Chapter 690: Holding On

Li Banfeng was exhaled upon by the statue and collapsed to the ground. He looked back at the statue. The statue smiled at him.

Honglian was terrified, fearing the statue would attack again, as Li Banfeng was almost defenseless at that moment. After a long wait, the statue didn't move again. Li Banfeng stumbled out of the large iron gate and returned to the stairwell.

He was in terrible condition, his legs weak, his body numb. He tried to step with his left foot but extended his right leg instead, tumbling all the way down the stairs. A group of shadows rolled down with Li Banfeng, lying motionless at the corner of the stairs.

Li Banfeng fumbled near his pocket, seemingly trying to return to his Portable Abode. Watching the scene displayed by the Fifth Lady, Honglian murmured, "Not now. Get out of here, fast."

Hong Ying picked up Honglian and demanded, "Bitch, tell me clearly, what is the origin of that statue?"

Honglian broke free from Hong Ying's grip. "What origin? Can't you see? That's a statue of a Celestial Being!"

Hong Ying retorted, "Why can a statue do this to Qilang? Is it a spirit artifact?"

Honglian didn't know how to explain, nor did she expect the statue to appear so suddenly. "Don't talk about that now. Go guard the door. If Li Qi comes back, you must convince him to leave."

Hong Ying was furious. "Why should I persuade him to leave? Can't you see Qilang is injured? What's wrong with him coming home to heal?"

Honglian cursed, "You shrew! I'm doing this for his own good! He can't leave the key here; someone will pick it up!"

"Who will pick it up?"

"Don't worry about who. Just go guard the door quickly!"

Hong Ying went to the door, while Honglian continued to watch the scene nervously.

Li Banfeng struggled on the ground for a long time before getting up. He took out the key, made a motion to open the door, when his body suddenly shivered, and the key dropped to the floor. There was danger.

The moment he picked up the key again, Li Banfeng became a bit clearer. He couldn't leave the key here. Having carried the Portable Abode for three full years, Li Banfeng always made sure to find a safe place to hide the key before entering. This stairwell was so sinister that there was simply no safe spot.

He still needed to return to his office. He pocketed the key and headed upstairs. A group of Li Banfeng's B-shadows supported each other, stumbling and climbing to the sixteenth floor. They exited the stairwell, swaying with each step, heading towards his office.

Mijian suddenly walked out of the office. Seeing Li Banfeng, she was startled. Li Banfeng was also startled. He leaned against the wall to steady himself. The group of B-shadows pressed themselves against the wall and floor, and because their movements were quick, they didn't reveal any flaws.

"Director Li, you haven't left yet?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "That's right. You haven't left either?"

"I still have some work I haven't had time to deal with recently." Mijian had been taking care of Zhong'er for some time, so she indeed had a lot of accumulated work. However, this work wasn't urgent, and it was already late at night; she wouldn't normally be working overtime until this hour.

Li Banfeng said, "Do what's useful, set aside what's not, and go home to rest early."

Mijian nodded. "Thank you, Director Li. Are you heading home? I can drive you."

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Go take care of your business."

Mijian went to the restroom. Li Banfeng stumbled back to his office, hid the key, and, accompanied by a group of shadows, returned to the Portable Abode.

Entering the door, Li Banfeng almost fell. Hong Ying supported him and helped him to the bed.

"Qilang, what happened? Are you poisoned? Or have you been hit by a technique?"

"It's nothing. We're not afraid of anything!" Li Banfeng waved his hand. As long as he had "High Pillow, No Worries," he feared nothing. He lay on the bed, adjusted his breathing, sensed his unique state within the abode, and activated the "High Pillow, No Worries" technique.

About ten minutes later, Li Banfeng smiled calmly and sat up. He sat for less than ten seconds before lying back down on the bed. This was uncanny! The "High Pillow, No Worries" technique wasn't working!

Li Banfeng used the technique twice, but it had no effect at all. His entire body felt alien, as if every joint was dislocated.

Hong Ying looked at Honglian and roared, "What spell has Qilang been afflicted with?"

