Chapter 314: The Local Deity's Contract

Ba Shan Zhu scanned the room filled with dismembered limbs and bones, then sneered, "She pretends to be a kind-hearted woman, but behind the scenes, she acts with such viciousness and cruelty. A hypocritical slut like her deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces."

She was cursing Meng Yuchun, but Hong Ying misunderstood.

Hong Ying turned the gun's barrel towards the sound and asked, "Old hag, who are you cursing?"

Ba Shan Zhu swung her staff. "Are you the House Spirit?"

"That's right!" Hong Ying boasted, flicking the tip of her gun.

The gun's tip was now covered in blood, giving it a peculiar beauty against its original metallic base.

Ba Shan Zhu raised her staff to strike when she suddenly heard the phonograph call out, "Hey, you slut, what kind of House Spirit are you? Do you even have the right to be in charge of this house?"

Ba Shan Zhu looked at the phonograph. At first, she only saw it steaming and smoking, mistaking it for a tea kettle.

Only now did she realize it had a spinning record on top and a horn that produced sound.

Meng Yuchun actually had two House Spirits.

She had heard of such cases; some high-level house cultivators indeed possessed more than one House Spirit.

What about that man?

Ba Shan Zhu looked at Li Banfeng. "Are you a House Spirit too?"

"I..." Li Banfeng didn't know how to explain himself.

Ba Shan Zhu chuckled. "Never mind. I'll send you all on your way together!"

Her staff struck the ground, and an unseen force surged, sending corpses, bones, and various magical artifacts flying around the room.

Tang Dao gasped and, along with the glove, darted into Li Banfeng's pocket.

The music box was more clumsy; it tried to reach Li Banfeng but couldn't fly over.

The Judge's Brush floated in mid-air, unconcerned, and simply rolled over to sleep.

The Monthly Card curled itself up, hung onto the pendulum, and flew with the wine gourd towards Li Banfeng.

Flying close to Li Banfeng didn't necessarily guarantee safety, as Li Banfeng himself was also lifted into the air.

In the main hall of Sui Shen Ju, tables, chairs, benches, rice bowls, water buckets, and even Li Banfeng's bed were all levitating.

"A Force Cultivator?" The phonograph, which hadn't flown, calmly puffed out steam. "This daoist path is quite rare now."

"What's so rare about it? Weren't there plenty on the battlefield back then?" Hong Ying also hadn't flown, her long, flowing hair slightly fluttering.

The phonograph chuckled, "Old blind woman, those days are long gone. Force cultivators are almost driven to extinction by Martial Cultivators."

Hong Ying snorted, "One force can overcome ten skills, one speed can break a hundred tricks. What are Martial Cultivators good for?"

As the two continued to argue about cultivation, Ba Shan Zhu realized the situation was dire.

The fact that these two House Spirits weren't flying proved their strength was no less than Meng Yuchun's. Killing them quickly would be extremely difficult.

Seeing that the male House Spirit seemed to lack power, she decided to use him as a hostage to try and escape.

Ba Shan Zhu altered her force, intending to smash Li Banfeng to the ground.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A rapid drumbeat began. Ba Shan Zhu felt her breath grow shallow, making it difficult to execute her techniques.

To the rhythm of gongs and drums, Li Banfeng, along with all the furniture and magical artifacts in the room, slowly descended back to their original places. Niangzi had broken Ba Shan Zhu's technique.

Ba Shan Zhu swung her staff at the phonograph.

The phonograph's front cabinet emitted a dull thud.

Ba Shan Zhu hit the phonograph's front door, but without force. Her breath pulsed erratically with the drumbeat, and the power within her body clashed.

The phonograph's voice turned chilling. "You old hag who doesn't know death, who told you to touch my husband?"

The old hag's body trembled as she gathered all her strength, trying to break free from the phonograph's control.

The gongs and drums intensified, mixed with Niangzi's eerie singing: "I went to the Platform of Hometown Gaze to see for myself, only to find minor imps and great ghost judges, escorting wronged souls, their necks bound with iron chains, so tragic, so sorrowful, yin winds swirling, chilling me to the bone."

*Exploring the Underworld Mountain* was originally a painted-face opera segment, but Niangzi changed the key and tempo, transforming it into a *qingyi* aria. The melody was sinister and mournful, terrifying Ba Shan Zhu and making her sweat profusely.

No.

She couldn't fight this House Spirit!

Ba Shan Zhu turned to walk out the door, but it wouldn't open.

She saw another door behind Li Banfeng, so Ba Shan Zhu transformed into a ghostly flame and rushed towards it.

This, however, further enraged Niangzi, who thought the old hag was aiming for Li Banfeng.

