Chapter 242: Earning One

Xiao Yeci?

It had been many days since they last met; Li Banfeng could barely recall Xiao Yeci's face, but her tone of voice, he had not forgotten.

"Gracious benefactor, hurry and come with me—don't stay in this village! If the Saint finds you, it'll be disastrous!"

Xiao Yeci pulled Li Banfeng into a mountain hollow, where he saw her daughter, Lu Chunying.

Besides Lu Chunying, he saw several children, ranging from four or five to twelve or thirteen, of varying sizes.

"Gracious benefactor, how did you come to this place?"

How did he come here?

This matter couldn't be explained.

Li Banfeng said: "Don't ask me first—how did you two get here?"

Xiao Yeci lowered her head, blushing: "Don't laugh at me, gracious benefactor—I came here with Nannan to seek learning."

Li Banfeng actually laughed: "Come here to seek learning? When we first met, I remembered you being quite discerning—how could you do something so absurd?"

Before Xiao Yeci could speak, Lu Chunying chimed in: "That's why they're called Mouth Cultivators—only their tongue is skilled!"

Xiao Yeci snapped: "You little wretch, speaking so disrespectfully again! Gracious benefactor, I came here to have Nannan learn real skills. Since we parted at Yaowang Gully, my daughter and I have endured much—I can't speak of all of it to you..."

"If it's inconvenient, don't mention it—get to the point: how did you get here?"

"My daughter and I fled from enemies and wandered for a while. Those days were filled with fear and dread—all because our cultivation base was too weak. Wherever we went, we were pitiful creatures, crushed under any foot that stepped on us."

"Then I heard a rumor: there was a place where cultivation flourished—any sect here could rapidly advance their cultivation base."

"I got this rumor from a friend—my friend was once very trustworthy..."

Lu Chunying snorted and took over: "Yes, very trustworthy—my mother's friend was from the Jiangxiang Gang. She swindled us out of two hundred silver dollars and lured us here."

Li Banfeng froze: "You had dealings with the Jiangxiang Gang?"

Since arriving in Puluozhou, Li Banfeng had held an extremely poor opinion of the Jiangxiang Gang.

Xiao Yeci glared at Lu Chunying: "Don't speak nonsense! Gracious benefactor, I truly didn't know she was from the Jiangxiang Gang—if I had, I'd never have fallen for her trick!"

"Once she brought us here, and I heard so many tales of the Saint, I truly thought we'd come to the right place. But Nannan learned nothing here, and took many beatings. When I saw things were wrong, I fled with Nannan from the village."

Lu Chunying looked at Xiao Yeci: "Mom, stop trying to make yourself look noble. Did you get beaten less than I did? If I hadn't been quick on my feet, you wouldn't have escaped at all."

"You little wretch, stop talking back to me!"

Li Banfeng glanced at the other children and asked: "Are all these children with you because you escaped together?"

Xiao Yeci nodded: "Some, like us, were kidnapped. Others were brought here by their parents."

"But none are locals—local children never run. They dare not, and they don't want to."

Li Banfeng was confused—the population makeup here was complicated.

"First tell me—what's the name of this place?"

"Don't you know, gracious benefactor? This village is called Jingde Village."

"I'm not asking about the village—I'm asking about this region!" Li Banfeng felt he was struggling to make himself understood.

"What region?" Xiao Yeci didn't understand.

"From that highest mountain—the Saintly Sage Peak—all the way down to this village—what's the name of this entire area?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "They're not the same place. Jingde Village is Jingde Village. Saintly Sage Peak is Saintly Sage Peak."

She answered very seriously—but this wasn't what Li Banfeng wanted.

"Isn't Saintly Sage Peak connected to Jingde Village?"

"There is a connection—the Saint of Saintly Sage Peak sent dozens of disciples to teach in dozens of surrounding villages. All these villages daily thank the Saint for his grace."

"But we aren't from any of those villages. After staying a while, we realized something was off."

Li Banfeng asked: "What can you learn from these Saintly disciples?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "You learn nothing real. At first they taught reading—Nannan already knew how to read, so that was useless."

"Then they taught Saintly sayings and teachings—over and over, nothing but empty, hollow nonsense."

"When Nannan didn't understand something and asked a few questions, they hit her and said her heart wasn't sincere—that she'd never become a Saintly disciple in this lifetime."

After months of study, they'd taught nothing real. Li Banfeng asked: "What level must one reach to become a Saintly disciple?"

"That's hard to say. Of ten ordinary people, nine will never become Saintly disciples. They say it depends on fate, sincerity, and perseverance—even waiting ten or twenty years is no problem."

"You realized they were frauds, so you fled with these children?"

Xiao Yeci lowered her head: "I can't say for sure they're frauds—but I know they're not good people. All these children wanted to escape, and had the courage to try—I took them with me."

Li Banfeng frowned: "This place isn't far from the village—why didn't anyone from the village come looking for you?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "We weren't from the village to begin with. They don't care about us. These past two days, we couldn't find food, so I went to the village to get some—and that's when I met you, gracious benefactor."

"Get some?"

Xiao Yeci blushed: "I... I stole. The children need to eat—I couldn't think of any other way."

