Chapter 797: Property

Shu Wanjuan mobilized all the books in the realm to search for Li Qi's whereabouts.

Li Qi was injured and hadn't been gone long; Shu Wanjuan firmly believed he wouldn't get far.

He had meticulously planned every step and expended so much effort to acquire this realm, only for Li Qi to reap the benefits. Shu Wanjuan was truly unwilling to accept this.

Shan Chengjun walked over. "Old Shu, let's go. He has the little train with him; we won't find him."

Shu Wanjuan, surprised, asked, "How could the little train be with him?"

Shan Chengjun retorted angrily, "How am I supposed to know? Hurry up and clean everything, don't leave any trace."

Shu Wanjuan gritted his teeth. "Why were you frozen there just now? What technique affected you?"

Shan Chengjun shook his head. "I truly don't know what that technique was. The moment I took a step, my body felt like it turned to stone, and I couldn't move at all."

Shu Wanjuan said bitterly, "If only you had broken free a little earlier, Li Qi wouldn't have escaped."

Shan Chengjun chuckled. "If I had broken free any later, Li Qi really wouldn't have run. He might have even taken your life."

Shu Wanjuan scoffed. "You think too highly of him. I may have neglected my skills over the years, but dealing with him is still no problem for me."

"You weren't the one fighting desperately on the front lines, so it's easy for you to say!" Shan Chengjun pointed to his numerous injuries. "Take a good look first; could you withstand these?"

Shu Wanjuan still wanted to argue, but Shan Chengjun waved him off. "If there's anything else, let's discuss it back at Bloodfang Mountain. I expect the Peddler to arrive soon. If you're really not convinced, then talk to him."

"The Peddler is really coming?" Shu Wanjuan sounded a bit nervous.

"He might not come, but I can't risk it," Shan Chengjun coughed twice, his mouth full of a metallic taste. "I'm telling you, if you don't leave now, I'm leaving. If the Peddler arrives, I'm in no condition to fight him."

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling!

The Peddler was shaking a rattle drum, pushing his cart and calling out his wares, when an alarm clock on his cart suddenly rang.

The alarm clock, ringing loudly, hopped close to the Peddler. Its minute and hour hands crossed as it shouted at him, "Come quickly, come quickly!"

A woman who wanted to buy toilet water happened to see the alarm clock.

She couldn't hear the alarm clock speak, but its loud ringing caught her attention.

Such a loud noise surely meant good quality, she thought. The woman asked, "How much is this clock?"

The Peddler moved the alarm clock aside and chuckled. "This one's not for sale."

The woman frowned. "Just name a price, expensive or cheap. Are you afraid I can't afford it?"

"It's not about the price; this alarm clock is broken," the Peddler said. He patted the alarm clock, and it seemed to feel wronged, ringing even louder.

The Peddler laughed. "See, this clock won't stop ringing; it's definitely broken. I'll be back in a few days and bring you a good one then."

After the woman left, the Peddler glared at the alarm clock. "What are you shouting about?"

"Something's happened at home."

"What happened?"

"Someone's burning your house!"

The Peddler's veins bulged as he pushed his cart and ran all the way to the clouds.

A thick plume of smoke drifted to the edge of the clouds. From a distance, the Peddler could already see the firelight.

"You're actually burning it, damn it!" The Peddler was frantic. He grabbed a leather bucket, ran downstairs, and threw it into the air. The bucket instantly expanded, trailing a waterfall that circled the residence.

While the bucket put out the fire, the Peddler searched for someone.

A woman opened a second-story window and called out to the Peddler, "He's lying in the backyard, not moving much."

This woman was the Heavenly Maiden's House Spirit, the grandmaster of Rogue Cultivation the Peddler had mentioned.

The Peddler ignored her and went straight to the backyard, where he saw Li Banfeng lying on the ground.

"Your cultivation truly advances quickly. Now it's not even easy for me to find you," the Peddler remarked. He found some medicinal powder on his cart and helped Li Banfeng treat his wounds.

Li Banfeng wiped the blood from his face and chuckled. "It's not easy for me to find you either."

The Peddler looked back at the still-burning house. "Are you saying you had a reason to burn my house?"

