Chapter 620: A Priceless Treasure Worth a Thousand Gold Coins

Chu Er pulled out a small knife from a drawer, cut an incision on her palm, and twisted the tip of the blade around in the wound several times. Li Banfeng was quite surprised. "Isn't this just for blood? Why be so brutal?"

Chu Er smiled. "This is called 'heartfelt pain.' If it doesn't hurt, how can I reach my dad?"

She took out a pen, dipped it in her own blood, and wrote a letter. The message was simple: Chu Er wanted to meet Chu Shaoqiang at ten o’clock tomorrow night in the stone house by the lake.

Chu Er folded the letter, held it in her palm, rubbed it for a moment, then put it back in the drawer. She told Li Banfeng, "The message has been sent." Li Banfeng was taken aback. "It's sent already? Will your dad receive it?"

Chu Er was confident. "Anyone who truly cares about me can receive it. My dad always does."

"Why haven't I seen you write me a letter?"

Hearing this, Chu Er pulled open the drawer on her right.

Inside were over a hundred letters, each stained with blood. "These are all for you." Li Banfeng blinked. "That's why I'm worried your method isn't effective."

Chu Er snorted coldly. "You're heartless; you've never cared about me."

The next evening, Chu Er took Li Banfeng to the stone house by the lake. Candlelight flickered inside, and Chu Shaoqiang had indeed arrived.

"You two chat; I'll take a walk around." Chu Er left quietly; by her footsteps alone, it was clear her cultivation had advanced significantly. Li Banfeng entered the stone house, pulled up a chair, and sat across from the stone table.

Chu Shaoqiang wore a high-collared, grayish-white overcoat. He lit a cigarette and asked Li Banfeng, "What do you want to talk about?"

Li Banfeng spoke directly. "I want to do business with you. A local deity in Xindi is my friend, and half of her contract is in Neizhou. I want to buy that half back." Chu Shaoqiang choked on his smoke and coughed for a long time. He pulled a tin frog from his pocket, wound it up, and placed it outside the stone house.

The tin frog hopped at great speed around the lake, then jumped into the water, swimming back and forth several times. Only when it hopped back to Chu Shaoqiang's side did he confirm that no one was eavesdropping nearby.

"Can you really talk to me directly about something like this?" Chu Shaoqiang was a little annoyed.

Li Banfeng also felt it was too direct. "Then I'll put it a bit more subtly: I want to buy, will you sell?"

Chu Shaoqiang shook his head repeatedly. "Don't even think about it. Contracts from Neizhou have never 'leaked' out." As he said "leaked," Chu Shaoqiang couldn't control himself and blew a stream of soap bubbles.

Li Banfeng chuckled. "A-Qiang, we're doing serious business here. Show a little sincerity." "Even if something occasionally 'flows' out, it's not the kind of busi—ness you're talking about!"

He exhaled a bit too much when he said "busi—," blowing a very large soap bubble. Li Banfeng chuckled. "Then tell me, what kind of business is it?"

"I don't know; I've never done that kind of business!" Chu Shaoqiang turned his face away, his back to Li Banfeng, as a large cluster of soap bubbles slowly floated up before him. The peddler's soap was so effective; it still worked even after all this time.

Li Banfeng had found the right person, after all. He thought Chu Shaoqiang might at most give him some pointers, but he never expected Chu Shaoqiang had actually dealt in contracts. "A-Qiang, let's stop beating around the bush and just talk price."

Chu Shaoqiang turned around, wiped the soap suds from the corner of his mouth, and asked Li Banfeng, "Why do you want to buy the contract?" "I just told you, for a friend."

"Is it Meng Yuchun?" "How did you know?"

Chu Shaoqiang took a letter from his coat and handed it to Li Banfeng. "This is from Rong Sijiao."

Li Banfeng opened the letter and saw that Rong Sijiao had filed a complaint with Neizhou, claiming that Meng Yuchun and Li Banfeng were colluding to turn Xindi into Zhengtu and break free from Neizhou's control. "This act of utter rebellion is appalling to hear..." Li Banfeng read a few lines from the letter and couldn't help but sigh. Liang Wucai's judgment of Rong Sijiao was incredibly accurate; that kid really turned on a dime.

