Li Banfeng asked, "How did Greenwater Beggar win Yuan Shoulü?

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "I don't know. I only heard about it afterward, and even now, I still can't make sense of it. How does someone at level nine of the Terranean Layer defeat someone at level two of the Cloudborne Layer?"

Greenwater Beggar had robbed a land deity's cultivation and standing. It was a good method that he used. It allowed him to preserve his soul and body without going to the Inner Provinces and becoming someone's servant.

An alternative to robbing would be stealing.

"How does the method of stealing work?" Li Banfeng asked.

"There are two ways to steal. One is known as covert usurpation, while the other one is covert transfer.

"Covert usurpation works much like outright robbery. You first steal the standing of a land deity. Cultivation itself is much harder to steal, so the usual method is to use low-level cultivation to occupy a higher-level standing first, then find a way to advance as quickly as possible afterward.

"The real danger of this method does not lie in stealing the standing itself. The danger comes from using a lower cultivation level to bear a higher standing. If your cultivation cannot support it, the standing will backlash against you.

"As for the other method, it works more like deception. You steal human auras from another person's land, allowing yourself to skip the tribulation and advance straight to level one of the Cloudborne Layer."

Li Banfeng did not quite understand. "You can skip tribulation?"

"To put it simply, at level nine, they siphon away the human aura gathered in another person's territory to fool the heavens and skip the tribulation. Then, they use the cultivation methods of the Cloudborne Layer to cross into level ten directly."

"How do you steal human aura?"

"I don't know about that," Meng Yuchun said, shaking her head. "Whether it's stealing or robbing, neither is something an ordinary person can do. If I really had that kind of ability, I wouldn't have needed to go to the Inner Provinces and suffer.

"I have told you everything I know. You mustn't break your promise. You have to find more people to activate the plots of land in my territory!"

"I will find more people for you, of course, but you have to change your rules."

Hearing this, Meng Yunchun was displeased. "You are trying to set conditions with me now? These are my rules, and I will not change them. If you dare go back on your word, don't even think about leaving this place!"

Li Banfeng glanced at the boundary around the plot. "Your boundary line is almost as strict as the regional borders in the Proper Land."

"The Proper Land has regional borders?" Meng Yuchun looked blank.

"Of course. The ones set by the Border Controllers."

Meng Yuchun looked at Li Banfeng. "What is a Border Controller?"

Li Banfeng stared at her in surprise. "Big Sis, how many years did you spend in the Inner Provinces?"

Meng Yuchun frowned. "Didn't I already tell you? I can't remember clearly. Let's settle the land-activating first!"

"That is exactly what I am talking about. You shouldn't be the one deciding how large a plot to activate. The person doing the activation should get to choose."

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "That won't work. If you bring a group of people here and each of them only activates a plot half a kilometer wide, how long will it take to finish all ten thousand plots? In my opinion, even a one-and-a-half-kilometer plot is too small. At that rate, we would have to activate land over a thousand times before we are done!"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Not everyone has the ability to activate a one-and-a-half-kilometer plot."

Meng Yuchun smiled. "Don't worry about that. You have seen how many people I have sent over these past few days. Anyone who lacks the ability will die here anyway."

Li Banfeng did not know what to say.

This woman had spent so long in the Inner Provinces that she seemed to have lost her mind there.

Li Banfeng argued, "If you want people to come here and activate the land, then don't make the threshold so high. If everyone who tries dies halfway through, how is your land supposed to gain any human aura? In the end, you get nothing, they lose their lives, and both sides suffer for no reason."

"What do you mean by both sides? You think this is a butt?" Meng Yuchun said. No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, she understood Li Banfeng's point. "How about this? Choose someone capable, and we can discuss how large a plot they should activate."

The two of them signed the contracts. Meng Yuchun gave a casual wave, and the boundary lines around the plot vanished.

Li Banfeng then asked, "Is that one of your abilities?"

Meng Yuchun shot him a glare. "You are a Wanderlust Cultivator. Why do you care about my abilities?"

So it really is a Homebound Cultivator ability, Li Banfeng thought.

Li Banfeng walked around his new plot and found himself mostly satisfied with it.

He then muttered to himself, "When I am gone, I need someone to take care of this place."

He turned to the toad and called out, "Hey! Toadie Brodie, how about you be my steward?"

The toad was a Literary Cultivator, and he still held a grudge over the minor injuries he had taken earlier. His cheeks puffed out like two round stones as he glared at Li Banfeng. "Croak! Why should I be your steward?"

Li Banfeng pulled out two Mystic Blazing Pills and pressed them into the toad's webbed hand. "Obviously, I won't let you work for free."

The toad stared down at the pills. A moment later, he lifted his chin with exaggerated dignity and hollered at the nearby aberrant creatures. "All of you, clear out! Don't you know this is Master Qi's domain?"

The aberrant creatures exchanged glances. A grey-furred wolf stepped forward. "Master Qi, a steward alone won't be enough. Shouldn't you also have a support hook?"

