Chapter 131: Golden Cultivation

Liu Liangyi was determined to get revenge on Ma Wu, but he didn't act immediately. Unlike Liu Changyu, Liu Liangyi considered every aspect before making a move.

First, the attack had to succeed. Nightmares leave too many traces, making it easy for the opponent to find evidence. To erase all traces, no one could be left alive at the scene. This wasn't difficult for Liu Liangyi; he had sixty ghost servants. As long as they cornered Ma Wu and surrounded him, they could simply kill him, ensuring no one escaped alive.

Second, he needed to guard against techniques and magic tools. Ghost servants, with their ability to shift between solid and ethereal forms, certainly had an advantage in combat, but they were also vulnerable to certain Daoist techniques. Pleasure Cultivation had some techniques that could restrain spirits, but one would need to be at least at the third level. Did Ma Wu have third-level cultivation? Liu Liangyi wasn't sure. He surmised that since Ma Wu could kill Song Jiasen, his cultivation wouldn't be too low.

Besides techniques, there were also magic tools that countered spirits. Did Ma Wu possess such a magic tool? He once did. He had a dog-skin coat, dirty and greasy, making him look like a beggar when he wore it. Wearing this coat, any ordinary spirit would dissipate instantly upon contact. Now that Ma Wu had been expelled from his family, did he still have this dog-skin coat? Liu Liangyi dared not gamble. If Ma Wu still had the coat, relying solely on ghost servants would not only fail to kill him but also lead to the loss of many ghost servants. These sixty ghost servants were the result of Liu Liangyi's painstaking efforts over many years. Losing even one meant a reduction in the Liu family's fighting strength. Failing to kill Ma Wu while sacrificing all his ghost servants was a loss Liu Liangyi could not bear.

To ensure absolute certainty, Liu Liangyi decided to deploy paper figures. Ghost servants could attach themselves to paper figures, avoiding direct contact with Ma Wu. Even if a paper figure was destroyed, the ghost servant could calmly escape and attach to another. With ghost servants moving freely among the paper figures, Ma Wu wouldn't find a target for his techniques. Eventually, even by attrition, they could wear him down and kill him.

The method was sound, but controlling it would be difficult. Liu Liangyi hadn't used paper figures in many years. One ghost servant could control up to five paper figures, meaning sixty could control three hundred. This was like using his cultivation to command a small army, and Liu Liangyi, being older, felt he lacked the strength. After careful consideration, he decided to use forty ghost servants to control two hundred paper figures, keeping the remaining twenty ghost servants by his side for his own protection.

Third, secrecy also had to be maintained. Using so many paper figures could not be detected. Not only must Ma Wu's people not detect it, but even his own people couldn't let slip a single word. Did Liu Liangyi trust his own people? No, he didn't. He didn't even trust his closest confidant, the accountant Hu Juncai. Having roamed the jianghu for decades, he trusted no one but himself. He decided to go to Lanyang Village alone, but he couldn't go for the next two days, because he heard someone was coming near Lanyang Village. If this person appeared, it would be best not to cause trouble, or there would be significant problems.

Jingle, jingle!

"Foreign soap, vanishing cream, foreign matches, foreign candles, foreign spades! Come and see, come and behold! A cart full of good merchandise, pick whatever you like!"

The peddler pulled his cart to the side of the road. Just as he shouted a couple of times, Li Banfeng rushed over with three others. Having heard the peddler was coming these days, Li Banfeng had been sending people to gather information and finally awaited his arrival. Li Banfeng was an old customer. Even with a top hat and a full beard, the peddler recognized him.

Seeing his old customer, the peddler started to push his cart away, not wanting to do business with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng quickly stepped in front of him and stopped him: "I want to buy medicine, the introductory medicine!"

The peddler stared at Li Banfeng for a moment. "You want to buy introductory medicine? Do you still dare to buy introductory medicine?" He had already entered two paths; buying more medicine now would be courting disaster.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's not for me; it's for my two brothers." Behind him were Ma Wu, Xiao Chuan, and Xiao Genzi. These two were road workers, ordinarily devoted to Ma Wu. They had previously secretly saved money to buy medicinal soups, accumulating some affinity for the Dao. Seeing their foundations were acceptable, he brought them to begin their cultivation.

