Chapter 440: Ironclad Evidence

Sun Tiecheng, master of Fool's City, once disguised himself as a hunter to lure Li Banfeng into Fool's City, and after Li Banfeng passed the trial, he taught him two techniques.

He suddenly appeared, standing among the girls without warning.

Li Banfeng exclaimed with delight: "Now that you're here, I don't need to ask anyone else."

Sun Tiecheng frowned: "What are you even doing here?"

Li Banfeng smiled: "It's the New Year, so I came home to visit."

"Visit if you want, but why are you causing trouble?"

"I'm not causing trouble—I want to learn another technique. Look at these people: after all these years, they still believe they're alive. It can't be as simple as just convincing them with words…"

As he spoke, Tang Changfa and the girls all stared at Li Banfeng.

Sun Tiecheng gritted his teeth: "Stop talking. Say another word and I'll kill you—right here, right now."

Li Banfeng smiled: "Don't worry—we're all family. You know me inside out. I just want to ask: how is this done?"

Sun Tiecheng waved his hand, and everyone in the brothel left the hall to wait in the back courtyard.

When the room was empty, Sun Tiecheng glared at Li Banfeng: "Didn't I already tell you? They must believe they're still alive—just use 'Yan Zhi Zao Zao' and it's enough."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Just using that one technique won't be enough."

Sun Tiecheng snorted: "That's because you're not skilled enough."

Li Banfeng refused to accept that: "It's not about skill. If 'Yan Zhi Zao Zao' alone could accomplish this, you wouldn't have given them flesh and blood, made them look so real…"

"And I've noticed—they know they're dead. They know this flesh isn't theirs. Many of them go to great lengths to swap out their flesh."

"Yet each one believes they're alive. Even though they know this flesh was taken from others, they believe it grew on their own bodies."

"This contradiction clearly goes beyond the scope of 'Yan Zhi Zao Zao.' There must be another mechanism at work."

Sun Tiecheng smiled: "There's also the Fool's Thousand Thoughts at play here. Think about it—they can't figure out whether they're dead or alive, so they simply stop thinking. Doesn't that explain it?"

Li Banfeng smiled: "One is 'Yan Zhi Zao Zao,' the other is 'Fool's Thousand Thoughts'—both are techniques I know. Is it really that coincidental?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded: "Exactly! These are all techniques you already know. Figure it out yourself."

The two stared at each other for a moment, then shared a knowing smile.

After laughing, Li Banfeng sighed: "You brought me in. I'm your disciple. Is it right for you to deceive me like this?"

"What nonsense!" Sun Tiecheng slapped his chest and raised his thumb. "All my disciples were tricked in!"

"I'm different," Li Banfeng said earnestly, staring at Sun Tiecheng. "They just play along with you. I truly want to spread our Daoist path."

"Don't give me that!" Sun Tiecheng's face darkened. "Do you even know any of my other disciples? How dare you say they're just pretending?"

Li Banfeng said: "Forget how many disciples you had before. Only two passed the trial in Fool's City—one is me. Aren't you supposed to treat me better?"

Sun Tiecheng replied: "I've treated you well enough—I told you everything you asked. Now you come here causing trouble, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!"

"What you told me is clearly false. Giving them flesh and blood, making them act like living people—that's not something you achieve through words or thought alone."

"That's a technique using external means. It's fundamentally different from 'Yan Zhi Zao Zao' and 'Fool's Thousand Thoughts.'"

Sun Tiecheng sniffed, clasped his hands together, and squatted on the ground.

For some reason, this seemed to be his nature—whenever Li Banfeng struck at his weak point, he turned into this humble, meek creature.

"There is indeed another technique here," Sun Tiecheng admitted. "But I can't teach you any more of our Daoist methods."

Li Banfeng clasped his hands and squatted beside Sun Tiecheng: "We're family. What's the harm in teaching me? You've already taught me two—teach me one more."

"No. You haven't even joined our Dao yet. I can't let you learn so many techniques." Sun Tiecheng shifted two steps away, turning his face from Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng circled around and squatted in front of him: "Then let me join your Dao. I'm utterly loyal to our path."

Sun Tiecheng turned his face the other way, still avoiding Li Banfeng: "You're not ready to join yet. The time isn't right."

"If the time isn't right, that's not my fault. Since I'm not at fault, why won't you teach me?"

"I just won't teach you!" Sun Tiecheng drew circles in the dirt with his finger.

Li Banfeng drew circles beside him: "If you won't teach me, I won't leave. I'll cause trouble here every day."

"If you cause more trouble, I'll kill you!"

"Kill me, and you'll have no disciples."

"I still have one."

"You mean He Jiaqing? That useless guy."

Sun Tiecheng froze: "How do you know it's him?"

Li Banfeng said: "I met him once on the train. He nearly killed me with a Fool Cultivation technique. I didn't know who he was then, but later I realized—it was him."

Li Banfeng had indeed encountered a Fool Cultivation technique on the train to No-kin Village, and he had suspected He Jiaqing was the one behind it.

