Chapter 241

The man in white proposed to kneel and not rise, and a group of people responded one after another.

They just knelt in front of the gate.

Li Li Banfeng was not afraid of evil people, but he had to stay away from pathetic people; pathetic people were more detestable than evil people and harder to deal with than evil people.

But the key question now was where to go?

Walking north definitely wouldn't work; if things went wrong, he'd have to circle back again.

Since he could determine the direction of due north, he could determine other directions as well, so Li Li Banfeng chose to walk east.

There were a few small mountains to the east, unlike the north, which was a vast wilderness; Li Li Banfeng watched the mountains as he walked, so he wouldn't go wrong in the end.

On the way down the mountain, Li Li Banfeng kept thinking about what these sages on the mountain usually ate; he had been wandering on the mountain for so long, yet Li Li Banfeng hadn't seen any farmland or farmers.

Walking to the hillside, Li Li Banfeng saw a seventy-year-old man pulling a cart of white rice heading up the mountain, with two people pushing the cart behind him—one was his son in his early thirties, and the other was his ten-year-old grandson.

The white rice was very heavy, and the three generations were pushing it with great difficulty; when they reached the hillside, the old man stopped the cart, and the three of them began to gnaw on coarse grain cakes with a pot of plain water.

At a glance, these three were honest people, so Li Li Banfeng stepped forward to ask for directions: "May I ask how to get to the nearest train station?"

The old man's son looked up and said, "You're looking for the station? That's far away."

The old man smiled and said, "You're a student coming up the mountain to seek knowledge, right? Didn't see the Sage today either? Young man, don't be impatient; once your sincerity arrives, the Sage will definitely see you."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not here to seek knowledge; I'm just passing through."

Upon hearing this, the old man's son looked disdainful and didn't want to pay much attention to Li Li Banfeng.

The old man seemed to see the hidden situation and advised Li Li Banfeng: "Seeking knowledge is not an easy task; the Sage teaches the world's supreme learning, which cannot be casually imparted to others.

Our family has been delivering rice to the Sage for sixteen years, originally hoping the Sage would take my son in; now that my son is older and the Sage won't take him, we'll see if my grandson has this fortune."

"Delivering rice?" Li Li Banfeng looked at the cart full of white rice, then at the coarse grain cakes in the hands of the three generations, and asked, "How much is this rice per jin?"

The old man rolled his eyes at Li Li Banfeng: "What money? It's about sincerity; the Sage is willing to eat our family's rice, which is our family's opportunity."

White rice that they couldn't bear to eat themselves, delivered to the Sage for free?

Li Li Banfeng couldn't help but be curious and asked, "What supreme learning does this Sage actually have?"

The old man lost his smile and put away the coarse grain cakes.

The old man's son was also very nervous; he looked around and said to Li Li Banfeng, "On the Sage's mountain, you must know how to speak with discretion; you don't even understand etiquette, no wonder the Sage won't see you."

The old man waved his hand, signaling the two of them to hurry on their way and stop talking to Li Li Banfeng.

The son hurriedly straightened the cart and let the old man pull it in front.

Li Li Banfeng said, "You have more strength than your father; you should be the one pulling the cart in front."

The son snorted and said, "This is called sincerity, do you understand?"

A seventy-year-old man pulling a cart to deliver rice; the sincerity was indeed extraordinary.

The ten-year-old child had been eating the cake from beginning to end without even lifting his head.

A child of this age was at the stage where he could eat a lot; one coarse grain cake was clearly not enough for him.

Li Li Banfeng asked the child, "Have you ever eaten white rice?"

The child glanced at Li Li Banfeng and trotted after his father to push the cart.

Li Li Banfeng continued walking down the mountain; along the way, he encountered many people seeking knowledge, as well as those delivering grain, vegetables, and livestock.

Compared to the people on the mountain, they were more talkative; when they saw Li Li Banfeng, they didn't turn and leave immediately, and could at least say a few words.

But when asked where the train station was, everyone avoided the topic; they didn't believe Li Li Banfeng was just passing through, and all thought Li Li Banfeng had been rejected while seeking knowledge on the mountain and was disheartened, wanting to leave.

