Chapter 679: The Peddler's Cultivation (High Energy Continues)

After finishing a cigarette, Li Banfeng felt refreshed.

The Peddler smiled, "Feeling better?"

Li Banfeng took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "Yes, much better. Thinking about how much worse off you are makes me feel a lot better!"

The Peddler pulled a feather duster from his cart. "Since you're feeling better, it's time we talked about something serious. How are we going to settle this business of you burning down my house?"

Li Banfeng replied, "Brother, I gained a lot of insight during my trip to Neizhou."

The Peddler rolled up his sleeves. "Oh, really?"

Li Banfeng continued, "I went to Chaoge, Nanhao, Xiaodu. I saw Boundless City, and I even saw Suian Town. I visited so many places!"

The Peddler raised the feather duster. "Is that so?"

Li Banfeng clutched his head. "I also saw Grandfather Train!"

The Peddler temporarily put the feather duster aside. "How is he doing?"

"He didn't come out; I only saw his shadow. He took my shadow for a tour around the Six-Tiered City of Chaoge, and then helped me escape from Chaoge. I wanted to rescue him too, but he refused—"

Li Banfeng recounted his experiences in Neizhou.

The Peddler understood the whole story. "You appointed Qiao Yi as Regent Minister, so it's no wonder he made you Prince Pingyuan. Although they managed to recover some losses, you handled that brilliantly."

Li Banfeng said, "Since Qiao Yi could make me a prince, it proves he won the battle."

The Peddler nodded. "Indeed, he won. I just received news from Neizhou; their Saint has already fled Chaoge."

"Fled?" Li Banfeng was somewhat disappointed. "Qiao Yi prepared so thoroughly, and I even sent him an imperial decree, yet he still let the Saint escape?"

The Peddler was also quite disappointed. "Qiao Yi only has those two tricks up his sleeve. He always wants to be perfectly prepared for everything, but he doesn't realize that there's no such thing as a perfectly ready situation waiting for him. Their Saint isn't a fool either; by the time he had everything figured out and was ready to make a move, that old man Ziqin had already devised a countermeasure."

Li Banfeng asked, "Who is Ziqin?"

The Peddler explained, "The Emperor of the Shang Dynasty has the surname Zi. Ziqin is the current Emperor of Shang, the Saint we often refer to. We still don't know where that old man fled to. With Dan Chengjun by his side, Qiao Yi probably won't be able to kill him."

"Who is Dan Chengjun?"

"The Grandmaster of Martial Cultivation, from Pu Luo Prefecture, but fiercely loyal to Neizhou." The Peddler took out a wine jar. Li Banfeng went to the kitchen and brought back a chicken, a plate of beef, a roasted duck, and two lamb legs. The two men ate and chatted.

The Peddler first spoke about the Grandmaster of Martial Cultivation. "Dan Chengjun has been in Neizhou for many years. He used to claim loyalty to the royal family, but ever since the Saint was driven back to Neizhou by the Blade-Labor Ghost, Dan Chengjun changed his allegiance to the Saint. A while ago, Shu Wanju, the Grandmaster of Literary Cultivation, tried to persuade him to see the situation clearly and remain loyal only to the royal family. He reportedly agreed, but for some reason, he went back on his word this time."

Li Banfeng had a question. "Why did both the Grandmasters of Literary and Martial Cultivation go to Neizhou? Aren't they both from Pu Luo Prefecture?"

This question made the Peddler a little uncomfortable. "Do you want to hear Pu Luo Prefecture's explanation, or my explanation?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Is there a difference between the two explanations?"

The Peddler raised his wine cup. "A huge difference, completely opposite. Pu Luo Prefecture's explanation is that the Peddler was unfair in his dealings, forcing the two Grandmasters away. My explanation is that they wanted something I couldn't give them, so they left."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "What is it that you couldn't give them?"

"Rules." The Peddler took a big gulp of wine.

Li Banfeng thought about it and asked, "Did these two Grandmasters want special rules for themselves?"

The Peddler shook his head. "They already have special rules, but they wanted the rules of ordinary people. That's something I couldn't give them."

After speaking, the Peddler looked at Li Banfeng.

He thought Li Banfeng might not understand, but Li Banfeng did.

It wasn't that he just understood; he had long seen the crux of the matter. He saw the biggest difference between Pu Luo Prefecture and other places: "Whether it's Waizhou or Neizhou, the higher one's status, the fewer rules they have to follow."

The Peddler nodded. "Exactly right."