Ma Wu chuckled. "Please take a look and see what medicinal powders you have today."

The peddler shot a disdainful glance at Li Banfeng, then turned to Ma Wu. "You just want to start cultivating, right? You can bring these two; you don't need to bring him along."

Li Banfeng was very displeased. "I'm also here to buy things. You're here to sell; how can you pick and choose your customers?"

"You're the one who's here to sell!" the peddler spat at Li Banfeng, then turned to Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi. "I've brought a lot of medicinal powders today. Which Daoist path do you two wish to choose?"

Xiao Chuanzi was still hesitating. Li Banfeng offered a suggestion: "Choose Pleasure Cultivation with your young master; you can cultivate together."

Xiao Chuanzi shook his head. "I don't think that path has any future."

Ma Wu kicked Xiao Chuanzi. "Who are you calling useless?!"

Xiao Chuanzi said to the peddler, "Actually, I wanted to cultivate Literature Cultivation."

The peddler smiled. "Promising! Do you usually enjoy reading?"

Xiao Chuanzi answered seriously, "I love reading, but I can't read characters."

The peddler frowned. "You can't read, so how will you cultivate Literature Cultivation?"

Xiao Chuanzi lowered his head and said, "I just want to learn how to read."

Ma Wu told the peddler, "Give him the Literature Cultivation powder; I'll teach him to read."

The peddler shook his head. "That's nonsense. Do you think learning to read is easy? How many years have you spent learning yourself? Don't you know how difficult it is? Once you start Literature Cultivation, you must read a book every day. If he can't read, what will he read? If he can't complete his daily cultivation, won't he just be waiting for death?"

Xiao Chuanzi looked distressed. "I just don't want to be illiterate."

The peddler waved his hand. "Then go and learn to read. Come find me again once you've learned!"

Xiao Chuanzi felt even more wronged. "I can operate a road roller; I'm not useless."

The peddler chuckled. "Who said you were useless? It's not just Literature Cultivation that makes one promising. You can operate a road roller, right? Can you also repair a road roller?"

Xiao Chuanzi nodded. "I can repair it!"

The peddler put on his gloves, picked up a shovel, and scooped out some medicinal powder. He said to Xiao Chuanzi, "This is the powder for Craft Cultivation, specifically for studying crafts and techniques. The more techniques you learn and the more skilled you become, the faster your cultivation will increase."

Xiao Chuanzi excitedly asked, "What are crafts and techniques?"

"Crafts and techniques are..." The peddler paused, unsure how to explain it to Xiao Chuanzi. "They are... repairing road rollers, repairing trains, repairing airplanes, repairing mechanisms, repairing traps... From small bamboo baskets and clay pots to grand skyscrapers, these are all crafts and techniques. It all depends on how much you can learn!"

Xiao Chuanzi nodded. "I can do this!"

"You can do it, but the powder isn't cheap. Craft Cultivation costs 110,000; no bargaining."

Upon hearing the 110,000 for the powder, Xiao Chuanzi nervously looked at Ma Wu. Ma Wu unhesitatingly took out 110,000 and handed it to the peddler, money in one hand, medicine in the other. The peddler reminded him, "Even if you learn Craft Cultivation, you'll still need to learn to read, or it will be hard to make progress later on." Xiao Chuanzi agreed, took the bright silver powder that smelled of iron, endured the sharp pain, and immediately patted the medicine onto his belly, successfully entering the path.

Xiao Genzi also wanted Craft Cultivation. But he felt that 110,000 was too high a price. Ma Wu was closer to Xiao Chuanzi, and Xiao Genzi wasn't as favored. He worried that Young Master Wu wouldn't pay for him. Seeing the peddler's attention was on Xiao Chuanzi, Xiao Genzi quietly slipped to the side of the peddler's cart. The drawer from which the peddler had taken the powder was still open. Xiao Genzi secretly put on gloves, grabbed a handful of powder from the drawer, and rubbed it onto himself.