A burst of steam attacked, forcing the old hag to reveal her true form. A phonograph needle directly pierced and burst her eyeball, hooking into her eye socket, dragging her back.

"You truly don't know death; how dare you touch my husband!" The boiling steam heated the needle to a searing red, making the old hag's eye socket smoke from the burn.

The old hag tried to use brute force to break the phonograph's needle, but the sinister singing never stopped, preventing her from exerting any strength.

Li Banfeng didn't understand.

Niangzi's singing was quite pleasant; how could it be so destructive to the old hag?

While he was contemplating, he suddenly felt a warm, wet sensation near his ear.

What was going on?

Li Banfeng took off the earring and angrily said, "Didn't I say not to pee on my ear?"

Hong Ying warned the earring, "Listen carefully to what you're allowed to hear, and absolutely don't listen to what you're not. That wicked woman was afraid of harming her husband, so she let you hear pleasant things. If you heard her true voice, your souls would scatter."

Ba Shan Zhu moved her wrist. She had a golden bracelet on it, a rare spiritual artifact that might save her life.

After moving it for a while, the bracelet didn't react.

Strange, where was the bracelet?

The bracelet was gone!

The phonograph needle heated up again, and the singing intertwined, as if a thousand performers were singing a grand opera together.

Ba Shan Zhu, hanging on the needle, gradually stopped struggling. The phonograph's lyrics had sent her into a trance.

Another phonograph needle plunged into the top of her head. Ba Shan Zhu's body convulsed, her eyes rolled back, as if her brain had been sucked out.

Li Banfeng sighed to himself. Fortunately, he was a decent person, and his home was a decent place.

If this were someone else's home, with blood everywhere, corpses scattered, and an old hag having her brain sucked out alive, it would surely be a demonic den.

"Niangzi, leave her a breath. I have something to ask her."

The phonograph said, "Husband, ask quickly. Hong Ying, you should also be on guard. This person's cultivation isn't on the ground level."

Hong Ying said, "If she's not on the ground level, then she should be killed quickly to avoid trouble!"

"Slut, who asked you to speak so much? If my husband wants to ask something, you listen to my husband!"

Not on the ground level?

Then she was "above the clouds."

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you a Local God?"

Ba Shan Zhu was reluctant to speak. The needle's temperature suddenly rose, making Ba Shan Zhu tremble. Finally, she spoke, "I am Ba Shan Zhu, the Local God of the eastern territory."

"Are you Meng Yuchun's neighbor?"

"Yes."

"Why did you want to kill her?"

"I wanted to take her contract. If she didn't resist or retaliate, I wouldn't have killed her."

"What use is her contract?" Li Banfeng had always wanted to know the true value of a contract to a Local God.

"If you take her contract to Inner State, you can exchange it for a hundred years of lifespan."

Li Banfeng was startled. "Is this a promise from Inner State?"

"It's not a promise; it's a rule. A rule that all Local Gods know."

Li Banfeng was speechless with shock.

Inner State could actually establish such a rule?

Thinking back now, Shui Yongquan was truly honorable. He could have unearthed Qiu Luoye's contract back then but didn't.

"What happens to a Local God whose contract is unearthed?"

"They lose their divine rank."

"What happens if they lose their divine rank?"

"Their cultivation will drop. In as little as three to five days, or as long as one to two years, a Local God who loses their contract will see their cultivation fall from 'above the clouds' to 'ground level'."

So, falling from "above the clouds" to "ground level" was equivalent to a failed promotion?

"Does that mean they'll turn into a Demonic Fiend?"

"They won't become a Demonic Fiend. Losing cultivation is a severe injury. Those with deep foundations might retain some spiritual essence and barely survive, but those with shallow foundations will turn directly into ash and smoke."

No wonder Local Gods would fight to the death over their contracts; the cost of having one unearthed was too great.

Li Banfeng asked Ba Shan Zhu, "You'd risk everything for a hundred years of lifespan?"

"I had no choice. I'm over 480 years old. Among Local Gods, that's already considered long-lived.

Those 'above the clouds' won't live beyond 500 years at most. If I didn't find a way to extend my life, I probably wouldn't last much longer."

The phonograph chimed in, "Husband, this old hag isn't lying. Inner State really does have such a rule."

When Niangzi mentioned Inner State, Li Banfeng shivered, thinking she was about to go mad again.

But Niangzi seemed quite normal today.

It seemed Niangzi had recovered considerably.

The feeding hadn't been in vain these past few days!

Li Banfeng continued, "Why specifically target Meng Yuchun?"

"She's a house cultivator with limited experience and just recently became a Local God. She doesn't know many rules, making her the easiest target among the surrounding Local Gods.