Lu Chunying snorted: "I'm faster on my feet—let me go. Waiting for you to get food, we'd all starve."

Looking at the group of pale, emaciated children, Li Banfeng asked: "How long have you been out?"

"A month."

"A whole month, and you're still stuck here? Never thought of leaving?"

"Gracious benefactor, we can't leave! I remember the way we came, but when we try to retrace it, we can't get out."

"For over a month, we've tried every path—none lead out. We just circle endlessly among these mountains—we may never escape!"

"You can get out." Li Banfeng entered the forest, hunted a deer, and gave it to Xiao Yeci to feed the children a full meal.

After everyone slept, Li Banfeng returned to his portable dwelling and asked the phonograph: "Wife, what is Saintly Sage Peak?"

Chit-chit~

After long thought, the wife said: "I've never heard of this place."

Hong Ying scoffed: "Ignorant—you've never heard of Saintly Sage Peak?"

The wife exhaled a puff of steam: "Then tell me about it."

"Why should I tell you? Unless you let me out!"

Clang-clang~

The wife clanged her gongs and drums and sang: "Wretched wench, playing tricks on me? Don't you have any shame?"

Hong Ying fell silent.

The phonograph snorted: "Husband, don't believe her—she doesn't know anything about Saintly Sage Peak either."

Li Banfeng sighed helplessly: "I've been trapped here a full day, and still can't find a way out."

The wife said: "Husband, Saintly Sage Peak isn't its real name. You must find out what this place truly is."

"You're lost here either because the land is unusual, or because some villain has ensnared you. Find the root cause—we can only respond properly once we know."

A villain's trick.

Li Banfeng had completely overlooked this possibility.

He'd assumed it was just an odd terrain that trapped him.

Now he wondered: perhaps the Saint didn't want him to leave.

What was his purpose in keeping me here?

Li Banfeng slept in his portable dwelling that night. At dawn the next day, he searched for a way out—until midnight, he was still circling the same spot.

This was more frustrating than being lost in Fool's City—this place was even more repulsive than Fool's City.

That day, Li Banfeng saw group after group of children tormented by so-called Saintly disciples. He saw group after group of poor farmers bringing their most precious harvests up to Saintly Sage Peak.

Back at the cave, he saw Xiao Yeci sitting by the fire, her face bruised and swollen.

Lu Chunying complained: "I told you to let me go—you wouldn't listen?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "I can't let you do this—you're too young. I won't let your hands get stained with such dirty work."

Li Banfeng asked: "What happened? Did someone find you?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "The deer you killed yesterday was almost gone. I went to the village at night to find food—I was caught and beaten..."

Li Banfeng frowned: "You got caught stealing? Aren't you ashamed? You're a scholar!"

Xiao Yeci's voice trembled: "What else could I do?"

"How is there no other way?" Li Banfeng pulled out a short knife and handed it to Xiao Yeci. "Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, come rob with me."

Xiao Yeci held the knife, staring blankly at Li Banfeng: "Gracious benefactor, this... isn't robbery shameful too?"

"What's shameful about robbery? We earn our living by skill—we make honest money."

"What skill is there in robbery?"

"Plenty of skills!" Li Banfeng asked seriously: "Can you recite mountain songs?"

At dawn the next day, several farmers pushed carts loaded with grain toward Saintly Sage Peak.

Xiao Yeci crouched in the tangled grass, trembling all over.

Lu Chunying said beside her: "Mom, if you can't do it, let me go."

"Who says I can't? You're too young—this isn't for you!"

Li Banfeng beside them said: "Enough chatter—did you memorize the lines?"

Xiao Yeci nodded: "I memorized them!"

"Then go now!"

Xiao Yeci leapt from the tangled grass, blocking the farmers, and shouted:

"Wu ya!

This mountain I opened, this tree I planted; if you want to pass, leave toll money.

Who dares say no? One cut, one kill—I kill, I don't bury!

Li Banfeng and Lu Chunying both shook their heads.

You were doing fine before!

This one's going to hurt morale!

Several farmers shouted angrily: "Where did this wild woman come from? These are grain offerings for the Saint—how dare you rob them?"

Li Banfeng stepped out from the tangled grass and said to the farmers: "I'm the Saint's father. What he owes me isn't robbery—it's filial piety. Your share counts as him fulfilling his duty."

What a bold ruffian!

"On the Saint's land, you dare speak such words? Do you wish to die?"

Lu Chunying leapt out from the tangled grass, knife in hand, pointing at one farmer: "Will you give it or not?"

This girl has promise.

A group of children tossed sand and shook leaves in the grass, pretending to be an army.

These children have promise too!

The farmers hesitated; Li Banfeng drew his short knife and circled among them, slicing a gash across each of their faces.

The farmers panicked and fled.

Li Banfeng ordered Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to take the children and haul the grain back, while he stayed by the road to rob others.

If you won't let me leave, then I won't leave.

From now on, anything the villagers send you, I'll collect for you.

I want to see what kind of Saint you really are!

PS: Is the Saint about to act?

Recommend a friend's new work.



(End of Chapter)