Li Banfeng continued, "But Pu Luo Prefecture is completely the opposite."

The Peddler put down his wine bowl, adding nothing. Li Banfeng had indeed understood.

Li Banfeng refilled the Peddler's wine. "So, the Grandmasters of Literary and Martial Cultivation are dissatisfied with this?"

The Peddler took a sip, finding the wine a bit bitter. "Many people are dissatisfied with this. I know that rules everywhere in the world are strict below and lenient above. No matter what means are used to conceal it, this fundamental principle will not change."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Indeed, it hasn't changed."

The Peddler drank all the wine in his bowl. "But Pu Luo Prefecture is the only exception. The rules of Pu Luo Prefecture are inverted: strict above, lenient below. I personally inverted the rules of Pu Luo Prefecture, and there were many struggles and fights involved. All these myriad things have been attributed to me."

Li Banfeng fell into thought.

The Peddler drank a few more cups of wine, then sighed deeply. "Let's not talk about this; it depresses me. Let's talk about the house burning business first."

Li Banfeng asked, "Regarding the matter of Prince Pingyuan, if it were you, how would you handle it?"

The Peddler put down his wine bowl, a faint smile on his face. "This matter is easy to handle. Becoming a prince is a great advantage; you certainly won't lose out. But you must be mindful of your approach. In Neizhou, you need to be precise. You should fully leverage your princely status: eat his, drink his, take his, demand his. If Neizhou can tolerate you ten parts, take nine-point-nine parts. Leave just a tiny bit so he can't openly break ties with you, but still feels uncomfortable about it."

Li Banfeng nodded vigorously and asked, "What about Waizhou?"

"In Waizhou, you need to be ambiguous. Mix everything you want to do with Neizhou's affairs. As long as it's linked to Neizhou, half the battle is won."

Li Banfeng strongly agreed. "Brother, that's exactly how I used to do it!"

The Peddler raised his wine bowl and said, "That's why we brothers get along so well!"

The two drank and burst into laughter. Li Banfeng suddenly asked, "You're so familiar with these tactics, have you been a prince for the Shang Dynasty too?"

The Peddler lowered his head to pour wine. "Don't talk nonsense, there's no such thing."

"And not just Shang, your status in other places wasn't low either, was it?"

The Peddler pressed his lips together. "Why did you burn my house just now?"

Li Banfeng quickly changed the subject. "Brother, you might trust me, but there are many people in Pu Luo Prefecture who will misunderstand me. I don't know how to deal with them."

The Peddler truly didn't take it seriously. "You don't need to deal with it. Pu Luo Prefecture cannot unite against any single person, because the concept of unity doesn't exist here. Don't worry if a few people misunderstand you; there aren't many who can threaten you in Pu Luo Prefecture. Those few fierce individuals won't easily make a move against you. Even if they're dissatisfied, at most they'll complain to me a few times. If I ignore them, they'll blame everything on me anyway. In the end, it's always my fault. I've carried enough burdens, one more won't make a difference."

Li Banfeng nodded. "As long as you take responsibility, I'll be much more at ease."

The Peddler took a quiet sip of wine, feeling increasingly bitter. "Let's talk about the house again."

Li Banfeng said, "I plan to rescue Grandfather Train. When do you think would be a good time?"

The Peddler thought for a moment. "I've been planning that myself. The Grandfather Train matter is too dangerous; I should handle it personally."

Li Banfeng thought the Peddler shouldn't go. "Your identity makes entering and exiting Great Shang too troublesome. Besides, if anything goes wrong, Pu Luo Prefecture will be finished. Last time you went to rescue Face-No-Big, you were gone for a few days. Do you know how much trouble Pu Luo Prefecture faced?"

The Peddler looked at Li Banfeng and countered, "How much trouble was there? Tell me."

Li Banfeng said, "It was our luck that nothing happened; I used every trick in the book to suppress the situation." "That's precisely the point. If not for me, there's still you, isn't there?" The Peddler chuckled, tearing off a chicken leg for Li Banfeng. "In terms of individual combat strength, Pu Luo Prefecture isn't afraid of their Three Thousand Kingdoms. This isn't just because I alone am capable; Pu Luo Prefecture can still survive perfectly well without me. Now, back to the house business. That house is my home. We all have homes. You constantly set fire to my house; I really can't tolerate that anymore."

Li Banfeng continued along the same line, "We must defend our home, especially the entrance to White Falcon Commandery. The brothers and sisters of White Falcon Commandery have suffered too much."

