Chapter 202

"Old Five, do you know what the Old Land is?"

Ma Wu nodded. "I know the Old Land—it's a good place to make money."

"How do you make money there?"

"The way he makes money is like this—he first needs to get that thing, then… Hey, Old Seven, can we please get this band out of here before we talk?"

Ma Wu had had enough—they were discussing matters in the council hall, and Li Banfeng had brought in a band to play noisily beside them.

Even if their skill were good, the drummer was off-beat and the trumpeter was out of tune.

Li Banfeng knew the band was terrible, but he needed the atmosphere: "Just bear with it—I'll hire more people in a few days."

"Aren't you still keeping that phonograph? Why not just play music on it?"

"That phonograph has another use—I'll tell you later. Let's finish talking about the Old Land first."

Ma Wu couldn't take it: "Old Seven, what I'm about to say are profit secrets—surely you don't want them listening?"

Li Banfeng immediately chased the band out—secrets must be kept without compromise.

Ma Wu began explaining the Old Land. Compared to Zuo Wugang, his expression was far superior—he conveyed the same concepts as Niangzi, but focused differently: he spoke of how to make money.

"Making money in the Old Land differs from the New Land. The New Land takes objects—living or dead. The Old Land takes spiritual essence—living spirits and empty spirits."

Li Banfeng had heard the terms "living spirit" and "empty spirit," but Ma Wu clearly meant something beyond their literal definitions.

"In the Old Land, human presence is gone, leaving only ghostly energy. Souls lingering in the mortal world for years may roam freely, unbound, in the Old Land."

"The longer these souls stay, the more recklessly they behave, until their thoughts shift—they begin to see themselves as human."

"Once a soul believes itself human, it forgets its soul-guarding methods. Over centuries, its essence slowly dissipates, leaving only spiritual residue—this residue is called an empty spirit, the finest material for crafting magic treasures and spiritual objects."

Li Banfeng understood.

Before Niangzi forged magic treasures, she had to consume the soul first, leaving behind only spiritual essence—this left a permanent imprint, making the treasure easier to control.

Ma Wu continued: "Some souls haven't lingered long in the Old Land, or were born with soul-guarding techniques—they still retain their souls. These are called living spirits."

"Living spirits cannot be used to forge magic treasures or spiritual objects—even if you forge something, it won't obey you. But they are the most dangerous entities in the Old Land."

"Hunters say: 'Better to brave the New Land for ten years than set foot in the Old Land for one day.' The Old Land is far more perilous."

"Creatures in the New Land mostly lack sentience; even those with it are inferior to humans. And they're bound by the land gods—they dare not overstep."

"The Old Land is different. Empty spirits have slightly less intellect than humans; living spirits match human intellect—and because they've lived longer, many possess greater wisdom than ordinary mortals."

"Of those who enter the Old Land, nine out of ten die. Most hunters lack the means to collect empty spirits."

"The Thornsweat Pearls we once hunted were excellent for capturing spiritual essence—but a high-quality pearl costs hundreds of thousands. How many hunters can afford one?"

"Even if you have a magic treasure to capture spiritual essence, even if you're clever and skilled enough to catch it—you still might not make a profit."

Li Banfeng frowned. "You can't make money from this? I know even a single spiritual object sells for tens of thousands of yuan, let alone magic treasures."

"Spiritual essence is the core of magic treasures and spiritual objects—it must fetch a high price. In Heng currency, selling for a million or so isn't unreasonable."

Ma Wu nodded. "Yes, you could sell for a million or so—but you must pay tolls."

"Bandits control all major routes in the Old Land. Any hunter who enters must pay a toll to leave. If you can't pay cash, you can trade your collected spiritual essence instead."

"A hunter who enters the Old Land and returns empty-handed loses everything."

"If he only collects one empty spirit, it belongs to the Mountain King."

"Old Seven, if you're thinking of hunting in the Old Land, forget it. We don't need the money, and we won't risk it."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not thinking of hunting—I want revenge. I got some information from the Iron Sheep Trio."

"Lu Xiaolan is now the top enforcer on Iron Sheep Mountain. They sent her to clear our territory—they nearly succeeded. We must avenge this."

"If we don't, they'll come again—and harder next time."

Li Banfeng was certain of this.

Lu Xiaolan wouldn't stop. For Niangzi, she'd keep pursuing.