Li Banfeng looked at the house. "Your house isn't built of flammable materials. It took a lot of effort to set it on fire."

The Peddler snapped, "Stop with the nonsense! How did you get so badly injured?"

Li Banfeng smiled lightly. "I met two people in the New Realm and fought them. It's a minor matter. The reason I came to find you this time is because I saw you selling things every day, and it seems quite difficult, so I brought you something good."

The Peddler was surprised. "You brought me something good? It's rare for you to be so thoughtful; I'll definitely accept it!"

Li Banfeng took out the deed and handed it to the Peddler.

The Peddler was stunned. "Where did this come from?"

Li Banfeng replied, "I took it from Shan Chengjun and Shu Wanjuan."

The Peddler took the deed, gazing at the heavily wounded Li Banfeng, speechless for a long moment.

Li Banfeng sat up with difficulty and looked upstairs. "I'll apologize to your wife another day; I started too big a fire. But the fire had to be big. I needed to find you quickly. Carrying something like this, it's hard to say how many people would be after my life."

The Peddler handed the deed back to Li Banfeng. "This deed should be yours, and this realm should also be yours."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't care for this item, but many people do. This realm is too tempting. You need to find a suitable person to guard it; a slight oversight could bring about a bloodbath."

The Peddler pondered for a long time, then tucked the deed into his display cabinet. "You're right. I was careless. This item cannot be entrusted to anyone else again. Brother, you've done a great service for me. Tell me what you want as a reward, anything within my power!"

Li Banfeng stared at the Peddler's cart, examining it up and down for a long time.

The Peddler sniffed, realizing he might have spoken too hastily.

"Brother, this cart, well, it's not actually that fun—"

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you have any tobacco on your cart?"

The Peddler was surprised, then asked, "Do you want a pipe, a bowl, or a rolled one?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "A bowl, please."

The Peddler took out a pipe and filled it with tobacco.

Li Banfeng held the pipe in his mouth, savoring each puff.

When Li Banfeng returned to the Mobile Residence, Zhao Xiaowan was heartbroken to see his body covered in wounds.

"My darling husband, please lie still; these wounds are in critical places!" Zhao Xiaowan carefully cleaned Li Banfeng's injuries. A sewing needle emerged from her fingertip, first removing damaged flesh, then applying medicine, and finally meticulously stitching the wounds.

Hong Ying gritted her teeth in anger. "Seventh Brother, have someone find out where Shan Chengjun is, and when he's alone, we'll tear him to pieces!"

Hearing this, Li Banfeng's spirits lifted. "Yingying, I think ten thousand pieces might be too fine. Two or three hundred pieces would be easier to chew and swallow."

Zhao Xiaowan gave Hong Ying a light slap. "Your husband isn't even well yet, and you're encouraging him to be silly again. Go see if Hong Lian's pills are ready."

Bronze Lotus refined two pills using Shan Chengjun's blood. The pills were red and blue, slightly smaller than a thumbnail. Zhao Xiaowan examined them for a long time but couldn't discern their purpose.

"What are these pills called?"

Bronze Lotus replied, "They are called the Red-Blue Revitalizing Blood Marrow Harmony Pills."

Hong Ying was taken aback. "Blood what pills?"

Jiu'er also found it odd. "Whose pills have such a long name?"

Bronze Lotus chuckled. "You can only blame your limited knowledge. These pills are extremely precious, and very few people have ever taken them. Without Shan Chengjun's blood, they couldn't even be refined."

Zhao Xiaowan said, "Last time, you had Shan Chengjun's intestines. Why didn't you refine these pills then?"

Bronze Lotus waved her lotus leaf. "I didn't refine them last time because they weren't needed. The Red-Blue Pills are not easy to preserve. Once refined, they must be consumed immediately within a day, or they will lose all their potency."

Li Banfeng took the two pills. "Then let's not waste them. I'll eat them now."

Zhao Xiaowan stopped Li Banfeng. "Husband, be careful!"

Bronze Lotus sighed. "General Zhao, why do you always guard against me like a thief? Shan Chengjun's flesh and blood infiltrated the little train, and yet it was I who collected them, wasn't it? However, you are right; one should be careful. It's best to take only one of these pills. If you take too many and something goes wrong, we'd have to find a Profound Spirit Flower."