Before Li Banfeng could answer, a golden eagle swooped down. "I am perfect for support hook duty, Master Qi. My eyesight is excellent."

The grey-furred wolf immediately flew into a rage and argued, "So what if your eyesight is good? My nose is sharp!"

The golden eagle scoffed. "What good is a nose? Are you going to sniff the domain into safety?"

The two of them began squabbling on the spot. Li Banfeng settled the matter by giving them two pills each and hiring them both.

Aside from the steward and support hooks, he recruited a burrow of aardvarks as laborers and had them build two rooms on the land. With everything taken care of, he confirmed his direction and set off for Greenwater City.

Meng Yuchun's territory was terribly far from everywhere. Even with Li Banfeng's cultivation level, he only managed to reach Blue Poplar Village after running from dawn until dusk. That stretch of road was even longer than the journey from Blackstone Slope to Greenwater Bay.

As Li Banfeng ran, he counted the days he had been away from home. Three days at Oil Lake, three days activating the new land, and one whole day on the road. A total of seven full days away from home.

Will my Pocket Dwelling be angry at me? Angry, my foot. If it hadn't dragged me into this mess, would I have ended up all the way at Oil Lake? No, the Pocket Dwelling is the least of my concerns. My wifey is the real problem. She is definitely angry, and I have to explain everything to her properly.

But words alone won't be enough. Maybe I should oil her up first. I have plenty of machine oil, but that machine won't hold out for long, and oiling her up isn't a real solution. I should bring her some gifts too, but what should I bring? The things she likes to eat aren't easy to find.

And when I reach level nine, how am I supposed to level up to ten? Should I steal or rob? Robbing it would be far too difficult. As for stealing it, the whole method sounded like a foggy mess. Maybe the method itself isn't that confusing. Maybe Meng Yuchun just made it sound that way. Either way, I have to find out more and prepare in advance. I should start preparing before I even reach level nine. But for now, the most urgent thing is to reach level nine first.

While Li Banfeng was lost in thought, he reached Blue Poplar Village and soon noticed how unusually quiet it was.

Near the village entrance, an old woman sat in her doorway, stitching the sole of a shoe. Li Banfeng walked over and greeted her. "Ma'am, where has everyone gone?"

The old woman looked up with a warm smile. "Come sit, child. Have a bowl of water first."

Only then did Li Banfeng realize he was a little thirsty. He took the bowl from her, and the old woman asked, "You are not from around here, are you?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

The old woman smiled and responded, "You must have come a long way. Five yuan for directions and this bowl of water cost twenty-five."

Blue Poplar Village is as honest and simple as ever, Li Banfeng thought. He had never expected anyone to work for free, but these prices were a little too honest and simple. He reached up, pulled the brim of his hat lower, and gave the old woman a smile.

A chill ran down the old woman's spine. Anyone who survived to her age in Blue Poplar Village had at least some instinct for danger, and hers told her to back down at once.

"I was just joking with you!" she said quickly. "For something like this, I wouldn't dream of charging you. The eldest master of the Song Family is back, and he said he wants to take the village back. Lord Gen[1] and his men are fighting them at Dreamspring Garden right now. The whole village went to watch."

No wonder it's so quiet, Li Banfeng thought. He pressed ten yuan into the old woman's hand, chuckled, and walked away.

Now I know where to get food for my wifey, Li Banfeng muttered inwardly.

At the entrance of Dreamspring Garden, Song Zhigang, the eldest son of the Song Family, had brought two Martial Cultivators with him and was facing off against Little Gen.

From what Song Zhigang remembered, Little Gen had always been nothing more than a fellow who repaired the road at the village entrance. He had never expected a man like that to grow this kind of nerve, much less dare to fight him in public.

Song Zhigang spat on the ground. "You little bastard. You see me standing here, and you still dare to raise a hand? Move aside right now. This is Song Family's land. Anyone who blocks me today dies!"

Little Gen's face was bruised and cut, and even his ladle had been snapped in half. Still, he hugged the bucket tightly and planted his feet where they were.

"I am standing right here. Let's see which one of you dares to come up!"

Song Zhigang covered his nose and gave him a nasty little smile. "Trying to make yourself disgusting, are you? You think that will scare me?"

He glanced at the two Martial Cultivators beside him. "Gentlemen, I will have to trouble you to clean up this piece of trash."

The two Martial Cultivators did not move. Both of them were level four, which meant they were stronger than Little Gen, at least on paper. Unfortunately, they had fought him before, and they knew exactly what was sloshing around in that bucket. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

As of now, they really did not want to be anywhere near Little Gen and this was why Little Gen had managed to hold them off until now. However, Song Zhigang was in no mood to waste any more time. Since the two Martial Cultivators would not move, he sent several of his other men forward instead.

Little Gen was about to risk his life in the fight when Li Banfeng stepped out from the crowd and stopped him first. "Little Gen, put the bucket down for now."

Then he turned to Song Zhigang and said, "Eldest Master Song, what's got you so angry?"

