Chapter 619

Lao Lu wrote a "forbid" character on Du Du Wenming's back and tossed it before Yu Yao.

Don't underestimate this single "forbid" character—after controlling Du Du Wenming, Lao Lu wrote it repeatedly himself until he got it right.

With just this one character, Du Du Wenming's cultivation base was completely suppressed—he couldn't use any techniques, couldn't leverage his physical advantages, couldn't even perform the most basic Daoist dance steps; aside from his perception, he was nearly indistinguishable from a white lamb.

Yu Yao stared at Du Du Wenming, frozen in shock for a long time.

They knew each other—after Yu Yao was arrested by the Dark Star Bureau, it was Du Du Wenming who rescued him.

Though there was mutual exploitation involved, Du Du Wenming had genuinely saved Yu Yao's life. Du Du Wenming fixed his gaze on Yu Yao—he was Yu Yao's only hope for survival.

Yu Yao hadn't forgotten their past—he looked at Lao Lu: "Du Du Wenming and I once researched wormholes together—he's still useful." Du Du Wenming turned to Lao Lu, his expression filled with anticipation.

Lao Lu asked Yu Yao: "What use is he?"

Yu Yao explained in detail: "The principles of wormholes are extremely complex—there aren't many people even in Waizhou who understand the basics, let alone in Like Puluozhou. Du Du Wenming doesn't just know the basics—he's reached a certain level in wormhole research. Many of my graduate students are inferior to him in numerous aspects."

Du Du Wenming nodded vigorously toward Lao Lu.

Lao Lu trusted Yu Yao's judgment: "So you mean keep him as an assistant?" Yu Yao nodded: "This experiment needs his help right now."

Du Du Wenming looked again at Yu Yao, his eyes brimming with gratitude.

Lao Lu was concerned: "If he's an insider and learns our core secrets, he might turn against us later." Yu Yao had already prepared his response: "Don't worry—we'll blindfold him, let him see nothing, guaranteeing no secrets leak." Lao Lu still hesitated: "If his eyes are covered, how can he assist you in the experiment?"

"We'll send him into the wormhole. Given his understanding of wormholes, he'll definitely find the exit." Lao Lu no longer hesitated: "Our thoughts align perfectly."

Du Du Wenming expressed heartfelt thanks to Yu Yao: "Yu, you'll die a miserable..."

Before he finished speaking, Lao Lu wrote another "forbid" character on Du Du Wenming's face—Du Du Wenming could no longer see, hear, or speak, and even his sense of smell vanished. The two loaded equipment and Du Du Wenming and left the bookstore, heading to Heishi Slope, then taking the Wheel Road from Heishi Slope to the border of Soda Kiln.

Lao Lu opened a book titled *Tianxiang Ci Hua* and released a cannon from its illustration.

This cannon, modified several times by Yu Yao, was much larger and far more complex than before.

After adjusting the parameters, Yu Yao placed Du Du Wenming at the designated position before the cannon's muzzle. Lao Lu wrote a "open" character beside Du Du Wenming's ear—Du Du Wenming could now hear.

Yu Yao instructed: "Old Du, don't wander once you're inside. Most of the wormhole's space has discernible direction—follow a straight line away from the entrance, and you'll find the exit. Understood?"

Du Du Wenming gave no reply. Yu Yao told Lao Lu: "Make him speak."

Lao Lu wrote a "open" character on Du Du Wenming's mouth—Du Du Wenming could now speak: "Yu, your whole family will die a miserable...!"

Yu Yao fired the cannon—Du Du Wenming vanished.

Lao Lu was displeased: "You should've told me there'd be cannon fire."

There had been no cannon fire before—this was the effect of the modifications. Yu Yao didn't care much: "This cannon's noise isn't even as loud as a two-cracker." Du Du Wenming was sent into the wormhole; soon after, the forbid spell on his face dissolved—he could see again, and hear again.

But the forbid spell on his body remained—his combat power had not been restored.

Walking through the dark wormhole, he tried using Yu Yao's method to find the exit.

He actually found it—at the wormhole's edge, he sensed slight spatial distortion, like a seam in the inner wall. In past experiments with Yu Yao, Du Du Wenming had sensed similar seams.

But the key problem was—how could Du Du Wenming get out through such a narrow seam?

This issue, clearly, had not been fully considered by Yu Yao during the cannon's design. If Du Du Wenming's cultivation were intact, he could tear open an entrance through dance steps. But now, with his cultivation suppressed, he couldn't even perform a basic dancer's step.

