Chapter 349: The Ancestor of Jin Cultivation

Li Banfeng sat upright in the main room.

Lin Dexing's corpse lay on the floor.

The main room was silent. After a long wait, the phonograph spoke: "Brothers and sisters, since our husband has brought back the food, let's all pick up our chopsticks."

The phonograph's voice was muffled, as if its nose were pinched.

No one in the room responded. The phonograph said to the pendulum: "Sister Hanxue, have a taste."

Hanxue bowed: "Madam hasn't eaten yet. We mustn't break the rules of the house."

"We're all family; there aren't so many rules. Hongying, why don't you try it first?"

Hongying was combing her hair in front of the mirror. Hearing the phonograph, she quickly replied: "I think what Hanxue said makes perfect sense. The rules of the house mustn't be broken. Please, Sister, you should eat first."

"I keep telling you there aren't so many rules in our house. Just eat."

"No, this won't do. Even if we disregard household rules, we can't neglect military camp rules.

You are the commander, and I am your subordinate officer. I can only pick up my chopsticks after you've taken a bite."

The phonograph sighed: "Why are you saying all this? This isn't a military camp."

"I've fought wars my whole life; it's a habit. If you ask me, Glove should eat first. He earned the greatest merit in this battle." Hongying's voice trembled slightly, and the comb in her hand also shook.

The phonograph agreed: "That makes sense. Where's Glove?"

Glove was lying beside the Tang saber, pretending to be a torn piece of cloth.

The Tang saber was propped in the corner, pretending to be asleep.

"Sister Gourd, are you hungry?"

The wine gourd burped: "I drank a few too many just now, and the alcohol is kicking in. I'm going to take a nap."

The phonograph said to the projector: "You missed the last meal, so you eat first this time."

The projector was an honest entity: "Madam, if I eat this, art will truly wither away."

Li Banfeng's face turned ashen: "Eat! Why isn't anyone eating? This person had Cloud-level cultivation; normally, you wouldn't even get to taste such a thing!"

The phonograph placed all its hopes on Red Lotus: "Sister Red Lotus, your husband's intentions are kind. Please eat it."

Red Lotus said to the phonograph: "I don't eat raw. This person's essence is still present."

The phonograph let out a long sigh, humming a slow tune and lamenting: "Oh, what should we do?"

Li Banfeng didn't think the smell was strong, perhaps because he had smelled too much in Elder Yao's mansion: "Wife, you're eating a soul, which is different from what they eat. What kind of smell could a soul have?"

The phonograph sobbed: "Oh, husband, whose technique is this? This person stinks even to the soul!"

Whose technique is this?

This matter truly needed a thorough inquiry.

Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence, leaving a room full of sighing people.

If you told them to eat, they simply couldn't stomach it.

If you told them not to eat, this thing would just be left in the house.

Arriving at Elder Yao's residence, Pan Dehai had already left, leaving behind a sugar figurine by Elder Yao's bedside.

The old Golden Cultivator was still there, and Xiao Genzi was standing by his side.

"Seventh Master, this is our Daoist patriarch," Xiao Genzi quickly stepped forward to introduce.

Li Banfeng straightened his top hat and bowed to the elder.

The elder waved his hand and said: "Don't call me patriarch. My surname is Xu, and my name is Xu Han. I've been in the Daoist sect a couple of years longer than you, and I'm a few years older. Just call me Elder Brother Xu."

This Daoist patriarch was indeed very amicable.

Li Banfeng cupped his fists and said: "Elder Brother Xu, may I ask why you have come to Yaowang Trench?"

The elder looked at Elder Yao and said: "To help him look after his home."

Hearing this, Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time.

Xiao Genzi, with a tense expression, said: "Seventh Master, the patriarch wouldn't lie to you..."

It wasn't that he didn't trust this old senior, nor that he didn't trust Genzi.

Given this senior's strength, if he truly wanted to seize Elder Yao's territory by force, he wouldn't need to deceive Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng was no match for him at all.

However, this concerned Elder Yao's life and territory. Handing it over to a stranger like this made Li Banfeng uneasy.

"Are you a friend of Elder Yao?"

Xu Han shook his head: "Yao Xin doesn't make friends."

"Then are you his relative?"

Xu Han still shook his head.

This made it difficult to explain. Why would he come to help Elder Yao if they were neither kin nor acquaintance?

Xu Han rummaged in his basket for a moment and pulled out a feather duster: "Do you recognize this?"

Li Banfeng recognized it. He recognized it very well.

This was the Peddler's feather duster. In Iron Gate Fortress, Li Banfeng had once been severely beaten with this very duster.

Xu Han said: "I originally didn't intend to get involved in this matter. There are surely many who want to contend for Yaowang Trench, and I fear constant turmoil in the future. But I owe the Peddler a favor, and since he asked, I cannot refuse."

Using the feather duster as a token was a unique understanding between Li Banfeng and the Peddler. Eighty percent of his worries could now be put at ease; the remaining twenty percent still needed verification.

But one question remained, and Li Banfeng truly wanted to know the answer: "The Bringer of Misfortune's arrival at Yaowang Trench is related to Neizhou. Were Greenwater Beggar, Pan Dehai, and Lin Dexing also dispatched by Neizhou?"

"I'm not sure why Pan Dehai came. Green Blossom and Lin Dexing were likely sent by Neizhou.

Yao Xin is not a local deity from Neizhou, and Neizhou has long wanted to eliminate him. Yaowang Trench is also a special territory that Neizhou has always wanted to control."

"What makes Yaowang Trench special?" Li Banfeng didn't understand.

In the peculiar environment of Puluo Province, Yaowang Trench seemed utterly normal compared to other places.

