Chapter 178: Paper Delicate Lady

Late at night, Li Banfeng sat beside Ma Wu, and next to Ma Wu lay Mrs. Suo'e.

Even though Ma Wu praised Mrs. Suo'e endlessly, Li Banfeng still felt an urge to flee.

"Brother, don't worry," Ma Wu said, "this Mrs. Suo'e is different from the one we met before. She's a gentle person."

As he spoke, Ma Wu gently stroked Mrs. Suo'e's body. She trembled, her expression fearful as she whispered, "My young master, you can do whatever you want tomorrow, but today, I really can't take it anymore."

Ma Wu glanced at Mrs. Suo'e with slight displeasure, but she looked wronged and insisted, "I really can't take it."

Li Banfeng looked at her and said, "If you can't take it, why don't you leave?"

Mrs. Suo'e's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, replying, "I can't bear to leave."

Ma Wu's talent was truly unreasonable. This Mrs. Suo'e could defeat a hundred Ma Wus, yet because she couldn't bring herself to act, she allowed Ma Wu to bully her.

Ma Wu sighed, "It's not entirely about talent. Ultimately, it's destiny. If it were the previous Mrs. Suo'e, I'd have lost my life long ago."

Hearing Ma Wu constantly mention others, this Mrs. Suo'e grew a little displeased. "My young master, you keep bringing up the previous one. Is the one you're talking about named Linglong?"

Linglong?

Mrs. Suo'e has a name?

Li Banfeng stared at the stout Mrs. Suo'e for a moment longer.

And the name Linglong didn't seem to fit a Mrs. Suo'e at all!

"She's called Linglong?" Ma Wu, however, was intrigued. "What's your name?"

Mrs. Suo'e replied shyly, "My name is Swallow."

She's called Swallow...

Li Banfeng took a deep breath, looked up at the sky, and imagined what this enormous "Swallow" would look like flying.

Ma Wu stroked Mrs. Suo'e's cheek. "Swallow, this is fate. You're destined to fly into my heart."

Li Banfeng shivered.

How big must that heart be?

As Ma Wu flirted, he also sought information. "You just mentioned Linglong. Did you two know each other?"

Swallow grew unhappy. "Why do you bring her up again?"

"I was just curious," Ma Wu said.

"Of course I know her. We belonged to the same Daoist sect and practiced together. Linglong just moved here this year, and I came specifically to find her, but I haven't seen her for days."

Of course, you won't find her. She went to the Portable Abode for a visit and will never come out again.

But Li Banfeng wasn't concerned about Linglong; he was interested in the Daoist sect. "You have a Daoist sect?"

"Yes," Swallow answered seriously. "We were all ascetic cultivators."

Li Banfeng grew even more curious. "When you say 'we,' do you mean just you and Linglong, or all Mrs. Suo'e?"

Swallow replied, "All Mrs. Suo'e are ascetic cultivators. Only through ascetic cultivation can one become a Mrs. Suo'e."

Ascetic cultivators become Mrs. Suo'e?

Li Banfeng realized that Mrs. Suo'e was not as simple as he had imagined.

His wife once said that Mrs. Suo'e were a second type of anomaly, their bodies growing in the New Land, but their souls not originating there. At first, Li Banfeng didn't quite understand, but now, hearing Mrs. Suo'e's explanation, he seemed to grasp it better.

At the mention of ascetic cultivation, Ma Wu frowned. Ascetic cultivators were natural enemies of pleasure cultivators.

Mrs. Suo'e quickly explained, "My young master, I know you don't like this sect. Actually, I don't like it either."

"If you don't like it," Ma Wu asked, "why did you choose ascetic cultivation?"

Mrs. Suo'e remained silent for a long time, a hint of melancholy replacing the tenderness on her face. "These are things I had intended never to speak of again."

Ma Wu gently squeezed Mrs. Suo'e's plump cheek. "Not even to me?"

"Since my young master asked, how could I dare not tell? When I was young and foolish, I met a black-hearted man. I gave him everything I could, and he took everything he could, then he used me up and abandoned me.

I came to believe that life in this world was destined to be bitter. After being swayed by others' words, I thought I had seen through the mortal world and joined the ascetic cultivation sect.

As an ascetic, I couldn't speak of love or romance. Even if I remarried, it would just be a life of compromise.

I suffered my whole life, cultivated my whole life, but there was no turning back. After an ascetic woman dies, if she's willing, she crosses the bridge to reincarnate. If she's unwilling, she goes to the New Land.

In the New Land, there's a type of bagworm moth born without a soul. Ascetic women can possess them and continue their cultivation."

Ma Wu kissed Mrs. Suo'e tenderly, "Do you still suffer after becoming a bagworm moth?"

Li Banfeng scoffed, "Being this fat, you probably haven't suffered much."

Swallow blushed. "I've already died once, what else is there to dwell on? Why should I suffer anymore? As a bagworm moth, one should enjoy life to the fullest, do whatever one desires.

Eat freely if you want to eat, play wildly if you want to play, find men to your heart's content, and have children joyfully."

Ma Wu exclaimed, "Fantastic! I love your straightforwardness!"

