Chapter 499: The Way Out for Prozhou

Liao Zihui proposed compensating with a balancer. Li Banfeng thought seriously for a long time before recommending someone: "I know a person named Dai Jingxuan. He's eloquent and persuasive, making him very suitable to be a balancer."

Liao Zihui was taken aback. "What does this person do?"

Li Banfeng replied, "He's a storyteller under the overpass at Lushui City Station."

Liao Zihui blinked. "Brother Li, do you think just anyone can be a balancer?"

"Isn't that right?" Li Banfeng was also perplexed. "You casually asked me to compensate you with a balancer; I thought it was quite a trivial matter."

Liao Zihui shrugged. "My fault, I didn't make myself clear."

The first cup of tea was empty. Liao Zihui poured Li Banfeng a new one. "Brother Li, to be more direct, my intention is for you to become the balancer."

Li Banfeng smiled. "That's even more trivial. Do you think I'm suitable to be a balancer?"

"Suitable," Liao Zihui nodded. "A balancer's role is to maintain equilibrium among Outer Province, Inner Province, and Puluo Province. We have two principles for choosing a balancer:

"First, they must be a native of Puluo Province. Second, they must have certain connections with both Outer Province and Inner Province."

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "You think I meet the criteria?"

Liao Zihui nodded. "I think you meet them perfectly."

"You think I'm a native of Puluo Province?"

"Initially, I honestly didn't think so," Liao Zihui admitted. "I thought you were Li Banfeng. Have you heard of someone by that name?"

Li Banfeng thought back carefully. "I think I saw him mentioned in the newspaper."

Liao Zihui nodded. "Yes, he was indeed in the newspaper. The He and Lu families had a conflict over the Profound Scarlet Lotus, and an outsider from Outer Province named Li Banfeng got involved.

"At the time, the Lu family was searching for Li Banfeng in Yaowang Gully and requested assistance from the Border Defense Bureau, which we granted. Taking that opportunity, we also conducted a series of investigations into Li Banfeng.

"This Li Banfeng was He Jiaqing's, the eldest son of the He family, college classmate. Initially, the clue we found was that Li Banfeng and Lu Xiaolan conspired to acquire the Profound Scarlet Lotus, severely injuring He Jiaqing. Then Li Banfeng and Lu Xiaolan had a falling out, and he monopolized the lotus.

"Later, as the investigation deepened, we discovered that He Jiaqing's situation wasn't so simple. He didn't seem to be injured; he was actually the leader of a secret organization called the Siblings Alliance. We suspected Li Banfeng was a member of the Siblings Alliance.

"Regardless of which lead was more reliable, we always believed the Profound Scarlet Lotus was in Li Banfeng's possession. We organized his actions into a timeline, and there was a significant overlap between Li Banfeng and the suddenly appearing powerful figure, Li Qi. That's why I suspected you were Li Banfeng.

"However, that conclusion was overturned when I discovered the Profound Scarlet Lotus in Yesong Bridge. Li Banfeng didn't have it at all; it was held by the local deity of Yesong Bridge.

"Before coming to Puluo Province, Li Banfeng was an ordinary person. Without the Profound Scarlet Lotus, he couldn't have become a fifth-level dark energy user. Therefore, the conclusion that Li Qi was Li Banfeng was invalid.

"Recalling previous investigation results, the conclusions from my investigators were all consistent: Li Qi's original name was Song Zhuowen, and he was a native of Puluo Province.

"At first, I suspected that conclusion was wrong, but now I realize I was the one who was truly mistaken.

"You are Song Zhuowen; you are a native of Puluo Province. And that conclusion is correct now, isn't it?"

Li Qi picked up his teacup and drained it. "Precisely! Everything Chief Envoy Liao said is absolutely correct!"

Liao Zihui said, "So, I said you are suitable to be a balancer. That conclusion is also sound, isn't it?"

"Wait a moment," Li Banfeng said. "You just mentioned two conditions: first, being a native of Puluo Province, and second, having connections with both Outer Province and Inner Province. It seems I don't meet that second condition, do I?"

