Chapter 21: Two Critical Paths

"Why can't a house spirit be born?"

"Because it has no foundation," the peddler explained. "For a house to birth a spirit, it needs to take root in one place and absorb spiritual energy. This house drifts around; wherever the key goes, it goes. Naturally, it can't take root."

"Without a house spirit, can it still be used for cultivation?"

The peddler stroked his chin. "Reaching higher levels is definitely not possible, but getting started is fine. Maintaining daily basic cultivation is also fine, as long as you truly acknowledge this house."

"I acknowledge it?" Li Banfeng was puzzled.

"Yes, as long as you consider this house your home, you've accepted it. But remember, accepting a house must come from the heart."

Consider this a home?That's a bit difficult!

Li Banfeng struggled to understand the house's nature. "Invisible, intangible, and it can move. What kind of existence is this house, exactly?"

"Didn't I already say? It follows the key; wherever the key is, it is. But how it moves precisely, I don't know either. This was a shelter built by a Traveler Master. Later, as his cultivation grew deeper, that Master no longer needed this thing, so he sold it to me. If you think it's suitable, I'll give this house to you. Although there's no house spirit, you won't be able to reach higher levels in House Cultivation, but by living in it daily, you'll at least be cultivating on the right path, and for now, there won't be any danger to your life."

Li Banfeng asked, "So, I can focus entirely on Traveler Cultivation, and House Cultivation just needs to maintain its current state?"

"Of course not," the peddler shook his head. "When cultivating two paths, the level difference cannot exceed three levels. Without a house spirit, your House Cultivation can't reach any level, meaning it's less than level one. If your Traveler Cultivation reaches level one, the situation is still acceptable. However, if it reaches level two, your House Cultivation will backfire. If Traveler Cultivation reaches level three, House Cultivation will endanger your life. If Traveler Cultivation reaches level four and House Cultivation is still below level one, the cultivator will surely die. Remember, the difference between the two absolutely cannot exceed three levels."

Li Banfeng stroked his chin. "So, the conflict between House Cultivation and Traveler Cultivation still hasn't been resolved."

"How should I put this?" the peddler chuckled. "You're from an outer province; you must have seen cars, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I have."

"If a car hits and kills someone, does the driver have to pay compensation?"

"Naturally."

"After paying, can the dead person be brought back to life?"

"Certainly not."

"Since they can't be revived, why must one still pay compensation?"

Li Banfeng was stumped by the question.

The peddler smiled. "That's the logic behind it. When you make a mistake, you must provide corresponding compensation. You're cultivating two incompatible paths. There's a mistake on my part in this matter, so of course, I must give you equivalent compensation. This is my rule, a reasonable and logical rule. I've given you compensation, a reasonable and logical compensation. But whether this compensation can save your life depends on your own fortune. There are two paths: first, cultivate the house in a perilous location, or second, take this moving house. Choose one yourself."

The two paths seemingly offered solutions, but in reality, neither truly resolved the problem.

Li Banfeng first considered the first path: "If I cultivate a house spirit in a house in a perilous location, and later I no longer want the house, can I move out?" No one wanted to live in a perilous place their entire life.

The peddler nodded. "House cultivators can change houses, but the house spirit must be handled properly. If a house spirit is abandoned, it will become a vengeful spirit. It will lure others into the house, and simply by spending one night there, they will become the house spirit's prisoner. Unless someone replaces the imprisoned person, the house spirit will imprison them until death, and then continue to harm others. The more people the house spirit harms, the greater its power. If it cultivates a means to leave the house, the house spirit will inevitably seek revenge on its former owner. Many house cultivators have died at the hands of house spirits, so changing houses must be done with caution. It's best to find another house cultivator to take over the old house, and you must obtain the house spirit's consent."

That makes things much harder!Where would he find someone to take over? House cultivators mostly stay at home, making them hard to find. Even if he found one, they might not be willing to accept it. They have their own house spirits; why would they take over a house in a perilous place?

