Li Banfeng sat inside the Pocket Dwelling, studying the spear Hongying with a concerned look. "Little sis, you have had it rough these past few days."

"Pfft!" Hongying spat. "Heartless man. Who are you calling your sis?"

"Keep your voice down," Li Banfeng said quickly. "Don't wake my wife."

With the Gramophone asleep, Li Banfeng seized the opportunity. He softened his tone as he spoke to Hongying.

"Sis, I can tell you and my wife still share some connection. If there's a grudge you can't let go of... why not tell me about it?"

Hongying let out a cold, mocking laugh. "There are too many grudges between us. I stopped counting them long ago. Which one do you want to hear?"

Li Banfeng sighed. "Let's skip the parts that will only stir up bad feelings. I just want to hear about your fights, especially the ones where it came down to life and death."

He wanted to learn the level-five ability of a Wanderlust Cultivator. Hongying knew them inside out. The only problem was how to get her to reveal them... without letting his wife find out.

Hongying sneered. "Did that vicious woman send you to pry for information? You heartless man, go tell her to give up. She won't get a single truthful word out of me in this lifetime."

Li Banfeng sighed. "Why take it this far? You are like sisters. Is there really any misunderstanding that can't be resolved? Fine! I will drop it. I won't ask about the reasons or what came after, just tell me how you fought."

Hongying snorted. "I am not telling you. What are you going to do about it?"

Li Banfeng let out another sigh. "Why would you let your anger take hold of you? I am doing this for the both of you."

As Li Banfeng spoke, he took out a jar of snow cream, dipped some ointment, and applied it to Hongying.

Hongying shuddered violently and snapped, "Why are you touching me?"

Li Banfeng lowered his voice. "Keep it down. Don't let my wifey hear. It's medicine for injuries. It helps with the pain."

He wasn't saying nonsense. It was an injury ointment made by mixing medicinal liquor from the gourd with snow cream.

Hongying struggled at first. "I don't need your flattery. You and that vicious woman are the same. You must have planned this together to scheme against me. Stay away from me. Don't touch that side. Not there... over here... a little more."

She had indeed been badly injured during this time. Even though she no longer had a body, she would still feel pain.

"I told you to apply more over there. Over there, not this spot..."

"Where exactly?" Li Banfeng asked, starting to feel a little impatient.

Hongying let out a cold snort. "Why are you in such a hurry? You are not the one in pain."

"I am just... worried for you."

After applying the medicine, Li Banfeng rubbed his hands and said, "Sis, tell me how you two fought back then."

Hongying snorted. "Why do you keep asking about this?"

"I am trying to help resolve the grudge between you two, aren't I?"

"The grudge between me and her can't be resolved. There are things I don't want to bring up again."

Don't want to bring it up again? If you won't talk about it, then didn't I do all that for nothing?

Li Banfeng's patience finally snapped. He was ready to force an answer out of her.

Hiss~ hiss~ hiss~

The Gramophone let out a few soft bursts of steam, then yawned as it woke.

"Heyaaaa... what's that smell? Snow cream? You wretch, why do you smell like snow cream?"

Hongying was very nervous. "What snow cream? You are still half asleep!"

"No, that's definitely the scent of snow cream!" The Gramophone slowly turned her large horn toward Li Banfeng.

Without missing a beat, Li Banfeng took out a jar of snow cream and casually smeared a layer across his face. "It's been dry these past two days. I put some on."

Pop... crackle... pop...

The Gramophone released a cloud of steam that wrapped around Li Banfeng. "Husband dear, I've never heard you complain about being dry before. Since when did you start caring about such refined things?"

Li Banfeng explained, "Because my skin feels especially dry today."

"Especially dry?" The steam grew hotter as the gramophone snapped, "You madman! That wretch has only been here a few days, and you are already hooking up with her? How could you use something this good on her? When have you ever been this considerate to me?"

Li Banfeng widened his eyes. "Wifey, that's not fair. I have used rouge, powder, and snow cream on you before."

