Chapter 119: Great Changes in the Pattern

Li Banfeng struggled to control his trembling legs, listening to his wife explain the third-tier techniques.

"Oh, my husband, the first and second tiers of Residence Cultivators don't actually have specific techniques. They only possess two innate abilities: 'Home Ground Advantage,' which means their combat strength significantly increases when inside a residence, and 'Unnoticed Presence,' which means they go unnoticed when outside a residence."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I have those abilities too. So, aren't 'All-Flavor Perception,' 'Sharp Golden Eyes,' and 'Spirit Sound Insight' considered techniques?"

His legs weren't just trembling; they seemed to be stretching as well.

"Those are techniques, yes, but they are also a special gift from me, your humble servant. Other Residence Cultivators might not necessarily possess them."

This was what made Residence Cultivators unique, and why others were reluctant to fight them: some of their techniques were bestowed by the Residence Spirit, making their workings unpredictable.

His wife continued, "However, the third-tier technique is different. This technique is universal among all Residence Cultivators; it's called 'Homeward Bound.'"

"As long as a Residence Cultivator feels the urge to return home, their combat power will significantly increase. However, the extent of the increase and how long it lasts depends on your capabilities, husband."

Li Banfeng slapped his thigh. "I can last a long time, you know that."

The gramophone let out a slightly mocking laugh. "The 'Homeward Bound' technique depends on two things: first, your cultivation level, and second, how urgent your desire to return home is. The higher your cultivation and the more urgent your desire, the stronger and more lasting the technique will be."

"I see. I'll go out and try it right away." Li Banfeng immediately stood up and ran outside; he couldn't hold it in any longer.

He wanted to run; he had an uncontrollable urge to sprint. It felt as if even if his upper body remained still, his legs would run off on their own.

The gramophone cautioned, "Husband, a Residence Cultivator at no tier must spend at least two hours at home daily. At the first tier, no less than three hours. At the second tier, no less than four hours. And now that you've reached the third tier, it must be no less than five hours."

"Normally, my lord, you are busy with your livelihood, and I haven't minded if you return earlier or later. But from now on, as you've advanced to the third tier, you must pay more attention to these rules."

"I, your humble servant, am easy to deal with, but the residence itself is not so accommodating."

Li Banfeng acknowledged her and immediately left his portable residence.

In the outer room, a bead of dew appeared on the bronze lotus.

She wasn't about to spit; she was breaking out in a cold sweat.

He ran like the wind, rushing out of Lanyang Village and onto the open wilderness, sprinting aimlessly.

Only by running wildly could he control the nearly uncontrollable trembling of his legs.

As he ran, Li Banfeng pondered:

The gramophone's final words were crucial. The cultivation method for Residence Cultivators relied on the balance between the cultivator, the residence, and the residence spirit.

If a Residence Cultivator stayed away from home for too long, or spent insufficient time at home, it would lead to an estrangement between the cultivator and the residence, potentially even causing the residence to retaliate.

If the portable residence wanted to retaliate against him, would it act directly, or would it team up with his wife to deal with him?

This thought was a bit superfluous.

If his wife wanted to deal with him, she wouldn't need to team up with the portable residence at all. The key was...

...the key was when he could stop!

Li Banfeng had been running for a long time.

From Lanyang Village to the wilderness, from the wilderness to a small town, and from one town to another, Li Banfeng ran over fifty kilometers. Even after he ran back to the small wooden house, he had no desire to stop.

The moment he stopped, Li Banfeng's legs began to tremble uncontrollably again.

He had underestimated this so-called retaliation. If he encountered an enemy now, Li Banfeng would be almost incapable of fighting back.

Continuing to run didn't seem to solve the problem either, unless he could directly ascend to the second tier through running alone. Running fifty *li* every day for ten years—who knew how long that would take?

How could he solve the problem?

Controlling his trembling arms, Li Banfeng fumbled in his embrace and pulled out the freshly refined Golden Yuan Pills.

There were thirty-eight pills in total, each representing a hundred days of cultivation.

Three thousand eight hundred days, more than ten years of cultivation. If he consumed these pills, Li Banfeng could advance to the second tier, returning to a state where he was only one tier behind a Residence Cultivator.

