[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-26":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},2290324,4478,"Chapter 26: Livelihood","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>Li Banfeng sat inside the Portable Dwelling, deeply reflecting on his previous series of insane actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had attacked someone from the Dark Star Bureau; though he didn’t know what the Dark Star Bureau was, since it carried the word “Bureau,” it must be tied to the government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had arrived at an unbelievable place and, inexplicably, become a Dark Energy Practitioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were a normal Dark Energy Practitioner, that would be fine—but he had also cultivated two completely incompatible Dao sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should he do next?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Return to Yuezhou?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Find He Jiaqing, lying on his sickbed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How would he buy a train ticket?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wallet, shirt, suit pants, and leather shoes were all left behind at the old mansion; Li Banfeng couldn’t go back to retrieve them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire fortune now consisted of one top hat, one hiking cap, a set of pajamas, one T-shirt, one pair of sweatpants, one pair of sneakers, two boxes of instant noodles, one bag of potato chips, a slightly larger pack of spicy strips, and He Jiaqing’s copper lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sell the copper lotus to buy a train ticket back to Yuezhou?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how much was the copper lotus worth? Selling it as scrap copper would probably be a bad deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t sell the copper lotus, what would he eat next?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not a single penny on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng spent the night sleeping inside the Portable Dwelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Portable Dwelling was silent, almost devoid of noise; though it had no windows, the air was fresh, free of any odor except for years of accumulated dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hunger and thirst woke Li Banfeng from sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had eaten only one packet of instant noodles yesterday and barely drank any water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, as he reached for another packet of instant noodles, he didn’t know how to swallow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since dry-chewing was impossible, Li Banfeng left the Portable Dwelling, returned to the alley, tucked away the key, found a house, and knocked on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though raised in the Fuli Academy and having endured much hardship, asking for water… still made it hard to open his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, could you spare a bowl of water? I don’t want food—just a bowl of water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sister gave him the water, as requested, but the way she looked at him made Li Banfeng feel as if dozens of needles had been stuck into his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was asking for water now—how far was that from begging for food?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only two boxes of instant noodles left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to find a way to earn a living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Travelers walk at least twenty li per day; Li Banfeng ate one bread cake and began wandering along Neigou Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Extra! Extra! Second Miss Chu tried to kill her husband on their wedding night, fled in fear of punishment—family offers three million reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, buy a newspaper? Today’s special edition—big news! Fifty cents!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty cents? He didn’t have a single cent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng smiled at the newsboy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How about I sell newspapers with you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newspaper-selling jobs weren’t easy to find; many children relied on them to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng didn’t understand newspaper market prices or sales techniques; in his memory, newspapers had vanished from public view ten years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng found two shops in town hiring laborers: one a furniture store, the other a rice shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng asked for little—just a few days of odd jobs to earn train fare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But neither shop hired him, because his clothing was bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sleeveless T-shirt paired with a top hat didn’t seem odd to Li Banfeng, but the shopkeepers thought he wasn’t respectable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By noon, his stomach growled again; he begged for another bowl of water, ate one bread cake, and now his only food left was one bag of potato chips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was hard—truly hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No work could be found in Neigou; Li Banfeng walked all the way to the town’s edge and headed toward Waigou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waigou was vastly larger than Neigou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waigou’s situation was far more complex than Neigou’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking along the dirt road, Li Banfeng saw farmers working, low peasant homes, and forests stretching for miles without a soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By dusk, his last packet of instant noodles had long been digested, and the potato chips were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only good news was that Li Banfeng felt a steady tremor in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a cultivator’s special sensation—reminding him he had walked twenty li; his daily basic cultivation as a Traveler was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Home Cultivators felt something similar, but more gently; every time he stayed in the Portable Dwelling for two hours, Li Banfeng felt a cool, pleasant ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead was a small restaurant: a dark, tiled house with five tables, and a notice posted at the door saying “Help Wanted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was about to approach and try his luck when he heard someone inside call out: “Brother Li, is that you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng turned and saw a stout boy eating noodles, with three bowls on the table and three empty ones beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang waved him over: “Brother Li, come sit! We’re truly fated to meet—you like this place too? I adore it—everything here is cheap and filling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng spoke plainly: “Brother Qin, to be honest, I didn’t come for food—I came because this place is hiring. I’m looking for work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang blinked: “Looking for work at a restaurant? What kind of thing is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s face twisted in bitterness: “I have no choice—I have not a single coin left; I’m about to beg for food!