Chapter 662: Inner Province Winds and Clouds

Accompanied by the music, Li Li Banfeng danced at the White Peach Assembly, every step taken with great earnestness.

Li Li Banfeng's shadow, Banfengyin, was inside the "Beehive," sitting on the stairs and waiting silently.

"Old Master, is it about time?" Banfengyin asked in a low voice, worried that this "Beehive" might run back to the Royal Capital on its own at any moment.

"Rest assured, it cannot move. It can only move when I allow it to." Leaving Suishenju intended to take some good things from within the "Beehive."

In just this short while, the Old Master had already found five Heavenly Heart Stones inside the Beehive.

There were things even more precious than Heavenly Heart Stones; the Old Master could sense them, and the Glove could sense them too. The two were searching with great effort.

The Glove pried quite a few screws off the pipes: "Old Master, these nails are all rare, good things."

Leaving Suishenju looked at the quality of the screws; the items were indeed not bad: "Keep all the good things; don't leave a single one behind. I feel like there might be iron rails in this room."

The Glove was still a bit conservative: "If we steal them dry in one go, the next business might be hard to do."

Leaving Suishenju said: "Rest assured, this business won't end. We have give and take; I will also send him some good things."

"Hehehe~"

After a moment of silence, the Glove and Leaving Suishenju simultaneously let out low, deep laughter.

The White Peach Assembly ended. Ling Baita looked up at the sky; the Beehive was still there, having not left at all.

The Beehive had stayed for quite a long time.

"Every time the Inner Province sends troops over, Bai Sun Commandery can see the New Sea once. Friend, if you want to go to the New Sea, there is still a chance now."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "I just said, I am not going to the New Sea. I am returning directly to the Underground City. I am a Traveling Cultivator; I have the means to travel ten thousand miles in a single departure."

Ling Baita nodded and let the islanders use peach tree branches to make a raft for Li Li Banfeng.

To be honest, Li Li Banfeng felt ashamed to accept even this raft. The resources on the island were so scarce; these peach tree branches could have originally been kept for them to build houses.

Leaving Suishenju and the Glove had cleaned out all the good things in the "Beehive." The Beehive gradually moved away, and the ocean in the sky also began to move slowly.

Li Li Banfeng still couldn't distinguish: "Is the sea moving, or is the island moving?"

Ling Baita replied: "Both are moving. Who moves more, we also cannot distinguish."

Today's battle went smoothly, and time was ample. Many young people climbed the peach trees to catch fish in the New Sea. By the time the islands returned to the mountain cave, all five islands had a full harvest.

Ling Baita asked Li Li Banfeng: "Friend, are you in a hurry to leave? There is fish to eat tonight."

Li Li Banfeng said: "I am actually in a bit of a hurry; I should set off."

Ling Baita gave Li Li Banfeng a pot of white peach wine: "Will you come back?"

"I will," Li Li Banfeng took a bag of canned goods and handed it to Ling Baita, "Next time I come, I will bring you more food."

Ling Baita packed a bag of peaches for Li Li Banfeng: "That friend from out of town also always brings us good things. He said it wasn't a free gift;

it was an exchange for peaches. He said he especially likes the peaches of Bai Sun Commandery. He also always says one phrase, called—"

Ling Baita couldn't recall it for a moment.

Li Li Banfeng took the peaches: "What he said should be that phrase: 'Losses and gains, neither owes the other.'"

Ling Baita nodded: "Right, that's the one."

Li Li Banfeng boarded the raft and waved goodbye to the island residents.

Once White Peach Island disappeared from view, Li Li Banfeng whispered: "Cannot say neither owes the other; still owe, owe you all too much."

Li Li Banfeng still had many things he wanted to ask. What he most wanted to know was why the warriors of Bai Sun Commandery turned into peach trees after dying in battle.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask; the residents of Bai Sun Commandery also didn't want to bring up this matter.

