Chapter 553: Birch Tree Secret Society

Li Banfeng exchanged a few moves with Zhong Er, then gave him several martial arts classics to practice diligently. Zhong Er was very serious, starting to study the classics as soon as he got into the car. However, Li Banfeng realized one thing: Zhong Er's current training had very limited effect.

In Pro Zhou, martial cultivation was the most common Daoist path. Li Banfeng had seen many low-level cultivators. Zhong Er's diligence made Li Banfeng overlook a crucial difference: the gap between a fighter and a true martial cultivator. In actual combat, a fighter's primary concern was choosing the right weapon. Martial cultivators, however, didn't need to consider this; they used whatever they could get their hands on. This determined the inherent difference in adaptability between the two; fighters were fundamentally a tier below martial cultivators.

On the way back, Li Banfeng asked Bulb, "What's the term for 'Oil Cultivator' in other states?"

"Lubricant Master!"

"Did you also become a Dark Energy user through the bureau's guidance agent?"

Bulb shook his head. "My guidance agent was a family heirloom, left to me by my grandfather."

"Your grandfather was an Oil Cultivator?"

"I don't know what Daoist path he followed. I never met my grandfather; he passed away before I was born. My parents never told me about his Daoist path."

"Who else in our bureau inherited their Daoist path from their family?"

"Quite a few. He Bensheng, the Insect Cultivator, inherited his. Sister Mie, the Honey Hunger Cultivator, did too, and Big Head's path is also inherited. There are several others I can't recall at the moment."

When Big Head was mentioned, Bulb paused for a while. Big Head was still held at the Dark Star Bureau, unable to return home or see his family.

Back at his residence, Li Banfeng entered his Portable Dwelling. Chu Zikai was no longer there. Hong Ying had organized the flesh and blood, waiting for the magical artifacts to be served at the table. The Phonograph had wanted Chu Zikai to stay longer, but something unexpected happened. "My dear, Chu Zikai suddenly uttered a sentence, and then he began to explode, very similar to An Zongding's condition."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'So-called civilization is all fabricated.'"

Hong Ying added, "I was asking him about the Birch Hermit Society at the time. He mentioned over a dozen locations just for that Lov's residence."

Li Banfeng checked Hong Ying's notepad. "Over a dozen places? That makes it quite hard to find."

Hong Ying said, "I was quite firm with him, so I don't think he was lying."

The family sat down to eat. Li Banfeng reviewed Chu Zikai's confession and Zhong Er's information. The Birch Hermit Society was an urgent issue for Li Banfeng because the organization knew his identity. Li Banfeng was exposed while they remained hidden. Any delay meant he could be ambushed at any time.

Both the information and the confession mentioned one place: the black market. The Birch Hermit Society was also short on money. Besides making money through the ferry, they also ran some businesses on the black market. Zhong Er had marked several stall owners who had dealings with the Birch Hermit Society there. Chu Zikai's confession also mentioned that Miglov had his own business in the black market.

As the family ate, the Phonograph instructed Hong Ying, "Send some food to Rooms Five, Seven, and Eight. Let the others see that if they work for us, we'll definitely treat them well."

Li Banfeng left the Portable Dwelling and called Tang Changfa. Tang Changfa quickly handed over his business to Yan Hong'er and Yan Cui'er and rushed to Li Banfeng's residence. Li Banfeng asked, "Are you adapting well to the black market?"

"Adapting! It's truly a great place. Business is good, and people are easy to get along with."

"Where do you get your supplies?" Li Banfeng hadn't helped Tang Changfa with this issue. When he first started his business, Tang Changfa could only sell his existing stock.

"Seventh Master, you don't have to worry about this," Tang Changfa was indeed doing well in the black market. "Plenty of people want to deliver goods to us, want me to accept their goods. The products must be superior, and the price must be right. I have plenty of sources to choose from."

Li Banfeng showed Tang Changfa Zhong Er's list of stall owners. "Are you familiar with any of these people?"

