[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-240":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},2290538,4478,"Chapter 240: The Peak of Sages","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-240",240,"\u003Cp>Li Banfeng slept until dusk, and when he woke up, it was already six in the evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had truly missed his stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Missed it, so what? The residual power of the Judgment Pen still lingered; Li Banfeng didn't bother to think about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he stepped out of the Personal Dwelling and picked up the key from beneath his sleeping pallet, he could no longer avoid thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his sleeping pallet, two women lay, one on top of the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately, this was not Li Banfeng’s sleeping pallet—it belonged to the two young ladies, and Li Banfeng should have gotten off long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two women stirring, Li Banfeng hurried to explain: “I got into the wrong carriage; you needn’t mind…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piercing scream rang out from the carriage, and the conductor rushed over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two female passengers claimed Li Banfeng suddenly crawled out from beneath the sleeping pallet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s explanation was that he should have gotten off already—he’d simply overslept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor stared at Li Banfeng and asked: “You overslept under the sleeping pallet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng explained at length but could not give a reasonable account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor gritted his teeth: “Boarding beyond your station, harassing fellow passengers—your conduct is extremely vile. Fine: three thousand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three thousand? Easy.” Li Banfeng paid immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor counted the money, slipped it into his pocket, and gave no receipt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out an iron rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng watched the scenery rushing past the window, estimated the train’s speed, and waved to the conductor: “Wait, let me explain—I hold a universal travel permit; it’s valid throughout Pulu Province. Let’s wait until the next station…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor flung open the door and shoved Li Banfeng out with the rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng rolled beside the railway tracks and got up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the instant he fell from the train, Li Banfeng heard the two women shouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They seemed to be yelling: “Kill this pervert!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pervert…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this going to ruin my reputation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It truly did ruin his reputation—the two women spread their story far and wide, eventually reaching the train supervisor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train supervisor flew into a rage, took the three thousand from the conductor, and verified the ticket information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After checking, the conductor reported to the supervisor: “This passenger’s name is Ma Junyang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s ticket and travel permit were both issued under Ma Wu’s identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The supervisor roared: “I’ve heard of him—he slept with his own sister-in-law. He’s the most shameless man in Pulu Province. It’s no surprise he’d do something like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng walked along the railway up the slope for a long time without seeing a single soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everywhere were mountains, one after another, each seemingly cast from the same mold, indistinguishable from the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking over three hours, Li Banfeng stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he had originally feared, the border line was his greatest concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still remembered the border line’s power—a single misstep and he’d be reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The railway could cross the border, but smugglers dared not follow it, for checkpoints lined the tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng wasn’t afraid of checkpoints—he had his travel permit; he wasn’t a smuggler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What now blocked his path was not the border, but a patch of grass worn bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would grass near the railway be worn bare?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One possibility: something fell from the train, struck the ground, and slid across the grass, scraping it bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng touched his back—it still felt sticky with grass blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was where he’d fallen from the train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d walked back to the same spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fourth-layer Wu Xiu, walking along the railway for three hours, had somehow returned to his starting point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, that made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the railway itself be circling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The railway couldn’t circle—it was me circling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng pondered a moment, then moved away from the railway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some force around this railway must be interfering with his sense of direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if not along the railway, where else could he go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng looked up at the stars—on a clear night, there were many ways to orient himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly found true north and walked that way. Less than five miles ahead, a towering mountain blocked his path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mountain rose higher than all others; faint structures were visible along its slopes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Li Banfeng, climbing was no hardship—he sprinted up the path and soon reached the houses on the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The architectural style of these houses struck Li Banfeng as unfamiliar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walls of reddish earth brick, vermilion doors, rusted door nails, and massive door rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such bright red architecture should feel festive, yet Li Banfeng sensed an oppressive, lifeless stillness radiating from every surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, Li Banfeng would avoid such a place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he needed directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He approached the gate, lifted the door ring, and knocked twice. A teenager of seventeen or eighteen opened a side door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy wore a slanted-collar long robe and a round-crowned cap—his attire looked unnaturally old-fashioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood at the threshold, sizing up Li Banfeng, and asked: “Who dares make noise here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked rather formally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng replied: “I’m just passing through. May I ask where this is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait here. I’ll ask my master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just asked where this place is—why do I need to consult your master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng waited nearly half an hour at the gate before the boy returned: “My master says: ‘Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak of what is improper, do not act on what is improper. Come another day.