Chapter 243: You Must Respect the Elderly

At dusk, a group of elders returned to the village, crying and shouting, accusing the bandits of their cruelty.

If Li Banfeng had been there, he would have felt compelled to offer them some advice. Cruelty was necessary; how else could one rob?

Both soft and hard approaches had been tried, but to no avail. Several villages consulted with each other and decided that a disciple of the Sage must intervene. Their heartfelt offerings to the Sage had been stolen by robbers; the Sage's disciples couldn't just stand by!

However, the Sage's disciples were not easy to deal with; they would act upon the slightest displeasure. The villagers were very sincere, willing to endure beatings and scolding, all for their devotion to the Sage.

They knelt for a long time outside the Sage's disciples' gate, only asking them to inform Sage Peak about the situation in their village.

Now it was the disciples' turn to be troubled. The villagers were showing their sincerity to the Sage, and as his disciples, they couldn't ignore the matter. They were all ruthless individuals, quick to strike even the youngest children. But beating children was one thing; dealing with robbers was another. Children, when beaten, dared not retaliate. Robbers, however, would beat them without mercy.

Eventually, three bold disciples agreed to the task, heading up the mountain overnight to deliver the message to the Sage.

Could they reach Sage Peak? This region was a continuous mountain range, with more than one path to Sage Peak. It was impossible for Li Banfeng to set ambushes on every single one. Moreover, he was after wealth, so he wouldn't just attack anyone passing by.

These three disciples donned coarse clothes, disguised themselves as farmers, and delivered the message to Sage Peak.

As disciples of the Sage, did they have no cultivation at all? Indeed, they did not. There were differences among disciples; those with cultivation resided on Sage Peak and did not descend to lecture.

Inside a grand mansion, the youth who had originally opened the door for Li Banfeng stood under the porch, waiting behind the door for his master's command.

Rapid breathing emanated continuously from the room; the master was cultivating. As the breathing subsided slightly, the youth finally heard his master's voice: "This person claims to be the peddler's senior brother?"

The youth replied, "That's what the villagers said, but it's probably just nonsense from him."

"That might not be the case. This person came uninvited and caused so much trouble; he must have some foundation. Have Jingzhang and Wenlie descend the mountain to teach him a lesson first."

The youth assented, and the rapid breathing in the room resumed; the master had begun cultivating again. Leaving the mansion, the youth went to two other residences and summoned his senior brothers, Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie. Upon hearing their master's instructions, the two disciples understood the situation's context and immediately descended the mountain to find Li Banfeng.

Finding Li Banfeng was not difficult. In recent days, over two hundred people from various villages and regions had successively come to seek refuge with Li Banfeng. These were outsiders who wished to leave but couldn't. As the number of people grew, so did their presence. Initially, they lived in caves, but when the caves became insufficient, everyone began building wooden huts. These huts, arranged in rows, had already formed a mountain stronghold. Li Banfeng named the stronghold "Benefactor's Stronghold."

Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie, both in their early fifties, each changed into a coarse short tunic with several patches, clearly dressed as poor folk.

They arrived at Benefactor's Stronghold, met Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu, who were patrolling outside, and asked them for some water.

Fang Lianfu asked them, "Are you beggars from out of town?"

Qu Jingzhang shook his head, "We're not beggars. We're locals. We don't want food, just a sip of water."

Niu Guangda frowned, "You're locals, yet instead of going to the village, you came all the way into these deep mountains to ask us for water?"

Ren Wenlie sighed, "Young man, how are you speaking? At our age, how could we possibly trick you for a mere sip of water? Even if you just drew a bowl of cold water from the well for us, we'd be grateful. Yet you've gone back and forth, interrogating us as if we were thieves."

Niu Guangda blinked, "I was just asking, no other meaning..."

Fang Lianfu's face reddened, "We're young and not very knowledgeable about manners. Please wait, I'll have someone brew you some tea and get you some refreshments."

Two farmers coming to a desolate mountain wilderness for water was inherently suspicious. But after these two spoke a few words, Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu felt extremely remorseful instead.

After drinking tea and eating refreshments, Qu Jingzhang belched and said, "Young men, I'm not lecturing you, but respecting elders is fundamental to being human. Won't you also grow old someday? When you reach our age and are interrogated like thieves when you're out, how would that make you feel?"

Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu were completely red-faced, speechless for a long time.

Ren Wenlie stretched and said, "Young men, is there a place to rest? We won't stay long, but we're truly tired and just need to sleep for a bit."

Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu found themselves in a difficult position. No outsiders were to be allowed freely inside the stronghold; this was a rule set by their Benefactor. But these two elders, so old, just wanted to nap for a while. To not even agree to such a small request would weigh on their conscience.

The two young men discussed for a moment, then told the elders, "We'll take you to our living quarters for a nap, but you two must leave before dark."

Ren Wenlie smacked his lips, "What's the meaning of that? Do you think we'd cling on and refuse to leave? Why are all young people like this nowadays? How did your parents raise you?"

