Chapter 455: Fading

Is Demon Earth Primal Province? This conclusion was hard for Li Banfeng to grasp. Was something wrong with him, or with the peddler?

He could ponder the matter later, but the immediate problem needed urgent attention. He Caiyuan was still alive; although his body was twisted like a pretzel, some of his joints were twitching. Since he wasn't dead, it was easy to deal with. Li Banfeng picked him up and placed him directly into the Portable Abode. But the large toad was also alive; though it showed no signs of life, it was indeed alive. The toad was so enormous that it wouldn't fit through the Abode's door, let alone inside one of its rooms. How could he get it in? He couldn't leave it outside either; it was a purebred denizen of Inner Province. Even if they didn't eat it, he couldn't leave it lying around to attract unwanted attention. He decided to try forcing it. Li Banfeng opened the Portable Abode first, then grabbed the toad's head and started dragging it inside. The toad's head alone filled the doorframe. As Li Banfeng tried to pull it in further, he suddenly heard the Portable Abode call out, "Wait!"

Li Banfeng asked, "What's wrong? Did I break the door?" The Portable Abode chuckled dismissively, "Such fine ingredients shouldn't be wasted like this. Step aside." Ingredients? When did the Old Man ever care about such things? The Glove chuckled, "Our Old Man always gets energized when he finds something good!"

The Portable Abode's doorframe bent from straight, and the entire door began to twist. Ge Junma's body also began to contort. It was first flattened, then stretched, and finally became a ball, passing through the doorway. This mass of flesh occupied most of the main room, and the Portable Abode moved Li Banfeng's bed to the second room. Even compressed into a ball, Li Banfeng still felt the toad's body had shrunk considerably. "Is this toad's size… off?" Li Banfeng whispered. The Glove laughed, "Once it's passed through our Old Man's hands, how could it be right? Why don't we go check the third room?"

Li Banfeng entered the third room and saw all the oil barrels on the floor were full. "Old Man, where did this oil come from?" The Portable Abode chuckled, "Toad oil, it can be burned too!" It could actually be used as fuel! Denizens of Inner Province had many uses!

The Phonograph shouted from the main room, "Sisters, our man brought back something delicious! This toad is extraordinary; it's worth eating once in a lifetime!" Tang Dao rushed forward, "Mistress, don't just think of the sisters; don't forget us brothers!" The Scythe followed closely, "I'm the great blade; I'll stand in front, you stand back." Mond emerged from the calendar print, waiting quietly beside the meatball. The Earring, freshly recovered from a major injury, was unsteady on her feet. The Pendulum helped her to the meatball. The Teapot cried, "Someone help this old man! I was injured in that fierce battle just now." The Wine Gourd sneered, "If you're injured, don't eat. Go find a place to rest." Li Banfeng asked the Glove, "Aren't you in a hurry?" The Glove chuckled, "Why hurry? No one dares to pick up chopsticks until the First Mistress finishes. I'll start after she's done; I guarantee I'll be faster than all of them." "Hmph!" The Judge's Pen had woken up at some point and, regardless of whether the Phonograph allowed it, plunged straight into the meatball. The Music Box waited obediently nearby, its small copper figures on the turntable looking expectantly at the meatball. The Phonograph took a bite of the toad's soul and, forgetting her mistress's dignity, exclaimed loudly, "This toad is too delicious!" Hong Ying frowned, "Just eat! You're always so fussy, insisting on eating it alive!" Hong Lian watched Li Banfeng from the ninth room, gently unfolding her lotus leaves. Eating first was out of the question; he could only hope these hungry spirits would leave some scraps. After the Mistress finished the soul, everyone else began eating. Observing the harmonious atmosphere of his family, Li Banfeng left the Portable Abode with a smile.