Liao Zihui gave a wry smile. "Brother Li, I came with sincerity. I genuinely want to resolve this matter, which is why I sought you out. Can't you just tell me the truth?

"You studied in Outer Province; that's a connection to Outer Province. I don't need to produce the relevant documents and evidence of your studies, do I?"

This was the fake identity Ma Wu created for Li Banfeng, so Li Banfeng naturally understood. "You don't need to bring up the Outer Province evidence. What about Inner Province?"

Liao Zihui said, "I admit, Brother Li handled the Inner Province matter very discreetly, but I still found some traces."

Li Banfeng was very interested. He had indeed killed people from Inner Province, which was his most direct connection to it. Could Liao Zihui know about this?

"Please elaborate, Chief Envoy Liao."

Liao Zihui sighed. "Even at this point, you're not being truthful with me, Brother Li. That's a bit unkind of you.

"Then I'll make it clear: He Jiaqing has a nickname, 'Benefactor.' You should know that, right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I honestly didn't know that."

Liao Zihui chuckled. "Alright, let's assume you don't know. He Jiaqing used his 'Benefactor' identity to clash with the Saints on Sage Peak. During the most intense phase of their conflict, you also intervened and had many open and secret struggles with the Ling brothers. You won't deny that, will you?"

Li Banfeng frowned. "Now you've confused me. You were talking about He Jiaqing, and now you're mentioning the Ling brothers?"

Liao Zihui chuckled. "Brother Li, you're not genuinely confused; you're pretending to be. The Ling brothers were core members of the Siblings Alliance, and they were taking orders from He Jiaqing at the time. Sage Peak has close ties to Inner Province, so your involvement in the conflict between He Jiaqing and Inner Province is sufficient proof of your connection to Inner Province. I'm not mistaken, am I?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Far-fetched, Chief Envoy Liao. What you're saying is too far-fetched. My conflict with the Ling brothers arose from a dispute in the shadow play industry. They played dirty tricks on me, and I certainly couldn't back down. What does that have to do with Inner Province?"

Liao Zihui let out a laugh. "Fine, you still won't admit it. Let's move past that for now and discuss the next matter. Chu Shaoqiang came to Puluo Province with a very clear objective: to secure a 'rectified land' for Inner Province."

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea. He had to admit that Liao Zihui was no simple character; he had even uncovered Chu Shaoqiang's true intentions.

Liao Zihui continued, "At that time, you were pioneering in the New Land and somehow managed to transform it into rectified land, which is now Qiqiu City.

"For Chu Shaoqiang, this was a golden opportunity. But why didn't he make a move on Qiqiu City?

"There could be many objective reasons, but the fundamental reason is only one: you had dealings with Inner Province, which made Chu Shaoqiang hesitant to act against you. You won't deny this, will you?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I definitely can't admit that! Chu Shaoqiang *did* attack me; we almost fought to the death back then."

Liao Zihui chuckled. "You're just making things up. You and Chu Shaoqiang fought to the death, yet Chu Huaiyuan still worked wholeheartedly for you, even killing Xia Shumin for your sake? Do you find that believable?"

Li Banfeng was speechless.

It was indeed illogical.

But Chu Er acted illogically!

How could Li Banfeng explain that?

Liao Zihui chuckled. "What? No more arguments? Let me mention one more thing, and let's see how Brother Li explains this.

"Dao Gui Ridge suddenly appeared at Sage Peak. According to our intelligence, the Saint himself caused this.

"We don't know what went wrong, but all the Blade Devils on Dao Gui Ridge lost control. Sage Peak was destroyed, the Saint vanished, and the entire Sage Peak area and its surroundings became a habitat for Blade Devils.

"Blade Devils can be described as deadly threats to humanity. Nearly all the people in the vicinity of Sage Peak perished.

"I've kept saying 'the vicinity of Sage Peak,' which is a mouthful. In truth, we all know that place is called Jianren Gang. If Jianren Gang faced trouble, would anyone help them?

