Chapter 154: Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers

Elder Yao asked Li Banfeng to go to Haichiling to deliver a prescription to Pan Dehai.

Li Banfeng first asked, "Who is Pan Dehai?"

"He's the top boss of Haichiling."

A top boss, was that like a local deity?

The top boss of Haichiling was a Virtue Cultivator.

Was there an inevitable connection between a Virtue Cultivator and a gourmand?

"What level is his cultivation?" Li Banfeng had always been curious about this, but after asking, he estimated Elder Yao wouldn't answer. Revealing the local deity's cultivation level would be tantamount to revealing Elder Yao's own.

As expected, Elder Yao did not state it directly: "I'm not sure how high Pan Dehai's cultivation is, but it should be no less than mine."

Li Banfeng asked again, "Why do you trust me?"

"As I said, you have the ability to cross into the New Land, so you're a capable person. Furthermore, our temperaments align, and you won't use my prescription for ill. So, are you willing to go?"

The various prominent families were likely to clash in Haichiling, and Li Banfeng was reluctant to get involved. However, it also depended on the stakes, and Elder Yao offered generous compensation.

With that wine gourd, Li Banfeng effectively had a mobile winery, able to obtain Elder Yao's medicinal wine anytime, anywhere. Whether for setting fires or treating illnesses, this medicinal wine was of superior quality.

Then there was the map. It could not only guide Li Banfeng back to Lanyang Village but also allow him to travel to multiple places in Puluozhou without a travel permit, which was an exceptionally rare treasure in the province.

After careful consideration, Li Banfeng accepted the deal.

A map, a prescription, and a wine gourd appeared before Li Banfeng.

From inside the wine gourd, a woman's cry echoed, "Excellent wine, excellent wine!"

It truly was a magic artifact! But why a woman? Were there women in this world so obsessed with wine?

The items were delivered in advance.

Li Banfeng quickly said, "Elder Yao, I don't have much cash on hand. I'll send you 500,000 later."

Elder Yao didn't care about the money: "That's not important. First, memorize the route."

The map on the table unfolded, revealing a trail of liquid with a strong scent of wine. This trail covered Yaowanggou, Lushuiwan, Kudaijin, Haichiling, Kucaizhuang, Jianrengang, and Tiemenbao. This was the route Elder Yao had marked for Li Banfeng.

"There's more than one path in the New Land, but you must remember to follow the path I've drawn. Other paths are too dangerous for your current ability. Climb mountains when necessary, cross ridges when necessary. Don't take detours, not even once."

"Elder Yao, when I reach Haichiling, how should I contact Pan Dehai?"

"First, prepare a few doses of ready-made medicine. When you reach a disaster-stricken area, kill more bugs. Pan Dehai will see it and naturally appear to ask for the prescription. It's not easy for you to deliver the medicine all this way, so he should give you a reward. When he offers, don't be polite; fleece him ruthlessly. But if he offers you a magic artifact, try to sell it immediately, no matter how valuable it is. Don't hesitate to part with it. In other states, there's something called a 'voice recorder' – you've probably heard of it. All the magic artifacts he possesses have voice recorders. They might accidentally leak your secrets."

Sell them? Magic artifacts were difficult to sell quickly; it wouldn't happen in a day or two. If a magic artifact stayed with Li Banfeng, it would have to enter his portable dwelling. If that secret were leaked, Li Banfeng would suffer a great loss.

If push came to shove, he would simply refuse the magic artifact and ask for money directly; that would be the most practical.

Elder Yao continued, "Pan Dehai is smooth-tongued. He'll probably make many promises, but treat them as empty words. If he turns hostile and attacks you, tell him that if he harms you, he'll be making an enemy of me, Old Yao. If he ever falls into my hands, I'll exact revenge with interest!"

Li Banfeng agreed to the task. As the paper ash dispersed, Elder Yao left. Li Banfeng took a Golden Yuan Pill and a Blue Leaf Pill. With the time accumulated from his travels in the New Land, he was less than half a year away from becoming a third-level Traveling Cultivator.

He rested at the inn for over five hours to recover, then returned to his portable dwelling for another nap, ensuring his Home Cultivator training wasn't neglected.

The next day, at eight in the morning, Li Banfeng left the inn. He first visited four pharmacies, buying a large quantity of herbs and having them ground. He avoided buying from a single pharmacy to prevent the prescription from leaking. For this reason, Li Banfeng also specifically bought many useless medicinal ingredients and stored them in his portable dwelling.

Back at the inn, Li Banfeng prepared the medicine according to Elder Yao's prescription.

Was preparing medicine simple? Not at all. Li Banfeng wasn't a Medicinal Cultivator. He struggled to identify each herb by name and weigh them, unable to prepare even a single dose for a long time.