Fortunately, there were others he could ask. Regarding these Inner Province people, Li Li Banfeng didn't have so many concerns.

Lang Lang Daoshou, Xie Xie Baheng, and Shan Dan Yuzhu had all entered the sea, with ropes tied to their bodies, pulling the boat from the front.

Li Li Banfeng asked the Luo sisters: "Why don't you go pull the boat?"

Luo Su Lijun's expression was cold: "Even if pulling the boat, we cannot be together with them."

Li Li Banfeng was stunned, not quite understanding her meaning.

Luo Luo Yanjun hurriedly explained: "According to our customs, it is not suitable for us to do things together with them."

"What custom?" Li Li Banfeng didn't understand. Luo Luo Yanjun had always spoken in riddles and didn't want to be too clear.

It was Luo Luo Shaojun who made it clear: "Sister is a Marquis, we are Ministers and Grand Masters, they are Scholars. Our statuses are different."

Li Li Banfeng asked Luo Luo Shaojun to explain in detail.

Luo Luo Shaojun drew a diagram: "In the Great Shang, the greatest is the King. Below the King are the Feudal Lords; below the Feudal Lords are the Ministers and Grand Masters; below the Ministers and Grand Masters are the Scholars;

below the Scholars are the Commoners; below the Commoners are the Servants. Ministers and Grand Masters cannot do the same thing together with Scholars; this breaks the rules."

Li Li Banfeng hated such rules. He darkened his face and said: "Then break the rules for once. Among you five sisters, pick two people,

and go pull the boat with them."

Luo Luo Shaojun stuck out her tongue, preparing to go pull the boat herself. Luo Luo Yanjun stopped her: "You are too young, I will go."

Luo Yanjun jumped into the sea, and Luo Luo Yujun followed.

Li Li Banfeng looked at Luo Su Lijun and said: "You are determined not to go, right?"

Luo Su Lijun lowered her head and said nothing. Luo Luo Xiujun said from the side: "She is a Feudal Lord, with such a big ego, how could she be willing to do this kind of thing."

It wasn't just Luo Su Lijun who was unwilling; even Xie Xie Baheng was terrified. Looking at Luo Luo Yanjun and Luo Luo Yujun, he didn't even know how to pull the boat: "Two young ladies, please get back on the boat quickly. This work cannot be done by you!"

Luo Luo Yujun hummed: "Young Master Li let us come; we all listen to Young Master Li."

Luo Luo Yanjun said: "Focus on pulling the boat, don't talk so much."

Xie Xie Baheng didn't dare say more, but he was very uncomfortable. When rowing, his footing was unstable, and the boat jolted along with him.

Lang Lang Daoshou and Shan Dan Yuzhu also swam unsteadily. Between them and the Luo family, there seemed to be an insurmountable chasm.

Luo Su Lijun said: "Actually, this is nothing strange. Just like Puluo Province, doesn't Puluo Province also have many nobles?"

Nobles of Puluo Province...

Who could count as a noble of Puluo Province?

There were indeed wealthy families, but could they be as noble as the Luo family?

Li Li Banfeng looked at Luo Su Lijun: "How high is your status in the Great Shang Kingdom?"

Luo Su Lijun thought for a moment: "At the peak, I could count as the head of the Feudal Lords."

Li Li Banfeng asked again: "Then why did you end up as a prisoner?"

Luo Su Lijun said: "It was all because of the plague. The epidemic spread, and the whole country suffered. Our Luo family was ordered to manage the epidemic. As a result, the three of us sisters recovered, but the prescription wasn't cracked.

The Royal Family said we were suspected of colluding with the enemy and sent us to the Great Camp, letting us lead troops to attack Bai Sun Commandery. They said it was leading troops, but actually, it was letting us go into battle with our crimes, taking the opportunity to let us die on the battlefield."

Li Li Banfeng thought for a moment and shook his head slightly: "You are a Feudal Lord; you shouldn't have received such a severe punishment for this one matter."

