Chapter 132: Jin Xiu

Liu Liangyi resolved to seek revenge on Ma Wu, but he did not act immediately.

Unlike Liu Changyu, Liu Liangyi would consider every detail before striking.

First, the strike must succeed; Yan Xiu leave heavy traces, easily exposing evidence—so to erase all traces, no living witness could be left alive.

This was not difficult for Liu Liangyi; he had sixty ghost servants, and if he blocked Ma Wu and surrounded him front and back, not a single soul would escape.

Second, he must guard against techniques and magic treasures.

Ghost servants could shift between solid and ethereal forms, giving them an advantage in battle, yet they were vulnerable to certain Daoist techniques.

Huan Xiu possessed some techniques capable of suppressing dead souls, but at least third-layer mastery was required.

Did Ma Wu have third-layer cultivation?

Liu Liangyi was unsure.

According to Liu Liangyi’s estimation, Ma Wu’s cultivation could not be low if he had killed Song Jiasen.

Besides techniques, there were magic treasures that suppressed dead souls.

Did Ma Wu possess such a treasure?

He once had one.

He owned a dog-skin coat, filthy and greasy, worn like a beggar’s rags.

As long as he wore it, any ordinary dead soul that touched him would instantly disintegrate.

Now that Ma Wu had been cast out of his family, did he still have that coat?

Liu Liangyi dared not gamble; if the coat still clung to Ma Wu, his ghost servants would not only fail to kill him but suffer heavy losses.

These sixty ghost servants were forged over years of painstaking effort; losing one meant Liu Family lost a fraction of its strength—failing to kill Ma Wu while wiping out his ghost servants was a loss Liu Liangyi could not bear.

To ensure absolute safety, Liu Liangyi decided to deploy paper dolls.

Ghost servants could inhabit paper dolls, avoiding direct contact with Ma Wu; even if the paper doll was destroyed, the ghost servant could retreat safely and possess another.

With ghost servants moving between paper dolls, Ma Wu could not target any single technique, and eventually, Liu Liangyi could simply wear him down.

The method was sound, but difficult to execute.

Liu Liangyi had not used paper dolls in many years; one ghost servant could control at most five paper dolls, so sixty could control three hundred—equivalent to commanding a small army with his own cultivation. At his age, Liu Liangyi felt his strength waning.

After careful thought, he decided to use forty ghost servants to control two hundred paper dolls, keeping the remaining twenty close to guard his own safety.

Third, secrecy must be guaranteed.

Deploying so many paper dolls could not attract attention.

Not only must Ma Wu’s people remain unaware, but not even his own allies could learn a whisper.

Could Liu Liangyi trust his own people?

No.

He did not even trust his closest accountant, Hu Jun.

Having roamed the green woods for decades, he trusted no one but himself.

He decided to travel alone to Lanyang Village, but not yet for two days.

Because he had heard someone was coming near Lanyang Village.

If that person appeared, it was best not to stir trouble—otherwise, great trouble would follow.

…

Ding le guang dang, ding le guang dang!

“Foreign soap, snow cream, foreign matches, candles, iron shovels—come look, come see! A cart full of fine goods, pick your pick!”

The peddler pulled his cart to the roadside and had barely shouted twice when Li Banfeng arrived with three others.

Having heard the peddler was coming these days, Li Banfeng had kept men watching—finally, he had caught him.

Li Banfeng was a longtime customer; even with his hat and thick beard, the peddler recognized him.

Seeing his old customer, the peddler pushed his cart to leave—he did not wish to do business with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng stepped forward and blocked him: “I want medicine—entry-level medicine!”

The peddler stared at Li Banfeng for a moment: “You want entry-level medicine? You dare buy entry-level medicine?”

He had already entered two doors—buying more medicine now would be suicide.

Li Banfeng shook his head: “I’m not buying medicine—I’m buying it for my two brothers.”

Behind him stood Ma Wu, along with Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi—both road construction workers, utterly loyal to Ma Wu, who had previously saved money to buy medicinal soups, accumulating Dao affinity, their foundations decent enough to bring them for entry.

Ma Wu smiled: “Please take a look—what powders do you have today?”

The peddler gave Li Banfeng a look of disdain, then turned to Ma Wu: “You just want entry? Bring these two—no need to bring him.”

Li Banfeng frowned: “I’m here to buy too. You’re selling—how can you pick customers?”

“You’re the one who came out to sell!” the peddler spat at Li Banfeng, then turned to Xiao Chuan and Xiao Genzi: “Today I brought plenty of powders—what Dao path do you two want?”

Xiao Chuan hesitated; Li Banfeng offered advice: “Choose Huan Xiu with your young master—it’ll be easier to cultivate together.”

Xiao Chuan shook his head: “I think that path has no future.”

Ma Wu kicked Xiao Chuan: “Who the hell are you calling useless?”

Xiao Chuan told the peddler: “Actually, I want to cultivate Wen Xiu.”

The peddler smiled: “Good choice. Do you like reading?”

Xiao Chuan answered seriously: “I like reading—but I can’t read.”