Tang Changfa pointed to a person named Zeng Hongfu. "I know this person well. He's about fifty and has been doing business in the black market for many years. Last night, he kept coming to me, saying he wanted to buy medicine for limb regeneration."

Limb regeneration?

"So he wants to grow an arm back?"

Tang Changfa said, "I don't know if he's missing an arm or a leg. At first, I really didn't sell it to him, because this medicine is too precious."

"You actually have such medicine?"

"Yes! I have two kinds. One is the paste given by the City Lord, which is a treasure from a Glue Cultivator. It works wonders for reattaching flesh and blood, and can barely manage to reattach limbs. The other kind is even more potent: a plaster from the Peddler. No matter what part of the body is missing, as long as it's correctly aligned and applied, it's guaranteed to work."

Li Banfeng had seen both of these items, especially the Peddler reattaching Qiu Zhiheng's hand, which had truly amazed him.

Tang Changfa said, "Now, there's still one bottle of the paste and only one patch of the plaster left. Such precious items, how could I bear to sell them to him? He came to increase the price several times, but I ignored him. He'll probably come looking for me again tonight."

Li Banfeng asked, "Are there no other people from Pro Zhou in the black market? Can't they buy the plaster or paste from someone else?"

"That's difficult," Tang Changfa shook his head. "The paste was obtained by our City Lord from a Glue Cultivator friend. That Glue Cultivator friend expends great effort and can only produce two or three bottles of paste a year. If anyone else asked for it, that friend wouldn't give it. As for the Peddler's plaster, forget about it. If someone's limbs are severed, they can go to the Peddler to buy plaster; he gives exactly what's needed, no more, no matter how much money you offer. The patch of plaster I have, I snatched from the Peddler's cart when he came to Fool's City. You know, the Peddler usually tolerates us, but anywhere else, who would dare snatch something from him? This patch of plaster is truly priceless."

Both the plaster and the paste were priceless treasures. Tang Changfa was right; these items should indeed be cherished. But how did Zeng Hongfu know Tang Changfa had such precious medicine?

"Did you show off these two items?"

Tang Changfa shook his head. "I didn't show them off. Yesterday, when Zeng Hongfu came to ask, Yan Cui'er carelessly let it slip."

Li Banfeng frowned. "This needs to be remembered. Tell Yan Cui'er she'll get a hundred spanks. When I have time, I'll do it myself."

"The boss is right, she deserves it. I'll note it down for her now!"

In Li Banfeng's impression, Miglov's hand had fallen to the ground and turned into mud. He should indeed be looking for limb regeneration medicine, but the paste and plaster probably wouldn't be useful to him, as his hand was already gone. Was he desperate? Or did he have another method?

Li Banfeng said, "Let's go to the black market together later. Sell the paste to that person, and make sure the price is high."

Li Qi had instructed, so Tang Changfa naturally complied. The two arrived at the black market and sat in a private room. That night, the Cultural Palace was showing a romance film, primarily selling medicinal herbs.

Li Banfeng watched the movie, while Yan Cui'er and Yan Hong'er massaged his shoulders and back, especially Yan Cui'er, who worked particularly hard, occasionally whining, "Boss, are you really going to hit me? If you're going to hit me, just do it twice, but don't use a big stick!"

Halfway through the movie, someone knocked on the door. Li Banfeng remained calm and moved to a corner of the room. Zeng Hongfu indeed returned, still for the limb regeneration medicine. He doubled the price. Tang Changfa deliberately hesitated for a long time before finally selling him the paste.

Zeng Hongfu was overjoyed. He didn't even bother with his stall and ran out of the Cultural Palace. He drove for over ten kilometers, then entered a residential building and a two-bedroom apartment. A dozen people were gathered in the living room. Zeng Hongfu conversed fluently with them in Ravsha. Under the watchful eyes of two Ravsha individuals, he entered the master bedroom.

Miglov was lying in the bedroom. Seeing Zeng Hongfu, he smiled, "My child, did you find anything?" Regardless of their age, everyone was referred to as "child" by Miglov.