The Profound Spirit Flower is a medicinal herb specifically for treating weakness when the body cannot accept tonics. Li Banfeng had once risked his life fighting Autumn Falling Leaf for this very flower.

Shui Yongquan knew where to find Profound Spirit Flowers, so acquiring one wouldn't be difficult, but they had to consider if the risk was necessary.

Li Banfeng asked, "Is taking one pill enough?"

Bronze Lotus said, "Logically, it should be enough. Even if the medicinal power is a bit short, you'll just recover slower. A few more days of rest at home will make up for it."

Zhao Xiaowan suggested taking only one, but Li Banfeng wanted to know how much slower one pill would be compared to two.

Bronze Lotus said, "That depends on your own fortune. It might be just three or five days, or it could be three or five years."

Li Banfeng shook the two pills. "Since two were refined, I might as well take both. It would be a waste to leave any."

"Not necessarily a waste," Bronze Lotus said, stretching her lotus leaves and touching the wall. "If you only take one, leave the other for the little train; he's also not lightly injured."

Li Banfeng took out both pills. "They're both for the Mobile Residence. I'll endure it myself!"

Zhao Xiaowan advised, "One for you, husband, and one for the old man. You both need replenishment, but don't overdo it."

Li Banfeng followed his wife's advice and took the pills to the third room. Listening carefully with his Insightful Spirit Voice, he could hear the Mobile Residence breathing slowly.

"Old man, can you speak?"

"Yes." The voice was almost inaudible.

Li Banfeng took out a Red-Blue Pill. "Can this medicine be taken?"

The pill vibrated in Li Banfeng's hand several times before finally disappearing. The Mobile Residence was extremely weak, making it very difficult to even take a pill.

About half an hour later, the Mobile Residence spoke. "It's good medicine. You can take it too."

Li Banfeng also took the pill and sat against the wall in the third room.

Both were seriously injured and found speaking difficult. Fortunately, neither was in a hurry, speaking slowly, sentence by sentence.

"Old man, was it Shan Chengjun who injured you like this?"

The Mobile Residence sighed deeply. "One could say it was simply a coincidence. So many carriages suddenly appeared, and I don't know why. Some carriages felt familiar, while others left no impression at all. Pulling so many carriages requires much more strength, but my steam pressure wouldn't build up. When you were fighting Shan Chengjun, I could barely drag the carriages. I closed all the valves and desperately added coal, just to build up the steam pressure. But in a moment of impulse, I burst the boiler. I was injured and couldn't recover immediately. That bastard Shan Chengjun sprayed blood on me, catching me off guard."

Li Qi gave a wry smile. "After my promotion, these carriages suddenly appeared. So, it seems I caused you harm."

The Mobile Residence chuckled. "This isn't harm. I think more carriages are a good thing. I just can't figure out where these carriages came from, or what kind of people live inside them."

Li Banfeng smiled. "If we can't figure it out, we won't dwell on it."

"Ah Qi, we now have more than thirty-three carriages. There are two more, but their doors won't open."

Li Banfeng wasn't worried. "They'll definitely open. This is our home."

Upon learning of Li Banfeng's injuries, Ma Wu immediately rushed back to Carefree Dock. Seeing Li Qi's horrifying wounds, Ma Wu was furious. "I'll take men to find He Jiaqing right now!"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "You don't need to find him. Arrange for someone to get two baskets of flower petals and scatter them in front of his film company. That will be the end of it."

Ma Wu didn't understand the purpose of scattering flower petals. Could it really summon the Hundred Flowers Deity?

But since it was Seventh Brother's instruction, Ma Wu immediately ordered his men to do it.

Shen Rongqing saw the flower petals in front of the film company and quickly contacted He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing was currently at the bedside, caring for the seriously injured Big Head.

Because He Jiaqing's cultivation was above the clouds, he couldn't serve as the local deity for these thirteen realms, so he had Big Head act as the local deity in his stead.

Big Head governed more than just this one realm. Now that the deed had been taken, he had lost most of his authority, but he still had other realms supporting him. Additionally, He Jiaqing used some rogue cultivation methods to barely save Big Head's life.

