Chapter 122: 念修

It didn't always work in critical moments. That wasn't ideal.

Li Banfeng recalled his fight with Huang Guangshi. He had been stabbed in the cheek with an iron ruler and intended to flee, but he hadn't succeeded. He might have tried to use 'Silent Steps' then, but he lost his composure in the heat of battle. This technique truly tested one's state of mind! It required using one's will to guide the steps.

"I'll steal a step." Li Banfeng stepped forward, but it didn't work. "I'll steal another step." Still no success.

Watching Li Banfeng stumble forward, Ma Wu frowned. "Brother Li, aren't you overthinking this?" he asked. "You've only been initiated for a few months, and you're already pushing for the second layer?"

"I'm just preparing," Li Banfeng replied. "That way, I won't be lost when I reach a higher level. Brother Ma, do you know about the third-layer techniques for Wanderer Cultivators?"

"I don't know," Ma Wu said. "Techniques from various cultivation paths aren't usually written down, especially those beyond the third layer. There are few practitioners, and they don't easily reveal them. Very few people know. If there were indeed books documenting such techniques, they would be priceless. I doubt even the Ma family library would have them."

As they talked, they reached the muddy swamp and quickly located the ball of sticky mud. This sticky mud was indeed hard to distinguish, almost identical to the common silt found throughout the swamp. Knowing its unique properties, Ma Wu lowered his voice and told Li Banfeng, "The sticky mud has a black 'skirt' around its edge. Where there's water, you can see this black fringe moving."

Li Banfeng looked closely and saw something indeed quivering at the edge of the dark, sticky mass. Overall, the mud resembled a decaying jellyfish.

"Brother Li," Ma Wu cautioned, "you must be gentle. This sticky mud is an anomaly, a living entity. If there's too much disturbance, it will escape. You hold the jar; I'll retrieve the mud."

Ma Wu put on gloves and took two steps into the swamp. He accidentally stepped into a mud pit, and one foot began to sink. As he frantically tried to pull his foot out, his other foot sank into the mud as well. Something was wrong; the swamp had changed! It wasn't like this when he'd visited before. Ma Wu didn't dare struggle further, turning back to look at Li Banfeng with an embarrassed expression.

Li Banfeng stood silently on the bank, clutching the iron jar, and watched as Ma Wu slowly sank deeper into the swamp.

After pulling Ma Wu from the mud, Li Banfeng put on his gloves and approached the sticky mud. Wanderer cultivators possessed a natural advantage in swamps. With every step, Li Banfeng could sense the safety of the ground ahead, significantly reducing the risk of sinking.

He was about five steps from the sticky mud when a splash indicated he'd made a slightly too loud movement. The sticky mud detected him, and its surrounding fringe began to tremble rapidly. Ma Wu frowned, realizing the sticky mud was about to flee. He didn't dare rush Li Banfeng, afraid he might step in the wrong spot in his urgency.

Li Banfeng swiftly took a step. The sticky mud abruptly rolled, attempting to burrow beneath the silt. He had underestimated its speed. Li Banfeng took another step. The sticky mud's body was already submerged in the silt.

Li Banfeng leaned down, plunged his hand into the muddy water, and scooped out the entire mass of sticky mud, placing it into the iron jar.

"We almost came all this way for nothing," Li Banfeng said with a smile.

Ma Wu was stunned. "Brother Li," he exclaimed, "you just stole a step!"

"What do you mean, 'stole a step'?" Li Banfeng asked, looking perplexed.

Ma Wu didn't know how to explain it. When the sticky mud submerged, Li Banfeng was three steps away. That was over two meters. Unless Li Banfeng had been lying in the water, he wouldn't have been able to reach the sticky mud at all. In the instant he bent down, he had stolen a step – a very large step. The distance had been reduced to about a step and a half, just enough for him to barely reach the mud.

Once Li Banfeng had exited the swamp, Ma Wu couldn't resist asking, "Brother Li, what cultivation layer are you?"