Luo Su Lijun didn't speak. Luo Luo Shaojun said from the side: "In the end, it was because our Luo family advocated peace and not war, and we were caught by others,

wanting to exterminate our Luo family."

Had the struggle between the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction reached such a degree?

Luo Luo Xiujun hummed and said: "Don't say that following your Luo family only brings suffering and sin. Who told you to insist on opposing the Royal Family!"

Following your Luo family?

What did this mean?

Li Li Banfeng looked at Luo Luo Xiujun carefully again. Because the fabric on her body was limited, Luo Xiujun's figure was fully visible.

Luo Luo Yujun went into the water, and her figure was even more obvious.

The two of them were very good-looking, and their figures were also very good-looking, but they were full of muscles, and the angles on their bodies were more than on their faces, which was a clear difference from the round three sisters.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Are you Luo family members?"

Before Luo Luo Xiujun could speak, Luo Luo Shaojun answered first: "Yes, we are all family, it's just that Luo Yujun and Luo Xiujun don't have the same father as us, nor the same mother."

Li Li Banfeng seemed to realize: "So they are cousins."

Luo Luo Shaojun shook her head: "Not cousins either, we are sisters."

Li Li Banfeng looked at Luo Shaojun and said to Luo Su Lijun: "This child is quite smart; you must let her read."

Luo Luo Shaojun was unconvinced: "Seventh Brother, I have read books."

"Since you have read books, you should know that if the fathers and mothers are different, you cannot count as sisters."

"We can! Our bloodline doesn't completely depend on the father and mother. I have an older brother; his father and mother are the same as mine, but he doesn't look like us, so he no longer has the surname Luo."

Li Li Banfeng remembered a phrase from the powder-cultivator Han Han Xiaoxuan; the bloodline of the Inner Province and the descendants Li Li Banfeng knew were two different things.

Luo Luo Shaojun explained earnestly: "When we were born, we were actually the same as servants, just a worm, looking no different from each other.

Before fifteen, we would eat elixirs at home and cultivate according to family methods. After fifteen, our bodies would change. Most of the brothers and sisters at home would grow into the way we are now. This is our Luo family bloodline.

And that older brother of mine grew into a leopard. Although he was born to my father and mother, his bloodline is different from ours, so he was sent to the Leopard family and changed his surname to Leopard. The Leopard family is also a Feudal Lord; my brother didn't suffer a loss.

And the two sisters Luo Yujun and Luo Xiujun were originally Yuan family members and should have turned into giant apes, but they grew up looking the same as our family members. Therefore, they count as our Luo family bloodline, so they were adopted by our Luo family and became our sisters."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is the bloodline of the Inner Province determined entirely by this change at fifteen?"

Luo Luo Shaojun nodded.

Luo Luo Xiujun said: "When our sisters were in the Yuan family, our father was a Minister and Grand Master, and we were not the legitimate eldest, so we could only count as Scholars in the future.

The Luo family is a Feudal Lord. After we entered the Luo family, we became descendants of a Feudal Lord and could be enfeoffed as Ministers and Grand Masters. Our status was indeed raised by one layer."

Luo Su Lijun hummed: "This statement still has some conscience."

Li Li Banfeng said: "If it were a servant, and turned into a field snail at fifteen, would they also become your Luo family members?"

Luo Luo Shaojun thought for a moment: "In principle, it is like that, but it is unlikely for them to change at fifteen because servants have nothing and cannot eat elixirs at all, so they are worms for their whole lives."

Li Li Banfeng asked again: "What about commoners?"

"Commoners scrimp and save. In a year or half a year, they might be able to eat an elixir, but wanting to turn into our appearance is too difficult. There are examples of commoners turning into Scholars.

With the family background of a Scholar, eating an elixir once a month, the gap with commoners is also very large, but commoners have 【something】 in their bodies, and even if they eat few elixirs, it is possible to turn into Scholars.