Zeng Hongfu seemed quite pleased, agreeing while taking out the paste. "This is the best medicine from Pro Zhou, a special product from a Binder."

"Child, you need to clarify the concept. Is it a Binder or a Glue Cultivator?"

Zeng Hongfu immediately realized his wording was imprecise. "It's a product of a Glue Cultivator, capable of perfectly reshaping your lost limb."

Miglov stared at the paste for a long time, then nodded. "Child, I will remember your contribution to the Hermit Society. Your position in the Hermit Society will also be adjusted accordingly. I now need some arms. I said 'some,' not 'an arm.' You know, to fully restore my left arm, one arm won't be enough. It requires complex and detailed repair."

Zeng Hongfu nodded repeatedly. "Great Leader, this is my sacred and glorious mission. Just leave this matter to me."

"Bring the person who sold you this medicine to me. If he refuses to come, you must ascertain the source of this medicine from them. Whether they are willing to answer or not, their lives cannot continue in this world."

Zeng Hongfu said, "Don't worry, I'll give you an answer first thing tomorrow morning."

Miglov waved his hand, signaling Zeng Hongfu could leave. Zeng Hongfu dared not turn his back on Miglov, retreating backward to the door, opening it, and quietly closing it sideways, making almost no sound.

Miglov looked at the small bottle of paste in his hand, then at his severed arm. He closed his eyes and offered two prayers: "Great God, please grant me shelter, so that I may continue to serve at your feet with a complete body. Let me punish the blasphemous thugs with a complete body. Let me cleanse the shame in my heart with a complete body."

A tall, strong, brown-haired man entered Miglov's room, bowing. "Leader, we have identified the woman and found her residence. Her name is Jin Shunying. On the night of the incident, she went to the auction with Li Qi."

"Did you catch her?"

The man shook his head. "The woman hasn't returned to her residence yet. Our people are still staking out her place."

Miglov nodded. "I trust your abilities. They are definitely much stronger than those idiotic Huanese. Pour me a drink."

The man fetched vodka from the liquor cabinet and poured Miglov a glass. After taking a sip, Miglov calmed down significantly and signaled the man to leave. The man left the room, shutting the door with a thud. Miglov frowned. On this point, the Huanese had more sense; they were clearly more polite. He closed his eyes, preparing to sleep, but sounds kept coming from the living room.

*Thump! Bang!*

Miglov grew angry. "What exactly are you doing?"

A man pushed open the door. "Apologies, Mr. Leader, I just got some arms back for you."

"Arms?" Miglov was surprised. He had entrusted this to Zeng Hongfu, but neither the figure nor the voice of the person at the door was Zeng Hongfu.

"Who are you?"

Li Banfeng walked in, carrying over a dozen arms. "Here are left hands, and right hands, all freshly cut from the living room. Their blood types match, they're perfectly proportioned, and the flesh is fresh. You should attach them while they're warm."

Miglov frantically created a wall to block Li Banfeng. He scrambled out of bed, rushed to the window, and prepared to jump out. Because he was missing an arm and covered in external injuries, Miglov couldn't climb onto the windowsill immediately. Li Banfeng's shadow helped him, steadying him onto the windowsill and effortlessly sending him into the Portable Dwelling.

Upon entering the Portable Dwelling, Miglov drew a dagger and severed his left leg. The left leg transformed into a mass of mud, rapidly forming a castle that enveloped Miglov. According to Miglov's design, this castle was meant to be large enough to burst the small room, allowing him to establish contact with the outside world. But an invisible force suppressed the castle's size. Its height was restricted to just over a meter, and its length to just about a meter and a half.

Miglov lay semi-reclined inside the castle, concentrating his mind, wanting the castle to move. However, the castle couldn't sense the divine power and remained stationary, showing no signs of movement. Miglov continuously increased the thickness of the walls, first to protect himself, and simultaneously pondered his next move.

Hong Ying looked puzzled. "What does this foreigner want to do? Why is he wrapping himself in mud?"

The Phonograph said, "Yingying, have you ever eaten beggar's chicken?"