Upon receiving Shen Rongqing's message, He Jiaqing's anger flared.

The realm had already been compensated to him, so what else did this Hundred Flowers Deity want? Did she want the Hundred Flowers Sect back?

Big Head was even angrier. "Jiaqing, you don't need to get involved in this. Once I'm better, I'll go settle the score with Ma Wu!"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "Going after Ma Wu is useless. This matter isn't that simple. You should rest first."

After settling Big Head, He Jiaqing went to Bitter Greens Village. He found Granny Ku and demanded an explanation.

After listening to He Jiaqing's description, Granny Ku felt something was wrong. "The Hundred Flowers Deity is not Ai Yeqing. Are you certain Ai Yeqing is responsible for this?"

He Jiaqing wasn't certain, but he had to pin the blame on Ai Yeqing.

He took out several copper coins. "These are the copper coins he used to hit me. I've had them specially examined; these are Ai Yeqing's most commonly used weapons. Most people might not be able to tell, but the Peddler surely recognizes them. I'm going to demand an explanation from him. By what right did Ai Yeqing touch my realm?"

Granny Ku looked at He Jiaqing. "You want an explanation from the Peddler?"

"Yes!" He Jiaqing nodded. "I risked my life in Neizhou for these thirteen realms. The Peddler promised they would belong to me. Now that my realm has been stolen, he should—"

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself!" Granny Ku snapped, interrupting He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing stared at Granny Ku in surprise.

He had come to Bitter Greens Village hoping to bring Granny Ku with him to confront the Peddler.

With Granny Ku's high status, if she personally spoke up, the Peddler would surely provide an explanation.

But He Jiaqing hadn't expected Granny Ku to react this way.

"Granny, this isn't my fault!"

"Then whose fault is it?" Granny Ku put down the bitter greens in her hand. "What was the purpose when we went to great lengths to get Hong Lian from the Dark Star Bureau and deliver her to you? It was because the Peddler did some things incorrectly, and Puro Prefecture needed change, that we invested our efforts in you! Now you've lost the realm yourself, and you're asking the Peddler for an explanation? You expect the Peddler to give you justice? What else can I expect from you?"

He Jiaqing remained silent.

Granny Ku said, "Ai Yeqing took your realm. The way he took it, that's how you get it back!"

He Jiaqing said, "This also involves Ma Junyang, and quite possibly Li Qi."

Granny Ku said, "Are you afraid? Wasn't Li Qi brought to Puro Prefecture by you?"

He Jiaqing took the vegetable basin and helped Granny Ku pick vegetables, not saying another word.

The next day, He Jiaqing contacted Duan Shuqun. "Return the Hundred Flowers Sect to Zhang Xiuling, and make a big show of it."

Duan Shuqun didn't understand. "Jiaqing, this matter, and you want to make a big show of it?"

This wasn't something to be proud of.

He Jiaqing said, "We must make a big show of it. Invite Ma Junyang to witness it."

Zhang Xiuling became the head of the Hundred Flowers Sect again. Li Qi, Ma Wu, and Qin Xiaopang went together to congratulate her.

After the gathering, the three brothers ate together at Carefree Dock. Ma Wu first poured Li Qi some wine. "Seventh Brother, I truly admire you. Two baskets of flower petals brought the Hundred Flowers Sect back?"

Li Qi smiled but said nothing. Qin Tianjiu thought for a long time but still couldn't understand the reasoning.

Ma Wu, however, guessed a few things. "That night, when I fought He Jiaqing, I encountered many strange occurrences. After thinking it over carefully, Seventh Brother, were you secretly helping me?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

Ma Wu slapped his thigh. "Did you secretly subdue He Jiaqing already, which is why he's so obedient?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "He's not obeying me; he's obeying the Hundred Flowers Deity."

Qin Tianjiu asked, "Seventh Brother, there are no outsiders here. Tell me honestly, are you impersonating the Hundred Flowers Deity?"

Li Banfeng still shook his head. "Someone else is impersonating the Hundred Flowers Deity, and it's not just one person."

"Not one person," Ma Wu mused. "Was it He Jiaqing or the Hundred Flowers Deity who stole my hamstring?"

Li Banfeng said, "I think it was the Hundred Flowers Deity."

