Chapter 531: Cause and Effect Entanglement

Li Banfeng called out, "Brother Huang!"

Hearing this, Ye Jianhuang was quite pleased. He told Li Banfeng, "Brother, let me take care of something first, then I'll congratulate you."

After speaking, Ye Jianhuang took a puff from his pipe and exhaled the smoke directly onto Feng Chongli's face.

"Boss Feng," he said, "my brother is celebrating a joyous occasion. You shouldn't be here causing trouble on a day like this. Why don't you take my advice and stay away from this place in the future?"

Feng Chongli held his abacus and flicked its beads twice. This wasn't a casual gesture; every major decision required Feng Chongli to calculate the cost. "Elder Huang," he said, "I'm afraid it's difficult to grant this favor today."

Feng Chongli had done his calculations; letting Li Banfeng go like this would be a significant loss for him.

Ye Jianhuang, however, was surprisingly considerate. "If you feel you're losing out, then let's have a fight. My brother is setting up business in this new territory, so today I'm here to help him break ground."

Ye Jianhuang took a drag from his pipe, and within the smoke, countless sharp blades seemed to scrape against Feng Chongli's skin.

Feng Chongli calculated again with his abacus: was it worth fighting Ye Jianhuang for this territory? The result of his calculation depended on Ye Jianhuang's intent. If Ye Jianhuang was just putting on a show, a fight wouldn't result in much loss. But if Ye Jianhuang was serious and intended to fight to the death, the cost would far outweigh the gain.

Feng Chongli flicked his abacus beads, and a sudden gust of wind arose, dispersing the smoke Ye Jianhuang had exhaled. Ye Jianhuang showed no haste. He raised his pipe, coughed twice, neutralizing Feng Chongli's mystical technique, and the wind immediately died down.

After the wind stopped, Ye Jianhuang exhaled another puff of smoke. This time, the smoke permeated Feng Chongli's clothes, heading directly for his vital points. Ye Jianhuang was serious! If it were just a show, there would be grand gestures with little actual effect. But now, Ye Jianhuang made no dramatic moves; his first action was a deadly blow.

Feng Chongli stopped flicking his abacus beads. Continuing to engage Ye Jianhuang in this state would clearly be unwise. He put away his abacus, bowed his fists to Ye Jianhuang, Li Banfeng, and He Yuxiu respectively, then turned and left.

Ye Jianhuang tapped his pipe, then turned to Li Banfeng. "Brother," he said, "it's time to congratulate you."

Li Banfeng cupped his fists in thanks. "Elder Huang, I'm indebted to you for what just happened—"

Ye Jianhuang waved his hands repeatedly. "Please, don't call me 'elder.' If you do, someone will be unhappy." (He was referring to Sun Tiecheng, as Li Qi always called Sun Tiecheng 'Elder Brother,' and Ye Jianhuang had heard this from Gui Jianchou and Tang Changfa.)

"If you respect me in the future, just call me Brother Huang, as you did just now. And this must be your brother's wife?" Ye Jianhuang looked at He Yuxiu, noting her sturdy build, which suggested she would bear children well.

He Yuxiu was too embarrassed to look up. Ye Jianhuang was actually joking with her. It was normal for He Yuxiu not to know Ye Jianhuang, as he rarely showed himself in public. However, Ye Jianhuang recognized He Yuxiu. He was well-informed about all matters, big and small, in Puluozhou, and naturally knew of this eldest daughter of the He family.

After a few playful remarks, Ye Jianhuang led Li Banfeng to a quiet spot and got down to business. "Someone asked me to tell you: don't always focus on other people's affairs and forget about your own."

Li Banfeng understood Ye Jianhuang's meaning: City Lord Sun wanted him to return home. "Brother Huang," Li Banfeng said, "as you've seen, this new territory is being targeted by Xuehuapu. If I leave now, I'm afraid all my efforts will go to waste."

Ye Jianhuang sighed. "Xuehuapu is indeed tough to deal with. I'll keep an eye on things here for you for now. If I can't manage it, you still have your Elder Brother Sun. Go home and tell him about it. He's so protective of you; he definitely won't just stand by."

