Chapter 143: Earth Deity

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the snow fell exceptionally heavily.

Inside the Grand Hall on the sixteenth floor of Peace Building, Lu Dongjun and Chu Er finalized the sale of the Paramount. For eighty thousand silver dollars, the Paramount changed hands from the Lu family to Chu Er. All the Paramount's land deeds, property deeds, and business contracts were transferred to Chu Er. A notary issued the necessary documents, and reporters were present to cover the event.

The eighty thousand silver dollars represented Chu Er's entire savings. Apart from the mansion she lived in, every other property and all her land holdings were sold off. She retained the businesses she directly managed, but withdrew all her shares invested in other people's ventures. She also incurred over two hundred thousand silver dollars in external debt, finally managing to acquire the Paramount.

With her making such drastic moves, one might wonder if anyone in the Chu family was overseeing her. Indeed, no one was. Chu Er's status was quite distinct from that of other young ladies from prominent families. Five years ago, her father, the Chu family patriarch, was severely injured and died while collaborating with the Lu family to develop new territories. Currently, the Chu family is managed jointly by her eldest brother and two aunts. After receiving a portion of the family assets, Chu Er began managing her own ventures independently. For the past five years, she has paid a fixed annual dividend to the Chu family. No one is permitted to interfere with how Chu Er specifically conducts her business.

With the Paramount now hers, Chu Er was ecstatic, pacing up and down the building until late into the night. The Paramount itself wasn't particularly tall or large, only three stories, but it was Greenwater City's iconic landmark, an even more dazzling symbol than the Peace Building. While Greenwater City residents might not envy the suits and formal wear of Peace Building, they certainly yearned for the dazzling nightlife of the Paramount.

The first floor housed a restaurant with six banquet halls and over a hundred private rooms of various sizes. The second floor was a ballroom, the very heart of the Paramount. It featured a large dance floor, five circular halls, and sixteen private rooms for celebrity performers. The large dance floor was, of course, where bands played and divas performed. Jazz was the primary genre, though more elegant classical music and popular modern tunes were also common. The Paramount's main dance floor could accommodate over a thousand people, and the annual Dance Queen was always selected there. The circular halls were smaller than the main dance floor, each accommodating over a hundred people, ideal for gatherings, often referred to as parties in other regions.

The celebrity performer private rooms were unique. Each could hold a dozen or so people, with a performer singing exclusively for esteemed guests. Imagine the sensation of having a renowned diva perform exclusively for you in a private room. And if things progressed smoothly, perhaps something more could be offered. These private rooms were exclusive to divas. Diva Xia Yijun's room, for instance, was called 'Yijun Zhai,' and its name would remain unchanged as long as she performed at the Paramount. Only if Xia Yijun were dismissed by the Paramount or decided to leave would another performer take over her room. Naturally, not every diva could claim a private room at the Paramount; while new divas appeared every year, there was only one Paramount. The renowned diva Jiang Mengting once had her own exclusive private room at the Paramount, 'Mengting Ju.' Later, Chu Er paid a hefty sum to poach her. Later still, it's unclear what methods Ma Wu employed, but he managed to poach Jiang Mengting back from Chu Er.

Now, none of that mattered. The entire Paramount belonged to Chu Er!

Chu Er ascended to the Paramount's third floor, which housed seventy-six suites. She opened the one with the best view, gazing at the ceaseless flow of pedestrians and carriages below. For a moment, Chu Er harbored the illusion that all of Greenwater City belonged to her. For now, Greenwater City's most dazzling landmark truly was hers.

Yang Yanzheng, standing by her side, suggested, "Miss, perhaps we should open for business today." Due to the various scandals surrounding Lu Dongjun, the Paramount had been closed for several days. With today's newspaper report just published, numerous people were already inquiring about dining and room reservations. The Paramount never lacked business.

However, Chu Er didn't want to open today. "We can't rush this. An opening needs good momentum. Let's choose an auspicious day and host a grand concert. Send invitations to all the prominent families; we want every influential person there!"

Yang Yanzheng frowned, but said nothing. Chu Er had spent her entire fortune, and now she wanted to host a concert. It made more sense to open quickly and start recouping costs. Couldn't a concert wait until after the New Year?

Since his Miss had given the order, Yang Yanzheng could only proceed. Before he even left, Chu Er specifically instructed him: "Send an invitation to Ma Wu. Tell him he absolutely must come. I want to see how eager he truly is. Later, I'll discuss terms with him. If he can elevate the Paramount's reputation even further, I'd be willing to return Xiaoyao Dock to him!"

