Chapter 383: The Eighth-Layer Technique of Yu Zhaixiu

Li Banfeng knew that learning a technique across layers was extremely dangerous, but the technique of Sealing Doors and Closing Windows was very important to Li Banfeng.

It wasn't that the technique itself was all that important, but rather that the principle behind Sealing Doors and Closing Windows, in Li Banfeng's view, bore a certain resemblance to the border lines of various regions.

After Li Banfeng's persuasion, Meng Yuchun, considering the bigger picture, told Li Banfeng the principle of the technique: "Once a Yu Zhaixiu reaches the eighth layer, first sprinkle blood around the residence—usually four spots. Connecting those four points defines the shape of the boundary. Some people only sprinkle three spots, which makes the technique easier to form; others sprinkle six, which makes the boundary line neater. It all depends on the individual's methods."

Sprinkling blood was to define the position and shape of the boundary.

Li Banfeng asked: "After sprinkling the blood, using the technique will light up the boundary?"

"That's not enough yet," Meng Yuchun shook her head. "You have to mobilize the power of the residence to make the residence resonate with the bloodstains. This step is the hardest—it generally takes several months of not leaving the residence, working in concert with the residence, to light up the boundary. Those with insufficient talent might even need several years,

Once successful, those bloodstains resonate with the residence. As long as the Yu Zhaixiu is inside the residence, or activates the technique not far from it, the boundary will be triggered, protecting the residence like layer upon layer of doors and windows, and protecting the Yu Zhaixiu as well,

As the resonance between the residence and the bloodstains deepens, the boundary can expand outward accordingly. Those with insufficient talent will have their boundary always hugging their own residence; those with extraordinary talent, as their cultivation rises, can extend the boundary for several li outward."

At this point, Meng Yuchun looked slightly pleased with herself—clearly she had a certain talent for the Sealing Doors and Closing Windows technique.

Li Banfeng asked: "You often talk about sealing off your territory—that means you can extend your boundary to cover the entire hundred-li territory?"

Meng Yuchun's expression turned rather unpleasant; this question was exposing her bluff.

"I really don't mean to pry into your technique. We're going to war, and before a war you have to prepare and plan thoroughly. At the very least I need to know how far your technique can extend…" Li Banfeng once again appealed to her emotions and reason, and Meng Yuchun told the truth.

"My technique can extend at most twenty li outward—it can't cover my entire territory. Claiming I'd seal off the territory was just meant to intimidate the enemy."

Seeing that Meng Yuchun was simple-minded but didn't hold back when bragging.

Still, being able to extend the boundary twenty li outward made the technique's power already astonishing.

But the key to the technique was sprinkling blood around the residence, and for Li Banfeng, this was rather difficult.

He couldn't determine the concept of "around" Leaving Leaving Suishenju.

More importantly, Leaving Leaving Suishenju could move.

After thinking for a moment, Li Banfeng asked: "If you change residences, what happens to the blood previously sprinkled around the old residence?"

"It's useless," Meng Yuchun answered. "After breaking through from the ninth to the tenth layer, I went to the Inner Province. My residence in Puluo Province was abandoned, and the residence spirit was killed by people from the Inner Province,

When I reached the Cloud Upper First Layer and became a local earth god in the new territory, the residence had to be rebuilt and the residence spirit had to be found anew. Naturally, sprinkling blood had to start over from scratch,

Speaking of this, I still feel regretful. If I hadn't changed residences and had kept using the bloodstains around my old residence, my boundary could probably have extended thirty li outward,

After changing residences, I had to expand bit by bit from around the new residence, and now even twenty li is somewhat of a stretch."

Li Banfeng said: "You already have the cultivation of the Cloud Upper First Layer. After changing residences and sprinkling blood, you still have to expand bit by bit from around the residence?"

Meng Yuchun said: "This has nothing to do with cultivation. The resonance between the residence and the bloodstains takes time—no matter how high your cultivation, you can't skip this process."

The Yu Zhaixiu eighth-layer technique was completed jointly by the residence and the bloodstains.

Blood was sprinkled around the residence, and through a period of resonance, the residence and the bloodstains formed a boundary.

Leaving Leaving Suishenju keeps moving—where would I sprinkle the blood?

Wherever I sprinkle it, it wouldn't be appropriate.

Outside Leaving Leaving Suishenju, I can't see Leaving Leaving Suishenju at all.

