Chapter 199: New Land, Old Soil

Heavy rain poured down, extinguishing the fire in the warehouse.

The warehouse suffered heavy losses.

Li Banfeng checked Zuo Wugang's injuries; Zuo Wugang waved him off. "Not serious—I have a way to dispel the poison. But if those bastards from Iron Sheep Mountain come again tonight, I doubt I can hold them off."

"No need to hold them off—I'm here, so the land god watches over us. You mentioned Iron Sheep Mountain—what's their background?"

"They're mountain bandits from the Old Soil. Their big boss is Rong Yeguang. I heard he used to be a sixth-layer Wu Xiu. Now? I don't dare guess. Even Du Shuping, that bastard, is sixth-layer now."

"Sixth-layer? A bandit?" Li Banfeng didn't understand. Why become a bandit with sixth-layer cultivation?

"The Old Soil's different. It's a great place to make money."

"What exactly is the Old Soil?"

"How do I explain this? It's not too different from the New Land. It's just a place with few people—and where there are few people, there's profit. But the way they make money is different from the New Land—it's just…"

Zuo Wugang had limited expression, and the poison was wearing him down fast.

Li Banfeng told him to rest first. He went to the edge of the New Land, dragged along the half-dead Wang Qi and Du Shuping, and entered the Personal Dwelling.

"Oh, dear husband~ You've finally come back with groceries!" The phonograph was ecstatic, tears streaming from its speaker.

"Groceries?" Du Shuping stared at the phonograph in shock. He didn't know where he was or what this device was.

"Don't worry about groceries," Li Banfeng reassured Du Shuping. "Tell me—who sent you to cause trouble on my land?"

Before Du Shuping could speak, Wang Qi spoke first: "Young brother, you're a virtuous man. Normally, we shouldn't answer such a question…"

"But we're in your hands now, and we want a chance to live. If we tell you the truth, will you let us go?"

Li Banfeng sat upright before them, his expression grave. "That depends on whether you're sincere."

Wang Qi nodded earnestly and began: "We're heroes of Iron Sheep Mountain. We followed our big boss Rong Yeguang's orders to team up with the New Depot's big plug-thousand and smash your kilns."

Li Banfeng kicked Wang Qi. "Don't speak foreign jargon."

He'd learned some underworld slang from Yu Nan, but Wang Qi's slang was too dense—he couldn't follow it.

The phonograph couldn't wait: "Dear husband, 'Depot' means join the gang, 'smash the kiln' means rob, 'plug-thousand' means a scout. Wherever you're confused, little servant can translate for you—just keep asking!"

My wife is anxious.

Tears are streaming down her face.

Li Banfeng asked again: "Who's your big plug-thousand?"

Wang Qi, having just been kicked, dared not speak.

Du Shuping, seeing Li Banfeng didn't understand the slang, tried to explain plainly: "Lu Xiaolan, the fallen daughter of the Lu family."

Lu Xiaolan became a bandit?

That was something Li Banfeng hadn't expected.

"I've done nothing to your big boss. Why target us?"

Wang Qi shook his head. "I don't know. We just follow our big boss's orders—what he says, we do."

"Your big plug-thousand—that's Lu Xiaolan. She planted a mole on my land. Do you know who it is?"

"We don't know. We don't ask. The big plug-thousand tells us when to strike—we strike then."

"Where is Iron Sheep Mountain?"

"In the Old Soil."

"What is the Old Soil?"

"Like the New Land—somewhere unseen by light."

The phonograph urged: "Dear husband, the New Land and Old Soil aren't the same. Little servant will explain later—keep asking."

Li Banfeng asked again: "How far is Iron Sheep Mountain from here?"

"That depends on whether you know the way. If you don't, it's a thousand li away. If you do, it's just a day's journey. Young brother, if you spare our lives, I'll draw you the route."

No wonder he was a sixth-layer Wen Xiu—Du Shuping knew how to negotiate.

Li Banfeng didn't take the bait. He stopped asking about the route. If he pressed further, they'd drag it out endlessly. He turned to Iron Sheep Mountain's condition: "How many people are in your stronghold?"

"Sixty-six. Few in number, but all cultivated. Young brother, on the road, no matter which path you take, we're all brothers. Today we've fallen into your hands—we accept it. We've told you everything we know. You shouldn't break your word—give us a way out."

