Chapter 605: Saving Rope

Li Banfeng repeatedly replayed the memories of the past few days, immediately denying the peddler's accusation. "I did feel like I ascended to the clouds, but I absolutely did not set any fires. I've also been burned myself these past few days."

The peddler was surprised as well. "Who burned you?"

Li Banfeng's expression was grim. "This isn't as simple as we think. I don't know who burned me yet, but it's likely the same person who set your house on fire. They might not have intended to burn me; they might have wanted to burn you! This person is very treacherous. They either hold a grudge against you, or against someone you're close to, or they're romantically involved with someone you're close to. They want to team up to harm you. I think it's more likely that the two of them are involved. Every time I imagine the clouds, I burst into flames. This proves that someone set up an ambush there specifically for you!"

The peddler thought carefully, then shook his head. "When I went to the clouds, I wasn't burned. They weren't targeting me." After a moment of thought, Li Banfeng's expression grew even more serious. "Then they must be targeting me."

The peddler was even more confused. "Why would they target you?"

Li Banfeng organized his thoughts and offered a reasonable conjecture: "Because they thought I discovered their plot, they've been targeting me to silence me. They burn me with fire whenever they see me, and they even try to shift the blame, telling you I was the one who set the fire!"

The peddler and Li Banfeng sat side by side, both lost in thought.

After more than ten minutes of silence, Banfeng couldn't help but scratch an itch. The peddler asked, "If they want to kill you, why must they set a fire? Don't they have other methods?" Li Banfeng replied seriously, "I think it's to destroy evidence."

The peddler nodded slightly. "If you were a serious person, I'd actually believe that."

"I *am* a serious person! Or, you think about it carefully: Besides your enemy, who else could go to your house and set it on fire?"

This question stumped the peddler. "Very few people know the Cloud Gate technique, and even fewer can find that particular cloud. First, tell me, how did you get up there?"

Li Banfeng answered truthfully: "At first, I couldn't get up either. But after careful observation, I got a clear impression of that cloud."

"Observation? With your eyes?" The peddler was very surprised.

"Yes, with my eyes," Li Banfeng pointed to the window. "Isn't that cloud right there? You don't even need to open the window; you can see it through the glass." The peddler looked at the window, the same one he had entered through. There was nothing special about the window frame or the glass.

Under normal circumstances, however, Li Banfeng shouldn't have been able to see that cloud.

The peddler stood by the window and looked out, asking, "You saw this cloud from here?" Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, the view is quite good from here."

The peddler asked again, "How many times have you seen it?"

"I can't recall. If you mean just a casual glance, I see it every time I look up. I haven't counted carefully."

"You see it every time you look up..." The peddler narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Let's not talk about casual glances. How many times have you *seriously* observed it?"

"You don't need to look at it many times, do you? This cloud barely changes. Isn't once enough?" When it came to serious observation, Li Banfeng had indeed only done it once. "When did you observe this cloud?"

"At dusk."

The peddler nodded slightly. "So you saw a fiery cloud?"

Li Banfeng recalled for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. "It really was a fiery cloud, burning very brightly, and the weather that day was very clear..." He stopped mid-sentence and frowned: "You're not suggesting that because I saw a fiery cloud, I went up there to set a fire, are you?"

"A serious person wouldn't, but for you, it's hard to say."

"Then tell me, how am I not serious?"

The peddler sat back down next to Li Banfeng and offered him a hand-rolled cigarette. "Do you even know what the Cloud Gate technique is?"

"I don't know!" Li Banfeng answered candidly. "Since it's a technique I can learn, it must be for Travel Cultivators or Home Cultivators, right?"

"Neither," the peddler shook his head. "The Cloud Gate technique is a boundary-less technique. It doesn't discriminate by cultivation path or cultivation level; anyone can learn it."

"Then there must be many people who know this technique."

"Not many!" The peddler shook his head. "Because this technique is too difficult. Many highly cultivated individuals never master the Cloud Gate technique in their entire lives. As for why you stumbled upon it, there are probably many complex reasons."