Li Banfeng returned to the edge of the territory, gave a few instructions to He Yuxiu, Ma Wu, the Cook, and others, then prepared to leave the new territory and head for Fool's City. He Yuxiu was a little reluctant. "Brother Qi, when will you be back?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "Once you've firmly established yourself as the local deity, I expect I'll be back. Keep breaking new ground."

He Yuxiu's heart fluttered. She glanced at the plot of land, where the Three-Headed Man had laid out offerings, ready to begin reclamation again. By the time she turned her head, Li Banfeng's figure was already far away.

At the gates of Fool's City, a man stopped Li Banfeng and demanded an entry fee. "It costs one silver dollar to enter the city. That's the rule here!"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "One isn't enough."

The man was stunned. "Then how much do you think is appropriate?"

"It should be five!"

The man scratched his scalp. "Isn't five a bit too much?"

"Not at all," Li Banfeng argued earnestly with the man. "I've traveled a long distance. Transportation costs alone are one silver dollar. Food and water cost another half. I sustained a minor injury on the way, so medicine and bandages cost another half. That already adds up to two silver dollars. Is it fair for you to ask for just one? Where's your conscience?"

The gatekeeper counted on his fingers for a long time. "Even if one isn't enough, you can't ask for five! You've only spent two, haven't you?"

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "I haven't finished yet. I encountered a robber on the way and had three silver dollars stolen. How do you account for that?"

The gatekeeper became angry. "I didn't rob you of your money! However you calculate it, that can't be put on me!"

Li Banfeng also got angry. "If I hadn't come to Fool's City, I wouldn't have been robbed. It's because I wanted to enter this city gate that I lost three silver dollars. You're the gatekeeper here; shouldn't you compensate me for that?"

The gatekeeper lowered his head. "You're asking for too much. Five silver dollars is definitely out of the question. For starters, you wouldn't spend a whole silver dollar on transportation, and your estimates for food and water are too high. And medicine and bandages, those things aren't worth half a silver dollar."

After a heated argument, the two finally reached an agreement: the gatekeeper would give Li Banfeng three and a half silver dollars. Li Banfeng took the money and entered the city.

The gatekeeper scoffed. "You still look unconvinced, but let me tell you, three and a half is generous. When I was ruthless, I'd only give you three. What could you do about it then?"

Li Banfeng arrived at Changsan Academy. Yan Cui'er was soliciting business at the entrance, Yan Qing'er was singing inside, Yan Hong'er was sitting nearby reading a newspaper, and Tang Changfa was managing accounts in the back hall.

Everyone was delighted to see their manager return. Li Qi glanced at the newspaper in Yan Hong's hand and couldn't help but frown. "Isn't this last month's newspaper?"

Yan Hong pouted. "I asked Tang Changfa for newspapers, but he never buys them."

Li Banfeng was displeased. "Old Tang, I gave you a lot of money before. How can you be so stingy that you won't even buy newspapers?"

Tang Changfa rubbed his hands. "Money is hard to earn and it doesn't last. All this money was painstakingly earned by the manager. We can use it for daily necessities like firewood and rice, but we can't just spend it carelessly elsewhere."

Li Banfeng looked at Tang Changfa. He had previously given him a sum of Huan Kingdom currency, and then another ten thousand silver dollars. Tang Changfa had even shown Li Banfeng the ledger; he hadn't touched much of that money. No matter how much money he was given, all he cared about was basic sustenance. For him, simply surviving in Fool's City was more important than anything else.

Li Banfeng took out his wallet and first gave a sum to Yan Hong. "Go buy newspapers. Buy as many as you want."

Yan Hong happily went off. Li Banfeng then gave some money to Yan Cui'er. "Go buy wine and meat. Pick the best ones."

Tang Changfa became anxious. "Manager, you shouldn't be spending your money! There's plenty in the accounts. And Yan Cui'er shouldn't buy the wine and meat; that girl is too simple-minded and spends without thinking!"

"You stay here. Let them go, and let them splurge," Li Banfeng interjected, stopping Tang Changfa. He then gave Yan Qing'er a sum of money. "Go buy some new clothes! Get a new outfit for every sister!"

Yan Qing'er happily left. Li Banfeng then took out a stack of banknotes and gave them to Sun Tiecheng. "Go buy some rouge and dress up with the sisters!"

Sun Tiecheng looked at himself in the mirror. "I'm already so handsome; do I even need to dress up?"

