Chapter 417: A Way to Live

Pandehai threatened the group of three-headed people, telling them to leave Haichiling.

Each of the three heads of the three-headed people had a name. The leftmost head was an adult male named Mengzi. The middle head was an adult female named Juanzi, who controlled the three-headed person's body most of the time. The head on the right was a child named Xiaoshan.

Mengzi fumed, "Pandehai, never mind being hungry for two days. Even if we starve to death here, we still demand an explanation from you today!"

"Such spirit," Pandehai praised. "Since you are all virtuous individuals, I shall grant your wish." With that, Pandehai waved his hand, and the food on the ground vanished.

Juanzi, in the middle, cried out, "Master Pan! We were wrong, please don't hold it against us. Just give us the food, and we'll leave after we've eaten!"

Pandehai sighed. "By my nature, if you say you don't want it, I would never give it again. But today, I will make an exception. Take the food." With his words, the food reappeared on the ground.

Juanzi thanked him profusely.

Pandehai waved his hand. "Don't thank me yet. The food is yours, but I won't allow you to eat it and then leave. You must leave immediately, walk a hundred *li*, and then you can eat."

Pandehai was concerned they might cause trouble after eating. If they were a hundred *li* away, any trouble they caused would be localized, making it impossible for them to return to Haichiling to stir up more trouble. Otherwise, running another hundred *li* back to Haichiling would mean they'd be hungry again, essentially rendering the meal pointless.

Mengzi still wanted to argue. After Pandehai disappeared, he whispered to Juanzi, "Let's find a place, secretly eat the food, and then come back to confront that old man. We absolutely can't let this go!"

Juanzi shook her head. "Don't be reckless. Let's take the food and go."

"Why does he get to..."

"Say one more word and I'll sew your mouth shut!" Juanzi snapped, angry. "What are we? Who do you think you are? We're escaped criminals, worse than stray dogs. You want to fight a local god? Let's find somewhere else while we have some food."

Mengzi gnashed his teeth. "Where else can we go? Are we really going back to Sinner City?"

"We definitely can't go back to Sinner City, not even if we die!" Juanzi pulled out a map, looking at the markings. "Let's go to Wuqinxing. If we ration our food along the way, we can definitely make it there."

"Let's hunt!" Mengzi said resentfully. "Xiaofu and the others saw a lot of deer in the forest yesterday. If you hadn't told them not to hunt before, they would have caught some!"

Juanzi frowned. "No hunting before, no hunting now. We absolutely cannot hunt on this journey. Our benefactor strictly warned us against it!"

Just as they were speaking, a few other three-headed people approached. "Juanzi, can we enter Haichiling now?"

Juanzi replied, "This place can't accommodate us. We're going to Wuqinxing."

"Can Wuqinxing accommodate us?"

"Let's try."

Over three thousand three-headed people divided the food and slowly advanced through the snow. A cold wind blew, and for every *li* they walked, many three-headed people stumbled and fell in the snow. Those who could get up continued, while those who couldn't remained, leaving their bodies behind.

Pandehai's figure was hidden in mid-air, silently observing their direction of travel. He was very curious how these three-headed people had come from Sinner City to Haichiling, and where they would go next.

"The New Land is so difficult to traverse. Where did they get this route? We never knew such a path existed!" Not only was Pandehai curious, but a few scouts from the Border Guard were also following the three-headed people, equally curious. "Never mind where they got the route. On the Main Land, Envoy Liao has informed all the local gods, and no one dares to shelter them."

"What about the New Land?"

"They aren't native to the New Land. What could they possibly eat there? Even if they find food, would the local gods of the New Land dare to take them in? These three-headed people are so formidable; who knows what they might do?"

Relying on the small amount of food Pandehai had given them, the group of three-headed people barely managed to reach Wuqinxing.

The local god of Wuqinxing did not appear. Instead, she sent a middle-aged woman named Qiao Shaofen to Juanzi. Qiao Shaofen looked at Juanzi and said, "You should go elsewhere. This place cannot accommodate you."

Juanzi pleaded, "We came here just to find a place to settle down. Anywhere will do."

Qiao Shaofen said, "Wuqinxing is home to those without attachments. With over three thousand of you coming here and wanting to stay together, wouldn't that break our rules?"

Juanzi quickly said, "We don't have to stay together. We can scatter, and we won't contact each other again!"

Qiao Shaofen still shook her head. "Even if you live separately, you're still from the same place. You might say you won't contact each other, but in your hearts, you'll still wish to be together. That's what we call having attachments, and Wuqinxing cannot shelter people like that."

"We can sign an agreement that we'll never associate again! I beg you, please put in another word for us." Juanzi knelt on the ground. Qiao Shaofen, feeling helpless, said, "I'll go back and discuss it with the Lady and then get back to you."

"Alright, we'll wait. Thank you, Sister Qiao." Juanzi was determined to fight for any glimmer of hope.

Two more days passed. Qiao Shaofen came to the boundary line and told Juanzi, "The Lady has agreed to let you stay."

Juanzi was overjoyed, but Qiao Shaofen hadn't finished speaking. "However, the Lady emphasized that not everyone can stay. Wuqinxing is most afraid of people causing trouble, and men, with their volatile temperaments, are not permitted at all."

Not allowing men, did that mean half of their people couldn't enter Wuqinxing? It wasn't that simple. The gender of these three thousand-plus people was not easily defined; their physical makeup was very unique.

Juanzi cautiously asked, "When you refer to men and women, are you distinguishing by our physical bodies?"

Qiao Shaofen shook her head. "It's not about whether your body is male or female; it's about whether your mind is male or female. Otherwise, a woman with a male mind will still ultimately be a troublemaker!"

With that explanation, things became even more complicated. One person, three heads—which one determined gender?