Li Banfeng humbly lowered his head. "Actually, I haven't mastered the Cloud Gate technique either. I probably didn't truly ascend to the clouds. I just used the False Transfer technique to bring the scene from the clouds into the room. The burning of your house definitely has nothing to do with me."

"Still not admitting it, huh? I saw you burn my house with my own eyes yesterday."

"Why should I admit it?" Li Banfeng remembered the details clearly. "When I used the False Transfer technique, I only saw white clouds, not fiery clouds."

The peddler nodded. "If it were a serious person, not seeing a fiery cloud, they'd think they went to the wrong place. But if it's you, not seeing a fiery cloud, you'd probably just set the cloud on fire."

"Do you think I'm crazy? Why would I do something like that?" It wasn't Li Banfeng denying it; he truly had no memory of setting any fires.

"You truly don't understand the Cloud Gate technique. There are some things you simply don't know how to control," the peddler took a puff from his cigarette and asked about something else. "Why are you so insistent on learning the Cloud Gate technique? Are you trying to leave yourself an escape route, or are you trying to hide your combat power?"

Li Banfeng didn't understand what the peddler meant. "Why would I hide my combat power?"

"Exactly, how much combat power do you even have? Why would you hide it? Are you perhaps preparing for promotion?" Does promotion have anything to do with the Cloud Gate technique? An unexpected gain?

Li Banfeng seized the opportunity. "I really should prepare." The peddler was startled. "You've reached the third level?"

"My Home Cultivation has, but my Travel Cultivation hasn't yet." A truthful statement, spoken with conviction, which solidified the 'slope' even more. The peddler asked, "You don't want to go beyond the clouds?"

"Who wants to go beyond the clouds? There are no levels beyond the clouds; the name itself sounds tacky!"

The peddler strongly agreed. "I find it tacky too. Some people used to call 'beyond the clouds' 'stars' or 'constellations.' I'd say, 'Do you even know where stars and constellations are?' yet they dare to call them such grand names so brazenly. In my opinion, 'beyond the clouds' is not the right path for cultivation at all. There are no levels; you're just walking blindly. It's clearly unscientific!" Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. "I also think this path is unscientific, which is why I want to learn the Cloud Gate technique."

"The Cloud Gate technique is a way, but do you know how to use it?"

"I've only heard some rumors; I don't know any details. I just thought I'd learn the technique first!" Li Banfeng looked sincerely at the peddler. The 'slope' was built, just waiting for the 'donkey' to descend.

"It's still early. To advance from the third level of the clouds upwards, whether to 'beyond the clouds' or to the fourth level of the clouds, requires a massive surge of popularity. You should accumulate enough popularity first, then we'll talk."

The peddler didn't take the bait. Li Banfeng's eyes drooped; he was quite dissatisfied with this outcome.

"I've accumulated popularity, almost enough. The key is, I don't know what to do next. What if I use the wrong method and end up 'beyond the clouds'? Wouldn't all my previous efforts be wasted?"

The peddler shook his head slightly. "You're thinking too simply. Ascending from the third to the fourth level of the clouds requires an enormous amount of popularity. a single Green Water Bay won't solve the problem." Li Banfeng shivered.

The peddler chuckled. "What's wrong, brother? What are you afraid of? You've been the local deity of Green Water Bay for a while now. Did you think I didn't know?" Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and gave a humble smile. "I never intended to hide it from you. Between brothers like us, what can't be said?"

"Then why didn't you say anything when we last met?"

"I wanted to, but wasn't it interrupted by your... lady friend?"

The peddler scoffed. "Alright, you always manage to talk your way out of it. Green Bud reached the third level of the clouds ages ago. He saved up all that popularity, just waiting to break through to the fourth level. Now he's gone to Blade Ghost Ridge to become a living immortal, and you've enjoyed a hearty meal of the popularity he painstakingly gathered."

Li Banfeng asked, "Green Bud had that much popularity, and it wasn't enough to reach the fourth level?"