The Celestial Being was Honglian's master; if Honglian claimed ignorance, no one would believe her. But if she told the truth, it would mean missing a good opportunity. Considering Li Banfeng's condition, if she kept silent, he might not survive.

Honglian hesitated repeatedly, then unfurled her petals. A lotus seed lay within her lotus heart. She wrapped the seed with a lotus leaf and fed it to Li Banfeng.

Hong Ying was worried. "What did you give him?"

"Xuan Yun Dan."

Jiuer was startled. "His body is so weak, and you're giving him such a potent elixir?"

Hong Ying also became anxious. "I see you, you bitch, you're up to no good!"

Honglian poked Hong Ying's face with a lotus leaf. "I don't bother talking to you fools. Go bring Zhao Xiaowan back, quickly!"

It wasn't easy to say this. Once Zhao Xiaowan returned, many of Honglian's plans would be stalled. But if Zhao Xiaowan didn't return, Li Banfeng might not survive the night.

Hong Ying said, "This is Outer Province. Xiaowan isn't here."

Honglian replied, "Even if she's not here, you need to find a way to get her here. I'll only remind you once: Li Qi's Popularity is overflowing and about to burst his body. Zhao Xiaowan needs to help him advance and dissipate the Popularity."

"Popularity overflow..." Hong Ying didn't quite grasp the concept. She pondered for a moment and said, "So, if he increases his cultivation, he can disperse the Popularity, right? Then I'll just help him raise his Travel Cultivation, elevate it beyond the clouds, and everything will be fine, won't it?"

Honglian shook her head. "Travel Cultivation won't work. The advancement process is too drastic. His body is weak now and simply can't withstand a normal Travel Cultivation promotion. The Household Cultivation promotion process is relatively gentle; he might be able to endure that."

Ninth Lady looked at Hong Ying. "Aren't you also Old Qi's House Spirit? Since you're a House Spirit, you should be able to help Li Qi advance his Household Cultivation."

Hong Ying lowered her head. "I don't really understand Household Cultivation. I know a bit about the ground-level aspects, but not much about the cloud-level ones."

Honglian sighed. "You don't understand anything. You're just too reliant on Zhao Xiaowan. Helping a Household Cultivator advance is a basic method for a House Spirit, and you can't even do that."

Hong Ying asked, "Then what do you suggest? How do we find Xiaowan?"

Honglian also couldn't think of a way. "I don't know how you should find her. I remember Qiqiu City has a train station."

"Right, a train station! Grandpa built a train station!" Hong Ying leaned close to Li Banfeng's ear and whispered softly, "Qilang, don't sleep yet. Talk to Grandpa, see if he can take you to Qiqiu City. Once we're at the station, we can find a way to locate Xiaowan."

Li Banfeng didn't speak; he just shook his head slightly.

"Qilang, why are you shaking your head?"

Li Banfeng didn't explain. This method wouldn't work. Going to the station was useless. Green Blossom's alms bowl had been given to Madam. If Madam didn't open the door, Li Banfeng couldn't even enter the laboratory. He needed to find a way to contact Madam first, so she could open the door, and then he could meet her. But if Madam was in a dark dimensional space and her phone couldn't be reached, how could he contact her?

Hong Ying thought for a moment and came up with another idea. "Qilang, if you think of Qiqiu City, of what Qiqiu City looks like, we can get to Qiqiu City."

The Portable Abode could follow Li Banfeng's thoughts, so this was a plausible method. Li Banfeng still shook his head. This method wouldn't work either.

Hong Ying grew anxious. "You crazy man, why do you keep shaking your head?"

The Wine Gourd knew Li Banfeng's difficulties. "Sister Yingying, you usually don't go out, so you don't know the difficulties here. Grandpa can indeed follow Old Qi's thoughts, but once we reach Qiqiu City, how will we find our Madam?"

Hong Ying said, "Let Qilang go out and look!"

"If Old Qi goes out, how will he come back?"

"Let him use the key to open the door and come back!"

"The key isn't in Qiqiu City; it's still in Outer Province!"

