Chapter 101: The Way to Wealth

Ma Wu mentioned Li Banfeng—it came too suddenly.

Li Banfeng put down his chopsticks and silently stared at Ma Wu.

The atmosphere wasn’t tense, because Li Banfeng knew that if Ma Wu wanted to harm him, he would never share a meal with him, let alone bring the matter up outright.

Ma Wu smiled: “Brother Li, I’m talking about Li Banfeng, not you.”

“Li Banfeng is a friend of mine—we met in Yaowang Gou.”

“Though I’ve fallen on hard times, I still hear rumors. I heard Li Banfeng offended the Lu family, and they’re searching for him in Yaowang Gou.”

“If you know Li Banfeng, please pass him a message: if he hides in Green Water Bay, he’ll have made the right move.”

“Green Water Bay is the foundation of every major sect—no family dares make bold moves there.”

“Provincial State is vast; finding one man is hard. Though the Lu family has considerable power, if they can’t find Li Banfeng in Yaowang Gou, they won’t look elsewhere—after all, this is just Lu Xiaolan’s word.”

“Besides, recent rumors say Li Banfeng vanished after going to He’s mansion. Many believe he’s already dead at Lu Xiaolan’s hands.”

“People from great families don’t have much patience. If Li Banfeng disappears, they’ll watch Lu Xiaolan—they’ll think she lied. Whether it’s the Lu family or the He family, over time, Li Banfeng will be forgotten.”

“Brother Li, you must find a chance to pass this message: tell Li Banfeng not to go anywhere crowded, endure patiently, and he’ll survive this tribulation.”

This was the perspective of a nobleman’s son.

This was Ma Wu’s repayment to Li Qi.

He knew Li Qi was Li Banfeng—that the man before him was Li Banfeng.

Because he knew Li Qi came from Waizhou and bore a slight resemblance to the photo of Li Banfeng.

And the timing of Li Qi’s arrival matched the Lu family’s description of Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng took a sip of wine and said to Ma Wu: “You could tell the Lu family Li Banfeng is in Green Water Bay—they’ll reward you handsomely, even give you a family estate.”

Ma Wu nodded: “I thought about it. But I can’t do it—because when I was starving, Li Banfeng gave me food.”

After a long silence, Li Banfeng refilled Ma Wu’s cup.

Ma Wu also poured himself a cup.

Both men raised their cups and drank deeply.

Li Banfeng ate a bite of braised beef: “What are you planning to do next?”

Ma Wu smiled: “I’ve counted the days—I’ve got five or six left at most. I plan to take you on a proper tour of Lanyang Village, and tell you about Green Water Bay’s special qualities.”

Only five or six days left.

“If you’ve still got five or six days, why not use the time to cultivate? Don’t you want to live?”

Ma Wu shook his head and smiled: “Back then, girls threw themselves at me. I never thought cultivation could be hard. Now that I’m fallen, the difficulties are great.”

“To find a partner, forget about mutual affection—first you need real gold and silver.”

“I don’t even dare think of crossing the first gate. Let’s just say the basics: you need three sessions a day, and the cost for each isn’t easy to cover.”

“Brother Li, I know you’re a righteous man—you might say you’ll pay for me. I thank you for your kindness, but this is a bottomless pit no one can fill.”

“Besides, I’ve stopped cultivating for ten days—my body is severely damaged. Even if a girl were placed in my arms, I’m no longer capable.”

Li Banfeng blinked: “So you’re saying there’s no hope at all?”

Ma Wu smiled: “Brother Li, you’re blunt. It’s not hopeless. My meridians are withered but not yet ruptured—if I had an elixir, I could still nourish them back. Once they rupture, I’d need Soul-Returning Soup just to prolong my life.”

“But this isn’t Yaowang Gou—elixirs aren’t easy to buy, and they’re exorbitantly priced. Soul-Returning Soup? Forget it. The peddler’s whereabouts are unknown. My fate ends here.”

Li Banfeng asked: “What kind of elixir could restore you?”

Ma Wu said: “The most common is Sheban Pill. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it—take seven, and you’ll nearly recover. But Sheban Pill…”

Even one Sheban Pill was beyond Ma Wu’s means now.

“I don’t have Sheban Pills. But maybe this one will work.” Li Banfeng pulled out a red pill and handed it to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu stared at it for a moment, eyes wide: “Is this Xuan Chi Pill?”

Li Banfeng asked: “Can this pill save you?”

“Yes, yes!” Ma Wu was ecstatic, then asked, “Why are you saving me?”

Li Banfeng shook his head: “It’s not about saving you. I’ve never had a chance to sell this pill—I need money too. I’ll sell it to you.”

“If you recover, find a way to earn money and pay me back quickly.”

“If you can’t pay right away, write me an IOU—clearly state the principal and interest.”

“If you take the pill, survive, then just wait to die? That’s bad luck for me. This pill will be your burial offering.”

Li Banfeng spoke truthfully—he truly intended to sell the pill to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu clutched the pill, fingers trembling, overwhelmed: “Brother Li, I don’t know how to repay this kindness—I…”

“Why are you saying you don’t know again? Pretending ignorance? Didn’t I just say—pay me back with money? You’re good at earning. Tell me how you earn.”

