Chapter 204: The City of Fools

The First Dao Gate in the World?

Scary enough to kill!

Why aren't Zhai Xiu and Lv Xiu the First Dao Gate?

Li Banfeng protested: "Wife, what techniques does this Dao Gate have?"

"Hey, husband, you've caught me off guard—I don't know what techniques Yu Xiu possess,

I've never seen Yu Xiu; this Dao Gate has been extinct for a long time, with no cultivators left in the world,

I only know this Dao Gate is extremely formidable, incredibly shrewd, and their methods are devious—no one at the same level can match them."

No opponents?

According to the peddler, all Dao Gates except Jin Xiu have mutual generation and control relationships.

"Is there no Dao Gate that can restrain Yu Xiu?"

The singing machine said: "It is said that only one Dao Gate in all under heaven can restrain Yu Xiu—but that Dao Gate lacks the strength to fight them."

"Wait," Li Banfeng frowned, "I don't understand. Which Dao Gate can restrain Yu Xiu? Why can't it fight them?"

"I don't know which Dao Gate it is, nor why it's powerless—I speculate it might be because their numbers are too few, or their hearts are not united."

"Are Yu Xiu united?"

"Not entirely, but they can still fight together—they jointly established the City of Fools in Pulu Province. Because Yu Xiu are so powerful, in Pulu Province, just hearing the name 'City of Fools' sends everyone into terror."

"If they're so strong, how did they go extinct?"

"Some say they perished from internal strife caused by constantly fooling and tricking each other,

others say they were destroyed because their fame drew too much attention, and other Dao Gates united to attack them,

opinions vary wildly, hard to tell truth from falsehood—but I remember one thing: when I cultivated, an elder warned me that the City of Fools still exists in the Old Land, though no living cultivators remain, only the spirits of the dead remain,

even as spirits, Yu Xiu remain extremely formidable. That elder told me never to come to the City of Fools. Husband, how did you even get here?"

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, his thoughts in chaos.

How did I end up in the City of Fools? What am I even doing here?

"Wife, are Yu Xiu's techniques just about deceiving people?"

Chit-chit~

"Husband, when I first heard about Yu Xiu from elders, I thought the same—I thought Yu Xiu should be called Deceit Xiu,

but an elder once saw Yu Xiu and warned me: Folly is folly, deceit is deceit; the essence of Yu Xiu is folly, not deceit."

What did this elder do? Why does he speak so cryptically?

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, as if grasping a clue.

Folly is folly, deceit is deceit.

Their deception isn't particularly clever.

My intelligence has dropped.

I've been made 'foolish' by them!

This is the true strength of Yu Xiu.

"No wonder I've been tricked since entering the city—even a street vendor selling ointment swindled a whole yuan from me!"

Li Banfeng immediately stood up, wanting to leave the City of Fools.

The singing machine called out: "Husband, why not wait a bit longer? I sense your thoughts are still scattered—perhaps you've already been affected by Yu Xiu's technique."

Li Banfeng turned to look at the singing machine: "Wife, can you dispel Yu Xiu's technique?"

"This…" the singing machine had no answer.

She'd never even seen Yu Xiu—how could she dispel their technique?

"Husband, rest a while longer inside the residence. That's the only advice I can give—Zhai Xiu's recovery ability within the residence is unmatched by any other Dao Gate."

But Li Banfeng had another concern: "Wife, I feel my mind growing more confused. If I've been affected by Yu Xiu's technique, won't the longer I stay, the deeper the poison sinks?"

"This…" the singing machine couldn't explain.

Li Banfeng asked again: "Since the City of Fools is Yu Xiu's domain, if I stay here too long, will I be affected, becoming increasingly dull?"

"This…" the wife still couldn't explain.

"I'd better leave while I still can!" Li Banfeng moved toward the door, not even taking his magic treasures.

The wife called out: "Husband, take all your magic treasures,

Little Gourd, if anyone tries to trick our man again, you must warn him."

The wine gourd replied: "When I sold the ointment, I never thought little brother would fall for it. After he bought it, I figured the money wasn't much."

The singing machine's heart tightened.

Has the gourd also been affected by the technique?

The singing machine added: "Blood-Soaked, you can handle spirits—go with your husband,

Thread-Weaver, you're always near his ear—remind him occasionally,

Old Teapot, you're awake now; you've seen much, go with him too,

Two Blades, stay close to guard your master,

the Judge's Pen doesn't need to come—it's useless,

take the Calendar, this wench is quite clever."

Li Banfeng took a pair of magic treasures and carried the Calendar to the door.

After a moment's thought, he put the Calendar back.

"I'm fleeing—carrying a Calendar through the streets? How conspicuous would that be?"

Li Banfeng left. The wife still felt uneasy: "Husband isn't acting right today."

Honglian said beside her: "Let me go out and check—I've seen Yu Xiu, maybe I can help."

"Let you go?" The singing machine thought carefully, "Wait a bit longer."

"Wait until when? Until that madman loses his life?"

The singing machine spat a cloud of steam, scorching Honglian red-hot: "Sister, don't speak such ill omens. Be patient a little longer—maybe by your next life, I'll let you out."

"Wicked woman!" Honglian spat at the singing machine, who answered with another blast of steam.

After a struggle, Honglian fell silent. The singing machine stared at the Calendar: "Husband should've taken Meng De. De Xiu and Meng Xiu both disrupt the mind—useful against Yu Xiu."