The Portable Abode could follow Li Banfeng's consciousness, but the key remained in his office and wouldn't move. Once Li Banfeng left, he wouldn't be able to return. Hong Ying was at her wit's end. Only then did she realize the many restrictions between Li Banfeng and the small train (Portable Abode). Now that the small train had fallen into a deep sleep, these restrictions were insurmountable without flexibility.

Ninth Lady said, "As long as we can find Zhao Xiaowan, Old Qi will be saved. Even if he can't go home for a while, Zhao Xiaowan should still be able to find a way, right?"

Honglian said, "That won't work. For Household Cultivation advancement, he must be inside the residence." This meant that even if Li Qi could find Zhao Xiaowan, he would still need to return home as quickly as possible.

Hong Ying gritted her teeth. "Alright then, I'll go out, take the key, and run directly to Qiqiu City to find Xiaowan! I can run fast enough! I'm sure I can make it!"

The Wine Gourd said, "Sister Yingying, do you know the way?"

Hong Ying shook her head. "No, but that doesn't matter. You can guide me. Don't you always follow Qilang everywhere?"

"Sister Yingying, once you're out of this room, you won't be able to hear my voice."

Hong Ying was stunned. "Why is that?"

"Because you don't understand the technique of discerning spirit sounds, and—"

Ninth Lady added, "And you're not a smart person; you don't know how to communicate with magic artifacts."

Hong Ying raised her eyebrows. "Who says I don't? I could talk to all the magic artifacts I used before! And if I can hear the gourd speak inside the room, why can't I hear it outside?"

Ninth Lady explained, "This is Grandpa's doing. Even if he's asleep, this ability remains."

The Tang Blade asked from the side, "Are his other abilities still active?"

Hong Ying realized a serious problem. She walked to the door and pulled at it. The door wouldn't open; she couldn't get out at all. Even though the Portable Abode was in a deep sleep, it still maintained strict restrictions on its occupants. Without its permission, a House Spirit absolutely could not leave the room.

Hong Ying glared at Honglian. "Why does your master want to harm our Qilang!"

Honglian retorted, "How should I know her thoughts? Can you blame me for this?"

"If not you, then who? If Qilang suffers any mishap, I'll go after your master's life!"

The two began to argue, but the Glove shouted, "Stop arguing! The Master's condition isn't right."

Li Banfeng, who had been relatively calm, began to convulse violently on the bed. Honglian gently stroked Li Banfeng's body with a lotus leaf. "He absorbed more Popularity than I estimated. He can't hold on for much longer."

Hong Ying asked, "How much longer can he last? Give me a precise number."

"About an hour."

"An hour?" The entire family was stunned. How could they find Zhao Xiaowan in an hour?

Hong Ying cried, "What good is an hour?"

Honglian said, "An hour is already a blessing for him! If I hadn't given him the Xuan Yun Dan just now, he would probably be dead by now!"

Ninth Lady's voice trembled slightly. "Ah Qi, try your luck. Think of what that laboratory looks like and see if you can run into Zhao Xiaowan. If you can, pull her back before the door closes."

Hong Ying shook her head. "That door closes very quickly. If he doesn't run into her, it's all over."

Ninth Lady asked, "Then what else do you suggest? Should we just let Ah Qi wait here to die?"

Hong Ying cried, "Grandpa, let me out! Qilang can't hold on anymore!"

The Portable Abode did not respond.

In his desperation, Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and, drenched in sweat, sat up. Gritting his teeth, he and a group of Li Banfeng's B-shadows supported each other, leaning on the Tang Blade, and walked to the door.

Hong Ying rushed forward to embrace Li Banfeng. "Qilang, where are you going?"

Li Banfeng looked back and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Back in his office, Li Banfeng took out his phone and first asked Old Luo to connect him to Madam. As long as he could get through, he could use "A Thousand Li Apart" to instantly reach Madam's side. As long as Madam wasn't in the laboratory, he could contact her. But at this hour, what were the chances Madam wasn't in the laboratory? This seemingly low probability determined Li Banfeng's life or death.

After a short while, Old Luo successfully connected the call. Madam truly wasn't in the laboratory! Li Banfeng was overjoyed. This was the tacit understanding between husband and wife! Now, as long as Madam answered the call and called back later, Li Banfeng could find someone, use "A Thousand Li Apart" once, and fly directly to Madam's side with the key.

