Chapter 424: No One Buries

Qiu Luoye and the muscular man before him found their conversation fruitless. With a sudden kick, he sent the man flying.

The man soared into the air, crashed through the mansion's front gate, and flew out the back, skimming the ground to carve a trench a hundred meters deep.

The man, thick-skinned and burly, was barely injured. Before he could even get up, Qiu Luoye was already upon him, stomping down with his foot.

Had Big Elephant Qiu's stomp truly connected, it would have been difficult for the man to get up, no matter how tough he was.

To his surprise, the man was quite agile. He quickly flipped his body, dodging Qiu Luoye's kick, and then looked up and spat a mouthful of sticky phlegm at him.

When his cultivation was still at a lower level, Qiu Luoye had encountered street fights among ruffians. Spitting phlegm in someone's face was often a very effective move.

Skilled individuals could spit directly, while those less skilled could spit into their palm and then smear it on the opponent's face. This tactic could both obstruct the opponent's vision and diminish their fighting spirit.

Qiu Luoye was usually immune to such tactics, but this man's phlegm was incredibly sticky. It clung to his face, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

Seizing the opportunity, the man leaped up and began fighting while clinging to Qiu Luoye.

Qiu Luoye despised this fighting style. If they were going to fight, he preferred to exchange blows. Why keep sticking to him?

He tried to push the man away several times, expending considerable strength, but not only could he not dislodge him, the two became even more tightly stuck together.

Shui Yongquan noticed something was amiss; his initial assessment of the man's cultivation path had been incorrect.

A man so muscular and with two tusks seemed like a Body Cultivator, or perhaps a Martial Cultivator. If older, he could even be a Strength Cultivator.

However, observing his technique, he was actually a Glue Cultivator. The defining characteristic of this path was to cling to opponents.

The sweat on a Glue Cultivator's body, the saliva in their mouth, and the tears in their eyes were all sticky. Once they clung to someone, it was incredibly difficult to break free.

Qiu Luoye, unable to tolerate being stuck any longer, unleashed a burst of brute force and flung the man away.

The man was indeed flung off, but he peeled a large piece of skin and flesh from Qiu Luoye's arm as he detached.

Qiu Luoye wasn't bothered by this; he didn't even feel the pain.

The man got up and spat at Qiu Luoye again. Qiu Luoye dodged, but the man still managed to cling to him.

As Qiu Luoye prepared to shake him off again, Shui Yongquan decided he couldn't just stand by.

Glue Cultivators shouldn't be able to strike this fast; creating their adhesive requires time.

Yet this man was incredibly quick, sticking instantly. This indicated his cultivation was at a very high level, making it difficult to say who was stronger between him and Qiu Luoye.

Cultivation paths such as Body, Martial, and Strength were clearly at a disadvantage against Glue Cultivators.

If Qiu Luoye continued fighting this way, without the man even needing to exert much effort, Qiu Luoye would essentially skin himself alive just by trying to tear himself free.

A stream of water rushed over, reducing the stickiness on the man's body.

Qiu Luoye seized the chance, broke free from the man, and unleashed a barrage of punches. Before long, the man surrendered.

"That's enough!" the man exclaimed. "Two against one? That's just unfair!"

Qiu Luoye looked at Shui Yongquan and said, "I didn't need your help!"

The man roared angrily, "If you're brave, wait until I'm dry, and then we'll fight one-on-one!"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Shui Yongquan stepped forward to mediate. "My friend," he said, "your words were a bit aggressive just now, and my brother doesn't have the best temper. Our exchange escalated and spoiled the peace.

"Honestly, we just came to ask for directions; we had no other intentions. From now on, we'll be neighbors, so we should get along well."

"If you're neighbors," the man retorted, "why are you asking for directions?"

Shui Yongquan smiled. "We just moved in," he replied.

"Just moved in?" The man paused, then looked at Qiu Luoye. "You've become the local deity of the north?"