Meng De agreed: "Madam is right—I'm useful."

The Judge's Pen sneered: "Too much."

The wife froze: "What did you just say was too much?"

"Hmph…" The Judge's Pen refused to repeat.

…

Li Banfeng returned to the inn room and found it ransacked.

This inn isn't normal—likely a black shop.

Why did I enter a black shop?

The innkeeper didn't find me—he must think I fled.

Should I play along and escape?

Or strike them off-guard with a surprise counterattack?

In the past, Li Banfeng's first instinct would've been revenge.

Even if the inn is full of spirits, with the Pendulum, he wasn't afraid of them.

But in the City of Fools, fighting Yu Xiu—could I gain any advantage?

Besides, there might be others in the inn. What if I'm surrounded? How would I escape?

The more he thought, the more his head throbbed.

Forget it—revenge can wait. Escape first.

Li Banfeng leapt out the window, stepped onto the street, and headed toward the city gate.

After walking a while, Li Banfeng began pondering an important question.

Left or right?

Where is the city gate?

Didn't he enter through the city gate?

He remembered the path from the city gate to the inn's front door.

But now he'd jumped out of a bedroom window, into a narrow alley—not the main street—and he couldn't figure out how to reach the gate.

Just because he exited from a different spot, he couldn't tell direction?

Could a Lv Xiu really get lost?

Li Banfeng kept rubbing his skull, growing more agitated with every step.

The wine gourd chimed in: "Little brother, don't rush—let's check the wind direction first, then judge."

Wind direction?

Li Banfeng didn't remember the wind direction when he entered the city.

The earring suggested: "Master, why not return to the inn's front door and retrace our steps?"

The Pendulum cursed the earring: "You fool! Going back to the inn's front door means letting the innkeeper see you—what's the difference from walking into a trap?"

The earring retorted: "Then what's your brilliant plan?"

Li Banfeng was too lazy to listen to their argument; these magic treasures were clearly affected by the City of Fools—their intelligence had declined.

At the critical moment, faced with a critical problem, Li Banfeng had to decide for himself.

Li Banfeng was trapped in an alley, his view blocked—he definitely couldn't find the way out of the city.

Wouldn't it be easier to find the path if he went somewhere with an open view?

Not far away stood a clock tower. Li Banfeng passed through the alley, ran down the main street, and climbed straight to the top of the clock tower.

The view here was truly open!

This clock tower must be the tallest building in Fool's City, right?

Li Banfeng looked out across the horizon and quickly located the city gates.

Not just one gate—he found the positions of all four city gates.

He was thrilled. He was elated.

Dozens of people from Youlai Inn burst out, joining Li Banfeng in celebration.

"Look! He's on top of the clock tower!"

"Hurry! Don't let him escape!"

"Grab him! Cut him to pieces!"

A crowd charged toward the clock tower. Li Banfeng turned and ran.

"How did they see me? How did they know I was here?"

After running a few steps, Li Banfeng frowned—he understood the problem.

He was the only living person in the entire city; everyone else was a ghost.

Here he was, the sole living soul, standing atop the tallest structure in the city.

What the hell was I thinking?

Why did I climb so high?

Those people at the inn would have a hard time not finding me.

Sprinting through the city, Li Banfeng exhausted himself but finally shook off his pursuers.

After catching his breath, another voice came to his ear: "Young man, I warned you, but you wouldn't listen. Still want to leave the city?"

Li Banfeng turned and saw it was the fortune-teller with the golden gate—same man he'd given a hundred coins to before.

"How did you find me?"

"Your aura of doom clings to you—I can see it from miles away."

"How did you know I wanted to leave the city?"

The fortune-teller smiled. "Your fate is written on your face—how could you hide it from my eyes? Young man, you must not leave the city. Bloodshed awaits you right before your eyes."

Li Banfeng walked away without uttering another word to the fortune-teller.

Staying in this city is where the bloodshed lies. My mind's growing dimmer by the minute—if I stay any longer, someone will slash at me and I won't even know how to dodge.

As he walked through the alleys, Li Banfeng kept silently repeating to himself: "Ahead is the main street—it must be the main street..."

But when he emerged from the alley, it was another alley.

Li Banfeng was lost again.

What should he do now?

Ask someone for directions?

Could any of these people possibly tell the truth?

The teapot, seeing Li Banfeng growing agitated, advised: "Brother, go home, rest a while. Take a nap. You're a Zhai Xiu—you'll snap out of it after you sleep."

The old teapot's advice was no better than anyone else's—worthless.

But for now, Li Banfeng could only return to his Personal Dwelling.

His head throbbed—whether from exhaustion or anger, he couldn't tell.

His thoughts grew increasingly chaotic; even thinking about a simple matter drained him of immense mental energy.

Back in his Personal Dwelling, Li Banfeng collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

The phonograph asked about what had happened, but the magic treasures babbled back incoherently.

The phonograph grew uneasy: "What's going on? Are you all idiots now?"

She was frightened. She feared Li Banfeng might never escape.

"My precious husband, sleep. When you wake, your mind will be clear again."

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush snorted coldly and fell asleep first.

PS: Of the medicine seller, the fortune-teller, and the shopkeeper of the black inn—who has the higher cultivation base?

(End of Chapter)