"Little brother, have some wine, warm yourself up, and rest for a bit," the wine gourd hopped closer to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng scrutinized the gourd, asking, "Is your wine drinkable?"

"Of course! Why do you ask? My wine cures illness, satisfies cravings, strengthens potency, and wards off cold. To drink a sip is your good fortune!"

Li Banfeng took a sip, and the taste was indeed excellent.

"Little brother, you can't prepare medicine like that. Weighing every single herb will exhaust you. Weigh what needs weighing, but for the rest, you need a good eye!"

The wine gourd helped Li Banfeng prepare the medicine while feeding him wine. The work wasn't tiring at all, and over a hundred doses of ready-made medicine were prepared by noon. The wine gourd's intelligence was very high, clearly superior to the Tang Knife.

With the medicine prepared, it was already noon. Li Banfeng went to the Yu Family Cloth Store. The store hadn't opened yet; only Wang Xuejiao was at the door. Li Banfeng handed her 500,000 in cash to give to Yu Nan to pass on to Elder Yao, and an additional 2,000 as a reward for Wang Xuejiao.

At the archway street intersection, Li Banfeng felt something good was about to happen. He stopped and looked around, searching for the coachman with the fiery wheels.

He actually found him. This coachman only had two waiting spots: the station and Ligou. He was lying asleep in his carriage, so inconspicuous he was hard to spot.

Li Banfeng approached and carefully woke him. The coachman rubbed his eyes, looked at Li Banfeng, and smiled, "Need a ride?"

Li Banfeng nodded, "To Sanpan River New Land."

"Sanpan River? That far? Are you in a hurry?"

"No hurry, we'll take our time."

"How much will you pay?"

"Name your price."

"If you're not in a hurry, it'll take about half a day."

"I'll provide food."

The coachman calculated and named his price: "Three thousand five hundred!"

Li Banfeng didn't bargain and got straight into the carriage. Despite saying there was no hurry, the coachman still drove the carriage incredibly fast, as the journey was indeed quite long.

They left Ligou and drove for two hours. At lunchtime, Li Banfeng asked, "Should we find a place to eat, or just grab a quick bite?"

"Nowhere suitable to eat, no villages or inns around. Let's just grab a quick bite!" The coachman wiped his sweat and took out the flatbread he had brought. He understood Li Banfeng's intention: paying so much to ride in his carriage meant he wanted to ask for advice on cultivation.

Li Banfeng had brought several cans of food, which paired perfectly with the flatbread. The two ate and chatted.

The coachman asked, "Are you going to the New Land to break new ground?"

Li Banfeng shook his head, "I want to cultivate. They say Traveling Cultivators advance quickly in the New Land."

"Cultivators advance quickly, but they also die quickly," the coachman scoffed. "I swear, you people are always eager to risk your lives. Why not cultivate steadily like me?"

"Speaking of cultivation, I actually wanted to ask about something: what's the third-level technique for Traveling Cultivators?"

"Third level?" The coachman snorted. "You've only been first level for a few days, and you're already thinking about the third?"

Li Banfeng explained, "I plan to cultivate in the New Land for over a decade. I reckon I should be able to reach the third level. If I can't learn the technique when my cultivation reaches that level, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

The coachman sighed, "Will you even live for a decade in the New Land? Why are you so overconfident?"

Li Banfeng chuckled, "That depends on luck and opportunity. Perhaps I have a tough life?"

The coachman shook his head, "I could tell you about other things, but if you're asking about techniques, the price isn't right. For a second-level technique, you'd owe me at least 10,000. A third-level technique is another matter entirely."

When he first asked him about a first-level technique, he only charged five hundred. Now a second-level technique cost ten thousand. How much would a third-level technique cost him? Would a hundred thousand be enough? A hundred thousand was actually reasonable. Second-level cultivators were far rarer than first-level ones, and third-level cultivators were even scarcer. Techniques became more secretive, so a higher price was justified.

"Someone already told me about the second-level technique. I only want to ask about the third. We can still discuss the price."

The coachman still refused: "It's not about the money. Third-level Traveling Cultivators are extremely rare. Can I just tell you this technique casually? Even if you gave me 100,000..."

Li Banfeng took out two Profound Blazing Pills and gave them to the coachman.

The coachman examined the quality of the pills and took them. "We're from the same sect. I see you're going into the New Land alone, which isn't easy, so I'll give you a few pointers. Our sect's third-level technique is called 'Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers'."

What did 'Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers' mean? Li Banfeng analyzed the literal meaning and asked, "Does it mean this technique is particularly useful when climbing mountains and crossing ridges?"

The coachman didn't speak. He stood up, eating his canned food, and took a step forward. His foot slammed the ground with a crisp sound, making Li Banfeng jump. In front of the coachman's toes, a fist-sized stone crumbled into dust.