"A-Qiang, why didn't you send the contract to Neizhou?"

If Chu Shaoqiang claimed he was thinking of Luozhou's stability, he'd probably blow more bubbles. So he simply told the truth: "I originally planned to send it to Neizhou, but I can't go back now because Wujiang City and Wubian City are both suffering from a plague."

Li Banfeng had never heard of either of these places, but he was more interested in the plague itself. "What kind of plague?"

"It's herpes, black with red spots. It's not immediately fatal, but it's very difficult to eradicate even after several treatments. This pathogen comes from Cui Tik, a disciple of Green Flower, who used it to wipe out Desongya. You should know about this, right?"

Li Banfeng seemed a bit lost in thought, as if thinking about something else.

Chu Shaoqiang furrowed his brow slightly. "What are you thinking? You're not thinking Neizhou is weak and considering war against it, are you?" Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and chuckled honestly. "I would never do such a thing."

Chu Shaoqiang shook his head vigorously. "You absolutely must not do that, don't even think about it. This epidemic won't defeat Neizhou. Their territory isn't what you imagine, and the physique of Neizhou people is different. A plague means nothing to them, especially the powerful figures; they're completely unaffected. If you were to attack them, it would be a huge problem..."

His speech was incredibly fast, every word tense, but he didn't blow soap bubbles, which proved he was speaking from the heart.

"Li Qi, I just explained to you that this plague isn't fatal to Neizhou people; it's just hard to cure. If you really want to fight a war, don't involve me." Li Banfeng chuckled. "Who asked you to fight a war? I came to you for business, didn't I make that clear earlier? I want the contract!"

Chu Shaoqiang pondered for a moment. "Meng Yuchun's contract was once a point of special concern for the people of Neizhou." "Why was she a special concern?"

"Because Meng Yuchun harbors deep resentment towards Neizhou. After she left Neizhou, she never responded to any tasks Neizhou assigned her. Neizhou could punish her at any time, so obtaining her contract would be very difficult."

"So, you can't get it?"

"It's not that I can't get it; it's just that the price is very high," Chu Shaoqiang said, extending two fingers. "It'll cost twenty Profound Elixir pills." "Profound Elixir?" Li Banfeng was startled. "Exchange pills for a contract?"

Chu Shaoqiang nodded. "Profound Elixir is the most precious elixir in the world. If Meng Yuchun hadn't been a special concern for Neizhou, thirteen Profound Elixir pills would be enough for her contract. The three Neizhou individuals guarding the contract would each receive four pills, with one left over for myself as compensation for my effort. But since Meng Yuchun was a special concern, each of those Neizhou individuals needs six pills, and I'm taking on a lot of risk, so I need at least two pills as compensation for my effort. All together, that's twenty pills."

Normally, a local deity would only need thirteen Profound Elixir pills to redeem their own contract, which didn't seem like much to Li Banfeng. There must be many people doing business with Chu Shaoqiang.

Li Banfeng said, "If I had known about this path with you, I would have used Profound Elixir to redeem Qiu Luoye and Shui Yongquan's contracts back then, and avoided so many complications."

Chu Shaoqiang shook his head. "Qiu Luoye and Shui Yongquan have always been restless. They've been under much stricter scrutiny from Neizhou than Meng Yuchun. No amount of elixirs would buy back their contracts. Furthermore, to my knowledge, Shui Yongquan once spent a fortune to acquire two Profound Elixir pills, which nearly bankrupted him. Given his and Qiu Luoye's financial state, how could they possibly acquire a dozen or twenty Profound Elixir pills to exchange?"

Li Banfeng knew that Shui Yongquan had spent a fortune on Profound Elixir, but Shui Yongquan hadn't mentioned being nearly bankrupt. Chu Shaoqiang didn't blow soap bubbles, which meant he wasn't lying about this.