"Logically, no, because neither saints nor outcasts are well-regarded in Puluo Province. Yet, someone did help them. Who do you think it was?"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "You're not talking about me, are you?"

"If not you, then who? Over ten thousand commoners from Jianren Gang were resettled by you in Huangtu Bridge. Those people are ironclad proof. Only you helped Sage Peak, because that place also has connections to Inner Province. That's the truth, isn't it, Brother Li?

"You can't possibly say you rescued those ten thousand-plus people out of pity, can you?"

Li Banfeng blinked. "What if I said it *was* truly out of pity for them?"

Liao Zihui burst out laughing. "You pity those outcasts? Forget Puluo Province, who in the entire world would believe such a statement?

"It's pointless for us to keep arguing like this. You are the best candidate for balancer."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not necessarily the best candidate, am I? Chu Shaoqiang is a native of Puluo Province, and he's currently working for Inner Province. He's clearly much more suitable than I am."

Liao Zihui stopped smiling. "Brother Li, you know some things perfectly well. Do we really need to state them openly?

"Officially, Chu Shaoqiang holds a position in Inner Province. Such a person cannot serve as a balancer.

"Personally, Chu Shaoqiang and I are enemies. Many Puluo Province residents still believe I was responsible for his death back then, so you should know how deep our feud runs.

"Under such circumstances, how could I possibly recommend him as balancer? If he became balancer, how could I continue living in Puluo Province?"

Li Banfeng placed his teacup on the tray and said expressionlessly, "Whether you can continue living here or not, I honestly haven't considered that. But I can tell you clearly: I don't want to be this balancer."

Liao Zihui nodded. "I understand that. A balancer has to live in Outer Province, and no matter what conditions Outer Province offers you, they can't compare to being the formidable Master Qi in Puluo Province. But this is all predicated on Puluo Province being able to maintain the status quo."

Li Banfeng asked, "Why can't Puluo Province maintain the status quo?"

Liao Zihui said, "Xia Shumin's death is a major event. However, it can also be made less significant. Xia Shumin's accidental death during an important mission is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"But the murderer who killed the Chief Envoy of Border Defense has taken no responsibility and shown no remorse. Their future actions will not be restrained at all; in fact, they might even push the situation to an irreversible point. This situation cannot be reasonably explained."

Li Banfeng nodded. "If it can't be explained, then don't explain it."

Liao Zihui was most concerned that Li Banfeng held this attitude. "Brother Li, if it truly can't be explained, things might escalate into war."

Li Banfeng calmly said, "If it escalates into war, then we'll fight. Some things, you only truly understand after fighting them."

Hearing this, Liao Zihui remained silent for a long time.

The water on the tea stove boiled. Li Banfeng picked up the teapot and poured Liao Zihui a cup of tea. "Chief Envoy Liao, why so quiet? Thirsty?"

Liao Zihui picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Brother Li, I often tell myself one thing: the people of Puluo Province don't know how powerful they are. Never let them realize their true strength.

"I'm very clear in my heart that someone will eventually realize the strength of Puluo Province's people. From the day I met you, I suspected that person might be you.

"Now I've found out: that person truly is you."

Li Banfeng chuckled. "So you want me to be the balancer?"

Liao Zihui shook his head. "It's not what *I* want; it's what Outer Province wants. In their view, if you continue to stay in Puluo Province, it will eventually spiral completely out of control. Only if you become the balancer can this matter be settled."

"What if it doesn't settle? It's just war, isn't it?"

Liao Zihui sighed deeply. "Brother, what kind of war do you imagine? Do you think Outer Province will send armies and weapons by train, and then we'll fight?"

"Isn't it?"

"If we were to fight that way, I can frankly say that with Puluo Province's current situation, it's hard to tell who would win or lose, because most of Outer Province's technology is ineffective here.

"But real war isn't fought like that. Puluo Province and Outer Province have had similar conflicts before, and Outer Province's method of handling them was to simply withdraw the Border Defense Bureau!"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "That's good if they leave! Is anyone begging you to stay?"