"There is a way. First, you dine with my wife. After eating, you may leave."

"Dine? Where's the food?" Du Shuping looked bewildered.

"There is a road, but first accompany my wife to eat; after eating, you may set off."

The wife laughed: "You two are the food!"

Two phonograph needles pierced the brains of Du Shuping and Wang Qi. They glared at Li Banfeng, their bodies trembling violently.

The wife laughed: "You are the meal!"

Half an hour later, the wife finished her meal.

Li Banfeng dragged the corpses to Honglian's side. "Eat."

Honglian sighed inwardly: Even scraps must be eaten under your watch.

But she dared not complain. A sixth-layer cultivator and a fifth-layer cultivator—rare ingredients indeed. Her petals unfurled; Honglian absorbed the two cultivators into her lotus heart.

Li Banfeng asked the phonograph: "What exactly is the Old Soil?"

"When the New Land gains vitality, it becomes the Proper Land. When the Proper Land loses vitality, it becomes the Old Soil."

Li Banfeng stared in silence for a long while.

"So the New Land only becomes the Proper Land when it gains vitality? Isn't it supposed to become the Proper Land after reclamation?"

"Far from it. Far from it. Reclamation is just seeing daylight. A hundred li of land, bathed in light, with ten thousand people settling permanently—that's what makes a Proper Land."

The wife explained in detail: Under a land god's domain, all hundred li of reclaimed land must be fully cultivated, and at least ten thousand permanent residents must reside there to form a Proper Land.

"Far from it, far from it—clearing land is merely seeing daylight; a hundred li of land, bathed in daylight, with ten thousand people permanently settled—that's what counts as achieving true fruit, that's true land…"

The wife explained in detail: under a land god, a hundred li of land must be fully cleared and must maintain a permanent population of over ten thousand—that's what constitutes true land.

Li Banfeng's understanding was different: "Lanyang Village has been constantly encroached upon by powerful clans, yet they've kept reclaiming land toward the New Land. Its territory hasn't shrunk—it's still about the same size."

"No, no, dear husband. Go to the edge of Lanyang Village near the New Land—do you see anyone living there?"

"There are people, but few. No houses—just makeshift huts. They say New Land monsters often come out and harm people, so most dare not live there."

"Exactly. Those places aren't Proper Land—they're just reclaimed New Land. True Proper Land cannot be invaded by New Land monsters. If they enter, it's considered seizing territory—and the Proper Land's land god won't forgive them."

"People live there, but not many; there are no houses, only makeshift huts. It's said that new land's strange monsters often emerge to harm people, so most dare not settle there."

"Is Lühuazi a Proper Land land god?"

"Yes, dear husband. Proper Land land gods are higher in rank than New Land land gods. But if a Proper Land remains devoid of vitality for too long, it becomes the Old Soil. Old Soil land gods drop in rank—roughly equal to New Land's."

With vitality, a land god's rank rises.

Without vitality, it falls.

No wonder Qiu Daxiang cared so much about reclaimers.

But if a true land remains devoid of human presence for years, it becomes old soil; the land god of old soil drops in rank, becoming much like that of new land."

No wonder land gods forbade one person from reclaiming too much New Land—if one person claimed it all, the ten-thousand-resident standard could never be met.

But this also warned Li Banfeng: He must no longer allow the powerful clans to meddle freely in Lanyang Village.

Newly reclaimed land isn't Proper Land—this affects Lanyang Village's future survival.

"But if vitality depends on population, why test reclaimers? More reclaimers should mean more vitality, right?"

"Oh, dear husband, that's not how it works. More reclaimers don't mean more permanent residents.

A weakling who reclaims land can only bring his family. New Land offers little food and constant monster attacks. After a few years, they can't survive and leave. The land becomes barren.

But since the reclamation succeeded, the original owner still holds title—no one else can reclaim it. The land god suffers a great loss.

To reclaim land, you must have real ability: you must know how to manage, how to fight. Only such people can turn New Land into Proper Land—and only then will the land god accept them."

"So if the population on a Proper Land drops below ten thousand, it becomes Old Soil? And if Old Soil gains ten thousand people, it becomes Proper Land again?"

A man without ability who clears land can at most bring his entire family; new land offers little food and is plagued by strange monsters. After a few years, unable to sustain life, they move away, leaving the land barren.