Ma Wu understood the reason. "He made me suffer a loss first, then went back to deal with He Jiaqing. This is stirring up trouble on both sides!"

Qin Tianjiu asked, "Is that hooligan who often comes to Carefree Dock also one of the Hundred Flowers Deity's people?"

"It's hard to say about that person," Li Banfeng said, swirling his wine glass. "He shouldn't be a subordinate of the Hundred Flowers Deity."

Qin Tianjiu was startled. "How did Seventh Brother figure that out?"

Li Banfeng explained, "Stealing Fifth Brother's hamstring on the train instantly stirred up trouble, and regardless of success, that person was confident in escaping. That's the way to stir up trouble. The one causing trouble at Carefree Dock, however, stirred up trouble several times, but it never escalated significantly, and he wasn't prepared to escape. If Ninth Brother had brought more men that day, he might have been captured alive. Once he was captured alive, everything would have been exposed. The Hundred Flowers Deity wouldn't take such a big risk for something with so little payoff."

Qin Tianjiu suddenly understood. "Seventh Brother is right! That person is a master. If he really wanted to cause trouble, he shouldn't have used such hooligan tactics. It would have been better to directly target Fifth Brother."

Li Banfeng said, "This person's actions are unreasonable; there must be another hidden agenda."

The previous grievances were temporarily settled, and Ma Wu became a bit clearer-headed. "Seventh Brother is right, we need to find this person."

Qin Tianjiu raised his glass. "Brothers, leave this matter to me."

Li Banfeng stayed at Carefree Dock for two days, and estimating the time was right, he went to Ye Songqiao.

He had ordered a batch of furniture from Xiao Yeci, who had indeed finished the work. "My benefactor, should these pieces of furniture be sent to the train station?"

Li Banfeng had custom-ordered furniture for a train, so Xiao Yeci assumed it was for a special train.

"No, just send them all to my home."

Before the delivery, Li Banfeng first gave his household workers a month's leave.

The butler was a bit puzzled. "Seventh Master, they just had a month off recently."

Li Banfeng said, "I think one month was a bit short. I'll give you another month. Go to the accountant's office to collect your travel expenses and wages."

At Li Banfeng's residence, workers on leave received wages, travel expenses, and an additional sum of money to buy something nice for their families back home.

After sending all the workers away, Li Banfeng received the furniture and began moving it into his home.

Furniture for twenty carriages seemed like a lot, but with many capable people at home, it was all moved into the Mobile Residence in less than an hour.

Li Banfeng meticulously arranged everything, moving tables, carrying chairs, setting up screens, with each carriage decorated differently.

Zhao Xiaowan and Jiu'er went to the market and bought pots, pans, bowls, plates, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, knives, forks, chopsticks, spoons, pillows, bedding, curtains—a huge pile of household items.

Once the furniture and household items were all neatly arranged, Li Banfeng stood in the Mobile Residence, walking from room to room, feeling lighter and more joyful with each step.

He walked back and forth over a hundred times. Each time, he not only felt pleasant but also noticed a small deficiency.

The sixth room was missing a wine pot, the eighth room a pen holder, the sixteenth room a stool, and the twenty-eighth room a vase. No matter what was missing, Li Banfeng immediately went to the street to buy it, running back and forth tirelessly.

He kept running until late at night. The shops on the street had all closed, but Li Banfeng still couldn't sleep in bed.

Zhao Xiaowan asked, "My darling husband, is something on your mind?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I saw a tea set, celadon porcelain, and it would look especially beautiful in our main room."

Zhao Xiaowan yawned. "My darling husband, let's stop this. Look at the time; let's hurry up and sleep."

"Wife, I truly think it's beautiful!"

"Anything my husband likes is surely beautiful. We'll buy it first thing tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Li Banfeng woke up before five o'clock; he wanted to buy the tea set.

Normally, he wouldn't think about acquiring things, but once he started, he couldn't stop. He had thought about this tea set all night.

Zhao Xiaowan rubbed her eyes. "Husband, at this hour, what porcelain shop would be open? Can't you sleep a little longer?"

Li Banfeng couldn't sleep at all, so he called Hong Ying out to practice techniques.

Hong Ying didn't care about the household furnishings; as long as they were usable, it was fine.

