Chapter 239: Sage Peak

Li Banfeng slept until dusk. When he woke up, it was already 6 PM.

He had completely missed his stop.

Missing it was fine; the lingering power of the Judge's Brush still affected him, making Li Banfeng disinclined to overthink.

It wasn't until he exited his portable dwelling and picked up the key from under his bunk that Li Banfeng was forced to reconsider.

On *his* bunk, one on the top and one on the bottom, two women were sleeping.

To be precise, it wasn't Li Banfeng's bunk at all; it belonged to these two young women, and Li Banfeng should have gotten off the train much earlier.

Seeing the women stirring, Li Banfeng quickly explained, "I'm in the wrong carriage. Please don't mind..."

Piercing screams echoed from the carriage, and a train attendant rushed over.

The two female passengers explained that Li Banfeng had suddenly crawled out from under their bunk.

Li Banfeng's explanation was that he should have gotten off much earlier, but he had overslept.

The attendant looked at Li Banfeng and asked, "You overslept under a bunk?"

Li Banfeng explained for a long time but couldn't provide a reasonable explanation.

The attendant gritted his teeth and declared, "Traveling beyond your stop, harassing other passengers—your behavior is extremely egregious. That'll be a three-thousand yuan fine."

"Three thousand is no problem," Li Banfeng said, paying the fine first.

The attendant counted the money, put it in his pocket, and did not issue a receipt.

He then produced an iron pole.

Li Banfeng watched the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, gauging the train's speed. Waving at the attendant, he quickly said, "Listen to me first. I have a universal travel pass that allows me to travel anywhere in Puoluo Province. Let's just wait until the next stop to discuss this..."

The attendant opened the door and shoved Li Banfeng out with the pole.

Li Banfeng rolled beside the train tracks and then got to his feet.

The moment he was thrown off the train, Li Banfeng heard the two women shouting.

They seemed to be yelling, "May that hooligan die!"

Hooligan...

Isn't that ruining my reputation?

Indeed, this incident severely damaged his reputation. The two women tearfully complained everywhere, eventually alarming the train conductor.

The conductor was furious. He confiscated the three thousand from the attendant and checked the ticket information.

After checking, the attendant reported to the conductor, "This passenger's name is Ma Junyang."

Li Banfeng's ticket and travel pass were both issued under the identity of Ma Wu.

The conductor angrily exclaimed, "I've heard of this person! He slept with his own sister-in-law! He's the most shameless man in Puoluo Province; it's no surprise he'd do something like this."

Li Banfeng walked along the railway on the hillside for a long time without seeing a single soul.

It was all mountains, one after another, each looking as if it had been cast from the same mold, with little to distinguish them.

After walking for over three hours, Li Banfeng stopped.

According to his earlier thoughts, his biggest concern was encountering the border line.

Li Banfeng still remembered the power of the border line: one wrong step and he would turn to dust.

Railways could cross the border, but smugglers dared not follow the tracks because there were checkpoints along the railway.

Li Banfeng wasn't afraid of checkpoints; he had a travel pass and wasn't a smuggler.

What stopped him from going forward now wasn't the border line, but a patch of worn-bare grass.

How could the grass near the railway be worn bare?

One possibility was that something had suddenly fallen from the train, landed on the grass, and worn it bare as it slid.

Li Banfeng touched his back; it seemed to still have blades of grass stuck to it.

This was where he had fallen from the train.

He had walked back to his starting point.

A Tier 4 cultivator, walking along the railway for three hours, had actually returned to his original spot.

This didn't make logical sense.

Could it be that this railway just went in circles?

The railway couldn't be circling; *I* must be circling.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then moved away from the railway.

There might be some force around this railway that was interfering with his sense of direction.

But if he didn't follow the railway, where else could he go?

Li Banfeng looked up at the starry sky. On a clear night, there were many ways to determine direction.

He quickly found due north and walked that way. Less than ten li later, a tall mountain blocked his path.

This mountain was taller than those around it, and he could vaguely discern some buildings on its slope.

For Li Banfeng, climbing a mountain was not difficult. He sprinted along the mountain path and soon found the houses on the slope.

The architectural style of these houses struck Li Banfeng as somewhat unfamiliar.

They had earthen-red brick walls, vermillion gates adorned with rusty gate nails, and a pair of massive door knockers.

This vibrant red architectural style should have conveyed joy, but Li Banfeng felt that the houses exuded a heavy, deathly silence from top to bottom.

Under normal circumstances, Li Banfeng would have kept his distance from such a dwelling.

But he needed to ask for directions.

He walked to the gate, lifted a knocker, and tapped it twice. A boy of seventeen or eighteen opened a side door.

The boy wore a long gown with a diagonal opening and a small round cap, making his attire look particularly old-fashioned.

He stood at the doorway, scrutinized Li Banfeng from head to toe, and asked, "Who disturbs the peace here?"

He asked quite formally.

Li Banfeng replied, "I'm just passing through and wanted to ask where this place is."

"Wait here," the boy said. "I'll ask my master."

The boy left.

I just wanted to ask where this place is; surely you don't need to consult your master for that?