Hong Ying understood the Phonograph's meaning and quickly gathered firewood to start a fire. Miglov still couldn't move the castle and grew increasingly agitated. The temperature inside the castle kept rising, making Miglov gasp for air.

*Li Qi, what exactly do you want to do to me? You know my background, why do you still dare to fight me? You've offended the Birch Hermit Society; instead of protecting yourself, you dare to attack me? Are you crazy? What is this house? What are these monsters in this house?*

The Phonograph instructed Hong Ying, "Be careful with the heat; don't actually kill him."

"Don't worry," Hong Ying picked up the wine gourd and poured some wine onto the fire. "He won't be able to stand it much longer and will come out on his own."

Li Banfeng sent all the bodies from the living room into the Portable Dwelling and searched the two-bedroom apartment.

"Boss, there's a hidden compartment in the sofa." Glove crawled under the sofa and soon pulled out an iron box. Opening the box, he found a stack of photos, each showing large formulas on a blackboard. Glove searched the room again and found hundreds of thousands in cash, a blueprint, and a ledger. The blueprint seemed to be a design for a building, roughly drawn, with many parts unmarked for dimensions. The ledger recorded recent income and expenses. Since it was recorded in Ravsha, Li Banfeng couldn't understand the details. All the cash was given to Glove. Li Banfeng dragged the bodies of Miglov's dozen subordinates into the Portable Dwelling. Glove used his technique to clear the traces at the scene, took the bottle of paste, ensured nothing was missed, and then left the scene with Li Banfeng, heading to the black market.

At the Cultural Palace, on the second floor of the cinema. Zeng Hongfu entered Tang Changfa's private room with five men.

Tang Changfa said, "Brother Zeng, what's the meaning of this?"

Zeng Hongfu smiled. "No meaning at all. Just here to ask you something. Where did you get that bottle of paste?"

Tang Changfa shook his head. "That's not something you should ask. The black market has its rules. If you think the product is wrong, you can find the snack vendor to witness. But if you want to ask anything else, I have nothing more to say."

"You won't say it!" Zeng Hongfu's smile vanished. "Then you'll have to suffer a bit."

Tang Changfa frowned. "What are you doing? Trying to pull a dirty trick here?"

"Scared?" Zeng Hongfu pulled an Emei piercer from his sleeve. "If you're scared, tell the truth quickly, and I might spare your life!"

"You drew your weapon first!" Tang Changfa pointed outside the door. "If the snack vendor sees this—"

"He won't see," Zeng Hongfu shook his head slightly. "He won't see any of you anymore."

Tang Changfa sighed. "What should we do now?"

"What to do? Tell the truth!" Zeng Hongfu aimed the Emei piercer at Tang Changfa's glabella.

"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about how to explain this to the boss. He didn't allow us to kill people here." With that, Tang Changfa grabbed the Emei piercer and willingly plunged it into his own skull.

Zeng Hongfu froze, and the five men behind him also froze. Tang Changfa's brain matter flowed from the wound, yet he behaved as if nothing had happened, continuing to talk with Yan Hong'er and Yan Cui'er. Zeng Hongfu and his subordinates were too terrified to move. This was the Foolish Cultivation Technique: Dare to Challenge.

Zeng Hongfu and his men had never seen anything like this. Watching the Emei piercer vibrate up and down in Tang Changfa's forehead, they were so scared they couldn't even think of escaping. Yan Cui'er came up with an idea. "We don't kill them. We just cut off most of their flesh to ensure they can't run around but won't die. We collect the flesh, leaving no traces, and gain something real. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Yan Hong'er pinched Yan Cui'er. "What a stupid idea! I'm telling you, you're still on the boss's hit list for a hundred spanks. If you dare cause trouble again, the boss will really kill you!"

Yan Cui'er stuck out her tongue and fell silent. Yan Hong'er offered a different idea. "Let's drug them with a sleeping powder and wait for the boss to handle them."