"Are Profound Elixir pills that expensive?"

Chu Shaoqiang looked at Li Banfeng with a hint of disdain. "You don't even know the price of Profound Elixir, and you're talking business with me here? Let me tell you, there are countless new lands in Luozhou, but those who can afford to buy back their contracts can be counted on one hand. Profound Elixir is the most precious elixir in the world. Other valuable elixirs are used to replace cultivation time, but only Profound Elixir enhances a cultivator's strength by solidifying their foundation." Li Banfeng couldn't see the difference between the two.

Chu Shaoqiang offered a simple explanation: "For cultivators on the ground, cultivation is measured by time – ten years for one level. Taking elixirs can replace that time. But once you reach the clouds, cultivation can no longer be measured by time. Elixirs like Serpent Mark, Profound Blaze, Purple Radiance, and Golden Origin, which replace time, become useless. Only Profound Elixir remains effective because it's not a substitute for time, but a reinforcement of one's fundamental foundation. Only by solidifying your foundation can you continue on the path of cultivation. It's an invaluable treasure."

Li Banfeng didn't understand the concept of a foundation. "How many Profound Elixir pills does one need to take to fully solidify their foundation?"

"It varies from person to person. I don't know the exact number, but for my physique, I'd probably have to take them my whole life, until my body is as strong as that of the Neizhou royalty, to truly complete this path of cultivation!"

Royalty? The three-headed ones?

"Is the physique of Neizhou royalty very strong?"

"The royalty's physique is flawless. Neizhou doesn't understand the Daoist path, and Luozhou's powders can't help them enter it. If they had access to the Daoist path, the royalty would have unified Neizhou long ago, and Luozhou would have been wiped out by Neizhou!"

Chu Shaoqiang felt he had said too much. No matter how much more Li Banfeng asked, he didn't want to mention Neizhou again.

After finishing two cigarettes, Chu Shaoqiang stood up and said, "I've told you about the business. Consider it carefully. I advise you to inquire more about the price of Profound Elixir and prepare yourself. In three days, at the same place and time, we'll discuss it again."

Chu Shaoqiang left, and Li Banfeng sat silently in the stone house.

Li Banfeng currently had seventeen Profound Elixir pills. Because he had so many, he hadn't really valued them. But now, thinking about it carefully, seeing how his wife meticulously counted each one, he should have realized how rare they were.

His wife was a thrifty person, and she normally couldn't bear to consume these pills. If he were to take all seventeen Profound Elixir pills, it would be like tearing out his wife's heart. No, he couldn't do business that way.

He wondered if Honglian could think of a solution.

Li Banfeng returned to his portable residence, went to the eighth room, and gently stroked Honglian. "A-Lian, what's the actual difference between Profound Elixir and ordinary elixirs?" "No difference," Honglian replied casually. "Better materials make better elixirs, but the alchemy steps are all the same." "No, they're not, are they? My wife told me Profound Elixir is more precious than other elixirs."

Honglian extended a lotus leaf and hooked Li Banfeng's chin. "Then go ask your wife! Why come to me?" Li Banfeng gave a simple, honest smile. "My wife isn't home, is she? That's why I came to you."

Changji was indeed not home, busy with experiments in the laboratory.

Honglian extended two lotus leaves, caressing Li Banfeng's cheek, and said, "Then ask whatever you want, quickly."

Li Banfeng went straight to the heart of the matter. "All the other elixirs you refine directly exchange for cultivation, so why isn't Profound Elixir like that?" "Who said my other elixirs directly exchange for cultivation?"

"Is that even a question? Serpent Mark Elixir exchanges for one day's cultivation, Profound Scarlet Elixir for ten days, Purple Radiance Elixir for thirty days, and Golden Origin Elixir for a hundred days. Isn't that obvious?"

Honglian squeezed Li Banfeng's cheek. "Who told you all this? Did I ever say that?" Li Banfeng pushed aside the lotus leaves. "That's what everyone in Luozhou says."

