Li Banfeng stood outside the mountain cave, while He Jiaqing was inside, separated by a wall. They had no idea who the other was or their respective situations.
He Jiaqing saw a light halo appear on the ground and immediately recognized the Door-Closing Technique of Home Cultivation.
To use the Door-Closing Technique, one must be at least an Eighth Layer cultivator. High-level cultivators rarely wander outside, and this new land was in the Outside Provinces, a rarely visited area. Who could the Home Cultivator here be?
The first person He Jiaqing thought of was the Local Deity of this new land.
He had entered and exited this new land many times and even helped Big Head build a cultivation site, but he had never met the Local Deity here. Unexpectedly, the deity had sought him out today.
There was nothing to fear. With He Jiaqing’s cultivation level, he need not be afraid of a Local Deity of a new land.
However, this matter needed careful handling. The fact that this Local Deity could guard the new land in the Outside Provinces meant he was certainly not ordinary.
Should he confront him?
He Jiaqing’s leg had just been injured by the Boundary, and he was still afflicted with the disease from the Green Flower. His overall condition was not great.
If it were another Taoist Sect, he could try, but his opponent was a Home Cultivator, and his house was definitely within this territory. The closer to the house, the stronger the Home Cultivator’s power, making him difficult to deal with.
Moreover, Home Cultivators have a certain restraint over Thief Cultivators, especially since their Techniques are mostly related to House Spirits and houses. Stealing them would be useless, which put He Jiaqing at a disadvantage.
So, should he not fight?
He had stored his human energy for so long, surely stolen by this Local Deity. If he didn’t give him a deterrent, the opponent would certainly become greedy for more.
After some consideration, He Jiaqing made up his mind. He would fight, but stop at the right moment, maintaining harmony while asserting his authority.
His right leg was still within the Boundary, causing pain that he had to endure as he pulled it out.
Encountering the Door-Closing Technique meant a price had to be paid. Entering the Boundary required taking a hit, and exiting it required another. Whether a single leg or the whole body went in, it had to come out.
Could he stay inside and fight? Was that possible?
That would be a huge mistake. A Cloud House Repair cultivator would undoubtedly use the Ninth Layer Technique to Expand Territory and Open Borders within the Boundary. Fighting a Home Cultivator in the Boundary was like fighting in their house, giving the Home Cultivator a significant advantage.
As he pulled out his right foot, another layer of skin was scraped off, and He Jiaqing reached for the mechanism to open the Stone Gate and seize the initiative.
Before his fingertips touched the mechanism, He Jiaqing felt a sharp pain in his foot. Upon looking down, he saw the Boundary suddenly appeared behind him.
What was going on?
Could Boundaries move?
The Cloud House Repair cultivator could indeed make the Door-Closing Boundary change, as Home Cultivators could expand the Boundary’s range to some degree.
He Jiaqing had once seen a Cloud House Repair cultivator whose Boundary changed from eight or nine feet to five or six meters.
But changing the Boundary took time. This Home Cultivator outside was really formidable, changing it in the blink of an eye, causing He Jiaqing to shed another layer of skin.
He Jiaqing hesitated not a moment longer. Willing to suffer one more time, he quickly retreated, jumping out of the Boundary, his eyes fixated on it as he declared aloud: "Hero outside the door, I admit defeat."
No more fighting.
In his current state, He Jiaqing felt he couldn’t win against the person outside the door.
Even if he could, he couldn’t afford to fight to the death, as he still needed to maintain a good condition to deal with the Greenwater Beggar.
Li Banfeng stood at the door, finding the voice inside very familiar.
Despite He Jiaqing trying to disguise his voice, Li Banfeng, having known him for four years in college, wouldn’t mistake those vocal nuances.
There was no response from outside. He Jiaqing continued: "I found a place to stay in your territory without notifying you beforehand, which was wrong of me. In a few days, I’ll surely present you with a token of my appreciation. If you find it agreeable, let’s consider this matter settled."
His words were quite sincere, but Li Banfeng didn’t reply. He withdrew the Door-Closing Technique and quietly left the wilderness.
His gloves slipped out of his pocket and followed behind, erasing Li Banfeng’s tracks, which was a basic skill for a Thief Cultivator.
Li Banfeng was contemplating the current situation.
It turned out that everything in the cave belonged to He Jiaqing, including those special tools and the collected human energy.
Big Head was He Jiaqing’s man and had become a turncoat at the Dark Star Bureau.
He had obtained a confidential document for He Jiaqing and delivered it to the Tea Mountain Hotel, though its contents were still unclear.
Big Head had left the human energy storage tools in the cave for He Jiaqing to collect. The exchange point was chosen in this new land, perhaps for secrecy or perhaps because He Jiaqing knew it was a route to Puluo State?
Did He Jiaqing come from Puluo State?
A series of questions flooded Li Banfeng’s mind. He really wanted to enter the cave and confront He Jiaqing directly.
But even if he asked, why would He Jiaqing tell him anything?
Li Banfeng had speculated before that He Jiaqing’s cultivation level had reached at least the Cloud Top Third Layer. Entering the cave rashly would be a deadly mistake.
...
He Jiaqing waited inside the cave for nearly half an hour, confirming that there was no more movement outside before he opened the entrance’s Stone Gate.
No traces were left on the ground; he wasn’t sure where the Local Deity had gone. Even if he knew, he couldn’t recklessly follow, risking provoking the Local Deity again with unforeseeable consequences.
A vibration from the button on his chest signaled a message from Zhu Junlong: "Jia Qing, I’ve got everything ready. When shall we visit Kang Zhenchang?"