The Peddler looked at Li Banfeng, his face full of admiration. "Brother, White Falcon Commandery still remembers your kindness. You still send them things every month."

"Those few things are nothing. If it weren't for the boundary, I'd wish I could send them things every day."

The matter of the boundary was what concerned the Peddler most.

The Peddler rummaged through his cart and pulled out several folders, handing them to Li Banfeng. "These are clues I've collected recently, all related to the boundary. Take them back and study them thoroughly."

Li Banfeng accepted the documents. Thinking of White Falcon Commandery, the Peddler felt a pang of guilt. "You're right, White Falcon Commandery is Pu Luo Prefecture's doorstep. They've endured too much hardship, and I've given them too little support. It's like how I felt today, standing at my own doorstep, seeing my house burned down by you. My heart was beyond distressed."

Li Banfeng moved the feather duster aside. "There was a battle at Three-Head Fork during the New Year, and you said there would be a reward for me, which I haven't received yet."

The Peddler nodded. "I came to you precisely for that. Would you like to have a home above the clouds?"

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "Brother, are you going to teach me Cloud Gate Technique?"

Cloud Gate Technique, a type of Boundaryless Technique, allows one to possess a fixed cloud in the sky and store a portion of their combat power upon it.

Most importantly, Cloud Gate Technique is an effective means of advancing to the Fourth Cloud Layer.

The Peddler nodded. "I will now impart the essentials of the technique to you. Just gaze at the sky."

It was dusk when Li Banfeng arrived at Xiaoyao Dock. Now, the sky was dark, and stars twinkled in the night.

The Peddler said to Li Banfeng, "Cloud Gate Technique is very simple. As a Cloud-Layer cultivator, mastering just three essentials is enough. The first essential: create a cloud, choose a patch of sky, and send the cloud up there. The second essential: leave a mark on the cloud and establish a connection with yourself. The third essential: send your combat power to the cloud through that connection. With these, Cloud Gate Technique is complete."

Li Banfeng looked at the Peddler and forced a smile. "We're all comrades here, let's not speak in such foreign terms." The Peddler rolled his eyes at Li Banfeng. "What foreign terms? Tell me, which part didn't you understand?"

"I understood every word, but I don't understand how to do any of it. You say 'create a cloud'—first, tell me how to make a cloud?"

The Peddler took a bite of roasted duck. "I can't teach you that; it depends on your own ability. Different cultivation paths have different methods. A Wine Cultivator can spray a mist of wine to form a cloud, a Water Cultivator can gather water vapor to form a cloud, and a Painting Cultivator has it even easier: they just draw a cloud, and it is a cloud. Do you see if your own cultivation path has a way to create a cloud?"

Li Banfeng asked, "What do Gold Cultivators use to make clouds?"

The Peddler put down the roasted duck and turned to look for the feather duster.

Li Banfeng stopped the Peddler. After thinking for a long time, he still didn't know how a Travel Cultivator should create a cloud.

But a Dwelling Cultivator indeed had a method: the Golden House Concealing Beauty technique.

Li Banfeng asked again, "Once a cloud is made, how do I send it up to the sky?"

The Peddler tore off a piece of lamb. "That's easy. Many cultivation paths have ways to fly. You know the Wind-Riding Cloud-Steering technique; just carry the cloud and fly high. As long as you don't fall, isn't the cloud sent up?"

"How do I leave a mark on the cloud?"

The Peddler said, "Dwelling Cultivators have many ways to mark, Travel Cultivators have few. It depends on your choice. If you've mastered the Hundred-Step Traverse technique, you can step onto a cloud in one stride, so isn't that second essential done too?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and asked again, "How can I store combat power on the cloud?"

The Peddler said, "That depends on what you store your combat power in. Demonic Cultivators store their combat power in ghost servants, so they'd store a few ghost servants on the cloud. Cold Cultivators store their combat power in ice, so they'd put a lot of ice blocks on the cloud. Sometimes, if they accidentally put too much, they'll cause a hailstorm. If they damage anything, they have to compensate; if not, I'll deal with them."

"What about the combat power of Travel Cultivators and Dwelling Cultivators?"

The Peddler grew impatient. "Go ask your wife; that's not something you should ask me."

Li Banfeng carefully thought through the process, still feeling it wasn't that easy. "Could you demonstrate it once, so I can see an example?"

The Peddler shook his head. "I can't demonstrate that. That's a technique used by Cloud-Layer cultivators."

Li Banfeng said, "Aren't you a Cloud-Layer cultivator?"

The Peddler looked astonished. "Who told you that?"

