Chapter 604: Cloud Gate Technique

Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyao Dock. He didn't look for Ma Wu or Zhang Xiuling. He went back to his room, placed the Judge's Brush on the bed, propped it up with a pillow, covered it with a blanket, and softly asked, "Ah Bi, this is the highest etiquette for a Sloth Cultivator. Could you please tell me again, in detail, how you left a part of yourself in the sky?"

Ever since learning that the Judge's Brush was the Hundred Flowers God, Li Banfeng felt he had a new understanding of Pro Province. "Haven't I already told you?" the Judge's Brush yawned, turning over in the blanket.

Li Banfeng moved to stand in front of the Judge's Brush. "What you said was too hard to understand. Dividing yourself in two, sending half to the sky and leaving half on the ground—what exactly is that concept?"

"That's all I remember," the Judge's Brush turned over again, its back still to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng grew annoyed. "Either tell me how to divide yourself, or tell me how to reach the sky. Otherwise, you won't sleep tonight." "How to reach the sky... in a dream." The Judge's Brush sat up on the bed.

"Are you messing with me?" Li Banfeng prepared to pull off the blanket.

"I remember now, it was in a dream!" The Judge's Brush's tone was very serious; it wasn't deceiving Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng thought carefully for a long time and asked, "Did you use a technique to reach the sky?"

"Yes! I split off half in a dream."

"How do you split off half in a dream?" Li Banfeng was neither a Dream Cultivator nor a Sloth Cultivator, so he truly couldn't grasp the concept. Ah Bi rolled around on the bed, seemingly recovering more memories. "First, imagine what the sky looks like."

"Okay!" Images of the sky and clouds appeared in Li Banfeng's mind. "Then what?" "Dream."

"After dreaming?" "Make the dream come true."

"How can a dream become real?"

"I can't remember!" The Judge's Brush burrowed into the covers and fell asleep.

If it couldn't remember, it couldn't remember. When in this state, no one could pressure the Judge's Brush.

Although the concept was incomplete, Li Banfeng gathered a lot of information from the Judge's Brush's words. The key to leaving a part of one's power in the sky was to experience it firsthand.

Perceiving oneself in the sky through a dream, an almost real feeling, was something Mengde might be able to achieve. Li Banfeng brought Mengde out of his home. "I want to have a dream where I fly into the sky."

Mengde patted her chest. "That's easy!"

She led Li Banfeng into a dream, climbing stairs made of clouds, ascending step by step onto the clouds.

The clouds were composed of gas, yet had a somewhat solid texture, identical to the clouds in Li Banfeng's imagination. The problem lay precisely in their identical nature.

Li Banfeng sat on a cloud, looking at Mengde. "These clouds are fake, right?" Mengde lowered her head slightly, somewhat embarrassed. "Master, this is a dream."

That single sentence pulled Li Banfeng back to reality, and the previous immersive feeling vanished completely. The Judge's Brush could reach the clouds within a dream, but this method was surprisingly unsuitable for Dream Cultivators.

This was because Dream Cultivators clearly distinguished between dreams and reality. Like Mengde, she knew this cloud was her creation, so she couldn't experience it as truly real. The Judge's Brush's method wasn't suitable for Dream Cultivators, and it probably wouldn't work for Li Banfeng either. He needed to find his own approach.

What method could achieve this immersive experience?

Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains!

Li Banfeng sat on the bed, constructing an image of being above the clouds in his mind.

The technique wasn't flowing smoothly because Li Banfeng had never actually been above the clouds. According to the principles of Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains, to construct a place he hadn't visited, he needed to use the False Transport technique.

When his cultivation was still at the "Ground Skin" level, Li Banfeng rarely used the Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains technique. The False Transport technique could only be used freely once one reached the clouds, and Li Banfeng still had a very vague understanding of the concept of False Transport.

Hong Ying had explained the key to the technique, which lay in imagination. This was a good opportunity to practice it thoroughly. After much practice, Li Banfeng didn't succeed even once, and he couldn't pinpoint what was going wrong.

Back at his Portable Abode, his wife was still making ropes. They were missing one ingredient: water snake grass.

