Chapter 26: Living Life

Li Banfeng sat in his Portable Abode, deeply reflecting on his recent series of wild actions.

He had attacked people from the Dark Star Bureau. Although he didn't know what kind of organization the Dark Star Bureau was, the presence of the word "Bureau" suggested it was likely connected to the government. He had arrived at an incredible place and, for some unknown reason, had become a Dark Energy user. If he were just a normal Dark Energy user, that would be one thing, but he was also cultivating two completely incompatible spiritual paths.

What should he do next? Go back to Yuezhou? Find He Jiaqing, who was still in the hospital bed? What would he use to buy a train ticket? His wallet, shirt, trousers, and leather shoes were all left behind at the old house, and Li Banfeng couldn't possibly go back for them. All his current possessions included a top hat, a climbing hat, a set of pajamas, a T-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, a pair of sneakers, two boxes of instant noodles, one box of potato chips, a bit more than one pack of spicy strips, and He Jiaqing's copper lotus. Sell the copper lotus to get a ticket back to Yuezhou? The key was, how much was the copper lotus worth? Selling it as scrap copper probably wasn't a good idea. If he didn't sell the copper lotus, what would he eat next? He didn't have a single penny on him.

Li Banfeng slept for a night in his "Portable Abode." The "Portable Abode" was very quiet; he could barely hear any noise. Although it had no windows, the air was fresh, and there were no other smells apart from years of accumulated dust. What woke Li Banfeng from his sleep were hunger and thirst. He had only eaten one packet of instant noodles the previous day and hadn't really drunk any water. Now, Li Banfeng found another packet of instant noodles, but he didn't know how he could swallow it. Dry chewing was definitely out of the question. Li Banfeng left the Portable Abode, returned to the alley, put away his key, found a house, and knocked on the door.

Although he had grown up in an orphanage and experienced many hardships, asking for water... it still felt a bit hard to open his mouth. "Ma'am, could you please give me a bowl of water? I don't need food, just a bowl of water." Li Banfeng repeatedly emphasized that he didn't want food, and the woman did give him a bowl of water. But the way she looked at him made Li Banfeng feel as if dozens of thorns were pricking his face. He was begging for water now, but how far was he from begging for food? He only had two boxes of instant noodles left. He needed to find a way to make a living.

Travelers had to walk at least twenty *li* every day. Li Banfeng ate a noodle cake and began to wander along the streets of Neigou.

"Extra! Extra! The Chu family's second daughter attempted to murder her husband on their wedding night and fled, fearing punishment! Her husband's family is offering a three-million-dollar reward! Sir, buy a newspaper! Today's special extra edition, big news, fifty cents!"

Fifty cents? He didn't even have that. Li Banfeng smiled at the newsboy. "How about I sell newspapers with you?" A job selling newspapers wasn't easy to find; many children relied on it to make a living. Li Banfeng knew nothing about newspaper prices or selling techniques. In his memory, newspapers had faded from public view a decade ago.

Li Banfeng found two shops in town hiring temporary workers: a furniture store and a rice shop. Li Banfeng's demands weren't high; he just needed a few days of odd jobs to earn enough for a train ticket. However, neither shop hired Li Banfeng because of his strange attire. A short-sleeved T-shirt paired with a top hat didn't seem that strange to Li Banfeng, but the shopkeepers thought he didn't look like a respectable person.

By noon, his stomach rumbled again. Li Banfeng begged for another bowl of water, ate a noodle cake, and by then, his only remaining food was a box of potato chips. This was truly difficult.

Unable to find work in Neigou, Li Banfeng walked to the edge of the town and headed towards Waigou. Waigou was much larger than Neigou. The situation in Waigou was also much more complex than in Neigou. Walking along the dirt road, Li Banfeng saw farmers at work, low-lying houses, and mountain forests where no one could be seen for miles.

He walked until dusk. His last packet of instant noodles had long been digested, and the potato chips were also gone. The only good news was that Li Banfeng felt a series of tremors in his mind. This was a practitioner's special sensation, reminding Li Banfeng that he had walked twenty *li*, fulfilling the basic daily training for a Traveler Cultivator. A Home Cultivator would have a similar, but gentler, sensation in this regard. Every time he stayed in the Portable Abode for two hours, Li Banfeng would feel a refreshing sense of comfort.

Ahead was a small restaurant, a dark tiled house with five tables inside. A notice posted at the entrance announced they were hiring staff. Li Banfeng was about to try his luck when he suddenly heard someone from inside the restaurant call out, "Brother Li, is that you!" Li Banfeng turned his head and saw a stout young man eating noodles. On the table were three bowls of noodles, along with three empty bowls that had already been finished.

Qin Xiaopang! Li Banfeng was startled!

Qin Xiaopang called out, "Brother Li, come sit down quickly! We really are destined to meet. Do you like this restaurant too? I especially love it; their food is cheap and good."

Li Banfeng spoke frankly, "Brother Qin, to be honest, I didn't come here to eat. I saw they were hiring, so I came looking for work."

Qin Xiaopang was surprised, "Looking for work at a restaurant? What's going on?"

Li Banfeng's face showed bitterness, "I have to look. I don't have a single coin on me; I'm almost begging for food!"

Qin Xiaopang, a righteous person, slapped his chest and said, "Waiter, two more bowls of noodles! Brother Li, if you don't mind, let's eat first!"