The problem lay entirely in the "forbid" character on his back—if he could erase it, he'd regain his combat power. He tried several times—he couldn't erase it.

Lao Lu had written it in a spot Du Du Wenming couldn't reach.

If only his dancer's talent were still there—Du Du Wenming now clearly lacked even basic bodily flexibility. He kept probing the wormhole's seam—hope was right before him, yet he was powerless.

Desperate, Du Du Wenming lay on the ground; worms from the moss crawled one after another onto his body. His physical form had also deteriorated—he could no longer endure hunger.

He held out for a long time, but finally couldn't resist—he grabbed several worms and shoved them into his mouth.

Lao Lu waited over half an hour beyond the boundary, but saw no Du Du Wenming emerge from the wormhole. He looked at Yu Yao, who shook his head repeatedly: "This can't be rushed—Du Du Wenming must find the exit before he can come out. If he's lost, we'll have to wait longer."

"No need to wait—I left a mark on him. If he gets out, I'll sense it immediately." Lao Lu remained troubled by the cannon's noise and hurried Yu Yao away from the border.

Li Li Banfeng was surveying the new land's reclamation. He responded to Zhang Wanlong and offered him considerable support, but the ten-li reclamation rules couldn't be changed, nor could the bounties for strange beasts be reduced. Across the entire territory, powerful strange beasts had all deployed their best tactics and clashed fiercely with Zhang Wanlong.

After a day of preparation, Zhang Wanlong planted the entire ten-li territory with bok choy. Xiao Genzi didn't understand: "Big Brother Zhang, we're planting only this one thing?"

Zhang Wanlong said: "I'd like to plant varied crops, but with only one day, we must grow something fast-growing and easy to maintain." "Can this bok choy fight?"

"Whether it can fight depends on who you're comparing it to—as long as the quantity is large enough, we can withstand it."

On the first day of the inspection, Old Ox led a group of strange beasts into the plot. The bok choy swung its leaves and clashed with Old Ox.

Back when under Qiu Qiu Luoye, Old Ox was famous far and wide for his thick hide and tough flesh. The bok choy's blows against him were less than a tickle. He swung his horns, smashing the bok choy before him into pulp, carving a path, and charging toward Zhang Wanlong with his group.

Zhang Wanlong sat calmly in the center of the plot, sipping tea and eating biscuits. Xiao Genzi lifted a bucket, preparing to face the enemy.

Li Li Banfeng hovered in midair, quietly observing the battle through his innate talent for invisibility.

He was somewhat worried for Xiao Genzi—among the strange beasts, Old Ox and his old comrades had high cultivation levels. Could Xiao Genzi alone hold out long? But now he couldn't speak, nor should he.

Zhang Wanlong reminded Xiao Genzi: "Brother, don't go too hard—don't use too much golden fluid. Don't make the land god dislike us."

No sooner had he spoken than Old Ox broke through the bok choy field and reached Xiao Genzi's side.

Xiao Genzi remained calm, swung his spoon, and unleashed the technique "Golden Dots."

Golden droplets fell like fine rain, each one landing precisely on Old Ox's body.

Li Li Banfeng was surprised—he'd seen this technique before. When Xu Han used it, it was primarily against Lühuazi's pus-covered body; its strength lay in density. But young Xiao Genzi achieved perfect accuracy—controlling precision this finely exceeded Li Li Banfeng's expectations.

Clearly, Xiao Genzi's cultivation had improved greatly.

Another surprising thing was Old Ox's condition—he charged forward blindly, offering no defense against Xiao Genzi's technique.

Old Ox had seen Xiao Genzi before when he reclaimed land under Qiu Qiu Luoye. After spending so long on this territory, he should've known the danger of golden fluid—why didn't he dodge at all?

He wasn't refusing to dodge—he couldn't dodge. Old Ox's condition was off.

His steps were chaotic; though he charged with apparent vigor, his movements were entirely unstructured.

He'd been targeted.

Having experienced many battles, Li Li Banfeng quickly identified the source—the only marks on Old Ox besides the golden droplets were numerous greenish-blue fluids. These fluids came from the bok choy; as Old Ox smashed through the field, he'd been coated in bok choy juice—he'd been poisoned.

Xiao Genzi dodged Old Ox's several charges, stirred the bottom of his bucket, and prepared to scoop out the dry matter.

Li Li Banfeng recognized this move—it was "Flooded Jin Shan." He intended to create a mountain capable of erupting beneath Old Ox's feet.

With Old Ox in this state, the mountain didn't even need to erupt—he'd sink in and be done for.