Ma Wu accepted the pill and seriously explained his methods of making money to Li Banfeng:

“How fast you earn depends on two things: capital and risk. To turn one into a hundred is extremely hard. To turn a hundred into ten thousand is much easier.”

Li Banfeng said: “What if I want to turn a million into ten million?”

Ma Wu thought for a moment: “The fastest way is to hunt in Xin Di. Risky, but not too extreme. There’s a thirty percent chance you lose half, a twenty percent chance you lose everything, a fifty percent chance you profit, a twenty percent chance you earn over ten million, and the remaining thirty percent? Uncertain.”

Li Banfeng nodded: “I’ll get you a million first. Let’s get started.”

Ma Wu grabbed Li Banfeng’s arm: “Brother Li, I just told you—I’m being watched. Anyone with money gets robbed.”

Li Banfeng frowned: “How can people do this? Robbery is wrong! Next time you introduce me to him—I’m a righteous man, I’ll give him a proper scolding.”

Ma Wu didn’t understand: “Brother Li, I warn you—the people who come for me are never the same. Impossible to guard against.”

Never the same?

Li Banfeng frowned: “Do you know them?”

“No.”

“If you don’t know them, how do they recognize you and find you?”

Ma Wu couldn’t figure it out.

As Li Banfeng pondered a solution, someone knocked. He opened the door—it was Wei the Landlord.

“Gentlemen, excuse the intrusion. Here’s two months’ rent—five thousand cash. Please take it.”

Li Banfeng blinked: “What does this mean? Are you kicking us out?”

Wei the Landlord shook his head, pointing to his bandaged face: “I’m not kicking you out. Stay as long as you like. This rent is my repayment.”

He had just seen Ma Wu help him.

“Tomorrow night, I’m facing Yu Mazhi in the Wild Grounds. If I survive, I’m lucky—I’ll never charge you rent again, not even if you stay a hundred years. If I don’t survive, I’ll cross the bridge. Then I can’t help you with lodging.”

With that, Wei the Landlord took his leave. Ma Wu chuckled bitterly: “This is Lanyang Village—even finding a stable place to live is hard.”

Li Banfeng asked: “What did he mean by ‘dui pan,’ ‘hun tian chang,’ and ‘guo qiao’?”

Ma Wu explained: “‘Dui pan’ means duel. ‘Wild Grounds Dui Pan’ means fighting on the land in Lanyang Village that’s been torn down but not rebuilt.”

“It’s Lanyang Village’s custom—any dispute, big or small, can be settled by duel.”

“Small matters are settled on the street, with neighbors as witnesses—the winner decides. Later, they might deny it anyway.”

“Big matters go to the Wild Grounds, with the Song family as witnesses—the winner decides. If they later deny it, the Song family enforces justice.”

“The Song family?” Li Banfeng blinked. “Who are they?”

Ma Wu said: “The Song family are the bosses of Lanyang Village. Even if you set up a stall selling fried dough sticks, you need Song family permission. Even if you earn one cash a day, half goes to them.”

“In Wild Grounds duels, the Song family witnesses. If fought by day, it’s Qing Tian Chang—fight until one surrenders. If fought at night, it’s Hun Tian Chang—fight until one is dead.”

“Wei the Landlord and Yu Mazhi chose Hun Tian Chang—they’re fighting to the death. If Wei dies tomorrow, his house becomes Yu Mazhi’s. We’ll have to move out quickly.”

Li Banfeng exclaimed: “Then we must go watch—who will win?”

Ma Wu shook his head: “Tomorrow, all the idle people in the village will go to the Wild Grounds. You shouldn’t go—avoid crowded places. I must go—I’ll find some men to bring back.”

“We need to hunt in Xin Di three times. The first time needs many hands—and we need plenty of stinking fish: as bait and as a distraction. Making money isn’t hard—it’s fooling the Song family’s eyes that’s hard.”

“Can we skip the stinking fish?” Li Banfeng hated fish smell, especially rotten fish.

Ma Wu looked at Li Banfeng sincerely: “We’re doing something big. A little hardship is necessary.”

That night, Li Banfeng went out again to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

Ma Wu took the pill and slept until the next evening.

After sleeping a full day and night, Ma Wu looked much better. He went to the Wild Grounds to watch the duel.

Li Banfeng stayed in the village, buying supplies for the hunt.

At one a.m., Ma Wu returned with good news and ten young men.

The good news: Wei the Landlord won the Wild Grounds duel—Li Banfeng and Ma Wu didn’t have to move.

The ten young men were their helpers for the Xin Di hunt.

Ma Wu brought out paper and ink and signed death contracts with several of them: “I’m a straightforward man. If you work with me, you’ll get paid. But if anyone flees or talks too much, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

PS: Dear readers, I’ll tell you secretly—they’re going to Xin Di to hunt peaches. Peaches, no less!

PS: Dear readers, I’ll tell you a secret—they’ve gone to the new land to hunt for peaches, and these are peaches!

(End of chapter)