Chapter 424: Neighbor

Hong Ying was applying makeup before the mirror when she heard a sound at the door and hurried out to meet it.

"Husband, you're back?"

"Yingying, give me your hand."

Li Banfeng seized Hong Ying's hand.

Hong Ying lowered her head shyly, eager to see the phonograph's reaction.

"Wicked woman, are you about to cry?"

Li Banfeng cut a gash in Hong Ying's palm, squeezed out some blood, then left.

The phonograph burst into laughter.

Hong Ying pressed her hand to the wound, returned to the mirror, and resumed her makeup.

Not long after, Li Banfeng ran back, followed by seven or eight melon-Hong Yings, each carrying seven or eight aberrations, delivering them into the Portable Dwelling.

The phonograph chuckled: "My Yingying is useful, isn't she?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Useful. Don't be fooled—they're made of melons, but their strength rivals mine."

Hong Ying threw down her comb and fled to the third chamber to weep.

Li Banfeng made trip after trip, hauling aberrations into the house until every room was filled.

The phonograph reminded him: "Husband, you don't need to bring home such fare—your humble servant can't eat it."

"Can't eat it" was a polite way of saying she didn't want to eat it, but feared her husband would grow angry.

Li Banfeng wasn't angry: "My darling wife, these aren't for eating—they're to be delivered to my territory."

"Use our home to deliver them?" the wife exclaimed. "This must be handled with care!"

Li Banfeng had brought many living people into the Portable Dwelling, but except for his wife and the man covered in magic treasures, he had never taken a living person outside.

These aberrations lack spiritual awareness, but who knows when one might awaken and remember this?

The music box poked its head out of Li Banfeng's pocket; the tiny bronze figure on its lid gazed at the phonograph with confidence, determined to assure the lady this matter was in her hands.

The phonograph frowned: "You can't even speak—how can I trust you?"

The wife indeed distrusted the music box; steam spread through every room of the Portable Dwelling as the phonograph carefully inspected every aberration.

Once certain all aberrations were asleep, the phonograph told Li Banfeng: "Husband, set out—I'll watch over you the whole way."

Li Banfeng went to the third chamber. Hong Ying thought he'd come to apologize, wiped her tears, and turned her face to the wall in silence.

Li Banfeng ignored Hong Ying and said to the Portable Dwelling: "Take me to the station on my territory."

Hong Ying fell silent. The Portable Dwelling said nothing. The old man seemed lost in thought.

Li Banfeng waited over half an hour, stepped outside, and found they had indeed arrived at the station.

He and the melon-Hong Yings unloaded the aberrations. But unloading alone wasn't enough—the station was built inside the residence of Ba Shan Zhu, where Li Banfeng's contract was hidden; no one could enter or leave freely.

Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Dwelling and grinned foolishly: "Yingying, lend me your technique."

Hong Ying asked calmly: "Qi Lang, do you treat me like a servant?"

Li Banfeng gripped Hong Ying's hand and said earnestly: "Yingying, you understand me."

Hong Ying spat in Li Banfeng's face and lent him the technique.

Li Banfeng wiped his face, took the group of aberrations, passed through the rock wall, and scattered them across his territory.

He moved quickly—the stop lasted only half an hour.

After three round trips, most aberrations on Qiuluoye's territory had been delivered; Li Banfeng ran a full circuit of his own land.

Before, he'd traveled miles without seeing a single aberration; now, a single glance revealed aberrations strolling about.

Qiuluoye had risen to Cloud Level Two by relying on the number of aberrations—years of savings had all been seized by Li Banfeng.

Back in the Portable Dwelling, Li Banfeng said: "One more trip—to clean up any stragglers."

The Portable Dwelling growled: "Not enough oil left—save it for proper use. Hurry back to Qiuluoye's territory; there are things I still don't understand."

The old man was studying the boundary.

Li Banfeng had expected Qiuluoye's territory to generate a new boundary, but instead, Qiuluoye's land had shifted directly from Deep Earth to the edge of Proper Earth, merging with the existing boundary.

Why did the territory move?

During the merging of old and new Proper Earth, would the boundary's true nature be exposed?

Where exactly is Qiuluoye's territory now?

These questions required verification.

But one thing was now confirmed.

Qiuluoye's territory merged with the original Proper Earth's boundary—and the Boundary Guardians took no part in it. At least, Li Banfeng saw no sign of their involvement.

This implies two possibilities.

One: the Boundary Guardians secretly manipulated the movement of Qiuluoye's territory, using the existing boundary to seal it off.

Two: the formation and merging of boundaries have nothing to do with the Boundary Guardians—they merely know how to exploit them.

What exactly is a boundary?

Back on Qiuluoye's territory, Li Banfeng walked a full circle.

He Yuxiu and Ma Wu were both anxious—unable to leave this territory, they didn't even know where they were.

Several villagers on the other side of the border shouted at them for a long time, but received little response.

