Chapter 798: Seven-Hole Hanging Heart

After a long silence, Li Banfeng thought of a reason: "You've finished your work in Chaoge, and the people here are almost all dead. There's no point in staying any longer."

"It is meaningful!" Cui Tik disagreed with Li Banfeng. "There's a type of life thriving in Chaoge City. They've also been infected with the plague and show symptoms, but they don't die; they recover within a certain period."

Li Banfeng pondered, "What kind of life are you referring to?"

"Weapons! Specifically, weapons created by the Shang Kingdom by transforming living beings," Cui Tik said, looking towards the mansion's courtyard. "Right here in this courtyard, there's a first-grade weapon that Qiao Yi used to protect this woman. I've experimented with it several times, and my affliction can't kill it. I don't know what kind of life form these weapons truly are, but this is definitely a subject worth researching. If I succeed, I'll achieve a groundbreaking result, one whose value could even surpass our combined accomplishments."

Li Banfeng took a deep breath. "I've always wanted to discuss something with you: Could you possibly change your ambition?"

Just as Cui Tik was about to speak, a scholar, a commoner, and a bondsman approached the mansion. Cui Tik used his affliction to manipulate their eyesight, making him invisible to them. Li Banfeng didn't need such elaborate measures; if he didn't want them to see, they simply wouldn't.

The scholar stepped forward, pointed at the woman's corpse, and glanced at the commoner. The commoner beckoned to the bondsman. The bondsman hoisted the corpse onto his back, the commoner followed close behind with a whip, and the scholar walked alongside them, hands clasped behind his back.

Cui Tik looked at Li Banfeng. "One person works, one person supervises, and one person waits to be served. Even if only three people were left in Chaoge City one day, this situation would not change. You want me to change my ambition? It's not impossible, but you'll have to persuade me and tell me if there's a better way to solve this problem."

Li Banfeng wasn't in the mood to persuade Cui Tik at that moment. He pulled down the brim of his hat, bowed slightly, and saluted. "Goodbye, my friend."

Cui Tik removed his hat and returned the gesture. "I hope we meet again, my friend."

After leaving the Shang Kingdom, Li Banfeng felt a sudden weariness. He suspected he might have been affected by the affliction. There was nothing to fear from that; he just needed to activate his "Peaceful Sleep" technique and get some rest in his room. Li Banfeng slept for a full day and night but still felt fatigued upon waking. He showed no symptoms of illness, but there were signs of a backlash from his House Cultivation.

"That can't be right!" Li Banfeng carefully assessed his cultivation level. "I feel quite balanced." His fierce battle with Shan Chengjun and Shu Wanjuan in Xindi, where every step skirted the line between life and death, certainly boosted his Travel Cultivation significantly due to the inherent danger. However, his recent period of "peaceful living and joyful work" had also greatly advanced his House Cultivation, causing both aspects to grow at a comparable rate, preventing any significant imbalance.

So why the backlash?

Zhao Xiaowan was equally puzzled and looked tenderly at the Copper Lotus. The Copper Lotus indignantly retorted, "I'm the most malicious woman in the world; why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhao Xiaowan gently stroked the lotus core. "Sister, it was just the two of us in this home back then. Don't you know what kind of person our husband is? He's always been mischievous. He just scribbled a few lines. Are you really going to hold that against him? That piece of absurd writing, every word of it was a joke, none of it was truly heartfelt."

The Copper Lotus gently hooked Zhao Xiaowan's chin with a lotus leaf. "If it wasn't from true feelings, how could he have written you so beautifully?"

Zhao Xiaowan gently caressed the lotus leaf. "Sister, you are a celestial being, and our husband uses a mortal pen. How could any earthly pen truly capture the beauty of a heavenly being?"

These words softened the lotus's core, and the Copper Lotus offered a reminder: "With more residences, you need to put in more effort. While not every place can receive equal attention, you can't just neglect them completely."

Zhao Xiaowan immediately understood. "Husband, let's go visit Ling'er."

After sleeping for two days at the Jadeite Tower, Li Banfeng felt somewhat more energetic, but he still hadn't fully recovered. He then went to his residence in Gourd Village, only to find Ah Yu eagerly shuffling two sets of mahjong tiles.

Li Banfeng suggested, "I'll call Ayi and Autumn Fallen Leaves over in a bit, and the four of us can play together."

Ah Yu waved her hand. "Don't interrupt; I'm doing something important here."

"What kind of important business requires mahjong?"

Ah Yu shuffled the tiles for over an hour. When she picked up a one of bamboos tile, she studied it for a moment before telling Li Banfeng, "There's a disciple in my Daoist sect who died twice and came back to life twice. This is quite unusual."

Li Banfeng was astonished. "You know about matters concerning your Daoist disciples?"

"I only know the general gist," Ah Yu replied. "I don't usually pay much attention to ordinary matters, but this person is exceptionally unique. Having been resurrected twice, this person must have gone to Neizhou and visited the Great Smelting Furnace. But how much merit could she have possibly accumulated? Could Neizhou really grant her two opportunities for resurrection?"