Water snake grass was a precious medicinal herb, unobtainable in other provinces and extremely rare even in Pro Province. This trip back to Green Water City wasn't just for the Hundred Flowers Sect; Li Banfeng also intended to investigate the market for water snake grass.

After a moment of intimacy with his wife, Li Banfeng quickly went to ask Hong Ying, "What are the other key points for the False Transport technique in Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains?" Hong Ying looked surprised. "Don't you already know the essentials? I've told you several times."

"Please, bother to tell me again."

"False Transport relies on imagination. The more vividly you imagine it, the more real the transport will be. Just repeat the visualization several times, and you'll master it, won't you?" Hong Ying's crude guidance was truly difficult for Li Banfeng to accept.

The Lady of the Ninth Room seemed to be a Traveling Cultivator as well. It might be worth asking her.

Li Banfeng entered the Ninth Room, where Red Lotus was fluttering wildly, seemingly fighting with Lady Nine. Li Banfeng first calmed Red Lotus down, then asked Lady Nine about the False Transport technique.

Lady Nine asked Li Banfeng, "Why do you want to learn False Transport? Isn't mastering True Transport enough?"

"Not enough," Li Banfeng admitted. "I want to truly experience what it's like to be above the clouds."

"Why experience that? Aren't you going to Green Water City to find water snake grass?" Lady Nine still didn't quite understand. This girl was good at everything, except she asked too many questions.

Red Lotus interjected, "I know a little about the False Transport technique. The hardest part is that some things are difficult to imagine." Li Banfeng nodded. "That imagination part is truly difficult."

Red Lotus said, "If you promise to give me a different room, I can teach you some tricks."

"That's easy to arrange, I'll switch your room right away," Li Banfeng said, carrying Red Lotus to the Eighth Room. "Are you satisfied now?"

Red Lotus was fairly satisfied. She taught Li Banfeng the trick: "Even if you haven't been on a cloud, you've at least seen them. Clouds come in all sorts of strange shapes. You need to know which cloud you want to ascend to."

"On a clear night, pick a good cloud, observe it carefully several times until you see it clearly, then use the False Transport technique to bring that cloud down. It will surely yield twice the results with half the effort."

"If I observe it so closely, is it still considered False Transport?"

"Why wouldn't it be? You haven't been on a cloud, you've only seen it, and yet you can transport it. Isn't that False Transport?" It sounded quite simple.

Li Banfeng pushed open the window and observed carefully for a moment. It was dusk, the sky was clear, and there was only one cloud.

This cloud was very ordinary and dull. Li Banfeng watched it for a long time but couldn't discern any changes. No change was fine; at least it would leave a fixed impression on Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng closed his eyes, imagined the clouds and mist above the clouds, focused his attention, and felt the changes brought by the technique.

Ma Wu was in his room reading *Tale of Jade Fragrance*. He loved reading, especially books by Zhang Xiuling and Shen Rongqing. Reaching a climax, he was about to go to Zhang Xiuling's room to discuss the plot when a cleaner suddenly rushed over in a panic. "Master Wu, there's a fire!"

"Where's the fire?"

"Master Qi's room is on fire."

Ma Wu rushed to the corridor and saw smoke billowing from Li Qi's door. Old Qi wasn't home, so how did the room catch fire?

Ma Wu asked the cleaner, "Did you bring the key?"

"The room was cleaned today, and the key was given to Steward Zhang."

There was no time to find Steward Zhang. Just as Ma Wu was about to kick the door open, Li Qi opened it and walked out. More than half of his jacket was burnt, and flames were still flickering on his collar. "Old Qi, when did you get back? And how did this catch fire?"

Li Qi used the flame on his collar to light a cigarette, then blew out the fire. "I just got back, I was tired, lay on the bed smoking, and ended up burning the blanket." The blanket was burnt, and the sheets and pillows were also scorched, but that didn't matter as long as he was unharmed.

Ma Wu quickly had someone prepare another room for Li Banfeng, but Li Qi didn't want to move, only replacing the sheets and blanket. Standing by the window, he looked at the clouds outside; that dull cloud was still in the sky.

When he used Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains earlier, he was thinking of this very cloud. What appeared before his eyes was clearly smoke and fire, even though he intended clouds and mist. Why did smoke and fire appear in the end?

