[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-16":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Proles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290314,4478,"Chapter 16: All Cultivators Under Heaven","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-16",16,"\u003Cp>Farming cultivators, Joy cultivators, Eating cultivators, Travel cultivators, Home cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had never heard these terms before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was forced to make a choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu set Li Banfeng down, leaning him against a tree in a half-reclining position: “He can’t move now. Give him a bowl of Soul-Returning Soup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give?” The peddler shook his head. “I don’t give things away for free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu patted his suit inner pocket: “I’ll pay for the soup. I didn’t bring much cash today—I’ll owe you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler took a sand pot from the bottom shelf of his wooden cabinet, added herbs, mixed in water, set up charcoal, and began simmering the broth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Monkey Qiu, what’s your connection to this kid? Why are you so kind to him?” The peddler took a fan and slowly fanned the charcoal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He gave me food,” Monkey Qiu replied simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler asked again: “Who pays for the entry powder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu said: “I paid. He can choose any path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Monkey Qiu pulled from his pocket a left hand—half-eaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng suddenly understood: this man named Monkey Qiu was the one who had asked him for food on the train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, the man’s voice had been extremely low; Li Banfeng couldn’t distinguish his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had given him two packs of instant noodles, never imagining this man would save his life for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got any medicine? Help me reattach my hand,” Monkey Qiu handed his left hand to the peddler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler glanced at the hand’s condition and hesitated: “Isn’t that divine physician from Medicine King Gully your acquaintance? Go to him—he’s skilled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu had originally planned to seek out that physician, but since he’d met the peddler, he didn’t want to owe the physician another favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Favors are hard to repay; the peddler’s prices were straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu smiled: “Since we’re here, I’ll go with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your hand’s already like this, and you still insist on me!” The peddler grumbled, rummaging through his cabinet for ointments: “How much ointment will this take? Next time, tell your wife: chew some meat to fill your belly—don’t eat the tendons too…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng lay half-reclined under the tree, watching the peddler pull out several patches of ointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu pulled his left hand from his pant pocket for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately—he had no left hand. What he held in his pocket was only a bare, severed left wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Align it yourself!” The peddler placed the ointment patches over the fire to warm. Monkey Qiu, with his right hand, held the severed left hand, lining up the stumps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once warmed, the peddler stepped forward, wrapping several layers of ointment patches around the severed wrist—like sticking tape to glue the hand back on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stuck on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will this even work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Banfeng had witnessed many unbelievable things on his journey, this method of reattaching a hand struck him as absurdly childish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To glue a hand back, you’d at least need some saliva!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Li Banfeng anxious about his own condition—he could now breathe four or five times a minute, and his heart beat only twenty-some times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—Monkey Qiu’s little finger just twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I imagine that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, I didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the little finger—Monkey Qiu’s five fingers, including the ring finger reduced to bone, were all moving slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s actually reattached!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just reattached—don’t move it yet!” The peddler warned, then brought more medicinal powder, applying it to Monkey Qiu’s left hand, and tightly bandaged it with gauze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No water for ten days. Don’t remove the ointment for a month. Next month when we meet, bring the money—we’ll settle the debt!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey Qiu nodded, got into the rickshaw, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s gone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do I do now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng watched the peddler nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler checked the fire, picked up a cloth, padded his hand, lifted the sand pot off the charcoal, and poured the decoction into a bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young brother, take your medicine.” The peddler inserted a funnel into Li Banfeng’s mouth, held it steady with one hand, and poured the broth in with the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A warm current surged through Li Banfeng’s stomach; his eyelids grew heavy, and soon he fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour later, Li Banfeng opened his eyes—his body could now move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler was busy with business; a young man, eighteen or nineteen, was buying medicinal powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man stood about one meter seventy tall, weighed around seventy-five kilograms, and had a round face matching his round body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted his small eyes and made his choice with solemn expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eating cultivator! I choose it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” The peddler waved his hand, opened a drawer on the upper shelf of his cabinet, scooped a small amount of powder with a delicate wooden spoon, wrapped it in cowhide paper, and handed it to the chubby youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth handed the peddler sixty thousand Huan currency notes, opened the packet, and was about to swallow the powder when the peddler shouted: “Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth glared: “What now? I paid! Are you trying to hike the price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler sized up the chubby youth but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him stood a well-dressed man, also buying powder, who chuckled: “You really don’t know anything. The peddler is saving your life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man looked twenty-something, wore a top hat, a suit, vest, and tie, was handsome and striking, and was followed by five attendants and a driver—clearly of high status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth turned: “I paid! Why can’t I take the medicine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man looked down at him with disdain: “Can you eat this? This is a guiding agent crafted by countless ancestors with immense effort—its potency is extreme. If you swallow it, you’ll rupture your intestines!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler tidied his cabinet: “This powder is for external application—not ingestion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth froze: “Where do I apply it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler said: “Anywhere on the skin—it doesn’t matter. Wherever’s convenient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The well-dressed man added: “Choose a fleshy spot—this medicine hurts terribly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw a sister who applied it to her fat buttocks—her fat was over a foot thick, yet she still couldn’t walk from the pain!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pain? I’m not afraid!” The chubby youth pulled up his shirt, revealing his pale belly, and said to the peddler: “Apply this—it’ll make me a first-level Eating cultivator, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler shook his head: “You misunderstand again. This powder only gets you in—it won’t raise your level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth snapped: “So this expensive medicine doesn’t even get me to level one? That’s fraud!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler closed the drawer, unwilling to explain further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man grew impatient: “If you don’t understand, ask someone who does—don’t embarrass yourself here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is entry powder. Advancing to higher levels isn’t easy. To reach level one, you must pass a trial.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth looked confused: “What trial?