Zhang Wanlong stopped Xiao Genzi and shouted to Old Ox: "Brother Ox, we've always gotten along well. Leave now—this job isn't yours to win!" Old Ox stormed off in anger, but didn't go far—he crawled to the plot's corner and began gnawing on bok choy leaves.

He didn't leave because he didn't want to miss out on this merit. Dozens of other strange beasts followed and rushed toward Xiao Genzi.

Xiao Genzi swung his spoon and unleashed "Golden Waterfall." The golden fluid rose into the air, forming a magnificent golden curtain that slowly poured down. The waterfall drenched the group of strange beasts, burning their skin and flesh with fierce corrosion.

Like Old Ox, they didn't dodge or defend—they acted as if they'd lost their minds, charging forward blindly.

After several rounds, the strange beasts could no longer stand. Zhang Wanlong reminded Xiao Genzi again: give them a chance to retreat.

Most of the strange beasts withdrew, joining Old Ox to eat bok choy.

Li Li Banfeng smiled bitterly—these strange beasts hadn't grown an ounce of sense in all these years. Such poisonous bok choy, and they still dare to eat it.

A few tree spirits hadn't surrendered. As strange beasts, they clearly had much stronger resistance to golden fluid and poisoned bok choy. The peach and willow tree spirits, nourished by the golden fluid, grew more energetic as they fought.

Zhang Wanlong continued sipping tea, savoring it. Seeing Xiao Genzi struggling against the tree spirits, Zhang Wanlong finally acted. Xiao Genzi swung his spoon again, using "Golden Dots"—this time, when the golden fluid struck the tree spirits, something changed.

He'd added some powdered medicine to his teapot, stirred it with a chopstick, waited for it to dissolve, then flicked his wrist and poured the entire pot into Xiao Genzi's bucket.

The branches and leaves of the tree spirits grew rapidly, but their trunks and roots showed no change.

After prolonged fighting, their crowns grew larger and larger, until their trunks and roots could no longer support them. One by one, the tree spirits collapsed to the ground.

They painfully dragged themselves along their roots, leaving the battlefield and heading toward the territory's edge.

This was Old Ox's earlier tactic—losing wasn't fatal; don't leave the plot easily. Rest overnight and fight again.

Old Ox ate bok choy while summarizing his defeat: "We lost today for one reason—we weren't united! I charged first, then you charged, then the few old trees charged last. What's the point of charging like that? By the time you reach them, you're just waiting to be picked off one by one! We need unity—we charge together, and never miss this chance for cultivation."

Li Li Banfeng felt embarrassed for these strange beasts—were they still thinking about gaining cultivation? If not for Zhang Wanlong holding back, they'd be dead already.

Even if Zhang Wanlong intended to spare them, Li Li Banfeng estimated they wouldn't survive until morning with how they were eating. Yet surprisingly, Old Ox ate dozens of bok choy plants and didn't collapse.

Other strange beasts had also eaten plenty of bok choy and showed no signs of poisoning. This made no sense.

Earlier, when they charged, they'd been coated in bok choy juice and immediately poisoned, rendered helpless before Xiao Genzi. Now, after eating so much bok choy, they weren't poisoned—why?

Was the bok choy's poison only effective externally, not internally?

Or had the bok choy itself withdrawn its toxins, deliberately avoiding poisoning these strange beasts?

Zhang Wanlong had maintained restraint, intending to spare their lives—Li Li Banfeng wasn't surprised.

But intentions alone weren't enough—could bok choy release poison and then withdraw it? Was that even possible?

At dawn the next day, Old Ox and the group of strange beasts had recovered seventy to eighty percent. They gathered to trim the excess branches from the tree spirits' crowns. Two leopards refused: "Old Ox, we don't eat grass."

Old Ox got angry: "This is war, not a feast! Who told you to actually eat it?"

After trimming seventy to eighty percent of the new leaves, the tree spirits stood up. The group of strange beasts gathered and charged again toward Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi. The two hadn't woken up—they were snoring inside their tent.

During the charge, Old Ox noticed the path he'd carved the day before was gone—all the bok choy he'd smashed had regrown. The new bok choy looked no different from the old. Today's fog was thick—the path he'd made yesterday was completely lost.

As he pondered, Old Ox shook his head. Why look for a path?

Just carve a new one and charge—what's the problem?

These bok choy plants fell at the first push, standing still on the ground. Dealing with them was effortless. But wait—weren't these bok choy plants quite fierce yesterday? Why weren't they moving today?