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of situation is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just asked for directions—how is that improper?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was about to ask again when the boy shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Try another house?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other houses surrounded him, all similar in style, all equally lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it. This place is remote—not like Lüshui City. Knocking on doors at midnight is indeed improper. Don’t scare them further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng found a suitable spot, hid his key, and returned to the Personal Dwelling to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Li Banfeng left the Personal Dwelling, still intending to ask for directions, but found almost no pedestrians on the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The house he’d visited last night still had its door tightly shut; another house’s door stood slightly ajar—when Li Banfeng took a step forward, it slammed shut with a bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m not robbing, not stealing, not begging—why are you all avoiding me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when first arriving at Tiemenbao, someone would at least answer when you asked for directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng prepared to climb higher when he saw a man in a white robe walking toward him, his expression solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, a person! Li Banfeng hurried forward: “May I ask where this is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, the white-robed man dropped to his knees with a thud, startling Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just asking for directions—I’m not robbing you. I haven’t done… anything in a long time…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man glanced at Li Banfeng, visibly puzzled, but said nothing further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes remained fixed on the mansion ahead—Li Banfeng then realized he wasn’t kneeling to him, but to the mansion’s master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he possibly want from them that he must kneel like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kneeling at the gate won’t help—wait until they see you before you kneel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let him kneel if he wants. They were strangers; Li Banfeng wouldn’t stop him. He asked again: “May I ask where this place is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man stared straight ahead: “You stand within the Peak of Sages and still ask where you are? How foolish mortals are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peak of Sages?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had never heard of this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you tell me how to reach the nearest train station?” Li Banfeng had his travel permit—he could buy a ticket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man sneered: “The land of Sages cannot tolerate such vulgar things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is a train vulgar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng tried to speak as politely as possible: “I’ve never been to the Peak of Sages before. I urgently need to leave—please guide me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man’s brow furrowed instantly and replied with four words: “Do not speak of what is improper!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talking to him was useless—he was not normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who knelt before a gate couldn’t be normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng continued upward—the houses on the mountain were all the same: doors shut, no answer when called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He encountered several men pushing carts or dumping trash, all of whom fled far away at the sight of Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, he met a few who didn’t avoid him; when he asked for directions, they replied with flowery phrases and endless talk, not a single useful word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people on this mountain are sick—seriously sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions and simply followed the mountain path over the high peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking north along the valley for more than ten miles, another towering mountain blocked his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he followed the trail up the slope, Li Banfeng saw familiar buildings again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High walls of reddish-brown earth, a vermilion gate, and dozens of people kneeling before it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place’s spectacle was even more extravagant than before; Li Banfeng scanned the crowd and spotted a familiar face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man wore a white robe—could it be…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped closer, studied him for a long while, then asked: “Have I seen you before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man snorted coldly: “Do not look where you ought not!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I just come back here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who’s broken—them or me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak—creak—creak—the gate opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy from yesterday came out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My master says your karmic connection has not yet ripened. Return home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faces filled with shock and disappointment turned toward the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man asked: “We have endured countless hardships, day and night, coming here to seek instruction—why do you say our karmic connection has not ripened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy replied without expression: “It is my master’s will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the boy walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd fell into deep despair; some even wept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back? Are we just going to return like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else can we do? It is the sage’s decree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I waited eight long years just to see the sage—now you tell me to go back? How can I accept this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You waited eight years? I’ve waited eleven full years right here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd murmured complaints, but the white-robed man spoke up: “The sage refuses to see us because our sincerity is insufficient. Whether ten years or eight, what have we shown beyond idle waiting? Where is our perseverance? Where is our determination to learn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone beside him asked: “Then what do you suggest we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man said: “From today, I will kneel here without rising. If the sage does not see me today, I kneel today. If the sage does not see me this year, I kneel this year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man is so desperate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Where is this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1831,"2026-06-20T03:43:16.386Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","589823884a52ce3df6523e256be8bb2828047b4c3af70ec55046db24dcac5866","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-241","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-239",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]