[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-203":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},2290501,4478,"Chapter 203: The First Gate Under Heaven","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-203",203,"\u003Cp>Through thick fog, two figures moved swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hunter Sun Tiecheng walked quickly, covering over seventy li in half a day, but that was still far from the pace of a third-layer Traveling Cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you really a Traveling Cultivator?” Li Banfeng grew impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng answered honestly: “Sir, we can’t walk too fast—if we do, we won’t find the Old Land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t explain the reason clearly, but I know this path must be walked slowly to find the gate of the Old Land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Land has a gate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng grew increasingly curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another half-day’s walk, the thick fog gradually thinned, and ahead, a city faintly emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Green Water City, this was not a modern town—it was an ancient city, with walls, battlements, and a gate tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng said: “Sir, this is Fisherman City. Pass through Fisherman City, keep heading south, and you’ll reach Iron Sheep Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fisherman City? Are there many fishermen here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not that ‘fish’—it’s the other ‘fish.’ I can’t read, so I don’t know how to say it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A city suddenly appeared in the boundless wasteland. Li Banfeng felt uneasy—this city gave him a bad feeling, as if danger awaited him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune is the foundation of a Traveling Cultivator’s survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng told Sun Tiecheng: “We’re not entering the city. We’ll go around it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t go around—it’s easy to get lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared at Sun Tiecheng in surprise: “Have you been to Iron Sheep Mountain before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a Traveling Cultivator—you’ve walked this path before, and you still get lost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, you can get lost. This city is cursed—you must pass straight through it; there’s no way around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng grew even more puzzled: “Even if we walk right along the wall, we still can’t go around?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng looked troubled: “Sir, you paid me, so I wouldn’t dare lie to you. This city truly can’t be bypassed. If you don’t believe me, I’ll return your money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need,” Li Banfeng waved his hand. “Let’s enter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the city gate, Li Banfeng looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the city was sizable—streets were wide, paved with stone slabs, and buildings stood shoulder to shoulder, though years of neglect had left them dilapidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the buildings were ruined, there were many people: strollers wandered the streets, vendors sold goods by the roadside, shops stood open, and people came and went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Land became “old” because the land lost its vital energy; according to his wife’s words, within a hundred li, there weren’t even a hundred people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why were there so many here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To others, this would be incomprehensible—but Li Banfeng found nothing strange, because these people glowed faintly green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely speaking, they weren’t people—they were ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire city was filled with wandering souls, just as Ma Wu had said: they thought of themselves as living, completely lacking the caution and taboos of true spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ghosts differed from those Li Banfeng usually saw—their flesh and blood appeared real and intact, almost comparable to the flesh of Earth Deities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they all Earth Deities?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lacked that aura of authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then where did this flesh come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be due to long-term residence in the Old Land?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked down the street, they heard someone shouting nearby:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pain is pain, injury is injury, blood and qi flow like a great river. Minor pain turns to illness, minor wounds turn to sores from heat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Approaching, they saw a man carrying a box, hawking medicine to a crowd:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is my ancestral secret formula, specially for treating lower back and leg pain and injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each patch contains twenty-one herbs—no pearls, no ginseng, no buffalo gallstones—just cheap herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Folk remedies cure serious illnesses; herbs outwit famous doctors. Our medicine isn’t expensive—two yuan per patch. Severe cases need two patches; mild ones need just one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng smiled: “This man’s interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed—he was selling ointments to ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do ghosts even need ointments? Would they even work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps they really would work for these ghosts with complete, intact flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng muttered beside him: “Sir, this guy’s a ‘chao pi’—a ‘lu ken han.’ All frauds. Not worth watching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chao pi” was underworld slang for traveling medicine peddlers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu ken han” meant ointment seller—because in old times, ointments had to be warmed over fire before application.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such street hucksters were never genuine—but Li Banfeng hadn’t expected that even after becoming a ghost, this man still used these tricks to deceive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the buyers were all ghosts too—Li Banfeng wanted to see how ghosts tricked ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man glanced at Sun Tiecheng, then shouted: “Someone just called me a fraud. We’ve never met—how do you know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m an honest man: I honor my parents at home, make friends everywhere, and value my reputation. Hearing your words, I’m deeply offended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll keep my face, I’ll fight for my honor. Today, to spread my name, I give it all away—free!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Free?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stroked his chin, watching intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How do you cheat if you give it away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng urged: “Sir, don’t watch—he’s ‘yuan nianzi’—a stage trick. Just a street scam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng refused to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man continued: “My herbs are cheap, but they cost me money. I can’t give one to everyone here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have ten tickets—I’ll toss them, you pick them up. Whoever catches one gets a free patch. Someone catches, someone doesn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man began tossing paper tickets—Li Banfeng actually caught one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucky break!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s see how he wriggles out of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man added: “Yesterday, someone took one of my patches, got home, thought it was free, didn’t care, and threw it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gentlemen are easy to deal with, but rogues are hard to guard against. Whoever got a patch, please give me one yuan as cost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng called out: “Didn’t you say it was free? Now you want money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man replied: “Brother, you’re right—we must keep our word. Spitting gives a nail. I said free, so it’s free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One yuan covers the cost of one patch—I’ll give you another one free. If it doesn’t work, come back for a refund. If it works, spread my name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng shook his head—this trick to swindle money? Who’d believe it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five minutes later, Li Banfeng held two patches and walked on with Sun Tiecheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, I told you he’s a fraud—why’d you fall for it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. One yuan isn’t much—just for fun. My legs have been aching these past two days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s legs really did ache—not from injury, but because his Residence Cultivator level suppressed his Traveling Cultivator base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what use were these patches?