The peddler frowned: “If you can’t read, what’s the point of Wen Xiu?”

Xiao Chuan lowered his head: “I just want to learn how to read.”

Ma Wu said to the peddler: “Give him Wen Xiu powder—I’ll teach him to read.”

The peddler shook his head: “Nonsense. Do you think learning to read is easy? How many years did you spend learning? Don’t you know?”

After entering Wen Xiu, you must read one book daily—he can’t read, so what will he read? If he fails daily cultivation, he’ll just wait to die.”

Xiao Chuan looked miserable: “I just don’t want to be blind.”

The peddler waved his hand: “Then go learn to read—come back when you can.”

Xiao Chuan felt even more wronged: “I can operate a road roller—I’m not useless.”

The peddler chuckled: “Who said you’re useless? You don’t need Wen Xiu to have a future. You operate road rollers—can you repair them?”

Xiao Chuan nodded: “I can repair them!”

The peddler put on gloves, picked up a shovel, scooped a spoonful of powder, and said to Xiao Chuan: “This is Gong Xiu powder—specialized in mastering crafts. The more techniques you learn, the more refined you become, and the faster your cultivation grows.”

Xiao Chuan exclaimed excitedly: “What’s a craft technique?”

“Craft techniques are…” the peddler paused, struggling to explain, “like repairing road rollers, trains, airplanes, mechanisms, traps… from bamboo baskets and clay pots to skyscrapers—all are craft techniques. It’s about how much you can master!”

Xiao Chuan nodded: “I can do this!”

“You can, but the powder isn’t cheap—Gong Xiu costs 110,000, no bargaining.”

Hearing the price, Xiao Chuan nervously looked at Ma Wu.

Ma Wu immediately pulled out 110,000, handed it to the peddler, and took the powder in return.

The peddler warned: “Once you take Gong Xiu, you must learn to read—otherwise, you’ll hit a wall.”

Xiao Chuan agreed, took the silvery powder smelling of iron, endured the searing pain, and slapped it onto his belly—successfully entering the path.

Xiao Genzi also wanted Gong Xiu.

But he thought 110,000 was too high.

Ma Wu was closer to Xiao Chuan; Xiao Genzi was not so favored—he feared the young master wouldn’t pay for him.

Seeing the peddler focused on Xiao Chuan, Xiao Genzi slipped quietly to the peddler’s cart.

The drawer from which the peddler had taken the powder was still open; Xiao Genzi slipped on gloves, grabbed a handful of powder, and rubbed it onto himself.

The peddler turned suddenly and stared at Xiao Genzi: “What are you doing?”

Xiao Genzi, gritting his teeth, shook his head: “Nothing.”

The peddler roared: “You stole my powder!”

Xiao Genzi still shook his head: “No, no.”

Ma Wu grew angry: “Genzi, if you took it, admit it! I’ll pay—don’t do something shameful!”

Xiao Genzi lowered his head, silent.

The peddler studied Xiao Genzi’s face: “What powder did you just take?”

Xiao Genzi pointed at Xiao Chuan: “Mine was from the same drawer as his.”

The peddler shook his head: “Powder from the same drawer isn’t necessarily the same type—look, is it this color?”

The peddler scooped another spoonful from the same drawer—the powder inside was golden, brighter than the golden powder of Zhai Xiu.

Everyone stared in shock—moments ago, the powder from that drawer had been silver—how had it turned gold?

Xiao Genzi had been too eager to steal and hadn’t noticed the color.

He opened his palm—gold powder still clung to his gloves.

The powder he’d taken was truly golden!

The peddler smiled: “Young man, you’re lucky—this powder is cheap, only one hundred yuan.”

Xiao Genzi’s eyes lit up: “One hundred yuan?”

Perfect—he wouldn’t need the young master to pay; he could afford it himself!

The peddler nodded: “One hundred yuan is enough—and I’ll throw in a gift.”

He pulled two slender buckets from the cart, each about one foot two inches tall, with a diameter of roughly two fists.

Xiao Genzi asked in surprise: “What are these buckets for?”

“Not in a hurry, not in a hurry—there’s still more to give.” The peddler handed Xiao Genzi another spoon, its handle nearly a meter long.

“You must use this bucket together with this spoon.”

Xiao Genzi held the spoon and asked, puzzled: “Why do they have to be used together?”

The peddler explained: “That bucket is a golden bucket; that spoon is a golden spoon—they’re for scooping up golden broth.”

Xiao Genzi looked again at the spoon in his hand and felt a bad premonition: “What is golden broth?”

“The golden broth in the latrine!”

“That’s just feces!”

“You chose Jin Xiu—you naturally have to scoop golden broth!”

“This isn’t Jin Xiu at all—it’s Feces Xiu!” Xiao Genzi burst into tears. “I won’t do it! I won’t choose this path!”

The peddler shook his head and sighed: “You’ve already chosen your Dao gate—there’s no remedy for regret.”

Xiao Genzi wailed: “I’d rather give up my life than choose this path!”