But he waited for a long time, and Madam still didn't answer the phone. Did she not hear it, or was there some other reason? Had Madam encountered some misfortune?

Li Banfeng hung up the phone. As he pondered, he suddenly felt his palm go numb and weak, and the phone dropped to the floor. The phone slid across the carpet to the door. Li Banfeng tried to pick it up, attempting several times. He managed to stand up but before he could take a step, he fell heavily onto a chair.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone was knocking at the door from outside.

Li Banfeng called out, "Come in!"

Mijian pushed the door open and entered.

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

Mijian replied, "I was just about to leave and wanted to ask Director Li if he needed a car."

Li Banfeng stared at Mijian for a moment. "Didn't I just say no?"

Mijian nodded. "Then I'll leave now."

"Stop!" Li Banfeng called out to Mijian. "Are you on duty today?"

Mijian's words stumbled. "Yes, well, no, not really. I'm just handling some work here."

"Who's on duty today?"

Mijian said, "It's Crabapple."

"Call Crabapple here."

Mijian pursed her lips. "Crabapple, she... she was hungry and went out to get something to eat, so she asked me to cover for her for a bit."

Li Banfeng said, "You're covering for her? And you want to drive me home?"

Mijian lowered her head. "I was inconsiderate. I'll go back to the duty room immediately."

When he had encountered her earlier, she hadn't come out of the duty room.

Li Banfeng said, "You sent Crabapple away, and now you're here to confirm when I'm leaving. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I, I didn't—"

"Tell me the truth!"

Mijian answered with a trembling voice, "Director Li, I... I want to go to the archive room."

"What do you want to do in the archive room?"

Mijian told the truth. "The day before yesterday, I saw a list of documents that mentioned special potion formulas in the archive room that might cure Zhong'er. I wanted to try it. I originally didn't intend to hide it from you, but I..."

"Don't go!" Li Banfeng glared fiercely at Mijian. "If you dare to go, I'll break your legs and make you and Zhong'er a pair of crippled spouses. Do you understand?"

"But I—"

"I will cure Zhong'er's legs. Now, go home immediately! You are not allowed to go to the stairwell, nor to the archive room! Do you hear me?"

Mijian nodded. She saw a strangely shaped object on the floor, which looked like a landline receiver.

Li Banfeng said, "Give that to me."

Mijian handed the phone to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Call Crabapple back and have her resume her duty. You go home now."

Mijian left. Li Banfeng called Madam again, but she still didn't answer. My dear Madam, why aren't you answering the phone?

Li Banfeng felt his bones dislocate again. If he couldn't contact Madam, what other options were there? Was this it?

Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes in meditation.

Hong Ying asked with concern, "Qilang, did you find Xiaowan?"

Li Banfeng motioned for her to be silent. He needed to concentrate now, to use his consciousness to guide the Portable Abode to a certain place. That place was very far away. Could the Portable Abode find it?

"Ah Qi, we have railway tracks, eight of them in total. We have routes, we have directions. As long as we don't encounter a formidable enemy, we'll definitely find it!"

Grandpa, is that you? Aren't you asleep? Can you still talk while asleep? Am I hallucinating?

"Ah Qi, hold on. We've endured so many things; we'll definitely endure this time too."

After more than forty minutes, Li Banfeng lay motionless on the bed. Hong Ying's lips turned pale with fright. Ninth Lady clenched her fists, afraid to speak. The Glove checked Li Banfeng's breath; he was still alive.

"Master, Master..." The Glove trembled all over.

Rumble!

Li Banfeng felt the Portable Abode shake. He climbed out of bed and, accompanied by a group of Li Banfeng's B-shadows, walked out of the room again. The B-shadows piled up, clinging to Li Banfeng's feet. One person and one shadow stumbled along the street. Reaching a fork in the road, Li Banfeng fell to the ground with a thud. His consciousness was a bit blurry. He heard the B-shadows talking beside him: "Old Jia, hold on!"