As he pondered, Old Ox felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground. Dozens of strange beasts behind him also collapsed.

A few tree spirits still held up, but dared not advance—conditions were nearly identical to yesterday. Even if they charged, Zhang Wanlong could knock them down with a single pot of tea.

Stuck between advance and retreat, the tree spirits gave up and dragged everyone back to the plot's edge.

The thick fog over the plot lasted the entire day. Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi ate, drank, laughed, and chatted. The second day of reclamation passed effortlessly.

Li Li Banfeng hovered in midair—he had long recognized the fog's origin: the mist came from the bok choy leaves, whose dewdrops continuously evaporated, forming a dense fog across the ten-li territory.

The remaining tree spirits could still hold up, but they dared not advance lightly, for the situation was nearly identical to yesterday's—even if they charged forward, Zhang Wanlong could easily knock them down with a pot of tea.

Caught between advance and retreat, the tree spirits made peace with their plight and dragged the group back to the edge of the plot.

The thick fog over the plot lingered all day; Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Gen ate and drank, laughed and chatted, and the second day of reclamation passed as effortlessly as could be.

Li Li Banfeng hovered in midair, having long recognized the fog's origin—these mists arose from the leaves of the bok choy, each dewdrop steadily evaporating to form a dense fog across ten li of land.

Getting cabbage juice on you causes poisoning, but eating cabbage leaves does not; the mist released by the cabbage can poison too—its toxins take different forms and can be controlled at will. Most crucially, these toxic mists selectively attack enemies. Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Xiao Genzi stood right in the center of the field, while Lao Niu and the others had been felled by the poison—yet these two were completely unharmed!

"Wife, do you still think this is cabbage?" Li Li Banfeng told the radio the events that had unfolded outside.

"Seventh Brother, what you're describing isn't cabbage—it's a Poison Cultivator!" Hong Ying cut in before the wife, carefully comparing cabbage to a Poison Cultivator and finding them nearly identical. "Poison Cultivators have a technique called 'Invisible but All-Seeing'—it lets deadly poison strike only enemies, never allies. If cabbage can use this technique too, what's the difference between it and a Poison Cultivator?"

The wife spoke more cautiously: "Beloved husband, you can't say cabbage has learned one technique and therefore become a Poison Cultivator. I've read many cases you brought back from the outer provinces—these cabbages resemble those foreign cultivators."

Indeed, they resembled them: they had combat power, techniques—but no coherent system.

Could this be because the cabbage hasn't ingested the pill powder yet?

Cultivators are proud and harbor their own agendas; forming them into an army is nearly impossible.

But what if the Peddler gave Zhang Wanlong the pill powder? Wouldn't he then be able to grow an army of cultivators? Even if every soldier in this army was only at the first or second layer of earth skin, with his yield, their combat power would be astonishing.

Li Li Banfeng remembered the bamboo Xiao Xiao Genzi had given him. Zhang Wanlong was currently studying iron-veined bamboo.

Even if the Peddler didn't give Zhang Wanlong the pill powder, he might still figure out how to produce it himself.

By the third day, the cabbages had grown so densely that the aberrations, upon charging halfway, were all poisoned by the cabbage juice.

Clearly, with Zhang Wanlong's current strength, clearing new land was an outright crush on the aberrations. By the afternoon of the third day, Zhang Wanlong set up several banquets and invited nearby aberrations to dine in the vegetable garden, resolving the conflict peacefully.

Lao Niu didn't want to go—he was here to evaluate. The three-day evaluation period wasn't over; eating at the same table as the land-clearer violated protocol and would shame him.

But under pressure from the other aberrations, he went anyway. As Old Goat had said: "When you meet someone this ruthless, dare you still make an enemy? Won't you have to live in peace with him from now on?"

All the aberrations attended the feast—so the evaluation could no longer be observed. Li Li Banfeng acknowledged Zhang Wanlong's strength and knew he'd pass the evaluation. But now, with evaluator and land-clearer coexisting peacefully, could the land still recognize the evaluation's outcome?

Li Li Banfeng waited for tomorrow's answer. If the land's boundary darkened and heavenly light descended, the evaluation had succeeded. If the land rejected it, the evaluation would continue.

Unexpectedly, at six p. m. that very night, the land's boundary darkened, and heavenly light shone upon it—the land-clearing had succeeded. How was this possible?

The evaluation hadn't even reached three days, yet the land had already recognized it.

Because Li Li Banfeng had already acknowledged Zhang Wanlong's strength, this land-clearing was deemed successful!

