Chapter 317: Li Banfeng's Divine Name

Li Banfeng opened the seal box, which contained a golden-yellow seal.

On the front of the seal, a silvery-white circle was engraved, perfectly matching the design on the box.

Li Banfeng put away both the seal and the box.

The soil beneath the seal box was quite loose, likely to allow the seal to absorb cultivation energy easily.

Li Banfeng dug about half a foot deep with his hands. He didn't find any books, but instead unearthed a shiny, arched, tile-shaped iron plate.

What was this iron plate for?

Eight large red characters were engraved vertically on the iron plate: "This serves as proof for a hundred *li* of land."

Was this the deed?

There were specks of blood on the writing. Whose blood was it? The local deity's?

Li Banfeng looked at the back of the iron plate, where two lines of smaller characters were also engraved:

The first line read: "Mountain Puller Lord was granted this land."

The second line read: "Mountain Puller Lord was defeated by Bei Wushuang, ceded ten *li* of land to the southeast."

What did the second line mean?

Mountain Puller Lord was defeated by a local deity named Bei Wushuang and ceded ten *li* of land.

But who wrote this passage?

Did Mountain Puller Lord engrave it himself after being defeated?

That couldn't be right.

Once a deed was buried, it couldn't be dug up. Doing so would cause the local deity to lose their position. Mountain Puller Lord's deed couldn't have been unearthed.

If it hadn't been unearthed, then who wrote this line?

The more Li Banfeng thought about it, the more confused he became, feeling that the item in his hand was somewhat ominous.

He opened his portable abode and brought the deed, the local deity seal, and its box before his wife.

His wife exclaimed, "My dear husband, what clever methods you have! You obtained the deed so quickly."

"This iron plate is the deed?"

"Yes, this is the local deity's deed, also known as an 'Iron Scroll of Cinnabar.' It's the certificate of a local deity's foundation."

Li Banfeng flipped the deed over. "Who wrote these characters?"

"The deed itself recorded them."

"The deed can write by itself?"

"Yes, it can. The first line was recorded by the deed itself after the old woman was granted the land and spilled her blood on it.

The second line..."

His wife paused, then continued, "That old woman fought against the local deity Bei Wushuang and lost. She ceded ten *li* of land to him. Both sides drew up an agreement, spilled their blood on the ceded land, and burned the agreement. Then, both of their Iron Scrolls of Cinnabar would sense it and automatically record the cession of land."

It actually had such a function!

When speaking of the second line of text, his wife's tone became heavy. "That old thing just had to cause this trouble. This particular matter is the most difficult to resolve."

Li Banfeng said, "I think this is easy to handle. I'll also write an agreement saying that old thing fought me and lost, ceding all her land to me. Then we spill blood and burn it, and won't it be recorded on the Iron Scroll of Cinnabar?"

"This is a serious matter; it will alert the Inner State. You mustn't write things carelessly, dear husband."

"Local deities fighting will alarm the Inner State?"

"Local deities fighting won't alarm the Inner State, but dear husband, are you a local deity?"

"No."

"You're not a local deity, so by what right can you take over a local deity's land? If such a major event becomes known to the Inner State, they will surely send people to find you. At that time, you will certainly lose the local deity's position, and perhaps even your life."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "The deed has been buried underground all this time; no one can see it. How would the Inner State know about this?"

"Oh, dear husband, any text that appears on an Iron Scroll of Cinnabar is visible to the Inner State. We need to find a way to make it invisible to them."

"How can we make it invisible to them?"

"There are hundreds of local deities, and the Inner State won't even remember someone like Mountain Puller Lord. As long as they don't notice you, we can pull a trick on them."

"That's simple. As long as my name doesn't appear on the Iron Scroll of Cinnabar, they won't notice me. I'll have Meng Yuchun draw up an agreement stating that she defeated Mountain Puller Lord and took all of Mountain Puller Lord's territory."

"My precious husband, that won't work. That would just be giving land to Meng Yuchun. Where would you fit into it? Your name must be on the Iron Scroll, and your blood too."

As she spoke, the gramophone emitted a puff of steam, which swirled back and forth over the iron scroll.

