Chapter 47

Missing a corpse for alchemy, Li Banfeng felt very regretful.

He earnestly regretted it for a minute before starting to search for the House Spirit.

The House Spirit was Li Banfeng's most urgent desire at the moment, bar none.

With a House Spirit, a Residential Cultivator can improve; this is the only possibility to bridge the gap between Traveling Cultivators and Residential Cultivators, and this is what concerns Li Banfeng's life.

Of course, having a House Spirit also meant that Li Banfeng would have to live in this house from now on, maintain a certain degree of travel every day to sustain the cultivation of a traveler, and also remember to return home on time to maintain the foundation of a Residential Cultivator.

It sounds very contradictory, but Li Banfeng believed he could find a solution.

What does a House Spirit look like?

It should be human-shaped, right?

Since it's called a spirit, it must be human-shaped.

There are three tile-roofed houses and one storage room in the courtyard; that storage room is the sprout room, and there is only a pile of firewood inside—there are no human-shaped creatures here.

He went to the room on the east side, where there were many bottles and jars, as well as a medicine pestle and a clay pot.

This should be Decai's room; these are all tools for refining poison.

Is the House Spirit here?

Li Banfeng still didn't see any human-shaped creatures.

Walking out of Decai's room, Li Banfeng saw a human-shaped creature.

"Benefactor, we haven't thanked you yet." Xiao Yeci looked at Li Banfeng cautiously.

Having just seen the way he killed people, Xiao Yeci still had lingering fears.

Behind her was another person; her daughter, Lu Chunying, timidly poked her head out and took a look at Li Banfeng.

"No need for formalities." Li Banfeng had no time to deal with this mother and daughter; he bypassed them and headed straight for the middle tile-roofed house.

"Benefactor, what are you looking for?" Xiao Yeci followed him.

"I'm looking for my wallet; they took my wallet," Li Banfeng said casually to brush her off. "You must have had quite a few things stolen too; hurry up and look for them, and leave as soon as you find them."

"Benefactor, it's best not to break into this room randomly; there's a House Spirit."

She knew there was a House Spirit in this room?

Li Banfeng didn't rush to open the door and asked, pretending to be ignorant: "What House Spirit did you just mention?"

"A House Spirit is the spirit cultivated by a Residential Cultivator; the old woman was a Residential Cultivator, Benefactor knows that, right?"

"What is a Residential Cultivator? I don't know that at all!" Li Banfeng continued to play dumb.

"A Residential Cultivator is a sect that squats in a house; this sect isn't very powerful once they leave the house, but they are incredible inside the house.

That old woman just now, she was so old yet still so capable of fighting; Benefactor couldn't hurt her, and I couldn't out-argue her. Actually, she should have only been at the first layer, but inside her house, even a second-layer cultivator might not be able to beat her; this is all thanks to the House Spirit helping her."

This woman seemed to have quite a bit of experience. Li Banfeng suppressed his intense curiosity and asked calmly: "What does a House Spirit look like?"

"That's hard to say. Some House Spirits look like water vats, some look like rice scoops, some look like roof beams, and some look like the old yellow dog that watches the door."

Li Banfeng was stunned: "Are there any House Spirits that look like people?"

Xiao Yeci thought for a moment: "I haven't heard of that."

Li Banfeng stared at Xiao Yeci for a moment and asked: "Have you ever seen a House Spirit?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "No."

"You've never seen one and yet you're spouting nonsense! You Mouth Cultivator are too much!" Li Banfeng didn't want to deal with this woman anymore.

Xiao Yeci's cheeks flushed red: "Benefactor, 'Mouth Cultivator' is a derogatory term. Our sect is actually called Literary Cultivation.

Because we have the art of spitting lotus flowers from our mouths, we are often called Mouth Cultivators. What I told you just now, I read in books."

Lu Chunying poked her head out from behind and said: "My mom has read many books; my mom is very learned, and her mouth skills are very powerful!"

Li Banfeng responded casually: "Yes, the tight ones are all powerful."

So this woman was a Literary Cultivator. What skills do Literary Cultivators have?

Before Li Banfeng could ask, the woman explained on her own: "To cultivate in our sect, one must read many books. Only by reading many books can one know what kind of person one is meeting, what kind of words to say, and what kind of response to make when encountering certain events."

Li Banfeng asked very earnestly: "What response did you make when you encountered this old woman?"

"Benefactor is making fun of me," Xiao Yeci said with her head down. "Originally, my art of spitting lotus flowers was quite good, but I had never encountered a Residential Cultivator, and I didn't expect that old hag to be immune to both soft and hard tactics.

But her two sons were persuaded; if it weren't for that old hag, those two sons would definitely have let me go.

Her younger son is named Demao; I don't know where he is now. It was he who told me his mother was a Residential Cultivator and also said the House Spirit was in his mother's room."

So she had pried it out of Demao's mouth; it seemed highly credible.

"Did he say what this old woman's House Spirit looks like?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head: "He didn't dare to say; he said the House Spirit would hear it. He only said it was a small object."

A small object?

Li Banfeng thought of the old woman's hairpin and then thought of that short blade.

If the House Spirit is a similar object, can it be carried on one's person?

If it can be carried on one's person, wouldn't the contradiction between Residential Cultivators and Traveling Cultivators be completely resolved!

