Chapter 216: Five Parts Truth

The next day, Tiemenbao sealed its gates, and Li Banfeng scouted the surrounding situation in all directions.

There were many villages around Tiemenbao, inhabited by simple farmers; he encountered two first-layer Farming Cultivators, while the rest had no cultivation base at all.

Li Banfeng discovered the location of Flying Eagle Mountain, over twenty *li* away from Tiemenbao. The bandits on the mountain had a great reputation, seemingly even greater than those of Iron Sheep Mountain. Whether it was the stronghold master He Zhenlei or the gunnery chief Luo Dagui, they were figures who made the locals tremble with fear.

This group of bandits had quite a few "battle records," and through the villagers' accounts, Li Banfeng focused on the word "ruthless."

Every year, they would take away more than half the grain from every village; the slightest resistance often resulted in the slaughter of the entire village.

This was different from the practices of most mountain bandits in Puluo Continent. Ordinary mountain bandits would not deal lethal blows to the surrounding residents and would even maintain good relations with nearby villages, providing mutual support if trouble arose.

With such vicious bandits like those on Flying Eagle Mountain, hadn't any wealthy, powerful families come to suppress them?

They had!

The largest wealthy family nearby was Tiemenbao, where three hundred households of Residential Cultivators lived together; this force was indeed not small.

Fort Master Zhou Anju had once gone to Flying Eagle Mountain alone, spear in hand, to fight a great battle against He Zhenlei, with neither side emerging victorious.

Zhou Anju had also once led over a dozen subordinates to fight He Zhenlei at the foot of the mountain, only to return in defeat.

According to the local villagers, the reason Fort Master Zhou was defeated was that Residential Cultivators could not leave their homes for long periods.

That was true, but Li Banfeng always felt something was wrong.

He asked an old farmer: "Brother, did you see the battle between Fort Master Zhou and He Zhenlei with your own eyes?"

The old farmer shook his head and said: "That was a battle between immortals; how would I dare to watch?"

"Since you didn't see it, how can you describe it so clearly?"

"This matter has long since spread throughout the vicinity of Tiemenbao. Those two battles were earth-shattering; no one around here is unaware of them!

Fort Master Zhou is a hero, but he couldn't withstand the viciousness of the bandits. Even Tiemenbao couldn't defeat them, let alone us common folk."

It sounded earth-shattering, yet when asked, no one had actually seen it.

Li Banfeng really had an urge to go to Flying Eagle Mountain to see what the situation was.

But if this stronghold master was truly a seventh or eighth-layer cultivator, wouldn't going up there be suicide?

Let's look a bit more.

He would eventually find someone in the know to probe the truth.

The next day, Tiemenbao opened its gates. Li Banfeng entered the fort again. Ma Dingfu shouted in front of the main gate: "Do your business quickly, we're closing in two hours!"

Li Banfeng asked Sui Donglan: "What time do you usually close?"

"Always at seven in the evening. Closing so early today, it seems the matter of Flying Eagle Mountain hasn't been handled properly yet."

Those selling rice, oil, and vegetables went door-to-door doing business, but for those selling cloth, sundries, and tobacco leaves, business wasn't as easy to conduct.

Flying Eagle Mountain had come demanding ten thousand *yang*, and most people in the fort hadn't paid, but they had to have the money ready. If the pressure became too great, they would have no choice but to compromise; after all, Residential Cultivators could not easily move house.

A woman selling cloth went to Hu Lao's house to collect clothes. Hu Lao was a tailor with decent skills, and this woman had been ordering from him for years.

Hu Lao hadn't locked the door today; it was left slightly ajar.

The cloth-selling woman didn't dare to barge in; she knew Residential Cultivators didn't like others entering their rooms. She stood outside the door and called out: "Hu Lao, are those two *qipao* ready?"

An aged voice came from inside the room: "Who is it?"

Was this Hu Lao?

The voice didn't sound right.

"It's me! Xiujuan, I've come to get the clothes!"

"Who exactly is it?"