None of the Local Gods nearby had encountered pioneers before, so none of us saw any hope. Only she was lucky enough to meet a pioneer less than a year after arriving.

All the surrounding Local Gods envied her. If I killed her, no one would say anything. Even if she didn't die by my hand, she would sooner or later die by someone else's."

Was this the relationship between Local Gods?

"Old Man Feng Qu, Sweet Snot, Blade Official, and Opera Matron — were all these wandering monsters hired by you?"

"Yes."

"What did you use as payment?"

"Cultivation, cultivation from the ground level."

"Where did you get the cultivation you have?"

The old hag's expression grew increasingly hazy; she mumbled incoherently for a long time, unable to explain clearly.

The phonograph explained, "Husband, the new land's territory can breed cultivation. A Local God's contract can gather this cultivation to reward subordinate spirits. If you pay a high enough price, you can even bribe wandering monsters.

However, by hiring so many wandering monsters at once, this old woman has likely squandered all her assets. She won't have any bargaining chips left to control the local spirits in the future."

The old hag muttered, "I couldn't care less, couldn't care less. I want to live..."

Li Banfeng didn't quite catch Ba Shan Zhu's words; his mind was entirely focused on the matter of cultivation.

"Husband, ask your questions quickly. This person cannot be kept here much longer."

Li Banfeng quickly asked, "Where is your contract?"

"At my residence."

That's stating the obvious!

"Where is your residence?"

"You want my contract?" Ba Shan Zhu gasped. "Spare my life, and I'll take you to get it."

The phonograph needle heated up again, and Niangzi warned Ba Shan Zhu, "Don't talk so much. Just answer honestly what you're asked."

Ba Shan Zhu couldn't endure the torture and told the truth: "Go find Opera Matron; she knows where I live."

"Good, good!" Li Banfeng nodded, signaling Niangzi to proceed.

The phonograph needle suddenly extended, piercing Ba Shan Zhu's head and reaching all the way to the ground.

Amidst her convulsions, Ba Shan Zhu was still whispering, "I want to live, let me live..."

After whimpering for a long time, Ba Shan Zhu fell silent. Her soul had been consumed by Niangzi.

Emitting puffs of steam, the phonograph slowly sang, "Husband, even if you brought dragon liver and phoenix marrow today, your humble servant couldn't eat another bite."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "Niangzi, rest for a moment. I'll go out for a stroll and be back soon."

"Oh, Husband, you're not going to look for that old hag's contract, are you?"

Li Banfeng sniffed. "I'm just curious. I want to take a look."

"Oh, Husband, you're not coveting the cultivation within the contract, are you?"

Li Banfeng chuckled innocently, "Isn't it good to accumulate more cultivation? Niangzi, you also said that the cultivation of the territory is stored in the contract."

"Oh, Husband, your cultivation was given by your humble servant. Why would you go look for a contract?"

Li Banfeng wiped some sweat. "Even if I don't use it, Niangzi can use it!"

"Oh, Husband, your humble servant doesn't use that kind of cultivation. The cultivation from the new land isn't the same as proper cultivation.

You've seen Lady Suo'e, Husband. Do you want to become like her?"

Li Banfeng was stunned. "If I use cultivation from the new land, I'll become Lady Suo'e?"

"Not exactly. Lady Suo'e became that way through arduous cultivation. What a house cultivator might transform into is hard to say.

Some of the strange beings on the new land were once human, or closely related to humans. They only became what they are because of the new land's cultivation. Husband, have you really thought this through? Do you truly want to become like that?"

Li Banfeng pursed his lips. "Changing my appearance isn't a big deal."

Hong Ying brought a mirror before Li Banfeng. "First, look at your current appearance. If you truly become a monster, won't you be disgusted with yourself?"

As a spear, you look in the mirror every day and aren't disgusted with yourself, so why should I be disgusted with myself?

"I'm not disgusted. I wonder if Niangzi would be disgusted with me?"

"Oh, Husband, your humble servant isn't disgusted either. If Husband wants to go, then go."

"Alright, I'm going now." Li Banfeng squatted down and opened the box.

"Oh, Husband, what are you doing?"

"I'm about to apply some machine oil."

The phonograph shivered. "Oh, Husband, your humble servant was kindly reminding you. Why would Husband want to apply machine oil?"

Li Banfeng had already opened the back cover.

The phonograph shivered even more violently. "Oh, Husband, your humble servant has eaten so much today. You mustn't get the wrong place! Husband, aim carefully... aim... no, don't! Husband, don't!

Oh, Husband, Husband, that... that Local God's contract, it... it has other uses! You... you don't have to rush! Listen to your humble servant, let me explain slowly..."