But when it came to practicing techniques, Hong Ying was no longer sleepy.

The two stood facing each other in the courtyard. Li Banfeng raised one foot.

Hong Ying saw his posture and chuckled. "Are you practicing 'Stepping Through Myriad Rivers'? Alright, I like this one too."

Zhao Xiaowan was a bit worried. "Why practice this? This technique can injure people too easily!"

Hong Ying chuckled. "Xiaowan, don't be afraid. Even though Seventh Brother's cultivation is higher, he can't hurt me with just journey cultivation techniques."

Zhao Xiaowan retorted angrily, "Why should I be afraid of you getting hurt? I'm afraid you'll hurt my husband!"

Hong Ying prepared herself. "Seventh Brother, come on. I'll let you make the first move. If you can hurt me, that proves your skill!"

Li Banfeng, imbued with the Profound Resident Technique, unleashed 'Stepping Through Myriad Rivers' with a kick.

The kick was inaccurate, landing quite a distance from Hong Ying.

Hong Ying shook her head. "Seventh Brother, you're looking down on me too much. Training like this won't be interesting. I won't go easy on you."

Li Banfeng took a few steps back. "You come!"

"Alright!" Hong Ying grinned menacingly, took a step forward, and then froze.

Zhao Xiaowan was startled. She walked up and patted Hong Ying's face.

Thud! Thud!

The smile was still there, but Hong Ying's face was incredibly firm, as hard as stone.

Jiu'er chuckled. "Xiaowan, did you just tap her spearhead?"

Before she finished speaking, Hong Ying's body trembled. She took a deep breath and coughed several times.

She could move now. She looked at Li Banfeng in horror and asked, "Seventh Brother, what technique did you just use?"

This was a new technique, the one Li Banfeng used to immobilize Shan Chengjun.

'Stepping Through Square Rivers' combined with 'Profound Resident Technique' would immobilize the opponent.

The opponent wouldn't freeze immediately, but rather after taking one step.

The immobilization period wasn't long, lasting about ten seconds according to Li Banfeng's estimate.

Hong Ying's body had become very solid just now; fighting her head-on would likely be ineffective.

But for those ten-plus seconds, she couldn't move at all, and much could be done.

Hong Ying was envious. She took Li Banfeng's hand and said, "Seventh Brother, just tell me, how do you use 'Stepping Through Myriad Rivers'?"

Li Banfeng smiled profoundly. "This isn't 'Stepping Through Myriad Rivers'; it's a Mad Cultivation technique called 'Self-Imposed Stagnation'."

Li Banfeng had just made up the name. The Judge's Pen scoffed, "That's not what 'Self-Imposed Stagnation' means."

Hong Ying couldn't understand the technique, let alone what "Mad Cultivation" school was.

They practiced all morning. Li Banfeng mastered the technique, but Hong Ying still couldn't grasp it.

Back in the Mobile Residence, Li Banfeng poured himself a cup of tea from a celadon teapot and explained to Hong Ying while drinking, "To learn 'Self-Imposed Stagnation,' you need to know House Cultivation techniques. It's too late for you to enter House Cultivation now."

Hong Ying was unconvinced. "What House Cultivation technique? That was clearly 'Stepping Through Myriad Rivers'! Just teach me! I've taught you everything I know!"

Li Banfeng didn't know how to explain it to Hong Ying. "First, have a cup of tea, and I'll tell you slowly."

He put down his teacup and reached for the teapot to pour Hong Ying some tea, only to find the teapot missing.

"Where's the teapot?"

Zhao Xiaowan chuckled. "What teapot?"

Li Banfeng pointed at the table. "The celadon teapot. It was just on the table."

Zhao Xiaowan remembered. "That tea set hasn't been bought yet. Jiu'er and I will go buy it on the street in a bit."

"Haven't bought it? Then my teacup just now—" Li Banfeng looked at the table. The teacup he had been drinking from was also gone.

Li Banfeng licked his lips; the tea residue was still there.

He looked at Hong Ying. "I just drank tea. Did you see it?"

Hong Ying was stunned for a moment. "I think you did."

Li Banfeng was bewildered. "Without a teacup, what did I drink tea with?"