The statement was not inaccurate.

Qiu Luoye, still wiping his eyes, replied, "So what if I am?"

The man's face lit up with surprise and delight. "Did that old woman in the north die, or did she run away?"

"Which old woman?"

"No one buried that old woman!" the man chuckled. "Since you've become the local deity, you must have taken over her territory. Now I won't have to live next to her anymore; that old woman was truly detestable."

There was a misunderstanding here, but it wasn't one that could be easily clarified.

The man assumed Qiu Luoye had seized the northern territory and become its local deity.

However, if Qiu Luoye explained that he had brought his territory with him, the man likely wouldn't grasp the concept immediately.

Deciding it was best not to explain the situation for now, Shui Yongquan continued, "This old woman you mentioned, what exactly made her so detestable?"

The man looked astonished. "Don't you find her detestable? If she wanted something from you, she'd call you brother, claim kinship, or insist you were friends, even if you had absolutely no connection. She'd talk at length to persuade you.

"But if you needed *her* help, she'd simply dismiss you with a shrug and say she had 'no relatives, no friends, no ties.' That old woman was shameless, and her people were just as bad. She was the kind of person no one would even bother to bury when she died; just looking at her made you sick."

Hearing the man's description, Shui Yongquan suddenly realized. "My friend," he said, "the place you're describing, isn't that Wuqin Township?"

"Yes!" the man nodded. "You're local deities yourselves, and you don't even know what this place is called?"

Qiu Luoye shook his head. "My territory is different from hers," he said.

The man scoffed. "The land nurtures its people. Since you've become the local deity here, sooner or later you'll become just like her. You're all the kind no one would bother to bury!"

Qiu Luoye stood up. "You want to fight again, do you?" he challenged.

The man didn't flinch. "If you want to fight, let's fight! Just don't bring any helpers this time."

Shui Yongquan intervened. "Alright, you two, there's a misunderstanding here. Let's discuss it later.

"Big Elephant, the situation is clear now. We should be going.

"And brave sir, I haven't yet asked for your esteemed name?"

"My surname is Wan," the man replied, "and my name is Wannian Lao."

Qiu Luoye's right eye was still shut. "Is this also 'Wannian Lao'?" he muttered.

The man waved his hand, dispelling the spell, and Qiu Luoye's eyes opened.

Not bad; he was quite straightforward in his actions.

Wannian Lao said to Qiu Luoye, "We had our fight today. You gave me a beating, and I tore off a layer of your skin. Let's call it even.

"I don't care what grievances you have with that old woman. From now on, let's keep to our own affairs, like well water not interfering with river water, and no one provoke anyone!"

Qiu Luoye chuckled. "That's hard to say. One day, if I'm feeling down, I might just come over and beat you up to cheer myself up."

Wannian Lao didn't hesitate. "If you dare to come, I'll be ready for you!"

"Mr. Wan," Shui Yongquan said, "you must be the local deity here, correct?"

Wannian Lao nodded. "So what if I am?" he replied.

"May I ask," Shui Yongquan continued, "is your territory new land or old earth?"

"New land, of course! What kind of place is old earth? Look how much spiritual energy there is here!"

Shui Yongquan chuckled. "To be honest," he said, "as I walked here, I didn't actually see many living beings."

Wannian Lao snorted. "Isn't it precisely to avoid those sorts of people no one would bother to bury? Some things are impossible to guard against; you'll understand later."

Shui Yongquan cupped his hands and bid farewell. As they walked away, Qiu Luoye was still fuming. "Old Shui," he said, "tell me, when you encounter such disgusting cultivation paths, what's the proper way to fight them?"

"No way of fighting them is appropriate," Shui Yongquan said, shaking his head. "Big Elephant, listen to my advice: try to get along with Wannian Lao. He's not a bad person.

"Glue Cultivators counter close-combat. As far as I know, among close-combat cultivation paths, only one can effectively counter Glue Cultivators; all others are at a disadvantage when they encounter them."