"Me, it's me..." Xiujuan retreated two steps.

A cold wind blew, and a thick fog swirled in the pitch-black corridor.

Amidst the thick fog, Hu Lao's severed head slowly floated in front of Xiujuan.

"Mommy!" Xiujuan shrieked, scrambling away from Hu Lao's door.

Several Residential Cultivators who had come out to buy things gathered around, seeing Hu Lao's head still suspended in mid-air.

The aged voice echoed in the room: "Tell me, who killed him..."

Li Banfeng wanted to go in and take a look but was stopped by Wu Yongchao: "Don't go, the House Spirit might be going mad."

Once a House Spirit lost its master, it was very likely to turn into an evil spirit.

And this House Spirit was special.

"Hu Lao had been in Tiemenbao for over fifty years, and this House Spirit had been with him even longer. Now that Hu Lao is gone, this House Spirit is afraid that..."

"Who exactly is it!" Before the words were finished, the House Spirit roared repeatedly, and the entire house trembled.

Fifty years.

The Residential Cultivator from yesterday who had arrived even earlier than Fort Master Zhou—it was him.

Ma Dingfu ran over and shouted at the group of merchants: "Go! All of you go! Something has happened here, we're closing immediately."

Closing again.

The merchants ran toward the gate, when suddenly a steam whistle blared.

*Woo-ooo, woo-ooo~*

Before anyone could run out, the steam gate closed first.

After a short wait, a voice came from outside the gate: "Fort Master Zhou, I've come again. I said yesterday, if I don't get the ten thousand *yang*, I'll take one life every day. You received the head, right?"

Fort Master Zhou shouted sternly: "Luo Dagui, don't bully us too far!"

"I'm not bullying you, I'm following the rules I stated beforehand!"

As the words landed, there was a loud boom, and several stones fell into the valley.

Another Residential Cultivator's house was smashed, and all the merchants crouched on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

They were waiting for Fort Master Zhou's attitude, but Fort Master Zhou said nothing.

Gunnery Chief Luo Dagui shouted: "Everyone, I'll come again tomorrow. If I still don't see ten thousand *yang*, I'll give you another generous gift!"

Having said that, Luo Dagui left.

The crowd waited for a long time, still not daring to move.

Ma Dingfu scanned the crowd and shouted angrily: "Arrogant! You were so arrogant! Why didn't you go out and fight him? Now look, someone's dead!"

Several Residential Cultivators looked at Wu Yongchao with resentment.

These were the ones who had paid.

Wu Yongchao looked ashamed, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Who killed him!" Hu Lao's House Spirit was still roaring.

Ma Dingfu stood in the distance, looked, and turned to the crowd: "Whoever is familiar with Hu Lao, go to his room and take a look."

Wu Yongchao said: "I'll go take a look; I know his House Spirit."

Ma Dingfu looked at Wu Yongchao and said: "Comfort it well. Remember, you owe Hu Lao a life."

Two hours later, the steam gate opened.

Sui Donglan rushed toward the gate. Li Banfeng pulled her back and gave her a cup of wine: "Drink this, and come back to Tiemenbao to wait for me tomorrow."

"Tiemenbao won't open tomorrow! That guy surnamed Ma just said so."

"If it doesn't open, wait for me outside."

"What if I run into bandits?"

"Can't you hide better?"

Late at night, Wu Yongchao rummaged through boxes and cabinets in his room, taking out all the loose change he usually had, totaling twelve *yang*.

Each household had to pay thirty-six, so Wu Yongchao's savings were far from enough.

He took out several paintings he had been reluctant to sell, calculating how much they were worth, when an old man's voice came to his ear: "Kid, these paintings can't be sold. They'll be useful when war comes later!"

"Now is the time when money is needed. When I have more later..."

*Bang, bang, bang~*

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

Wu Yongchao frowned slightly; at this hour, there shouldn't be any outsiders in Tiemenbao.

Could it be Ma Dingfu coming to collect debts again?

He went to the door, first opened the peephole, and discovered that the person standing at the door wasn't Ma Dingfu, but a man wearing a top hat.

