Chapter 431: What Matters Is Determination

The land of Wuqin Township had been eroded, shrinking from ten thousand square units to just over three thousand, for reasons unknown.

The Lady of Wuqin was most likely Qiao Shaofen, but all historical records on the deed had been erased—who did this, and what was their purpose?

Though many questions remained, it did not dampen Li Banfeng's good mood.

Leaving the abandoned village, Li Banfeng began planning his next move.

"Build a railway that loops around the new land, connecting Qiubrother's territory with Wuqin Township, and use Wuqin's station to transport goods. It's a bit more complicated, but if managed well, the cost won't rise much."

Shui Yongquan listened intently: "To manage both territories as one, the customs of Wuqin Township must change."

"They must change—and Qiubrother must help them change."

Shui Yongquan turned to look at Qiuye; Qiuye walked slowly, as if burdened by thoughts.

"Are you thinking about the buried deed?" Shui Yongquan was also worried about this. "Better bury it near your territory, so you can keep an eye on it."

"Alright." Qiuye replied.

Li Banfeng said: "If you bury it right next to the boundary, even if the deed shows trouble, you still have to detour through the new land—you might not reach it in time."

"True." Qiuye replied again.

Shui Yongquan said: "Leave a Spirit Guardian of the Deed here to watch. If anything happens, send word directly across the boundary—no one will notice, but it must be visible to Qiudragon."

"Good." Qiuye nodded.

Li Banfeng walked faster along the boundary, searching for a suitable spot.

Qiuye, weighed down by thoughts, walked slower and slower.

Shui Yongquan said: "Qiudragon, we're choosing a place for you—can you pay attention?"

Qiuye lowered his voice: "Tonight's matter—I still think Old Seven was wronged."

Shui Yongquan froze—he realized Qiuye was troubled by this.

"What can we do? His cultivation base is still at Earth Skin—he can't draw human qi."

"I've already gained the territory—I've taken more than enough advantage. I want to preserve half the human qi of Wuqin Township for Old Seven."

Shui Yongquan stared: "How long do you plan to hold it? He's still far from Cloud Above."

"I think he's not far."

Shui Yongquan sighed deeply: "Don't forget—going from nine sheng to ten ultimately means suffering in Neizhou. How many years do you think he'll endure?"

"What if he doesn't have to go to Neizhou?" Qiuye was pondering something profoundly complex yet worth contemplating: "The Lady of Wuqin's deed had two pieces—"

"Why did she have two? Was it because she wasn't under Neizhou's control? Could we retrieve that other piece? I don't want any more ties to Neizhou—I don't want Old Seven to suffer there."

Shui Yongquan fell into thought, but was interrupted by a commotion.

"I won't live anymore! I'll die right before your eyes!"

On Qiuye's territory, a pair of pioneers were quarreling.

They were husband and wife, just received their pioneering reward, planning to return home for a good New Year—until they learned they couldn't go back.

The husband, inarticulate, failed to explain clearly; the wife suddenly lost control and charged straight into the boundary line.

The husband stood stunned, then followed her into the line.

Those nearby couldn't react in time and failed to stop them.

Li Banfeng realized what was happening—but he was on the other side of the boundary and powerless to intervene.

Just as the couple were about to turn to ash, the wife passed through the boundary line unharmed.

The husband followed her through.

The wife kept crying ahead; the husband kept chasing behind—both ran straight into Wuqin Township's territory.

Li Banfeng stood beside the boundary, utterly bewildered.

On the other side of the boundary, the hunters who had just been trying to calm them were stunned.

A middle-aged hunter, over forty and experienced, stared at the boundary and shouted loudly: "What matters is determination! If we resolve to do it, we can break through the boundary!"

The crowd naturally didn't believe the man's nonsense—but how had that couple passed through?

While everyone remained puzzled, the middle-aged hunter suddenly shouted: "I want to go home! Charge—!"

With a long cry, the man charged toward the boundary.

Don't overestimate a man's reason.

He had spent nearly a year in the New Land, working as a pioneer and hunter, risking his life daily just to save enough to build a new house and live peacefully with his wife and children.

Now that he had the money, he couldn't return home—he had lost all reason.

As he crossed the boundary, his expression was even more resolute than the couple's.

He crossed!

He succeeded!

What was going on?

On Qiuye's territory, the crowd grew restless.

"I want to go home too!"

"I want to marry a wife!"

"I want to have a son!"

"Don't rush—we're already having one!"

"I want two!"

"Then put some effort into it!"

One after another, people charged toward the boundary.

The boundary is inviolable!

They were challenging the most basic common sense of Pulu Province!

Qiuye blinked: "Determination? This doesn't seem related to determination at all."

Without needing to think further, in moments all three understood the truth.

It had nothing to do with determination.

It was because both territories now belonged to Qiuye—becoming one territory, the boundary between them vanished.

"The boundary can vanish on its own? Is there some connection between boundaries and deeds?" Shui Yongquan, in his many years, began contemplating the nature of boundaries for the first time.

"It's all one family now! All one family!" Qiuye didn't overthink—he was thrilled. He hugged the deed and happily returned to his territory.