"Hoooooyaaaaa!" The Gramophone became even angrier and irritated. "You dare compare me with that brazen hussy?!"

Hongying shouted angrily, "Who are you calling a hussy? Vicious woman, how dare you pretend you are any purer?!"

"You madman! I will settle this with you later!" The Gramophone released Li Banfeng and immediately lunged at Hongying. Hongying couldn't fight back, but she refused to back down.

Li Banfeng bolted out of the Pocket Dwelling the moment he got the chance. He rubbed his forehead, a headache forming as he thought about the level-five ability.

What in the world is the Wanderlust Cultivation's level-five ability? he muttered inwardly. Is it that Waycleaving thing Wifey talked about?

And if Hongying won't tell me, then who will? Should I go back to Medicine King Gully and ask the rickshaw driver? But I can't even get out of this blasted, miserable, bird-dropping of a place!

And even if I somehow crawl, climb, or squirm my way back to Medicine King Gully, the rickshaw driver might not be willing to help me!

Abilities at this level were known to only a handful of people, and this knowledge was not something that could be bought with money.

Just as he was deep in thought, Lu Chunying rushed in anxiously. "Benefactor! Something's wrong! A group of people has arrived outside the stronghold. From the looks of it, they were sent by the Sage!"

"How many exactly?"

"Four or five. I left in a hurry, so I didn't get a clear look."

Li Banfeng quickly checked the enchanted artifacts on him, then hurried toward the stronghold's entrance.

Five people stood outside. Li Banfeng recognized one of them at a glance. It was Ren Wenlie, who had barely escaped death at his hands.

There were three other young men in their twenties. Since they dared to follow Ren Wenlie here, they likely had some cultivation.

But there was one more. And this one was... different. It was hard to figure this one out.

He was clearly old. His face was a crumpled map of wrinkles, his skin loose and sagging, speckled with blotches of all shapes and colors, as if time had grown bored and started doodling on him.

As for his body, it was bloated in a most peculiar way. Not muscle, not fat, just loosely swollen, as if his flesh and bones didn't quite fit inside his skin and had been bundled carelessly into his clothes instead.

The bloated old man also looked toward Li Banfeng.

Ren Wenlie said to the old man, "Senior Brother, this is the man."

"Heh..."

This old man was none other than Ren Wenlie's eldest senior brother, Cong Shixiang. A low murmur rumbled in his throat, and the rotten aura clinging to him made Li Banfeng frown.

The other three young men had been ordinary villagers from nearby. But today, after showing just enough sincerity, they were finally accepted and taken in as disciples under the Sage.

The eldest among them was Jiang Shirong, followed by Pei Maojin, with Gao Yangting as the youngest. Li Banfeng had been mistaken. The three of them had no cultivation at all. Ren Wenlie had brought them along simply to assist his eldest senior brother.

Li Banfeng met each of their gazes in turn. Ren Wenlie was about to speak, but Li Banfeng raised a finger, signaling for him to stay silent.

"You managed to escape death through the advantage of being both a Literary Cultivation and Moralism Cultivation. But you won't be leaving this time. None of you will leave."

Li Banfeng smiled. Ren Wenlie, however, looked as stiff as a board, his whole body tight with nerves. The three junior brothers beside him were extremely nervous.

Only Eldest Senior Brother Cong Shixiang showed no reaction at all. Or at least, Li Banfeng did not see any changes on that bloated old man's face.

Words Chiseled in Stone doesn't work on him? How high is this man's cultivation? I thought the abilities of Folly Cultivation didn't care about gaps in cultivation level? Li Banfeng thought.

While the two sides stood facing off, Niu Guangda came striding up to the stronghold gate, driving two cows ahead of him.

They had stolen quite a bit of livestock recently, more than they could eat for now, so the animals were being kept inside the stronghold.

Niu Guangda had just returned from letting the cows graze and never expected to walk straight into a scene like this.

He was stunned and froze. The cows froze too.

Li Banfeng shouted, "Go back!"