Li Banfeng said, "How about I go somewhere else, and you two have some fun here?"

Ma Wu replied grandly, "We're brothers! I can have fun even with you here!"

Swallow shook her head repeatedly. "Not today, young master. Let me rest for a night, and we can do it tomorrow."

It was late, and Swallow returned to the woods and went to sleep.

"I want to go to Greenwater City," Li Banfeng said. "Are you coming back with me?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "I want to cultivate in the New Land for a while longer. Tomorrow, I'll send Little Genzi back to Blue Willow Village to get some people to tidy up both our plots. At least we'll have a place to stay."

"Can you manage here alone?" Li Banfeng asked.

Ma Wu looked at the sleeping Swallow in the distance, smiled, and said nothing.

Of course, he could. He was even better off than Li Banfeng.

This was his territory. As long as he spilled blood, the local land spirit would protect him.

Even without spilling blood, Swallow would protect him.

As long as he didn't leave the plot, Ma Wu's situation was safer than in the Ma family manor.

But was Li Banfeng safe going to Greenwater City?

Although the conflict with the Lu family had temporarily eased, Ma Wu was still worried. "If there's nothing urgent, it's best not to go to Greenwater City lately. I have a feeling the major families are going to stir up trouble."

"I actually do have something urgent to do," Li Banfeng said. "I need to buy paintings."

"Buy paintings?" Ma Wu blinked. "What's so urgent about buying paintings?"

"It's very urgent. I'm obsessed with looking at paintings now. If I don't see a painting for a day, I can't even eat."

That sounded familiar. Ma Wu recalled Li Banfeng buying the phonograph. Back then, no matter how much Ma Wu tried to persuade him, he couldn't stop Li Banfeng.

"Seventh Brother, some of your actions are really strange. I just can't figure them out."

Li Banfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You slept with Mrs. Suo'e, and you say *my* actions are strange?"

"Do you want to buy paintings by famous artists, or just ordinary wall hangings?"

"If I'm going to Greenwater City, of course, I want paintings by famous artists."

In reality, Li Banfeng wanted to learn how to paint.

The Western painting techniques Pendulum taught him might take two or three years to master, so Li Banfeng wanted to learn some quick painting skills.

"Paintings by famous artists..." Ma Wu pondered for a moment and thought of someone. "There are many famous painters in Greenwater City, but in my opinion, the most artistic is old Mr. Qiao Guangyuan, especially his landscape paintings..."

"No landscape paintings," Li Banfeng waved his hand. "I need someone good at painting people."

"For painting people, old Mr. Fu Taiyue is excellent. He can make a person come alive with just a few strokes, but his paintings are not cheap."

At the mention of "a few strokes," Li Banfeng's spirits lifted!

This was exactly the kind of painting skill he wanted. In a critical situation, he could create a powerful fighting force with just a few strokes. Wouldn't that maximize the potential of his fourth-grade skill?

"Where does this old gentleman live?"

Ma Wu gave Li Banfeng Fu Taiyue's address, cautioning him, "Mr. Fu Taiyue has a somewhat reclusive personality, and his paintings aren't cheap. If you truly want to buy his work, you'll need a lot of patience."

Such great artists usually had some quirks, which Li Banfeng didn't mind.

After staying one night in the New Land, the next day, Li Banfeng sent Little Genzi back to Blue Willow Village and set off for Greenwater City alone.

Following Ma Wu's directions, Li Banfeng found old Mr. Fu Taiyue's residence.

After knocking for a long time, a servant came out. "Are you here to commission a painting?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm here to learn to paint."

The servant looked Li Banfeng up and down, then said, "Wait here first."

After waiting outside the door for over half an hour, the door finally opened. The servant led Li Banfeng into the foyer, where he waited for another half an hour before the servant finally brought him to the main hall.

Despite waiting so long, Li Banfeng had no complaints.

To learn from a master, one had to withstand such a test.

Old Mr. Fu Taiyue was painting. The servant gestured for Li Banfeng to be silent. Li Banfeng carefully admired the paintings in the living room and then looked at the master's unfinished work.

After looking around, Li Banfeng turned and left.

Fu Taiyue put down his brush and sneered, "Young man, you lack even this much patience, yet you wish to be my disciple?"

"It's not a lack of patience; it's that I don't want to learn from you," Li Banfeng said, not complaining but speaking honestly.

Fu Taiyue was taken aback. He looked at Li Banfeng and said, "I'm unskilled. Please enlighten me."

Li Banfeng looked at a painting in the living room and said, "I don't understand your painting. Is it a person or a mountain?"

The old master smiled. "I painted a mountain spirit. Its form resembles a mountain, but its essence is human. The artistic conception of the mountain spirit lies within this scroll."

Li Banfeng looked closely. There was indeed some truth to what he said.

The shape was a mountain, but the lines within the landscape outlined a human face, indeed possessing an elusive majesty and presence.

"Very good," Li Banfeng acknowledged, but still left.

The old master's paintings truly had artistic conception; all the paintings in the room were very evocative.

But this was useless to Li Banfeng. Painting such an abstract thing wasn't suitable for helping Li Banfeng in battle.

