Li Banfeng sat in the study room reading, and a whole morning passed in this way.
The Sand Goose House indeed had plenty of good books, but most were collections of poetry, selected writings, novels, and miscellaneous discussions.
These weren’t what Li Banfeng was looking for. He wanted to figure out why the Demon Land was in Puluo State, and to find clues, he needed to read histories.
Li Banfeng had paid a large sum of money and searched through various collections, but the only history-related books were some biographies of notable figures and travelogues.
The biographies were mainly focused on strange tales and anecdotes, and Li Banfeng could neither discern a timeline nor the context of the eras.
The travelogues, however, were quite useful, at least allowing Li Banfeng to learn about the famous mountains and rivers and the local customs and culture of many places.
It was within reason that Puluo State had no formalized history, and thus finding no historical books in the Sand Goose House was also to be expected.
What didn’t make sense was the condition of Li Banfeng’s body.
In terms of self-perception, Li Banfeng felt as if he had advanced; both his physical strength and his speed had increased by a great margin compared to before.
Yet he had no desire to walk.
From the beginning of his cultivation until now, every time Li Banfeng advanced, he felt an urge to run hundreds of miles. Restricted by his commitment to Home Cultivation, as long as he wasn’t in his Portable Residence, he would usually be running after each advancement, until his cultivation level stabilized, and only then could he himself settle down.
This time, he settled down straight away, spending his days sitting in the study room and his nights lying down in his Portable Residence. He felt no discomfort in his body, and his cultivation level seemed to be growing steadily.
After finishing two travelogues, Li Banfeng put the books back on the shelf and was about to have lunch when he saw Ma Wu rushing over, looking frantic.
Ma Wu looked Li Banfeng up and down several times and asked, "Old Qi, what happened?"
Li Banfeng was startled. "I should be asking you, what’s got you so panicked?"
"Lu Chunying and the others have all gone back. Xiao Yeci seems to have suffered quite a bit; her eyes are swollen from crying. I asked them what exactly happened, but they couldn’t give me a clear answer, so I hurried to find you."
Li Banfeng smiled. "The incident is over. Let’s have a meal and then talk."
At the restaurant, as they ate and chatted, Li Banfeng only mentioned that the Local Deity of the Ink Shop was acting strangely and that he was worried about Lu Chunying and the others, which was why he sent them back. He didn’t elaborate on other matters.
Ma Wu said, "I knew this blasted place wasn’t peaceful. Old Qi, after this, pack your things and leave with me immediately."
Li Banfeng laughed. "Do you dislike the Ink Shop that much?"
"If I weren’t worried about you getting into trouble, I would never want to come here in my lifetime."
After lunch, Ma Wu sat in the study room for a short while. Influenced by the order of the territory, he also picked up a book and flipped through a few pages.
Li Banfeng said, "I remember you being someone who enjoys reading."
Ma Wu did indeed like reading, having read through all the books in the Ma Family Library. His commercial acumen was partly due to talent and practice, but the other half was from strategies and lessons learned from books.
"Reading is good," Ma Wu said, "but I dislike the Ink Shop because it’s not conducive to cultivation."
After some thought, Li Banfeng said, "There are plenty of places for pleasure in the Ink Shop. Could it be that you’ve just not found the right approach?"
Ma Wu laughed. "Old Qi, you underestimate me. I dare not brag about other things, but how could I possibly fail to find my way in such places?
It’s just that in these establishments, I really don’t wish to go. First, you have to drink tea, then some wine, and engage in reciting poetry and matching couplets.
And when it gets to the heart of the matter, if I’m on top, she says she can’t bear the weight; if I’m beneath, she complains of exhaustion; if I’m behind, she accuses me of heartless betrayal. If I rush through it, I still suffer from her endless complaints and tears.
During all this, if even one word goes amiss, you can expect a sullen face from the lady until the end. I’m not someone who doesn’t understand romantic sentiment, but I really can’t tolerate that amount of affectation."
Li Banfeng smiled but suddenly noticed Xiao Chuanzi nearby.
Xiao Chuanzi had come with Ma Wu and was also reading a book—specifically, *Fragrant Words Tales*, a novel with a classical slant.
Li Banfeng had read this novel; it had excellent prose but a highly erotic plot.
The novel consisted of three volumes. Ma Wu once said that reading just one of them was equivalent to half a month of cultivation progress. Going through all three volumes while maintaining self-control could yield nearly half a year’s worth of cultivation level.
Li Banfeng had never persisted through all three volumes; he couldn’t even get through one without needing his wife to launder his trousers.
When Chuanzi was Entering the Path Gateway, he initially wanted to become a Literature Cultivator but joined Craftsman Cultivation because he was illiterate.
Later on, Ma Wu found a private tutor for him and Root. After about a month of study, Chuanzi could barely recognize a few characters. Then he followed Li Banfeng and Ma Wu, roaming far and wide.
In Li Banfeng’s memory, during their time running the newspaper office at Black Stone Slope, Chuanzi could barely recognize the characters for "Night-blooming Jasmine" and even had some difficulty with technical drawings.