Honglian chuckled. "So, do you believe them or me? I told you all elixirs are the same, why don't you believe me?" "All the other elixirs you refine are very similar, but only Profound Elixir is so special. I definitely think it's different."

The lotus core emitted a halo of light, and a lotus seed flew into Li Banfeng's hand. "Do you think this elixir isn't special?" *Pop!* The lotus seed burst open, and two rusted pills popped out.

Li Banfeng was startled. He quickly put away the rusted pills and turned to wash his hands with water.

He washed several times, but couldn't get them clean. Li Banfeng used his 'Carefree' technique to turn the remaining rust into flowing water, which ran off his palm. "Let's not compare such obscure elixirs," Li Banfeng said, rubbing his palm. "We're talking about elixirs related to cultivation right now."

Honglian sighed. "They're all the same, truly all the same. Why don't you believe me?" "A-Lian, I do believe you. I've always considered you one of my own." Li Banfeng sat beside Honglian, gently stroking the lotus core. "But if you say rusted pills and Profound Elixir are the same, I really don't understand." "You consider me one of your own, but when your woman comes back, will I just be a villain again?"

Li Banfeng pursed his lips. "That's not what I think inside. I still truly care for you!"

"If you care so much about me, then take me out for a walk! Your woman is always running off; why can't I go out?"

"It's not that I won't let you go out; we still need to discuss this slowly."

"All the good things go to that wicked woman! With me, everything has to be slowly discussed. Come find me when you've finished discussing it. In the future, just go find that wicked woman if you need anything!"

*Whoosh!* After a short while, he returned to the eighth room.

All the lotus leaves retracted, and Honglian became a motionless ornament. "I won't ask you anything else!" Li Banfeng was somewhat angry and stood up to leave.

Honglian was secretly delighted, but then saw Li Banfeng pick her up and take her back to the ninth room. Hongying turned her face and asked, "Why do you eat elixirs?" Li Banfeng replied, "Don't you eat elixirs?"

The Ninth Room chuckled. "Good junior brother, you brought A-Lian back! Sister A-Lian, I've been so bored without you these past few days. Come, let's have a good chat, us sisters!" Li Banfeng returned to the main room, sat by the dressing table, and asked Hongying, "Yingying, what do you think is the biggest difference between Profound Elixir and other elixirs?"

"I would never take that stuff. Isn't cultivation all about oneself?" "What do you mean?"

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long time before replying with one sentence: "You're amazing." Leaving his portable residence, Li Banfeng went to the laboratory in Seven Autumn City to find his wife.

His wife was currently using Zhao Xiaowan's body and had just finished an experiment, drenched in sweat. Li Banfeng quickly went to wipe her down. "My wife, I have something I want to ask you, about Profound..."

"What about Profound Elixir?" His wife jumped, quickly returned to Changji's body, and took the elixir box from the front cabinet. She carefully counted each one. There were seventeen elixirs in the box. His wife let out a sigh of relief and put the elixirs away.

"Husband, what was it you wanted to ask me just now?" Li Banfeng rehearsed in his mind: "Wife, give me all the Profound Elixir pills!" "Husband, what do you need them for?" "I want to use them to exchange for a contract for a woman..." If he said that, his wife would surely be heartbroken, and he would definitely be in trouble.

What would be a more suitable way to phrase it?

"Husband, what are you thinking about?" "Nothing, wife, I wasn't thinking about anything!"

"Husband, your humble servant has equipped the Dark Star Bureau's good items onto the Dark Bridge Cannon. Now the Dark Bridge Cannon can carry many more people." Li Banfeng perked up. "How many more?"

Changji hugged Li Banfeng and said, "Husband, take a guess!" "Is it two hundred?"

Changji paused. "Husband, it used to be only three or five people. Now you're saying two hundred all at once? Isn't that too many?" "Then how many?" "Barely... one hundred people." Changji had originally intended to say eighty, but fearing Li Banfeng's disappointment, she gritted her teeth and said one hundred.

One hundred wasn't a small number; perhaps it could still lead to a big deal.