"If a House Spirit can be carried on one's person, even if they leave the house, the Residential Cultivator would still be protected by the House Spirit. Wouldn't that make the Residential Cultivator invincible in the world?"

"Take a House Spirit out of the house? No one would dare to do such a thing!" Xiao Yeci widened her eyes. "Benefactor, you don't know anything about Residential Cultivators at all.

What kind of existence a House Spirit is, most Residential Cultivators don't even know themselves; how would they dare to take them out!"

"What would happen if you took it out?"

"Some books say that a House Spirit is actually an evil spirit. In a Residential Cultivator's house, the evil spirit is chained up. An evil spirit that leaves the house has no chains.

Once there are no chains, who knows what kind of things the evil spirit will do?

I have never heard of a Residential Cultivator taking a House Spirit out of a house, but I have heard of House Spirits that became powerful and ran out of the house. Those evil spirits killed everyone they saw; several nearby villages were wiped out.

That Residential Cultivator took their family and hid here and there for more than a year, but in the end, they couldn't escape death; the entire family was killed by the House Spirit, not a single one left."

Li Banfeng laughed: "It's good that it can't be taken out, otherwise next time I encounter a Residential Cultivator, I wouldn't know how to deal with them."

Although he said that, Li Banfeng felt melancholy inside; the contradiction between Residential Cultivators and Traveling Cultivators, a pair of sects that are like water and fire, is truly not something that can be easily resolved.

But no matter what, I'll take over the House Spirit first.

But before taking over the House Spirit, I must let this mother and daughter leave; Li Banfeng didn't want others to know about his sect, and even less did he want accidents to happen while receiving the House Spirit.

Xiao Yeci said: "Benefactor, Decai told me that the things they robbed are all kept in the cellar in the backyard, not in the room."

The three of them came to the backyard, and Xiao Yeci continued: "He said the cellar is right under the big rock next to the well."

There was indeed a stone pier next to the well. Li Banfeng was just about to move the stone pier when he turned back to look at Xiao Yeci.

If I move the stone pier and she kicks me into the cellar, what should I do?

Xiao Yeci was startled and hurriedly explained: "Benefactor, I'm not lying to you; everything I said is the truth."

Whether what she said was the truth or not, it couldn't be verified for the time being, but Li Banfeng was very curious about one thing.

Why would I believe her words?

Is this a skill of a Mouth Cultivator?

Xiao Yeci saw the clue and hurriedly explained: "Benefactor, this art of mine, spitting lotus flowers, sometimes I use it without being able to control it.

Don't be suspicious. How about this: I'll move this rock, and I'll go down and bring the things up!"

This stone pier looked like it weighed several hundred catties; Li Banfeng didn't think this woman could really move it.

But Xiao Yeci was very confident: "We are all people with cultivation; this strength is definitely not something ordinary people can compare to. Benefactor, just watch, you don't need to help."

Li Banfeng watched from the side; no matter what flowers she spat out, Li Banfeng didn't intend to reach out.

Xiao Yeci squatted down, spread her legs, tightened her buttocks, hugged the stone pier, and took a deep breath.

With her silver teeth clenched, her pretty face flushed red, and putting all her strength into it, she actually moved the stone pier.

There was indeed a door under the stone pier. Xiao Yeci panted and said: "Benefactor, I'll go down and take a look first; Chunying, you stay up here and don't move!"

Li Banfeng didn't decline either and just watched Xiao Yeci enter the cellar. After a while, Xiao Yeci crawled out of the cellar: "Benefactor, there are quite a few things down here; I don't know which one is yours."

"You don't need to worry about my things; just take your own things and come up quickly!"

Xiao Yeci held a wicker box and crawled out of the cellar: "Benefactor, our mother and daughter's belongings are all here. What does your wallet look like? I'll go down again and help you get it."

Li Banfeng lowered his eyelids and looked Xiao Yeci up and down: "Why do you want to help me?"

Xiao Yeci lowered her head: "Benefactor, how can you say that? Our mother and daughter owe you our lives."

"Are you doing this to repay a debt of gratitude?" Li Banfeng didn't believe it.

"It is to repay a debt of gratitude, but, but I also have a request." Xiao Yeci's voice grew quieter as she spoke.

Li Banfeng was expressionless: "What is it?"

"Our mother and daughter need to go to the inner ditch of Yaowang Valley. We are strangers there, and the road is dangerous. I want to ask Benefactor to escort us for a part of the way."

"No escort!" Li Banfeng refused directly. "It's not far from the inner ditch, just over thirty miles. I can point out a path for you."

After speaking, Li Banfeng drew a simple map on the ground.

Xiao Yeci looked at the map and then at Li Banfeng, pleading: "This is our first time coming to Yaowang Valley; the journey was truly terrifying. Benefactor, please escort us for a part of the way; we can pay you money too!"

"Money won't work either! I have to stay here and fight the House Spirit to the death; you mother and daughter hurry up and leave!"

Xiao Yeci was stunned: "Benefactor, you still want to fight the House Spirit?"

Li Banfeng straightened his back and said: "Otherwise? Should I let this evil spirit stay here and harm the world?

Since you have read so many books, do you still not know what a 'great hero' is?"

PS: Look at our Banfeng's heroic spirit; dear readers, leave a comment and vote!

(End of chapter)