Li Banfeng was startled and quickly took back the banknotes. Moments ago, there were only three girls and Tang Changfa in the room; Li Banfeng genuinely didn't know when Sun Tiecheng had entered.

"Elder Brother Sun!" Li Banfeng saluted him respectfully.

Sun Tiecheng called out to the three girls. "Don't be in a hurry to go out. Stand by the side. Today, I have something to say to your manager." The three girls obediently stood by the wall. Tang Changfa called out the other girls, and they all stood neatly to the side.

Sun Tiecheng said to Li Qi, "When you passed the Fool's City examination, I rewarded you and taught you the Fool Cultivation techniques. This wasn't for nothing. We had an agreement that when the time was right, you would join my Taoist sect. Now, the time is nearly here. Your cultivation has reached the Cloud realm. I can ensure that you cultivate three disciplines simultaneously without suffering from cultivation backlash. If you join my Taoist sect, you will be the only living cultivator of Fool Cultivation. If you don't join, then we'll have to discuss some things properly."

Li Banfeng said, "There's no need to discuss it. I want to join the Taoist sect, sincerely!"

Sun Tiecheng admired Li Banfeng's attitude. "Since you've agreed, I'll proceed!"

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Proceed with what?"

"To join the Taoist sect, you naturally need to apply medicinal powder!" Sun Tiecheng took out a cloth bag and, with his bare hands, scooped out some powder. He asked Li Banfeng, "Where do you want to apply it?"

Li Banfeng hesitated. Apply it to the thickest part of the flesh? Taking off his trousers in front of so many girls would definitely be inappropriate. Apply it to the palms of his hands or soles of his feet? Injuring his limbs would undoubtedly affect his combat strength. To minimize the impact, Li Banfeng pulled open his collar, pointed at his belly, and said, "Apply it here!"

"Alright!" Sun Tiecheng nodded and applied the powder to Li Banfeng's face.

Li Banfeng covered his face, wincing in pain. "Didn't I tell you to put it on my belly?"

Sun Tiecheng smiled. "No matter where you said to put it, I was going to put it on your face."

"Then why did you even ask me?"

"This was to temper you. I used a technique to see if you could notice."

Li Banfeng was unconvinced. "If I used a technique on you, would you notice?"

Sun Tiecheng was confident. "Of course, I would!"

"Then I'll really use it."

Sun Tiecheng drew a short knife. "Go on, try me!" This person was truly unreasonable.

Li Banfeng crossed his arms, squatted on the ground, and said, "Today is the day I join the Taoist sect—such a grand joyous occasion! And you came empty-handed?"

Sun Tiecheng said, surprised, "What do you mean empty-handed? Didn't I just give you medicinal powder?"

Li Banfeng snorted. "How much is that little bit of powder worth? At least you should teach me a technique for it to make sense."

Sun Tiecheng coldly snorted. "Have I taught you too little? How many years has Gu Rusong followed me? I only taught him two techniques, yet you've learned four techniques from me in total. Is that still too little?"

"Can he compare to me? I am a true inner disciple, the only living cultivator of Fool Cultivation. Don't I deserve special treatment?"

Tang Changfa chimed in from the side, "The manager has a point. He should get special treatment."

Yan Cui persuaded Sun Tiecheng, "Today is our big day. It's only right to impart a couple more techniques."

Yan Hong nodded repeatedly. "Our manager is the young master of the city. If you don't dote on him, who will you dote on?"

Yan Qing'er picked up her pipa. "City Lord, I'll sing you a little tune. You're the head of our Fool's City; you can't be too petty in your actions."

Sun Tiecheng got annoyed. "Didn't I tell you all to go out and buy things? What are you all doing staying here? Go buy them!"

Everyone dispersed to their tasks and left. Li Banfeng, looking wronged, remained squatting on the ground.

Sun Tiecheng squatted beside Li Banfeng and said grumpily, "Alright, today truly is a good day. I'll teach you another technique. Have you learned it yet?"

Li Banfeng was startled. "Learned what? You haven't taught me anything!"

Sun Tiecheng said with a serious face, "How can you say that? You wanted to learn a technique, and I agreed to teach you. How can you say I haven't taught you?"

"Are you joking?" Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Just because you agreed to teach it means it's taught?"