"Did the Great Smelting Furnace truly revive her disciple?"

Li Banfeng asked, "Is your disciple truly alive, or has she become a living corpse?"

Ah Yu ran her fingers over the mahjong tile several times. "She's definitely alive; this person possesses vitality."

"When was the second resurrection?"

Ah Yu counted the days. "It happened just within the last two or three days."

"Two or three days?"

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Then this has nothing to do with the Great Smelting Furnace."

"How do you know it's not related?"

"I just returned from Neizhou; the Great Smelting Furnace has lost its ability to revive people."

"That peddler is truly wicked, to have destroyed the Great Smelting Furnace!" Ah Yu exclaimed, then ventured a new theory. "My disciple is indeed alive. Aside from the Great Smelting Furnace, where else could she have been revived? Could it be the Great Totem?"

Li Banfeng was very interested in the Great Totem. "The Great Totem can also revive people?"

Ah Yu brushed her hair aside. "It can, yes, but out of a hundred people who go there, only one is lucky to be revived. To be revived twice in a row, that's almost laughable."

A one percent chance, occurring twice in a row for the same person, makes it one in ten thousand.

"Is the Great Totem's chance of reviving people that low?"

Ah Yu shook her head. "It's not necessarily that the probability is low; it's mainly because the Great Totem is in disrepair. It's been broken for a long time. But if it were repaired, things could be very different."

"How so?"

Speaking of the Great Totem, Ah Yu seemed a bit nervous. "The Great Totem is an artifact from Wanshengzhou that was already broken when it arrived. Once this thing is repaired, it's not just about bringing people back from the dead; it's said to be capable of creating something far more terrifying than a first-grade weapon. What exactly that is, I can't say for certain right now."

Li Banfeng grew even more interested in the Great Totem. "Sister, do you know where the Great Totem is?"

"That, I truly don't know," she replied. "I've looked into it before; the Shang Kingdom has always kept the Great Totem deeply concealed."

The Great Totem, resurrection, and a Diviner... Li Banfeng suddenly thought of someone.

"Sister, is this Daoist disciple of yours surnamed Lu?"

Ah Yu shook her head. "I can't say for sure. I have countless Daoist disciples; just detecting their life and death is a feat in itself. How would I know their full names?"

"But you can at least tell if it's a man or a woman, can't you?"

She glanced again at the one of bamboos tile in her hand. "It should be a woman."

Li Banfeng immediately stood up, enduring his lingering fatigue, and returned to Greenwater City.

Greenwater City, Round Bamboo District.

In an abandoned courtyard within the Round Bamboo District, Qin Tianjiu found the living corpse that had caused trouble at Carefree Abode. The courtyard had been abandoned for many years, with collapsed buildings. The living corpse had built a makeshift shelter from bricks and was curled up inside, recovering from injuries. Severely injured by Qin Tianjiu, he refused to speak when Qin Tianjiu approached.

However, when Qin Tianjiu summoned Ma Wu, the living corpse finally spoke. "Qi Tu, Qi Tu..."

Ma Wu didn't understand what he meant, but the voice sounded somewhat familiar. The living corpse then spoke again, "You've come to see me, but you won't even offer me a drink?" This clear statement immediately revealed the person's identity to Ma Wu. "Are you Yuan Youshang?"

The other party didn't reply, but trembled uncontrollably. That name clearly had a profound effect on him. Ma Wu hadn't misheard; this was indeed Yuan Youshang. But how had he become a living corpse?

"Brother Yuan, did you come to Carefree Abode specifically to find me?"

"I want to come to your place for a drink. I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Qi Tu, Qi Tu..."

Ma Wu was again unable to comprehend. Qin Xiaopang asked, "Does he want to see Seventh Brother?"

Ma Wu pondered. Yuan Youshang didn't seem to have much interaction with Li Qi. Regardless, Yuan Youshang was Ma Wu's friend. He first brought Yuan Youshang to Carefree Abode, then immediately contacted Li Qi. Conveniently, Li Qi had just returned to Greenwater City, so Ma Wu quickly explained the situation to him.

Li Banfeng went to see Yuan Youshang, but there was no improvement in his condition. He could utter a few coherent sentences, but when he tried to convey anything critical, his words became muddled. He repeatedly muttered the words "Qi Tu." Li Banfeng seemed to grasp his meaning. "When you say 'Tu,' are you referring to the Great Totem?"

"Yes!" Yuan Youshang nodded repeatedly.

"Has the Great Totem been repaired?"

Yuan Youshang shivered, as if recalling a truly terrifying memory. He huddled in the corner, murmuring, "Seven-tenths, seven-tenths..."

Li Banfeng also shivered. He didn't know the exact function of the Great Totem, but the mention of "seven-tenths" sent a powerful chill down his spine.