Chapter 214: He Is My Junior Brother

Jin Xiu costs a hundred yuan; Xiu Jie Xian Xiu costs three hundred thousand?

The price difference is absurd.

Sui Sui Donglan sized up Li Li Banfeng and asked, "Are you really a peddler?"

Li Li Banfeng snorted, ignored Sui Sui Donglan, pushed his cart, and continued forward, shaking the drum.

Sui Sui Donglan quickly blocked Li Li Banfeng: "Don't rush—I need to ask first, what sect is Jin Xiu?"

"Good sect!" Li Li Banfeng pulled out a toilet and a toilet brush, "First, carry this—it's for collecting golden feces,

and this brush—it's for mixing the golden feces!"

Li Li Banfeng hadn't bought the scoop for fetching golden feces; it's rare.

Sui Sui Donglan recoiled, shoved the bucket aside, and covered her nose: "What sect is this? Isn't this just digging shit?"

"A girl like you, speaking so crudely! Fine, don't take it—wait till next time!" Li Li Banfeng put away the toilet and brush and kept pushing his cart.

Sui Sui Donglan chased after him: "I want to join Xiu Jie Xian Xiu."

"Such a beautiful girl, such a fine age—why must you learn Xiu Jie Xian Xiu? I won't sell to you; wait and choose a better sect next time."

The girl blocked Li Li Banfeng: "I want this sect!"

"You've got a temper! Wanting to join a sect—what of it? I refuse to sell to you!"

Li Li Banfeng pushed his cart away; Sui Sui Donglan realized some rumors might be true.

Her two previous failures to meet the peddler weren't bad luck—they were because he deliberately avoided her.

No mistake—this man was the real peddler.

In Lüshui City, someone once told her the peddler sold medicine powder not to make money, but to give it to the right people.

He probably thinks I'm not suitable for Xiu Jie Xian Xiu.

"I truly want to be a Xiu Jie Xian Xiu—just sell it to me!"

The more Li Li Banfeng refused, the more Sui Sui Donglan believed he was the real peddler; after pleading repeatedly, he reluctantly agreed.

"The powder costs three hundred thousand—not a single copper less."

Sui Sui Donglan looked wounded: "I don't have that much money."

"No money, then stop talking!"

Sui Sui Donglan grabbed Li Li Banfeng's arm: "Can you lower the price? Twenty thousand okay?"

This girl knew how to act—her pitiful look was truly heartrending.

Li Li Banfeng gritted his teeth: "Fine. Since you're so sincere, if you'd chosen Jin Xiu, I'd have given you an extra bucket."

"I won't choose Jin Xiu…"

"Xiu Jie Xian Xiu is non-negotiable—three hundred thousand."

Seeing the peddler wouldn't budge, Sui Sui Donglan clenched her teeth and agreed.

Did she have three hundred thousand?

Yes!

Yu Zhaixiu money was easy to scam—she'd swindled over half a million in front of Tiemenbao.

Now she had to hand over most of it; it hurt, but if she truly joined a sect, she'd earn it back quickly.

She returned home, retrieved her hidden cash, and gave it to Li Li Banfeng.

Li Li Banfeng counted it correctly, then grabbed a handful of "medicine powder" from the jar and said to Sui Sui Donglan: "Come, stretch out your face."

Sui Sui Donglan froze, stunned: "Why apply it to my face?"

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Where else did you want to apply it?"

Sui Sui Donglan rubbed her peach: "Isn't it always applied to fleshy areas?"

She knew her stuff.

"Have you no shame?" Li Li Banfeng scolded. "A girl, showing me your peach in front of a man!"

Sui Sui Donglan didn't blush: "You're a transcendent master—look if you want. What do you care about my little modesty?"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "Other sects apply to fleshy areas, but Xiu Jie Xian Xiu must be applied to thick-skinned areas—this sect's thickest skin is the face."

Sui Sui Donglan didn't believe it—she'd never heard of such a thing.

Li Li Banfeng stuck to his stance: "If you don't want it, I'll return your money."

Sui Sui Donglan quickly blocked him: "I'll buy it—I'll follow your instructions…"

For some reason, the more Sui Sui Donglan doubted, the more she trusted the peddler.

Li Li Banfeng brought a brush from his cart, mixed the powder with water, and said to Sui Sui Donglan: "Stand still!"

Sui Sui Donglan didn't move.

Li Li Banfeng took the brush and wrote "Xiu Jie Xian" on her left cheek, "Xiu" on her right.

"You've entered Xiu Jie Xian Xiu!"

