Chapter 208: Travel Cultivation Level Four Unimpeded Passage

"Uncle Yu, I've said all I need to say. Please go back."

Yu Zhihe sat in the accounting office, completely unfazed. "Junyang, no matter how capable you are out there, there are rules within the family. You're not in a position to kick me out."

Ma Wu said nothing further. He left the accounting office and went to a private room.

Li Banfeng was drinking in the private room when Ma Wu sat beside him.

"He's not leaving?"

Ma Wu nodded.

Li Banfeng poured himself another drink. "Go deliver the invitations to all the families. We're still opening in three days."

Ma Wu left. Li Banfeng pulled down his hat, entered the accounting office, and locked the door behind him.

Yu Zhihe was startled. "Who are you?"

"The owner of Xiaoyaowu," Li Banfeng replied.

Yu Zhihe stood up. "This is the Ma family's business. Who are you? Where's Junyang? Tell him to come see me!"

Li Banfeng approached Yu Zhihe and asked, "How old are you, sir?"

Yu Zhihe took two steps back. "What do you want?"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "You've lived a long life, enjoyed many blessings, yet you're still so clueless. In my opinion, we should keep the funeral simple."

Ma Wu sent invitations to all the major families, and the Ma family also received one.

Ma Chunting's hands trembled with anger as he looked at the invitation.

The Ma family's fourth son, Ma Junjiang, quickly massaged his father's shoulders and back. Once Ma Chunting had calmed down slightly, he shouted, "Go tell Old Yu to seal off the accounting office at Xiaoyaowu. Don't let that beast take a single penny. We'll see how he manages to open!"

Ma Junjiang sent people to Xiaoyaowu, but they didn't return until evening.

"Why did it take so long?"

"Master, young master, we went to Xiaoyaowu, but we couldn't find Mr. Yu."

Ma Chunting frowned. "That old rascal, he's gone missing again! Go to his house and find him!"

"Master, we went to Mr. Yu's house. His family said he hasn't returned."

"Where could he have gone? To a brothel? He... he..." Ma Chunting froze.

Having navigated the jianghu for many years, he had a bad feeling.

"That beast, that beast..." Ma Chunting's hands began to tremble again.

Ma Junjiang quickly stepped forward to massage his shoulders and back.

"He... he wouldn't dare. He certainly wouldn't dare..." Ma Chunting had guessed what happened, but couldn't believe it was true. "Take some men to Xiaoyaowu to demand his return. If you can't find Old Yu, then smash Xiaoyaowu for me."

Just as Ma Junjiang was about to leave, Ma Chunting called him back.

He couldn't let his fourth son go.

Old Yu went and was never heard from again.

If his fourth son went, would he ever come back?

Though old, Ma Chunting wasn't senile. He realized his youngest son was no longer the same.

"How did he become like this? How dare he? That beast, who taught him..." Ma Chunting told Ma Junjiang to sit back down and remained silent for a long time.

"Father, I should still go ask. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding."

Ma Chunting shook his head. "No need to ask. Go send a message to all the major families. Tell them that if they still respect Old Ma, no one is to attend Xiaoyaowu's opening day.

"Chu Er was snubbed at the Paramount. That beast still hasn't learned his lesson and dares to defy his own father. I'll make him lose everything he has; he won't even have a place to beg!"

Qiu the Monkey had just received the invitation, and then the message from the Ma family.

Lu Yuanshan looked troubled. "Uncle Qiu, Xiaoyaowu is opening. Should we go or not?"

Qiu the Monkey smiled. "What do you two think?"

Lu Yuanhai said, "If you ask me, we should go. Old Wu helped our family with that phonograph issue."

Lu Yuanshan was more cautious. "But this is the Ma family's private matter, and it's not good for us to get involved."

Both looked at Qiu Zhiheng. This matter still required Qiu Zhiheng's decision.

Qiu Zhiheng put down the invitation, lit a cigarette, and asked the two brothers again, "If you don't consider Ma Wu, would you two go or not?"

The two brothers exchanged glances, not understanding what Qiu the Monkey meant.

If Ma Wu wasn't a factor, it seemed like an insignificant matter.

Smoking his cigarette, Qiu Zhiheng looked at the brothers and said, "Ma Chunting is truly old; he thinks the Ma family has the same standing as the Lu family. The Lu family could snub Chu Er, and he thinks the Ma family can also snub Ma Wu. Do we need to ask him whether the Lu family goes or not?"

The two brothers exchanged smiles, understanding Qiu Zhiheng's meaning.

Three days later, Li Banfeng had swallowed two pills and waited for the residual toxins to fully dissipate. He then left his private room and entered the grand ballroom.

