Chapter 184: Joyful Village

The rice server held a glowing iron skewer, staring at Chu Er: "That bearded man isn't a cultivator at all—if he isn't a cultivator, why did he come to Kucaizhuang?"

During the daytime fight, the rice server had noticed Li Banfeng's cultivation base was unusual; he didn't know Li Banfeng's purpose for coming to Kucaizhuang, but that fight had severely shaken his standing here.

Though he was just a rice server, he cherished his position deeply—he held considerable power in Kucaizhuang, responsible not only for serving food but also for grain distribution.

"Just tell me his name—that's all I want to know." The rice server advanced with the skewer, and Chu Er's body trembled uncontrollably.

To say she wasn't afraid was a lie.

Chu Er bit her lip, eyes bloodshot, screaming: "Come on! Come at me! Burn me here! See if I'm scared! If you don't dare, you're a bastard born of trash!"

Those around her were stunned.

How could this woman be so insane?

She's a second-floor cultivator—but if they really sear her…

It's just her name they're asking—why won't she say it?

Chu Er didn't understand Li Qi.

The only thing she knew was that Li Qi didn't want anyone to know him.

"Little girl, you've got guts. I've got over a dozen skewers—I'll take my time with you."

"I'm warning you—if your honor gets ruined, you won't even count as a woman anymore."

"That's fine. Cultivators shouldn't have so many thoughts. If you're truly this stubborn, don't scream later!"

Sizzle!

Chu Er didn't scream.

The rice server screamed.

"AHHHH!!!"

He screamed loudly.

The iron skewer in the rice server's hand was kicked by Li Banfeng, slamming straight into his face.

The searing iron burned from his brow to his mouth.

These men had come to ambush Li Banfeng; seeing him appear suddenly and scorch the rice server, the cultivators all turned and fled, scrambling back into Baishiguan.

Only the rice server remained, knocked flat by Li Banfeng's two kicks.

Li Banfeng stepped on the rice server's chest, holding the skewer, asking calmly: "You just said 'ruin the honor'—what is honor?"

The rice server's voice trembled: "Honor… it's just honor…"

Chu Er spat: "Honor is something on your body."

"Something on your body?" Li Banfeng stared at the rice server for a long moment. "Where's your honor?"

The rice server didn't know how to answer.

Chu Er whispered: "He doesn't have an honor…"

Li Banfeng didn't understand: "You said honor is something on the body—why doesn't he have one?"

"He's a man. Men don't have honor…" Chu Er's voice grew even quieter, so soft she could barely hear herself.

"Men don't have honor?"

This was possible?

Li Banfeng was deeply shocked by this answer!

"It just doesn't exist…" Chu Er didn't even know what she was saying anymore.

"Really doesn't exist?" Li Banfeng looked at the man on the ground.

"No! Really doesn't!" The man shook his head frantically.

Li Banfeng raised the skewer: "Then let me open one for you—how about that?"

Chu Er froze in horror.

The rice server begged for mercy.

Sizzling, thick smoke rose.

The rice server's wails were deafening.

Ku Po Po watched from afar, making no move to stop him.

As long as no one died, she wouldn't interfere with suffering.

Cultivation.

This counts as cultivation.

…

The honor was opened. The rice server didn't die—he slept peacefully.

Li Banfeng muttered to himself: "Should I start calling him Auntie now?"

Chu Er was still hanging from the wooden post, looking down at Li Banfeng: "Did you come to save me?"

Li Banfeng didn't know how to answer.

He hadn't come to save Chu Er—he'd come to cause trouble at Baishiguan.

But Chu Er had just held firm, preferring to destroy her honor rather than reveal Li Banfeng's name—this changed his impression of her slightly.

I'll deceive her once.

"Yes." Li Banfeng looked at Chu Er and nodded seriously.

After speaking, he pulled down his hat brim and turned away.

Yes.

He came to save me.

That one word carried immense weight for Chu Er.

Someone in this world still cared about her.

Watching Li Banfeng's retreating back, Chu Er whispered through tears: "You came to save me—why didn't you take me down?"

Chu Er was still hanging.

Li Banfeng hurried back and untied her from the post.