The two young men said nothing more and quietly led the elders back to their room. Just as the elders were about to enter, a man wearing a fedora and a full beard suddenly walked over.

"What are you two doing? Instead of patrolling properly, you're hiding in your room to be lazy?"

Seeing it was Li Banfeng, Niu Guangda and Fang Lianfu both lowered their heads, daring not to speak.

Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie exchanged glances. It seemed this bearded man was the one they were looking for.

Ren Wenlie spoke first: "I say, good sir, don't blame these two young men. We're just passing through and wanted a place to rest. These two young men were kind enough to find us a spot."

Qu Jingzhang continued, "At our age, asking for a place to stay with you, would that really break any rules?"

Li Banfeng quickly said, "You two misunderstand. Respecting elders is fundamental to being human. No matter what rules there are, respecting elders comes first. The two youngsters' room is messy and dirty; it's not suitable for you two elders to rest there. Elders, please follow me. You can come directly to my living quarters."

Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie, without changing their expressions, followed Li Banfeng into the cave.

Ren Wenlie looked around, "You live here?"

Qu Jingzhang sighed, "I say, fellow, why are you lying to us? You're the leader of these people; how could you live in a place like this?"

Li Banfeng lowered his head, "I'm making you two laugh. I don't like living in houses; I just prefer caves."

Qu Jingzhang frowned, "Is it appropriate for you to tell such jokes to us two elders?"

Ren Wenlie said, "Did your parents teach you the rules for speaking to elders?"

Li Banfeng answered truthfully, "No, that really wasn't taught." As he spoke, sweat poured down Li Banfeng's face, but his low-brimmed hat kept it from being noticed by the others. The opponents were using a Moral Cultivation technique—Virtuous Scrutiny. Under this technique, the opponents imposed a very high moral standard on Li Banfeng, making him fall into self-reproach and guilt under their criticisms.

Could this technique be resisted? It depended on both sides' cultivation levels. From the current situation, Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie's cultivation levels were both around the fifth layer, comparable to Li Banfeng's Domain Cultivation. However, their combined effort put Li Banfeng at a significant disadvantage.

"Little brother, can you hold on?" The Wine Gourd and Blood-Infused Pendulum were using Thought Cultivation techniques to help Li Banfeng stay clear-headed, but Li Banfeng had too many distracting thoughts, and the situation was difficult to reverse quickly. Dream Virtue, hanging on the cave wall, was also secretly assisting. Thanks to Li Banfeng's thorough preparations, he wouldn't have been able to endure until now.

He looked at the two, smiling, and said, "I gave you tea to drink, and pastries to eat, and even found you a place to stay. Yet here you are, nagging and nitpicking, didn't your parents teach you manners? You've lived to such an old age, yet you act so unruly; don't you feel ashamed?"

The two were startled, not expecting Li Banfeng to say such things.

Qu Jingzhang angrily retorted, "Is this how you talk to elders?"

Ren Wenlie said, "Don't you have any upbringing? Don't you know how to respect elders?"

Li Banfeng scanned the two and asked, "That's what we should be asking you. Do you understand respecting elders? Do you know I'm older than you?"

Qu Jingzhang was stunned speechless for a long time.

Ren Wenlie scoffed, "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at for saying that?"

Li Banfeng stared at Ren Wenlie and said, "How many teeth do you have? Are they that easy to lose? I'm the peddler's senior brother. I've eaten more salt than you've walked bridges. Why are you trying to act superior in front of me? When you two were born, I didn't even know where I was. You two were born of a mother but raised without one. How do you speak to elders? Didn't your mother teach you manners?"

Li Banfeng's speech was convoluted, but most of it was factual. However, Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie weren't focused on the facts; they were only concerned with one question: Was this person really the peddler's senior brother? If he truly was the peddler's senior brother, wouldn't it be utterly foolish to show off their techniques in front of him?

Seeing their conflicted expressions, Li Banfeng gained confidence. His confident assertions and their foolish anxieties had both succeeded.

Li Banfeng pointed at the two and barked, "Do you have any shame? If you still feel any embarrassment, go outside and stand there to reflect!"

Qu Jingzhang and Ren Wenlie dared not be sure whether Li Banfeng's words were true or false. After a period of internal struggle, they made a decision: to temporarily leave this troublesome place. If Li Banfeng truly was the peddler's senior brother, their survival until now was entirely due to Li Banfeng's benevolence. If Li Banfeng was not the peddler's senior brother, they already knew his dwelling, so it wouldn't be too late to come back and deal with him at a suitable opportunity.

The two said no more and turned to leave the cave.

This was a foolish move. Foolish anxieties led to fearing both gain and loss. This was the most advantageous outcome for Li Banfeng. Cultivators of other dao paths should never turn their backs on a wandering cultivator, or they will never have a chance to turn back.

Li Banfeng suddenly took a step, crushing a stone on the ground. Several fragments of stone struck the back of their heads.