Chapter 180: Bitter Old Woman

Li Banfeng and Chu Er sat facing each other at a table, with a plate of bitter greens and two steamed cornbread buns in front of them.

"The bitter greens have salt; they're quite tasty. Try some."

Li Banfeng wasn't in the mood for bitter greens, and besides, there wasn't nearly enough food.

Chu Er's rations were distributed monthly by Bitter Greens Village; she could only eat this much per meal. Even as a woman, Chu Er couldn't get enough to eat here.

"Where's my key?" This was Li Banfeng's most pressing concern.

Chu Er looked displeased. "You came all this way," she said, "but was it really to find me, or just to find the key?"

Li Banfeng revealed a slight smile. "Silly girl, what foolish talk is that? What kind of person do you take me for? Of course I came all this way to find the key."

Chu Er's face turned pale with anger. "You don't have to be so blunt!"

"Give me the key quickly!"

"No!"

"So you won't give it to me, huh!"

"I won't give it. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, there's nothing much I can do."

Li Banfeng truly couldn't do anything to Chu Er.

He had heard from Ma Wu that Chu Er had various ways of tormenting herself; torture and interrogation were useless against her.

After a moment of thought, Li Banfeng changed his strategy. His eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at Chu Er. "Saying I came to find the key was just an excuse I made up," he said. "I truly wanted to find you."

Chu Er looked up at Li Banfeng. "Are you telling the truth?"

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and said, "Truly."

"Swear an oath for me to hear?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not a superstitious person."

Chu Er smiled sweetly. "Let's assume you're sincere, then. First, tell me, how did you get to Bitter Greens Village?"

"It's a long story," Li Banfeng began to fabricate. "You see, I discovered the key was lost, so I searched everywhere, and I ended up going to Ma Wu's place."

"Ma Wu told you I'd been to your room?"

"Yes, he told me!"

"He told you I came to Bitter Greens Village?"

"Right, that's what he said."

Chu Er thought for a moment; it seemed reasonable enough. "And then?" she asked.

"And then?" Li Banfeng thought.

This person asks too many questions.

Li Banfeng continued fabricating. "As soon as I heard you went to Bitter Greens Village, I got worried; I couldn't rest easy about you. So I found a way to get a train ticket and came here. It's my first time here too; I couldn't tell north from south, and it took me a long time to find your place..."

Chu Er's eyes widened. "You just arrived?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Just arrived."

"Then, when I just took a bath, did you see anything?"

"No, I didn't see. I missed out on such a good thing," Li Banfeng sighed deeply, shaking his head repeatedly. "When's your next bath?"

"In six months."

Li Banfeng blinked. "You bathe once every six months?"

Chu Er nodded seriously. "Is that too much or too little?"

Li Banfeng blinked again. "Are you crazy?"

Chu Er answered seriously. "No, I'm not crazy. My dad took me to the hospital, and the doctors all said I wasn't."

"You've been to the hospital too? I've been to the hospital too! The doctors said the same thing!"

Chu Er laughed heartily, bending over. "That's why I say we're destined."

As she rocked back and forth, Li Banfeng noticed a string tied around her neck.

"Yes, we are!" Li Banfeng burst out laughing, then lunged at Chu Er.

Chu Er was startled. "Destined or not, not this fast! Wait a moment, not now..."

After a struggle, Li Banfeng ripped the key from around Chu Er's neck.

Chu Er clutched her neck, gasping for a long time.

Li Banfeng had been too rough; he'd almost choked her.

"I knew you weren't here for me!" Chu Er said, her eyes red. "You heartless person, why did you lie to me?"

"I feel bad too. I'm ashamed of myself!" Li Banfeng stood up, adjusted his hat, and walked to the door. "I won't have the face to see you again. Let's never meet again."

For a moment, Li Banfeng truly wanted to kill Chu Er.

Although she didn't know what the key was for, Li Banfeng worried she might try to get it again later.

But the moment he intended to strike, his "Avert Misfortune" technique warned him of great danger, though the specific reason was unknown.

This was Bitter Greens Village, the main base of the Bitter Cultivators.

Killing someone here, especially a Bitter Cultivator from a prominent background, Li Banfeng wasn't sure what consequences it would bring.

Li Banfeng left, and Chu Er didn't pursue him. She took a bite of bitter greens and smiled sinisterly. "Let's see how far you can get!"

Bitter Greens Village was sparsely populated, and the land was desolate.

Li Banfeng continued along the dirt road. After walking more than two li, he only saw one mud hut, even more dilapidated than Chu Er's. Beyond that, there were no other buildings.