Li Banfeng had been so focused on using the technique that he hadn't even noticed the blanket was burning. If the Judge's Brush hadn't woken up and called out to Li Qi, he might have been burned much worse.

Ma Wu recounted the situation when He Jiaqing had come to Xiaoyao Dock. "This kid isn't simple. He stole a lot of the love threads Miss Feng had buried in the house. His cultivation level should no longer be at the Ground Skin."

"He hasn't been at the Ground Skin for a long time." Li Banfeng wasn't surprised by He Jiaqing's cultivation level. What truly puzzled him was He Jiaqing's objective. As the two were talking, Zhang Xiuling entered the room and, without a word, knelt on the ground, wanting to kowtow to them both.

"What's wrong?" Li Qi frowned.

Ma Wu quickly helped Zhang Xiuling up. "Please, don't do this! Old Qi hates it!" "I don't know how to repay your kindness." The foremost talented woman was at a loss for words at this moment.

Ma Wu said, "If you don't know how to repay, then write an IOU first. I'm not joking, this is our brothers' rule. Old Qi just got back; I'll get him something to eat. You two can talk slowly here."

Only Zhang Xiuling and Li Qi remained in the room. Zhang Xiuling meticulously recounted the incident. Before this, Zhang Xiuling and He Jiaqing had little interaction, let alone any grievances. To this day, Zhang Xiuling still couldn't understand how she had offended He Jiaqing.

Li Banfeng sorted through the sequence of events. The only plausible reason was that He Jiaqing wanted to expand the He family's influence. But why didn't he choose someone else and instead targeted the Hundred Flowers Sect?

Li Banfeng asked Zhang Xiuling, "Do you want to take back the Hundred Flowers Sect?" Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "No."

"Do you truly not want to, or are you just too embarrassed?"

"Master Qi, I'm telling you the truth. Just dealing with this bunch of spineless people in the sect, I don't want to be the sect leader anymore." The Judge's Brush softly interjected, "The Hundred Flowers Garden is good."

This garden was very important to the Judge's Brush.

Li Banfeng asked Zhang Xiuling again, "Do you want to take back the Hundred Flowers Garden?"

Zhang Xiuling gave a bitter laugh. "The sect is gone, what's the use of taking back the garden?"

"After taking it back, you can write books peacefully in the garden. In all of Pro Province, isn't there any residence more beautiful than the Hundred Flowers Garden?" Zhang Xiuling truly couldn't bear to part with the Hundred Flowers Garden, but she dared not face He Jiaqing. After a moment's thought, she decided to change the subject.

"I almost forgot, the twelfth volume of *Tale of Jade Fragrance* is finished, and I haven't shown it to you yet." Zhang Xiuling handed the manuscript of *Tale of Jade Fragrance* to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng read it, commenting, "There's too much environmental description; it feels a bit forced. These two, after a long separation, wouldn't be in the mood to arrange a room; they'd certainly attend to more important matters first."

Zhang Xiuling retorted, unconvinced, "The bedroom wasn't temporarily arranged. The protagonist has always kept her room very well-maintained."

"If it's well-maintained normally, and also well-maintained upon reunion, with no change either way, why write about it? Isn't the point of this chapter to describe the reunion?" Zhang Xiuling nodded. "You're right, I was being overly sentimental in my writing."

Ma Wu stood at the doorway, looking at Li Banfeng in surprise.

He had indeed heard a rumor that Li Banfeng had guided Zhang Xiuling in her writing.

But Ma Wu had never believed it. How many people in Pro Province were qualified to guide Zhang Xiuling?

Old Qi really was guiding Zhang Xiuling. He wasn't spouting nonsense; he was genuinely guiding her on writing style and structure. "Sister Xiuling, are you afraid of our Old Qi, which is why you listen to everything he says?" Ma Wu simply couldn't understand the reasoning behind this.

Zhang Xiuling smiled. "Master Qi always speaks reason, so naturally I listen to him."

"I don't believe that," Ma Wu shook his head repeatedly. "When it comes to the logic of fists, Old Qi explains it very clearly. But when it comes to the logic of the pen, is there anyone in Pro Province who can explain it better than you?"

Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "Impure things, no matter how flowery the prose used to conceal them, cannot hide their pretentiousness. From Master Qi, I can learn true purity."

Li Banfeng read the twelfth volume of *Tale of Jade Fragrance* word for word.

By the time he reached the latest chapter, Zhang Xiuling had already moved out of the Hundred Flowers Garden and into an outer residence, and the overall quality of the story had significantly declined. After careful consideration, Li Banfeng suggested, "If you don't want the Hundred Flowers Sect, then don't. Go to He Jiaqing and demand the Hundred Flowers Garden back." Zhang Xiuling lowered her head, blushing, and whispered, "I don't dare."

"I'll lend you some courage. Several of He Jiaqing's businesses have been sealed by the Frontier Defense Bureau. Tomorrow, you go and take over these businesses, and make He Jiaqing exchange them for the Hundred Flowers Garden. If he feels it's a losing trade, tell him on the spot that the Frontier Defense Bureau can seal a few more of his businesses, and then you can trade with him again."

Zhang Xiuling could hardly believe it.

She knew Li Qi had close ties with the Frontier Defense Bureau, and that his status in other provinces was not low. But what kind of entity was the Frontier Defense Bureau? All Pro Province residents shared a common understanding: the entire Pro Province was controlled by the Frontier Defense Bureau. There was no logic for a Pro Province resident to casually control the Frontier Defense Bureau in return.

Li Qi, however, didn't think this matter was anything special. "Zihui is quite righteous; no need to worry about such a small thing."

The next day, Zhang Xiuling wanted to discuss taking over the businesses with Li Qi. However, just as she arrived at Li Qi's door, she found a plume of smoke lingering around the entrance. "Master Wu, it's bad! Master Qi's room is on fire again."

"On fire again..." Ma Wu, still half-asleep, stumbled to Li Qi's door and saw Li Qi wiping soot from his face with a towel. "This time, were you smoking in bed again?"

"Yes!" Li Banfeng couldn't offer a reasonable explanation either. He genuinely couldn't understand why, when he imagined clouds and mist, what always manifested was smoke and fire. This wasn't urgent; practicing once a day would be sufficient.

After confirming some information with Li Banfeng, Zhang Xiuling immediately took over the sealed businesses and conveyed the message to He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing certainly didn't want to give up the Hundred Flowers Garden, but talking to Zhang Xiuling was useless; He Jiaqing knew this was Li Qi's doing.

Going to Li Qi was also pointless. If he didn't return the Hundred Flowers Garden, he wouldn't get his sealed businesses back from Li Qi. Could he bypass Li Qi?

He Jiaqing hosted a banquet at Thousand Delights Tower, inviting Liao Zihui to dinner.

Liao Zihui arrived as agreed, showing impeccable manners in conversation.

Furthermore, Liao Zihui was very considerate of the young man; as soon as the banquet began, he paid for the meal. He Jiaqing was embarrassed. "Chief Envoy Liao, I invited you to dinner. How can I let you pay?"

"A meal isn't an expense. I just gave a rough price. Later, you can have the kitchen calculate it properly, and we'll settle any difference." If He Jiaqing actually accepted Liao Zihui's payment for the meal, he shouldn't expect Liao Zihui to do anything for him.

But if Thousand Delights Tower didn't accept the payment, Liao Zihui wouldn't eat the meal either.

Reaching this point, He Jiaqing simply asked directly, "Li Qi can seal the He family's businesses with a single word. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Liao Zihui shook his head. "Young Master He, where did you hear that? Your family's businesses were sealed because they were operating irregularly. What does that have to do with Director Li?"

"Director Li has made immense contributions to the peace of Pro Province. As far as the Frontier Defense Bureau is concerned, any unwarranted accusations or slanders against Director Li are unacceptable." He Jiaqing frowned slightly. "This is the power of a Balancer, isn't it?"

Liao Zihui nodded slightly. "Since you know Li Qi is a Balancer, you should also know a Balancer's duties and mission. Some things cannot be done, and some things cannot even be spoken of."

Knowing that Liao Zihui wouldn't help regardless, He Jiaqing no longer held back. "Can't even speak of it? Has Li Qi's status reached that level? Did he use the Balance Seal?"

