Pebbles no bigger than fingertips ca whistling through the air and smacked into the backs of their heads.
Ren Wenlie took one slightly off to the side. With only a red lump swelling up at once, he was still fine.
Qu Jingzhang, on the other hand, took several solid hits, and his skull cracked with a sickening snap.
They both knew at once they had been ambushed. Qu Jingzhang spun around to face Li Banfeng, while Ren Wenlie bolted in the opposite direction.
Their different reactions had nothing to do with cultivation. It was because of their different down experiences.
Qu Jingzhang had crossed paths with Wanderlust Cultivators before. He knew that one should never have their backs facing a Wanderlust Cultivator. If he did, he wouldn't survive.
Ren Wenlie had also encountered Wanderlust Cultivators and knew he shouldn't turn his back to Li Banfeng. However, he made this choice because he knew Qu Jingzhang well. Given his temperant, Qu Jingzhang would surely turn back and fight for his life.
Seeing Ren Wenlie run, Qu Jingzhang panicked. He wanted to flee as well, but didn't dare turn his back towards Li Banfeng.
The chance of a Moralism Cultivator fighting a Wanderlust Cultivator alone and winning was very low. However, it was already too late for him to run.
Ren Wenlie had gotten far away, and this bearded man would definitely target the nearest person.
While Qu Jingzhang was torn between decisions, he managed to survive two moves before making a foolish decision.
He wanted to reason with Li Banfeng. If it were purely a contest of skill, he might have lasted a bit longer, but Li Banfeng wouldn't give him the chance to use his ability at this point.
"Young man, listen to …"
Thump!
Qu Jingzhang's head hit the ground with a dull thud. The Tang saber let out a mocking sound. "With every slash, a head is taken."
After speaking, the Tang saber flew back to Li Banfeng's side.
Li Banfeng closed the distance in two steps and was about to strike when Ren Wenlie suddenly shouted, "Don't pursue a desperate foe!"
What do you an by that? Trying to lecture
on virtue and morality again? Do you really think a Moralism Cultivator can solve everything just by shouting a few slogans? I was not affected by your other abilities. What makes you think a few words that you blurted out in panic, will?
Li Banfeng swung his blade again, but the strike missed.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He couldn't tell if the fault lay with the blade or his own hand.
When he swung again, he realized the problem wasn't the blade or his hand. It was his feet.
Li Banfeng's steps slowed. Ever since Ren Wenlie shouted, "Don't pursue a desperate foe," his pace had begun to slow without him noticing.
However, it wasn't because he was bound by morality or that his mind was being controlled.
It was as though a new reality had been imposed. Li Banfeng's speed was restricted, leaving him unable to catch up to Ren Wenlie.
Ren Wenlie had an enchanted artifact that helped him escape. His long robe billowed, stirring up a gust of wind that carried him swiftly into the depths of the forest.
Li Banfeng made his way back to the cave and began reflecting on the fight that had just occurred.
He was certain the two had been sent by the Sage, but he still needed to figure out exactly what kind of people they were.
If they were truly the Sage's disciples, it ant the Sage possessed real strength. In that case, Li Banfeng would have to stay on guard at all tis when dealing with him.
If they were assassins hired by the Sage, things would be much simpler to handle. But from Li Banfeng's experience, Moralism Cultivators rarely beca assassins. The chances of the two of them working together as killers were even lower. This Daoist path simply wasn't suited for that kind of work.
With a single shout of "Don't pursue a desperate foe," Li Banfeng's pace slowed on its own. It didn't feel like a Moralism Cultivator's ability, as he felt no guilt at all.
He had planned to return to his Pocket Dwelling and ask his wifey, but Xiao Yeci had witnessed the fight and recognized the ability.
"Benefactor, that person just used a Literary Cultivator ability. Binding Edict, eh."
"What level is that ability?"
"It's a level-three ability that is extrely hard to master," she said. "They say a sentence, and if the other person understands it and agrees with the logic, it becos a rule. Once it takes effect, both sides have to abide by it.
"A level-three Literary Cultivation ability?" Li Banfeng was stunned. That old man was clearly a Moralism Cultivator, yet he could also use a level-three Literary Cultivation ability.
Xiao Yeci nodded. "Benefactor, Literary Cultivation and Moralism Cultivation are closely related Daoist paths and there are so cultivators that practice both."
