Chapter 746: Apologies, Fool's City

Old Train entered the Bandit Suppression Army camp and spent about ten minutes giving it a rough cleanup. He ignored the foul waste inside, but he had to collect the census records, including all the dandelion seeds. None of these items could be left for Neizhou.

As Old Train walked out of the camp, Old Xu stepped forward and greeted him, "Eighteen-wheeler, when did you get back from Neizhou?"

Old Train smiled and nodded slightly.

Xu Han frowned and said, "I asked you 'when,' what does your nod mean?"

Old Train pointed to the camp hovering above his head, indicating it was about to fly away.

Old Xu nodded and said, "I know Neizhou's camps can fly, but with your ability, you should be able to hold this one down, right?"

"I—" Old Train paused, then retched violently, vomiting until he had nothing left but green bile.

Old Xu asked, "What are you throwing up? Were you seasick on the way here?"

"You're still asking what I'm throwing up?" Old Train fumed. "The stench you've created is overwhelming. I held my breath when I went in, but it was still unbearable."

Old Xu smiled. "It's rare for Neizhou to arrive with such a grand display; shouldn't we give them a proper welcome?"

"Given your rare generosity, send that whole house of foul liquid to Neizhou." Old Train spoke only part of his mind. With his current abilities, lacking the necessary technical skills, he couldn't prevent the camp from returning to the State of Shang.

Old Xu didn't press further. He jumped into the camp and collected all the remaining foul waste, leaving no trace of the smell.

Old Train said angrily, "Why didn't you collect it earlier? You just had to disgust me just now!"

Xu Han stood on the boat, watching the waves and smoking his pipe. "I've been a farmer my whole life, and now I've come to the seaside to make a fool of myself. I'm still a bit embarrassed."

Old Train laughed so hard he coughed. "Are you waiting for my praise? You certainly fought that battle well, but there's something I need to make clear. I just examined their census records. These Neizhou people are inexperienced and haven't fully matured; they don't yet qualify as a truly formed Bandit Suppression Army. Moreover, Neizhou arrived in haste, and their camp wasn't equipped with many cultivators. If a Wind Cultivator had been present, you wouldn't have fought this battle so easily. Qiao Yi isn't one to make the same mistake twice. Next time, you'll need a different strategy."

Xu Han shook his head. "The next strategy won't be mine to change; someone else will change it." He looked at Zhang Wanlong for a long time.

Li Banfeng gave Zhang Wanlong five Profound Essence Pills and twenty sunflower seeds, and also generously rewarded Tan Jinxiao and Xiaogenzi.

Zhang Wanlong looked up at the sky. "How wonderful if these five islands could stay here forever, where there's sunshine..."

"...I could grow many more good things."

Li Banfeng looked at Neizhou's camp. "This thing will leave after a while, and the five islands will have to return to the cave."

"Cave or not, we have plenty of ways." Zhang Wanlong smiled and ate peaches with Li Banfeng.

Three days later, the giant sphere suspended in the air slowly vanished, and the five islands moved swiftly across the sea. White Falcon County was about to return to the cave.

Old Train scanned the surrounding scenery. He had once researched the mechanisms of these five islands, but that memory was not in his current body.

The camp returned, its gates opened, revealing an empty interior. No living people or bodies were found, not even traces of a struggle. But Qiao Yi had realized a fact: the first battle of the Bandit Suppression Camp had failed, and the entire army was annihilated.

Sitting in his mansion, Qiao Yi rubbed his forehead and said to Nian Shangyou, "I underestimated White Falcon County."

Nian Shangyou reminded him, "My Lord, this battle was different from previous ones. We need to provide an explanation." Previously, when fighting White Falcon County, they would send bondservants, fully armed, to fight to the death. The bondservants' deaths were inconsequential. This time, however, they sent royal descendants to fight White Falcon County, so an explanation was definitely required.

Qiao Yi pondered briefly, then instructed Nian Shangyou to draft a document stating: "Han Qing disobeyed military orders and advanced recklessly out of greed for glory, resulting in the failure of this campaign. Three thousand soldiers perished, with no survivors. Han Qing died in battle and is thus exempt from punishment. The families of the fallen soldiers will receive compensation according to regulations."

