Chapter 22: Suishenju

The peddler was leaving, so Li Banfeng quickly asked, “When will you come next?”

“Every three months, same date, same place. You got nothing else?”

Only once every three months.

In three months, I might not even be here anymore.

This is a rare chance—I’ve got to buy something.

“I’ll take two candles!”

The little room is too dark; I absolutely need candles.

The peddler handed Li Banfeng two candles. “Want matches?”

Matches are called “yanghuo.”

Li Banfeng had brought a lighter, but it fell off during the journey.

“Give me a box.”

“Two candles and a box of matches—will you pay in Huan currency or silver coins?”

Li Banfeng smiled innocently. “You want money?”

The peddler frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”

One candle was two jiao, a box of matches five fen. Li Banfeng had no small change, so he gave a hundred-jiao note.

The peddler actually made change, handing over a handful of loose coins, even including denominations long out of circulation.

Payment and goods exchanged, the peddler left.

Li Banfeng was troubled.

No phone, no familiarity with the place—where could he find He Jiaqing?

So much had happened today; though he’d passed out twice, Li Banfeng still felt exhausted.

And he hadn’t eaten much today.

He used the bronze key to open the “house,” then tossed the key into the wild grass before entering—hidden but easy to find, within five meters, never missed.

Inside the pitch-black room, Li Banfeng lit the candles he bought, set down his backpack, and rubbed his aching shoulders.

Since getting off the train, Li Banfeng had carried the backpack the whole time; other things were fine, but the bronze lotus was unbearably heavy.

He opened his backpack, took out a packet of instant noodles, and chewed it dry.

He had no water, but luckily he’d drunk two bowls of fruit syrup earlier, so he wasn’t too thirsty.

As he ate, recalling today’s events, Li Banfeng felt signs his mental condition might be improving.

After getting off the train, I was struck by the heavenly light—hit by a stream of dark matter radiation. The exact cause is unknown.

Right after stepping out, I couldn’t move, then got chased by two Forward Caps.

Somehow, I became a cultivator of two incompatible Dao sects, and gained a mobile house.

Who dares call me crazy now? Is there any crazier experience than this?

If I can’t find He Jiaqing, what should I do?

Go back to the train station, buy a ticket, and return straight to Yuezhou?

What are you thinking? You’ve reached Yaowang Gully—how could you just go back? Find a place to charge your phone, and the problem’s solved.

Li Banfeng lay on the cold ground, his backpack as a pillow.

The room was dark, small—but actually, it wasn’t bad.

From now on, I’ll call it “Suishenju.”

This is my house.

I have a house.

Li Banfeng’s brow relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.

Though he didn’t know He Jiaqing’s current condition.

Though he didn’t know exactly where he was.

But Li Banfeng’s spirits lifted.

He fell into a deep sleep in Suishenju. When he woke, he had no idea what time it was—he had no watch, his phone was dead, and no light entered the room; he’d lost all sense of time.

The cold, hard ground left him aching all over. He rubbed his neck and stretched his limbs.

Crack! His bones ached from being twisted.

Suddenly, Li Banfeng felt his strength had greatly increased.

Was there energy surging through his body?

Was this what the peddler meant by “recognizing the house”?

Li Banfeng rejoiced, walked several laps inside Suishenju, and indeed felt lighter, his steps quicker.

He changed into a shirt and dress pants.

Compared to his T-shirt, the shirt felt far less out of place.

He still carried the backpack, but emptied its contents.

If it’s empty, why carry it at all?

There was Li Banfeng’s plan.

The two Forward Caps he met at the station were after him, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out any connection between himself and them.

This was Li Banfeng’s first time in Pulu Province; the only possible link was the bronze lotus.

The bronze lotus was He Jiaqing’s treasure; He Jiaqing came from Pulu Province, so someone there must know of the bronze lotus.

Someone wanted to seize this treasure, so their eyes turned to me.

If I’m targeted again, the best way to escape is to give the backpack to them as bait, then slip away.

When the backpack got stuck under the bunk, Li Banfeng pulled hard to free it—many seams had torn.

A few tears didn’t matter; it wouldn’t interfere with his plans.

Leaving Suishenju, Li Banfeng remembered the peddler’s warning: first thing, retrieve the key.

He was about to bend down and pick it up when he realized he wasn’t in yesterday’s wasteland.

Before him was still darkness—no night, no daylight.

Had I not left Suishenju?

Li Banfeng panicked, thinking he was trapped inside the house, but quickly calmed down.

This wasn’t Suishenju; though equally dark, the air smelled different.

Suishenju had been unoccupied too long—only dust filled it.

This air felt fresher, carrying the scent of nature, especially a sharp, fresh musk.

And it wasn’t completely dark—just dimmer.

After sleeping a full night in total darkness, Li Banfeng’s vision was sharp; with the faint light, he made out shapes.

Stone.

Rock walls.

This seemed like a cave.

Was it some beast’s den…?

He guessed right: beside him, two pale green eyes slowly opened.

The instant he saw those eyes, Li Banfeng turned and ran.

Huh!

A muffled roar came from behind; he immediately heard heavy breathing and stomping footsteps.

What kind of animal was this?

From the footsteps, it must be large.

Where was he running to?

Toward the cave entrance?

What if he ran into a dead end?

Why had he ended up in this cave?

Had the beast deliberately lain in wait?

Had he been tricked again?

A flood of questions churned in his mind; as he ran, answers unfolded one by one.

First, Li Banfeng hadn’t run the wrong way—he saw light ahead; he was indeed heading for the cave mouth.

Why he’d chosen the right direction, he had no time to ponder.

That sliver of light was small, proving the entrance was far off.

On the slippery cave floor, Li Banfeng didn’t think he could outrun a beast.

But the facts proved he could.

The cave was indeed slippery, yet Li Banfeng’s steps were steady and swift—he reached the entrance before the beast could catch him.

Only after he’d run dozens of meters outside the cave did the beast stagger out, panting.

Li Banfeng turned back—it was a bear, a massive black bear, standing as tall as his shoulders on all fours.

Li Banfeng had seen many bears in zoos, but never one this enormous; he ran like his life depended on it, desperate to shake off the black bear.

But it seemed easier than expected.

On the rugged mountain path, Li Banfeng ran swiftly; after a short chase, the bear gradually slowed its pace.

It stopped chasing, because it couldn’t catch up.

The black bear, deprived of its prey, was furious, but it wasn’t stubborn; it roared twice at Li Banfeng’s retreating back, then turned and returned to its cave.

It’s not chasing anymore!

I succeeded!

Having survived the tribulation, Li Banfeng was overjoyed.

I succeeded!

Did I really succeed?

If I can keep this life, then it truly counts as success.

But where’s the key?

Li Banfeng turned his head and glanced at the black bear’s back.

Though the distance was great, Li Banfeng’s eyesight had improved greatly compared to before.

He saw a faint golden glow shimmering on the bear’s back.

The key was stuck to the black bear’s back.

PS: Another chapter at 5 PM.

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“The Lamp-Bearing Judge” had a chance to reach Out-of-Loop Level 3; the out-of-loop index was sufficient, the fan count was sufficient, but the comment count fell short, leaving it stuck at Level 2. Thinking of this, Shala’s heart ached for Zhiqiong as if cut by a knife.

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(End of Chapter)