Tang Changfa turned and locked the private room door. "Yan Hong'er, I think you should also be noted for a beating. What did the boss tell us? We're running a legitimate business; don't always use sleeping powder! Eating sleeping powder makes them dizzy for days. How uncomfortable is that for them? Just sever their hamstrings and Achilles tendons; it's over, and they won't feel dizzy at all."

Soon, Li Banfeng entered the private room, frowning. "What happened here? Why did you sever their hamstrings?"

Yan Cui'er pouted. "Tang Changfa made us do it—"

Li Banfeng looked at Tang Changfa. "I've been teaching you for so long for nothing! We're legitimate business people. How could you just sever their hamstrings like that? Can they even be reattached?"

Tang Changfa whispered, "I was afraid they'd get dizzy from the sleeping powder—"

Li Banfeng said, "What's wrong with being dizzy for a while? At least their hamstrings would still be there and usable if attached to your body. Now that you've severed them, how can they be used? Couldn't you have just pulled out the hamstrings beforehand and attached them to your body? Now you've severed them, isn't that just wasting things?"

Yan Cui'er said, "They didn't listen to me. That's what I thought from the beginning."

Li Banfeng nodded. "From now on, in matters like this, you all must listen to Yan Cui'er."

Yan Hong'er snorted. "Boss, have you forgotten her beating? A full hundred lashes, we all remember!"

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "We'll talk about that later."

Yan Cui'er glared at Yan Hong'er. "The boss dotes on me, and even when he hits me, it's out of affection. You jealous wench, it'll kill you!"

"Wench, you really infuriate me to death!"

As soon as Li Banfeng entered the Portable Dwelling, he saw Hong Ying being held down on a stool by the Phonograph and getting spanked. This wasn't a joke; the Phonograph was hitting her seriously.

Li Banfeng asked, "What happened here?"

The Phonograph said, "I told her to use fire to force that foreigner out, but she didn't know her limits and actually cooked him! So many things we didn't get to ask!"

Hong Ying gritted her teeth. "Seeing him create such a large house instantly, he should at least have a 'Cloud' level cultivation. Who knew he was so vulnerable to fire!"

The Portable Dwelling spoke. "Xiaowan, don't be hard on Hong Ying. It's good that he was burned to death. Trying to suppress that house of his was truly difficult."

The Phonograph released Hong Ying. Hong Ying stood up, looking aggrieved. "Even the Old Master says it was difficult. Shouldn't this person have clearly been at the 'Cloud' level? He died in less than half an hour of burning. Who could have imagined!"

Miglov was burned to death by Hong Ying, still plastered in mud until his last breath. This was what Chu Zikai referred to as "indescribable combat power." The castle Miglov created made the Portable Dwelling quite wary, yet Hong Ying simply lit a fire and burned Miglov to death.

"My dear, is there a way to interrogate a soul?"

The Phonograph said, "There is a way, but it's a bit risky. After this foreigner's soul leaves his body, he'll forget most things. To make him recall them, we'd need to slowly nurture him into a vengeful spirit, but who knows how long that would take or what he might do during that time. To be safe, this humble servant still thinks it best to eat him."

This wasn't the Phonograph being gluttonous; she truly wasn't short on food recently. Her thinking was correct. Keeping such a deeply resentful soul in the Portable Dwelling could lead to unpredictable consequences.

"If he's dead, he's dead. Let's have a feast!" Li Banfeng was quite philosophical about it. Miglov's death just meant one less confession, and confessions, needing verification, weren't that valuable anyway. The physical evidence he had, however, was quite valuable.

"My dear, look at these photos."

The Phonograph took the photos and examined them carefully. "These are some algorithms, without beginning or end, and no clear clues. There are a few written characters here, but they're not easy to understand."

Some photos had accompanying text, but it wasn't Huanese and was very similar to the text in the ledger.

"This should be Ravsha script. It seems no one in the family understands Ravsha," Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Tomorrow, I'll take these to the Dark Star Bureau and have the translator look at them, asking her to make a translation."

Tang Dao felt it was inappropriate. "Master, we just killed the leader of the Birch Hermit Society. Now, if we show their things to the Dark Star Bureau… Even though you have friends there, we shouldn't be so transparent. We still need to maintain some caution."