Nian Shangyou quickly drafted the document, showed it to Qiao Yi for review, and immediately submitted it to the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War knew perfectly well that this expedition had nothing to do with reckless ambition, but by placing the blame on Han Qing, he had no grounds for rebuttal. While others might accept the explanation, Qiao Yi himself struggled to come to terms with it. This battle was a terrible loss. Qiao Yi needed to know why he had lost.

It was difficult to ascertain the truth, as Qiao Yi didn't know what had truly transpired on the battlefield. However, putting aside the enemy's actions, Qiao Yi realized his own side had committed several errors. First, he had placed too much trust in the Thousand-Man Power Formation. The soldiers of the Bandit Suppression Camp were inadequately trained and unable to cope with fierce combat. Second, he had a deep-seated prejudice against White Falcon County, believing its remote and challenging terrain made it unchanging, and thus viewed this major battle too lightly.

"If only I hadn't acted so rashly, and waited a few more days, the entire army certainly wouldn't have been annihilated," Qiao Yi sighed repeatedly. Then he recalled something else: "The news about Pillow City—was it true or false?"

Nian Shangyou was reluctant to discuss the matter, but since Qiao Yi had asked, he couldn't evade it. "Your subordinate questioned the scouts," he began. "...The scouts reported that the people who had previously woken up had fallen back asleep."

That they had fallen asleep again proved the local deity had returned, and that Zhao Lanmeng was not dead after all. So what about the previous news?

Qiao Yi scrutinized Nian Shangyou. Under his gaze, Nian Shangyou felt as if a knife were twisting in his bones. Qiao Yi added another item to his list of mistakes: imprudent actions, inaccurate information, and being swayed by one-sided accounts. Nian Shangyou observed this internally, filled with helplessness. Some things were destined to be unclear. Qiao Yi claiming he acted imprudently was nonsense; he had compared information from various sources multiple times. As for inaccurate information, that was hard to say. Chu Shaoqiang's news was definitely problematic, but were his own scouts' reports inaccurate too? The most hateful part was that phrase, "being swayed by one-sided accounts." Swayed by whom? Believed whom? This was equivalent to pinning the blame on Nian Shangyou. The news from Pillow City was not entirely gathered by Nian Shangyou. Some came from Chu Shaoqiang, some from Ma Chenxing, and some from Qiao Yi's own scouts. Nian Shangyou was just a messenger. This blame should not fall on him. But from Qiao Yi's perspective, all these messages came from Nian Shangyou.

Under Qiao Yi's gaze, Nian Shangyou trembled for a long time. Suddenly, he heard Qiao Yi sigh deeply and say, "In the end, I was too impatient. How is the reclamation progress of those thirteen new territories?"

Nian Shangyou replied, "Progress is acceptable; two-tenths have already been reclaimed."

Qiao Yi asked, "Has the Peddler inquired about it?"

Nian Shangyou specifically emphasized, "I heard from Shu Wan Juan that the Peddler went to see it but said nothing."

Qiao Yi nodded. "These thirteen plots of land were promised by the Peddler to He Jiaqing. Since he has assented, we don't need to worry. Urge Shu Wan Juan to find more people and accelerate the reclamation."

After discussing Shu Wan Juan's matter, Qiao Yi asked again, "How many days has Shan Chengjun been harassing Prolific State?"

Nian Shangyou cautiously replied, "Two days."

Hearing this, Qiao Yi smiled slightly. Before the war, Qiao Yi had sent Shan Chengjun to harass Prolific State, to further disrupt the Peddler's actions. As a result, the battle was already over, and several days had passed, before Shan Chengjun even arrived in Prolific State. It was still unknown what he went to Prolific State to do. If things got out of hand, Qiao Yi would have to help him deal with the aftermath.

