Chapter 132: Green Water Beggar (High Energy Chapter)

The peddler took down a feather duster and handed it to Li Banfeng, saying, "If you want to buy this, I'll sell it to you for eight yuan."

Li Banfeng was startled. "Eight yuan? That cheap?"

The peddler nodded. "That's right, that cheap. Some losses, some gains, we're even. I believe in fair dealing, and you should know what kind of quality an eight-yuan item is."

What did he mean?

The peddler made it clear: it was just an ordinary feather duster.

An eight-yuan feather duster couldn't possibly be sentient, so why did Li Banfeng hear it speaking?

The peddler picked up a rattle drum and said, "Some magical treasures are good, but all of them come with a cost."

Cling-clang, cling-clang.

The peddler then went to attend to other customers.

Li Banfeng, with a collection of miscellaneous items, stood in a daze. Once Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi were confirmed safe, they all returned to Lanyang Village together.

Sitting in his bedroom, Li Banfeng took out the Entangling Silk Earrings and placed them on the table.

Using his Insightful Spirit Sound technique, he carefully listened to the sound of the Entangling Silk Earrings.

She was crying; she had been crying for many days.

The reason for her tears was simple: she had missed Lu Dongliang's meal.

A magical treasure refined by a first-level cultivator wouldn't typically have high intelligence. Yet, surprisingly, after so many days, she was still dwelling on Lu Dongliang's matter.

Was it truly the feather duster speaking just now, or did I hear something else?

Li Banfeng stared at the Entangling Silk Earrings, and a voice called out in his ear again: "Pity me, pity me."

The cost of the Entangling Silk Earrings was hearing sounds that shouldn't be heard.

Li Banfeng took the Entangling Silk Earrings back to his personal residence, allowing her to calm down first.

He gave all the vanishing cream, rouge, powder, and bead flowers to his wife, making her smell fragrant. He even placed a bead flower next to the gramophone's horn.

The gramophone, full of tenderness, whispered softly, "Thank you, my dear husband, for your affection. Your humble servant knows how good you are to me, but I have one question I'm not sure if I should ask."

"Please speak, my dear?"

"Husband, can these things be eaten as food?"

"My dear, can you stop always thinking about food?"

"Hmph! If I can't even eat my fill, why would I bother putting on makeup for you to see?"

At the entrance of Lanyang Village, a beggar covered in festering sores walked along, holding a bowl and asking for alms.

"Pity me, pity me, give me a bite to eat..."

Lanyang Village had simple customs, and its residents weren't likely to be overly friendly to beggars, especially one with such an appearance. His body was almost entirely covered in festering sores, from which green pus oozed.

However, this pus also offered the beggar some protection. He approached a noodle shop for a bowl of food, and the owner, initially wanting to kick him, recoiled his foot upon seeing the pus-covered body.

The beggar received no food. He slowly moved on with his bowl, continuing to beg.

"Pity me, pity me, give me a bite to eat."

Cui Titik, the Illness Cultivator, arrived in the center of Lanyang Village, looking up at the wooden house in the distance.

Daboynes had left, fearing further offense to the Chu family and thus not daring to remain in Lanyang Village.

Therefore, Cui Titik had to investigate Li Banfeng's whereabouts on his own.

"I wonder how my luck is today? Is there a chance I could find him directly in that small building?"

The weather was cold. Cui Titik sneezed, sniffled, and was about to walk towards the wooden house when a strange scent wafted into his nose.

"Pity me, pity me, give me a bite to eat." The beggar approached.

He had walked half the village without getting a single bite to eat.

This was to be expected.

No beggar who knew the way would come to Lanyang Village to ask for alms.

Lanyang Village had no custom of giving alms to beggars, let alone one covered in green pus; no one would even get close to him.

Yet, Cui Titik yearned to get closer to him.

He was drawn by the beggar's pus-covered body.

How delicious!

How could pus be so delicious?

The rich aroma instantly excited Cui Titik.

The beggar was asking Xiao Chuanzi for food. Xiao Chuanzi had joined the work-cultivators today and was in an exceptionally good mood.

Just moments ago, Ma Wu had taught Xiao Chuanzi a few characters. Today, Xiao Chuanzi found everyone pleasing, even feeling a sense of kinship with this beggar.

He took two eggs and placed them in the beggar's bowl.

The beggar blinked, then nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, thank you."

He took two more steps with his bowl, and Li Banfeng emerged from the wooden house.

Unsure if he was hallucinating, Li Banfeng couldn't shake the feeling that the beggar's voice was identical to the one from the Entangling Silk Earrings.