Since Li Li Banfeng first learned the concept of land-clearing until today, he had never seen anyone complete it before the three-day deadline.

The aberrations feasting in the cabbage field were stunned. Lao Niu was the first to toast Zhang Wanlong: "Master Long, excluding the Land God, you are now the true lord of this land—the heavenly light arrived early, that's plain proof—you're the one chosen by Heaven!"

"I, Lao Niu, was blind to your greatness. These past two days, I caused you nothing but trouble. This was just our duty—please don't hold it against me!" "Nonsense! After fighting, our bond is stronger!" Zhang Wanlong was delighted and drank several cups with Lao Niu.

After too much wine, the two went off together to urinate. Deep in the cabbage field, they spotted a man gazing toward the banquet. Zhang Wanlong asked Lao Niu: "Is that your man?"

Lao Niu shook his head: "I don't know this man."

The man quickly explained: "I'm here to clear land. I heard you succeeded, so I came to learn your methods." Zhang Wanlong waved his hand: "I have no special skills—everything's thanks to the goodwill of these friends on the land."

Lao Niu hurried to add: "Don't be modest! We gave it our all, but our tricks mean nothing before you!" They exchanged a few compliments, then Zhang Wanlong said to the man: "Come join us at the table. Today's joyful—let's eat and chat." The man waved his hands: "I must hurry back to prepare. I'm only clearing one li—small-scale, nothing to delay you all."

After some polite exchanges, the man left. Zhang Wanlong paid it no mind and returned to his feast.

But this man had been clearing land under Li Li Banfeng's watch. Back in his tent, he inserted a transmitter into his navel and sent a steady beep—transmitting a telegram: Black Rock Slope, Chain Road, Golden Gear News Agency. Editor Hu Yunqi had written the article and immediately handed it to Song Shu.

Song Mei took the article, opened the speaker, and broadcast in a sweet voice: "Dear listeners, I'm Ah Hui. According to our latest field report, following Zhengjing Village, another ten-li new land has been successfully cleared."

"The new land is located in a remote area; the land-clearer is a Farming Cultivator who has already cleared three li of new land nearby…" The signal crackled. Bai Bai Mu Yu pulled the antenna from his mouth and crouched down, vomiting for a long while.

"Master Pan, let's end today's broadcast. This antenna's been jammed in my throat—I can't take it anymore."

Gao Gao Shuxia laughed: "I just don't get it—why must the antenna be held in your mouth? Can't you put it somewhere else?" Bai Bai Mu Yu shook his head: "Everywhere else is worse. I've tried them all."

Pan Pan Dehai was still pondering the news: "Has there been any farming cultivator warlord in Pulu Province recently?" Gao Gao Shuxia thought a moment, then said: "Xu Han? He should count as a warlord, right?"

Pan Pan Dehai gave her a withering look: "What can I say to you? After all this time with me, haven't you learned anything? What's Xu Han's status? Can you compare him to ordinary people? Could he possibly go out to clear new land?"

Gao Gao Shuxia shook her head: "Honestly, I don't know many famous farming cultivators."

Pan Pan Dehai took this seriously: "Who could this man be? Anyone who clears ten li of land isn't ordinary."

A maid approached Bai Bai Mu Yu and whispered something. He quickly relayed it to Pan Pan Dehai: "Your new disciple just ate another ox." "Another one?" Pan Pan Dehai shuddered.

Gao Gao Shuxia sighed: "Even a mountain of gold and silver wouldn't sustain him."

Pan Pan Dehai counted on his fingers: "That doesn't make sense. At his cultivation level, he shouldn't eat this much—even at Earth Skin Layer Nine, he shouldn't consume three oxen a day." Gao Gao Shuxia smiled bitterly: "Three oxen a day? That's over a thousand a year, Master Pan. You really need to work harder, earn more silver dollars—or he'll bankrupt you."

Pan Pan Dehai sighed softly: "That's not the point. Qin Qin Tianjiu is a prodigy—he'll achieve great things. Teaching him real skills means gaining a top disciple and also cementing a friendship with Li Qi."

"Ah Xia, do you know Wang Wang Youniang of Iron Bowl Ridge?"

Gao Gao Shuxia nodded: "I know her. That sister is wonderful—she's mastered both alcohol and food cultivation."

Pan Pan Dehai nodded: "Repeat what I just said to Wang Wang Youniang. See if she'll take Qin Qin Tianjiu as her disciple."

PS: Qin Qin Tianjiu's talent has exploded—what caused this?