Chapter 85: Bitter Training

Qin Xiaopang's vital energy and blood were in overdrive, and he couldn't bear it any longer.

The principle was quite simple. A Food Cultivator could rapidly convert food into the nutrients the body needed, and a significant portion of these nutrients transformed into new blood. For an older Food Cultivator, whose blood-producing function had slowed down, this wouldn't pose an issue. Qin Xiaopang, however, had excellent blood production. The rapid food conversion was precisely the problem – he was about to burst a blood vessel!

Zhang Liuge had witnessed Food Cultivators die from ruptured blood vessels in the past, so he should have taken precautions sooner. However, this had happened over twenty years ago, and Zhang Liuge couldn't recall it immediately.

"Brother, stop eating!" Zhang Liuzhe quickly restrained Qin Xiaopang, then turned to his subordinates and ordered, "Go fetch some leeches from the pond."

"What do you need those for?"

"Don't ask questions, just go!"

Just as Zhang Liuzhe finished giving orders, he saw Xiaopang still relentlessly devouring the steamed buns.

"Brother, didn't I tell you to stop eating?" Zhang Liuzhe clutched Xiaopang tightly.

Xiaopang gasped, "Sixth Brother, in front of all these people today, even if it kills me, I have to finish these twenty pounds of steamed buns."

"I can't even control you anymore!" Zhang Liuzhe pressed Xiaopang into a chair as the surrounding crowd started murmuring.

"What's going on?"

"His vital energy and blood are surging; he can't eat anymore. If he does, it'll be fatal."

"Look how red his face is! It's probably too late now. All the food in his stomach has turned into blood. If it's not released, he's done for!"

"Bleeding him isn't hard, just make a cut."

"Do you think this is murder? It's not that simple! His vital energy and blood are incredibly strong. If the incision is too wide, he'll bleed out instantly and die. If it's too small, not enough blood will flow, and it'll clot on its own. Who can get the timing just right? If I gave you the knife now, would you dare to cut him? Even a Medical Cultivator of a certain level might not have the precision for this."

"Sixth Brother is right; at this point, only leeches will work."

As everyone murmured, Xiaopang's face began to turn from red to purple.

Zhang Liuzhe's eyes reddened. "Where the hell did everyone go? I told you to get some leeches, and it's taking you half a day!"

Even if they brought the leeches now, it would be too late. Xiaopang didn't dare to move an inch, fearing that a critical blood vessel might burst and cost him his life.

Li Banfeng walked behind Xiaopang, slipped off his jacket to conceal his right hand, and whispered, "Brother, bear with this." With that, Li Banfeng produced the Blood-Infused Pendulum and pressed it against Qin Tianjiu's back.

The pendulum transformed from gleaming silver to red, then to purple, and finally to deep black. Li Banfeng heard the pendulum's voice.

"Master, I can't absorb any more."

When he removed the pendulum, the redness in Qin Xiaopang's face receded. Qin Xiaopang's blood pressure had been released by the Blood-Infused Pendulum.

Li Banfeng put away the pendulum and looked at Qin Xiaopang's wound. The wound was only two centimeters long, and the blood quickly clotted, so it wasn't a significant issue.

Xiaopang sat and rested for a moment, his complexion gradually improving. Zhang Liuzhe remained anxious; he didn't know what method Li Banfeng had used, nor was he certain that Qin Xiaopang was truly out of danger.

Zhong Desong, the proprietor of Qing Tang Teahouse, had someone brew a pot of tea and brought it over to Xiaopang. "Ninth Master," he offered, "have some tea to soothe yourself."

Qin Tianjiu waved a hand, saying, "No tea for me. My stomach isn't quite settled yet."

Zhong Desong put the teacup aside and looked at the wound on Qin Xiaopang's back. Although Li Banfeng had used his jacket to obscure the pendulum, it hadn't escaped Zhong Desong's notice.

This action caught Li Banfeng's attention, and he quietly asked Manager Feng, "Who is that?"

"Zhong Desong of Qing Tang Teahouse; you should be acquainted with him." Manager Feng gave Li Banfeng a meaningful smile, and Li Banfeng's memory clicked. This individual had appeared on Manager Feng's list.

Zhong Desong! A Sage from the Second Branch of the Medicine King Hall, part of the Jiangxiang Gang, and a Level Two Ascetic Cultivator.