Song Zhigang stared at him for a long moment. The hat brim was pulled so low that it hid most of Li Banfeng's face, but Song Zhigang recognized him anyway.

This was the madman who had torn down his house!

"You are Li Qi, aren't you?" Song Zhigang clenched his fists. "Good. You are the one I am fucking looking for. Let me tell you! I am back, and Blue Poplar Village still belongs to the Song Family! You and Ma Wu have ten minutes to pack your things and get the hell out!"

Back then, Li Banfeng had given Song Zhigang ten minutes to move out. Song Zhigang still remembered that grudge.

Li Banfeng pressed his hand down lightly. "Eldest Master Song, there's no need to get so angry. What happened before is already in the past. Whatever this is about, we can talk it over."

Song Zhigang shook his head. "There's nothing to talk about. Are you leaving or not? If you refuse, I will take your life today.

"And don't say we are bullying you. I will give you two choices. Either we settle this here, or we go into the wilderness for a bloodcall and decide life or death tonight. Either way, we will follow Blue Poplar Village's rules."

The onlookers stared at them wide-eyed. After a brief silence, whispers spread through the crowd.

"The Song Family's eldest son is back. Does that mean Blue Poplar Village will belong to the Songs again?"

"If the Song Family takes over again, they will start taking half the reward money. Life won't be easy for us then."

"It's not as if they can come back just because they want to. Master Qi and Master Wu aren't easy to mess with."

"If Song Zhigang dares to come back, he must have found a new backer. Those two standing behind him don't look ordinary to me."

Li Banfeng had also noticed the two Martial Cultivators standing behind Song Zhigang.

Li Banfeng and Ma Wu's business had been growing larger by the day. No matter how poorly informed Song Zhigang was, he should at least know that Blue Poplar Village was still under the Lu Family's protection. Since he still dared to show up, he must have believed he could ignore that protection. As for who was backing him, Li Banfeng would find out soon enough.

Li Banfeng gave Song Zhigang a warm smile. "Eldest Master Song, how long has it been since we last met? We shouldn't ruin the peace between us the moment we see each other again. Come inside and sit with me. Let's have a few drinks first, then we can take our time talking things over."

Seeing that Li Qi had backed down, Song Zhigang gave his men a few instructions, then followed Li Banfeng into Dreamspring Garden.

Li Banfeng had someone prepare a private room and bring in wine and dishes. Once everything was ready, he dismissed everyone who had nothing to do with the matter and greeted Song Zhigang with such enthusiasm. "Please, don't stand on ceremony. Eat and drink first."

Song Zhigang slammed his palm against the table. "Stop fucking wasting time. Let's make this clear first. When are you getting the hell out?"

"Eldest Master Song, why are you in such a hurry? Didn't I already say we should eat first?" Li Banfeng said before he turned and locked the private room door.

Song Zhigang glared at him. "Let me tell you something. These two behind me are large support hooks under Grand Old Master Lu. I came back to Blue Poplar Village on Grand Old Master Lu's orders, so nothing you say will make a difference."

Li Banfeng nodded. "That's right. It's your last meal. If you can't even eat it properly, what's the point of saying anything else?"

The two Martial Cultivators frowned. One of them looked at Li Banfeng and cursed, "Fuck, you really don't know how to appreciate it when you are being given respect?"

Before he could finish, Li Banfeng appeared behind him and patted his cheek. "I invited you to eat because I thought highly of you. Since you won't even eat properly, you are the one who doesn't know how to appreciate kindness."

The Martial Cultivator tried to stand, but his breath caught in his chest, and all the strength drained from his body. Li Banfeng's sickle had already cut across his throat.

Blood sprayed from his throat. The Martial Cultivator clutched his neck and tried to make one last desperate attack, but he could not even catch Li Banfeng's shadow.

Once he stopped struggling, Li Banfeng took out a roll of tape, tore off a strip, and sealed the wound on his neck, keeping him barely alive for the moment.

The other Martial Cultivator staggered to his feet and lunged toward the window. Before he could jump, Li Banfeng caught him by the hair, dragged him back, and pinned him to the floor.

Tears filled the Martial Cultivator's eyes. "Master Qi, we didn't mean to offend you. Grand Old Master Lu sent us here. We really didn't mean to offend you..."

"I don't want to offend you either," Li Banfeng said with a smile. "My brother's ladle was broken. That's his prized possession. How are we settling this?"

"I will pay for it!"

"Good. Then pay for it."

Li Banfeng swung his sickle and severed the man's spine. The Martial Cultivator collapsed limply onto the floor.

Song Zhigang dropped to his knees before Li Banfeng. "Master Qi, I will leave right now. I swear I will never set foot in Blue Poplar Village again."

Li Banfeng smiled at him. "Eldest Master Song, there's no need to be so distant. Blue Poplar Village is your home. From now on, you can stay here for good."

Author's Note:

PS: The first step to getting stronger is feeding Wifey until she gets nice and chubby.

1. This is Little Gen ☜