Could he really take so many pills at once?

After stopping for just a brief moment, Li Banfeng felt the urge to start running again.

He couldn't not run; his legs felt like they were about to fly off his hips.

This wasn't a trick of perception; his legs genuinely felt like they were about to detach. Li Banfeng could hear the sound of his joints grinding.

Blood oozed from his thighs; parts of his skin were torn by his own legs.

It wasn't just his legs; every joint in his body yearned to sprint.

His left hand wanted to run east, his right hand wanted to go west, and his neck wanted to fly to the sky!

His legs had to run, to run without stopping; if he stopped, his entire body would tear itself apart!

This couldn't go on.

If he took fewer pills, he still wouldn't reach the second tier, and the effects of the backlash wouldn't improve much.

Running aimlessly like this until he dropped dead, he probably still wouldn't be able to stop.

If he ran into an enemy, he might run his life right into their hands.

Go back to the portable residence to eat them?

Not advisable.

Li Banfeng's concurrent cultivation as a Traveler Cultivator could not be known by the gramophone.

The gramophone despised Traveler Cultivators, though the exact reason was unknown.

If the gramophone knew Li Banfeng was taking pills to boost his Traveler Cultivation, it might prevent his advancement, or even suddenly go mad and take his life.

In for a penny, in for a pound!

He might as well just take them now. If things got really bad, he could always go back to the portable residence for detoxification.

Li Banfeng sprinted all the way back to the small wooden house. Ma Wu emerged from the bedroom holding a newspaper. "Brother Li, guess what happened? The Lu family, they..."

"Don't talk about that now. I can't go to the new area tonight. Please guard the door for me; don't let anyone in."

"Brother Li, what on earth happened? Why are you shaking so much?"

"Shake, what's wrong with shaking? No, isn't it fine?" Li Banfeng stammered, unable to explain clearly, so he stopped talking.

He quickly went upstairs, entered the bedroom, poured out thirty-eight pills, popped them directly into his mouth, and swallowed them with a gulp of water.

Since arriving in Puro Province, this was Li Banfeng's first time taking cultivation pills.

The Golden Yuan Pills slid down his throat one by one, very smoothly, without any feeling of obstruction.

After consuming all thirty-eight pills, Li Banfeng didn't feel anything particularly special.

He just felt that the urge to shake wasn't as intense anymore.

Did this mean he had advanced to the second tier of Traveler Cultivation?

Had the backlash from his cultivation disappeared?

Was it taking effect so quickly?

Was the advancement so smooth?

Li Banfeng felt a wave of joy, but then he looked at his body and realized something was wrong.

He was still shaking, and shaking just as violently.

The reason he felt the urge wasn't as intense was because he couldn't feel his own body anymore.

He tried to move his arm, but it wouldn't obey him.

Was the pill's poison so potent?

He needed to get back to the portable residence quickly to detoxify!

How would he explain it to his wife?

He'd just say he suddenly went crazy and ate the pills!

Was that explanation believable?

He thought it was pretty believable!

Anyway, he had already eaten them. They just wouldn't mention Traveler Cultivation; the rest was just about deceiving her!

And honestly, what man hadn't lied to his wife at home?

Li Banfeng tried to pull out his key, but he couldn't; his hands had completely lost control.

I need to go home, I need to go home, I need to go home.

Veins bulged on Li Banfeng, blood vessels appeared in the whites of his eyes, and his fingertips slowly trembled as he reached into his trouser pocket.

Homeward Bound. His desire to return home was extremely urgent, which caused his physical capabilities to rapidly increase by a tier, temporarily overcoming the effects of the pill's poison.

He twisted the key, opened the door, and then tossed the key under the bed.

Upon returning to the portable residence, after just two steps, Li Banfeng collapsed onto the floor.

The moment he returned to the portable residence, his desire to be home was satisfied, the urgency disappeared, and the boosted combat power vanished with it.

Seeing Li Banfeng sprawled on the ground, the gramophone exclaimed, "Oh, my husband, what has happened to you?"

Li Banfeng could still manage to speak. "I took some pills, Golden Yuan Pills."