The peddler suddenly turned around, looked at Xiao Genzi, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Xiao Genzi endured the pain and shook his head. "Nothing."

The peddler angrily said, "You stole my medicine!"

Xiao Genzi still shook his head. "No, I didn't."

Ma Wu became angry. "Genzi, if you took someone's medicine, you should admit it. I'll pay for it; don't do something so disgraceful!" Xiao Genzi lowered his head, not daring to speak.

The peddler carefully examined Xiao Genzi's face and asked, "What kind of powder did you just take?"

Xiao Genzi pointed at Xiao Chuanzi. "His powder and mine are the same; they both came from the same drawer."

The peddler shook his head. "Powders from the same drawer aren't necessarily the same kind. Is it this color?"

The peddler scooped out a spoonful of powder from the same drawer. The powder inside was golden, even more dazzling than the golden powder for Residence Cultivation. Everyone was stunned. The powder scooped out from this drawer just now was clearly silver; how had it suddenly turned golden? Xiao Genzi had been too hasty when stealing the medicine and hadn't noticed the color. He opened his palm and saw golden medicine residue still on his glove. It really was golden powder that he had taken!

The peddler smiled. "Little brother, you're lucky. The powder you chose is cheap, only one hundred yuan."

Xiao Genzi looked surprised and delighted. "Only one hundred yuan?" This was great! His young master wouldn't have to pay; Xiao Genzi could afford it himself!

The peddler nodded. "One hundred yuan is enough, and there's a bonus." After speaking, the peddler took out two slender buckets from his cart, about a foot and two inches tall and roughly two fists in diameter.

Xiao Genzi asked, surprised, "What are these buckets for?"

"No rush, no rush, there's more to give." The peddler also gave Xiao Genzi a spoon with a handle about a meter long. "These buckets are to be used with this spoon."

Xiao Genzi held the spoon and asked, puzzled, "Why do they need to be used together?"

The peddler explained, "That bucket is a 'gold bucket,' and that spoon is a 'gold spoon.' They are used for scooping 'golden soup.'"

Xiao Genzi looked at the spoon in his hand again, a bad feeling rising within him. "What is 'golden soup'?"

"The golden soup from the latrine!"

"Isn't that... feces?"

"You chose Gold Cultivation, so naturally you have to scoop golden soup!"

"What kind of Gold Cultivation is this? This is Feces Cultivation!" Xiao Genzi cried out loud right then. "I won't do it, I won't choose this path!"

The peddler shook his head and sighed. "You've already chosen your Daoist path; there's no medicine for regret now."

Xiao Genzi wailed, "I'd rather lose my life than choose this path!"

The peddler sighed. "You can look at the bright side. All Daoist paths in the world have checks and balances, complementing and restraining each other. Poison Cultivation and Medicine Cultivation counteract each other, Water Cultivation and Fire Cultivation counteract each other, Residence Cultivation and Travel Cultivation counteract each other, Pleasure Cultivation and Ascetic Cultivation counteract each other. Only your Daoist path is powerful; you restrain others, and no one can restrain you. Travel Cultivators flee from you, Literature Cultivators hold their noses around you, Residence Cultivators shut their doors when they see you, Food Cultivators feel nauseous, Martial Cultivators give you a wide berth, and Pleasure Cultivators feel their bodies and minds soften. Spirits fear filth; even the ghost servants of Nightmare Cultivation dare not be presumptuous in front of you. If this path is mastered, it will surely be invincible!"

Xiao Genzi wailed, "I won't cultivate this, I just won't!"

"Try to be open-minded. You've already entered the path. From now on, you must carry this feces bucket. Before reaching a higher level, you must carry it for five hours every day. It can't be empty; it must contain 'goods,' and you must replace them with fresh ones daily. The more frequently you replace them, the faster you'll advance. Once you reach a higher level, you'll carry it for eight hours a day. After reaching the second level, one bucket won't be enough; you'll need to carry two. Then you can come back to me to buy a third, in preparation for advancing to the third level. Even if you don't want to advance, you must carry it for at least two hours a day, and the 'golden soup' in the bucket must be replaced at least once every two days. I've pointed out the path; how you walk it is up to you."