I have no idea where Leaving Leaving Suishenju is.

Even if Leaving Leaving Suishenju told me where it was, even if I walked around it sprinkling blood, how could I possibly stay inside for several months without leaving, letting it resonate with the bloodstains?

I'm a traveling cultivator—I have to go everywhere. Staying put for several months would kill me.

Even if I didn't care about my life and risked cultivation backlash by staying inside Leaving Leaving Suishenju, and successfully lit up the boundary—so what?

Once I leave, Leaving Leaving Suishenju leaves with me, and the bloodstains stay where they were. All wasted…

Li Banfeng thought it over repeatedly and realized one thing: there was no way he could learn the eighth-layer technique.

This was the incompatibility between residence-cultivation and travel-cultivation. Even with Leaving Leaving Suishenju, the problem remained unsolved.

Seeing Li Banfeng looking somewhat melancholy, Meng Yuchun asked: "What are you worried about?"

Li Banfeng changed the subject: "I originally thought your technique could protect my territory too, but now it seems you can barely protect yourself."

Meng Yuchun's face showed shame: "Now we can only hope their fierce battle doesn't extend into our territory."

This matter, for Li Banfeng, couldn't be solved just by holding the territory.

By common sense, the earth god of a remote new territory generally had cultivation around the Cloud Upper First Layer.

Pan Dehai was an earth god of a proper territory—his cultivation should be at the Cloud Upper Third Layer.

Bei Wushuang had a huge gap in strength compared to Pan Dehai. If the two fought a decisive battle, Pan Dehai would very likely kill Bei Wushuang.

After killing Bei Wushuang, Pan Dehai would very likely dig out his contract deed.

After obtaining the contract deed, how would Pan Dehai handle it?

If Pan Dehai handed this contract deed to the Inner Province in exchange for lifespan, the Inner Province would see the record of the war between Bei Wushuang and Ba Shan Zhu written on it.

By comparison, the Inner Province might notice that the two contract deeds recorded the same war differently—in the other contract deed, Ba Shan Zhu's name had already been replaced with Li Furong.

Once things developed to this point, the whole thing would be completely exposed.

From Li Banfeng's standpoint, it was best not to let Pan Dehai win this war.

Should he give Bei Wushuang some help?

What a joke!

Bei Wushuang was one of the culprits behind the plague of insects—how could Li Banfeng possibly help that mongrel!

This was his third time participating in an earth god's war. Unlike the previous two, before he had been a helper, assisting the earth god in battle.

This time he would participate as an earth god. How exactly to fight this battle, Li Banfeng hadn't yet sorted out in his mind.

There was still too little information.

But whose information at this level could he possibly ask for?

Xu Lao should know some inside information—he could go to Medicine King Valley and ask.

Or he could have Ma Wu find Feng Daiku to scout for information.

……

The wooden cabin was finished, and He Yuxiu was inside lecturing Youtao: "Why were you always squishing against me while you slept last night?"

Youtao said with an innocent face: "I was afraid of the cold."

"Didn't I give you both blankets? Why were you still squishing against me?"

Youtao said with a look of concern: "I was afraid you'd be cold."

He Yuxiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Peach, don't think I don't know — you're a mirror-grinder."

Youtao lowered her head and bit her lip.

"Don't be afraid," He Yuxiu lit a cigarette and tucked it into Youtao's mouth, "I've seen everything. I've even played at mirror-grinding myself. Keeping you company for a grind now and then is no big deal, but I really don't like this sort of thing — I like men."

Youtao said, blushing: "Actually, some men, I like them too."

He Yuxiu laughed: "You little girl aren't very old, but your ways are wild — round ones, flat ones, you'll take any?"

Youtao said, blushing: "That depends on who it is."

He Yuxiu nodded: "Joy-cultivation ought to have that kind of spirit. Once the storm blows over, I'll take you to Green Water City. Whoever you like, just go for it — man or woman, who cares."

"Thank you, sister," Youtao was very grateful, but the smile on her face gradually faded, "It's just, it's just that I feel, what we're doing, it doesn't seem right."

He Yuxiu was startled: "What thing are you saying isn't right?"

Youtao's expression grew more solemn, and though she stammered, she grew less and less clear: "I, I just feel, I can't do this, it's, it's too shameless."

……

"Yuchun, haven't we been a little too shameless?" Huang Die pushed Meng Yuchun aside and crawled out from under the covers.