The peddler sighed: “Think positively. Among all Dao gates, they generate and restrain each other, mutually constrained—

Poison Xiu opposes Medicine Xiu, Water Xiu opposes Fire Xiu, Dwelling Xiu opposes Travel Xiu, Joy Xiu opposes Suffering Xiu. But your path is unique: you dominate others, and no one can dominate you.

Travel Xiu flee at the sight of you; Literary Xiu cover their noses; Dwelling Xiu shut their doors; Food Xiu feel nauseated; Wu Xiu retreat three steps; Joy Xiu grow weak in body and spirit.

Even spirits fear filth—so much so that even the Nightmare Cultivator’s ghost servants dare not act boldly before you. If you perfect this path, you will be unstoppable!

Xiao Genzi wailed: “I won’t cultivate this! I won’t!”

“Cheer up, cheer up—you’ve already entered. From now on, you must carry this feces bucket. Before ascending a level, you must carry it five hours daily, never empty—it must contain cargo. You must replace it daily; the more frequently you replace it, the faster you ascend.

Once you ascend, you must carry it eight hours daily. After reaching the second level, one bucket won’t be enough—you’ll need two. Then come back to me to buy a third, preparing for the third level.

Even if you never intend to ascend, you must carry it at least two hours daily, and replace the golden broth at least every two days.

I’ve shown you the path. How you walk it is up to you.”

Xiao Genzi sat on the ground wailing as the peddler continued hawking his wares.

Ma Wu walked up to the peddler and asked: “I’d like to buy some tonic.”

“Joy Xiu tonic?” The peddler smiled. “Of course. Do you want decoction, powder, or pills?

Decoction acts slowly, powder doesn’t last, pills are highly toxic—choose for yourself.”

Ma Wu bought the decoction. The peddler gave no recipe—only wrapped packets: one dose per day. He warned Ma Wu: once opened, it loses its potency.

After buying over a hundred packets to ensure he’d have enough until the peddler returned, Ma Wu felt satisfied and began planning his next cultivation stage.

Li Banfeng also inquired about tonics.

“Do you have anything that can neutralize pill toxicity?”

The peddler shook his head. “No.”

“Really none?”

“If I had such a thing, would I be pushing this cart around?

Each pill has its own toxicity. There’s no perfect remedy—either endure it with your body’s strength, or wait it out over time. There are no shortcuts here.”

Having found no way to neutralize pill toxicity, Li Banfeng turned to another question: “Where is the Peddler Dao?”

The peddler stared at Li Banfeng, unsure how to respond: “Do you have no sense of propriety? I am the peddler—why are you asking me where the Peddler Dao is? That’s my secret. Would I tell you?”

Li Banfeng spoke sincerely: “I’ll pay.”

The peddler flew into a rage: “Is this about money? This is my livelihood! Would I casually reveal it to anyone? You ask so crudely—do you respect me?”

Li Banfeng shrugged: “So you absolutely won’t tell me?”

The peddler shook his head: “Not exactly. If you join my Dao gate and reach a certain level, I might tell you something about the Peddler Dao.”

The peddler has another Dao gate?

That was news to him.

Should he try joining it?

Li Banfeng had already entered two Dao gates.

He paused, then asked: “What if I joined another Dao gate now?”

“You’ll die,” the peddler replied bluntly.

“Then forget it.”

With no hope of learning about the Peddler Dao, Li Banfeng asked a more direct question: “Do you sell road passes?”

The peddler was speechless: “Do you think I’d sell such a vulgar thing? No!”

Li Banfeng snorted: “You have nothing? How dare you even come out to do business!”

The peddler wanted to beat Li Banfeng, but with so many witnesses, he feared damaging his reputation and held back.

Ma Wu and Xiao Chuan had both bought what they wanted.

As for Xiao Genzi, at least he had entered a path.

It was rare for the peddler to appear—Li Banfeng had gotten nothing, and he refused to accept it.

“I’ll take that iron bucket. Two bottles of snow cream, two bars of scented soap, that rice spoon, that pot, cosmetics too, and a few hairpins.”

“You’re a man—why buy so much makeup and hairpins?” the peddler was baffled.

“Mind your own business—I’m paying,” Li Banfeng said, glancing at the red lanterns stuck on the peddler’s cart: “I’ll take that one too.”

The peddler waved his hand: “I can’t sell you that lantern. I told you before—it was a gift from a friend. No amount of money will make me sell it.”

The lantern was not for sale.

“What about that feather duster?”

“That feather duster is for sweeping dust!”

“A hundred coins—will you sell it?”

“No!”

“A thousand!”

“No!”

“Ten thousand!”

The peddler frowned: “Why do you insist on buying this feather duster?”

Li Banfeng said nothing.

He felt the feather duster was speaking.

He couldn’t make out what it said.

He listened with his thread-earring—and it seemed to say: “Have pity on me. Give me something to eat.”

The peddler looked at Li Banfeng, then at the earring clenched tightly in his hand, and his brow furrowed slightly.

PS: Li Banfeng had heard a sound he shouldn’t have heard.

Thank you, Nya-ko, for initiating this character summon. Thank you, reader 20180905205521924—your hint revealed to me an incredibly powerful cultivation path.

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(End of Chapter)