Li Banfeng affectionately hugged his wife twice, then carried both Changji and the puppet back home.

Hongying asked Zhao Xiaowan, "Does he prefer this wooden Changji or that flesh-and-blood body?" Zhao Xiaowan sobbed. "He doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference."

Hearing this, Hongying became alert. "What exactly can't he tell the difference between?" "He can't tell the difference between anything!"

Xiaowan wiped away her tears. Something was lingering in her mind, persistently: "My husband isn't going to be in a hurry to use the Dark Bridge Cannon, is he? If it really takes a hundred people, I'm not very confident." Li Banfeng actually intended to go find the peddler.

The difference between one hundred and two hundred people wasn't significant. If he could rescue a group from San-tou-cha, it might be worth trying first. They had suffered too much; escaping San-tou-cha even one day earlier would be a gain for them!

He was about to call Luo Zhengnan to ask about the peddler's whereabouts when Feng Daiku called him first. "Young Master Li, Luo Lijun has gone crazy and says she wants to see you."

"Why has she gone crazy?" "I didn't ask for details. She has the plague, and I don't dare go near her. She says if she doesn't see you tomorrow, she'll force her way into Luozhou, even if it costs her life."

Li Banfeng went to the Soda Kiln that night. Looking through the window into the factory, he saw that Luo Lijun and Luo Yanjun had both emerged from the pond, accompanied by a slightly smaller snail. The three snails waved their tentacles together, appearing very agitated.

Feng Daiku prepared to shout across the factory, but Li Banfeng shook his head. "No need to shout, I'll go inside and see." "They have the plague." Feng Daiku tried to stop Li Banfeng, but saw that Li Banfeng had already passed through the wall and entered the factory.

Li Banfeng wasn't afraid of the plague. He still had antibodies, and even if they failed, he could resolve the lesions by returning to his portable residence.

"Miss Luo, your current condition is..." Li Banfeng couldn't distinguish between Luo Yanjun and Luo Lijun, so he deliberately kept his address vague.

"I can't bear it anymore; the itching is unbearable, it's driving me insane! This plague comes from Desongya; that foreigner created it. You must know that foreigner; you must have a solution!"

The bodies of the three snails trembled together, revealing black herpes blisters with red spots inside. Li Banfeng said, "Please speak slowly first."

"I can't be slow! If this illness isn't resolved today, I'll take my people and charge out, infecting all of Luozhou!" Judging by her unreasonable tone, this person was Luo Lijun.

A snail nearby said, "Young Master Li, we sisters are truly suffering. If this continues, who knows what might happen. You might not care if something happens to us, but there are others here who haven't been affected, and those unaffected people aren't good. If this keeps going, your days probably won't be easy either." Speaking evasively, this was Luo Yanjun.

Li Banfeng asked, "Can you speak more clearly? If something happens to you, why will our lives be difficult?" Luo Yanjun wanted to explain, but she was too impatient, suffering greatly from the plague herself.

The smallest snail spoke up. "Because we don't like fighting, but we can't endure this plague. We're all collapsing now. Even though we won't die, we can't do anything. The ones who *can* act are those who love to fight, so there will be war in the future. Can you understand now?"

The smallest snail was very direct, but Li Banfeng still needed to confirm some details. "Those who love to fight, haven't they been brought down by the plague?" Luo Yanjun nudged the small snail with a tentacle, signaling her not to speak carelessly.

But the small snail couldn't help but continue. "Those who love to fight are the Royal Root; they're not afraid of the plague. Quickly get us some antidote; we really can't take it anymore!" The Royal Root.

The three-headed people. They weren't even afraid of the plague. What kind of physiques did they have?

"You really can't bear it anymore?" Li Banfeng raised his eyebrows. The small snail nodded vigorously. "Really, I'm not lying!"

Luo Yanjun looked at Luo Lijun. Luo Lijun flicked a tentacle and shouted sharply, "What's the price? Tell us!" After spending time together, these two sisters were quite understanding.