As soon as he spoke, Sui Sui Donglan felt joy.

Joy gave way to unbearable pain.

Sui Sui Donglan clutched her face, crying in agony.

This was normal—cultivators said the entrance powder hurt terribly even when applied to the peach, let alone the face.

After a while, she felt as if her entire face had been peeled off with a knife—pain blurred her vision, shook her body, and stole her breath.

This was normal—just endure a little longer…

After enduring more, the agony shifted from skin and flesh to her skull—she couldn't hold back anymore, rolling on the ground.

Tears streaming, she looked at Li Li Banfeng: "It hurts too much—is there any painkiller? It's unbearable…"

Li Li Banfeng sat on his cart, smiling: "You feel pain? Ask those honest people you scammed—did they feel pain?"

"You…" Sui Sui Donglan realized she'd been tricked, lunged at Li Li Banfeng to fight him.

Li Li Banfeng sidestepped; Sui Sui Donglan slammed into the cart, couldn't even see his shadow.

Why was his skill so good?

Even the bandits on Feiyingshan weren't this skilled.

Old Liu, who sold dried fruit, said the peddler was a master.

He really was the peddler!

But why did he trick me?

Seeing she couldn't fight, Sui Sui Donglan quickly defended herself.

"Peddler Master, I didn't scam them—I just sold flowers; they bought them willingly."

Li Li Banfeng smiled: "You say that—didn't you willingly buy my medicine?"

"I, I…" Sui Sui Donglan stammered, then answered, "I did it willingly too, Peddler Master—I'm truly sorry, I'll never do it again!"

Li Li Banfeng sighed: "Fine. I'm generous. Go back to Tiemenbao, return every copper you scammed, house by house, then bow three times to each person. Only then will I give you the antidote. Go."

Sui Sui Donglan dropped to her knees: "Peddler Master, I'll do it right away—please ease the pain, I can't bear it!"

The agony made her convulse; Li Li Banfeng pulled out a wine gourd, poured a cup, and gave it to Sui Sui Donglan.

Sui Sui Donglan drank it down; soon, the pain eased.

"Thank you, Peddler Master!" She bowed twice, then rose and left.

Was she going to return the money?

She wouldn't return it.

Having been swindled out of three hundred thousand, her heart still bled—how could she bear to give away more?

Seeing her leave, Li Li Banfeng tossed her a mirror: "Don't rush—look at your face first."

Sui Sui Donglan looked in the mirror: "Xiu Jie Xian" on the left, "Xiu" on the right.

She rubbed her face desperately—the characters wouldn't come off.

"Peddler Master…"

Li Li Banfeng's smile vanished: "You wanted to be Xiu Jie Xian Xiu—I granted it. These characters will never wash off; wherever you go, everyone will know you're a Xiu Jie Xian Xiu."

"Peddler Master, please forgive me—I truly repent!" Sui Sui Donglan ran back, bowing again.

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Why bow to me? Go to Tiemenbao."

"Master, how can I face anyone like this?"

"If you don't want to face anyone, just die. By this time tomorrow, the wine's effect will fade—you'll feel the pain again, and die screaming. Even dead, these characters will remain on your face."

Saying this, Li Li Banfeng pushed his cart, shook the drum, and walked away; Sui Sui Donglan clung to his pant leg, crying: "Master, I'll return the money—but I gave it all to you, I have nothing left!"

Li Li Banfeng turned and smiled: "You gave it all? Didn't you keep anything?"

"I kept a little…" Sui Sui Donglan dared not lie.

"Give it all!"

Sui Sui Donglan returned home and brought out the remaining twenty-plus thousand.

Li Li Banfeng said: "First, return the money you stole. The three hundred thousand you gave me? That's your debt to me—you'll repay it yourself."

Sui Sui Donglan blushed: "Can you give me a title?"

"Yes. Your title? You'll be the cart-puller."

Cart-puller?

What kind of title was that?

Li Li Banfeng handed Sui Sui Donglan the cart, then walked toward Tiemenbao, shaking the drum.

Sui Sui Donglan pulled the cart behind him; as they walked, Li Li Banfeng asked her about Tiemenbao.

How many Yu Zhaixiu live in Tiemenbao?

Sui Sui Donglan said: "There are two or three hundred households. Tiemenbao is huge—walk from the gate inward, and it's over ten li."

Is there another exit at the end of the mountain ravine?

"No, Tiemenbao is a dead end—only one gate for entry and exit."

Did these Yu Zhaixiu enter the Dao within Tiemenbao?