He took two steamed buns and put them into the beggar's bowl.

"Thank you," the beggar said reluctantly, his expression not looking too pleased.

Li Banfeng didn't linger; he turned and left Lanyang Village.

Was this beggar coming for me?

Li Banfeng had a strong feeling that this beggar's origins were unusual. According to his sense of avoiding danger and seeking fortune, giving him food was the right thing to do, but he should keep his distance.

The beggar, holding his bowl, had a hint of chill in his eyes.

To receive alms twice in Lanyang Village? This was strange.

Today was truly uncanny.

He needed to pass through this village quickly. If he received alms one more time, he would have to return.

The beggar sought a less crowded path when he suddenly felt something was amiss with his body.

The pus on his sores was gone.

All his sores were disappearing at a visible rate.

Who did this?

The beggar looked at Cui Titik. "You ate my sores?"

Cui Titik was startled, not expecting the other person to recognize his technique.

"It doesn't matter if you can tell," Cui Titik said with a smile. "I cured your illness; you should thank me. Your disease was truly delicious."

"Delicious? You're an Illness Cultivator?" The beggar stared intently at Cui Titik.

Cui Titik stopped smiling.

In the entire Puluo Province, very few people knew about his Taoist sect.

How could this beggar be so knowledgeable?

Cui Titik decided to kill him.

The beggar looked at Cui Titik and asked, "You ate my pus; how will you repay me?"

Cui Titik prepared to act immediately. "I cured your illness; aren't you pleased?"

The beggar shook his head. "You ate all that green pus; is the water of Greenwater Bay still green?"

Cui Titik shivered, instantly lowering his head.

Only then did he realize he couldn't possibly kill the person before him.

He shouldn't even meet this person's gaze.

"You, you are..."

The beggar smiled. "Do you know who I am now?"

"You, you are... the Master of Greenwater Bay."

"And?"

Green pus churned within Cui Titik's body, and he sensed the other person's additional identity.

"You, you are... my, my Taoist sect's founder..." Cui Titik staggered backward, then dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, begging the beggar for forgiveness.

"Great Founder, I had no disrespectful thoughts, though I acted disrespectfully. But that was before I knew your true identity. I beg your forgiveness, I beg..." Cui Titik trembled uncontrollably. All sorts of pustules constantly erupted on his body, breaking open repeatedly, green fluid spreading everywhere.

Passersby were nearby, but at that moment, they could see neither Cui Titik nor the beggar.

Though the beggar and Cui Titik were still in Lanyang Village, under the beggar's influence, they had moved beyond the perception of normal people.

"I thought cultivators of the Taoist sect were extinct; I didn't expect to find one more," the beggar scoffed. "I should have made you stay and be buried with them, but I see you have good talent, so I'll spare your life. Now go. Go far away, the farther the better."

Cui Titik stumbled to his feet and ran.

Pus continually flowed from his body, and he frantically sucked it back, not allowing a single drop to fall to the ground.

Allowing it to touch the ground would be sacrilege, a desecration of the Taoist sect's founder.

The beggar continued walking south through the village, this time choosing a less frequented path.

If he reached the end of the village without receiving any more alms, Lanyang Village would suffer a terrible plague.

And this plague would spread throughout Greenwater Bay.

Under normal circumstances, no one in Lanyang Village would give alms to a beggar. The beggar's estimation was correct; he walked all the way to the edge of the new land without anyone giving him a single grain of rice or a copper coin.

The beggar silently looked at the village, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Sores erupted on his body one after another, each topped with specks of green pus.

He saw many young people heading to the new hunting grounds and decided to target them first.

The beggar's figure imperceptibly vanished from people's sight once more. Even if someone wanted to give him alms now, he wouldn't offer them the chance.

The sores on his body burst one by one, and just as the green pus was about to spread into the air, a cold gust of wind suddenly blew it all away.

This was Greenwater Bay!

Who could scatter his magic?

The beggar glared fiercely around him, but the sharp intensity in his eyes suddenly diminished considerably.

He didn't see the other party, but he heard his voice.

Cling-clang, cling-clang!

The beggar shivered.

How was he still nearby?

Hadn't he left?

Even if he comes, I'm not afraid. I'm operating by the rules.

"A cartload of good, old-brand merchandise. We'll make our profit, then you can pick as you please! Do you want to buy anything?"

The peddler's voice appeared in the beggar's ear.

Though he had been prepared, the beggar still shivered and replied, "I don't want to buy anything today."

"If there's nothing you want to buy, go home. Why are you loitering outside?"