He was exhausted, and the Portable Abode was too noisy. He wanted to go back to the study and sleep. Walking to the garden gate, Li Banfeng saw the couple still lying in the snowdrift. Sleeping so soundly? This wouldn't do; if they had no cultivation, they'd freeze to death here. Li Banfeng was about to wake them when he suddenly heard two people whispering. "Why am I in your arms?" "I don't know." "Let go of me and let me go." "I won't let go." The woman said, "If you don't let go of me, I won't let go of you." The man said, "I will never let go of you, even if you let go of me." Li Banfeng said, "I'll count to three, and you both let go together!" The two closed their eyes, hugged tightly, and pretended to be asleep. You could say they were annoying, but sometimes they were quite endearing. Li Banfeng called a carriage, paid the driver some money, and asked him to take them to an inn.

Back in Yan Sha Studio, Li Banfeng lay on his bed, his entire body feeling numb and soft. Too exhausted? It wasn't just exhaustion; there seemed to be a surging power within his body. Was he about to advance? Possibly! After tonight's fierce and perilous battle, his traveler cultivation had improved significantly, perhaps reaching the eighth level. His eyelids grew heavier, and Li Banfeng was about to fall asleep. Had he forgotten something? Never mind, too much had happened tonight. He'd think about it tomorrow.

The next morning, Li Banfeng dashed like the wind to Willow Tree Garden. He remembered what he'd forgotten: the Projector. Due to its specialized combat method, the Projector had to be set up in a specific position in advance to be effective, which sometimes made Li Banfeng forget to retrieve it. The Projector was still on the tree, and a flicker of light shone behind its lens. "Director Qi, you're back!" Li Banfeng, holding the Projector, said, "I'm back." "Is the battle over?" "It's over." "Did we win?" "Brother, we won!" "That's good." The Projector's voice was a bit weak, tinged with exhaustion, but also with the pride of victory. Last night, the Projector had seen the large toad's corpse and witnessed the peddler effortlessly defeat He Caiyuan. But as long as Li Banfeng didn't give a command, the Projector wouldn't relax its guard even slightly. It had remained steadfastly on the tree, meticulously carrying out its cover mission.

Li Banfeng, holding the Projector, opened the Portable Abode with trepidation, finding the room inside remarkably tidy. He tentatively asked, "Mistress, is it all eaten?" "Uh..." The Mistress glanced at the light behind the lens, then sang slowly, "Projector brother, why are you only just back? It must be quite cold outside, right?" The Projector replied, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. Am I late returning?" "Late?" The Phonograph's voice held a hint of guilt. "My dear husband, I handled the soul. For the rest, ask Yingying." Li Banfeng looked at Hong Ying, "That enormous toad, you ate it all?" Sensing Li Banfeng's anger, Hong Ying nervously replied, "I don't know that. I didn't see how big it was at the time. Go ask Hong Lian; she took the last bit." If Hong Lian had taken the last bit, what was there to ask? "What about the Old Man's corpse?" "There was an Old Man too?" Hong Ying recalled last night's events. "Oh, I remember now. Everyone got tired of eating too much toad meat, so we switched flavors, and then, there was nothing left..." "What about that poison cultivator?" "That spicy, crispy thing was just an appetizer; it was gone long ago." The room was silent for a while before the Portable Abode spoke, "Ah Tao, you always like to hide things. Don't think I don't know. Quickly, take it out for Ah Ji; Ah Ji worked very hard last night!" The Glove said, "Old Man, I did hide a piece of meat, but Tang Dao was greedy and ate it!" Tang Dao burped loudly, leaning against the wall without speaking. "Ah Ji, try to be understanding..." The Portable Abode sighed softly and fell silent. Li Banfeng looked down at the Projector and said with a trembling voice, "Brother, I'm sorry..." "Art has withered." The light behind the lens extinguished.

At Huangtu Bridge, the peddler pushed his cart down the street, hawking, "Foreign soap, vanishing cream, vanishing cream!" The peddler's calls were weak. The streets were empty; who was he calling out to? The peddler pushed his cart two streets away but didn't even see a beggar. Passing through an alley, the peddler was about to leave when a rickshaw puller approached with his rickshaw, "Elder, do you need a ride?"