In the homes of Ministers and Grand Masters, they eat elixirs every three to five days, and the difference with Scholars is not small, but there are indeed children of Scholar families who entered the homes of Ministers and Grand Masters after fifteen."

Saying this, Li Li Banfeng finally understood. In the Great Shang Kingdom, eating elixirs was the key to determining bloodline.

Nobles eat many elixirs, while commoners eat few. After fifteen, the offspring of nobles will likely turn into nobles. Some people will turn into commoners because their physical talent is insufficient. By the same token, there are children of commoners who turn into nobles because of their outstanding physique.

Of course, there are also commoners who turn into servants because their physique is insufficient. This kind of thing is not rare. According to Luo Luo Shaojun's statement,

if a commoner family has five children, generally three will turn into servants.

Li Li Banfeng asked again: "Besides elixirs, are there any other ways to change fate? For example, cultivation and exercise?"

Luo Luo Shaojun said: "There are, but the Royal Family finds a few people every year to talk about it, saying that a certain servant, because of dedicated cultivation, finally cultivated into a Scholar.

But my sister said that those are all lies. Those servants were able to change their fate because they served their masters comfortably and got a few more elixirs. You cannot believe a single word of the Royal Family..."

Slap!

Luo Su Lijun slapped Luo Luo Shaojun into the water.

"Little sister, go pull the boat and swap your sister back."

Luo Luo Shaojun went to pull the boat with her mouth pouting, and Luo Luo Yanjun returned to the boat.

Luo Luo Xiujun whispered: "Actually, Luo Shaojun isn't wrong. Those two centipedes you encountered in the camp were commoners who had been transformed from serfs, then became scholars, and finally became servants. To think that Zhaoge would actually let them lead troops into battle."

"Who are the Diviners?"

Luo Luo Xiujun said: "They are the people in charge of sacrifices. Their status is between Feudal Lords and Ministers and Grand Masters. Do you think they are powerful?"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "They have nothing to do with being powerful."

Luo Luo Xiujun said: "They shouldn't have been allowed to lead troops either. These two idiots don't understand anything."

"Then why were they still allowed to come and attack Bai Sun Commandery? Didn't Bai Sun Commandery make you lose many battles?"

Luo Luo Xiujun whispered: "That's because there are restrictions. Some powerful generals cannot come over, and our weapons cannot be transported over either."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Who restricted it?"

Luo Su Lijun glared at Luo Luo Xiujun, and Luo Luo Xiujun didn't dare to speak anymore.

Not telling the truth even now, Li Li Banfeng wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of ways to make these sisters speak. He carefully analyzed the class hierarchy of the Great Shang Kingdom, and some important classes gradually established connections with Puluo Province: "Your King, is the Saint?"

Luo Su Lijun and Luo Luo Yanjun both remained silent. Seeing this, Luo Luo Xiujun took the initiative to speak: "That may be so, but the Sage's words don't carry weight in Zhaoge; what carries weight is the Cabinet."

Li Li Banfeng heard a new term again: "What is the Cabinet?"

Luo Luo Xiujun thought about how to describe it: "The Cabinet is the Royal bloodline, the people who truly control the Imperial Court."

Li Li Banfeng had some concept of the term "Royal bloodline": "The Royal Family you speak of, are they the people with three heads?"

Luo Luo Xiujun nodded.

Li Li Banfeng carefully looked at the drawing Luo Luo Shaojun made: "The legitimate eldest of the Royal Family will become the King; other offspring are ordinary Royal Family members. The legitimate eldest of the Royal Family is still the Royal Family; other offspring will become Feudal Lords,

and so on. The nobles of each level will only become more and more numerous. Can the Great Shang Kingdom afford to support so many nobles?"

Luo Luo Xiujun said: "Legend has it that a long time ago, there were indeed many nobles, but at that time, the territory of Great Shang was very large, and the produce was very abundant, so supporting these nobles was not a problem.

