Hong Ying clearly had no eyes, yet she wrote the word "vile" so accurately.
Out of respect for Hong Ying, Li Banfeng didn’t even attempt to erase it, asking in a gentle and delicate tone, "Ying Ying, I wanted to ask you about regrowing flesh."
Hong Ying laughed. "Longing for this flesh of mine? Do you prefer Peach or Conscience? That awful wife of yours can’t regrow it, can she? Realizing you’re in a hurry now, are you?"
Li Banfeng honestly replied, "Indeed, it’s quite urgent."
"Alright then, I’ll teach you. Just call me ’Wife,’ and I’ll teach you."
"No problem!" Li Banfeng mustered his strength, strained every muscle, and squeezed out from his throat, "Ying Ying."
"I told you to call me ’Wife’!"
"That, uh, beloved Ying Ying."
"I want you to call me ’Wife’!"
The Phonograph from the main room said, "Beloved husband, just call her ’Wife.’ Little Servant won’t be upset."
Li Banfeng took a deep breath and stared at Hong Ying for a long time, but still didn’t utter a word.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Anything else was negotiable, but "Wife" was a title he reserved for only one person.
Hong Ying gritted her teeth in frustration. "Fine! I won’t make it harder for you. I can’t clearly explain how to regrow flesh. Go ask our Old Man about it!"
Li Banfeng ran to the Third Room, saying cheerfully, "Old Man, about this matter of regrowing flesh..."
The Portable Residence sneered, "Coming empty-handed and still expecting to learn a skill? Have you no shame?"
Li Banfeng thumped his chest, raising his head. "I’ll definitely make it up to you afterward. I never ask for favors without offering something in return. Old Man, whatever you want, just name it."
"Get me two iron rails."
Li Banfeng lowered his head again. "Old Man, you’re asking for too much. Are those something one can get just by asking?"
"Put it on a tab then. You can’t learn this technique to regrow flesh; there’s a Taoist Sect threshold involved that you can’t cross. Bring Red Lotus over; I’ll have her try to figure something out."
Li Banfeng ran to the Ninth Room and took Red Lotus in his arms. "Ah Lian, I’ve neglected you these past few days."
Red Lotus exuded dew all over, spraying it onto Li Banfeng’s face.
To show his sincerity, Li Banfeng didn’t wipe it off!
He let the dewdrops air-dry and carried Red Lotus to the Third Room.
The Portable Residence said to Red Lotus, "I’ll tell you the mechanics of the Technique. Let’s see if you can come up with a Pill Recipe."
The two communicated in some unknown way, and after ten or so minutes, Red Lotus produced two Lotus Seeds.
The first Lotus Seed burst open, and Li Banfeng harvested a Xuanyun Pill.
This was refined from the corpse of Scholar Guo.
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is this meant for Big Brother Qiu to use?"
Red Lotus seemed to say something, but Li Banfeng couldn’t hear it clearly.
The Portable Residence translated, "This is for you. Qiu Luoye can’t use it. She wants you to look at the other lotus seed."
Li Banfeng handed the Xuanyun Pill to his wife for safekeeping and peeled open the other lotus seed.
As the lotus seed burst, Li Banfeng saw the Pill Recipe.
It listed one hundred and thirty-two kinds of medicinal ingredients, each requiring two pounds.
"Are you opening a pharmacy?" Li Banfeng couldn’t help but exclaim.
Red Lotus closed her lotus leaf, seemingly sulking at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng, needing her help, couldn’t afford to get angry. He returned to his wife’s side and continued to inquire about passing the three stages.
"Beloved wife, the first stage is Soul-Separation, and the second is Resurrection. What is the third?"
"The third stage is Guardian Pass. After Resurrection, one must rely on their territory to find their ’position.’ The larger the territory and the more familiar one is with it, the quicker the position is found. Qiu Luoye needs to reclaim his position through Wuqin Village to stabilize his cultivation level and then secure his Soul. Even a slight unfamiliarity, and he won’t pass this stage. Is he familiar with Wuqin Village?"
Li Banfeng fell silent again.
Aside from the time he killed Qiao Shaofen, Qiu Luoye had never been to Wuqin Village; he didn’t like the atmosphere there.
Besides, the territory of Wuqin Village wasn’t large, just over three thousand square units, much smaller than Qiu Luoye’s original territory.
Li Banfeng fretted, "Beloved wife, these three stages are too difficult to pass!"
His wife sighed. "That’s why it’s said there’s less than a ten percent chance. Husband, the stakes are too high, and the odds of success are too small. We should think of another way."
The Inner State could act at any moment. Qiu Luoye’s life was hanging by a thread, possibly lost in the blink of an eye.
Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and found Qiu Luoye.
Qiu Luoye, woozy from drinking, was about to head home to sleep when Li Banfeng said, "Big Brother Qiu, I’ve got an idea. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but if you trust me, let’s take a gamble. The plan goes like this..."
Li Banfeng explained the process of passing the three stages to Qiu Luoye. He knew it wasn’t logically easy to grasp, so he tried to explain every detail in the simplest terms possible.
After the explanation, Li Banfeng asked, "Big Brother, is there anything you don’t understand?"
Qiu Luoye rubbed his nose and said, "Isn’t it just passing three stages? Which... which three stages were they again?"
Li Banfeng blinked. "Big Brother, how much have you had to drink?"
Qiu Luoye waved his hand. "It doesn’t matter which stages. I’ll listen to you anyway."
"To make this work, we need to dig up your Contract Book. It’s a life-and-death matter; you have to make the decision yourself."
Qiu Luoye wasn’t afraid. "Dig it up then! It’s death either way. I trust you, that’s all."
Since the decision was made, it was time to start preparations.
"Big Brother Qiu, first go to Wuqin Village and familiarize yourself with the territory. The more familiar, the better."
"Old Qi, give me two days. I assure you I’ll be thoroughly familiar with Wuqin Village."
"You still need two days?"
"Two days isn’t long. I haven’t really been there much before."
Such matters couldn’t be rushed. Li Banfeng could only hope that the Inner State wouldn’t make a move in these two days, which would give them some hope for successfully navigating the third stage.