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, he bought them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far ahead, an old man was shouting: “Few come for readings today, but many fates are written on faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin-yang shifts are endless; all under heaven lies in one palm. One glance, and I see the signs:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone’s family suffered misfortune, someone spoke ill behind others’ backs, someone came seeking revenge—bloodshed hangs over their faces!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did he mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he talking about me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng whispered: “This one’s a ‘tiao jin men’—a fortune-teller. Also a fraud. Don’t fall for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng didn’t stop—he kept walking. Soon, the old man followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young man, I won’t take your money. I chased you half a street just to warn you:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, you face dire misfortune. Put off your revenge. Grudges have a source, debts have a master. Heaven’s law moves in cycles—don’t rush now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared at the old man a long while, then pulled a hundred Huan Kingdom notes from his pocket and pressed them into the man’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sighed: “Young man, I’ll take this. Your face shows kindness. Let me teach you a way to break the curse:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stay in the city tonight—don’t leave. Tomorrow, come back to me for another reading. Then I’ll tell you how to handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the old man left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng stamped his foot in frustration: “Sir, why’d you fall for that again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng thought deeply: “He was surprisingly accurate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s not waste time here—I’ll get you to Iron Sheep Mountain fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng waved his hand: “We won’t climb the mountain tonight. I’ll stay in the city. We’ll decide tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really believe him? I won’t stay here!” Sun Tiecheng shook his head. “Sir, I’ve said all I can. Tomorrow, leave the city south—you’ll see Iron Sheep Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng gave Sun Tiecheng another twenty silver dollars—fifty in total—as payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Tiecheng pursed his lips: “Sir, you’re a good man. Since you insist on staying in town, I’ll take you to Youlai Inn—it doesn’t cheat customers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng followed Sun Tiecheng to the inn. The shopkeeper’s face glowed green—he wasn’t of the living world—but the price was fair: eighty-one coins a night, with a private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Li Banfeng checked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after he settled in, the shopkeeper glanced at the waiter beside him and ordered: “Go to the back courtyard, gather the boys, grab your tools, and set the table!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter whispered: “Set the table now? Shouldn’t we wait until he’s asleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper snarled: “Pfft! You want me to wait while you strike first and gobble up the meat while it’s hot? Do you think I can’t see through your scheming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, what are you saying? I’m thinking of you—wait till he’s asleep, then we act. It’ll be safer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough nonsense. Get them now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter reluctantly headed to the back courtyard, ready to summon the laborers, farmhands, and cook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those few had already sharpened their knives and were preparing to climb through the windows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter shouted angrily: “You heartless bastards! Without the master’s order, you’re already planning to sneak a bite? No discipline at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cook clapped her hand over his mouth: “What are you yelling for? We’re worried the brat might trick us—we’re just scouting ahead for the master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter shoved her away and waved his hand: “Come with me—to the main hall. The master’s waiting. We’ll act together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the main hall, everyone looked around—but the shopkeeper was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laborer asked: “Where’s the master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter shook his head: “I don’t know. He told me to come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmhand stamped his foot in fury: “That old bastard—he sent you away so he could eat alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stormed upstairs to Li Banfeng’s door—only to find it locked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper wasn’t here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cook smiled. Good. Let’s strike first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmhand kicked the door open and lunged to pin down the target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laborer threw a large blanket over the figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter barked: “Chop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cook stepped forward and slashed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper screamed: “What the hell are you chopping me for?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laborer unfurled the blanket—and found the shopkeeper inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter stared in shock: “Master, how did you get up here first? We agreed to move together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper’s face remained calm: “I came ahead to scout. Which bastard just chopped me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmhand pointed at the cook: “She did! The knife’s still in her hand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cook protested: “This knife only cuts the living—it can’t harm the dead. Even if it did, they wouldn’t feel pain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No pain? You’re lying to ghosts! Am I not made of flesh?!” The shopkeeper rubbed his back for a long time. “You say it doesn’t hurt? Try letting me chop you once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper raised his knife to kill the cook. The waiter said: “Master, where’s the guest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper held the knife, thinking hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t seen the man since he entered. Where had he gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng hadn’t gone anywhere. He’d placed the key on the rafters and remained inside his personal dwelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand, he held two medicinal plasters, sitting quietly before the phonograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, husband, what’s that sticky stuff in your hand? So disgusting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng said: “Bought it on the street. For leg pain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does your leg hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Use this to treat it?” The phonograph couldn’t believe it. “Husband, you’re sometimes foolish, but you’re still smart—how did you fall for such a trick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t just fall for the skin-dealer’s trick—I fell for the Golden Gate’s trick too. But it didn’t cost much, and I’m not short on money.” Li Banfeng tossed the plasters aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly wasn’t short on money—but now he was short on wit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng looked at the phonograph and spoke slowly: “Wife, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Since entering the city, my mind has grown dull—I believe everything others say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What city?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fisherman’s City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the Old Soil?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng nodded: “Yes, on the Old Soil. I thought there’d be many fishermen—turns out there are more con artists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, husband, that’s not ‘fish’ as in ‘fisherman’—it’s ‘fool’ as in ‘deceive.’ You’ve entered Fool’s City—you’ve met the Fool Cult!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Fool Cult? There’s such a sect? And it’s that powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, the Fool Cult was once the number one sect in the world. At the same level, no one could match them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: The Fool Cult was the number one sect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did other sects accept that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2204,"2026-06-20T03:43:16.386Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2043ff7fbe106449e25382edef7749db0375c86b2aaad7daba295589e94d656c","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-204","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-202",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]