The Peddler!

Wu Yongchao opened the door and lowered his voice: "How did you get in?"

Li Banfeng's voice was even lower: "I never left."

"Impossible, every time the fort closes its gates, they have to..."

"Let me in first; this isn't the place to talk."

Wu Yongchao was in a bit of a dilemma.

The old man's voice came to his ear again: "Let him in; he's a good person."

Wu Yongchao brought Li Banfeng into the living room and looked around several times before closing the door.

The two sat down, and Wu Yongchao asked about the previous matter again: "How did you dare to sneak and stay in the fort? If the Fort Master finds out..."

"Let's not talk about that first. Did you go to Hu Lao's house and ask how he died?"

Wu Yongchao lowered his head, looking ashamed: "This morning, Hu Lao went out to dump dirty soil and didn't return for a long time.

The House Spirit smelled blood outside the door, opened it, and discovered Hu Lao's head placed at the entrance.

This is all my fault..."

Li Banfeng interrupted Wu Yongchao: "How early was this morning? Before the big iron gate opened, or after?"

"About six o'clock, the iron gate hadn't opened yet."

"Then how did the murderer get in?"

Wu Yongchao thought for a moment and said: "They can throw stones from the cliff; they must have snuck into the fort from the cliff."

Li Banfeng thought about the height of that cliff.

And thought about the tools that group of people used.

People of that caliber, climbing down from the cliff and killing a Residential Cultivator at his own doorstep?

"What level of cultivation did Hu Lao have?"

"He said himself it was the third layer."

Only the third layer?

How is that possible?

"Didn't you say he had been cultivating for over fifty years? Just by grinding out the years, it couldn't be the third layer."

Wu Yongchao thought for a moment and said: "I remember that time he was drunk and told me about his cultivation.

He said when he was young, he and the House Spirit fought every day, fighting to the death. Later, to avoid the House Spirit, he moved to Tiemenbao.

For some reason, his House Spirit chased him to Tiemenbao, and the two continued to fight. They fought for over thirty years, his cultivation didn't improve, and he was covered in wounds.

Later, Hu Lao got old and couldn't fight anymore, so the House Spirit gave him third-layer cultivation, and the two continued to fight."

There's this type of House Spirit too?

Li Banfeng felt more and more that meeting his wife was a very lucky thing.

"Why did you come to Tiemenbao?"

Wu Yongchao lowered his head; he wasn't very willing to recount his own experiences, but since the "Peddler" asked, he didn't know how to refuse.

"I used to live in Green Water Bay—not Green Water City, but a village outside the city.

I liked staying at home since I was a child. My family's situation was decent; they got me some elixirs and saved up some *Dao* affinity, wanting me to learn Martial Cultivation.

But I didn't want to learn martial arts, so I secretly entered Residential Cultivation through a peddler. My family thought I was useless and nagged me every day, so I bought a house in Blue Poplar Village and moved out."

Blue Poplar Village?

Li Banfeng nodded: "You're quite good at picking places."

Wu Yongchao gave a bitter smile: "I'm not good at picking places. If I had known Blue Poplar Village was that kind of place, I wouldn't have been greedy for cheapness and bought a house there.

The only benefit of Blue Poplar Village was that the House Spirit came quickly. I hadn't even moved there for a month before I had a House Spirit."

Yes, it must have been fast; that place was full of wandering souls.

Wu Yongchao continued: "I can paint and tailor. I thought I could make a living with my own skills, but I didn't expect that doing business in Blue Poplar Village, I'd be cheated nine times out of ten!"

"Cheated nine times?" Li Banfeng was very surprised. With such simple folk customs in Blue Poplar Village, they actually cheated him nine times?

"Tell me carefully, how did they let you off that one time?"

Wu Yongchao gave a bitter smile: "Let's not talk about it, it's all in the past. Later, the House Spirit told me this place couldn't be lived in.

There was a good place that never bullied honest people. It had stayed there before and told me to go take a look."

