Chapter 281: The Best Train in the World (High Energy Continues)

As soon as trains were mentioned, Old Man Train became very excited.

"My train is wonderful," he exclaimed. "It can carry so many things, so many people. Wherever I go, the train follows me."

Li Banfeng chuckled. "Isn't that nonsense? You said yourself earlier that people follow the train, not the other way around. How could a train follow a person?"

Old Man Train shook his head. "My train is different. It has a spirit; it can follow me."

"But trains need tracks to move. How does it follow you in places where there are no tracks?"

"It lays its own tracks. Isn't that amazing?"

Li Banfeng was even more surprised. "A train that lays its own tracks? Lays them wherever it goes?"

"Exactly, wherever it goes, it lays them!" Old Man Train grew more animated with each word.

"Then the train must carry a lot of tracks, right?"

"Not that many. Ten or twenty pieces are enough. My train can lay tracks and dismantle them. Used tracks are immediately removed and reused by swapping them around."

Li Banfeng thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how this train worked.

Old Man Train continued to explain earnestly: "My train has a special carriage just for laying tracks. That carriage is the smartest; it usually moves back and forth alongside the other carriages, and it has never laid a track incorrectly."

Describing a train carriage as "smart" was a first!

Li Banfeng found the train's structure increasingly baffling, yet Old Man Train spoke with such infatuation, as if such a train truly existed.

Li Banfeng chuckled. "Wherever you go, you have a train following behind you. Wouldn't that scare people?"

Old Man Train replied very seriously, "Others can't see my train. My train is invisible. Sometimes even I can't see it."

Li Banfeng stopped smiling.

He recalled a memory.

When he first learned the skill of perceiving spirit sounds, Li Banfeng had heard sounds from the walls, including the hiss of steam.

Li Banfeng carefully asked, "Senior, if you can't see the train, how do you usually get on it?"

"I have a key!" Old Man Train exclaimed, his eyes wide. "A car key, have you heard of it? It can open doors, and it can start a car!"

Li Banfeng exerted maximum self-control, ensuring he showed no unusual reaction.

The train Old Man Train spoke of bore a strong resemblance to something very important to Li Banfeng.

He remembered what the peddler had said when giving him the portable dwelling:

"This was a shelter built by a traveling cultivation master. Later, as his cultivation deepened, the master no longer needed it, so he sold it to me."

Li Banfeng looked at the traveling cultivation senior in front of him and asked, "Where did this train come from?"

"I made it myself!" Old Man Train said proudly.

"Why did you make a train?"

"We traveling cultivators are always on the move; we need a place to shelter from wind and rain."

"Since you're a traveling cultivator, how could you make a train?"

Old Man Train snorted. "Is that something I can just tell you? Can you just casually ask about someone's cultivation level?"

Li Banfeng dared not offend the master and quickly apologized. "My apologies, it was rude of me. Please disregard the question."

Old Man Train snorted again. "Normally, I definitely wouldn't tell you, but we're in a dream now, so it doesn't matter. When I wake up, I'll forget all about it."

Li Banfeng praised him repeatedly. "Senior, that makes perfect sense!"

Old Man Train said, "I am a traveling cultivator, and also an artisan cultivator."

"Traveling cultivators can also cultivate artisan skills concurrently?"

"Why not?" Old Man Train said, looking very pleased when mentioning traveling cultivators. "Except for dwelling cultivators, traveling cultivators can cross-cultivate with any other Daoist school!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, they certainly can!"

Old Man Train then added, "We traveling cultivators are the best Daoist school in the world!"

Li Banfeng loudly agreed, "Yes, traveling cultivators are the best Daoist school!"

Old Man Train continued, "Dwelling cultivators are the worst kind of people, they're all bastards!"

Li Banfeng remained silent.

Old Man Train looked back at Li Banfeng. "Don't you agree they're bastards?"

"Hmm," Li Banfeng nodded slightly.

Old Man Train blew his whistle twice and continued rushing forward.

Li Banfeng asked, "Why would you sell such a good train to someone else?"

*Puff, puff*

Old Man Train's steps slowed. "Because I needed to buy something even better."

"Did you buy it?"

"I did, but I still miss that train. There are countless good things in this world, but only one thing was that much fun."

Li Banfeng asked, "Then why don't you make another train?"

*Puff, puff*

Old Man Train's pace slowed even further.

"I can make a train, but the materials are hard to find. You can only find them in Neizhou. I found over ninety percent of the materials in Neizhou, but then those scoundrels in Neizhou ambushed me, and I fell asleep until now."

Li Banfeng was stunned. "You fell asleep in Neizhou?"

"Yes! Why do you ask? Are you trying to harm me?" Old Man Train suddenly grew alert.

"Not at all," Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "I have no grievances or enmity with you; there's no reason for me to harm you."

A hint of killing intent emanated from Old Man Train. "Why should I believe you?"

Was that even a question?

"I'm in Puroland, and you're asleep in Neizhou. We're tens of thousands of miles apart. I can't even touch you, so how could I harm you?"

This answer was perfectly logical.

Unexpectedly, after hearing it, Old Man Train's suspicion of Li Banfeng deepened.

"Who told you that you're in Puroland?"

Li Banfeng said, "I've always been in Puroland! Didn't we meet at Blackrock Slope station?"