Li Banfeng replayed the action of retrieving the mud in his mind, also realizing that the distance had been somewhat peculiar. "That's precisely why I said one should prepare in advance," Li Banfeng calmly explained. "You never know when you might advance."

Ma Wu asked no further questions. He had never asked many questions about Li Banfeng. This included why Li Banfeng could defeat opponents of the first or even second layer, how he could dispose of bodies without a trace after a kill, why he suddenly went to Lushui City to buy a gramophone, and why he discarded it shortly after. It also included how he managed to escape Madam Suo'e, and why he never paid after eating noodles. Ma Wu never inquired about any of these matters; he knew it wasn't his place to ask.

However, the current situation made it hard for him to hold back. He and Li Banfeng had sought out the peddler and entered the cultivation path on the very same day. Ma Wu had only just passed the first layer, yet Li Banfeng was already at the second? That was impossible. Not even if he consumed Snake Scale Pills daily. Forget Snake Scale Pills; even a daily Blackflame Pill wouldn't achieve such a feat!

What on earth was the reason for this? Could it be related to his exposure to Heavenly Light? To have survived exposure to Heavenly Light, could he be one of the so-called prodigies?

"Brother Li," Ma Wu asked sincerely, "what cultivation method do you use? Could you give me some guidance?"

Li Banfeng considered for a moment, then replied, "Cultivation primarily depends on your state of mind. When your state of mind is ready, your cultivation will follow."

"State of mind?" Ma Wu wasn't very familiar with that term. Was it similar to 'disposition'? Could it be that I wasn't devout enough in my cultivation? Li Banfeng's journey from Medicine King Gully to Greenwater Bay might not have solely been to evade the Lu family; he was cultivating! Crossing the border must have entailed countless dangers. Wanderer cultivators can accumulate more time in perilous situations, so he must have done it for the sake of cultivation. His disposition was far more dedicated than mine. I appeared obsessed with Joyful Cultivation, but could I truly be as persistent as him? I couldn't afford to be complacent any longer.

The two walked back to Lanyang Village. Shortly after they entered the village, Tang Tianjin, the head butler of the Song family, appeared before them. Behind him stood three men whom Ma Wu recognized as the Song family's enforcers. What was this about? Were they looking for trouble?

"Young Master Wu," Tang Tianjin said, stroking his beard and smiling at Ma Wu, "hunting in the New Lands again? Did you find anything valuable?"

Ma Wu pointed to the foul-smelling fish slung over his shoulder. "We were trying to lure the Peach Tree," he explained, "but our luck wasn't good; the Peach Tree didn't show up."

Tang Tianjin chuckled. "Not enough fish, then the Peach Tree naturally won't come," he said.

Ma Wu gave a wry smile. "There are only two of us," he said. "We couldn't carry more stinky fish even if we wanted to."

Tang Tianjin nodded. "It's certainly a challenge for Young Master Wu. Seeing how hard you work, our master feels quite bad. How about this: tomorrow, we'll send a few more men to help you?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Ma Wu quickly responded. "I'm not that fortunate. I just want to gather a few peaches to earn a living. How could I dare disturb Master Song?"

"How can that be called disturbing?" Tang Tianjin said, his smile fading. "It's business, and there's always room for discussion. I must trouble you two to come with me; our master is waiting for you both at the Great Warehouse."

Ma Wu knew this was bad news. He first glanced at Li Banfeng, silently signaling him to prepare for escape, then turned to Tang Tianjin with a forced smile. "Steward Tang," he said, "please tell Master Song that my brother and I simply want to earn a living. If we've caused any offense, we'll come to the mansion another day to apologize."

"Don't want to go?" Tang Tianjin's face darkened. "Today, you will come, whether you want to or not!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Wu turned to leave. But though his body turned, his legs wouldn't obey. *Go with him, go with him!* A thought swirled persistently in his mind. This thought slowly began to control Ma Wu's will. Ma Wu walked step by step towards Tang Tianjin. *Damn it, he's a Thought Cultivator! He's controlling me with his mental power.* Ma Wu resisted subconsciously, but it was useless. His primary thought had been seized. While everyone has many thoughts, one is always dominant, and this dominant thought dictates a person's actions. A Thought Cultivator could seize control of a person's dominant thought, thereby manipulating their actions.