"It was enough, but he couldn't ascend because at that time, I didn't recognize his path and wouldn't give him the entry medicinal powder. After reaching the third level of the clouds, he couldn't find the way and was unwilling to ascend 'beyond the clouds,' so he remained stuck at the third level. Although he was only at the third level, many cultivators beyond the clouds couldn't defeat him. It's a shame about his excellent talent. His illness cultivation is truly sinister. To cultivate, Green Bud often spread diseases. I wanted to kill him, but when I was about to act, he did something incredibly good."

Li Banfeng thought for a while. "What good deed could Green Bud possibly do?"

"Inner Province spread a plague in Pro Province, killing many people. Green Bud cured this plague." At this point, the peddler's cigarette was finished, and Li Banfeng offered him another.

The peddler recalled the situation at the time: "It was a difficult matter. With gains and losses, neither side owed the other. I always have to be fair in what I do. Green Bud saved Pro Province, so I couldn't kill him, but I also couldn't let him roam freely. So I made a contract with him, allowing him to come out and beg once a year. He can go anywhere he wants – a village, a town, a city – even if the place isn't in Green Water Bay, I can't interfere with him. But wherever he goes, there's one condition: he must beg his way through the area. As long as three people give him alms, he must return to his dwelling."

"What if he doesn't get three people?"

"He will spread an epidemic."

Li Banfeng remembered the incident in Blue Willow Village. "When Green Water Beggar went to Blue Willow Village to beg, he wanted to spread a plague there. But Blue Willow Village is his own territory. What was his purpose in doing that?"

The peddler shook his head. "I still haven't figured that out."

Li Banfeng asked again: "One more thing: spreading an epidemic depends on population density. Why didn't he go to a densely populated city? Blue Willow Village is so remote; the epidemic might not spread effectively there."

"According to the contract, if he goes to a city, he has to beg his way through it. Cities have many people, so he would definitely receive alms from three people, which means he wouldn't get the chance to spread a disease. That's the cleverness of the contract," the peddler said, changing the subject to Li Banfeng. "If you want to learn the Cloud Gate technique, I can teach it to you. We could also sign a contract. It's not to restrict you; it's to help you accumulate popularity. There's a place in Pro Province with extremely strong popularity called Virtue Cliff. It's a great place for cultivation. You could go there and be the local deity for three years..."

"No way!" Hearing "Virtue Cliff," Li Banfeng felt a knot in his stomach. "Why would I be the local deity in a Virtue Cultivator's territory? Where did their original local deity go?"

The peddler sighed deeply: "The previous local deity of Virtue Cliff was Wang Zhengde, a truly virtuous person. Perhaps due to old age, his mind became a bit unclear. He went to Black Stone Slope and opened a lecture hall, specializing in teaching virtue studies, and recruited many disciples. Last month, Tang Shijiang lost his patience and told Wang Zhengde to leave immediately. Wang Zhengde didn't listen. Then Tang Shijiang went to persuade him. You know Tang Shijiang is clumsy with words, so he didn't say much."

Li Banfeng didn't quite understand. "If he didn't say much, how did he persuade him?"

The peddler gritted his teeth, expressing hatred: "That brute Tang Shijiang directly beat Wang Zhengde to death! Even if he'd just left him a breath, Virtue Cliff wouldn't be in such chaos. Now that the local deity is gone, a group of Virtue Cultivators are fighting for the position at Virtue Cliff, causing complete disarray. I believe true virtue isn't about the cultivation path, but about one's state of mind. With your mindset at Virtue Cliff, you will absolutely win over the masses. Just trust me..."

"Don't trust me, I'm not suitable," Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Old Pan is suitable. Pan Dehai is himself the local deity of a righteous territory. He has the qualifications, strength, and experience. This position belongs to him."

"As soon as Wang Zhengde died, Pan Dehai went to Virtue Cliff and fought for nearly a month, losing all his old teeth. He just returned to Sea-Eating Ridge yesterday to recover from his injuries. So, you should reconsider this matter..."