"It's fine if the Border Defense Bureau leaves, but the boundaries won't. These boundaries originally belonged to Puluo Province. Outer Province controls the method to manipulate these boundaries, but Puluo Province does not. Once Outer Province leaves, Puluo Province will be completely fragmented, and communication between all its regions will be entirely cut off."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Aren't the boundaries something you activated?"

Liao Zihui shook his head. "The boundaries weren't activated by Outer Province. All of Puluo Province's boundaries were originally illuminated. Some were extinguished by the Border Defense Bureau, and some even the Border Defense Bureau couldn't extinguish.

"Just like the Yunshui Road in Yesong Bridge, there's a boundary line there that the Border Defense Bureau extinguished using special equipment. They only illuminate it when needed. When I dealt with the Boundless Camp, I caught them off guard by activating that boundary.

"The locations of the Border Defense Bureau offices are all very peculiar. Some are in city centers, some on the outskirts of towns, and some in remote mountains.

"Some say such locations are for strategic deployment and long-term plans, but that's nonsense. These locations are determined by the boundaries. The Border Defense Bureau chooses sites surrounded by boundaries to ensure their own safety.

"These boundaries aren't particularly strong; the Border Defense Bureau can control their activation and deactivation. However, boundaries between major regions are very powerful, beyond the Border Defense Bureau's control. They can only create small exits within them.

"Once the Border Defense Bureau leaves and removes all its equipment, there will be no more exits between regions in Puluo Province. The various regions will be completely severed. Is this truly what you wish to see?"

Li Banfeng twirled the teacup in his hand. "You want to sever Puluo Province's regions and then conquer them one by one?"

Liao Zihui shook his head. "Not necessarily us. It could also be Inner Province."

It could also be Inner Province!

This was the crucial point.

Liao Zihui said, "Puluo Province is caught between Outer Province and Inner Province, which dictates that for some matters, there's no way out.

"There are no boundaries between the New Land and rectified land. The local deities of the New Land are all appointed by Inner Province. You should be able to see the connection in some matters.

"Inner Province very much wants Puluo Province to fall into fragmentation. Conquering regions one by one is their most common tactic.

"Brother Li, I've said a lot to you today. Many of these things are confidential, things I shouldn't be revealing. My purpose in saying all this is to show my sincerity.

"I told you I want to stay in Puluo Province after I retire. That wasn't just polite talk; it's my sincere wish.

"You want Puluo Province to thrive, and you genuinely have the ability to make that happen. I see it very clearly: the major families no longer fight, and Lushui City is doing very well.

"Qiqiu City is also thriving. The New Land has just been rectified, and all sorts of businesses are flourishing. Even the seemingly hopeless Huangtu Bridge has been salvaged by you.

"It wasn't easy to build things up to this point, Brother. Are you willing to see it all come to an end like this?"

Li Banfeng didn't respond. Liao Zihui sighed. "You might not believe what I've said. You can go to Outer Province and see for yourself, verify whether I've lied to you.

"To be frank, once you're in Outer Province, you might be in danger, you might be monitored, and your life might even be at risk.

"But you might also find more answers. Outer Province has conducted extensive research on Puluo Province; you might find a way out for Puluo Province from there. Having said all this, do you still not trust me?"

After a few minutes of silence, Li Banfeng looked up. "If I agree to be the balancer, this matter will be settled. If I refuse, war will break out immediately. Is that what you mean?"

Liao Zihui nodded. "If you are unwilling to be the balancer, please inform me as soon as possible. I will lead a move against the Chu family first, since Xia Shumin died by Chu Huaiyuan's hand.

"This will be considered a declaration of war on Puluo Province. Subsequently, the Border Defense Bureau will target each major family one by one. After a period of engagement, if resistance is met, the Border Defense Bureau will illuminate all boundaries and then withdraw from Puluo Province.

"This is the outcome I least want to see, but it's not something I can control. I've said what I needed to say; I await your decision."

Liao Zihui left, and Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Dwelling.