Niu Guangda tugged at the cows, pulling with all his might, but the stubborn beasts planted their hooves and refused to move an inch.

"I said go back!" Li Banfeng snapped.

That did it. Niu Guangda dropped the ropes at once and bolted back into the stronghold without a second thought.

Cong Shixiang suddenly appeared before Li Banfeng. One moment he stood at a distance, and the next he was right in front of him, his bloated body moving far too quickly for something that looked so heavy.

Li Banfeng pushed off the ground with his toes and slipped back a step, then drove his right foot straight into Cong Shixiang's abdomen.

He put his full strength into the kick, yet it felt like stepping into a swamp.

With a wet, sucking sound, Li Banfeng's foot sank into Cong Shixiang's belly. Just as he tried to pull it free, Cong Shixiang suddenly grabbed his calf and bit down.

Oh no! Li Banfeng sensed intense danger.

Although Cong Shixiang had no teeth, if that bite landed, Li Banfeng's right leg would be crippled for sure.

In that split second, Li Banfeng pushed off the ground with his left foot and lifted himself into the air. He struck Cong Shixiang's face with his toes, using that brief moment of leverage to wrench his right foot free.

The moment Li Banfeng landed, Cong Shixiang lunged again, reaching out to grab his clothes.

Li Banfeng immediately used Traceless Quick Steps, circling behind him in a flash, and slapped a Corrosion Pill onto the back of his head.

He hadn't used this move in a long time. Aside from the time this move failed against Madam Bagworm Moth, it had never missed.

The Corrosion Pill stuck fast to the back of Cong Shixiang's head, and rust spread outward in an instant.

Li Banfeng had just started to relax when he saw Cong Shixiang reach back and tear off a chunk of his own flesh.

He dug in without hesitation, ripping deep until the bone at the back of his head was exposed.

Li Banfeng was already shocked, but what came next stunned him even more.

Cong Shixiang stuffed the torn lump of flesh straight into his mouth.

He ate it! He swallowed it whole, along with the Corrosion Pill embedded in it.

That's great! Li Banfeng thought. He will surely be able to turn into rust!

That was what Li Banfeng expected, but Cong Shixiang showed no signs of corroding. His body remained completely unchanged as he continued his relentless assault.

He was terrifyingly fast, no slower than Li Banfeng. And his strength was overwhelming, far beyond anything Li Banfeng could match.

Cong Shixiang's body was horrifyingly strong. Punches and kicks did nothing to him. Even when Li Banfeng carved several deep wounds into his flesh with a sickle, it was as though he were cutting into something that simply did not care.

He couldn't get tied up in a fight with someone like this. The man was far too strong. He had to find the chance to end this quickly.

Li Banfeng drew two short sabers and flung them straight at Cong Shixiang's face.

At the same time, the Tang saber slipped around behind him.

The liquor gourd suddenly burst to life, spraying out a thick cloud of alcohol mist that swallowed Cong Shixiang whole.

Attacks came at him from three directions at once.

Li Banfeng narrowed his eyes, watching closely. He wanted to see how this strange, bloated man would deal with it.

Even if Cong Shixiang managed to fend off every single strike, Li Banfeng had no intention of stopping. He would keep pressing, harder and harder, until the man was completely brought down.

But what happened next...was something Li Banfeng had never expected.

Cong Shixiang did not dodge. He simply stood there and let the two short sabers stab straight into his face.

In the very next instant, the short sabers began to rot. Rust spread across them in a flash, and before Li Banfeng could even blink, they crumbled away into brittle flakes.

Behind him, the Tang saber had been ready to strike, to take his head in a single clean slash, but now it did not dare move.

Because if it struck, it would end up just like the short sabers and reduced to nothing more than a pitiful heap of rust.

What kind of Daoist path is this? Li Banfeng wondered. He swallowed the Corrosion Pill and somehow turned its power into his own?

While Li Banfeng was still in shock, Cong Shixiang charged straight at him.

Author's Note

PS: Why isn't this Eldest Senior Brother affected by the abilities of Folly Cultivation?