"Determination! Resolve to charge outward!" The people on the territory grew more excited—they could finally leave. Their shouts rose in waves.

Li Banfeng shouted too, pushing against the crowd as he yelled: "This has nothing to do with determination—it's just that this boundary is gone! Don't charge outward—you'll hit another boundary and die!"

…

Yuezhou, Garden Sports Ground.

He Jiaqing took the seal from the sewer and pressed it onto his head.

The seal had lain there over a month, absorbing abundant human qi.

He Jiaqing knew drawing large amounts of human qi caused severe discomfort and had prepared accordingly.

Human qi poured into his body from the crown; he trembled violently, his consciousness blurred, nearly collapsing on the spot.

What was happening?

The human qi at Garden Sports Ground was strong, but He Jiaqing had drawn here before—this reaction was too extreme.

His body felt unusually weak today—perhaps he was just too exhausted lately.

Half the human qi remained in the seal; he returned it to its place and staggered out of the sports ground.

He took a taxi to a villa, climbed the stairs unsteadily, didn't even remove his clothes, collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a dazed sleep.

…

"The boundary vanished?" Liao Zihui stared at the report, dumbfounded, looking at Wuqin's Border Warden Liu Guocai.

Liu Guocai nodded: "I've sent men to verify—the boundary between the two territories has indeed disappeared."

"Impossible…" Liao Zihui pressed his forehead, feeling dizzy.

He had been waiting for Li Qi to beg him—for a railway, for a checkpoint, for a Border Office.

He had even rehearsed his scolding—he would teach Li Qi to be cautious, to follow rules, to understand who truly ruled Pulu Province.

Who could have imagined this would happen?

How could the boundary vanish?

Was this Li Qi's doing?

If it was, this was serious indeed!

Deputy Chief Tang Huanjie said: "Chief, I suspect Li Qi has gained control over boundaries."

"Impossible…" Liao Zihui said the word, but lacked conviction.

Tang Huanjie offered advice: "Chief, we must immediately report Wuqin's situation to higher authorities. This could alter the entire structure of Pulu Province—the consequences are beyond our capacity to bear."

"Yes, you're right—it's beyond us," Liao Zihui snapped awake, calling his secretary Ling Sujun: "Draft the report immediately—coordinate directly with Warden Liu for details."

As Liu Guocai and Ling Sujun turned to leave, Liao Zihui called them back: "Wait—don't draft the report yet. Go out. Wait for my order."

One moment he demanded a report, the next he changed his mind. Liu and Ling exchanged glances, but seeing Liao's state, they dared not ask and quickly left.

Only Liao Zihui and Deputy Chief Tang Huanjie remained in the office.

Tang Huanjie asked: "Chief, what are you hesitating about? This is a major matter—don't delay."

"I know it's major," Liao Zihui was organizing his thoughts; thirty years of official experience had slowly cooled his panic. "The boundary vanished like this—do you think Li Qi did it?"

"Who else could it be?"

Liao Zihui shook his head slightly: "Erasing a boundary outright—that's something even we cannot do."

Tang Huanjie said: "So this is a major matter—it must be reported upward immediately."

"Li Qi has this kind of ability, and only now do we learn of it. If we report this as is, won't we be put at a disadvantage?"

Tang Huanjie nodded: "You're right—but if we conceal this and don't report it, we'll be even more at a disadvantage."

"I didn't say we should conceal it—only that we currently lack sufficient information and can't report hastily. We haven't yet clarified Li Qi's identity."

Tang Huanjie quickly distanced himself from responsibility: "Chief, this matter has already been verified. His name is Song Zhuowen, from Haichiling, a Level Five Walker—I already reported this to you before."

Liao Zihui shook his head: "Something's wrong here. There are inconsistencies."

Tang Huanjie was baffled: "Chief, you've been saying there are inconsistencies this whole time, but after analyzing for so long, we still haven't found any."

Liao Zihui fell silent for a moment, then said: "We must keep investigating. We must uncover Li Qi's true identity, and we must also investigate matters in Wuqinxiang. The information we have is far too scarce."

Tang Huanjie disagreed with Liao Zihui's view, but since Liao had issued the order, he dared not speak further.

After Tang Huanjie left the office, Liao Zihui immediately summoned Deputy Chief Bai Zhiming inside.

"Zhiming, does the local deity of Wuqinxiang, Madame Wuqin, still maintain contact with us?"

Bai Zhiming nodded: "Her relationship with us is still decent, but you know the rules of Wuqinxiang—they're always talking about 'no kin, no ties.'"

Liao Zihui nodded: "I know her nature. Go get a batch of dark matter harmonizer—I've approved it. Afterward, have someone submit a formal report to cover it."

Take this batch of harmonizer and go straight to Wuqinxiang. Ask the local deity what's going wrong with the surrounding boundaries."

You must go yourself. As soon as you get information, report back to me immediately. Don't tell anyone else—leave now!"

PS: What exactly happened to He Jiaqing? Did he absorb too much popularity? Or was he poisoned by a steel wool ball?

(End of Chapter)