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man couldn’t recall clearly: “Eating cultivators… need to eat more meals…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler said: “To reach level one as an Eating cultivator, you must consume twenty catties of food in one sitting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty catties…” The chubby youth tensed. “How long is one sitting? Does eating all day count?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler shook his head: “What are you thinking? One sitting means one hour. After an hour, it doesn’t count.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the chubby youth was stumped—how could anyone eat twenty catties in one hour?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the chubby youth silent for a long time, the peddler waved his hand—the sixty thousand notes reappeared in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you regret it now, it’s not too late. I’ll refund you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chubby youth gritted his teeth and slapped the powder onto his belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powder vanished instantly upon contact with skin; the chubby youth’s face turned blue, he staggered to the tree, and collapsed beside Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It hurts! It really fucking hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How bad is it?” Li Banfeng asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worse than fire! I can’t take it!” The chubby youth’s skin trembled from pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man watched the suffering youth, his expression complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since pain is inevitable anyway—let’s get it over with!” The wealthy man stepped forward to the peddler. “I want Joy cultivator powder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler studied the wealthy man: “You don’t seem short on money. Why choose the Joy path?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man said: “This path suits me best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler smiled: “Why not choose Home cultivator? Lie at home and cultivate quietly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man shook his head: “I can’t sit still. Enough said—I want Joy cultivator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler warned: “I’ll remind you: to reach the next level as a Joy cultivator, you must complete ten sessions daily, without interruption, for two full months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten sessions a day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared in shock!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of activity was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the kind I’m thinking of, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten times a day, for two months!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wealthy young master is truly formidable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand the rules!” The wealthy man ordered his attendant to bring fifty thousand Huan notes, handed them to the peddler, who accepted the money and wrapped a packet of powder for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One attendant whispered: “Young master, apply it to your buttocks—it really hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man snorted: “Do you think I’m the type to strip down in front of all these people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man unbuttoned his collar and slapped the powder onto his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the powder entered his skin, the wealthy man’s legs buckled and he nearly fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several servants behind him rushed forward to support him, but the wealthy man waved them off: “No need—you all stay back. I can stand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He staggered over to the tree and sat down beside Li Banfeng. Sweat poured from him, but he gritted his teeth and stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was truly baffled: “Two friends, if this medicine is so painful, why not wait until you get home to apply it? At least then someone could look after you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Fatty had recovered somewhat, and seeing someone even more clueless than himself, his sense of superiority surged—he couldn’t help laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know anything, do you? This is the peddler’s rule:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you buy a beginner's medicine from a peddler, you must use it right before his eyes. If nothing unusual happens within half an hour, you may leave. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, the peddler bears no responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man glanced at Li Banfeng’s clothing and, through the pain, asked: “Friend, your clothes—they don’t look like they’re from around here, do they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Fatty looked equally puzzled: “Did you just get off the train? I heard people say anyone who gets off that train has been to the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man shook his head: “Not the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm—it’s someone from Waizhou. I’ve never been there myself, but someone in my family has.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My surname is Ma; I’m the fifth son at home. My acquaintances call me Ma Wu. What should I call you two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This young master came from a wealthy family, yet had no airs about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Fatty bowed and said: “My surname is Qin; I’m the ninth son at home. Everyone calls me Qin Xiaopang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does that have to do with being the ninth son?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng said: “My surname is Li; I’m the seventh son at home. Everyone calls me Li Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five, Seven, Nine?” Ma Wu paused, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang grinned: “Consecutive odd numbers—that’s fate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was precisely this sense of fate that made Ma Wu initiate further conversation: “Brother Li, which path have you chosen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Path?” Li Banfeng didn’t quite understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu blinked, then understood Li Banfeng’s confusion: “I remember—in Waizhou, they don’t call the cultivation path a ‘Dao Gate.’ They call it a ‘profession.’ And they don’t call cultivators ‘cultivators’—they call them ‘Dark Energy Users.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark Energy Users!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had heard this term before—the men hunting him from the Dark Star Bureau were all Dark Energy Users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That big-eyed man who oozed oil—what was his profession?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably a Food Cultivator?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must’ve eaten a ton of oil beforehand, so his body oozes it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing was probably a Dark Energy User too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He can monitor from afar—what’s his profession?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this “beginner’s” means becoming a Dark Energy User.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peddler here is selling potions to become a Dark Energy User.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t just sell medicine—he sells daily necessities too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man came to buy candles from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child came to buy rock candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman brought her own porcelain jar to buy face cream; she gave him a silver dollar. The peddler checked it, confirmed it was genuine, and scooped out a full large spoonful for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the peddler was busy with customers, Ma Wu asked again: “Brother Li, which profession have you chosen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng shook his head: “I haven’t decided yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu took the water flask from his servant, took a sip, and as the pain eased slightly, he advised Li Banfeng:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you haven’t decided, don’t rush. The peddler only brought five powders. If none suit you, wait for next time. Once you choose a path, there’s no medicine to undo it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was even more surprised: “Farm Cultivator, Joy Cultivator, Food Cultivator, Travel Cultivator, Home Cultivator—besides these five Dao Gates, are there other choices?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course!” Qin Xiaopang’s expression brightened slightly. “Literary Cultivator, Martial Cultivator, Poison Cultivator, Medicine Cultivator, Spy Cultivator, Mind Cultivator, Insect Cultivator, Herb Cultivator, Smoke Cultivator, Wine Cultivator, Emotion Cultivator, Sleep Cultivator… A hundred paths in the world, ten thousand cultivators!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to Bai Shun—Bai Shun County’s glory remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three chapters today—another one at midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2276,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","91a98d9f9924d44433e9586ad23e82a789cd9377bc393fe68d6625f5448dc54d","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-17","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-15",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]