Xiao Genzi sat on the ground, wailing, while the peddler continued to hawk his goods.

Ma Wu walked up to the peddler and asked, "I want to buy some tonics."

"Tonics for Pleasure Cultivation?" The peddler smiled. "Yes, I have them. Do you want medicinal soup, powdered medicine, or pills? Medicinal soups are slow-acting, powdered medicines don't last long, and pills are highly toxic. You choose."

Ma Wu bought the medicinal soup. The peddler didn't provide a prescription, only pre-packaged doses, one per day. He warned Ma Wu that they wouldn't be effective if opened. Ma Wu bought over a hundred medicine packets, enough to last until the peddler's next visit. Satisfied, he began planning his next stage of cultivation.

Li Banfeng also inquired about medicine. "Do you have any medicine that can detoxify pills?"

The peddler shook his head. "I don't have that."

"You really don't?"

"If I had such a good item, would I still be pushing a cart and traveling around? Different pills have different toxicities. There's no great way to neutralize them. You either rely on your physique to withstand it, or you let time wear it down. There's no shortcut here."

Unable to find a way to detoxify pills, Li Banfeng instead asked about something else: "Where is the Peddler's Dao located?"

The peddler looked at Li Banfeng, unsure what to say. "Don't you have any sense? I am the peddler. You ask me where the Peddler's Dao is located? That's my secret; how could I tell you?"

Li Banfeng said very sincerely, "I'll pay."

The peddler flared up in anger. "Is this about money? This is where I make my living and find my place. Can I just casually tell others? You ask such a vulgar question; do you respect me?"

Li Banfeng pouted. "You really can't say, no matter what?"

The peddler shook his head. "Well, not exactly. If you join my Daoist path and cultivate to a certain level, then I might tell you some things about the Peddler's Dao."

The peddler had a Daoist path too? This was the first time he had heard of it. Should he try joining his Daoist path? Li Banfeng had already entered two Daoist paths. He pondered for a moment and said, "What would happen if I were to enter one more Daoist path now?"

"You would die," the peddler replied directly.

"Then forget it."

With no immediate hope regarding the Peddler's Dao, Li Banfeng simply asked a more direct question: "Do you sell travel permits?"

The peddler was speechless. "Do you think I would sell such a vulgar item? No!"

Li Banfeng snorted. "You have nothing, yet you have the nerve to do business!"

The peddler wanted to beat Li Banfeng up, but in front of so many people, he was afraid of ruining his reputation, so he could only forcefully endure it.

Ma Wu and Xiao Chuan both bought what they wanted. As for Xiao Genzi, he had at least entered a path. It was rare for the peddler to visit, and Li Banfeng was the only one who got nothing; he was unwilling to accept it.

"I'll buy that iron bucket, two bottles of vanishing cream, two bars of fragrant soap, that rice spoon, that pot, also some rouge and powder, and a few of those beaded flowers."

"You're a man; why are you buying so much rouge and so many beaded flowers?" The peddler was very confused.

"None of your business, I'll pay for it," Li Banfeng said, looking at the red lantern stuck on the peddler's cart. "I want that too."

The peddler waved his hand. "I can't give you that lantern. I told you last time, it was a gift from a friend. I won't sell it for any price." The lantern wasn't for sale.

"What about that feather duster?"

"That feather duster is for dusting!"

"One hundred yuan, will you sell it?"

"No!"

"One thousand!"

"No!"

"Ten thousand!"

The peddler frowned. "Why are you so insistent on buying this feather duster?"

Li Banfeng didn't speak. He felt as if the feather duster was speaking. He couldn't hear clearly what it was saying. He used his Thread-Pulling Earrings to listen. It seemed to be saying, "Pity me, give me something to eat."

The peddler looked at Li Banfeng, then at the earrings he kept clenched in his palm, and his brow furrowed slightly.