Didn't the Peddler himself say that?

"You told me you weren't a cultivation above the Cloud Layer."

The Peddler was even more surprised. "If it's not 'above the Cloud Layer,' then it must be 'Cloud Layer'? What kind of logic is that?"

Li Banfeng's eyes widened. "That's perfectly logical! If it's not 'Cloud Layer,' then what else could it be?"

The Peddler pushed his cart. "I am a Ground-Level Cultivator."

Li Banfeng stared at the Peddler, speechless for a long time.

"I've told you the method. Practice it yourself." The Peddler pushed his cart and left.

Ground-Level?

How could that be?

The next morning, just as Liao Zihui arrived at his office, Li Banfeng knocked and entered.

Liao Zihui immediately stood up. "Director Li, when did you arrive?"

Li Banfeng said, "Can we not speak like I'm a director?"

Liao Zihui bowed. "Prince Pingyuan, I apologize for my failure to greet you properly."

"Brother Liao, can we not speak like I'm a prince?"

Liao Zihui sat on the sofa and brewed a pot of tea for Li Banfeng. "My friend, why have you come to me?"

"I'd like Brother Liao to help me request permission from higher-ups. I want to transfer 20,000 Three-Headed people from the City of Sinners."

Liao Zihui said, "Allow me to ask presumptuously, what do you intend to do with these Three-Headed people?"

Li Banfeng did not hide it. "To form a guard detail to protect the new monarch of the Shang Dynasty."

In the past, this single sentence would have infuriated Liao Zihui.

Demanding people from the City of Sinners to form an army—wasn't Li Qi openly instigating rebellion? Just hearing about it would drive anyone mad.

But Liao Zihui was very calm today. "I'll immediately have someone report to the superiors. It should be approved within a few days."

There's a time and place for everything. The former Director Li making such a request would have been excessive, but the current Director Li making it was far more reasonable.

Li Banfeng then obtained a travel permit and went to Soda Kiln that day, reporting his safe return to the Luo sisters. He then made another trip to Jadeite Pavilion and brought Banfeng Yi back.

Banfeng Yi had performed a great service this time, and Li Banfeng decided to reward him handsomely.

"No need for formalities between brothers. Just tell me what you want?"

Banfeng Yi subtly hinted, "You've been in that position for so long, shouldn't it be my turn to sit there for a couple of days?" Banfeng Yi had ill intentions, and Li Banfeng decided to suppress that thought deep in his mind.

Luo Shaojun couldn't bear to part with Li Qi and cried her eyes out in his arms.

No matter how reluctant she was, Li Banfeng had to leave; it was time for him to go home.

Leaving Soda Kiln, Li Banfeng took a carriage to Three-Head Fork.

He entered the underground city, arrived at the Sea Market, and flew all the way to the passenger ship. The Phonograph at the bow started playing "Moon Full, Flowers Beautiful": "Drifting clouds disperse, the bright moon shines on us, reunion and joy, let us be drunk tonight—"

Niangzi's singing was unparalleled. Jiang Mengting loved this song so much, but her singing was still far from Niangzi's.

Should he bring her onto the ship to learn from Niangzi?

Although worried about Li Banfeng encountering danger, the Phonograph truly missed her husband. The large loudspeaker sucked Li Banfeng's head in, and they were affectionate for a long time.

Li Banfeng was steaming hot from the embrace, sitting on the deck, recounting his journey's experiences to Niangzi.

When Neizhou was mentioned, the Phonograph's voice wavered. Some things still couldn't be brought up. Li Banfeng skipped over the Neizhou matters and handed the folders to the Phonograph.

The Phonograph looked through the documents, surprised. "My dear husband, where did you get these? Such information is incredibly rare! We can make good use of these!"

"These were all given by the Peddler."

"You saw the Peddler?" The Phonograph couldn't believe it. "The Peddler actually let you come back?"

"Didn't I tell you? I don't need to hide from him. Let's go home. I also brought back a lot of good things."

Entering the house, Hong Ying put down her powder puff, and Jiuji put down her washboard. Both came to greet Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng felt a little ashamed; he had gone to Neizhou but hadn't even bought a single box of rouge.

But Glove had brought back many second-grade weapons for him: longswords, sabers, and a pile of loose Phonograph parts.

Portable Dwelling sighed, "Good weapons from Neizhou! It's been years since I've seen them. What a pity they've lost their spirituality."

Li Banfeng carefully inspected each weapon. Their exteriors were still intact, so why had they lost their spirituality?