It was Xiaopang's big day, so why would members of the Jiangxiang Gang be invited? Li Banfeng was unaware of the true situation. Most of today's guests had been invited by Zhang Liuzhe, and Zhong Desong was among them. Zhang Liuzhe knew about the feud between Qin Xiaopang and the Jiangxiang Gang, but he himself had no animosity towards Zhong Desong; in fact, they were on good terms. This was also a way to offer Xiaopang a chance to reconcile, hoping to eventually resolve the feud and prevent it from becoming an endless cycle of conflict.

Xiaopang sat for a moment, then looked at Zhang Liuzhe, pondering before he spoke. "Sixth Brother, my stomach doesn't feel quite right."

"You ate too quickly; just take it easy, and you'll be fine. Don't be upset that you didn't reach the next level this time. Next time we'll—" Zhang Liuzhe was about to console Qin Xiaopang when he saw Xiaopang reaching for the steamed buns again.

"I think I'm hungry."

"Hungry?" Zhang Liuzhe was perplexed.

Being hungry was normal. The steamed buns Qin Xiaopang had consumed had been converted into blood. The pendulum had absorbed the blood, and the resulting stimulation accelerated the food's conversion, leaving Xiaopang genuinely hungry.

Zhang Liuzhe called out, "Does anyone have a watch? Is time up yet?"

On the shopkeeper's table was an alarm clock. "Sixth Master," he announced, "there's still fifteen minutes left!"

Hearing this, Xiaopang grabbed the remaining steamed buns and furiously crammed them into his mouth. In less than ten minutes, all the steamed buns were gone. Not wanting to take any chances, Xiaopang grabbed a roasted chicken and devoured it in a few bites.

"Sixth Brother, is that enough?"

Zhang Liuzhe wasn't sure. Cultivation levels were invisible, so he couldn't confirm if Xiaopang had ascended to the next level. "Brother," he asked, "what do you think yourself?"

Qin Xiaopang stretched his shoulders and neck, then waited for over ten minutes. Both his shoulders visibly broadened. It wasn't just his shoulders; his waist, abdomen, thighs, and forearms also expanded simultaneously. Every visible part of Xiaopang's body, except his height, grew, making his figure much rounder than before.

Zhang Liuzhe burst out laughing. "Brother, you did it! I also gained a whole lot of weight back in my day!"

Xiaopang was overjoyed, and everyone celebrated together. It was only then that Zhang Liuzhe remembered the stranger who had just saved Xiaopang.

Zhang Liuzhe approached Li Banfeng, lowering his voice. "My friend," he inquired, "what method did you just employ?"

"It's an ancestral medical technique, not something I can disclose," Li Banfeng replied with a smile, quickly changing the subject. "Sixth Brother, what's the origin of that Stomach-Cleansing Powder of yours? I'd like a dose too, to help with my digestion."

Hearing this, Zhang Liuzhe couldn't help but chuckle. "My friend, I won't deceive you. That Stomach-Cleansing Powder was something I bought from a street vendor's pharmacy. It has no miraculous effects whatsoever; I just gave it to Xiaopang to bolster his courage."

Li Banfeng suppressed a laugh; it was exactly as he had suspected.

The celebration continued until the early hours of the morning before finally dispersing. Li Banfeng departed earlier than the others. His arrival went unnoticed, and his departure was equally unseen. Such was the capability of a Level Two House Cultivator; most of those present, whose cultivation was insufficient, had completely overlooked Li Banfeng's presence.

However, one person had not.

As Li Banfeng walked through the alley, intending to find a quiet spot to activate his portable residence, he suddenly sensed danger closing in. He spun around abruptly, seeing a man slowly entering from the alley's mouth. The man, around fifty years old, wore a long gown and a flat-topped round hat. He carried a teapot in his hand and approached Li Banfeng with a smile.

"Qin Tianjiu calls you Seventh Brother, and a clerk from Yu's Cloth Store once mentioned a Seventh Master. You must be that Li Qi, correct?"

Li Banfeng didn't answer, instead asking, "Manager Zhong, to what do I owe this visit?"

The man was indeed Zhong Desong, the proprietor of Qing Tang Teahouse, a Sage from the Second Branch of the Medicine King Hall, part of the Jiangxiang Gang, and a Level Two Ascetic Cultivator.