The beggar replied, "By the rules, I can come out once a year."

"I didn't say you couldn't come out, but by the rules, if three people have given you alms, you should leave."

The beggar argued, "Only two people have given me alms: two eggs and a few steamed buns. They're all here."

"Three people. I saw them all. Someone cured your illness."

The beggar continued to argue, "That doesn't count as alms."

"It counts. Curing your illness isn't charity?"

"He didn't give me anything. I didn't receive anything from him, so it shouldn't count."

"I think it does."

"It doesn't."

"I think it does."

"It doesn't..."

"Don't push your luck," the peddler's tone changed.

The beggar stopped arguing. His figure vanished silently, as if he had never been to Lanyang Village. Aside from what Cui Titik had absorbed, not even a drop of pus remained.

The peddler stood in the wilderness, leaning against his cart, lost in thought.

Why did the Greenwater Beggar come to Lanyang Village to beg for food?

Knowing full well that no one in Lanyang Village would give him alms, did he deliberately intend to bring disaster upon Greenwater Bay?

Greenwater Bay was his territory. What did he hope to gain by doing this? Did he want to destroy his own home?

Neizhou.

It's likely that Neizhou made him some kind of promise.

The other party's offer must have been significant, enough to make the Greenwater Beggar willingly abandon his territory.

Of course, one shouldn't be too hasty in judgment; it could also be Waizhou.

The Greenwater Beggar might not be the only one who received a promise. Who else could there be?

The peddler pushed his cart and walked deeper into the wilderness.

Li Banfeng returned from Greenwater City and went directly to the former site of the Song family mansion.

The original mansion had been leveled by Li Banfeng using a road roller. Rebuilding a mansion would certainly take too long. Fortunately, Lanyang Village had many strong laborers. As long as money was offered, plenty of people were willing to work. Though a mansion couldn't be built, several rows of wooden houses were erected in front and back.

In the middle of the front row, the most spacious wooden house was a dance hall.

On either side of the dance hall were taverns.

Next to the taverns were restaurants.

Beside the restaurants was Ma Wu's large storage warehouse.

For a hunter returning from hunting in the new territory, the consumption order in this area was as follows:

First, they would sell their goods to Ma Wu, ensuring their pockets were full of money.

With money, they would certainly want a hearty meal, and a restaurant was right next door.

During their meal, everyone would gather to chat, recounting their perilous experiences in the new territory. A single meal wouldn't be enough, so they would surely head to the tavern for a few drinks.

After a few drinks, once the alcohol took effect, simply bragging to friends wouldn't be enough. They could move to another place to enjoy other amusements.

The dance hall was right next to the tavern.

If they weren't used to these Western amusements and preferred something traditional?

Traditional options were also available.

Ma Wu moved the Jiqing Troupe behind the dance hall.

The troupe leader of Jiqing initially refused. However, after Li Banfeng went to the troupe every day for five consecutive days to lecture and teach the girls how to sing, the leader no longer refused Ma Wu's kind offer and moved the troupe there.

Here, the hunters indulged in leisure. After dancing to their heart's content and listening to enough music, the back rows of wooden houses served as inns, providing ample space for various activities.

Ma Wu named this place "Dream Spring Garden."

Any hunter who entered Dream Spring Garden with money after an adventure in the new territory would surely spend it all.

Even if he had only one Huan Kingdom bill left in his pocket, a lady would offer a farewell kiss, making him willingly part with that last yuan!

A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it honorably. In Dream Spring Garden, every penny spent was given willingly!

The dance hall was all set, but one thing was still missing.

Li Banfeng had gone to Greenwater City specifically for this item.

At the Marvelous Sound Phonograph Shop, he bought the Windmill Phonograph.

Xiao Chuanzi led everyone in setting up the phonograph. The dance hall's back window faced the wind, so the windmill started to turn, and the phonograph began to play as Li Banfeng placed a record on it.

This record was special. Ling Miaosheng had specifically commissioned the singing queen Jiang Mengting to record a song for it, celebrating Ma Wu's business opening.

Jiang Mengting's singing was incredibly sweet, the melody playful and lively, and the rhythm cheerful. After listening for a moment, everyone couldn't help but start dancing to the music.

"Dream Spring Garden, Dream Spring Garden, you are a city that never sleeps. Lights turn on, music plays, and songs and dances fill the air!"

The dance hall was filled with laughter and joy. Liu Family Paper Horse Shop was the first to send its congratulations.

A paper figure silently walked into Lanyang Village.

Dear readers, happy weekend! What a wonderful story...