His legs felt an urge to run. Li Banfeng calculated the time; it seemed the moment was ripe.

This wasn't just because of the pills he had taken; Li Banfeng had also recently faced many dangers in Haichi Ridge, Baiman Valley, and Fool's City. With every step he took, his cultivation increased exponentially.

With two hours left until the opening ceremony, the band, singers, and dancers were all ready. Ma Wu was very nervous, as no guests had arrived yet.

"Seventh Brother, we won't be snubbed too, will we?"

"If we are, we are. It's no big deal; we'll celebrate ourselves!" To truly stand tall in Lushui City, they had to open today, no matter what.

With one hour left, Qiu Zhiheng arrived, along with the two young masters of the Lu family and their first madam, Duan Shaoxia.

Ma Wu felt a little relieved and quickly welcomed the Lu family to the place of honor.

Soon after the Lu family arrived, the Chu family also appeared.

Chu Huaijun, the eldest son of the Chu family, took his family to the VIP seating.

Chu Er was still at Kucai Village, so Yang Yanzheng presented a congratulatory gift on her behalf.

The Three Heroes Sect arrived, as did the Azure Cloud Society and the Hundred Flowers Sect.

VIP guests steadily entered, all of them taking their cue from the Lu family.

With fifteen minutes left until the opening, He Yuxiu arrived. "Junyang, your Uncle Haiqin wanted to come personally, but he couldn't get away from business. He asked me to apologize for him."

Ma Wu quickly led He Yuxiu to the VIP section. "Aunt Xiu, you're too kind! I'm so overjoyed you could come today, I don't know what to do with myself!"

Guests took their seats, and the ceremony began.

Qiu Zhiheng glanced towards a corner of the ballroom and raised his wine glass.

Li Banfeng also raised his glass, and they both drained their drinks.

The photographers' flashes didn't stop, nor did Ma Wu's wine glass.

Their focus was entirely on the Lu family.

This was about prestige and deterrence. Only today did Li Banfeng truly grasp the Lu family's influence in Puro Province.

Will I ever have such influence one day?

Thinking about such things now seemed a bit distant.

But there was an immediate matter he needed to attend to.

Singing queens Jiang Mengting and Xu Qiulan performed in turn, bringing the ceremony to its climax.

Li Banfeng quietly approached Yang Yanzheng, lowering his voice. "Senior Yang, may I trouble you to come to my private room for a moment?"

Seeing it was Li Qi, Yang Yanzheng didn't ask further and followed him to the private room.

Beautiful music played in the room, the sound clear and free of any noise, as if a singer were performing live.

It must be said, Ma Wu's phonograph setup was quite high-end.

The two chatted for a moment, drank two glasses of wine, then Li Banfeng brought up the main topic. "I invited you here because I have something to ask you."

"Brother, no need to be polite. Just say what's on your mind."

"We belong to the same sect—we are both itinerant cultivators. I'd like to ask you about combat techniques."

Yang Yanzheng knew Li Banfeng was an itinerant cultivator and asked with interest, "Brother Li Qi, have you ascended to the second layer?"

"I'm aware of the second-layer technique."

Yang Yanzheng paused. "Then you want to ask about the third-layer technique?"

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm also aware of the third-layer technique."

Yang Yanzheng carefully observed Li Banfeng. His large fedora obscured his face, and he had a thick beard along his cheeks.

Honestly, he couldn't tell Li Banfeng's age, but he didn't recall this person having fourth-layer cultivation.

Li Banfeng chuckled. "Senior, you've misunderstood. I just reached the second layer not long ago. I simply want to learn more about techniques to prepare for future cultivation."

This was the truth; Li Banfeng had indeed just reached the second layer recently.

Yang Yanzheng shook his head and laughed. "Your preparations are far too early. You just reached the second layer, and you're asking about fourth-layer techniques?"

"There's no harm in learning more."

Yang Yanzheng shook his head. "That's against the rules."

Li Banfeng raised his wine glass. "I am sincerely asking for your guidance."

Yang Yanzheng hesitated.

Although Li Qi had a close relationship with Ma Wu, he rarely initiated conversations with people and always carried an indescribable coolness about him.

It was truly rare for him to make such a gesture today. However, techniques couldn't be revealed to others casually; it was a rule among cultivators.

But if I don't tell him, someone else will sooner or later. Is it worth offending Li Qi over this?

The second young lady once said that Li Qi was the one truly in charge at Lanyang Village. Offending Li Qi meant offending Ma Wu, and the second young lady's relationship with Li Qi was quite unusual.

But it was illogical for him to ask about fourth-layer techniques when he had just reached the second layer.

Was he truly only at the second layer?