Seeing Li Banfeng walk away without looking back, the old master put down his brush and chased after him. "Young man, you just said it was 'very good,' but you didn't say what was good about the painting?"

"It's good in every way," Li Banfeng replied, "but it's too profound. I haven't reached that level yet. I'll seek your guidance again after I've studied for a few more years."

Fu Taiyue's expression darkened. The servant looked at Li Banfeng's retreating back and scoffed, "Someone like you should go to the painting market street to learn to paint. That place suits your status."

Li Banfeng turned his head and asked, "Where is this painting market street? I'll go have a look."

He asked sincerely, but his words angered Fu Taiyue. A vein pulsed on his forehead, and the mountain spirit painting hanging in the living room seemed to come alive, glaring furiously at Li Banfeng.

Not "seemed to come alive," but actually came alive.

Li Banfeng sensed danger and quickly left the residence.

Was this man a "House Cultivator"?

He hadn't seen him drip blood on the painting just now.

Or perhaps he belonged to another Daoist sect?

His cultivation seemed quite high.

Li Banfeng arrived at Painting Market Street. There were many shops selling paintings and also many street vendors selling them.

Li Banfeng walked past several stalls and spotted a painting of a beautiful woman.

It was a traditional Chinese painting with relatively simple lines, yet the woman was depicted with lifelike vividness. She was exceptionally beautiful, wearing a qipao, with shoulder-length wavy hair, large eyes, delicate eyebrows, full lips, and a mole above the left corner of her mouth, making her look quite alluring.

This perfectly matched Li Banfeng's needs.

The stall owner quickly stepped forward to greet him. "Sir, are you interested in this beautiful woman painting? You have excellent taste! I've sold over a dozen of these since I set up today. If you'd come any later, I'd be out of stock. This painting usually sells for sixty, but you're lucky today; I need to close up soon, so how about fifty-five, fixed price?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not here to buy paintings."

Hearing this, the owner's enthusiasm waned. "I sell paintings. If you're not buying, please look elsewhere."

Li Banfeng said, "I want to learn to paint from you."

The stall owner was surprised. "Learn to paint from me? Are you joking?"

"No joke. Name your price."

The owner looked troubled. "How can I name a price? I don't know how to paint."

"You don't? Then who painted this?"

"I don't know who painted it," the owner said. "Can't you tell? It's a print!"

"A print?" Li Banfeng stared at the painting for a long time. It still smelled of ink, and he couldn't discern the texture of a print.

The stall owner was fairly honest. "As I just told you, I've already sold over a dozen of these. Could I paint the same picture a dozen times?"

A print... perhaps not impossible.

Li Banfeng looked at the stall owner. "Can you teach me how to print paintings?"

The stall owner scrutinized Li Banfeng. "Sir, are you trying to cause trouble?"

"I'm genuinely here to learn a craft."

The stall owner shook his head. "This is how I make my living. I don't teach it."

Li Banfeng pulled out a wad of cash. "I'll pay."

Printing, indeed, was a skill.

Applying ink, laying paper, peeling off the print—all required skill.

But this skill was much easier than painting.

Li Banfeng spent twenty thousand yuan and followed the stall owner for two days, learning about fifty to sixty percent of the printing technique.

The stall owner gave Li Banfeng a dozen printing plates (templates). Li Banfeng bought a ream of white paper and two large bottles of ink, took them back to the Portable Abode, and began printing.

Seeing Li Banfeng busy and joyful, Pendulum grew a little worried. "Master, you're cutting corners. Will this really work?"

Li Banfeng focused on printing, ignoring Pendulum.

Pendulum looked at the phonograph. "Madam..."

The phonograph scoffed, "Ignoring the proper path and delving into such unorthodox methods will surely be a waste of effort."

Although she said that, the phonograph didn't actually know if this method would work.

Even though the painting was a print, it was still printed by Li Banfeng himself.

Over ten minutes later, a painting was printed.

Li Banfeng pricked his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the painting.

He concentrated his thoughts and waited for a moment. The paper rustled, and a three-foot-tall beauty slowly emerged from the painting!

Li Banfeng was delighted, and Pendulum was greatly surprised.

"Bring me a cup of tea," Li Banfeng commanded. The three-foot beauty immediately went, first putting some tea leaves into a cup, then adding some water.

She really could pour tea!

Although she poured cold water, her intelligence was far superior to the one-foot girl Li Banfeng had created before.

Li Banfeng drank his tea while directing the three-foot beauty to do tasks.

Sweeping the floor, dusting—the three-foot beauty could do it all.

With such excellent comprehension, fighting would surely be no problem!

Just as Li Banfeng was feeling joyful, he suddenly heard a rustle, and the three-foot beauty disintegrated, turning into a pile of paper scraps on the floor.

The phonograph sighed, "Oh, husband, you only expended so little essence. This fair lady could only last for a brief moment."

The lifespan of paper figures was also related to the essence put into them.

Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch; the three-foot beauty seemed to have lasted less than five minutes.

The phonograph reminded him, "This wasn't even a fight. Otherwise, she would have disintegrated even faster, probably not even lasting a minute."

One minute.

Was that enough?

It depended on how it was used.