Everyone advised Li Li Banfeng to stay for a few more days; as long as his sincerity arrived, he would definitely be able to move the Sage.

After confirming that he couldn't communicate with this group of people, Li Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions; whenever he encountered people going up the mountain, Li Li Banfeng would bypass them, as he just wanted to get down the mountain as quickly as possible.

Every person on this mountain, along with every blade of grass and tree, and even the air on the mountain, made Li Li Banfeng feel extremely disgusted; even in Bitter Vegetable Village, Li Li Banfeng hadn't felt as uncomfortable as he did today.

At the foot of the mountain, Li Li Banfeng continued to sprint east; after walking more than a hundred miles, Li Li Banfeng finally saw hope.

There were mountains blocking his path ahead, but they were different from the previous ones.

This was a hill, significantly lower, and there was a village at the foot of the mountain.

Li Li Banfeng entered the village and saw pleasing farmland, as well as farmers working.

The disgusting air seemed to have disappeared, and Li Li Banfeng's nerves gradually relaxed.

But the villagers' nerves were not relaxed; Li Li Banfeng's arrival made them particularly nervous, even a bit fearful.

Li Li Banfeng's attire made them fearful, his behavior made them fearful, and even his tone of voice made them fearful.

Li Li Banfeng could understand this reaction.

The village was so remote that the villagers hadn't seen many outsiders, so being guarded was a very normal thing.

When asked about the train station, a small portion of the villagers said they didn't know, while most of the villagers looked at Li Li Banfeng with blank expressions, as if the train station didn't exist in their world at all.

Li Li Banfeng could understand this too.

Many villagers might have never ridden a train; let alone the villagers here, Qin Qin Tianjiu, who grew up in Medicine King Ditch, had never ridden a train either, which was a very normal thing.

Walking from the head of the village to the end, Li Li Banfeng heard the sound of reading.

The children's voices, full of innocence and vitality, made Li Li Banfeng firmly believe that he had left the territory of the Peak of Sages.

No matter how remote the place was, there was still a school here, teaching proper things; such a place could make people see vitality and hope.

What were they learning?

"The root of heaven and earth begins with the Sage's heart,

The change of heaven and earth begins with the Sage's thoughts,

The foundation of heaven and earth begins with the Sage's virtue,

The source of heaven and earth begins with the Sage's wishes."

Upon hearing the words "Sage," Li Li Banfeng's scalp tingled.

Is this proper stuff?

He couldn't make reckless comments; they were learning traditional knowledge, and Li Li Banfeng hadn't been in Puluo Province for a year, so he might not really understand some traditions.

Looking closer, the sound of reading didn't come from a school, but from a rice paddy.

A group of children under ten years old were reciting the Sage's scriptures while transplanting rice seedlings in the paddy.

This was a very normal thing; the children were learning cultural knowledge while also learning survival skills.

A child had conscientiously transplanted a row of seedlings when a middle-aged man walked into the paddy and trampled the seedlings into a mess.

"Transplant them again," the man ordered.

The child didn't know what he had done wrong and looked up at the man.

The man slapped the child, knocking him into the paddy, and before the child could climb up, he stepped on him again.

The child struggled for a long time but couldn't climb up; the man dragged the child to the edge of the field, broke off a willow branch, and whipped the child.

The child's parents watched from the side; the child's mother felt heartache and trembled.

The child's father blocked her from the side, repeating the same few words: "This is for his own good, all for his own good..."

The man whipped him a few more times and scolded angrily: "Don't cry, have some backbone; if you can't even endure a little pain, what qualifications do you have to learn the Sage's principles?"

Is this a normal thing?

Li Li Banfeng stood by the field, his veins popping.

Some not-so-good memories from his childhood flooded into Li Li Banfeng's mind.

The man looked at the child and said: "Do you know why I hit you? Do you know why I made you transplant the seedlings again?"

The child shook his head with a blank expression.

The man scolded angrily: "If there is doubt in the heart, the will is not sincere; I told you to transplant the seedlings again, so you should just transplant them again; where does the doubt in your heart come from? Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved."