Li Banfeng felt a bit embarrassed. Why should he accept food from someone he had just met by chance?

"Not eating means you look down on me!" Qin Xiaopang pulled over a chair and got Li Banfeng to sit down. Steaming plain noodles were served shortly after. For a Food Cultivator, eating five *jin* of food a day, and five bowls of noodles in one sitting, was basic operation for Xiaopang.

Li Banfeng was also starving. The plain noodles had no meat, just half a bowl of broth, a spoonful of soy sauce, and two small bok choy, yet Li Banfeng felt it was the most delicious meal he had ever tasted. The two bowls of noodles were quickly devoured. Xiaopang paid the bill and told Li Banfeng, "Brother Li, this place has too many ears. Let's find somewhere else to talk."

The two left the restaurant and found a quiet spot by the woods. Xiaopang asked in a low voice, "Brother, have you entered a path yet?"

"Yes, I have," Li Banfeng nodded.

Qin Xiaopang lowered his voice even further, "Which path did you enter?"

Xiaopang was a sincere person, and Li Banfeng also knew Xiaopang's path. It would be a bit dishonorable not to tell the truth at this point. "I've entered the Traveler Cultivation." Li Banfeng didn't mention the Home Cultivation; it was complicated and not something to be easily disclosed.

Qin Xiaopang scratched his cheek. "Logically speaking, a Traveler Cultivator shouldn't lack work. Delivering letters, guarding, being a bodyguard, or at worst, pulling a cart would work."

Li Banfeng smiled; he genuinely wanted to pull a rickshaw. He had inquired; as a Traveler Cultivator, if he pulled a cart, he would be a rickshaw puller with a "fire wheel." A single trip earning several hundred *kuai* would be very easy. Especially with Li Banfeng's climbing hat, which had a very rickshaw-puller vibe! But to pull a rickshaw, he first needed a rickshaw, and Li Banfeng didn't have one. He could rent a rickshaw, but he'd need a deposit, which Li Banfeng couldn't afford. Furthermore, rickshaw pullers needed a license, and Li Banfeng couldn't get one in the short term. Most importantly, a rickshaw puller needed to know the roads, and Li Banfeng didn't. While Traveler Cultivators had a talent for recognizing paths, he didn't even know the most basic place names, which clearly didn't meet the fundamental requirements for a rickshaw puller.

Seeing Li Banfeng remain silent, Qin Xiaopang chuckled, "My bad, I spoke poorly. What kind of people are we, brothers like us? How could we do a rickshaw-pulling job? Brother Li, I have a small business opportunity here. It doesn't pay a lot, but it could earn you some emergency funds. It just depends on whether you're willing to take action."

"Brother, I was just looking for food at a restaurant, so what room do I have to be picky? But you said business, I have no capital."

"No capital needed. This is a no-capital business; our lives are the capital. Have you heard of Mount Kuwu?"

"Mount Kuwu?"

Li Banfeng shook his head, "No, I haven't."

Qin Xiaopang said, "In Medicine King Gully, no one doesn't know about Mount Kuwu. This mountain is covered in thick fog year-round, and the mist contains potent toxins. Ordinary people who go up the mountain are sure to die."

Li Banfeng frowned. This was practically a natural gas chamber. "What kind of business do you do there?"

"Have you ever heard of the Snake-Spotted Chrysanthemum on Mount Kuwu?"

Li Banfeng shook his head; he certainly hadn't.

Qin Xiaopang raised his voice slightly, "This Snake-Spotted Chrysanthemum blooms once a year, and its flowering period is only one day. The Snake-Spotted Chrysanthemum is the main ingredient for refining Snake-Spotted Pills. One Snake-Spotted Pill can equate to a day of cultivation. Didn't I tell you before? It takes ten years of cultivation to advance one level. If you take one Snake-Spotted Pill every day, it's like cultivating for an extra day. So, calculated that way, you could advance one level in five years. The day after tomorrow is when the Snake-Spotted Chrysanthemum blooms. Several apothecaries have already set prices: eighty-five *kuai* per plant. On Mount Kuwu, if an ordinary person is lucky, they can find two or three plants in an hour, or twenty to thirty in ten hours, which would earn them two thousand *kuai*. You're a Traveler Cultivator, with good stamina. In ten hours, you could earn at least three thousand *kuai*; some even earn five thousand. What do you think of this business?"

Three thousand *kuai* would definitely cover his train ticket, and he'd even have enough to live comfortably for a couple of days back in Yuezhou. This business could work!

Just as Li Banfeng was about to agree, he had a thought, "Wait a minute, if the mist is highly poisonous, wouldn't going up the mountain to gather herbs be suicide?"

Qin Xiaopang said, "Ordinary people would die if they went, but we're not ordinary! We have cultivation, and our physiques are much better than ordinary people's. A Traveler Cultivator like you could easily endure ten hours on the mountain. If you grit your teeth, you could even last fifteen hours. After coming down the mountain, you'd throw up for a day, making sure to get it all out, then rest for two more days, and you'd be fine. I'm a Food Cultivator. As long as I'm full, staying on the mountain for twenty hours is no problem."

This business truly used their lives as capital!

Li Banfeng considered the potential earnings, then nodded and said, "Brother, I'll do this business."

Qin Xiaopang laughed, "You're fast, and I'm tough. This business, brother, we're sure to profit!"