A moment later, the bloodstains on the iron scroll slowly disappeared.

"My dearest husband, bear with the pain." The gramophone pricked Li Banfeng's finger with its needle, and Li Banfeng sprinkled his blood onto the iron scroll.

"Husband, that's half done. Next is your name; it must be on the iron scroll."

"Won't having my name expose me? The people from the Inner State haven't even seen me."

"Haven't I already said? There are hundreds of local deities, and the Inner State people can't remember all those names. As long as the name is quietly changed, the Inner State won't notice, especially since this place is so remote; they'll pay even less attention. Unfortunately, that old thing lost a battle, so her name must also be on Bei Wushuang's iron scroll. I can't change Bei Wushuang's scroll, and if the accounts don't match, it's a hidden danger. That's why this matter is difficult to handle."

Indeed, on Bei Wushuang's iron scroll, it would surely state: "Bei Wushuang defeated Mountain Puller Lord, gaining ten *li* of land."

Mountain Puller Lord and Li Banfeng – this clearly caused a conflict.

Unless they also overthrew Bei Wushuang and dug up his deed as well.

What was he thinking?

Treating local deities like wild vegetables, just casually picking one?

After a moment of silence, the gramophone asked, "Husband, your humble servant cannot think of a perfect solution."

"If you can't think of one, then don't," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head. "Just engrave my name directly. Anyway, the Inner State can't remember that many details, and they probably won't cross-reference the battles of two local deities."

"That's true, but your humble servant is still uneasy. It's best not to leave your real name on this iron scroll, husband."

"Will it work if I don't use my real name?"

The gramophone mused while singing, "Not a real name, but not a fake one either. It needs to be half-real, half-fake. Husband, do you have a nickname?"

"Nicknames? I have plenty!"

"Ordinary nicknames won't do. It needs to be a special one, one you acknowledge yourself, and one not too many people know."

This puzzled Li Banfeng.

His wife explained, "Oh, dear husband, only if you acknowledge it yourself will the iron scroll resonate with you and bring you to the position of a local deity. But you are not a local deity after all. This is a deception. If someone traces you through the nickname, it could be troublesome. That's why not too many people should know this nickname."

"Then I'll just invent a nickname right now, one that no one knows except us."

"Oh, dear husband, inventing one on the spot definitely won't work. The nickname must have been used before and be familiar, otherwise, you won't even resonate with it yourself."

This made it difficult to think of one.

"Li Qi" definitely wouldn't work; too many people knew it.

"Fort Master," "Benefactor," "Boss Ye"—many people knew those too.

Li Baisha!

Not many people knew this nickname.

Besides the people in the orphanage, only He Jiaqing, Qin Xiaopang, You Tao, and Cao Ye knew it.

Still not entirely safe. Qin Xiaopang, You Tao, and Cao Ye were still in Pu Luo Prefecture.

Was there a safer nickname...

"Li Furong." Li Banfeng thought of a nickname.

Old Madam Wu from the orphanage, whenever times were good, would always ask Li Banfeng to buy "Furong Wang" cigarettes. This nickname was certainly one he knew well.

Besides the people in the orphanage, only He Jiaqing knew this nickname, and it was only casually mentioned at the dinner table; he had probably forgotten it.

Even if he hadn't forgotten, He Jiaqing wouldn't imagine me becoming a local deity in such a remote place.

As his words fell, Hong Ying burst out laughing, "Li Furong? That's not a man's name!"

The other magic treasures also laughed.

The gramophone didn't laugh. "Husband, your humble servant just said it can't be made up on the spot. This is a serious matter; please be careful, husband."

"It's not made up; this is my nickname."

Seeing Li Banfeng's certainty, the gramophone no longer doubted.

She used steam to heat the Iron Scroll of Cinnabar until it glowed red, then used her needle to rewrite it stroke by stroke. Half an hour later, the name on the scroll was changed.

The first line read: "Li Furong was granted this land."

The second line read: "Li Furong was defeated by Bei Wushuang, ceded ten *li* of land to the southeast."

"Husband, the iron scroll is changed."