Forgot. I completely forgot.

As he undid the ropes, Li Banfeng couldn't help asking: "Do you have an honor?"

"Yes." Chu Er whispered.

"Really?"

"What woman doesn't?!" Chu Er could no longer bear it.

Li Banfeng thought of the pendulum and earrings, then shook his head: "Not necessarily."

Honglian and the wine gourd probably had them.

The wife has a door—the cabinet door of the machine box—does that count?

Chu Er wiped the blood from her face and said to Li Banfeng: "When we get back to Lüshuicheng, I'll take you to a hospital…"

"Rest here for now. I'll go get them to bathe." Li Banfeng walked toward Baishiguan.

He stroked the teapot and murmured: "Brother, you know the water temperature I want."

"Young brother, you're pushing it this hard—Ku Po Po won't let you off easy."

Let her not forgive me—that's fine. She won't kill me. As long as she kicks me out of Kucaizhuang, anywhere's better than here.

Li Banfeng leapt onto the roof. Soon, muffled wails rose from inside the building.

Ku Po Po, where are you?

Aren't you the one who forbids people in the village to bathe?

I broke the rules again—hurry up and kick me out!

…

That night, Ku Po Po didn't come.

At dawn the next day, when breakfast time came, everyone held their bowls, waiting expectantly.

The former rice server couldn't cook anymore—he was now an Auntie, still recovering on a straw mat.

He couldn't cook, but Li Banfeng could.

Chu Er chopped wood, lit the fire, fetched water, washed the rice—Li Banfeng managed the heat.

Today's breakfast was porridge, still with bitter greens—but no sand in the porridge.

Baishiguan had no shortage of grain; for lunch, everyone ate full bowls of rice until satisfied.

At night, it was porridge again—but this time, there was meat. Li Banfeng took out ten cans, emptied them into the porridge.

This meal was delicious. The cultivators, whose faces had always been green with bitter greens, showed their first hint of color.

Ku Po Po stood outside Baishiguan, her eyelid twitching.

You think this will make me let you go?

How far will you push this madness?

There's worse to come.

Deep in the night, Li Banfeng asked the wine gourd: "What's the strongest liquor in the world?"

"Young brother, that's hard to say—how strong do you want it?"

"Can one jin of liquor knock out sixty men?"

"Yes." The wine gourd answered with confidence.

"Don't make the taste too heavy."

I can make them taste no alcohol at all.

Li Banfeng smiled: "We'll have porridge again tomorrow morning."

…

The next morning, Baishi Hall served porridge.

After swallowing two bowls of porridge, a woman suddenly burst into tears: "If I hadn't been tricked by that man, I'd never have come to this place."

This woman was Qian Jiafeng. Her family had once been well-off, just like Yanzi—she too had been betrayed by a faithless man, left with nothing but despair, and became a cultivator.

A man sat beside Qian Jiafeng and asked softly: "What kind of man was he?"

This man was Ou Haidong. In Kucai Zhuang, his dwelling was near hers; they often looked out for each other, but according to Kucai Zhuang's rules, no one asked about each other's past, so he knew little of Qian Jiafeng's history.

Qian Jiafeng sniffled: "He's the most shameless man on earth. He came to my home as a tutor, used his two or three poems to deceive me—"

When my father found out, he threw me out. I still wanted to live with him, but he immediately found someone else."

Ou Haidong sighed: "Stop crying. It's not worth shedding tears for a man like him."

He wanted to embrace Qian Jiafeng, but a middle-aged woman came over with a bowl of porridge: "Let me tell you, not a single man is good—they're all heartless and cruel!"

With that, she tipped her bowl and drained it in one gulp!

A middle-aged man nearby leaned in, blushing: "That's not fair—I'm a decent man."

"Pah!" The woman spat. "Stay away from me. I don't trust any of you men!"

"I'm a man," the porridge-serving uncle said, sipping his porridge while crying, "I really am a man!"

Another man chuckled: "They say you've got a door—show me. I've never seen one."

Throughout Baishi Hall, cries and laughter merged into one.

Ku Po stood before Baishi Hall, her eyelid twitching again.