*Puff, puff, puff, puff*

Old Man Train's pace suddenly slowed considerably.

His speaking speed also became very slow. "This isn't Puroland. This is Neizhou."

Uh...

Was the old man losing his mind again?

*Puff, puff, puff, puff*

Old Man Train continued, "The place where you and I met wasn't Blackrock Slope either. That's the border between Neizhou and Puroland."

I came to Neizhou?

Li Banfeng felt a sudden disorientation.

"Senior, are you mistaken?"

"No mistake. Blackrock Slope used to be my territory. The people there were wild and unruly, a bit like me."

Li Banfeng said, "I wasn't talking about Blackrock Slope; I was talking about Neizhou and Puroland..."

With a long whistle, Old Man Train braked.

Old Man Train's tone was very much like that of a train conductor.

Li Banfeng dismounted from Old Man Train's back and looked around.

Zhao Dajun, the programmer.

Why was this place called Zhao Dajun Station? Was it because this was his dream?

Old Man Train looked at Li Banfeng. "If you get off here, the fare is one hundred and fifty yuan. If you don't get off, we'll continue."

Li Banfeng looked at Old Man Train, feeling somewhat hesitant.

He could still gain much important information from this senior.

But continuing to follow him like this, it was hard to say where they would end up. Old Man Train's mind was unsound, and one had to be wary of mentally unstable people.

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Can I look around this place?"

Old Man Train paused. "You mean you want me to wait a bit longer?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

"It's not impossible!" Old Man Train agreed readily. "Half an hour, three hundred yuan."

Li Banfeng gave him three hundred Huanguo notes and then asked, "Senior, could you accompany me as I look around?"

"You mean, you want me to be your guide?"

"Yes."

Old Man Train thought for a moment. "Half an hour, three hundred."

Li Banfeng gave another three hundred.

He didn't know if he had actually given money, nor did he know what state he was currently in.

But Old Man Train was satisfied and led Li Banfeng deeper into the wilderness.

There was no road ahead, but that didn't impede the two traveling cultivators' steps.

At first, the surroundings were filled with sturdy wild grass as tall as a person. After walking for dozens of miles, the grass grew shorter and shorter, eventually turning into a gravel path with no grass.

The gravel path became increasingly smooth, and after another ten-odd miles, it transformed into a flagstone path.

The flagstone path led to a lake, where Li Banfeng saw Zhao Dajun by the shore.

Zhao Dajun was holding a small twig, intently calculating by the lake.

Li Banfeng was curious about what he was calculating. He walked closer and saw that Zhao Dajun had drawn a matrix on the left and an integral equation on the right.

He seemed to have been calculating for a long time.

Li Banfeng was about to look elsewhere when he suddenly saw Zhao Dajun stand up and look at him, saying, "Friend, you're here!"

He can see me?

Old Man Train raised his eyebrows. "This is his dream, of course he can see you."

But Zhao Dajun didn't seem to see Old Man Train. He excitedly told Li Banfeng, "I've calculated it!"

"What did you calculate?"

Zhao Dajun excitedly took out a ruler, measured a circle around the lake, selected a spot, made a mark, brought a chair, sat down, and began to fish.

Li Banfeng said, "You put in so much effort, calculated for so long, just to find a spot to fish?"

Zhao Dajun nodded. "I calculated it. I performed a deep analysis of over five hundred sets of historical data, and the conclusion is that this is the fastest place to catch fish!"

As he spoke, Zhao Dajun reeled in a suckerfish.

He pursed his lips. "It's just that the quality of this fish isn't great."

Li Banfeng couldn't understand Zhao Dajun's thinking. Old Man Train snorted coldly. "That's typical of calculation cultivators!"

Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Dajun and said, "Brother, do you have no other hobbies?"

"I do!" Zhao Dajun looked at Li Banfeng very seriously, clearly annoyed by Li Banfeng's questioning.

He led Li Banfeng to a three-story villa.

In the ground-floor garden, Teacher Anxi and Teacher Sanshang were tending to the flowers and plants. Seeing Zhao Dajun return, they respectfully bowed.

Upon entering the main hall, dozens of teachers greeted him in unison: "Master, you've returned!"

Zhao Dajun gave a perfunctory nod in response. After surveying the room, he finally chose Teacher Lisha.

He gave Teacher Lisha a firm slap on her buttocks; the sound was very crisp.

Teacher Lisha turned around, looking at Zhao Dajun with a hint of playful resentment, as if she was hurt, yet also as if the slap wasn't quite hard enough.

Zhao Dajun revealed a sinister smile.

Teacher Lisha was a little scared, yet also a little expectant.

Next, Zhao Dajun took a pen and drew a matrix on the left side of Teacher Lisha's buttocks and a quadrant on the right. After a series of meticulous calculations, he found the optimal proportion and made some adjustments to Teacher Lisha's buttocks.

After the adjustments, he began to quietly admire his work.

Li Banfeng took a deep breath and said, "Even *this* needs calculating..."

Old Man Train scornfully remarked from the side, "See? That's all calculation cultivators amount to!"

Li Banfeng agreed, "Truly pathetic!"

Old Man Train said, "Besides dwelling cultivators, they're the most useless. Don't you agree?"

"Hmm," Li Banfeng quietly replied.

Old Man Train looked at Zhao Dajun and said in a solemn tone, "He can't get out anymore. Do you still want to get out?"