Li Banfeng squatted down. "I'm not going to Virtue Cliff. This is non-negotiable!"

The peddler squatted beside Li Banfeng. "Brother, I'm doing this for your own good. Wang Zhengde also accumulated a lot of popularity. He also wanted to break through to the fourth level of the clouds, but he never found the trick and couldn't ascend. Now I'm telling you the trick, and you can go and absorb Wang Zhengde's popularity. One gulp, and you'll get a big boost. How is that not a huge profit for you?"

"I just can't stand that Virtue Cultivator's territory."

"That's a righteous territory, and you're still complaining that their land isn't good. If you're so picky, I can't help you anymore. As for the Cloud Gate technique, figure it out yourself."

Li Banfeng sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm at such a critical juncture, and you won't help me? What about our brotherhood? Our fraternal bond?"

"I remember our bond and brotherhood, but business isn't just about sentiment. The key is to agree on a price, to ensure a fair transaction, 'no deception for young or old.'"

Upon hearing the four words "no deception for young or old," Li Banfeng held back the tears that were about to fall. No wonder the peddler refused to budge. Sun Tiecheng had once said that the peddler had invented the "no deception for young or old" technique, which countered ignorant cultivators.

"If you won't help me, fine, I'll figure it out myself." Li Banfeng then fixated on the cloud in the sky.

The peddler tidied his cart. "Brother, you can figure it out yourself, but don't keep thinking about burning my house. Find another cloud."

"Are there any other suitable clouds?"

"Of course!" The peddler looked at the sky. "There are many clouds above Pro Province. Some you can see, most you cannot. Among the visible clouds, some are stationary – these are owned. Others are constantly changing – these are unowned. You can seize the owned clouds, and you can claim the unowned ones. As long as you don't burn my house, the sky is vast, and you can roam freely."

As the peddler pushed his cart to leave, Li Banfeng remembered another important matter: "I want to find watersnake grass. Where should I go?"

"Dried or fresh grass?"

"Dried will do."

"I have some here. Twenty silver dollars a stalk."

The peddler was surprisingly reliable. Li Banfeng's expression was excited: "How many do you have?"

"Over thirty stalks."

"I'll take them all!"

Li Banfeng paid, and the peddler handed over the goods. Pushing his cart, he exited through the window, landed steadily on the ground, shook his rattle drum, and continued pushing his cart, calling out his wares. Watching the peddler's receding back, Li Banfeng secretly smiled.

*It doesn't matter if you don't tell me about the Cloud Gate technique; my wife surely knows something.*

Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Dwelling. Seeing the watersnake grass, his wife was overjoyed. "My dear husband actually brought back so much! This stuff is quite hard to find."

"Is this enough?"

"It's enough, and there will be plenty left after making the rope. This is a very valuable medicinal herb, and it will surely be of great use in the future."

"My dear wife, do you know about the Cloud Gate technique?"

His wife thought for a moment. "I've heard some rumors before; it seems to be a technique that can be performed on clouds." Li Banfeng was greatly disappointed. "Even our Ah Bi knows about this, but you've only heard rumors, my dear?"

The gramophone laughed. "My dear husband, you underestimate our Ah Bi. He is a scholar of profound wisdom, a prominent figure among literary cultivators. He's probably read more books than all of us combined."

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush swayed slightly at Li Banfeng's waist. "But he can't recall the technique's essentials either."

"Why does my husband want to learn the Cloud Gate technique?"

"For future promotion, my dear wife. I don't want to go 'beyond the clouds'; I want to ascend to the fourth level of the clouds."

The gramophone paused for a long while. "My husband, the fourth level of the clouds is also just a rumor. I've seen people who claim to be above the third level of the clouds, but whether it's true or not, there's no way to verify. Indeed, some people want to avoid 'beyond the clouds' and continue cultivating *on* the clouds, but it's said that this requires special auxiliary methods. What those methods are, opinions vary, and I, your humble servant, can hardly discern. In any case, this is not the proper path of cultivation, so my husband, please don't dwell on it."