"Was it Tiemenbao?"

Wu Yongchao nodded: "The House Spirit was willing to go with me, but the house wouldn't let us go. The two of us fought with the house for a day and a night before we escaped; we almost lost our lives.

The House Spirit was very good to me, really very good. I came to Tiemenbao, settled down, and the House Spirit led me in cultivation.

It said Tiemenbao had changed and was different from before, but it could still be lived in.

It said I had good talent, just that I was too honest. After over ten years of entry, it helped me cultivate to the fourth layer."

Residential Cultivation is just hard to fathom in this regard. If you meet a compatible House Spirit, your cultivation grows extremely fast; if you meet an incompatible one, your cultivation might stay in place for decades.

Old Lady Han is an example, and Hu Lao is also an example.

"In Tiemenbao, what level is the highest-cultivating Residential Cultivator?"

Wu Yongchao said without hesitation: "It's the fourth layer; it can't be higher. Any higher and you can't stay in the fort."

"Who stipulated this?"

"This is Fort Master Zhou's rule. He said Tiemenbao provides a meal for Residential Cultivators without ability, while those with ability go out to seek their own futures and can't linger here for a lifetime."

Outrageous.

Combat power above the fourth layer is so precious, yet this Fort Master actually doesn't want it.

Perhaps the thoughts of an expert are a bit different.

"Residential Cultivators don't move house easily. If cultivation reaches the fifth layer, can he still be forced to leave?"

Wu Yongchao shook his head: "No need to force. Residential Cultivators are people who care about face. We never add trouble to others. If someone says to leave, we just leave. At worst, we fight another battle with our own house.

The year before last, Old Wang, who lived diagonally opposite, reached the fifth layer. The Fort Master came to his door personally and persuaded him to leave. He agreed.

He took his House Spirit and fought with his house for three whole days, finally dying in the house. He told me that rules are rules, and there's nothing to complain about."

Li Banfeng understood.

Residential Cultivators aren't all unable to adapt to life outside, but those who come here all want to avoid the disturbances outside. Their temperaments belong to a very simple category among Residential Cultivators.

Although life is hard, there are fewer unnecessary disputes here. Although merchants also squeeze these honest people, it's still much better than being cheated out of everything outside.

And this Fort Master has grasped the minds of these Residential Cultivators thoroughly!

"Do you know what the situation is like on top of this cliff?"

Wu Yongchao shook his head: "On top of the cliff is the mountain peak, what else could there be?"

No wonder they say he has good talent; he isn't even familiar with the environment of Tiemenbao.

"Then do you usually go out?"

"Are you talking about the room door, or the big iron gate? We generally don't go out of the big iron gate..."

According to Wu Yongchao's account, other Residential Cultivators were in much the same situation: they didn't go out easily, didn't move around easily, rarely communicated with each other, and tried their best to keep a distance from everything in the outside world.

Halfway through the words, knocking sounded again.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! *

Wu Yongchao looked at Li Banfeng.

Why look at me? I'm in front of you; could it be me knocking?

Wu Yongchao was about to go to the door to look, but was stopped by Li Banfeng.

He signaled for Wu Yongchao not to make a sound.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! *

"Asleep? It's me, Ma Dingfu. I've come to talk to you about the money!"

Wu Yongchao was about to open the door, but was stopped by Li Banfeng again.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! *

"Are you dead asleep? I'm telling you, don't play dumb. You owe Hu Lao a life; I'll come find you again tomorrow!"

Ma Dingfu left.

Wu Yongchao was ashamed beyond words.

"This is my fault, it's all my fault. I'll sell the house; no matter what, I have to scrape together the money."

Li Banfeng stared into Wu Yongchao's eyes and said: "Brother, this isn't your fault, from beginning to end it isn't your fault.

Remember, from now on, unless you hear me call the door, you are not allowed to leave the house, not even a single step!"

PS: Regarding some things, Li Banfeng saw five parts, the remaining five parts are hidden under a mask; Li Banfeng wants to reveal them with his own hands!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 217 =====