"Only one," Qiu Luoye pondered. "You're referring to Oil Cultivators, aren't you?"

Shui Yongquan nodded. "Unfortunately," he said, "that cultivation path is almost extinct."

Qiu Luoye said, "Another day, I'll have Old Seven go to Greenwater City to inquire if there are any Oil Cultivators left.

"If not, it's fine. I'll just have Old Seven get some good oil, smear it on myself, and then give Wannian Lao another beating."

"Greenwater City?" Shui Yongquan scoffed. "Is Greenwater City that easy to get to?"

"Now that we know this is the original territory of Wuqin Township," Qiu Luoye said, "won't the way be easy to find now that we know the place?"

"How would you find it? You're sealed off on all sides by boundaries, and you've already offended the Border Warden. How are you going to get out now? Are you going to wait for the Border Warden to open the checkpoints for you? Or build you a railway?"

Qiu Luoye also realized the seriousness of the situation. "Only Wannian Lao's new land connects to the outside," he mused. "It seems I'll have to deal with him frequently from now on."

"That's why you can't afford to fall out with him!" Shui Yongquan sighed. "But even if he's willing to be helpful, the path through the new land isn't easy to travel.

"Big Elephant Qiu, I really shouldn't have come to your territory just to watch. Now, even I don't know how to get back."

Qiu Luoye was anxious too. He wanted to go back and discuss countermeasures with Li Qi.

But he couldn't find Li Qi.

Li Qi was currently in the Portable Dwelling, listening to the Old Man recount his research findings.

"When Qiu Luoye's territory drew near," the Old Man said, "I recalled some things. When I was with Old Train, I seemed to have experienced similar scenes.

"But upon closer thought, these memories are still a bit blurry. Ah Qi, find an opportunity to cross the boundary once, and I'll observe the changes here more carefully."

"Tonight's a good opportunity," Li Qi replied. He had long wanted to see what their neighbors were like and needed to find a way to open a path for their territory.

Late at night, while everyone was asleep, Li Banfeng took his mechanism and went to the western boundary line.

When Qiu Luoye's territory had first arrived, villagers used to peer over from the other side. As long as there was a village, Li Banfeng could quickly gather information.

He pulled the mechanism's lever, first sending Xiangguan Hongying across the boundary.

Xiangguan Hongying was unharmed, so Li Banfeng immediately crossed over himself.

This mechanism could only be used once a day, so even if Portable Dwelling hadn't seen clearly, they would have to wait until tomorrow.

He walked along the village road for a while, and on a slope ahead, he saw an old man struggling to pull a cart of coal uphill.

The slope was long, and the old man had barely made it halfway up when his strength gave out, and he began to slide back down, step by step.

"Young man, give me a hand!" the old man called out, waving at Li Banfeng. "Help me, I truly can't pull this anymore.

"I still have some money on me; I'll give it all to you when we reach the top. I also have some dry rations; you can have those too!"

Li Banfeng gently pushed the back of the cart, and the old man instantly felt lighter, pulling the cart easily all the way up the slope.

The old man set down the cart, sat by the roadside, wiped his brow, lit his pipe, and didn't spare Li Banfeng another glance.

"What place is this?" Li Banfeng asked.

The old man remained silent.

Li Banfeng thought he hadn't heard clearly and asked again, "Old sir, I'm asking for directions. What place is this?"

The old man replied expressionlessly, "You're neither kin nor friend to me. I don't know your origin, nor your intentions late at night. You'd better ask someone else."

"You're right," Li Banfeng nodded. He picked up the cart handle, gave it a casual push, and the cart clattered and slid all the way from the top of the slope to the bottom.

The old man stared in disbelief. "You... how could you do that, young man..."

"Neither kin nor friend," Li Banfeng retorted, pulling down the brim of his hat. He turned and walked away.