The peddler chuckled, "Do I look like I need a ride?" "Elder, don't worry, I'm just getting familiar with the route today. I won't charge you; I'll pull you for free!" The peddler frowned, "Even if you pull me for free, I can't ride. What about my cart?" "I'll pull your cart along with you. Please get in." The peddler stuck his rattle drum into the cart, looked at the rickshaw puller, and slightly frowned, "Still bantering with me? Speak your business quickly, or I'm leaving!"

The rickshaw puller put down his rickshaw and said, "Master Peddler, please help me. My territory can't hold on much longer; if it continues like this, it will become barren land." The peddler chuckled, "No wonder you're so polite today. So you've run into trouble. Becoming barren land is good, it saves me a trip here. Nothing sells, and I just waste my time with you." The rickshaw puller said, "Master Peddler, you and my master are old friends; you can't just stand by and watch me die!" The peddler frowned, "You have the nerve to mention your master? He handed you a perfectly good territory, and look how you've ruined it!" "That's not my fault! I haven't been in charge of Huangtu Bridge these past few years. It was all ruined by that bastard, the Bringer of Doom!" "Not your fault?" The peddler laughed, "You wouldn't stay put in your territory, insisted on going out to pull rickshaws, and let the Bringer of Doom exploit the loophole. Who's to blame for that?" The rickshaw puller lowered his head and said, "I was careless at the time, but haven't I reclaimed the territory?" "Don't flatter yourself," the peddler scoffed. "The Bringer of Doom was killed by Yao Xin. You just picked up this territory; do you think I don't know that?" The rickshaw puller nodded repeatedly, "It was picked up, but it's back nonetheless. You can't just watch this proper land turn into barren land, can you?" The peddler sighed, "There's no one here; what good method could I have? You need to find someone who can attract people to help you." The rickshaw puller said, "I've actually found such a person. I heard there's a man named Li Qi in Greenwater City. He's formidable; he opened up the Autumn Fallen Leaves territory by himself. He has a good relationship with you; could you give him a heads-up?" "Give him a heads-up? How? Should I say, 'Li Qi, give me face and help that rickshaw puller'? Will that work?" "Yes!" The rickshaw puller nodded, "In all of Primal Province, who has more influence than you!" The peddler laughed, "Even if I truly have that much influence, why should I risk my reputation for you?" The rickshaw puller lowered his head and said, "Then please point me in the right direction. How should this be handled?" "Go find Li Qi yourself." "I'm afraid he won't pay attention to me." "With empty words, why should he pay attention to you? Gain and loss, no one owes anything to anyone. If you want someone to do something for you, you must offer compensation." The rickshaw puller nodded, "As long as you make the introduction, Li Qi can pick anything he wants from my possessions." The peddler looked around, "Give your rickshaw to Li Qi." "No, you can't!" The rickshaw puller exclaimed, "This was left to me by my master! I can't give it to anyone else!" The peddler sighed helplessly, "Then you tell me, what else of value is there in this desolate place of yours?"

In the early morning, Li Banfeng woke up and went to the study to read. The family, having eaten too much, had been somewhat sleepy for the past two days and were quiet. Behind the Projector's lens, a cluster of fire lit up. It floated in mid-air and quietly entered the fifth room. Of the nine rooms, the fifth was in the center, not adjacent to the front or back, making it the quietest. There wasn't much furniture in the room: only a leather sofa, a rosewood table, and a vase. The Projector went onto the table, and its lens displayed an image of the vase. "Hehehehe," the Projector laughed. The low, hoarse laughter woke the Glove, who followed the sound to the fifth room. Inside the room, the Glove saw the Projector on the table, its lens light glowing, scanning back and forth across the sofa. "Brother, what are you doing here?" The Projector said with a melancholic voice, "I am here, contemplating the philosophy of art." The Glove sighed, "Don't overthink it. What happened before is in the past. With our Master, there's plenty of good food and drink. Are you still bothered by that one meal?" "Brother Tao is right. You go rest first. I only hope that through this incident, I can comprehend more of the true meaning of art." The Glove left the fifth room. As he reached the entrance to the fourth room, he glanced back. Something seemed to be missing from the fifth room just now. Where did the vase go?