered Homophone.
Li Banfeng took out two more pills for He Yuxiu. "These can neutralize a Sound Cultivator’s Technique."
He Yuxiu gestured dismissively. "It was just one sound; I don’t need to take medicine for that. Leave them all for the girl.
"Brother Seven, when can we return to Greenwater City? I want to take this girl to broaden her horizons, so she doesn’t spend all day thinking about grinding mirrors."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Pretty soon."
"Brother Seven, that camel is the Local Deity, right?"
"Yes." Li Banfeng did not hide it.
"Do you know where its Contract Book is?"
"It should still be at its residence. Why do you care about that thing?"
He Yuxiu said, "Turning in a Local Deity’s Contract Book to the Inner State can be exchanged for a hundred years of life.
"My father once invested nearly all the He Family’s fortune to buy a Local Deity’s Contract Book, only to find out it was fake when he presented it in the Inner State.
"He was furious. He wagered the rest of our assets and leveraged all our family connections just to reclaim our fortune.
"At the time, I couldn’t understand how my father could have been deceived in such a matter. But thinking about it now... a hundred years of life! Who could resist that temptation when it’s right in front of them?"
Li Banfeng had long known that a Contract Book could be exchanged for a hundred years of life in the Inner State.
Li Banfeng asked He Yuxiu, "How did your father get to the Inner State?"
"With a Guide Token. One can be obtained from the Border Defense Envoy. Large households all have Guide Tokens to the Inner State. It’s just that these are difficult to obtain, much harder than those for the Outside Provinces."
When they arrived at Meng Yuchun’s residence, Meng Yuchun was still groggy and had not fully recovered. If she were to face Bei Wushuang alone today, regardless of the method used, her chances of winning would be slim.
Meng Yuchun asked, "Where is Bei Wushuang?"
"His whereabouts are unknown. Pan Dehai went after him."
Meng Yuchun sighed. "Hopefully, Pan Dehai will take care of the Bird People, or else there’ll be no peace around here. And Pan Dehai shouldn’t come back afterwards, either. That old thing is quite disgusting..."
Speaking of Pan Dehai, Meng Yuchun couldn’t help but gag.
"Take this pill for now. It can break a Sound Cultivator’s Technique. I can’t do much about the Virtue Cultivation Technique for the time being. You’ll have to slowly figure it out yourself."
Meng Yuchun pushed the pill to one side, looking annoyed. "Who wants your pill? First, tell me why you wrote on my Peach?"
"It was a special situation. I was afraid the news would leak."
"You couldn’t find anywhere else?"
"Nowhere else was suitable. Pan Dehai was watching."
Meng Yuchun’s face turned red. "Knowing someone was watching, you still dared to make a move on me! You’re getting bolder!"
Li Banfeng smiled. "I will need you to take care of things in my territory."
Meng Yuchun nodded. "That’s no big deal."
"Also, have the Cook and his men gather more information about Bei Wushuang. We’ll discuss it together if something comes up."
Five days later, the Cook and his men had gathered some information: Bei Wushuang’s whereabouts were unknown, and no one knew where he had buried the Contract Book. Pan Dehai had searched for three whole days without any luck and left with Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyes Fish.
Li Banfeng asked, "Is the information reliable?"
The Cook was confident. "This friend has served beside Bei Wushuang for many years. He witnessed these things with his own eyes."
Pan Dehai indeed hadn’t found Bei Wushuang. He saw blood and flesh everywhere, but whether that was all of Bei Wushuang, he had no way to confirm.
Meng Yuchun was somewhat puzzled. "Why did Pan Dehai take Gao Shuxia and the Hundred-Eyes Fish with him?"
Li Banfeng said, "Those two ladies are beautiful. The Person of Great Virtue might be wanting to take them as concubines."
Three days later, once it was confirmed Pan Dehai had not returned, Li Banfeng buried Bei Wushuang’s Contract Book in Bei Wushuang’s territory. Following the methods taught by his wife, he then transferred the cultivation level from the Land Seal into his own.
Cultivation level is a hard currency. For Strange Monsters, that is the most valuable thing.
Another two days passed, and the station was completed.
Li Banfeng walked out of the Portable Residence to a clear view of the platform and canopy, but the rails and the train were not visible.
The station was small, with a very ancient style, but exquisitely made. The soil was packed so smoothly that, if one didn’t look carefully, it appeared no different from stone.
About twenty meters away from the exit, the platform disappeared. Upon walking back to where the exit was and waiting for a moment, the station reappeared.
The Portable Residence called this process "ticket inspection."
"Riding without a ticket shall be severely punished!" The Portable Residence emphasized again.
Over the phone, Luo Zhengnan brought news: the Border Defense Envoy intended to purchase the Hundred Joy Gate. The Chu Family had already agreed and was now awaiting the Lu Family’s response.
Li Banfeng did not care about the Chu Family’s attitude, but the Hundred Joy Gate was half owned by the Lu Family. This move by the Border Defense Envoy was a clear warning to the Lu Family.
Luo Zhengnan also said, "The Border Defense Envoy is also somewhat interested in the book and newspaper business at Black Stone Slope."
Li Banfeng changed into his familiar black suit, put on a black top hat, secured his keys, lowered the brim of his hat, and left his hundred-mile territory, heading towards Greenwater City.
PS: Let’s see who can’t withstand the pressure first.