In Nian Shangyou's view, both Shan Chengjun and Shu Wan Juan harbored ulterior motives, which was certainly Qiao Yi's fault. But Qiao Yi didn't think so. He didn't make a note of this matter; in fact, he even planned to give some awards to Shan Chengjun and Shu Wan Juan. "Shangyou, you handle the rewards. Since both have exerted great effort for the imperial court, by no means neglect them."

Nian Shangyou acknowledged. He truly couldn't understand which of Qiao Yi's words were sincere. Qiao Yi added a reminder: "Their rewards should be roughly equal, to prevent them from competing later."

"Compete?" Nian Shangyou was even more confused. "My Lord, are you saying Shan Chengjun and Shu Wan Juan are in contact?"

"Of course there is," Qiao Yi chuckled. "Believe it or not, as soon as we send the rewards, they'll exchange information."

Late at night, Shu Wan Juan met Shan Chengjun at Bloodfang Mountain.

"Do we really have to meet here?"

Shan Chengjun felt it was suitable. "What's wrong with both of us speaking frankly? Do you have something you want to hide from me? Tell me, what's new with you recently?"

Shu Wan Juan said, "I just received a reward from Chaoge, eight Profound Essence Pills."

"What's new about that? I also received a reward, also eight pills." Bloodfang Mountain showed no change, proving that Shan Chengjun was telling the truth: both had received eight pills.

"Why such a coincidence?" Shu Wan Juan was a bit nervous.

"What's so coincidental?" Shan Chengjun didn't care much. "You have to pay a handyman, don't you? Isn't it natural for us to receive some pills when we work? If they gave us nothing, wouldn't we be bondservants?"

Shu Wan Juan shook his head. "No reward without merit. I haven't done anything meritorious for the imperial court recently."

Shan Chengjun's expression changed. "That's what I dislike about you. So, if you don't have merit, you can't get paid? Do you really consider yourself a bondservant? What have you been doing recently?"

Shu Wan Juan carefully chose his words: "I am reclaiming wasteland in the new territories."

Shan Chengjun didn't quite understand. "What do you want to do by reclaiming land? Are you planning to go back to Prolific State and become a landlord?"

Shu Wan Juan added, "This is by imperial decree." If he had combined the sentences: "I am reclaiming wasteland in the new territories for the imperial court," the stones of Bloodfang Mountain would have exploded. He was not reclaiming land for the imperial court. But if that sentence was broken into two, both sentences would be true.

"The imperial court ordered you to reclaim land? They want to claim proper territory!" Shan Chengjun smiled. "The Peddler isn't handling this?"

"He hasn't intervened yet." Shu Wan Juan's statement was still true.

Shan Chengjun slapped his thigh. "Being able to hide it from the Peddler proves you're doing a good job! If I were Qiao Yi, I'd reward you too."

Shu Wan Juan felt that continuing the conversation would lead to a slip-up, so he quickly changed the subject. "What did the imperial court send you to Prolific State to do?"

"They sent me here to bother the Peddler, calling it 'harassment'," Shan Chengjun sneered. "Qiao Yi didn't tell me why they wanted harassment. In his view, what I'm doing are trivial matters. But I've been through this before; harassment means fighting the Peddler to the death. Qiao Yi thinks too highly of himself if he expects me to truly exert myself for such a task. My purpose in coming to Prolific State this time is to confirm one thing: did Sun Tiecheng truly obtain the Profound Life Red Lotus, or is that false?"

Shu Wan Juan said, "According to what I know, the news is true."

"Then why are there also rumors that Outer State acquired the Red Lotus?"

At Bloodfang Mountain, Shu Wan Juan had to answer truthfully: "The news I heard is that Outer State obtained the Profound Life Red Lotus from Ye Songqiao. On its way to Outer State, the Red Lotus was stolen, passed through several hands, and eventually reached Sun Tiecheng. This was Chu Shaoqiang's explanation to Chaoge. Whether it's true or false, I can't say."

Shan Chengjun said, "Although Chu Shaoqiang is very slippery, I don't think he'd dare to lie about this. I'm going to Fool's City to see if I can discuss with Old Sun and persuade him to lend me the Red Lotus."