In Lanyang Village, Ma Wu was reading the newspaper when he saw the news that Chu Er had purchased the Paramount. The paper nearly slipped from his grasp. This isn't good! That madwoman has truly stirred up a hornet's nest. How could Chu Er, after years of struggling in the business world, make such a mistake? She simply desired the Paramount too much. In truth, Ma Wu could understand. Were he in Chu Er's position, he might have also thrown caution to the wind to acquire the Paramount. The allure of the Paramount for a businesswoman was simply too strong.

As Ma Wu was contemplating the situation's likely trajectory, he quickly noticed an article on the fourth page: 'The Grievances and Love-Hate Between a Fallen Young Master and a Devoted Young Lady.' Ma Wu hadn't paid attention to this article previously, but today he did. The article's position had shifted. It wasn't a short piece; it had been serialized for several issues, usually in an inconspicuous spot, but today it occupied the headline of the fourth page. Its position alone wasn't enough to capture Ma Wu's attention; the crucial detail was that the story mentioned Lanyang Village. Ma Wu read the content. Although it didn't explicitly name him or Chu Er, it clearly recounted their story. He then flipped through old newspapers, discovering that as news about Chu Er increased, the prominence of this article had steadily risen. Today, with the news of Chu Er's Paramount acquisition dominating the front page, this particular story had climbed to the top of the supplement.

Ma Wu had to face a stark reality: to outsiders, his relationship with Chu Er was no longer simple. If Chu Er had stirred up a hornet's nest, would he be caught in the fallout? Sure enough, he would.

That evening, Ma Wu had someone purchase an evening newspaper. To his shock, he saw a headline on the second page: 'Ma Junyang to Emerge, Potentially Leading Paramount for the Chu Family.'

Who in the world was spreading such a rumor? My surname isn't Chu, so why would I lead her family's efforts? Had I married into their family or something? Ma Wu had a premonition that the hornets were indeed coming. No, he had to find a place to lie low first. The prominent families could move against him at any moment. Although he had hired Zuo Wugang, a sixth-level martial cultivator might not be a completely secure solution. Ma Wu was still pondering where to hide when Li Banfeng, dressed in a suit, wearing a top hat, and holding a feather duster, pushed open the door.

He used the duster to brush off snowflakes, then sat by the fireplace, warming himself for a while. Ma Wu's face lit up with surprise. "Brother Li, you're finally back!"

Li Banfeng had been gone for a full eighteen days – three to travel there and a fortnight to return. The prolonged return journey had one reason: he had to consume a Golden Yuan Pill daily. He consumed fifteen pills in total, earning him four years, one month, and six days of cultivation. Combined with his previously accumulated time, his 'Traveler' cultivation now totaled sixteen years, eight months, and seventeen days, bringing him closer to the third level. Reaching the third level, which required twenty years of cultivation, would typically mean Li Banfeng, even if he began at age ten and cultivated diligently, wouldn't achieve it until he was at least thirty. Now in his early twenties, with third-level 'Traveler' cultivation within reach and third-level 'Home Cultivator' already achieved, if others knew, they would undoubtedly revere him. But if others knew... Li Banfeng probably wouldn't live much longer.

This also sparked an idea in Li Banfeng: he wanted to establish a new territory, ideally out of public view. New territories were excellent for cultivation. He could occasionally catch lone spirits to feed his wife, then find rare birds and beasts for Honglian's alchemy. 'Traveler' cultivation in perilous areas yielded significant time, without hindering his elixir intake. Wasn't such a life perfect? Beyond cultivation, he also planned to build a sanctuary in the new territory. Should an insurmountable situation arise, retreating to the new land would provide a fallback. Li Banfeng had planned everything on his journey, but lacking experience in pioneering new lands, he needed to consult with Ma Wu.

Ma Wu was initially against the idea. His upbringing had instilled in him a deep prejudice against new territories, which he viewed as dangerous and not to be easily ventured into. However, his thoughts paused for a few seconds, and Ma Wu suddenly realized something. Wasn't he planning to find refuge somewhere? And weren't new territories one of the best options? While pioneering new land used to be genuinely risky, the situation was different now: they had Zuo Wugang!

Ma Wu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I'll call Dazhigua, and bring Zhen Jincheng and Cao Zhida along too. We'll form a team and go pioneer!"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Zuo Wugang can't go. If he leaves, Lanyang Village will be unguarded, and someone might cause trouble."

With Zuo Wugang out, Ma Wu felt a pang of fear. "Relying solely on Zhen Jincheng and Cao Zhida for pioneering might not be reliable."