Holding the teapot, Zhong Desong looked at Li Banfeng and smiled subtly. "No 'instructions,' just an invitation for Seventh Master to have a cup of tea. Would you prefer to come to my teahouse, or shall we have it right here?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's too late for tea," he said. "I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep. Thank you for the offer, though."

Zhong Desong continued to cradle the teapot in his palm, gently stroking its lid and spout. The tea inside, previously still, slowly began to boil. "Seventh Master is quite ruthless. You burned down the Geng family's pharmacy, yet you're afraid to even drink a cup of tea with me?"

Li Banfeng's hands slid into his pockets, discreetly checking the position of each weapon. "Manager Zhong," he said, "I don't know where you heard that information. The Geng family and I had no dealings, and their pharmacy burning down has nothing to do with me."

Zhong Desong sneered, "A true man stands tall and takes responsibility for his actions. Why deny what you've done? Geng Zhiwei deserved to die anyway, so I won't bother asking about that. As for the Celestial Music Dance Hall, that's our gang's property. I suspect you were responsible for that too, but the gang has forbidden me from inquiring, so I won't. However, there's one thing I must ask you: Did you kill Old Madam Han and her two sons in Changliu Village?"

Changliu Village? That old woman and her family? Her surname was Han? I almost forgot, she was also a member of the Jiangxiang Gang. Was Zhong Desong here to avenge her?

"You've got the wrong person. I've never been to Changliu Village. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving." Li Banfeng turned to depart.

Zhong Desong flicked his teapot, and the tea inside spilled onto the ground. Instantly, scalding hot tea erupted from beneath the alley.

What kind of spell was this? Li Banfeng leaped, scrambling onto the top of the wall to escape the scalding water below. He intended to jump into the residential courtyard to escape Zhong Desong. But Li Banfeng couldn't jump in. An invisible wall blocked the courtyard, the alley's entrance, and even obscured the sky, transforming the entire narrow lane into an enclosed space. The hot water continued to gush, the water level rising steadily. Its temperature had long surpassed that of boiling water, feeling even hotter than molten iron.

Li Banfeng stood on the narrow wall, leaning against the invisible barrier, aware that he could fall into the superheated water at any moment. He tilted his head, listening intently, and faintly heard an aged voice speaking.

"Come now, warm yourselves here, both of you come!"

It was the teapot in Zhong Desong's hand; the teapot was speaking. The scalding water beneath their feet wasn't from Zhong Desong's spell but from the teapot itself. Li Banfeng recognized the teapot's spiritual resonance; it was a magical artifact.

What a formidable artifact! Could a Level Two Cultivator truly control such an item?

However, this artifact seemed to have a flaw. Li Banfeng noticed that Zhong Desong had also leaped onto the wall, leaning against the invisible barrier to avoid the hot water below. The teapot was attacking indiscriminately; both the hot water and the invisible walls affected Li Banfeng and Zhong Desong equally. Yet, the impact of the attack differed greatly between them.

Searing steam billowed within the enclosed space, and Li Banfeng began to sweat. Zhong Desong, however, showed no sweat and remained perfectly composed. He was capable of enduring pain, pain beyond the imagination of ordinary people. This was an artifact specifically designed for Ascetic Cultivators. This artifact could create harsh environments, greatly affecting other cultivation paths, but having minimal impact on Ascetic Cultivators.

Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow. "Manager Zhong," he said, "what's the point of this? Do you intend for us both to perish?"

Zhong Desong shook his head and chuckled. "We won't perish together. I can endure this suffering, but you cannot. You're a House Cultivator, aren't you?"

Li Banfeng's heart tightened. Many people could tell he was a Traveler Cultivator, given their distinctive characteristics. But Zhong Desong hadn't identified him as a Traveler Cultivator; instead, he'd recognized him as a House Cultivator. How did he figure that out?

Zhong Desong caressed the teapot in his hand, chuckling softly. "Old Madam Han's home contained a treasure: that grandfather clock. Others might not have recognized it as such, but I knew its hidden secret. It was, in fact, Old Madam Han's House Spirit. The pendulum in your hand came from that very clock; I recognize it. Only a House Cultivator would have the ability to kill her within her own residence and then take her House Spirit."

So he hadn't 'seen' it; he had deduced it.