Ma Wu fell silent, then nodded. "This revenge must be settled—but how? If the Iron Sheep bandits are right before us, we must fight them to the death."

"If they come out of the Old Land, we have a chance to strike."

"But if they hide inside the Old Land, we have no way to reach them."

"Long ago, the He family collected a great xiao while passing Iron Sheep Mountain. They didn't notify Rong Yeguang—and the xiao was stolen."

Li Banfeng asked: "What's a great xiao?"

"A great xiao is a type of empty spirit—a fusion of dozens or hundreds of souls, formed over centuries."

"The He family captured one—it was incredibly difficult. After it was stolen, they flew into a rage and attacked Iron Sheep Mountain. They fought for half a month and failed."

"That was the He family—they couldn't do it. What chance do we have?"

"Those bandits have lived in the Old Land for years. They know the terrain, the people, the rules. Attacking their stronghold in the Old Land? Pure fantasy."

"We must go. Even if we can't defeat them, we need to know where they're hiding—so we can strike them later." Li Banfeng was now truly set on Iron Sheep Mountain.

"I don't even know where Iron Sheep Mountain is. Let's ask around."

Ma Wu went to investigate Iron Sheep Mountain's location. Li Banfeng pushed the phonograph and began pulling hooks across the land plot.

He placed the record on the turntable, wound the spring fully, positioned the needle, flipped the switch, and began sprinting.

"Phony, phony, why pretend to be so proper? If you want to see, if you must see, then look closely…."

Li Banfeng dashed through the warehouse. Chuan stood frozen, muttering: "What's gotten into Seventh Master?"

CRASH! Something in the warehouse exploded.

Amid the song, one hook was pulled free.

Xiao Genzi was preparing golden fluid. His earlier hypothesis was correct—the golden fluid of the unnatural and that of ordinary humans had produced a subtle transformation.

His cultivation progress was accelerating—he was ready to buy a third barrel from the peddler.

Ahead lay a high-quality clump—sufficient heat, sufficient purity, minimal impurities.

Xiao Genzi was about to move toward it when Li Banfeng got there first.

Li Banfeng crushed the high-quality clump under his foot.

Xiao Genzi sighed in regret, stared at the shoe print, then reluctantly collected it.

"What's gotten into Seventh Master? Why's he acting so flashy today?"

He really was flashy.

The phonograph had a giant windmill attached, spinning nonstop—how could it not be flashy?

Not only the phonograph, but the song itself was flashy.

"Phony" was a staple in every dance hall—catchy melody, memorable lyrics, and most importantly, Niangzi's voice was electric—her playful, lively singing echoed across the entire land plot.

Li Banfeng covered most of the land plot in the time of one song.

After the song ended, the phonograph needed three days to rest. Li Banfeng counted: six hooks pulled in total.

These must have been left over from Lu Xiaolan's infiltration—she really went all out.

Infiltration cultivation was too hard to guard against—we must clean more diligently.

Li Banfeng returned the phonograph to his personal dwelling and spent half a day exploring alone, accumulating his cultivation base. Then he walked to Zuo Wugang's door and pushed inside.

Zuo Wugang was sparring with a centipede girl—their battle was fierce, back and forth, clearly just beginning.

Li Banfeng stepped aside briefly.

Less than a minute later, the centipede girl left.

Li Banfeng entered the room. "Do you know where Iron Sheep Mountain is?"

Zuo Wugang was putting on his clothes. He knew the Iron Sheep Trio—Li Banfeng assumed he knew their mountain's location.

But he didn't: "Seventh Master, the Lu family did business with Iron Sheep Mountain several times—all in the Proper Land. I was just a liaison—I met them a few times."

"Once, their goods were tainted—empty spirits mixed with living spirits. We argued, fought a few times. I fought the Iron Sheep Trio, so I recognize them."

Later, once, the goods from Iron Sheep Mountain were impure, with living spirits mixed into the empty spirits; the two sides quarreled and fought several battles, and I had clashed with the Three Heroes of Iron Sheep Mountain, so I recognized them.

"No! Those bandits play by no rules. When they're winning, they fight to kill. When they're losing, they flee into the Old Land."

"The Lu family didn't want to chase them into the Old Land—so the matter was dropped."

"Seventh Master, I know you can't swallow this insult—they came to our land and acted like thieves."