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "In my opinion, we won't even bring them."

"Not bring them?" Ma Wu exclaimed in surprise. "Brother Li, are you saying it will just be the two of us pioneering?" With his Level 1 Joy Cultivation and Li Banfeng's Level 2 Traveler Cultivation, Ma Wu felt it was far too risky for just the two of them to venture into new territories.

Li Banfeng explained, "My idea is for you to tell me the pioneering process, and I'll go by myself. You won't even need to come."

"No, that won't work! Some things can't be explained; I need to be there in person." Since Ma Wu intended to seek refuge in the new territory, he had to accompany him.

"If you come with me, what about your cultivation?" Li Banfeng was a 'Traveler' cultivator, for whom walking itself was cultivation. Ma Wu, a 'Joy' cultivator, certainly couldn't bring women on this trip.

Ma Wu thought for a moment. "I'll rely on elixirs. The Golden Yuan Pills I've consumed have accumulated a hundred days of cultivation time for me. Pioneering will take at most a month; I'll consider it a period of recuperation. I can manage."

Li Banfeng agreed. "Alright, we'll go together. First, let's discuss the rules for pioneering. Do we need to prepare offerings beforehand?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Offerings are straightforward. As long as we have food and drink, the more lavish, the faster the local deity of the wasteland will respond."

Li Banfeng found this easy. "Then let Xiaochuanzi prepare everything. Bring the best food and drink we can possibly get our hands on."

"Brother Li, we still need to act within our means."

"What's 'within our means' about a little food and drink? Are you suggesting we can't afford it?"

"We can afford the food and drink, but I'm concerned about what we'd face. Within a hundred li of a wasteland, there's typically only one local deity. If this local deity accepts our offerings, they will grant us a plot of land. The more offerings, the larger the plot."

Li Banfeng nodded, delighted. "Bigger is better, the bigger the better!"

Ma Wu shook his head. "Bigger is good, but you also have to be capable of handling it. The local deity doesn't just give land away for free; we must pass a trial. We'll sprinkle blood on the plot to seal a contract, which takes effect one day later. When the pioneers enter the plot, the local deity summons surrounding otherworldly creatures to attack them. If the pioneers can defend the land for three days without crossing its boundaries, the plot becomes ours. In the jargon, this is called a 'trial.'"

Li Banfeng understood this rule; the old gatekeeper of Yujia Village had mentioned it. The pioneers and the new territory's owners didn't necessarily have to be the same people. The owner would first sprinkle blood to seal the contract, and the pioneers would enter the new land the following day.

Ma Wu continued, "Plots are generally divided into four categories. The smallest, one li in radius, involves the local deity summoning common otherworldly creatures for the trial. Typically, three to five attacks are enough, though some fortunate ones might only face one, while the unlucky ones could endure over a dozen. This type of wasteland can be opened by five or six first-level cultivators. If no cultivators are available, a few dozen strong men also offer a chance, but having too many people brings other complications, which we can discuss later."

Li Banfeng recalled Yu Nan's Yujia Village in the new territory, which appeared to be less than one li in radius. He estimated some areas hadn't been fully developed yet, so it was likely this smallest type of wasteland.

Ma Wu continued, "The second category of wasteland, three li in radius, presents a much greater challenge. The local deity will summon a dozen or more types of otherworldly creatures in a single day, launching successive attacks on the pioneers. To open a three-li radius territory, you'd need to invite professionals like Daboyins to pioneer. Daboyins' fees are very high; they usually only provide guidance and rarely act personally, and even then, success isn't guaranteed."

"Even larger are plots five li in radius. To pioneer such a territory, at least an eighth-level cultivator must be present to stand a chance. The local deity dispatches only formidable opponents; even Lady Suo'e is not considered rare."

"The largest plots are ten li in radius, and those are beyond my comprehension. It's rumored that the Lu and Chu families once collaborated to open a ten-li wasteland but failed, and the Chu family patriarch died during that attempt."

"Brother Li, with our current strength, being able to open a one-li radius wasteland would be a blessing. Therefore, the offerings must be chosen judiciously. If we prepare too many offerings, the local deity might be overjoyed and grant us a ten-li radius plot, which would inevitably lead to our pioneering efforts failing."

"If it fails, it fails. We'll just try again." Li Banfeng was quite open-minded.

Ma Wu shook his head. "That's not an option. If we fail in pioneering, the local deity will scorn us, and we'll be barred from pioneering within a hundred-li radius, both as owners and as pioneers."