Time ticked by, second by second. The shadows helped Li Banfeng stand up. Li Banfeng continued forward until he reached the entrance of a mansion. A guard blocked his path. "Who are you?"

Li Banfeng looked up and said, "Prince Pingyuan."

The guard was startled and quickly went inside to report. This was the Marquis's Residence in Boundless City. In the past, Li Banfeng would have simply barged in, but today he lacked the strength.

Before long, Luo Shaojun rushed out of the mansion. "Seventh Brother, you're back! Seventh Brother, what... what happened to you?"

Li Qi was about to fall, so Luo Shaojun quickly steadied him.

Li Banfeng struggled to say, "To the Jadeite Pavilion."

Luo Shaojun quickly helped Li Banfeng to the Jadeite Pavilion. "Seventh Brother, it's very dangerous here. You must be careful."

"Wait for me outside." Li Banfeng entered the building. Before he could climb the stairs, a wave of malice washed over him, and Li Banfeng fell to the ground again.

A woman's voice appeared beside his ear. "So, you still remember to come back?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "I came back in such a hurry, I didn't even bring you a gift."

"Leaving your life here would be a gift," a figure in blue swept past Li Banfeng. "How did you get so injured?"

"It's not an injury; I absorbed too much Popularity." Li Banfeng lay sprawled on the stairs, unable to get up. The stair steps, one by one, moved upwards horizontally, carrying Li Banfeng to the second floor.

Jiang Ling'er embraced Li Banfeng and gently placed him on the bed.

"Is there still hope?" Li Banfeng asked.

"Don't move." Jiang Ling'er carefully felt Li Banfeng's pulse. After a moment, Jiang Ling'er asked, "If you want to live, you must advance and deplete the Popularity. But your body is very weak; advancement might not succeed. Do you dare to take a gamble?"

"Gamble!" Li Banfeng nodded.

Jiang Ling'er then asked, "What level is your Household Cultivation?"

"Cloud-level Three. You must tell me the truth."

Jiang Ling'er continued, "You have two paths. One is to advance to Star. However, you have too much Popularity in your body; even if the normal advancement succeeds, you won't be able to exhaust it all and would need several years of recovery at home. Cultivation above Star has no levels, so you could slowly dissipate the Popularity."

This girl didn't seem very clever, but she knew quite a lot.

Li Banfeng asked, "What's the other path?"

"The other path is to advance to Cloud-level Four."

Li Banfeng opened his eyes, looked at Jiang Ling'er, and smiled. "This is good."

Jiang Ling'er didn't smile; she seemed unable to. "A normal advancement to Cloud-level Four requires far more Popularity than to Star, basically exhausting all the Popularity in your body. However, advancing to Cloud-level Four requires releasing all the Popularity within you at once, which your body cannot withstand."

Li Banfeng asked, "Is it because I'm too weak right now?"

"It's not because you are weak, but because all cultivators at the third level cannot withstand it. To calculate, a Cloud-level Three cultivator can endure 10,000 units of Popularity. Advancing to Cloud-level Four requires releasing 18,000 units of Popularity at once. Releasing 18,000 units directly would explode the cultivator's body. That's why Cloud-level Four cultivators are extremely rare. From the perspective of the advancement mechanism, this path is simply impossible unless you know the Cloud Gate Technique, which allows you to disperse a portion of Popularity that is connected to you but not inside your body."

Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. "I know the Cloud Gate Technique, but my 'clouds' aren't here."

"Where are your 'clouds'?"

"Qiqiu City."

"What kind of place is Qiqiu City?"

"A city in Puluo Province."

"It's too late," Jiang Ling'er said, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. She didn't have a strong impression of Puluo Province, but she knew it was a very distant place.

"It's not too late!" The Judge's Brush trembled at Li Banfeng's waist. "Create another cloud!"

Li Banfeng looked at Jiang Ling'er and asked, "Can you help me create a cloud?"

Jiang Ling'er nodded slightly. "If quality isn't an issue, making one is fine. But can you still send the cloud into the sky?"

Li Banfeng didn't speak. He felt unable to fly anymore.

"Yes!" the Judge's Brush spoke. "Let's go!"

2025 has arrived, dear readers. Let's charge forward together!