Meng Yuchun was startled: "What did you just say?"

Hong Die also crawled out from under the covers: "Yuchun, I think she wasn't wrong. We're all women, doing this sort of thing all day long — what does that even look like?"

Meng Yuchun looked at Huang Die and Hong Die in surprise, and a sudden stirring rose in her heart.

Someone had come onto her territory.

……

Li Banfeng walked a circle around Meng Yuchun's territory, and even made a special trip to look at his own three-li plot.

The whole plot was kept in immaculate order by Toad, with Mountain Wolf and Eagle also putting in plenty of effort.

Only the house was built a bit lacking. Li Banfeng had originally hired a group of Earth Pigs as workers, and these Earth Pigs built the house underground.

Underground was fine too — these Earth Pigs' craftsmanship was good, and the ventilation was well done. The new land was dark to begin with, with only a sliver of skylight above, so really there wasn't much difference between above and below ground.

Li Banfeng was very satisfied with the plot. He took out a good number of Xuanchi Pills and began to reward them according to merit.

But unexpectedly, these people refused to accept the pills.

Toad said with his head lowered: "Master, I haven't the face to take these pills. I didn't do my duty."

Li Banfeng was startled: "How is it that you didn't do your duty? Isn't everything at home just fine?"

Toad sighed: "Earlier a herd of Two-Faced Sheep came and nearly grazed the turf off our territory. I tried to persuade them to leave, but they wouldn't listen. They had numbers and strength on their side, and I didn't dare start anything with them."

Li Banfeng laughed: "What's the big deal? Which sheep doesn't eat grass? New grass will grow back next year. Keeping so much grass around is no use to me anyway."

Toad shook his head: "Useful or not, we have to follow the master's instructions. This was my fault. I don't dare accept the master's reward."

Mountain Wolf spoke up beside him: "This isn't on Steward Toad. This is on me. I'm a senior hanger-on — I should never have let those Two-Faced Sheep onto the master's territory. I've got no face to stay here."

Male Eagle also spoke up: "I'm a senior hanger-on too. I saw that herd of Two-Faced Sheep coming from far away. If I'd given word ahead of time, maybe there'd have been a way to drive them off early. But that day my wife just had to go and do that thing…"

Female Eagle kicked Male Eagle from the side: "Why do you have to tell everyone everything?"

Male Eagle said angrily: "Am I not allowed to say it? Did I say anything wrong? You shameless woman, every day you just know how to pester me. You even did it with me twice just now — I blush just thinking about it."

What on earth was going on?

The grass on the territory had been eaten by sheep — such a small thing, how could it have blown up into such a fuss?

Li Banfeng's eyes rolled, and he said to everyone: "These pills, all of you take them."

"Master, we can't accept them."

"Not accepting is considered disloyalty. Take them right now, then all of you go hide in my residence."

Toad shook his head: "That won't do. That's the master's residence. How could us servants just walk in as we please?"

"I'm telling you to go, so hurry up and go. Don't come out without my orders!"

The whole group of them hid inside Li Banfeng's underground residence.

Li Banfeng activated the Jin Jing Qiu Hao technique, and relying on his traveler's stride, began searching across Meng Yuchun's territory.

Walking beneath a tree, an old man wearing a small round-topped cap, round-framed glasses, and a mustache parted in the shape of the character 八, looking every inch a relic of the former dynasty, smiled at Li Banfeng: "Li Qi, it's been a while. I'm at least a few years your senior — you see me, and you don't even bow?"

Pan Dehai had come.

Li Banfeng truly wanted to bow to Pan Dehai, but he restrained himself with great difficulty.

He found an excuse to convince himself: "I don't bow to men without virtue."

"You say I'm without virtue?" Pan Dehai was startled. "Where does that come from?"

"You sneaked a peek at a husband and wife doing the deed — that's being without virtue!" Li Banfeng was talking about that pair of mountain eagles.

Pan Dehai denied it: "I didn't look!"

"If you didn't look, why are they feeling ashamed?"

"They were doing that sort of thing in broad daylight — they ought to feel ashamed to begin with."

"What sort of thing were they doing? How do you know? And you still dare say you didn't look? You shameless old fool!"

Pan Dehai stared at Li Banfeng with his eyes wide, and for a long while couldn't get a word out.

PS: "Mirror-grinding" is a kind of slang — everyone knows what it means, so I won't explain it further.

(End of chapter)