Zhong Desong moved slowly along the wall, caressing the teapot as he approached Li Banfeng. "Li Qi, the fact that you could kill Old Madam Han's entire family proves your cultivation isn't low. However, at your age, you can be, at most, a Level Two Cultivator. If a Level Two House Cultivator had just emerged from their residence, I wouldn't dare to engage them. But I've calculated that three hours have passed since you entered the steamed bun shop. Your residence must be nearby. Once you're inside your home, I'm no match for you. But in this specific area, you won't survive the night. Feeling hot? Do you feel like you're about to be steamed alive? House Cultivators are accustomed to comfort within their residences and cannot endure hardship. In this place of torment, you are utterly incapable of fighting."

Zhong Desong understood House Cultivators very well. He knew that they were ill-suited for combat in harsh environments. He intended to kill Li Banfeng and had prepared thoroughly for this battle.

The top of the wall was narrow, wet, and incredibly slippery. On the other side was the invisible barrier. A normal person would find it difficult not just to walk, but even to stand still. Yet Zhong Desong's every step was remarkably steady. His once smiling face gradually morphed into a grimace. "Tell me, how did you kill Old Madam Han, and how did you kill her two sons?"

Li Banfeng asked, surprised, "Why are you so concerned about Old Madam Han? Was she your wife?"

"If only she were, how wonderful that would be." Zhong Desong didn't deny it; he had genuine feelings for Old Madam Han, but sadly, she had never given him a chance.

"What was it about that old woman that captivated you?"

"Everything about her was good; she was a truly good person!"

That old woman, a good person? What was this old man thinking? He truly had deep feelings!

Seeing him approach, Li Banfeng shifted his feet, appearing to prepare for retreat. Zhong Desong chuckled twice. "Don't move," he warned. "Absolutely do not move. This wall is extremely slick, and a single misstep will send you into the water. Once you fall, not even a bone fragment will remain. In this pool of tea, I've killed six Level Two Cultivators, two Level Three Cultivators, and severely wounded one Level Four Cultivator. Do you truly believe you can escape? I can walk on this wall, but you can't. No matter how difficult the path, I can traverse it. I can fight here, but you cannot, because I can endure any hardship, no matter how great. If you don't believe me, try taking a few steps forward. If you wish to be scalded to death, I won't stop you. But if you want a quicker end, just honestly answer my questions: How exactly did you kill Old Madam Han's family? How did you—"

*Thump!*

Li Banfeng dashed forward, covering the distance in an instant, and kicked Zhong Desong. Zhong Desong stumbled, nearly losing his balance. In his stunned state, Li Banfeng twisted his wrist and snatched the teapot away.

Zhong Desong was greatly alarmed and tried to drag Li Banfeng with him into the scalding water. He could endure the hot water for a period, but Li Banfeng wouldn't last a second. It didn't matter that Li Banfeng couldn't endure it; he had no intention of entering the water.

Li Banfeng dodged, then kicked Zhong Desong once more. Zhong Desong failed to regain his footing and plunged alone into the boiling hot water. Intense pain shot through him, and Zhong Desong struggled fiercely.

How was this possible? How could he stand so steadily? How could he run over here? He didn't fall off the wall?

Indeed, under the constant steam, the wall had become extremely slick. Normally, a House Cultivator standing on such a narrow, slick wall, leaning against an invisible barrier and unable to control their balance, wouldn't be able to take a single step. Zhong Desong, however, could endure harsh environments and possessed exceptional adaptability, which allowed him to take every step with unwavering stability. But if he wanted to compare footwork with a Traveler Cultivator, he was sorely mistaken. To a Traveler Cultivator, that slick wall was no different from flat ground; Li Banfeng could easily run along it.

Zhong Desong, thoroughly scalded in the hot water, struggled to surface his head, intent on transferring his agonizing pain to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng stood firmly on the wall with one foot, extending the other to press down on Zhong Desong's head, pushing him back into the scalding water.

"You can endure hardship, can't you? Don't be shy; have your fill!"

Zhong Desong surfaced again, only to be kicked down once more by Li Banfeng.

"So smitten with Old Madam Han, I'll send you to reunite with her!"

P.S. Dear readers, isn't Salad's update impressive? Salad wrote until exhausted, all to deliver a good book. I just want to hear a cheer from all of you! Give Salad a good cheer!