"You're going to find Sun Tiecheng?" Shu Wan Juan couldn't believe it was true.

"What's wrong with finding him?" Shan Chengjun found it perfectly reasonable. "So many years have passed, would he still hold a grudge? We put so much effort into it back then and got nothing. Now, if I have a good chat with him, maybe I can even ask him for some Fool Cultivation powder."

Shu Wan Juan stared at the surrounding stones for a while. Not a single stone cracked.

"Old Shan, were you telling the truth just now?"

Shan Chengjun glared. "Why would I lie to you? You know I've always wanted the Profound Life Red Lotus."

Shu Wan Juan waved his hands repeatedly. "Let me warn you: going anywhere else is fine, but if you dare go to Fool's City..."

"...the Peddler will definitely not spare you!"

Shan Chengjun burst into laughter. "Old Shu, you're really something. Under heaven, if the Peddler ever catches me anywhere, would he let me go? If he had found concrete evidence that we destroyed Fool's City back then, do you think we'd still be alive to see Prolific State? What difference does it make whether I go to Fool's City or not? Do you honestly believe that if you never go to Fool's City, the Peddler will bury the hatchet with you? Dream on! I'll ask you one thing: I'm going to get the Red Lotus. Are you coming with me?"

"No." Shu Wan Juan replied very directly.

Shan Chengjun glared. "Why not?"

Shu Wan Juan explained, "The reclamation task is very demanding." This was true. He Jiaqing was rushing him, and Qiao Yi was also rushing him. The task was indeed quite demanding.

Shan Chengjun chuckled, "Are you really planning to be Qiao Yi's errand girl?"

Shu Wan Juan couldn't answer. He was currently being ordered around by more than just Qiao Yi.

Shan Chengjun sneered, "Fine! If you don't go, I won't let you use the Red Lotus when I get it. Don't you dare get greedy!"

Shu Wan Juan said, "I'm not greedy!"

*Boom!*

A stone on Bloodfang Mountain shattered.

Shan Chengjun pointed at Shu Wan Juan and said, "Look at you! You can't even admit you're greedy. You're living such a pathetic life; I feel bad for you!"

Shu Wan Juan lowered his head, preparing to go down the mountain. Shan Chengjun wiped the stone table. "You've come all this way; I can't let you go back on an empty stomach. Have a meal here."

After speaking, Shan Chengjun called out. A beautiful woman in heavy makeup swayed her hips as she approached Shan Chengjun, speaking softly, "My Lord, what are your orders?"

"Are the food and wine ready?"

"They've been ready for a while."

The woman smiled, revealing two blood-red fangs. She had two men carry a table over. On the table was a lidded bowl, and next to it, a wine jar.

Shu Wan Juan looked at the two men, then at the woman, and asked, "Who are these two?"

The woman replied, "These two are both Linli. I just took them in."

Shu Wan Juan felt something was off. "Can Linli be 'taken in'? As far as I know, Linli are indigenous."

Shan Chengjun grew displeased. "I'm inviting you to a meal, why so many questions? You're interrogating my sweetheart."

Shu Wan Juan looked at the stone table. "Just one bowl of food? This meal is too stingy."

"Let's see what's on the menu." Shan Chengjun lifted the lid of the bowl. Inside were half a bowl of Golden Essence Pills.

Shu Wan Juan picked up a pill and examined it. It was of excellent quality. "I don't need this anymore."

"I know you don't need it. Take it and give it to others to use. That way you won't have to handle all these trivial reclamation matters by yourself. I feel bad for you."

Shu Wan Juan carefully examined the pills again. They were definitely not refined by ordinary means. "Where did these pills come from?"

Shan Chengjun picked up the pretty woman, letting her sit on his lap. "My sweetheart refined these on Bloodfang Mountain. Take them quickly. Once I get the Red Lotus, I'll have even better things for you."