Li Banfeng also knew they needed to be cautious. His initial idea was to break up the sentences and have them translated in multiple batches. But the key problem was that the Dark Star Bureau seemed to have only one Ravsha translator. No matter how many times it was divided, there was still a possibility of the translator connecting them.

Translate online directly? Uploading this information online would be equivalent to informing the whole world. Finding an offline electronic dictionary for translation? The translation quality would be "touching" (meaning bad).

The Portable Dwelling offered an idea. "There's a Scroll Cultivator in Room Nine who speaks many foreign languages, probably including Ravsha." The Old Master seemed to have remembered many things recently.

Li Banfeng said, "You all eat. Don't wait for me."

Hong Ying was about to peel off the mud from Miglov's body when the Portable Dwelling said, "Don't touch him, I'll do it. This mud is very special; I have a use for it."

Li Banfeng went to Room Nine and first touched Red Lotus's lotus heart. "Hua Jiu'er, you stayed in Snowflake Port for a while?"

Red Lotus clamped Li Banfeng's finger with her lotus heart. "I couldn't recall such an experience, but hearing Chu Zikai mention it, I seem to have a faint impression. I didn't join Snowflake Port; I just worked with them. This should be considered a collaboration."

"You made elixirs for them to sell for money?"

"More than that. I also helped them refine magical artifacts and weapons, and even gave them many ideas. I did a lot for them."

"Why did you do that?"

"To get revenge."

"Revenge on whom?"

"I can't remember. I was badly injured in Snowflake Port, losing a lot of memories."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Why did you leave Snowflake Port later?"

"I didn't want to leave, but I was forcibly taken away. That's when I got injured."

"Who took you away? He Jiaqing?"

"Not him. He didn't have the ability. But who exactly it was, I can't remember either."

It was unclear if she truly couldn't remember or was intentionally hiding it. Li Banfeng didn't ask further. He placed the photos and ledger in Room Nine, looked around, and said, "Friends living in Room Nine, are you willing to help?"

A woman's voice reached his ears. "My lord, is this Ravsha?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes."

The woman softly said, "The text on the photos records an ancient incantation. Next to the incantation are the calculations and derivation processes."

Li Banfeng was very surprised. "Using mathematics to derive an incantation?"

"Yes, this humble servant also finds it novel after seeing it." The woman's voice was ethereal, faint, and elusive. If one didn't listen carefully, it was hard to make out what she said.

Li Banfeng asked again, "What's the result of the derivation?"

"This humble servant doesn't know. I can only translate these texts for you, my lord."

Soon, the translation appeared, written on a white piece of paper. Li Banfeng picked up the white paper and saw several lines of text. "Unaware of the cruelty of war, unaware of the bloody tears between life and death. We met as strangers, so speak not of deep affection; it is but an unreal dream."

Li Banfeng read it several times, then asked, "This is the translation? A foreign language can be translated into something like this?"

The woman replied, "Translation emphasizes faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. Elegance adds more poetic meaning."

"But this doesn't look like an incantation."

"This is indeed an incantation, a Western incantation. Sometimes they do read like poetry. If you don't believe me, you might show this incantation to your lady at home. She is well-informed and should be able to discern the authenticity of the incantation."

Li Banfeng read it a few more times and indeed found a deeper meaning within the text. What kind of result would this incantation derive? Would it create a magic circle? Or would it activate a specific spell? The specifics would have to be determined by his wife.

Taking the translated text back to the main room, Li Banfeng was about to give it to the Phonograph when he suddenly saw a newspaper fall to the ground from a shelf. Why did the newspaper fall? Li Banfeng looked up and saw that the Judge's Brush had kicked the newspaper down. This newspaper was originally its blanket.

"Give it to me." The Judge's Brush picked up the translated text, held it over a candle flame, and directly burned it to ashes.

Li Banfeng was shocked. "Why did you burn it?"

The Judge's Brush replied with four words: "Absolute nonsense!"