But later, the power of the Tu Kingdom rose greatly. We lost several battles, and much of our territory was snatched away, so we couldn't support so many nobles, so the number of nobles wasn't that large. Just now, one less—"

Before she finished speaking, Luo Luo Xiujun was kicked by Luo Su Lijun. She said one noble was just less; the one less was the Luo family. This kind of thing was very common in the Inner Province.

"What kind of country is the Tu Kingdom?"

"Their King is called the Demon Lord, and their King is in Silver Bear City."

Demon Lord.

Li Li Banfeng wasn't unfamiliar with this concept either; the proprietor of the Hundred Demon Workshop was a Demon Lord.

"How much do you know about Bai Sun Commandery? Do you know why they turn into peach trees after their people die in battle?"

Luo Su Lijun kicked Luo Luo Xiujun again, signaling her not to say any more.

But Luo Luo Xiujun ignored it. In the current situation, pleasing Li Qi was definitely not a loss: "This is because the Bai Sun Alliance helped them."

Bai Sun Alliance?

Li Li Banfeng remembered the Bai Sun Alliance mentioned by the Balloon Professor.

"The Bai Sun Alliance you speak of, is it a kingdom of the Inner Province?"

Luo Luo Xiujun first nodded, then shook her head: "Their King is at Seven Stars Mountain. It cannot be said to be a King's capital either. They are not a kingdom at all.

They have no King; they are an alliance of a group of small countries. At first, Great Shang and Tu didn't take them seriously, but later, the Bai Sun Alliance grew bigger and bigger. Great Shang and Tu suffered quite a few losses at the Bai Sun Alliance.

The Bai Sun Alliance gave Bai Sun Commandery a lot of help. We once put medicine on the land of Bai Sun Commandery, and the land of Bai Sun Commandery couldn't grow any crops. Originally, this could have let Bai Sun Commandery naturally perish,

but the Bai Sun Alliance sent elixirs to Bai Sun Commandery through special methods, letting the people of Bai Sun Commandery turn into peach trees after death, letting Bai Sun Commandery survive again."

"Why did the Bai Sun Alliance want to help Bai Sun Commandery?"

Luo Luo Xiujun thought for a moment: "I heard it's because the Bai Sun Alliance and Bai Sun Commandery have the same bloodline. Their names both have Bai Sun. The Bai Sun Alliance has many figures who can transform into birds, and Bai Sun Commandery is like this—"

"Don't listen to her nonsense!" Luo Su Lijun finally couldn't help it, "The Bai Sun Alliance and Bai Sun Commandery having the same name is purely a coincidence. They are not the same species at all!"

Luo Luo Xiujun was unconvinced: "Then you tell me, why did the Bai Sun Alliance want to help Bai Sun Commandery?"

Luo Su Lijun saw this matter more clearly: "Bustling and bustling, profit comes and profit goes. They also took a fancy to the territory of the Outer Province, but they have never been able to open a road, and they don't want us to succeed, so they helped Bai Sun Commandery to find trouble for us.

In the Outer Amikan Kingdom, that's how they did it. Last year, they helped the Outer Amikan people defeat the Demon Lord. Now, the road to Outer Amikan is about to be occupied by them."

The road to Outer Amikan should refer to another wormhole, or a branch of a wormhole, which was the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom that Ling Ling Miaosheng had just visited.

"So to speak, the Bai Sun Alliance also mastered the method of using roads?"

Luo Su Lijun sighed: "How do you think the various restrictions on the road came about? Wasn't it all the work of the Bai Sun Alliance? Just because of them, we have never been able to attack Bai Sun Commandery with full force. Otherwise, if we had brought our weapons, Bai Sun Commandery wouldn't have lasted even a moment.

But having said that, I really don't want to fight a war. We really want to fight for a way out in the Outer Province, but the Outer Province is not easy to deal with. The Bai Sun Alliance is making trouble behind our backs, and Puluo Province is blocking in the middle. If this road is paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, what is the use of fighting for it?"