What a lifeless place. Even Glutton's Ridge, plagued by insects, was better than Bitter Greens Village.

He opened his pocket watch to check the time, then looked at the sun's position. Li Banfeng quickly determined his direction.

He was walking south.

Li Banfeng's destination was New Land.

Once he reached New Land, he could use Old Yao's map to return to Blue Poplar Village.

But could he reach New Land by going south?

"Sister Gourd, have you ever been to Bitter Greens Village?"

"Why come here? To suffer? Ask Big Sister; she's well-traveled."

Go back to his Portable Abode and ask the record player?

Besides the yellow earth, this place was vast and empty, with no place to hide a key.

What if someone picked up the key again?

Besides, asking would be useless. Li Banfeng didn't know his location, there were no landmarks here, and the record player couldn't give him directions.

Ahead was a person dressed in a thick grey cotton jacket, completely covered up, so it was impossible to tell if they were male or female.

Li Banfeng stepped forward to ask for directions. "Excuse me, U-Uncle... I wanted to ask how to get to New Land?"

The person looked up, a scarf covering their face, and countered with a question: "What do you want to do in New Land?"

Hearing the voice of a middle-aged woman, Li Banfeng quickly corrected himself. "Big Sister, this is my first time in Bitter Greens Village, and I'm lost. I wanted to go to New Land to hunt."

The Big Sister shook her head. "Young man, do you know why you're lost?"

"I guess, by accident..."

This question was so profound, Li Banfeng truly didn't know how to answer.

"It's not by accident. It's because you haven't thought clearly, because you haven't fully understood. You don't know why you came to this place, just as you don't know where you're going in the future. Don't let desire blind your eyes, don't let comfort cloud your heart, don't let indulgence erode your ambition, don't let laziness corrupt your character."

Li Banfeng stood dumbfounded and said, "I just wanted to ask for directions..."

On him, a magic item was trembling, expending all its effort to utter two words: "Shut up!"

The Judge's Brush was so infuriated, it actually spoke two words!

How could laziness corrupt one's character?

This woman was clearly talking nonsense.

The Big Sister sighed. "Young man, since you've come, you must quiet your heart. Only by quieting it can you settle down, truly understand where you need to go, and know the meaning of this life."

"Big Sister is right." Li Banfeng nodded and strode away.

There was no point arguing with such a person; she was already possessed.

"Stop!" The woman wouldn't let Li Banfeng leave. "Where are you going?"

"To where I should go." Li Banfeng gave a profound answer.

"Your heart is too restless," the Big Sister said, reaching out and grabbing Li Banfeng's clothes. "You don't even know where you're going. Listen to me, stay."

Li Banfeng shook off the Big Sister and straightened his clothes. "I know where I'm going. Don't trouble yourself."

The Big Sister was somewhat disappointed in Li Banfeng. "You don't want to stay? After all this, haven't you understood?"

"Whether I've understood or not is my business. You don't need to worry about it." Li Banfeng's tone changed; he was getting angry.

The Big Sister raised her head, looking at Li Banfeng with bloodshot eyes. "Why can't you stay? Why do you want to leave? If you really leave, won't everything you've worked for be in vain? You still haven't fully understood. You don't know why you're here, but I do. The first time I saw you, I knew why you were here."

The first time she saw him?

Wasn't this their first time meeting?

Why was this Big Sister speaking illogically?

Li Banfeng didn't want to get tangled with her, so he took off running.

The Big Sister followed behind him, seemingly at a leisurely pace, and said to Li Banfeng, "Are you really determined to leave?"

How could this Big Sister run so fast?

He was a Level Three Wanderer Cultivator, yet he couldn't outrun her?

Was her cultivation so high?

Li Banfeng stopped running; he knew he couldn't escape. "Big Sister, I really stumbled into Bitter Greens Village by accident. I'm unfamiliar with the place. Just let me go. Once I leave Bitter Greens Village, I won't forget your kindness. Another day, I'll go to Greenwater City, buy some good things, and come visit you again."

The Big Sister paused for a moment. "You're going to Greenwater City? You just want to leave Bitter Greens Village?"

Li Banfeng was surprised. "What else? Where did you think I was trying to leave?"

The Big Sister nodded upon hearing this. "Leaving Bitter Greens Village isn't impossible, but it has to be according to my rules. As long as you can defeat me, I'll let you go."

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, his face full of helplessness. "Big Sister, you're joking. We're strangers; why would I hit you?"

The Big Sister stretched her limbs. "I won't use any techniques or weapons; otherwise, it would be bullying you. We'll just compete with fists and feet. If you can beat me, not only will I let you leave, but I'll also escort you part of the way."