Given his sincerity, it should be true...

After agonizing for a while, Yang Yanzheng felt a splitting headache.

Forget it, it wasn't worth the trouble over such a small matter. He had just reached the second layer; telling him the technique wouldn't hurt.

"Brother Li Qi, our sect's fourth-layer technique is called 'Unimpeded Passage.' To put it simply, you can think of it as a wall-passing technique."

As he spoke, Yang Yanzheng demonstrated. He stood by the wall to the left of the door, pushed off with his left foot, using a "Short Step" move. In a flash, he disappeared.

A scream came from the next room—not a woman's scream, but a young man's.

After the scream, He Yuxiu's scolding voice followed: "You old fool Yang, what are you doing wandering around aimlessly?"

He Yuxiu kicked Yang Yanzheng out.

Yang Yanzheng dusted himself off and returned to Li Banfeng's private room, saying calmly, "Brother Li Qi, this technique must be used with caution. Before passing through a wall, it's best to know the situation on the other side."

Li Banfeng asked, "Can the fourth-layer technique only pass through walls?"

"Not just walls. I heard a senior once say that if your cultivation reaches a certain level, you can even pass through mountains. But at the fourth layer of cultivation, you can only pass through obstructions up to three feet thick at most.

"Moreover, once the technique is cast, you cannot turn back. If the obstruction is thicker than three feet, you'll be trapped inside and won't be able to get out. This is the most dangerous aspect of the technique; you must never act rashly before using it."

"I saw you use 'Short Step' before performing the technique."

Yang Yanzheng nodded. "To use 'Unimpeded Passage,' you must first use 'Traceless Short Step.' That's a rule of the technique.

"After performing 'Short Step,' you must immediately clear your mind of all obstructions, and focus your intent entirely on unimpeded movement to successfully cast the technique. Even a slight hesitation will cause it to fail. I'll demonstrate again."

This time, Yang Yanzheng went through the wall to the right of the door.

Another gasp, still the young man's voice.

"You old fool Yang, what are you doing here again?"

He Yuxiu kicked Yang Yanzheng out again.

Back in the private room, Yang Yanzheng sat in silence for a long time, unable to understand what had just happened.

The wall on the left connected to He Yuxiu's private room, where He Yuxiu was with a young man.

The wall on the right also connected to He Yuxiu's private room, and He Yuxiu was still in there.

How many He Yuxius were there?

While he was pondering, Yang Yanzheng realized Li Banfeng was gone.

Someone pushed open the private room door. Yang Yanzheng looked up and saw He Yuxiu again.

He Yuxiu looked at Yang Yanzheng with alluring eyes. "Old Yang, you keep looking over there. Are you getting envious?"

"No, no, how would I dare..."

"If you are, just say so. I'll fulfill your wish," He Yuxiu said, sitting beside Yang Yanzheng.

"Miss, how could I ever be worthy of you?"

To say he wasn't envious would be a lie. Yang Yanzheng had admired He Yuxiu deeply since his youth, right up to the present day.

"What's 'worthy' got to do with it?" He Yuxiu caressed Yang Yanzheng's cheek. "Neither of us is young anymore. Aren't you afraid of missing out on this in your lifetime?"

"I..." Yang Yanzheng looked up at He Yuxiu. No matter her age, she remained as captivatingly beautiful in his eyes.

The music in the private room grew even more enchanting, and Yang Yanzheng's blood pressure steadily rose.

He didn't notice, however, that there was no record on the phonograph.

The real source of the singing was a calendar poster hidden behind the curtain.

After a shudder, Yang Yanzheng woke up.

Li Banfeng was beside him. "Senior Yang, why did you fall asleep?"

Yang Yanzheng looked around but didn't see He Yuxiu. Was that just a dream?

"Perhaps I've been a bit tired recently," Yang Yanzheng said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, filled with an indescribable sense of regret.

How could such a good dream have ended?

He'd forgotten most of what happened in the dream, but it was probably the only time in his life...

Li Banfeng said, "I invited you here because I have something to ask you. We belong to the same sect, and I'd like to ask you about combat techniques."

Yang Yanzheng smiled. "Brother Li Qi, have you ascended to the second layer?"

"I just reached the second layer and don't yet know what our sect's second-layer technique is."

"Our sect's second-layer technique is called 'Traceless Short Step'..."

At the Ma family mansion, Ma Chunting gnashed his teeth.

He had received news that all the major families in Lushui City had gone to Xiaoyaowu for the banquet.

"Rebellious son, beast! No matter how much you beg me, don't ever think about stepping foot inside this house again!" Ma Chunting smashed his teacup, slapped Ma Junjiang, and went back to his bedroom to lie down.