His wife was on the path to 'beyond the clouds' and was unfamiliar with the path to breakthrough to the fourth level of the clouds. Hong Ying's situation was the same as his wife's; she didn't even believe the fourth level of the clouds existed. The Judge's Brush knew the most; it might have actually taken this path, but it couldn't remember. Red Lotus might know more, but she claimed to have forgotten, and Li Banfeng had no way to make her talk.

What to do? Should he figure it out by himself? Or grit his teeth and become the local deity at Virtue Cliff?

It was too early to think about this now. His Home Cultivation had just reached the third level of the clouds, and his Travel Cultivation was still at the second. Li Banfeng had collected almost all the popularity from various territories, hoping to gather enough to break through to the fourth level. He didn't know how long that would take. First, he needed to wait for his wife to finish the rope and rescue Little Fatty.

Two days later, the rope was complete.

It was an earthy yellow hemp rope, about three fingers thick. Li Banfeng saw nothing special about it, but his wife had put great effort into it, meticulously arranging every detail. This time, Li Banfeng didn't go to Hemp Bamboo Village. He was afraid of arousing suspicion if he always used the Dark Bridge Cannon in the same place. He went to Leqing Town, which lay on the border between Green Water Bay and Belt Ridge. The border passed through a large swamp, a desolate place where no one was seen year-round, even more barren than Hemp Bamboo Mountain. Li Banfeng carried his wife out of the Portable Dwelling. His wife operated the Dark Bridge Cannon, projecting two overlapping shadows onto the boundary line.

"My husband, please be extremely careful when using the rope. If anything feels wrong, abandon the rope immediately and get out of the wormhole. Whether Qin Tianjiu can be saved depends on his fate. You absolutely must not let yourself be implicated."

Li Banfeng agreed, took the rope, and stepped into the shadows.

A cloud of dust descended as Li Banfeng entered the wormhole. After walking for about ten seconds, he first saw the white crane. The crane stood on one leg beside the dark bridge, its long neck bent backward, its long beak tucked into its wings. It was sleeping. Li Banfeng silently passed the white crane and walked a short distance forward.

He walked almost to the end of the dark bridge, but Li Banfeng still didn't see Qin Tianjiu. Where did that kid go?

Visibility in the wormhole was extremely low. Li Banfeng touched the Thread-Pulling Earrings, hoping to locate Qin Tianjiu by sound. He could faintly hear some breathing, but couldn't be sure it was Qin Tianjiu. Helpless, Li Banfeng called out: "Qin Tianjiu?" The call echoed in the wormhole for a long time.

The white crane woke up, stretched its neck, looked around for a moment, then tilted its head and watched Li Banfeng with one eye. This crane's perception was incredibly sharp. Li Banfeng was considering whether to continue calling Qin Tianjiu. What if the white crane took Qin Tianjiu hostage? While he pondered, the white crane suddenly spoke: "Little brother, come quickly, someone is looking for you!"

Qin Tianjiu walked from the darkness towards the dark bridge. He was thinner than before, his eyes sunken. He looked around and shook his head: "Senior, who's looking for me?" The white crane said nothing, and Li Banfeng responded, "Little Fatty, it's me."

Qin Tianjiu was very excited. He wanted to call out "Brother Seven," but dared not. He knew he couldn't easily reveal Li Qi's identity here.

Li Banfeng stared at the path beneath his feet, his gaze slowly extending outwards from his feet. Using his Golden Eyes of Autumn Hair technique, he slowly searched for the gap between the dark bridge and the wormhole. It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the gap's location; nearby, the influx of light caused a noticeable change in visual brightness. Li Banfeng found the approximate location of the gap and placed the rope near it.

The thick hemp rope writhed like a snake. After a moment of probing, the rope suddenly flattened and widened, like a piece of paper, and squeezed through the gap. The rope had some sensory ability, but it didn't recognize Qin Tianjiu, so it could only crawl towards any living target. It crawled to the white crane's feet. The white crane looked at the rope on the ground and remained silent for over ten seconds.