"My dear wife, if I have to go to Outer Province, will you come with me?"

Silence fell in the Portable Dwelling. His wife asked, "Husband, why must you go to Outer Province?"

Li Banfeng roughly recounted the situation as described by Liao Zihui. The Gramophone sighed softly. "This humble servant has experienced life and death and forgotten many things, but on this matter, Liao Zihui is not lying. If all the Outer Province people leave, no one will be able to open the boundaries in Puluo Province."

The Scythe spoke up. "What does it matter if they can't be opened? Anyway, Brother Qi can open boundaries, and Old Master can also break through them. We'll still live our lives as usual."

The Wine Gourd said, "I think Sister Scythe makes a good point."

Meng De nodded emphatically from the wall. "I also don't think we should go to Outer Province."

The Gramophone knew Li Banfeng's thoughts ran deeper. After a moment of silence, she puffed steam and sang in a slow tempo, "Married to a rooster, follow the rooster; married to a dog, follow the dog. Since I've married my husband, this humble servant belongs to him. Wherever my husband goes, I will follow."

Li Banfeng stepped forward and embraced the Gramophone, rubbing his face against her horn for a long time.

The Gramophone giggled, tickled. "Husband, first ask our home, see if he can go to Outer Province."

This was a crucial question. If the Portable Dwelling couldn't go to Outer Province, Li Banfeng would absolutely not go there to be a balancer.

Li Banfeng said, "Old Master, can you come with me to Outer Province?"

The Portable Dwelling was silent for a moment, then said, "There's a boundary between Outer Province and Puluo Province. I've forgotten what kind of boundary it is, but I remember it's thinner than the boundary between Puluo Province and Inner Province.

"Now that I have eight rails, I should be able to break through. But if I can't..."

"Then none of us will go to Outer Province." On this point, Li Banfeng showed no hesitation.

His wife said, "The most pressing matter now is your cultivation, Husband. These past few days, your soul has stabilized, and your physique has recovered significantly. Perhaps you've already reached the first level of Cloud Ascension."

Li Banfeng said, "Can this be verified?"

"Yes!" the Gramophone said. "Just test it with the local deity's seal. The Yesong Bridge local deity's seal must contain vital energy. If you place the seal on your head, and you can sense your cultivation advancing, then you've reached the first level of Cloud Ascension."

The next day, Li Banfeng went to Yesong Mountain, finding the two branches Sun Tiecheng had inserted in the woods.

Sun Tiecheng insisted these two branches were part of a magic array, and that others couldn't see them or the buried location of the covenant. He repeatedly warned Li Banfeng to remember the branches' positions, so as not to misplace them next time.

However, Li Banfeng could clearly see the two branches. Sun Tiecheng's explanation was that this was the "wisdom eye" of a foolish cultivator's disciple!

Digging away the soil, Li Banfeng retrieved the local deity's seal. The covenant was directly beneath it, so he had to be careful not to dig too deep and unearth it, which would cause big problems.

He placed the local deity's seal on his head, and the vital energy from Yesong Bridge flowed into his crown.

He felt something!

A sensation of cultivation advancing!

Li Banfeng could absorb vital energy, proving he had officially reached the first level of Cloud Ascension!

This feeling made Li Banfeng both pleased and excited. The only problem was how short it was; it lasted less than a minute.

The vital energy in the local deity's seal was quickly depleted. The Sedan Carrier had only just collected vital energy two months prior, so the reserves in the seal were truly limited.

After burying the local deity's seal and rearranging the branches, Li Banfeng remembered another matter: could he absorb the vital energy from his *own* territory?

Inside the Portable Dwelling, his wife replied, "Vital energy can indeed be absorbed, but the New Land's local deity's seal is special. It contains both vital energy and cultivation. The vital energy is cultivated by the aberrations, and the cultivation is used to nourish the aberrations. Husband, be sure not to confuse them."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "If I place the local deity's seal on my head, can I choose what to absorb?"

"Yes, you can choose. The cultivation in the New Land is chaotic, so you just need to use your will to resist it."