Sun Tiecheng's reaction confirmed it was true.

The other disciple who passed the trial was indeed He Jiaqing.

Why He Jiaqing came to Fool's City, or how he left it—no one knew yet, and it wasn't the time to ask.

Li Banfeng pressed on: "He Jiaqing's cultivation base is higher than mine, and he knows more Fool Cultivation techniques. If I meet him again, how much will I suffer?"

"We're from the same sect. As your master, you're being unfair!"

Sun Tiecheng kept his head down, still drawing circles: "That's not how it works. I only taught him two techniques too. That's fair enough."

"It's not the same. I'm your last disciple. You owe me more."

Sun Tiecheng stood up angrily: "Who said I'm done? When did I close my door? My Dao is still open!"

Li Banfeng asked: "Have you taken any disciples since me?"

Sun Tiecheng squatted again, still drawing circles: "I haven't found a suitable one yet."

"There you go. In the end, there's no one else. You should treat me better. I'm honest, upright, and virtuous. The future of our Dao depends on me."

Sun Tiecheng hesitated, sighed: "Your virtue? How do I put this? You—you just used a technique on me again…"

"Do you even know who I am? Do you know my status? If you use another technique on me, I'll kill you right now!"

Li Banfeng grinned foolishly: "We're family. I just want you to see I didn't waste my learning."

Sun Tiecheng paused, then said: "You came here for Qiuluoye, didn't you?"

Li Banfeng blinked: "You know about that?"

"Of course I do. I travel often. I'm even looking for a proper disciple."

Li Banfeng sniffed: "Am I not proper?"

"Proper? Pfft! You either don't come back, or when you do, you cause chaos. Listen: don't say nonsense. Everyone in this city is alive!"

Li Banfeng smiled: "We both know the truth. No need to pretend."

"Pretend? This city is full of living people!" Sun Tiecheng stood. "Yanhong, come out—eat a meal in front of him!"

Yanhong walked out with a bowl of noodles, ate every strand clean, and drained the broth.

Sun Tiecheng said: "See? Can eat, can drink—that's proof they're alive. Ironclad evidence. What do you have to say?"

Li Banfeng pursed his lips: "You can't just say eating and drinking…"

"Yanqing'er, come sing for him!"

Yanqing'er took a record, wound the phonograph, played the tune, stepped before Li Banfeng, swayed her hips, and sang: "A breeze blows, cold and sharp, ruffling the spring pond's surface, rippling the water, scattering my spring longing, deepening my sorrow…"

A famous tune from Puluozhou: "Waiting for My Lover to Return."

Sun Tiecheng added: "See? Hear? Can sing, can dance—ironclad evidence. They're alive!"

Li Banfeng said: "Singing and dancing alone don't prove…"

"You still doubt?" Sun Tiecheng shouted. "Yancui'er, let him feel for himself!"

Yancui'er, fuller-figured than Yanhong and Yanqing'er, stepped close, grabbed Li Banfeng's hand, and shoved it into her robe: "Your palm holds their conscience—test it yourself. The flesh in your palm is real, the pearl in your palm is real!"

Pearl in the palm…

Yanhong, seeing Li Banfeng silent, seized his hand again, lifted her qipao, and placed it low on her waist: "The peach is in your hand—test it again. Both halves are real, the crevice is real!"

Sun Tiecheng said: "Not just real—the flesh is warm. Ironclad evidence. They're alive. What more do you want?"

Li Banfeng pulled his hand back: "You can't say this proves…"

"Still Bufu?" Sun Tiecheng barked. "Yancui'er, pin him down and have him!"

The girl was strong—she pinned Li Banfeng to the ground easily.

Li Banfeng shouted: "Wait! This isn't appropriate!"

"She's not appropriate?" Sun Tiecheng yelled. "Tang Changfa, come and do it!"

"Got it!" Tang Changfa rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

Li Banfeng shouted: "Don't come! I believe it! They're alive, okay?!"

Yancui'er released Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng was puzzled—what just happened? Why couldn't he break free?

Sun Tiecheng said to Li Banfeng: "Open your eyes and see, open your ears and hear, stretch out your hand and touch—"

"Ironclad evidence lies before you. They're alive. What's left to dispute?"

Li Banfeng's mind froze.

Sun Tiecheng was right.

They were alive.

Li Banfeng could find no counterargument.

If anyone else were here today, they'd find none either.

"But they were…"

Sun Tiecheng waved his hand: "Don't talk about causes or consequences. Don't distract me. Ironclad evidence is right before you."

"I declare it now: this is real. They are alive!"

Li Banfeng stared in stunned silence, sensing an undeniable aura of authority.

He looked at Sun Tiecheng and said, "Is this the technique?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "This is the technique of ironclad proof."

Li Banfeng smiled.

He taught it—finally, he was willing to teach it.

PS: Why is Sun Tiecheng helping Li Banfeng?

(End of Chapter)