"Oh, my wife, am I a local deity now?"

"Oh, dear husband, as long as the Inner State doesn't find out, you are a local deity!"

"If my territory gains popularity, will my cultivation also increase?"

"Not yet, dear husband. Your cultivation is still rooted in the land. The cultivation brought by popularity belongs to the cloud realm. Once you reach the first layer of the cloud, you can benefit from it. By then, even if the Inner State discovers you, you'll be capable of handling them!"

"Wonderful, my wife!" Li Banfeng was full of confidence for the future.

"Husband, first find a place to bury the deed. It must be buried secretly. Place the local deity seal with it, and the matter will be settled."

Li Banfeng nodded. "I'll bury it back in its original spot."

"Is the original spot discreet?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Extremely discreet. Ordinary people won't find it, and even if they do, they can't get in."

Leaving his portable abode, Li Banfeng buried the Iron Scroll of Cinnabar back in its original spot, restoring the soil as much as possible.

He picked up the local deity seal and used his unimpeded passage technique to pass through the cellar, where Li Banfeng saw the eyeless wolf.

The mountain wolf approached and sniffed Li Banfeng, then asked, "Master, have you found the deed?"

"Yes, I found it. I'm taking the deed now."

"Then, then you won't take care of us anymore?" The mountain wolf seemed nervous.

Li Banfeng asked, "You can't get out?"

"How could we get out? This residence has no exit! Besides, we have no eyes. How would we survive outside?"

"What do you usually eat?"

"Creatures in this territory offer incense and offerings to the local deity. These offerings are carried by the smoke from the incense to the residence's granary. Mountain Puller Lord would give us a little of what he didn't eat."

Seeing how bony the mountain wolf was, it probably hadn't eaten its fill often.

"From now on, everything in the granary belongs to you. You're quite sensible. Come with me to distribute the food in a bit. From now on, we'll divide it according to my rules."

The mountain wolf joyfully said, "Really?"

"Really!" Li Banfeng picked up the local deity seal. "I'll also give you some cultivation energy as a reward."

The mountain wolf howled with delight.

Li Banfeng quietly asked, "How do I use the local deity seal?"

The mountain wolf said, "Just stamp it on my head, just lightly..."

Before it could finish speaking, Li Banfeng stamped the seal on the mountain wolf's head.

Smoke rose from the mountain wolf's head, and it lay on the ground, twitching.

"Master, you only needed to press it lightly. This much cultivation energy is a bit too much for me."

Li Banfeng looked at the local deity seal, frowning slightly. "Did I give too much?"

"Master, that last press was twice as much as Mountain Puller Lord used to give," the mountain wolf's voice trembled slightly.

Li Banfeng stroked the wolf's head. "My fault. Next time, I'll be more careful with the dosage."

"I'm not blaming you," the mountain wolf's voice trembled even more intensely. "You are a good person. As long as you don't dislike me, I will follow you my whole life. Could you tell me your name?"

Li Banfeng said, "I am the local deity, and my name is just 'Local Deity'."

***

Yuezhou, Garden Stadium. A football match had just ended, and tens of thousands of spectators were leaving.

Two spectators walked and chatted.

"First time watching a game live, feels different, doesn't it?"

"It's different, truly different. My throat is hoarse from cheering."

"That's the atmosphere we're here for!"

A poster hung at the stadium entrance, advertising a concert by a popular boy band for tomorrow.

He Jiaqing stood beneath the poster, quietly watching the stream of people, a faint smile on his face.

At two in the morning, He Jiaqing infiltrated the empty stadium. His body transformed into a mass of clear water, flowing down a sewer and into the underground.

In the sewer, He Jiaqing transformed back into human form and opened a secret door next to a sluice gate.

Inside the secret door was a small underground chamber, less than three square meters. In the chamber was a box, a yellow wooden box, engraved with a white circle.

He Jiaqing opened the box and took out a golden-yellow seal from inside.

Looking at the seal, He Jiaqing sighed softly, "If this keeps up, I won't go bald, will I?"

He gritted his teeth and stamped the seal on top of his head, his body twitching.

(End of Chapter)