"Can I leave Yesong Bridge now?"

"Husband, you've already reached the first level of Cloud Ascension, so leaving the territory is naturally fine."

Li Banfeng used the Portable Dwelling to return directly to his own territory, entered the local deity's residence, and took out the local deity's seal.

Placing the local deity's seal on his head, a torrent instantly surged into his crown.

This felt vastly different from vital energy. Vital energy was like clear water, almost without impurities, but this torrent seemed mixed with a large amount of sand and dirt, like mud.

Li Banfeng immediately used his will to resist the torrent. A moment later, the torrent receded back into the local deity's seal, and clear vital energy slowly flowed down.

After the Mountain Overlord's death, the vital energy in the local deity's seal had never been absorbed. Although the New Land's vital energy was far less than that of rectified land, the accumulated amount exceeded Li Banfeng's expectations. It took a full five minutes to completely absorb the vital energy.

Taking off the local deity's seal, Li Banfeng felt refreshed and invigorated, with noticeably more strength.

His cultivation had indeed improved, but upon careful sensing, the extent of the improvement was very limited.

If the cultivation of the first and second levels were considered a whole, would the combined vital energy from both locations even account for one percent of the advancement?

Clearly not.

The Mountain Overlord was still at the first level of Cloud Ascension before his death. The Sedan Carrier, in order to improve his cultivation, didn't hesitate to kill all the high-level cultivators in the territory. The path of cultivation in the Cloud Realm was truly difficult.

The cultivation in the local deity's seal also needed to be distributed. The aberrations guarding this territory naturally deserved some reward.

The Portable Dwelling had previously used a Heavenheart Stone to build a large station in Li Qi's territory, with a stopover time of one hour. Li Banfeng, disguised with a projector, quickly walked around the territory with the local deity's seal, discreetly touching the heads of the aberrations he encountered.

The first aberration he touched immediately fainted from an excess of cultivation.

He was inexperienced at first, but after dozens of attempts, his technique became more skilled, and the cultivation was distributed more evenly.

After distributing cultivation to all aberrations, some still remained in the local deity's seal. Li Banfeng gave this remainder to the sightless aberrations residing in his dwelling. These diligent guardians of the local deity's residence saw this cultivation as their hope for survival.

Having largely dealt with matters in his own territory, Li Banfeng looked towards Bei Wushuang's territory.

Only Li Banfeng knew where Bei Wushuang's covenant was buried. How to handle that territory would need further planning in the future.

Returning to Yesong Bridge, Li Banfeng went to the Border Defense Bureau and found Liao Zihui.

"I can agree to be the balancer, but three conditions must be met."

Liao Zihui nodded. "Reasonable conditions can be discussed."

Li Banfeng took out a covenant paper. "I'm not in the mood to negotiate. If you can agree, sign the covenant. If not, the discussion is over.

"First condition: The Xia Shumin incident ends here. All those involved will no longer bear any responsibility. Otherwise, it will be considered a declaration of war."

Liao Zihui nodded. "That's a given. I will sign this covenant."

"Second condition: Immediately restore transportation to Yesong Bridge. In the future, if you interrupt transportation in Puluo Province again, you must inform me beforehand. Otherwise, it will be considered a declaration of war."

Liao Zihui hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I agree."

"Third condition: If you no longer serve as Chief Envoy of Border Defense in the future, the above two points will still remain in effect. Otherwise, it will be considered a declaration of war."

Liao Zihui said, "If I no longer serve as Chief Envoy of Border Defense, I will ensure the next Chief Envoy signs an identical covenant. Since this covenant paper is used, and it concerns my life, I will absolutely not go back on my word."

Li Banfeng handed the covenant to Liao Zihui. "My conditions are stated."

Liao Zihui immediately pressed his blood handprint. "Brother Li, we've settled the Puluo Province matters. Now, let's talk about your affairs. Aren't you concerned about your safety once you're in Outer Province?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "No concerns. I remember the people in Outer Province are quite kind. I can get along with them happily."