These pills were indeed useful. Shu Wan Juan used the Golden Essence Pills to gather a group of people. These people came from various backgrounds. There were declining former noble families, newly prominent figures who had just matured, and gangs that had gained some reputation. Through these people, Shu Wan Juan assembled a group of land reclaimers to work on the thirteen territories. Both sides were pressing him, and the Peddler still wasn't intervening. He might as well expand the operation!

He Jiaqing was a bit worried. "Senior, do you know all these people?"

Shu Wan Juan impatiently said, "How can there be so many people I know? If I only brought my acquaintances, wouldn't you be worried yourself?"

He Jiaqing also felt worried about finding so many strangers. However, seeing the land continuously being opened up, he didn't want to slow down the progress.

At night, He Jiaqing, using stolen acting cultivation skills, successively changed his appearance more than a dozen times, inquiring about the details of each plot of land. On the territory that originally belonged to Xin Rusuang, He Jiaqing entered a three-mile plot. The land reclaimers had just offered sacrifices and were preparing for an inspection tomorrow. He Jiaqing, disguised as a white-haired old man, walked among them and asked, "Who is in charge here?"

A young man stepped forward and said, "I am."

The old man asked, "Young man, what's your name?"

Little Chu smiled. "You can just call me Little Chu, old man. What can I do for you?"

"Little Chu, are you from the Chu family?"

Little Chu chuckled, "That depends on which Chu family you're asking about. Our family is also called Chu, but we can't claim to be related to the largest Chu family in Prolific State. If we could, we wouldn't be doing this life-risking business."

He Jiaqing asked again, "Are you reclaiming land for yourself?"

Little Chu shook his head. "What use would this wasteland be to us? This territory is being reclaimed for Miss Jiang from the Jiang family."

"Which Miss Jiang from the Jiang family?"

"Jiang Mengting, the Queen of Songs!"

He Jiaqing was surprised. "What would a singer want with reclaimed land?"

Little Chu said, "She doesn't want to sing anymore, I guess. Old man, you might not know, but Jiang Mengting comes from a good background. The Jiang family was originally a prominent family in Prolific State but has declined in recent years. Miss Jiang only went out to sing for a living. Now Miss Jiang has accumulated enough money and is going to rebuild her family business. If we do this job well, we'll have 'climbed onto a high branch' with the Jiang family, and our brothers will have a bowl of rice to eat in Prolific State from now on!"

He Jiaqing nodded. "Good, ambitious young man. But Jiang Mengting is from Free Spirit Dock, which is Master Qi's and Master Wu's territory. Would they let go of such a cash cow?"

Little Chu said, "That's a meaningless thing to say. Miss Jiang wasn't sold to them. What kind of people are Master Qi and Master Wu? When they work together, they make a fortune together. When they don't, they part ways amicably."

"You have a point!" He Jiaqing left.

Was it true that Jiang Mengting wanted to establish her own household? There had indeed been rumors about the Jiang family making a comeback some time ago, but would Li Banfeng truly just let it go unchecked? The thirteen territories were vast, and the reclamation process was rapid. He Jiaqing couldn't investigate every single detail. But this immediate matter, He Jiaqing felt, was best investigated.

After He Jiaqing had gone far away, Little Chu called his subordinate, Little Zhong, and instructed, "Go back to Green Water City and deliver a message: tell them someone came to probe."

As Little Zhong was about to leave, Little Chu specifically added, "Go directly to Big Golden Seal. Don't reveal anything to anyone else."

In Green Water City, Little Zhong told Qin Tianjiu about the matter.

"Ninth Master, can we still reclaim land there?"

Since becoming Big Golden Seal, Qin Tianjiu had gained several sizes, and his figure was much more proportionate than before. He asked Little Zhong, "Have you broken any rules?"

Little Zhong shook his head. "We always follow the rules of land reclamation."

Little Fat said, "Then there's nothing to fear. I've already spoken to Miss Jiang. I'll inform Master Qi in a moment."

Li Banfeng hung up the phone. Old Train, standing nearby, asked, "Old Qi, were you just talking about He Jiaqing?"

"Yes," Li Banfeng replied without concealment. "I've always had people keeping an eye on him."

"You two knew each other before, right?"

"Yes, we were quite familiar."