"Husband, why did you take those?"

"I thought they were very nourishing, so I ate them."

"How many did you take?"

"Thirty-eight pills, I ate them all!"

"Oh, you crazy man, are you trying to kill yourself?"

A cloud of steam lifted Li Banfeng and carried him to the bed. Li Banfeng lay flat for a moment, and surrounded by the swirling steam, he slowly calmed down.

The pill's poison was terrifying. It would take Li Banfeng a long time to regain full sensation in his body.

But it was still much better than the cultivation backlash. Just before taking the pills, he had even feared his body would tear itself apart.

Li Banfeng's legs were still shaking, as if they still wanted to detach from his body.

But he could see that the shaking was noticeably less violent.

On the bronze lotus, beads of dew flowed down one after another.

Ma Wu was downstairs, flipping through a newspaper. Today's news was indeed extraordinary.

The Lu family affair had been reported: Lu Dongjun accused He Yuxiu of secretly harming Lu Dongliang, while He Yuxiu claimed Lu Dongjun intended to kill his brother and usurp power.

Both sides presented their arguments, and the matter remained unresolved for now.

Lu Dongliang's whereabouts also remained unconfirmed.

Ma Wu couldn't be bothered to read the news commentaries from famous pundits; he was more interested in less critical news.

The Ma family was raising funds from various sources, preparing to open up new territory.

Although the Ma family had been declining in recent years, they shouldn't need to raise funds from so many sources just to open new territory.

Based on Ma Wu's understanding of his father, the Ma family's purpose in doing this was to withdraw the money deposited in the Lu family's bank. His father wanted to stay as far away from this conflict as possible.

Looking at another news item, Miss Chu Huaiyuan, the second young lady of the Chu family, clarified the false rumors of her killing her husband and went to the Hundred Pleasures Gate to support the songstress Jiang Mengting.

Miss Chu Two went to the Hundred Pleasures Gate again.

She had always had designs on the Hundred Pleasures Gate, but as it was the Lu family's property, she couldn't get involved. Now, the opportunity had arisen.

This also represented the Chu family's stance: they wanted to participate in this conflict and gain more benefits.

Ma Wu felt his heart itch with anticipation.

With the Lu family in chaos, the landscape of Puro Province was set to be rewritten, and he smelled an opportunity.

Something significant had happened in Puro Province. With so much trouble in the Lu family, they likely wouldn't have any spare thoughts for Li Banfeng.

Thinking of this, Ma Wu began to worry about Li Banfeng's condition again.

He was about to go upstairs to the bedroom to ask, when suddenly he heard a knock at the door.

He opened the door to see a middle-aged man standing outside, about fifty years old, wearing a dark green long gown, with a pale, beardless face, round-rimmed sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat.

"Whom are you looking for?" Ma Wu asked politely.

The middle-aged man smiled. "I'm looking for you, Young Master Five."

Ma Wu's heart tightened, but he feigned calmness. "What is your name?"

"My name is Yang Yanzheng, and I am a steward of the Chu family."

Upon hearing the name, Ma Wu remembered what Landlord Wei had said before his death.

It was this Yang Yanzheng, one of Miss Chu Two's people, who had consistently instructed others to persecute Ma Wu.

"How may I help you?" Ma Wu stood in the doorway, his expression remaining calm.

Yang Yanzheng smiled. "My young lady has her birthday this month and would like to invite you to join her. I've brought the invitation for you."

Ma Wu took the invitation, glanced at it, and smiled faintly. "Your young lady still wants to invite me? I've been expelled from my family. Is it appropriate for someone of my status to attend your young lady's birthday?"

Yang Yanzheng said, "Our young lady believes you haven't committed any major errors and shouldn't have suffered so much. She doesn't care what others say; as long as you are willing to grace us with your presence, the Chu family's doors will always be open to you."

Ma Wu paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "And if I don't grace you with my presence?"

Yang Yanzheng was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Young Master Five, you've truly suffered a lot these past few days. You wouldn't want to go through that suffering again, would you?"

Miss Chu Two first appeared in the newspapers of Yaowanggou, where she was a second-tier Ascetic Cultivator.