"What you're saying," Li Banfeng shook his head and sighed, "I'm a man, you're a woman. How can I lay my hands on a woman?"

The Big Sister laughed. "That's quite a gentlemanly thing to say..."

Li Banfeng punched the Big Sister in the face.

The Big Sister fell silent.

Li Banfeng said very seriously, "Big Sister, I hit you first. That means I win, right? We had an agreement."

The Big Sister sighed deeply. "Alright, I'll let you go."

Li Banfeng's face lit up with joy. "Then I'll just..."

*Bang!* The Big Sister suddenly raised her leg and kicked Li Banfeng.

The kick was quite fierce; Li Banfeng almost fell to the ground.

"Big Sister, how sinister of you!"

"You weren't prepared because your cultivation isn't sufficient. Once you've cultivated enough, I'll let you go."

As the sun set, Chu Er was lighting a fire and cooking in the yard when Li Banfeng walked back, bruised and swollen.

"Master Seven, what happened?" Chu Er asked, clapping the dust from her hands. "Didn't you say you were leaving? Why are you back?"

Li Banfeng gave a dry laugh. "I met a Big Sister on the way. She was really nice and insisted on having me stay a few more days. I said I wouldn't stay, but she said I could only leave if I beat her. I fought, but I didn't win. I said I wouldn't fight anymore, but she said my cultivation wasn't sufficient, and then she kept hitting me until now."

Chu Er smiled sweetly. "Master Seven, you met Granny Bitter."

"Who is Granny Bitter?"

"Granny Bitter is just Granny Bitter. It's easy to enter Bitter Greens Village, but to leave, you need Granny Bitter's permission."

Li Banfeng stared blankly at Chu Er. "You can't leave either?"

"No," Chu Er shook her head. "I can only leave Bitter Greens Village when Granny Bitter leaves."

"When does she leave?"

"She comes in the second lunar month and leaves in the fifth. She usually stays in Bitter Greens Village for three months. I'm talking about the lunar calendar."

"The fifth lunar month?"

It wasn't even the third lunar month yet, so wouldn't he have to stay here for over two months?

"What's the background of this Granny Bitter?"

"I don't know her background. Anyway, just settle down and stay here with me, otherwise Granny Bitter will hit you every time she sees you."

Dinner was still bitter greens and steamed cornbread buns.

Chu Er looked at Li Banfeng with tender affection. "Master Seven, eat! I saved it all for you; I couldn't bear to eat it myself."

Li Banfeng ate the bitter greens and chewed the cornbread buns, as if he were back in his days in other provinces.

Seeing Li Banfeng eat a lot, Chu Er sighed softly. "When you and Ma Wu were in distress, you must have suffered like this too, right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "After meeting me, Ma Wu hasn't suffered. He's my brother, and as long as I can think of a way, I won't let my brother suffer."

Chu Er snorted coldly. "A little suffering isn't really bad."

"There are many disadvantages to suffering; I don't see any advantages."

"Can you even talk properly? I'm a Bitter Cultivator, and you're telling me there's no benefit to suffering?"

"Keep your suffering to yourself! You only have one bed here; where will I sleep tonight?"

Chu Er said tenderly, "Don't be a stranger, we can just squeeze in."

Li Banfeng sneered. "Seriously?"

"Not seriously," Chu Er shook her head. "Not yet. Granny Bitter is here, so we can't sleep together; otherwise, she'd beat both of us to death."

"She even controls that?"

"Yes! Anything that brings comfort, she forbids. Not just that, she even controls bathing. When she's in Bitter Greens Village, no one can bathe. Do you think I really bathe once every six months? I do it to avoid her. Today I was so dirty I couldn't stand it anymore, so I secretly wiped myself with water. If she saw me, she'd beat me to death!"

More than two months. How was he going to endure it?

No, he had to find a way to escape.

Late at night, Li Banfeng quietly left Chu Er's house, using his "Avert Misfortune" talent to choose a direction.

Head north, north was very auspicious!

Li Banfeng ran wildly for twenty li, not encountering Granny Bitter the entire way.

Indeed, the "Avert Misfortune" talent was the most useful!

In his joy, Li Banfeng stumbled over a rock, and the Judge's Brush fell to the ground.

"How careless." Granny Bitter picked up the Judge's Brush for Li Banfeng.

"I'll be more careful next time." Li Banfeng took the Judge's Brush.

Granny Bitter shook her head. "I see you still haven't fully understood."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Then I'll go back and try to understand more."

"You can't rely solely on your own understanding; someone needs to help you cultivate."

Li Banfeng clutched his head. "Can we find someone else to do the 'cultivating'?"