Sun Tiecheng remained serious. "If I hadn't agreed to teach you, I certainly couldn't have taught you. Isn't that logical?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "That makes perfect sense."

Sun Tiecheng continued, "And if I agreed to teach you, I would have already taught you. Isn't that logical?"

Li Banfeng was bewildered for a long time. "What kind of logic is that?"

"This is the logic of 'inverting cause and effect'," Sun Tiecheng smiled. "Whether I've taught you or not depends on whether I agreed or not. Think about it carefully: does what I said really make no sense?"

Li Banfeng actually found the words quite logical, because he had been affected by the technique. However, this contradicted his understanding of normal logic, so Li Banfeng couldn't acknowledge the principle behind it.

"There's a flaw in the cause-and-effect relationship you're describing; it can't be calculated that way."

Sun Tiecheng smiled. "How do you think it should be calculated? Does your word decide, or does mine? What is the cause, and what is the effect? It all depends on how the technique is manifested. Do you understand now?"

Li Banfeng carefully pondered the essence of the technique. After a long time, he murmured, "Is this the 'Unnameable'?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "Good boy, you've grasped it. Other people's techniques use unnameable means, but our family's techniques use unnameable mechanisms. That's why our Taoist sect dares to claim to be the foremost under heaven!"

Li Banfeng earnestly pondered the laws of change between cause and effect. This technique was clearly not easy to learn. Sun Tiecheng told Li Banfeng not to rush. "Inverting cause and effect is a demanding skill. When you're starting, don't try to invert causes and effects that are too rigid."

"For example, if I entered Changsan Academy and had dinner, that's a normal cause-and-effect. If you try to invert it to 'I didn't have dinner, so I didn't enter the academy,' that inversion is a bit too rigid. I haven't had dinner right now, but I still entered the academy. The obvious truth is right there, and it's not easy to invert it. I have that ability, but you need more practice."

"You can start by inverting less rigid cause-and-effect relationships. You could invert it to 'I had dinner, which proves I entered the academy.' That inversion is much smoother."

Li Banfeng tried it, and indeed, the difficulty difference between the two types of cause-and-effect inversion was significant.

Sun Tiecheng smiled. "Brother, have you gained some insight?"

Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly, then stood up and said, "Since I've joined the Taoist sect, I should address you as Master now."

Sun Tiecheng gave a wry smile. "You've got it backward. You're thinking of calling me Master now? You can't, even if you want to."

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Why can't I?"

Sun Tiecheng pulled up a chair and motioned for Li Banfeng to sit. "If you were still outside the sect, then yes, you should call me Master. Outer disciples should also call me Master. But once you've entered the Taoist sect, you can only call me Elder Brother. In our Taoist sect, we only have brothers, no masters. You must remember this; it's an unchangeable rule."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Why is there such a rule?"

Sun Tiecheng was silent for a moment. "If one day we become enemies and have to fight to the death, I'd certainly tell you that I taught you techniques and I'm your master, so you can't betray your teacher and ancestors. But you must not fall for that. In our Taoist sect, there are no masters, and no concept of betraying your teacher or ancestors. Do not hold back against me."

The words were somewhat heavy. Li Banfeng blinked and said, "How could we become enemies? Where did that idea come from?"

Sun Tiecheng said with a serious expression, "Did you remember?"

"I remembered," Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly.

Yan Cui'er returned with wine and dishes. Tang Changfa quickly set the table. Sun Tiecheng looked at the food boxes and shook his head repeatedly. "This little bit isn't enough to eat!"

Tang Changfa said, "It's a lot, enough for one table!"

Sun Tiecheng took out a few silver coins. "Go buy more! Add a few more tables. Have everyone from the academy come to eat together, don't leave out the sweepers or the dusters."

This was a big day for Changsan Academy, a big day for Fool's City. Sun Tiecheng was very happy, emptying every cup offered to him. He drank two jars and still felt it wasn't enough.

Li Banfeng put down his wine bowl and spoke about the day's events. "Elder Brother, the people from Xuehuapu are targeting me. They were secretly investigating me before, and now they're openly causing trouble. Thanks to Brother Huang's help today, I escaped a disaster."

Sun Tiecheng was quite pleased. "Ah Huang handled things well. You're also very courageous to dare to claim territory from the people of Neizhou. This territory won't be easy to defend."