But since the land was successfully cleared and the original owner still exists, no new settlers may re-clear it—wouldn't that be a great loss for the land god?

"Dear husband, if a hundred-li area has exactly ten thousand people, and one leaves today—Proper Land becomes Old Soil. One arrives tomorrow—Old Soil becomes Proper Land. Would the land god go mad?

Ten thousand is a threshold. Once crossed, it's Proper Land. Only if the population falls below one hundred does it become Old Soil."

Below one hundred…

Li Banfeng suddenly remembered a place.

"Kucaizhuang is certainly over a hundred li across, yet it has fewer than a hundred people. Is it Old Soil?"

"Kucaizhuang? Old Woman Ku's territory. Old Woman Ku—who is she? She's not a land god. Then what is she? Kucaizhuang… Old Woman Ku… hehehe…"

Trouble—wife's going mad!

"Don't mention Kucaizhuang. There is no Kucaizhuang. Let's talk of something else. Wife, what else do you want to eat? I'll go buy groceries…"

After taking the Xuan Yun Pill, though the wife nearly died, her condition improved greatly after recovery.

Even so, never mention Old Woman Ku.

Who exactly is Old Woman Ku?

While the wife's mind was still clear, Li Banfeng soothed her to sleep.

Leaving the Personal Dwelling, Li Banfeng went to his own land.

He set up an altar and summoned Shui Yongquan: "The truth is out. It was those reclaimers. Their leader is Lu Xiaolan—the big plug-thousand of Iron Sheep Mountain."

What kind of person is Ku PoPo?

Taking advantage of his wife's relatively good spirits, Li Banfeng soothed her to sleep.

Leaving Suishenju, Li Banfeng went to his own plot.

He set up the offering table and summoned Shui Yongquan: "The matter has been clarified—it was that group of pioneer settlers. Their leader is Lu Xiaolan, a major Chaqian from Tieyang Mountain."

"Iron Sheep Mountain is a bandit nest on the old land," said Shui Yongquan, stroking his beard. "I'll first tell Qiu Daxiang about this, make him understand the stakes—anyone from his territory who dares to cause trouble here from now on, we'll kill them on sight, no mercy."

"There's another matter I need to trouble you with, Water Shopkeeper: how do we get to Iron Sheep Mountain?"

Shui Yongquan blinked in surprise: "Brother Li Qi, what are you planning? Are you going to attack their mountain again?"

"Can't we attack their mountain? They struck first."

Shui Yongquan gestured for Li Banfeng to calm down: "What did you do to provoke Iron Sheep Mountain?"

"I've never offended Iron Sheep Mountain. I didn't even know their name until today."

"First, find out the full story behind this—then we can talk about these bandits."

"Why can't we investigate while we strike?"

Shui Yongquan didn't know how to answer: "Brother Li Qi, these are bandits—famous bandits of the Jianghu! Not street thugs. Let's handle the immediate matter first!"

"Is there a difference between bandits and thugs?"

"What do you think?" Shui Yongquan stormed off in anger.

Li Banfeng's expression was blank.

Is the difference that great?

Even if there is a difference, they came to my door—can I not strike back?

But Shui Yongquan has a point: the immediate matter must be dealt with.

First, we must root out the traitor inside.

Then we eliminate Lu Xiaolan and her group.

He Jiaqing lay on his sickbed, staring at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused.

"So the Three Heroes of Iron Sheep Mountain are dead? My brother's got some guts! I underestimated him—he outmaneuvered me!"

Someone beside him replied: "This needs an explanation. How do I answer Rong Yeguang?"

"Explain what? Give him some money as compensation."

"Iron Sheep Mountain doesn't lack money."

"If they don't lack money, we won't give them any—we save money! Also tell Rong Yeguang: if he wants to clean his name, he must pay the price!"

The other sighed, then asked: "Are you still listening to the livestream?"

"Of course. Whenever there's news about him, play it for me. My brother isn't ordinary—I'm growing more fond of him every day."

"Also, don't send anyone into their territory for now, but block their supply routes."

If Ma Wu keeps sending goods with the Moth, let him send them—but if he slackens for even one day, seize his cargo. Let's see how long he can hold out."

Warn our people: be extremely careful when speaking to Lu Xiaolan—she's suspicious. Don't let her uncover your identity."

PS: What valuable things does the old land hold? Why is it said to be a place of fortune?

(End of Chapter)