Of the two paths, the first could cultivate a house spirit and was beneficial in the long run. The second path could only solve the immediate problem and was not a long-term solution. Weighing the pros and cons, Li Banfeng chose the second path. The reason was simple: he currently didn't have the means to choose a long-term solution.

Since boarding the train, Li Banfeng had encountered too many situations that overturned his understanding. If not for extremely good luck, he most likely wouldn't have survived until now. And this was just daily life in Yaowanggou. If he truly went to a perilous place, he might not even last a day. Dreaming of obtaining a house spirit in half a year? He might already have become a wisp of a wronged spirit, sustenance for another house's spirit.

The matter settled, the peddler immediately handed the brass key to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng tried it a few times, confirmed it was in order, and the transaction was thus concluded.

"Gains and losses, we're quits. I actually lost money on this deal, but I care about my reputation. Since you've accepted my item, you can't go around tarnishing my reputation. You can't mention this to anyone. Do you agree?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I agree."

"Then it's settled. Do you have any relatives in Yaowanggou?"

Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "Why do you ask?"

The peddler shrugged. "There was once a person who was a Fire Cultivator, but later regretted it and wanted to change paths, switching to Water Cultivation. Nothing happened on the first day, but on the second, he turned into ashes."

Li Banfeng's cheek twitched. "You mean to say...?"

"What I mean is, you may not survive. Long-term matters are not my responsibility, but if you don't even make it through tonight, I can convert this compensation for your relatives." The peddler was indeed a trustworthy person.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I have no relatives." This was the truth. Whether in Yaowanggou or anywhere else, Li Banfeng had no relatives.

"Then you can't blame me. In any case, I've given you the house. The rest depends on your own fortune," the peddler smacked his lips, then added a reminder. "Remember this: after sleeping in the house for one night, if you feel energy surging within your body, it means you've truly accepted the house, and your cultivation will align with it. That means you've passed the first hurdle.

Within the house, House Cultivators have the strongest combat power, far superior to ordinary people. After leaving the house, their combat power will slowly decline, and then quickly recover upon returning to the house. This is crucial for House Cultivation.

Traveler Cultivators have the most advantage in the wilderness. The more perilous the terrain, the stronger their combat power. If trapped indoors, Traveler Cultivators are always at risk of death. This is crucial for Traveler Cultivation.

You must spend at least two hours in the house every day and walk at least twenty li. These are the daily cultivation basics. If the basics are met, there will be a sensation. If the basics aren't completed, there will be a backlash; Qiao Yuesheng is an example. If you truly encounter difficulties, you must at least return home once a day and find a way to walk three to five li. If you can't even do that, you'll simply face sudden death.

Traveler Cultivators can advance a level by staying one night in a perilous place. House Cultivators can also advance a level by pleasing the house spirit. Reaching a higher level also comes with a sensation. Remember well, remember well."

The peddler tied the mat, rolled around the corpse, onto his cart and pushed it away.

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you have a power bank?"

"A power bank? No, I don't," the peddler shook his head. "I don't have anything that uses electricity."

Li Banfeng looked at the pitch-black wilderness, thought about what he had seen and heard along the way, and asked, "Is there electricity here?"

"Electricity?" The peddler was momentarily unsure how to answer. "Some households use electricity, but it's not a widespread connection. In Puluozhou, electricity is difficult to transmit over long distances; in your outer province terms, it's called excessive line loss. The power bank you mentioned is for mobile phones, right? In Puluozhou, it's best to use mobile phones sparingly. There shouldn't be any signal here, and those signals you receive might not be coming from where they should, potentially attracting undesirable trouble or even undesirable people. Especially Scrying Cultivators; they particularly like to use mobile phones as hooks in the outer provinces."

"What's a hook?"

"It's like a fishing hook. Scrying Cultivators' clairaudience is often attached to mobile phones," the peddler didn't explain further, waving his hand at Li Banfeng. "This transaction is now complete. Although there were some minor hiccups, my brand remains, and my sincerity is unchanged. Farewell, customer. For future business, please give me your continued patronage."

P.S.: Three updates today, another at midnight. Dear readers, please give all your monthly votes to Shala, all to Shala!