"But don't go after them in the Old Land. Their chief is at the sixth layer—same as my cultivation. But their mountain holds all kinds of people, all kinds of tricks. Whoever goes there will suffer dearly."

Both the He family and the Lu family had suffered losses at Iron Sheep Mountain.

Iron Sheep Mountain was truly formidable!

How had Lu Xiaolan found such a powerful backer?

Li Banfeng grew even more interested in Iron Sheep Mountain.

He returned to his personal dwelling and asked the phonograph: "Niangzi, where is Iron Sheep Mountain?"

"Husband, what do you intend to do at Iron Sheep Mountain?"

"Just to take a walk." Li Banfeng thought this was a decent excuse.

"To clear my head." Li Banfeng thought he had come up with a good excuse.

After a pause, Niangzi said: "Oh, husband, I recall there is such a place as Iron Sheep Mountain—but I only remember it lies in the Old Land. How to get there? I truly can't recall."

"Beloved husband, listen to me—don't go to the Old Land to stroll until your cultivation advances further."

Whether she truly didn't remember or was hiding something, she gave no useful answer.

Li Banfeng returned to the council hall and resumed training the band.

The band, learning that Li Banfeng favored "Phony," practiced the song all afternoon in the council hall.

Now they were obsessed—the entire land plot was obsessed.

The warehouse keeper sang while weighing goods.

The warehouse keeper counted while singing.

The accountant counted money while singing.

The swallow and Aqin fought while singing.

Ma Wu hummed as he walked back and said to Li Banfeng: "Old Seven, there's a hunter on our turf who claims he knows where Tieyang Mountain is."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up: "Where is he? Take me to see him."

"I don't know if he's telling the truth, Old Seven. This isn't something to rush into."

"No problem. Let's take a look first."

Ma Wu ordered someone to bring the hunter to a one-li plot, which was relatively safe.

On the way, Ma Wu asked Li Banfeng: "Shouldn't we give this ten-li area a name?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "I've already decided. We'll call it Zhengjing Village."

Ma Wu thought for a moment, nodding repeatedly: "That's a good name."

The hunter's name was Sun Tiecheng, over fifty, dressed plainly, with a honest face.

Seeing Li Banfeng and Ma Wu, the hunter quickly bowed. Li Banfeng directly asked about the location of Tieyang Mountain, and the old hunter replied:

"That depends on whether you're coming from outside or inside."

Li Banfeng frowned: "What do you mean by outside and inside?"

Ma Wu said: "He means the New Land and the Old Land."

Sun Tiecheng said: "If you take the Old Land route, you'll travel safely until you reach the Old Soil—I can make it in half a month with these legs."

"If you take the New Land route, you'll get there in just one day."

The hunter could reach it in one day.

If Li Banfeng went, wouldn't he get there in an hour?

"Brother, what sect are you from?"

"Traveling Cultivator, third layer."

What a coincidence?

Ma Wu told the hunter: "Draw us a map. Tell us how to get there."

The hunter drew a map. After finishing, Li Banfeng didn't understand it.

The hunter was also troubled: "Gentlemen, I can't draw. I can't write. I've barely held a pen."

"This'll do. Make do with it," Ma Wu took the map, handed Sun Tiecheng two silver dollars, and said, "Hurry up and sell your goods and get out."

Ma Wu truly didn't want Li Banfeng to go to the Old Soil. He didn't even want to bring this hunter along.

But if you didn't bring him, it would seem you didn't care about Li Banfeng's matter. Later, if Li Banfeng found this hunter, it would make Ma Wu look unscrupulous.

This way is perfect: draw a map, leave it half-understood, keep it in Ma Wu's hands, and decide about Tieyang Mountain later.

The hunter returned to "Zhengjing Village," sold his goods in the village, didn't linger, and headed deeper into the New Land.

Half an hour later, after walking five or six li, Sun Tiecheng suddenly felt someone following. He turned and saw Li Banfeng behind him.

"Gentleman, are you…?" Sun Tiecheng was tense.

Li Banfeng frowned slightly: "Aren't you a third-layer Traveling Cultivator? You're not walking fast."

The hunter wiped his sweat: "Sir, since you're following me, I dare not walk faster."

Li Banfeng pulled out thirty silver dollars and shoved them into the hunter's hand: "I'm going to Tieyang Village. Can you guide me?"

PS: The Old Land is more interesting than the New Land!

(End of Chapter)