Seeing the child covered in wounds, the man said coldly: "I'll apply some medicine for you."

After speaking, he grabbed a handful of salt and was about to rub it on the child.

The child trembled with fear, and the child's parents trembled along with him, muttering: "Child, this is for your own good, all for your own good."

The middle-aged man gripped the salt and said: "Endure the pain and reflect here; if you dare to cry out one more time, don't come to seek knowledge tomorrow; you are not worthy..."

Bang!

Li Li Banfeng kicked the man in the face.

The man retreated a few steps and fell into the paddy; his nose was kicked crooked by Li Li Banfeng, and blood flowed freely.

The man looked at Li Li Banfeng in astonishment.

Everyone around looked at Li Li Banfeng.

The man said in a slurred voice: "Who are you?"

Li Li Banfeng's hat brim was very low, and with his back to the sun, the man couldn't see his face.

"Don't ask who I am; do you know why I hit you?"

The man looked blank.

Bang!

Li Li Banfeng kicked his blank face again.

The man lay on his back in the paddy, drank a mouthful of mud and sand, and took a long time to climb up to a sitting position.

"You, what right do you have to hit people?"

Two teeth were kicked out by Li Li Banfeng, and the man spoke with a lisp.

Bang!

Li Li Banfeng kicked him again.

"If there is doubt in the heart, the will is not sincere; I hit you, so you should just honestly endure the beating; where does the doubt in your heart come from? Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved."

After speaking, Li Li Banfeng grabbed the man's hair and kicked him several more times.

The man cried out in pain, and Li Li Banfeng pinched his mouth shut: "Don't cry, have some backbone; if you can't even endure a little pain, what Sage's principles are you talking about?

I'll apply some medicine for you; endure the pain and reflect here; if you dare to cry out one more time, go find a rope and hang yourself; if you can't bear to hang yourself, I'll help you; do you understand?"

After speaking, Li Li Banfeng grabbed a handful of salt and rubbed it on the man's face.

The man cried out in pain: "He hit me, hit me..."

Li Li Banfeng frowned and said: "You really didn't understand; fine, I'll take you to find a place to hang."

The surrounding villagers were scared silly, and a man shouted: "He hit the Sage's disciple; hurry and stop him, don't let him run away."

Sage's disciple?

This is the disciple taught by the Sage?

Stop me?

What is wrong with these people?

Letting their own children be tortured by this bird-man, and they are actually willing?

"So what if I hit him?" Li Li Banfeng carried the middle-aged man, flipped his wrist, and directly broke his neck.

He killed the Sage's disciple!

Yes, killed him.

This kind of bird-man is a scourge if left in the world.

The villagers stepped forward to stop Li Li Banfeng and shouted loudly: "Can't let him go!"

"Take him to the Peak of Sages and let him be sliced into a thousand pieces!"

Li Li Banfeng dropped the middle-aged man's corpse, walked straight out of the paddy, looked at the crowd of villagers, and said: "Tell your Sage that I killed this person; let's see who can stop me today!"

As his voice fell, the crowd went silent.

Li Li Banfeng strode away, and no one dared to follow behind.

A villager whispered: "We don't need to stop him; he committed a great crime, the Sage won't let him walk out!"

Li Li Banfeng sneered; he wanted to see how capable this Sage was.

By dusk, Li Li Banfeng returned to the village.

He truly hadn't walked out; after walking for a full half day, he had returned to this village.

Seeing Li Li Banfeng appear, all the villagers returned home and closed their doors tightly.

Li Li Banfeng sat at the entrance of the village and patted his wine gourd: "Sister, have you remembered yet, what place is this?"

The gourd pondered for a long time and said: "Sister has been thinking, but I don't seem to have been here before."

"How about you?" Li Li Banfeng asked the old teapot.

The old teapot coughed twice and said: "This place is truly fresh; I haven't been here either..."

Forget it, I'll go back to the Leaving Suishenju and ask my wife.

Li Li Banfeng was just about to take out the key when he heard someone approaching from afar.

He stood up and asked in a low voice: "Who?"

A weak female voice came over: "Benefactor, it's me; how did you get here?"

PS: Who is this person?

(End of chapter)