"The price won't be cheap, and it's not certain if this will even work out." Luo Lijun commanded, "Never mind if it works or not, just tell us the price first." Li Banfeng said, "I want the contracts."

"Whose contracts?" "More than one person's." "How many do you want?"

"That depends on how many people's medicine you want."

The small snail said in surprise, "Is it medicine that can cure the plague? We want ten thousand doses."

Luo Lijun bumped the small snail aside and snapped, "Ten thousand doses? Can you give out ten thousand contracts? Li Qi, we'll start with three people's doses. I'll exchange three contracts for them. Yes or no, give us your answer by this time tomorrow!" Li Banfeng nodded and asked the small snail, "What's your name?"

The small snail said, "My name is Luo Shaojun."

"Is coming to Luozhou for medicine the Royal Family's idea, or your own?" "We can't bear it anymore ourselves; how could we possibly care about the Royal Family?"

"You said you can't bear it; is it just because of the itching?" "It's an unbearable itch; try it yourself if you don't believe me!"

"Didn't you produce any medicine in Neizhou?"

"We did. We took the bitterest medicinal powder, but it stopped working after two hours." "Are everyone's symptoms there just itching?"

"Not really, some of them..." *Smack!* Luo Lijun swung a tentacle, hitting Luo Shaojun's snail shell. The small snail, Luo Shaojun, was launched into the air and fell into the pond.

Li Banfeng rather liked this little girl, Shaojun; she said whatever she was asked.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow." Luo Lijun left, taking Luo Yanjun with her.

Inside the pond, Luo Yanjun asked, "Sister, if only the three of us get cured of the plague, how will we explain it when we go back?" Luo Lijun said, "What's the rush? As long as we get one dose of medicine, we'll have ten thousand doses. Do you think those physicians and pharmacists are useless? My shell is itching terribly; scratch it for me." "Sister, you can't scratch it; the more you scratch, the more it itches." "Just scratch it when I tell you, don't talk so much!"

At Desongya, in Deyuan Village, Cui Tik was cultivating blood. Next to him was a tin can holding the wild flower. The seeds Li Banfeng had given him earlier had not yet been planted.

Li Banfeng asked, "Why haven't you planted them yet?"

"Because we first need to cultivate blood that contains antibodies against the disease to have any hope of growing humanoid plants that can survive in Desongya," Cui Tik said, putting down a test tube and wiping sweat from his forehead. "My technique is called 'Not a Blade of Grass Grows.' Humanoid plants without antibodies cannot survive here. The Blood Fiends' blood has enough antibodies, but the peddler doesn't allow them to live here."

"Don't you also have enough antibodies in your own blood?" Cui Tik shook his head. "That won't do. My blood contains more than just simple antibodies. If I mix my blood with the seeds, I don't even know what I would grow."

Li Banfeng looked at the desolate Desongya. "You need to hurry. If the population in an area of a hundred li isn't at least a hundred, it will turn into Old Soil. I feel like this place could become Old Soil at any moment."

"There are still a hundred people. I've calculated that they can last for another ten days or so." Cui Tik lifted Song Demei's head and placed it before Li Banfeng. Aside from her skull, most of Song Demei's brain matter had turned to dirt, yet she was still alive.

"Since we have enough time, let's do something else. You spread a plague in Neizhou; do you have medicine to cure the plague within a certain range?" Cui Tik was stunned. "You want to cure the plague in Neizhou?"

"I'm talking about a specific range. For example, if ten thousand people were infected, could you choose three of them and cure them?" Cui Tik thought for a long time. "It's a bit difficult, unless I do it myself."

Li Banfeng chuckled. "Then I'll trouble you to do it yourself this once."

Cui Tik deliberated for a moment, then asked, "Is this considered payment for you getting me the seeds?" "No," Li Banfeng shook his head.

"Then why should I do this?"

"Because there's additional compensation," Li Banfeng said, looking at Desongya again. "Although this is Zhengtu, it can no longer accumulate popularity for you. I can give you another piece of Xindi, a new land with a complete contract. Although it's still far from Zhengtu, at least there's hope."