He moved to the side and said to Qin Tianjiu, "Little brother, this is here to rescue you. Go quickly."

Qin Tianjiu bowed deeply to the white crane. Just as he grabbed the rope, the man in white suddenly rushed over, shouting, "Don't go yet! Take us with you! Don't leave yet!" The white crane blocked the man in white, preventing him from approaching Little Fatty. The man in white cried out, "Lord, let this little brother take us with him! We haven't treated him badly!" The white crane shook its head, and no matter how much the man in white cried and pleaded, the white crane never let him get close.

Li Banfeng slowly pulled the rope as his wife had instructed. Little Fatty followed the rope to the vicinity of the gap. Under the rope's pull, Little Fatty's emaciated body was slowly flattened. "Cough, cough!" Little Fatty, unable to bear the severe pain, coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam. Soon after, he lost even the strength to cough, his entire body compressed like a sheet of paper, slowly sliding into the gap. He wasn't flattened by the gap in the dark bridge; he was compressed by a special spell on the rope. After entering the dark bridge, the spell lifted. Little Fatty wasn't seriously injured, only a few bones were broken. This was already the best possible outcome according to the plan.

The white crane was still outside the dark bridge, continuing to watch Li Banfeng with one eye: "Friend, if you have any remaining strength to help us, we will never forget your kindness in this life. If you cannot save us, then take this brother and go. Take care of yourselves."

Li Banfeng looked at the white crane, then turned to help Little Fatty up. They walked to the end of the dark bridge. A cloud of ash rose, and the two walked out of the wormhole together. Before them was a swamp. Little Fatty rushed into the muddy water and took two gulps. In the past days, he had only been able to quench his thirst by eating moss from the ground. Despite how dirty the muddy water in the swamp was, it tasted incredibly sweet to Little Fatty. Li Banfeng pulled him up and handed him a water bottle.

Little Fatty held the water bottle, his knees trembling slightly. Li Banfeng frowned: "If you dare to kneel, I'll throw you back." Little Fatty dared not kneel, but tears still streamed down his face.

"Brother Seven..." He sobbed, his mouth open, crying for a long time, unable to speak.

Someone was crying even more miserably than him. The man in white was currently sitting beside the white crane, wailing: "Lord, how could you do this? We only had this one chance, and you just let him go. How long have we been trapped here? Can we still get out? Is this how our lives end?"

"Stop blubbering!" The white crane flapped its wing and slapped the man in white.

The man in white lowered his head and saw a rope wriggling on the ground. It was the same rope that had just rescued Qin Tianjiu. Li Qi had returned. He once again released the rope from the dark bridge. The white crane looked at the man in white: "You go first."

The man in white wiped his tears, grabbed the rope, hesitated for a moment, then offered it to the white crane again. "Lord, you go first."

"No need to defer, you can all get out. You go first." The white crane let the man in white enter the gap first.

Could they really all get out? The white crane wasn't sure either. Perhaps only one person could be saved from the other side, but he still gave the opportunity to the man in white. Before long, the rope extended out again. The white crane let out a long breath. Just as he was about to bite the rope, he thought for a moment, then turned and called out: "Young lady, come quickly, grab this rope."

Li Banfeng greatly admired this white crane. Trapped in the wormhole for two full years, it finally got a chance to leave, yet it could still give that opportunity to others. Such people were exceedingly rare.

A woman walked over: "Senior, you go first."

The white crane shook its head: "You go. My cultivation is high; even if I can't get out, I won't die from enduring a few more years here."

The woman still wanted to defer, but the white crane urged, "Hurry and go! The one who came to save us also took a great risk. Don't waste time here!" The woman said no more and quickly grabbed the rope. Although she was much more emaciated, Li Banfeng recognized the woman at a glance. He was very familiar with her appearance, figure, and voice. Teacher Song.

Why would you end up in the wormhole?