Li Banfeng waited at the gate for nearly half an hour before the boy reappeared. "My master says: 'Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety.' Please come back another day."

What's going on?

I just came to ask for directions; how is that improper?

Just as Li Banfeng was about to ask, the boy closed the door.

Should I try asking somewhere else?

There were many other houses nearby, mostly similar in style, all equally lifeless.

Never mind. This place is quite remote, unlike Greenwater City. Knocking on doors in the middle of the night certainly isn't proper etiquette; I shouldn't scare anyone.

Li Banfeng found a suitable spot, hid his key, and returned to his portable dwelling to sleep for the night.

The next morning, Li Banfeng emerged from his portable dwelling, still intending to ask for directions, but found hardly any pedestrians on the road.

The house he had encountered the previous night remained shut, and though one house had its gate ajar, as soon as Li Banfeng approached, it slammed shut with a clang.

What kind of place is this?

I'm not a robber, a thief, or a beggar. Why are they all hiding from me like this?

Even on his first visit to Iron Gate Fort, at least someone would answer when he asked for directions.

Li Banfeng was about to look further up the mountain when he suddenly saw a man approaching, dressed in a white robe with a solemn expression.

Finally, seeing someone, Li Banfeng quickly stepped forward to ask for directions. "Excuse me, is this..."

Before he could finish, the man in white suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud, startling Li Banfeng.

"I'm just asking for directions, not robbing you," Li Banfeng stammered. "I haven't done anything like that in a long time."

The man in white glanced at Li Banfeng, his expression one of great surprise, but he ultimately said nothing more.

His eyes remained fixed on the dwelling ahead. Only then did Li Banfeng realize that the man wasn't kneeling for *him*, but for the owner of the house.

What could he possibly want from them that required him to kneel?

Kneeling in front of the gate isn't going to do any good. At least wait until they see you before you kneel.

If he wanted to kneel, so be it. As strangers, Li Banfeng didn't feel it was his place to stop him, and it didn't prevent him from asking for directions: "Excuse me, what place is this?"

The man in white, without taking his eyes off the house, said, "To be on the Peak of Sages and still ask where you are—how laughable is the ignorance of the world."

The Peak of Sages?

Li Banfeng had never heard of such a place.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the nearest train station?" Li Banfeng asked. He had his travel pass and could buy a ticket.

The man in white sneered. "A sacred place for sages cannot tolerate such common things."

Are trains considered common things?

Li Banfeng tried to be as polite as possible. "This is my first time in this sacred place, and I urgently need to leave. Could you please direct me?"

The man in white suddenly furrowed his brow and responded to Li Banfeng with four words: "Speak not what is contrary to propriety!"

There was no point talking to him further; this person was not normal.

Anyone kneeling before a closed gate couldn't possibly be normal.

Li Banfeng continued up the mountain. The houses there were largely the same: all their gates were closed, and there was no answer when he knocked.

He encountered a few people pushing carts or dumping dirt, but they all kept a wide distance from Li Banfeng.

Occasionally, he would encounter someone who didn't avoid him, but when Li Banfeng asked a question, they would just utter a stream of archaic phrases, none of which were useful.

The people on this mountain were sick, very sick.

Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions and instead followed the mountain path directly over the tall mountain.

He walked north along the mountain pass for over ten li, only to find another tall mountain blocking his way.

Following the mountain path up the slope, Li Banfeng once again saw familiar buildings.

Earthen-red high walls, vermillion gates, and dozens of people kneeling in front of the gate.

The scene at this house was even more exaggerated than before. Li Banfeng quickly scanned the crowd and spotted a familiar face.

The person was wearing a white robe. Could it be...?

Approaching closer and examining for a long time, Li Banfeng asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

The man in white snorted coldly, "Look not at what is contrary to propriety!"

Li Banfeng was bewildered.

I walked back here again?

Is something wrong with them, or is something wrong with me?

*Creak, creak, creak*, the main gate opened.

The same seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy from yesterday reappeared.

"My master says your time has not yet come," the boy stated. "Please return."

Astonishment and disappointment spread across the faces of the crowd as they all looked at the boy.

The man in white asked, "We have endured countless hardships, seeking guidance day and night at your door. Why do you say our time has not yet come?"

The boy answered emotionlessly, "This is my master's will."

Having said that, the boy left.

The crowd was deeply disheartened; some even shed tears.

"Go back? Are we just going to go back like this?"

"What else can we do if we don't go back? This is the sage's decree."

"I've waited anxiously for eight years, just to meet the sage once, and now I'm told to go back? How can I accept that?"

"What if you've waited eight years? I've been waiting here for eleven full years!"

The crowd grumbled ceaselessly until the man in white spoke. "The sage refuses to see us because our sincerity is insufficient. Whether it's ten years or eight, have we ever shown true perseverance and resolve in our quest for knowledge, beyond merely waiting here?"

Someone nearby asked, "In your opinion, what should we do?"

The man in white declared, "From today, I will remain here, kneeling indefinitely. If the sage does not see me for a day, I will kneel for a day. If the sage does not see me for a year, I will kneel for a year."

Li Banfeng was shocked to hear this.

How utterly contemptible!