Glove was also puzzled. "I carefully preserved them all the way here, so how could they have lost their spirituality?"

Portable Dwelling snorted, "If you don't trust me, let that girl verify it."

The Phonograph, who usually consumed souls, was quite sensitive to spirituality. After testing for a long time, the Phonograph replied, "Grandpa is right. These weapons have some spiritual aura, but very little remains."

Li Banfeng remembered Luo Lijun's words: weapons from Neizhou could not be brought to Waizhou or Pu Luo Prefecture. These second-grade weapons had their spirituality stripped away on the way to Waizhou, and even under Glove's protection, they were not spared, becoming relatively ordinary objects.

Portable Dwelling saw Li Banfeng's disappointment and quickly said, "Alright, these are good weapons. The Phonograph parts can be left for Zhao Xiaowan, and the blades and swords for me. We'll study them thoroughly."

These words were clearly meant to comfort Li Banfeng; these items had little research value.

Banfeng Yi silently emerged and ran to the Second Room. He, at least, had something good.

"Brother, I've truly missed you after all this time. My Shadow Cultivation Technique was incredibly useful on this trip to Neizhou. You absolutely must teach me a couple more moves."

The Second Room didn't respond, nor could it.

With the whole family present, lively and bustling, how could the Second Room dare to respond when Banfeng Yi was trying to talk to him?

Banfeng Yi grew impatient. "Are you going to teach me or not? At least say something! If you don't speak up, I won't be polite."

The Second Room still made no sound. Banfeng Yi, annoyed, pulled out a wooden stick. "Brother, do you recognize this? If you don't speak, I'm going to start hitting!"

"Wait a moment!" Portable Dwelling and the Second Room exclaimed in unison.

Banfeng Yi was stunned for a long time.

The Second Room being scared was reasonable, but why did Grandpa also say wait?

"Ah Qi, where did this stick come from?"

Li Banfeng searched Banfeng Yi's memories. "Grandfather Train gave it to him. He said to take this stick to the Second Room to learn Shadow Cultivation Technique, and if the Second Room refused, to hit him with it."

"Hit him with a stick, hehe," Portable Dwelling chuckled dryly. "Old Grandfather Train is still so humorous."

Li Banfeng took the stick from Banfeng Yi and observed it carefully for a moment. "Grandpa, is this stick a bit special?"

"Special? Yes, it's quite special. A stick that can hit the Second Room is certainly not ordinary." Grandpa's tone was a bit strange.

Li Banfeng took the stick to the Third Room. "Why don't you take a closer look?"

"Look, then let's take a good look."

What was going on? Portable Dwelling clearly saw that the stick was unusual, so why did it look at it so reluctantly?

The stick was placed on the floor and slowly disappeared. After a long wait, Portable Dwelling remained silent.

Li Banfeng asked, "Grandpa, what did you discover?"

Portable Dwelling pondered for a long time, then said, "This seems to be... a map."

"A map of where?"

"A map of where? Let me take a closer look."

This was a map personally given to Li Banfeng by Grandfather Train's shadow. Li Banfeng already had a guess. "Is this Grandfather Train's hiding place?"

"Is it? Probably! Let me take a closer look." Portable Dwelling's voice grew fainter and fainter.

Li Banfeng said, "Grandpa, do you actually want to rescue Grandfather Train or not?"

"I do, certainly. This map is unusual; I need to examine it slowly."

After sleeping one night in Portable Dwelling, Li Banfeng took out paper and brush the next morning and began to draw.

Hong Ying walked closer, looked at the drawing paper, and asked seriously, "Qilang, what are you drawing?"

"Clouds!" Li Banfeng dipped his brush in ink and carefully outlined.

"Oh, clouds. I thought it was a pond."

Li Banfeng became displeased. "Can't you tell the difference between a pond and clouds?"

Hong Ying took Li Banfeng's hand and taught him to draw stroke by stroke. "Qilang, don't be upset. Drawing clouds is about conveying atmosphere; three to five strokes are enough."

As the daughter of a prominent family, her painting skills were indeed extraordinary. With just a few strokes, Hong Ying depicted the imagery of clouds swiftly moving in the wind.

But these clouds, drawn with just a few strokes, couldn't be inhabited. Relying solely on artistic conception, they weren't practical enough.

Li Banfeng put away the drawing paper, changed brushes, and decided to try a different drawing style. Just as he finished mixing the oil paints, Li Banfeng suddenly turned around and saw a woman, her hair disheveled, sitting behind him.

"Master, come learn from me."