Tang Tianjin smiled at Ma Wu, then turned his gaze to Li Banfeng. He didn't know who Li Banfeng was. He knew Ma Wu had a companion, but because Li Banfeng was a Home Cultivator, he always overlooked him. Strange, Ma Wu had walked over, so why was Li Banfeng still standing there? Was his cultivation strong enough to break his mental power? If he possessed such cultivation, why would he be enduring these hardships with Ma Wu? What was he doing? He seemed to be talking.

Li Banfeng was indeed talking, but Tang Tianjin couldn't make out what he was saying. It didn't matter if he couldn't hear clearly, because Li Banfeng wasn't talking to him.

"He's telling you to go over there, why aren't you going?"

"Why would I go over? I don't even know him."

"But I think you should go over."

"If you want to go, then you go."

"How can I go over if you're standing here motionless?"

"How long are you two going to argue? We're in a fight, can't you tell?"

Tang Tianjin was dumbfounded. He didn't understand Li Banfeng's situation. Like any normal person, Li Banfeng had many thoughts. But Tang Tianjin couldn't pinpoint a single dominant thought. Tang Tianjin had never encountered such a situation, yet he remained confident in his techniques. As a second-layer Thought Cultivator, he refused to believe he couldn't handle such a young man.

He increased the intensity of his technique, and suddenly a splitting headache assailed him. In Li Banfeng's mind, countless thoughts were arguing, each fiercely holding its own opinion. The sound of these arguments, carried through Tang Tianjin's mental power, seeped into his own mind. This man was indeed different. He had no dominant thought. The thoughts in Li Banfeng's mind were not prioritized; they were all equal.

Just as Tang Tianjin considered retracting his technique, Li Banfeng suddenly appeared right in front of him. *Silent Steps? A second-layer Wanderer Cultivator…* Tang Tianjin didn't react in time, and Li Banfeng slit his throat with a sickle.

The three enforcers rushed forward, drawing their Tang blades. With a single strike each, two of them were cut down and fell to the ground. The remaining enforcer turned to flee. Ma Wu suddenly looked up and swept his gaze over him. Having passed the first layer, Ma Wu had learned the 'Confusion' technique. The enforcer's body trembled, his feet became unsteady, and he stumbled. Li Banfeng raised his sickle and hooked it into his skull.

"Brother Ma," Li Banfeng said, "check if there are any more ambushes around."

Ma Wu understood that Li Banfeng preferred not to be seen disposing of the bodies, so he quickly went to scout the surroundings.

Li Banfeng sent the four bodies into his Portable Abode. His wife yawned and sang, "My dear husband, you've worked hard. Your humble servant will prepare the ingredients now. These ones need to be processed quickly; I sense they won't last much longer."

"Should I get them some herbs?" Li Banfeng asked.

"No need for such trouble," she replied. "Your humble servant will simply eat faster."

Li Banfeng exited the Portable Abode, found Ma Wu, and prepared to head back to the wooden house.

"Brother Li," Ma Wu told him, "we need to go back and pack our things immediately. Lanyang Village is no longer safe; the Song family won't let us off. We must find another place."

"Are there other places we can go?"

"There are plenty of places. The Lu family is in disarray now, and their focus isn't on you. We could find a peaceful town near Lushui City to settle down for a while. The only issue is that those places aren't adjacent to the New Lands, so we'd have to find a new way to make a living."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I'd truly hate to give up such a good livelihood. We should at least complete one more deal. That old man just now mentioned the Song family's Great Warehouse. What sort of place is that?"

Ma Wu's eyes widened. "Brother Li, what are you planning?"

Li Banfeng's expression was perfectly calm. "I'm just asking," he said, "are there any valuables in his Great Warehouse?"