Li Banfeng said, "I'm worried about that too. What should I do if I encounter the Xuehuapu people again?"

Sun Tiecheng laughed. "What else can you do? Beat the living daylights out of them! If you can win, beat them mercilessly. If you can't, then we hide first, and when there's an opportunity for a sneak attack, then beat them mercilessly."

Li Banfeng sighed. "Everyone says Xuehuapu is difficult to offend, and this time, I've thoroughly offended them."

Sun Tiecheng chuckled. "Snow cream is hard to offend, but what the hell is Xuehuapu? What happens if you offend them? They're destined to get beaten!"

Li Banfeng said, "They control the minting business and have many ruthless individuals under them. With my current abilities, I really can't defeat them."

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "Brother, there are some things I can't explain to you fully. Just listen to me: when you can beat them, don't be polite—beat them mercilessly. If you truly can't beat them, come find me, and I'll beat them for you."

Xuehuapu was seemingly so insignificant in Sun Tiecheng's eyes.

After a few more drinks, Li Banfeng looked at Tang Changfa and the familiar girls. "Elder Brother, I want to take them out for some experience."

As soon as he said this, Tang Changfa, Yan Cui'er, and the others put down their chopsticks. Sun Tiecheng remained silent. Tang Changfa said to Li Qi, "Manager, we haven't been out for many years. We don't even know what the outside world looks like. If we go out now, we're bound to cause a lot of trouble and just end up being a burden to you."

Li Qi shook his head. "You won't be a burden. You all have your ways of doing things. You'll be perfect helpers for me out there." The few of them exchanged glances, remaining silent.

Sun Tiecheng smacked his lips. "The entire Puluozhou guards against our Taoist sect. They've been with me for so many years, and I'm a bit worried. If they leave the city, they might be heading to their deaths."

Li Banfeng thought for a long time, then said to Sun Tiecheng, "Then let's not go to Puluozhou, but to the outer provinces. They don't know much about our Taoist sect there."

Upon hearing "outer provinces," Tang Changfa grew even more flustered. "City Lord, perhaps the outer provinces truly don't know us, but we know even less about them! Besides newspapers, I've hardly even heard the term 'outer provinces' before."

Sun Tiecheng took a sip of wine, savoring its taste. This time, he was somewhat swayed. "Old Qi, tell me the truth: are you taking them to the outer provinces to help yourself, or to repay me? If it's to repay me, then forget it; I don't need your repayment. But if you genuinely want to take them out to see the world, I actually think it's a good idea."

"They would be great helpers in the outer provinces, that's the honest truth." Li Banfeng indeed needed some help in the outer provinces.

Tang Changfa still didn't want to go. "City Lord, we really can't—"

"What do you mean, 'can't'?" Sun Tiecheng waved his hand. "In the city, you listen to me. At Changsan Academy, you must listen to the manager. Wherever the manager tells you to go, you must go!"

The group fell silent. Sun Tiecheng was in high spirits and poured Li Qi another bowl. "Set a date and take them on their journey. If you truly find them useful, keep them longer. If they're genuinely useless, send them back to me."

After staying in Fool's City for a few days, under Sun Tiecheng's guidance, Li Banfeng learned the technique of 'inverting cause and effect'. He also received news from He Yuxiu: the first three-li plot of new territory had been successfully developed. The Cook was indeed formidable, having different strategies to deal with different wandering monsters. The Three-Headed Man learned quickly too. On the last day of the examination, the Cook gave little guidance, but the Three-Headed Man devised its own strategy and successfully defeated Feng Quweng. The reclamation efforts proceeded smoothly. With a water source established, over five thousand people could be successfully settled. Ye Jianhuang had remained in the new territory, and Xuehuapu had sent no more people to cause trouble, so the matter was considered completely done.

"Good boy," Sun Tiecheng exclaimed admiringly. "You've carved a piece of flesh right off Neizhou!"

Li Banfeng wasn't one to take undue credit. "Elder Brother, that crucian carp skeleton—was it yours?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded.

Li Banfeng smiled. "I just picked up what was readily available from you, Elder Brother."