Fine. Let's see how far you'll go mad.

…

After three days of free porridge, everyone returned home.

That night, Li Banfeng and Chu Er didn't go home—they followed Qian Jiafeng to her dwelling.

Li Banfeng lowered his voice: "Are you sure there's something between them?"

Chu Er nodded: "Last time I came to Kucai Zhuang, they kept exchanging glances—but neither dared break the window paper."

Li Banfeng looked at Chu Er with disdain: "You never went to school, did you? Window paper isn't 'broken'—it's poked through!"

Chu Er blinked for a moment: "Are you talking about the window or the door?"

…

The two waited a short while, then Ou Haidong arrived.

Chu Er had predicted he'd come: "Every time the porridge ends, he comes to Qian Jiafeng's place to help tidy up."

Li Banfeng glanced at Chu Er: "Why did you come to Kucai Zhuang—to cultivate or to watch spectacles?"

Chu Er lowered her head: "I just happened to…"

The Chu Er in Kucai Zhuang was a different person from the one in Lüshui City. Li Banfeng didn't know which was her true nature.

Soon, the room was tidied. Qian Jiafeng offered Ou Haidong tea. He was a proper gentleman—he drank one cup, then rose to leave.

Qian Jiafeng saw him to the door, then suddenly spotted a woman standing outside, her face scarred and expression sinister.

Qian Jiafeng shuddered. Ou Haidong quickly stepped in front of her.

"You're the girl who got beaten before, aren't you?" Ou Haidong recognized Chu Er. "We dare not offend the porridge server. We can't help you—but we never hurt you either."

Chu Er looked at Ou Haidong, then at Qian Jiafeng: "Is there really nothing between you two?"

Ou Haidong's expression turned solemn: "I live with integrity. I never deny what I've done."

"Fine. I believe you." Chu Er turned and walked away.

Qian Jiafeng trembled for a long time: "She—how terrifying she is!"

Ou Haidong's face grew grave: "This woman is pitiful, but she seems mad. She might come back."

Qian Jiafeng gripped Ou Haidong's hand: "I—I'm scared."

Ou Haidong said: "Don't worry. I'll stand guard outside your door—all night."

"Outside the door…"

Ou Haidong lowered his head: "I won't enter your room. You can rest easy."

He stayed right outside her door, guarding for over half an hour, until Qian Jiafeng came out.

"How about another cup of tea?"

"No," Ou Haidong took a deep breath. "You should rest early."

"Just… one more cup of tea…"

Ou Haidong thought for a moment, then nodded: "Alright."

He drank another cup of tea.

This tea was special—it contained alcohol, but he couldn't taste it.

The alcohol was good: it strengthened yang and heightened desire.

They drank several more cups. Suddenly, Ou Haidong reached out and touched Qian Jiafeng's cheek.

Qian Jiafeng seized his hand and pulled him into the inner room.

…

Li Banfeng and Chu Er crouched by the window, watching intently.

After a while, Li Banfeng signaled Chu Er to leave.

Chu Er didn't move.

He signaled again.

Chu Er's temples bulged with veins—still she didn't leave.

Li Banfeng pinched her buttock. Chu Er yelped—painful, yet strangely satisfying—and reluctantly left.

On the way, Chu Er kept complaining: "I went through all that trouble tonight, and you won't even let me watch?"

"Do you know where that middle-aged woman lives?"

"I know where, but what's so interesting about her?"

"You don't understand… it's beautiful."

As they exchanged thoughts, they headed to the next house.

Ku Po watched them from behind.

Fine. I'll let you go mad. Let's see you—

No more watching.

Ku Po could no longer bear it. The next day, she beat Li Banfeng soundly.

Li Banfeng didn't mind—he treated it as a way to toughen his sinews and bones.

After hammering Li Banfeng, Ku Po returned to her dwelling and began picking bitter greens, one by one.

She'd picked half the basket when she heard Li Banfeng's loud laughter again.

"Hohohoho! This place is great!"

What is this madman planning now?

Ku Po threw the bitter greens into her basket and clenched her teeth hard.

PS: Kucai Zhuang is turning into Happy Zhuang.

(End of Chapter)