Old Train thought for a moment. "I shouldn't meddle in your affairs. He Jiaqing often acts disingenuously, but there are some things he genuinely wants to do and should do. He should be given a chance."

Li Banfeng nodded. "He's already been given a chance, but everything has its limits."

"That's true, there should indeed be limits—" The usually cheerful Old Train suddenly became somewhat somber, though it didn't seem to be about He Jiaqing. After a long silence, Old Train spoke. "I also want to find an opportunity to do something."

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you looking for a chance to reclaim half of Outer State's body?"

Old Train gave a bitter chuckle. "Old Qi, perhaps one day, I will have to reclaim that half of my body. But I hope that day doesn't come too soon. If I truly reclaim my body, I might not be myself anymore. If I truly reclaim it, you'll probably hate me to the bone."

"That terrible?"

Li Banfeng asked, "Then what kind of opportunity are you looking for?"

Old Train didn't answer. He asked Li Banfeng, "Seeing Zhang Gunli brought back some memories. When you fought Zhang Gunli, I saw you use a Fool Cultivation technique. Do you know where Fool's City is?"

Li Banfeng also didn't answer. He asked Old Train, "Why do you want to go to Fool's City?"

Old Train's tone was profound. "I want to find an old friend and apologize to him. In that matter, the Peddler was at fault, but it wasn't his fault alone. The Peddler has carried this burden by himself for so many years, and I've never been able to let it go."

Li Banfeng had already deduced what matter it was. "Sun Tiecheng died on the battlefield while confronting the Bandit Suppression Camp?"

"Yes." Old Train nodded.

"Sun Tiecheng fell in battle, and Shan Chengjun led his men to breach Fool's City?"

Old Train nodded again.

Li Banfeng was silent for a long time, then shook his head. "I don't understand."

Old Train said, "Shan Chengjun has long wanted Fool Cultivation techniques. That scoundrel is capable of anything."

Li Banfeng said, "I don't fail to understand Shan Chengjun; I fail to understand the Peddler. Why didn't he avenge this grudge?"

Old Train was also silent for a while. "Many of the things the Peddler did, I don't agree with. But only this one matter, he truly did not do wrong. At the time of the incident, the Peddler and the Bandit Suppression Camp were engaged in a bitter battle. After the incident, by the time the Peddler returned, not a single living soul remained in Fool's City. Although someone helped collect their souls, because their memories were damaged, none of these souls remembered who the perpetrator was. None of the scoundrels involved dared to confess, and those who knew but weren't involved didn't dare to point out Shan Chengjun. Without concrete evidence, the Peddler almost beat Shan Chengjun to death. This incident had already aroused public anger. If he had taken lethal action, the morale would have been shattered, the army disbanded, and there would be no Prolific State."

Li Banfeng reviewed the entire incident from beginning to end, feeling there were many coincidences. "The Peddler left, Sun Tiecheng left, one hundred elite soldiers from the city left. Then Sun Tiecheng fell in battle, you went mad, the Peddler was engaged in a bitter fight. And Shan Chengjun struck precisely at that moment. Wasn't that timing too perfect? Why did Shan Chengjun have such comprehensive information?"

Old Train said, "This was a scheme orchestrated by the Sage. Zhang Gunli acted as an intermediary, leading Shan Chengjun to attack Fool's City. The ultimate goal was to make the Peddler lose his mind and personally destroy the righteous army."

Li Banfeng said, "What if the Peddler had found concrete evidence at that time?"

Old Train said, "He would still have fallen into the Sage's trap. The Peddler would have killed a large number of key figures in the righteous army, and the righteous army would no longer have been a match for the imperial court."

"Couldn't he have consulted the Peddler, first killed the ringleaders to set an example?"

"Impossible!" Old Train shook his head. "The Peddler isn't as soft-hearted as you think."

Both fell silent. Li Banfeng was the first to speak. "Actually, there's another witness: A'Yu's memory is perfectly intact. You should know this."

"I know," Old Train nodded. "I hid her away, which is why I let Fool's City down."