Juanzi asked again, "Are you saying that as long as the dominant head among us isn't male, it's acceptable?"

Qiao Shaofen still shook her head. "The Lady said, if there is *any* male head, it's not allowed."

Juanzi's head buzzed. Among the over three thousand people, each had three heads, and these heads were mostly a mix of male and female. Were there any where all three heads were female? Yes, only a little over one-tenth of them, about three hundred people. According to their requirements, only about three hundred people would be considered female.

Even accommodating three hundred people would be acceptable. Juanzi planned to entrust these three hundred to two women, but Qiao Shaofen then presented another condition: "To come to Wuqinxing is to be free of attachments. If you carry your relatives with you, that's still not allowed."

The head on Juanzi's left, Mengzi, asked, "What new trick are you pulling now?"

Qiao Shaofen frowned. "How dare you speak that way? What do you mean 'trick'? These are the rules of Wuqinxing!"

Mengzi raged, "Then tell us, we all have three heads, how are we supposed to sever these attachments?"

Qiao Shaofen said, "Of the three heads, only one may remain."

All the three-headed people who were about to enter Wuqinxing were terrified. Juanzi was speechless with horror, and Mengzi roared, "Are you telling us to chop off our heads?"

Qiao Shaofen nodded. "If you can't bring yourselves to do it, I can find someone to do it for you."

"Bastard! You're despicable! If you don't want to keep us, just say so! Why play with us?" Mengzi lunged forward to fight, but Juanzi desperately controlled their shared body, preventing Mengzi from acting recklessly.

Qiao Shaofen looked at Juanzi with cold eyes. "If you cannot sever your attachments, then I cannot help you." With that, Qiao Shaofen left.

Snow fell heavily as Juanzi sat on the ground, tears streaming down her face. The head on the right, the child named Xiaoshan, gently comforted her, "Don't cry, Sister. We'll find somewhere else. Don't cry, Sister. I won't say I'm hungry anymore."

Juanzi stood up, looked at the map, and led the group, pushing through the snow, continuing their journey.

After walking over ten *li* in the New Land, Xiaoshan kept dozing off beside them. He seemed unable to hold on.

"Xiaoshan, don't sleep. Sister will find you something to eat soon. Please don't sleep!"

"Mmm, won't sleep, won't sleep..." Xiaoshan mumbled in response.

A gust of wind swept through, and everyone halted their steps. These three-headed people had strong perception; they knew someone was approaching.

Juanzi saw speckles of green light in the air and knew it was a local god arriving. A male voice echoed in their ears: "Your journey has truly been difficult. It is fate that you have come to my territory. Would you be willing to make a home with us?"

Juanzi looked up at the green light and asked, "Sir, what is your name?"

"My name is Liangzhenjiao, and I am the master of this territory."

Juanzi looked at the people around her and said, "Sir, are you truly willing to take us in?"

Liangzhenjiao replied, "Yes, I intend to."

"But we are not from the New Land, so we might struggle to find food..."

"Don't worry about that. A few cultivators came to our place recently to reclaim land and planted a lot of food that can be eaten on the Main Land. I've brought some for you." With that, Liangzhenjiao let out a long chime: "Clang!" The sound was like a grandfather clock striking the hour. After the chime, a pile of millet appeared on the ground.

"Please try it and see if you can eat this."

Juanzi grabbed a handful of millet, put it in her mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed. "We can eat it!" Juanzi exclaimed, excited. "Sir, we can eat this food!"

"Haha," Liangzhenjiao chuckled. "Since you can eat it, please don't leave. Have a full meal here first."

Mengzi was still a little skeptical. "You truly intend to take us in?" Having endured so much on their journey, Mengzi found it hard to believe this local god was so friendly.

The will-o'-the-wisp hovered in mid-air for a moment and then said to the group, "I sincerely wish for you all to stay. I lack nothing here except houses. Winter is very cold today. Could you help us build some houses? Firstly, it would give you a place to live, and secondly, it would provide more homes for the people in my territory. We can then live good lives together."

"That's easy enough!" Juanzi immediately agreed.

Liangzhenjiao praised, "Young lady, you are truly forthright in your actions. Everyone, please eat first. Once you're full, we'll start working!"

After eating, Juanzi indeed led the three-headed people to begin working. These three-headed people were strong and diligent workers. In just two days, they built over five hundred wooden houses in Liangzhenjiao's territory. Juanzi made a plan: they would keep two hundred for themselves, and the remaining three hundred-plus would be given to Liangzhenjiao as a gesture of gratitude.

Liangzhenjiao seemed a little troubled. "Everyone, I have a large population under me, and these houses are still not quite enough. But if I ask you to work more, I feel a bit bad about it."

Juanzi quickly said, "It's no problem! We'll build another five hundred! Just give us some food."

"Then I'm indebted to you all."

Two more days passed, and the three-headed people had built another five hundred wooden houses. There should have been enough housing, but Liangzhenjiao still seemed troubled. "Everyone, I tallied up the food yesterday, and it's still not enough. I've asked the cultivators to work harder, but they alone can't finish all the farming."

Juanzi quickly said, "Just leave it to us!"

Liangzhenjiao sighed, "I really can't bring myself to ask, I feel I'm imposing on you all too much."

Without a word, Juanzi led the group to clear and cultivate the land. In ten days, they cleared a vast area of farmland. They thought their task was complete, but Liangzhenjiao was troubled once more.

"Growing food isn't something that happens overnight. I've recalculated for several days, and the food still won't be enough."

Juanzi looked eagerly at Liangzhenjiao. "Tell us, is there anything else we can do to help?"

Liangzhenjiao let out a long sigh. "I'm truly sorry, everyone. I'll give you some more food, but I ask that you find another place rich in water and food to settle down."