For cultivators that practice both Daoist paths, their cultivation level could be inferred by how powerful their ability of Seeing Virtue and Aligning With It. For example, the person just now should be a level-five Moralism Cultivator. As for his Literary Cultivation, it should be around level three. It would be really hard dealing with soone like that.
Li Banfeng asked Xiao Yeci, "Aside from that level-three ability, what other Literary Cultivator abilities do you know?"
"There's also a level-two ability called Spoken Word Manifestation," Xiao Yeci replied. "If you say sothing false with sothing true, it becos true."
Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "I don't understand."
Xiao Yeci explained patiently, "True! It is not easy to understand, eh! I have only heard a few examples from my seniors. In one case, a Literary Cultivator fought a Moralism Cultivator. The Moralism Cultivator was older and asked the Literary Cultivator to let him have three free moves."
The Literary Cultivator acknowledged the Moralism Cultivator's age, then calmly recited the verse of an ancient poem: "White hair stretches three thousand zhang[1]."
The mont the words left his lips, the Moralism Cultivator's hair began to grow. It spilled down his back in an instant, lengthening without end. Though it fell far short of three thousand zhang, it still grew well over ten ters.
"When they finally fought, the Moralism Cultivator tripped over his own trailing hair. In that brief mont of chaos, the Literary Cultivator struck and took his life.
"It's not true that his hair grew three thousand zhang, but the poem itself does exist. By saying sothing that actually exists or is real, you can turn sothing false into sothing real and that's called Spoken Word Manifestation."
This ti, Li Banfeng understood. He had seen this ability before.
Back when the Three Heroes of Iron Goat attacked Properfolk Village, the level-six Literary Cultivator Du Shuping had used this technique.
He said, "You wear out iron shoes searching everywhere but find nothing!"[2]
When he said that, it caused Zuo Wugang's shoes to break apart.
Xiao Yeci continued, "Although Spoken Word Manifestation is only a level-two ability, it's just as difficult to learn as a level-three ability, if not even harder. The effectiveness of level-two and level-three abilities depends heavily on one's cultivation. If your cultivation is far below your opponent's, then no matter how clever your words are, they won't have any effect."
Literary Cultivation abilities are hard to master, but they are truly impressive! Li Banfeng thought. Just how many such experts did that Sage have under his command? If I can refine all of them into pills…
The thought of pills reminded him of sothing. Li Banfeng took out a Golden Essence Pill and swallowed it together with a Blue Poplar Pill.
One Golden Essence Pill was equivalent to a hundred days of cultivation. Li Banfeng quickly counted the pills he had taken recently, along with the cultivation progress he had made from traveling. At this rate, his Wanderlust cultivation might soon reach level five.
However, he still had no idea what a level-five ability looked like.
Who can teach
the level-five ability of Wanderlust Cultivation? Li Banfeng thought. It seems that person is not too far away.
Once his Wanderlust Cultivation reached level five, combined with his Hobound Cultivation, that would bring him to ten levels in total. With ten levels of cultivation, would he be able to defeat that Sage?
The Sage's disciple was both a Moralism Cultivator and a Literary Cultivator. The Sage himself might also be cultivating two Daoist paths. If he combined the levels from both paths, his total might be higher than mine.
If he's that strong, why hasn't he made a move against ? Is it because he doesn't want to bully the weak?
THAT. IS. BULLSHIT!
The most important rule of survival for the powerful is to bully the weak. Unless he's bound by so sort of rule that he cannot act against ordinary people?
Like that Insect Overlord? When he tried to target the people of the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, the Peddler dealt with him directly.
Whatever Li Banfeng had reasoned out was entirely possible. However, the situation with the Insect Overlord was fundantally different from this one.
At the ti, the Insect Overlord had slaughtered tens of thousands in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, so the Peddler had naturally stepped in.
But if this Sage only targeted Li Banfeng, the Peddler would most likely not interfere. There were simply too many such matters to deal with.
Aside from that, what other reason could there be? Li Banfeng couldn't figure it out for now, so he dragged Qu Jingzhang's corpse back into the Pocket Dwelling and refined it into a pill.
***
Ren Wenlie reported back at Sage's Peak and described the fight that took place at Benefactor Stronghold from the beginning until the end.
Most of what he said was true, though he exaggerated certain parts. After all, Qu Jingzhang had died, and he was the only one who made it back. If he didn't bla it on so accidents, it would make it seem as though they had not tried their best.