"It's special because of Bitter Mist Mountain," Elder Xu smiled. "Young friend, don't ask too many questions about this matter, and definitely don't investigate it. Knowing too much will do you more harm than good.

I promised the Peddler I would stay here for three years, and while I'm at it, I'll discipline my unruly disciple. Within these three years, whether Yao Xin wakes up will depend on his own fortune."

What if Elder Yao didn't wake up within three years?

With Greenwater Beggar personally getting involved, Li Banfeng didn't know what to do in such a situation.

He looked at Genzi and asked Elder Xu: "The unruly disciple you mentioned, is it this brother of mine?"

Xu Han shook his head and chuckled: "Genzi is a good child; he will certainly achieve great things in the future. The disciple I spoke of is not from the Golden Cultivation lineage, but from the Farming Cultivation lineage."

Farming Cultivation?

Farming Cultivation is also under his tutelage?

What was this elder's identity?

Xu Han didn't want to elaborate on his identity. He sighed and said: "Farming Cultivation struggles to gain momentum; reaching the fifth level, they become powerful feudal lords.

These past years, my disciple's cultivation has grown. It seems he harbors ambitions of becoming a feudal lord, constantly planting strange things. A couple of years ago, he planted some watermelons and sold them everywhere, which has already become a menace."

Li Banfeng said: "Are they those fighting watermelons? I encountered them once."

Xu Han smiled: "This person has considerable talent. If I can persuade him to turn back, he might achieve something in the future. But if I can't, then I won't be able to keep him.

Genzi, go back with Brother Li Qi."

Xiao Genzi looked at Li Qi. He still wanted to continue cultivating with the patriarch but was afraid Li Qi wouldn't agree.

With such a great opportunity, Li Banfeng naturally couldn't stop him: "Elder Brother Xu, please let Xiao Genzi continue cultivating with you."

Elder Xu shook his head, looking at Genzi: "Cultivation isn't taught. I've given you the guidance you need. You have ambition and perseverance; you will surely achieve great things in the future. Listen to me, go out and make your way."

With the conversation at this point, Li Banfeng naturally couldn't press Elder Xu further. He took Genzi down the mountain and first found an inn to settle Genzi, as his cultivation's unique attributes were not suitable for staying at Qiu's Pharmacy.

Li Banfeng also got a room for himself and entered the Portable Residence.

His wife had just finished consuming Lin Dexing's soul and was now forcing the others to eat.

"What are you all looking at! Your old lady has already eaten it, what's your problem? All of you eat it, no one is allowed to decline!"

Hongying gritted her teeth and said: "Even if I have to admit to being beaten to death by you today, I still won't eat this!"

"Then I'll beat you to death, you wretched hussy!"

As the two were about to fight, Li Banfeng interjected: "If you really don't want to eat it, just give it all to Red Lotus."

His wife's voice trembled.

She had eaten it, but if others didn't, what kind of situation was this?

"Oh, husband, you can't favor them like this! What about the family rules if you do?"

"Wife, have you heard of this person, Xu Han?"

"Never heard of him."

Li Banfeng's heart tightened.

"Then do you know who the Daoist Patriarch of Golden Cultivation is?"

"Yes, I know that one. His name is Xu Jinkui."

Xu Jinkui?

Although both shared the surname Xu, they weren't the same person.

This whole thing was a trick!

Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave, he suddenly heard Hongying call out: "Seventh Lad, I have something important to tell you! Make that wicked woman stop forcing me to eat this!"

"What is it?"

"Xu Han is Xu Jinkui; they are the same person."

"Really?"

"I know Xu Han. The Golden Cultivation lineage was founded by him. He's an old senior among cultivators. The name Xu Jinkui is a common misconception by the public. This is absolutely correct, Seventh Lad, please don't trouble me any further."

Even Hongying called him an old senior, so this person's status was indeed not low.

Li Banfeng was still a little worried: "What is his connection with Farming Cultivation?"

"He is the Grandmaster of Farming Cultivation. Although he didn't found the Farming Cultivation lineage, his achievements are exceedingly high."

Hongying's description matched Elder Xu's. Li Banfeng finally felt relieved. He looked at Lin Dexing's corpse and said to Hongying: "This person also carries a token of the old senior's good intentions. You mustn't let him down!"

Hongying sobbed: "I can't accept these intentions, Seventh Lad. Spare me this once, and I'll listen to you in everything from now on."

Li Banfeng smiled profoundly.

First, he would push them hard, then offer a way out. This way, acquiring the seventh-level technique in the future would naturally follow.

At the Jiangxiang Gang's Medicine King Hall, Luo Zhengnan sat on the rooftop, heavy with worry.

Mo Jiansheng hadn't returned for ten days. His son had already, as per his father's instructions, conveyed the news to Luo Zhengnan.

Something had happened to the local deity.

Such a significant event had somehow been discovered by Mo Jiansheng through a fortunate coincidence.

Now that he had gone to Yuezhou with Han Jinwei, would he return alive?

Luo Zhengnan believed he wouldn't come back.

Could Yaowang Trench still be inhabited?

As he pondered, the Cudgel Master Sun Xingbing reported: "Hall Master Pei from Qingyan City has arrived."

"Are you saying Pei Yikou is here?" Luo Zhengnan was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face. "Quickly, invite him to the main hall."

Sun Xingbing went downstairs to greet Hall Master Pei. Luo Zhengnan's smile vanished, and he muttered to himself: "Pei Yikou, 'not a speck of ash left.' A fifth-level Fire Cultivator who leaves no corpses behind. What is he doing here?"

Luo Zhengnan did not go directly to the main hall; he returned to his bedroom.

A few minutes later, Luo Zhengnan emerged from his bedroom, a smile full of surprise on his face.