The Three-Headed Ones weren't worried. They repaired their collapsed wooden huts and salvaged damaged farmland—this was their home; whether they could leave didn't matter to them.

Li Banfeng walked to the edge of the boundary, picked up a stone, and sat down.

The Portable Dwelling had rules: when Li Qi was inside, it followed him; when he was outside, it followed the key.

Getting closer to the border allowed the Portable Dwelling to see more clearly—and Li Banfeng wanted to observe more himself, hoping to uncover some mystery.

After watching for a long time, he found nothing. He pulled out the music box and smiled: "You've done great work this time—there's a reward."

The music box understood. The tiny figure on its platform bowed slightly, then began to spin.

What is it doing?

Playing a tune for me?

The music box did not play music—it played two people arguing.

"Wretched woman, don't think I won't kill you?"

"Go ahead. Make it quick."

"You feel no remorse?"

"Nothing to regret. If I could choose again, I'd still kill you!"

It was the argument between the wife and Hong Ying. Li Banfeng pressed the music box to his ear and listened closely.

…

Qiuluoye stood at the entrance to the new land, preparing to step inside.

Shui Yongquan warned: "You're now the land god of Proper Earth—avoid entering the new land if you can. Others will think you're trying to seize territory."

Qiuluoye shook his head: "Can't a land god of Proper Earth enter the new land? Didn't Lü Huazi go there often?"

Shui Yongquan sighed patiently: "Lü Huazi went to the new land to seize territory—plain and simple."

Qiuluoye waved his hand: "I'm different. I don't bully people—I just want to ask for directions."

"Wait a few days. You've just arrived—it's too abrupt."

"Wait? I think you're not in a hurry. I still don't even know where I am—I can't wait a moment longer!"

Shui Yongquan said: "I'm even more anxious—I don't even know how to get back to my own territory!"

"If you're anxious, come with me. As the saying goes, a smiling face invites no blows. Let's visit each other—neighbors must live in harmony."

Qiuluoye smiled warmly at his reflection in the pond, then strode boldly into the new land. Shui Yongquan, helpless, followed.

Like the new land he knew, even at noon, this place was pitch black.

Shui Yongquan frowned: "This borders Proper Earth—it should be shallow land. Why is there no daylight at all?"

Looking ahead, there was no glimmer of light—proof that no land had been successfully reclaimed here. They saw no reclamation workers, not even hunters.

Qiuluoye thought: "Perhaps this isn't shallow land—it may have moved here with me."

They walked over an hour without seeing a single person—or even a single sentient aberration.

Shui Yongquan frowned slightly: "Qi the Elephant, is this really new land? Could it be old soil?"

Qiuluoye looked around: "If it were old soil, there'd be ruins. There's nothing here."

"Perhaps the years have worn away even the broken bricks and tiles. We must be cautious," Shui Yongquan said, tightening his guard. Though his cultivation was at Cloud Level, he still avoided old soil—never knew what might lurk there.

Qiuluoye wasn't concerned. Whether new land or old soil, if it had a master, it was a neighbor.

Over a hill, they saw an open field with a house faintly visible.

Shui Yongquan grabbed Qiuluoye's arm: "A house on wasteland? This is almost certainly old soil!"

Qiuluoye laughed: "I live in a house too—my courtyard's bigger than his. Is mine old soil too?"

Don't jump to conclusions. If there's a house, there's someone. Finding someone is progress."

At the house's gate, Qiuluoye grabbed the door knocker and rapped sharply.

Soon, the door opened. A burly man stood inside.

The man was too massive—the double doors were too narrow for him to walk through; he squeezed out sideways.

He stood before Qiuluoye. Their builds were nearly identical, and their faces bore a strange resemblance.

The man had a round face, two long fangs jutting from his mouth, and a large nose—though compared to Qiuluoye's, his nose was merely average.

With such a resemblance, one might expect them to speak well together.

The man asked: "Who are you?"

Qiuluoye chuckled: "Neighbor from the north."

"Who buried that place?"

Qiuluoye glanced at Shuiyongquan; he'd never heard of anyone burying this spot.

Shuiyongquan shook his head; he hadn't heard of it either.

The big man snapped: "I'm asking you—why are you all mute?"

Qiuluoye froze; Shuiyongquan quickly took over: "We're not from No-Burial."

"Then where are you from?"

This question was hard to answer—Qiuluoye's territory had no name yet.

The big man barked: "I only have one neighbor to the north. If you're not from No-Burial, where are you from? Who's your neighbor? Why come here trying to curry favor?"

From No-Burial…

Qiuluoye said nothing.

Shuiyongquan said nothing too—he knew Qiuluoye's temper; anything he said now would be too late.

The big man asked: "Do you not understand human speech, or can't you speak it? I asked where you're from—why no answer?"

Qiuluoye smiled: "I didn't speak to give you a chance to flee—but you didn't grab it."

PS: What is No-Burial?

(End of Chapter)