Liao Zihui actually answered He Jiaqing's question seriously. "All previous Balancers have used the Balance Seal, but only Li Qi hasn't. The Balance Seal is not worth the cost, and Li Qi probably won't use it in the future either."

He Jiaqing nodded. "No wonder you always say he's the best Balancer. But if I were a Balancer, I might be able to do better than him."

"Perhaps?" Liao Zihui shook his head. "There's no 'perhaps' about it. What if you don't do well? Should I kowtow and beg Li Qi to come back? Anyone can say nice words, but Li Qi has already accomplished several great things, and these are all significant matters."

"Speaking of significant matters, I heard some people are secretly researching how to manipulate the boundaries. Are you aware of this?" He Jiaqing shook his head. "That has nothing to do with me."

"I know it has nothing to do with you," Liao Zihui chuckled. "Now the entire Pro Province knows it has nothing to do with you. They all know that Young Master He is fully committed to rebuilding his family business. That's a truly beautiful move you've made."

"I think this state is quite good, and you should continue to maintain it. The boundaries of Pro Province have always been managed by the local Frontier Defense Bureaus. I believe the Frontier Defense Bureau's work in this regard is very thorough. Under no circumstances do we want to see anyone meddling with the boundaries indiscriminately."

The two clinked their glasses. With the serious matters concluded, only trivial small talk remained. Both sides enjoyed a very pleasant meal. The next day, He Jiaqing returned the Hundred Flowers Garden to Zhang Xiuling.

Duan Shuqun felt uneasy. "The Hundred Flowers Garden is the face of the Hundred Flowers Sect. If we return it, the Hundred Flowers Sect might be difficult to manage."

"Manage what?" He Jiaqing flipped through the Hundred Flowers Sect's ledgers and rosters. "The Hundred Flowers Sect has such a resounding reputation, yet they have no proper businesses and no decent staff. Hand their businesses over to you to manage. Keep the ones that are barely usable, and sell off those that are completely useless. As for the staff, keep a few capable ones and send the rest away."

Duan Shuqun then asked, "The Hundred Flowers Sect owns some mountainous land in the east of the city; it's not small. Whether to keep it or sell it, you'll have to decide."

He Jiaqing genuinely didn't know about this land. Duan Shuqun drew a few lines on a map, and after seeing it, He Jiaqing nodded repeatedly. "With this land, at least I won't return empty-handed. Find people and build a mountain villa here, bigger than Furong Study!"

Duan Shuqun was quick, immediately gathering workers to start construction. In Pro Province, as long as good craftsmen were hired, projects progressed exceptionally fast. In less than a week of construction, the villa already had a preliminary shape. He Jiaqing personally went to the site to oversee the project. Seeing their boss arrive, the craftsmen worked extra hard. A foreman shouted to a worker, "Hey, you! Bring the blueprints over for the boss to see!"

He Jiaqing was somewhat displeased with the foreman's attitude. That worker had a name and seemed considerably older than the foreman. It was one thing not to remember his name, but calling him "hey, you" was unacceptable.

The worker carried a stack of blueprints and walked towards He Jiaqing. When he was less than ten meters away, the worker stopped. He stood still, glanced at He Jiaqing, and then his figure vanished.

The foreman was terrified. "Master Qing, that worker has been with us for several days. He seemed like a very honest person. I don't know what happened to him..."

He Jiaqing was speechless for a long time. Someone who could easily escape right before his eyes was truly rare. In the moment that person left, He Jiaqing couldn't even discern his figure. Who could that person be?

The first person He Jiaqing thought of was Laughing Thousand Hands.

The two had been so close just now, and He Jiaqing was completely unguarded. If Laughing Thousand Hands had acted directly, He Jiaqing might have already lost his life, or become one of Laughing Thousand Hands' gloves.

But why didn't Laughing Thousand Hands act?

He Jiaqing was still pondering Laughing Thousand Hands' intentions when he suddenly heard someone shouting and selling in the distance: "Foreign soap, vanishing cream, foreign matches, foreign candles, foreign shovels..."

He Jiaqing let out a sigh of relief. No wonder Laughing Thousand Hands ran off; it was the peddler. Why had the peddler entered Green Water City this time?