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "Not everyone can pick up something 'readily available' like that. I left that fish there because I wanted to see if Neizhou dared to fight an outer province. From the looks of it, Neizhou makes a lot of noise, but it lacks real confidence. They'd rather compensate you with a territory than engage in a fight with an outer province."

Li Banfeng sighed. "If I had known it was your setup, Elder Brother, I would have asked them for a few more new territories, just to see if they'd agree."

Sun Tiecheng burst into laughter upon hearing this. "You're truly ambitious, young man! Do you even realize that you personally enfeoffed a local deity?"

"Really?" Li Banfeng thought about the entire process of the event; He Yuxiu was indeed enfeoffed by him personally. Li Banfeng gave a casual smile. "That's nothing special."

"Nothing special?" Sun Tiecheng looked Li Banfeng up and down. "A local deity is a regional lord. What kind of person do you think can enfeoff a local deity?"

Li Banfeng genuinely didn't know about this matter.

Sun Tiecheng didn't explain further. He hummed a little tune, turned, and walked away.

With their belongings packed, Tang Changfa entrusted the academy to Yan Qing'er's care, then took Yan Hong'er and Yan Cui'er and left Fool's City with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng had originally planned to take them on a train. With his abilities, obtaining three anonymous travel permits would be no problem, and they could travel back by vehicle without such hardship. However, less than twenty li after leaving Fool's City, Tang Changfa began to tremble. He seemed unsure how to take a step, and his mouth struggled to form words.

This wasn't nervousness; Tang Changfa was afraid that the Fool's technique would fail, that he wouldn't believe he was still alive, and that he would slowly turn into a dead man. Yan Cui'er trembled along with Tang Changfa. Yan Hong'er, being strong-willed and clever, pretended to be calm in front of Li Banfeng, but she was secretly scared too.

Li Banfeng said to the three of them, "I walked out of Fool's City, didn't I? I'm alive, right?"

The three nodded.

Li Banfeng then said to the three of them, "You walked out of Fool's City, so you're definitely alive too!"

Yan Cui'er nodded; she believed that what the manager said was true. Yan Hong remained silent. She didn't believe it was true, but she didn't dare to say so.

Tang Changfa couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up. "Manager, you're different from us."

Li Banfeng feigned surprise. "How are we different? We eat the same, drink the same, sleep the same, enter the Taoist sect the same, and learn techniques the same. No matter what we do, there's no difference between us. Aren't we all the same kind of people?"

Li Banfeng straightened out the cause and effect, and Tang Changfa felt reassured. They had expected to walk all the way to the station, but unexpectedly, after another few dozen li, the three of them experienced symptoms again. They had lived in Fool's City for an unknown number of years; this wasn't something a single use of a technique could cure. If they were to board a train in this condition, there's no telling how much trouble they might cause. If they lost control, they could very well reveal the secrets of Fool's City.

"Let's take the new territory route."

Li Banfeng led the three through the new territory, walking for a full day. When they camped for the night, just as Li Banfeng was about to return to his portable dwelling, he smelled the scent of burnt smoke. "A fire?"

Li Banfeng emerged from the tent and followed the smell of burnt smoke. After walking more than two li, he saw a man who had built a stove with a few stones and was adding firewood to its hearth. Seeing Li Banfeng, the man stood up and clapped his hands. "The night wind is getting chilly. I was worried you might get cold, so I lit a stove to warm you up."

Li Banfeng chuckled. "Being more than two li away from us, we truly can't feel the warmth."

The man added some more firewood. "But you're here now, aren't you? I predicted you would come, so I lit a fire here, waiting for you to warm yourselves."

Li Banfeng nodded. "You're quite kind. What do you want to do by luring me here?"

The man answered sincerely, "I want to have a fight with you and determine a winner."

Li Banfeng asked, "And after the fight?"

The man took out a contract. "If you win, I'll sign this contract, and the land beneath my feet will be yours to dispose of."

Li Banfeng said, "And if you win, He Yuxiu's land will be yours, right?"

"I won't take that land for free," the man said, pulling out another contract. "If I win, you sign this contract, and I'll exchange the land beneath my feet for He Yuxiu's territory. You won't be at too much of a disadvantage."

Li Banfeng asked, "What is your name?"

The man put away the contract, poked the stove fire, and smiled. "I like to light stoves and make the fire burn brightly. This territory beneath your feet will be mine."