Li Banfeng was stunned. The power of this technique was immense.

The coachman looked down at Li Banfeng: "This is one of the most powerful techniques in our sect. Our sect's techniques are generally not hard to learn, except for the third-level technique; this one is extremely difficult. When you first reach the third level, if you can shatter a pebble the size of your fingertip, consider yourself fortunate. As your cultivation grows, the third-level technique will improve, but how much depends on your talent and comprehension. When using this technique, you need courage and boldness. Focus your intent on your foot, and your strength on your foot. Even if there are a thousand armies before you, you must believe you can trample a bloody path through them! Many cultivators in our sect cannot learn the 'Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers' technique; they can't advance to the fourth level without mastering this third-level technique, which is why fourth-level cultivators in our sect are so rare. Also, once you learn this technique, you must use it cautiously. 'Trampling Ten Thousand Rivers' consumes an enormous amount of energy. While Traveling Cultivators have excellent stamina, using this full-power kick will expend half your strength. Unless absolutely necessary, don't use full power. If you use full power once, you absolutely cannot use it a second time. How to unleash it, how to restrain it, that's up to your own ability."

Li Banfeng stood up, thanked the coachman, and bowed deeply.

A third-level cultivator could only shatter a fingertip-sized stone. This coachman had shattered a fist-sized stone and clearly hadn't used his full power. What did this mean? It meant his cultivation might be at the fifth level, or even higher. It was only right for Li Banfeng to bow in gratitude for such guidance.

"We've eaten our fill, time to get back in the carriage," the coachman prepared to pull the carriage.

Li Banfeng didn't get in: "Senior, I feel uneasy having you pull me. I'll walk the rest of the way myself. Could you perhaps advise me on the fourth-level technique? The price is negotiable." Li Banfeng was ready to take out a Purple Transformation Pill. If the coachman wasn't impressed, Li Banfeng was even willing to use a Golden Yuan Pill.

The coachman smiled, "Little brother, techniques are a cultivator's livelihood. I'm teaching you techniques not just for two pills; I truly value the camaraderie of our fellow disciples. You asked me directly about the third-level technique, so I guessed you're already at the second level. I'm happy to see such a talent emerge from our sect. If it were someone from another sect, even if they put a mountain of gold before me, I wouldn't tell them the technique, because that would be like cutting off the Traveling Cultivators' path to survival. You learned the third-level technique from me, and you shouldn't tell others. But I can't control your mouth. Don't ask about techniques beyond the third level for now. When you're nearing the fourth level, if you're still alive, I'll tell you then. Always remember my earlier advice: when a Traveling Cultivator roams outside, traversing a thousand mountains and crossing ten thousand rivers, every step must be taken with utmost caution."

Li Banfeng dared not press the issue and stood up, ready to leave.

The coachman waved, "You've already paid for the ride, so I must take you to your destination. Get in the carriage quickly, I have my rules."

Throughout the journey, the coachman maintained his original speed, pulling the carriage all the way to the entrance of Sanpan River New Land.

Sanpan River was a river that flowed on a schedule. Why "on schedule"? Because the river water changed every eight hours, three times a day, hence the name Sanpan River.

Every day from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, Sanpan River was very gentle, with babbling water, knee-deep, no different from an ordinary small river.

From four in the afternoon to midnight, the river suddenly dried up, not a drop remaining. There wasn't even loose mud in the riverbed; aside from some traces of water erosion, other areas were no different from ordinary flat ground.

After midnight, huge waves arrived, and the river suddenly flooded, with water five or six meters deep, completely submerging the banks.

Fortunately, Sanpan River wasn't long, flowing less than thirty li before entering an underground cavern. But with a flood every day, no one could endure it. No one lived near Sanpan River, and few came to this New Land to pioneer or hunt.

The best way to enter Sanpan River was to walk against the riverbed when it was dry. One could also walk along the barren land on either side of the river, but there were too many fierce beasts, making it impossible to move quickly. If the river flooded, retreat would be impossible, and advance would be impossible, making things difficult.

Li Banfeng arrived at the riverbed at exactly eight in the evening, just when it was dry, so he had plenty of time. Walking quickly, in less than half an hour, Li Banfeng entered the New Land. He walked another fifteen li against the riverbed and saw a mountain. According to the map, this mountain was called Bloodfang Mountain. The first stop on the way to Haichiling was to cross Bloodfang Mountain.

Why did that name sound so ominous?

Li Banfeng was looking for a path up the mountain when he suddenly heard someone behind him say, "Traveler, don't go up this mountain. Bloodfang Mountain is the territory of the Dripping Bloodfang Monster. If you encounter it, you won't even have a single bone left."