Previously, the peddler would go to Green Water Bay when the time came, but rarely entered the city. He usually frequented villages outside the city. He Jiaqing quickly rushed to the peddler, cupping his hands and bowing. "Senior, thank you very much."

"Thank me for what?" the peddler waved his hand. "I'm just a peddler of odds and ends. Just say what you want to buy." He Jiaqing bought many items, almost clearing out the peddler's cart, simply wanting to make the peddler happy. The peddler was indeed quite pleased. He looked around the construction site. "So many houses, what are you trying to build?" He Jiaqing answered truthfully, "I want to build a mountain villa, bigger than Furong Study."

"Good, ambitious," the peddler said, pointing to a construction area ahead. "The foundation is dug so deep, are you building a multi-story building?" He Jiaqing nodded. "Yes, a multi-story building, a six-story tall building."

"Six stories! That's not short in Pro Province!" The peddler tidied his cart. "When this building is finished, put up a notice downstairs: 'Those who go upstairs, don't keep staring at the ground. If you get dizzy, you might fall down."

"'Even if you don't feel dizzy, don't jump onto the ground by yourself. Jumping once or twice might be fine, but if you do it again, you'll definitely fall to your death here.' Did you remember that?" He Jiaqing nodded repeatedly. He understood the peddler's meaning; it was a warning from the peddler.

The peddler told him not to always target the "Ground Skin" (metaphor for lower-level cultivators/realm), otherwise he might lose his life. As the peddler pushed his cart away, He Jiaqing let out a long breath.

Laughing Thousand Hands certainly wouldn't dare to come again in the short term. His life was safe for now.

But the peddler's warning had to be heeded. His next target was originally the Three Heroes Sect, but now he had to stop.

However, Shen Jinzhong didn't know He Jiaqing had stopped. He was currently at Xiaoyao Dock, apologizing to Li Qi about Qin Tianjiu. Li Banfeng was extremely disgusted by Shen Jinzhong's demeanor. "Little Fatty has been missing for over a month. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "I've been sending people to look for him. Ever since that last incident, I've been particularly worried about Little Fatty..."

He Jiaqing had destroyed two of Pro Province's three major sects. How could Shen Jinzhong not be afraid? He explained carefully, word by word, terrified of saying the wrong thing and offending Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng assigned Shen Jinzhong a task: "Go and find some medicinal herbs for me. Once you've gathered all of them, this matter will be considered settled."

He wrote a list containing dozens of precious herbs, including water snake grass.

Shen Jinzhong looked at the list and immediately ordered his subordinates to gather the herbs. Shortly after Shen Jinzhong left, the peddler, pushing his cart, entered directly through the window.

Li Banfeng sat by the bed, looked at the peddler, then at the cart. He set his eyes on a feather duster on the cart and told the peddler, "I want that."

"What do you mean, 'you want that'? Do you think I came here to sell you things?"

"The way you say that, haven't you sold anything to me before?"

The peddler pulled the feather duster from the cart, looked at Li Banfeng, and said, "Did you just say you wanted this?"

Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "I have several feather dusters at home. I was just casually looking."

The peddler shoved the feather duster into Li Banfeng's hand. "I'm giving this to you. Now I'm going to ask you something, and you must tell me the truth!"

Li Banfeng said very sincerely, "When have I ever lied to you?"

The peddler asked, "Have you been practicing the Cloud Gate Art?"

"What is the Cloud Gate Art?"

"It's opening a door within the clouds, letting yourself walk onto the clouds, and even storing things inside them."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and felt the peddler's description wasn't too far off. "I haven't thought about walking on clouds yet, and storing things there is even less feasible."

"What I want to do right now is use the Intent Travel Through a Thousand Mountains technique to bring the clouds down. I'm still learning and haven't mastered it yet. We can discuss it further once I've succeeded."

"Don't practice it anymore," the peddler shook his head repeatedly.

"Why?" Li Banfeng felt he had made great progress these past few days.

"You're asking 'why'?" the peddler snapped. "There's a cloud nearby that belongs to me. I built a house on it, and my beloved lives in that house."

"Every day you go up to that cloud, start a fire around my house, and then you run away. Why do you do that?"