Sui Sui Donglan shook her head: "I didn't stay long, but I never saw anyone enter the Dao here. The Yu Zhaixiu I know all moved here from outside."

Li Li Banfeng turned to look at Sui Sui Donglan, suspecting she wasn't telling the truth: "How could Yu Zhaixiu just move house? Don't they care about their homes or zhaispirit?"

"I don't know. I'm just a white lamb—I don't understand cultivation matters much. I just heard an older man say he carried his zhaispirit with him when he moved."

Moving with a zhaispirit?

The key to Yu Zhaixiu is balance among home, zhaispirit, and cultivator. When a zhaispirit leaves its home, it turns into a malevolent spirit. How great a risk did this older man take carrying his zhaispirit with him?

Why did he move to Tiemenbao?

He said Tiemenbao is a good place, and the fortress lord is a good man.

Is the fortress lord also a Yu Zhaixiu?

I heard he's an eighth-layer Yu Zhaixiu, but I've never seen him. That older man only saw him once—when bandits from Feiyingshan broke into the fortress, the fortress lord personally drove them off.

Yu Zhaixiu came to Tiemenbao seeking protection.

The fortress lord is an eighth-layer expert. It seems I'll truly learn a lot this time.

But how can I get close to the fortress lord?

I have a friend who wants to settle in Tiemenbao. Does he need the fortress lord's approval?

Sui Sui Donglan nodded: "First, you need the fortress lord's approval. Then you buy land from him, build a house according to his rules, sign a contract, and pay monthly rent to settle in Tiemenbao."

"If I bought the house, why do I still pay rent?"

That's Tiemenbao's rule. Everyone here pays rent—even those doing business in the fortress must pay the fortress lord.

As they spoke, they arrived at Tiemenbao. Sui Sui Donglan, tears in her eyes, said: "Master, give me another medicine to remove the characters on my face."

Li Li Banfeng smiled gently: "No. First, repay the money you owe."

Sui Sui Donglan sniffled twice, found a headscarf, wrapped her face, and went door to door returning money.

The words "Con Artist" were written large—her headscarf couldn't hide them. The Yu Zhaixiu she had swindled saw her come to apologize, return their money, and kowtow. Their reactions varied.

Some forgave her.

Some not only forgave her, but even pitied her.

Some were furious, but after taking back their money, they didn't pursue it further—the young man who pointed Li Li Banfeng in the right direction was one of these.

He was furious with Sui Sui Donglan but deeply grateful to Li Li Banfeng. He volunteered his name and cultivation level.

"I'm Wu Wu Yongchao, a fourth-layer Yu Zhaixiu." He was like that—if someone treated him well, he gave them his whole heart.

Li Li Banfeng was also a straightforward man and replied: "I'm a peddler."

Wu Wu Yongchao studied Li Li Banfeng closely, then shook his head: "I've seen peddlers—you look…."

Yu Zhaixiu took life seriously; they rarely forgot a person's face. He remembered the peddler didn't look like this.

Li Li Banfeng explained: "The peddler you met is my younger brother."

"You're from the same sect, so your cultivation level must be similar…" In Wu Wu Yongchao's mind, the peddler's cultivation was extremely high.

Li Li Banfeng replied tactfully: "I'm not the same as him."

Wu Wu Yongchao watched Sui Sui Donglan apologize door to door and strongly agreed with Li Li Banfeng: "If that peddler had faced this, he wouldn't have cared. Your character is better than his."

Li Li Banfeng sighed: "In short… not the same…"

Sui Sui Donglan apologized to everyone she could, repaid all she could, and couldn't repay what she couldn't.

Some money had already been spent.

I do business here too—I have to pay rent to the fortress lord. I charge Yu Zhaixiu a bit more—it's unavoidable.

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Do con artists pay rent too?"

They do! And they pay more! The fortress lord says people like me shouldn't even enter the fortress—I must pay double.

If they knew she was a con artist, why let her in?

Li Li Banfeng frowned inwardly.

"Peddler Master, I've repaid all the money—please give me the antidote."

Not yet. I have other questions. Do you know where the fortress lord lives?

Sui Sui Donglan shook her head: "I've never seen the fortress lord. I've only seen two of his subordinates…"

Before she finished, a whistle blared loudly.

Woooo~ Woooo~

Wu Wu Yongchao gasped: "Bad! The big iron gate is closing!"

Sui Sui Donglan shouted: "Peddler Master, hurry! If you don't leave now, you won't get out!"

PS: Why did the gate suddenly close?

Because bandits are coming!

What abilities does an eighth-layer Yu Zhaixiu have? I can't wait to see!

(End of Chapter)