The Sage was still in the back room. From the room ca the sound of breathing, rising and falling in steady waves, and it never stopped.
When the breathing slowed, the Sage asked, "You said you were at a disadvantage because you didn't know he was a Wanderlust Cultivator. Now that you do, it shouldn't be difficult to deal with him, right?"
"There are still so difficulties…" Ren Wenlie began to sweat. He really didn't want to face that Peddler's senior brother again.
The Sage sneered. "All that talk just shows your skills are inferior to his. I knew this man's background wasn't simple."
Ren Wenlie wiped the sweat from his brow. "Then… perhaps one of the other senior brothers could go instead…"
He was clearly admitting he wasn't up to the task and was hoping his master would choose soone else.
The Sage agreed. "Let your eldest senior brother go then. Shixiang is old. You need to go with him."
"Eldest senior brother…"
"Heh." The Sage let out a low chuckle. "Why? Do you look down on your eldest senior brother? He raised all of you little ones. Have you all forgotten that kindness?"
A wave of guilt rose in Ren Wenlie's chest, and he swallowed the rest of his words. Without daring to say more, he turned and hurried toward the peak of Virtuous Adept Peak.
His eldest senior brother lived there alone, without a single servant. The place was quiet, almost too quiet.
Ren Wenlie knocked on the door again and again and didn't hear an answer. After a long mont, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
There was no one in the front courtyard, so Ren Wenlie stepped inside and made his way toward the main courtyard.
The main courtyard was empty, and so was the rear courtyard. Only when he reached the eastern side courtyard did Ren Wenlie finally find his eldest senior brother, Cong Shixiang.
Cong Shixiang stood under the sun. His bloated body hunched low as he caught insects, and he held a small knife as he cut a slit into his arm.
He peeled back the layers of aged skin and reached into the fat beneath, then pulled out a maggot the size of a little finger.
The maggot had a long, rat-like tail, and a layer of dark yellow grease coated its body.
Cong Shixiang tossed it into the fire before him. The creature struggled for a mont, and white smoke rose as the grease burned.
A sudden itch crept over him. Cong Shixiang raised his knife and reached behind his ear.
Ren Wenlie stepped forward. "Senior brother, I will help you catch the worms. Give
the knife first. Don't cut your ear off."
"Mm… mm…" Cong Shixiang forced out two sounds from his throat and handed the knife to him.
The tallic tang of the knife, the stench of fat, and the rot of the maggots blended into a uniquely foul sll.
Ren Wenlie endured it as he cut into Cong Shixiang's flesh one slice at a ti, pulling out maggot after maggot. He did not dare remove too many. If he did, Cong Shixiang would have too many wounds and that would affect his combat ability.
When the maggots in the fire were half-cooked, Cong Shixiang picked one up and held it out to him.
Ren Wenlie waved his hand. "Senior brother, you eat."
Cong Shixiang stuffed the plump maggot into his mouth. He had no teeth, so he held it there for a long mont, savoring it before stretching his neck and swallowing.
There was a hole beneath his throat, and Ren Wenlie clearly saw the maggot slide down through it.
Cong Shixiang ate with great satisfaction and seed to enjoy the taste. After finishing all the maggots, he rose by the fire. His dried eyes fixed on Ren Wenlie without blinking.
Ren Wenlie took two steps back and tried to keep his distance. "Senior brother, let's head down the mountain. Master has a task for us."
"Heh… heh heh…" Cong Shixiang let out two low chuckles and followed Ren Wenlie out of the residence.
Author's Note:
PS: How did this old man end up like this?
1. We normally do not use ancient asurent units in the world of PULUO, but zhang was used here because this is originated from a poem written by Li Bai during the Tang dynasty ??
2. The full saying is 踏破铁鞋无觅处 (ta po tie xie wu mi chu)，得来全不费工夫 (de lai quan bu fei gong fu). It ans that one may search so hard that even iron shoes would be worn through, yet still fail to find what they are looking for. Then, unexpectedly, it appears without any effort at all. The phrase is used to describe a situation where sothing urgently sought cannot be found despite great effort, but is later obtained by chance. It first originated from a quatrain by the Southern Song poet 夏元鼎 (Xia Yuanding). The line later appeared in other classic works of Chinese literature, including 水浒传 (Shui Hu Zhuan, Water Margin) by 施耐庵 (Shi Naian). ??
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