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang was a man of honor; he slapped his chest: “Waiter! Two more bowls of noodles! Brother Li, if you don’t mind, let’s eat first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng felt embarrassed—how could he eat someone’s food after just meeting?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you refuse, you’re insulting me!” Qin Xiaopang pulled out a chair and dragged Li Banfeng down; steaming bowls of plain noodle soup arrived shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food Cultivators eat five catties of food daily—five bowls of noodles per meal—this was basic for Xiaopang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was starving; the plain noodles had no meat, just half a bowl of broth, a spoon of soy sauce, and two small bok choy leaves—but he thought it the most delicious meal he’d ever eaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two bowls vanished in moments; Xiaopang paid the bill and said: “Brother Li, this place is too crowded—let’s find somewhere quiet to talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They left the restaurant and found a quiet spot by the woods; Xiaopang whispered: “Brother, have you entered a sect yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Li Banfeng nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang lowered his voice further: “Which sect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaopang was sincere, and Li Banfeng already knew Xiaopang’s sect; withholding the truth now would be disloyal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I entered the Traveler sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t mention Home Cultivation—it was too complicated, and not to be spoken lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang scratched his cheek: “Normally, Travelers don’t lack work—messenger, bodyguard, escort, or even pulling a cart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng smiled—he truly considered pulling a rickshaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had inquired: as a Traveler, if he pulled a cart, he’d be a motorized rickshaw driver; each trip earned hundreds of yuan easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially with his hiking cap—he had the perfect rickshaw driver look!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to pull a rickshaw, you needed a rickshaw—and Li Banfeng had none.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could rent one, but you needed a deposit—and Li Banfeng couldn’t afford it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, rickshaw drivers needed a license—and Li Banfeng couldn’t get one in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, you had to know the roads—and Li Banfeng didn’t know any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Travelers had innate pathfinding ability, but he didn’t even know basic place names—clearly insufficient for a driver’s basic duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Banfeng silent, Qin Xiaopang chuckled: “I’m not good at talking—brothers like us, how could we stoop to pulling rickshaws?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li, I’ve got a small business opportunity—won’t make much, but enough for emergency cash. Interested?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, I’m already begging for meals—what’s there to pick and choose? But if you’re talking business, I have no capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No capital needed—it’s a no-investment deal. The capital is our lives. Have you heard of Kuwu Mountain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuwu Mountain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng shook his head: “Never heard of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang said: “In Yao Wang Gou, no one doesn’t know Kuwu Mountain—it’s perpetually shrouded in thick fog, and the mist is deadly; anyone who climbs it dies instantly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng frowned—it was essentially a natural gas chamber: “What business could you do there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you heard of the Snake-Spot Chrysanthemum growing on Kuwu Mountain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng shook his head—he’d never heard of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang raised his voice slightly: “The Snake-Spot Chrysanthemum blooms once a year, and only for one day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the main ingredient in Snake-Spot Pills; one pill equals one day of cultivation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t I tell you before? Normally, it takes ten years to advance one level—eat one Snake-Spot Pill daily, and you gain one extra day of cultivation; that means you advance a level in five years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day after tomorrow is when the Snake-Spot Chrysanthemum blooms; several pharmacies have already set prices: eighty-five yuan per plant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Kuwu Mountain, an ordinary person, if lucky, finds two or three plants per hour; in ten hours, twenty to thirty plants—earning two thousand yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re a Traveler—your legs are strong. In ten hours, you’ll earn at least three thousand, maybe five thousand. What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three thousand yuan? Definitely enough for a ticket back to Yuezhou—and a few days of comfort after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This deal was worth it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was about to agree, then paused: “Wait—if the mist is deadly, isn’t climbing the mountain suicide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang said: “Ordinary people die instantly—but we’re not ordinary!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have cultivation base; our bodies are far stronger than normal people. A Traveler like you can easily last ten hours on the mountain; push hard, you can hold fifteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After descending, you’ll vomit for a day—clean it out thoroughly, rest two days, and you’ll be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'm a Food Cultivator; I can easily stay on the mountain for twenty hours after eating my fill and drinking my share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This job really is risking one’s own life for profit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng considered the potential gains, then nodded and said, “Brother, I’m in on this job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Xiaopang chuckled, “You’re fast on your feet, I can take the punishment—this job, we brothers are guaranteed to profit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Dear readers, let’s follow Banfeng out to pick chrysanthemums!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1737,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bde73b95419da2543f594839254960751d6dc8acfbb510879aad2fd00658c3d5","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-27","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-25",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]