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "That's well said. Does your Luo family still want to take back the power in the Inner Province?"

"How to take it back?" Luo Su Lijun smiled bitterly, "One Feudal Lord fell, and behind her fell dozens of Ministers and Grand Masters, and countless Scholars. The family business of the Luo family will soon be divided up."

Luo Luo Xiujun said: "The key is that this is the decree of the Royal Family. In Great Shang, who can be greater than the Royal Family?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "Then you just set up another Royal Family."

Luo Su Lijun was stunned: "Where to find a Royal Family?"

Li Li Banfeng lifted the brim of his hat and looked at Luo Su Lijun. The bargaining chip was out; it was time to do business.

"Do you know the whereabouts of Train Eunuch?"

The five field snail sisters looked at each other, all saying nothing.

Li Li Banfeng smiled slightly: "The road is still long; let's talk slowly."

Relying on his memory, Li Li Banfeng pulled the raft and arrived near the border line.

The five Luo sisters plus Lang Lang Daoshou were all asleep on the raft, sleeping very soundly.

The music box wandered on the wooden raft, ensuring everyone was sound asleep.

Li Li Banfeng picked up the simple telephone and called his wife: "My precious wife, I—."

"You heartless madman, why are you still coming back? Go wander outside!" The wife hung up the phone.

Luo Zhengnan sighed: "The Madam is angry."

The call was interrupted. Luo Zhengnan wanted to sleep, but after a short while, the wife called back: "Madman, where are you?"

"Almost at the door!"

Zhao Zhao Xiaowan hung up the phone, came to the bow of the boat, and vaguely saw Li Li Banfeng's figure floating in mid-air on the other side of the boundary line.

"Hurry up and move the Dark Bridge Cannon over!" The music player waved a hand, and Li Banfeng Bing and Li Banfeng Ding hurriedly rushed up. Li Banfeng Yi watched from the side,

without reaching out.

After adjusting the parameters, a shot was fired. Li Li Banfeng summoned a group of shadows, carrying the wooden raft, passed through the Dark Bridge, and returned to the boat.

Seeing a group of shadows, Li Li Banfeng said with a face full of surprise: "You are actually still here."

Li Banfeng Yi hummed: "If not here, where could we be? Without you, wouldn't life go on just the same?"

Zhao Zhao Xiaowan grabbed Li Li Banfeng, first a round of beating, then a round of heartache: "Where have you been all these days? You scared me to death, do you know?"

Li Li Banfeng hugged Zhao Zhao Xiaowan from behind: "My precious wife, this is a long story. Let us be intimate for a while, and then I will tell you in detail!"

The two frolicked for a moment, both in the mood. Li Li Banfeng took out the oil can, and Zhao Zhao Xiaowan darkened her face: "What are you taking that for?"

Li Li Banfeng hurriedly put away the oil can, hugged Zhao Zhao Xiaowan, and entered the guest room.

In the blink of an eye, Li Li Banfeng was dressed neatly and smiled: "Wife, was it enjoyable!"

Zhao Zhao Xiaowan draped her clothes, her expression dull: "Husband, it's better to apply machine oil."

Li Li Banfeng scooped with both hands and squatted on the ground: "Wife, short has the benefits of short. Listen to me explain the principles—."

"Don't talk nonsense," the wife put on her clothes and came to the deck, "How to deal with these Inner Province people?"

Although the five Luo sisters had transformed, the wife saw through them at a glance.

Li Li Banfeng said: "I plan to take them to the Inner Province, let them lead the way, and go find an old friend."

Li Li Banfeng roughly recounted what he saw and heard in Bai Sun Commandery, and the wife also guessed the identity of that old friend: "Husband wants to save that crazy craftsman, are you planning to enter the Inner Province from Bai Sun Commandery?"

"Bai Sun Commandery is probably a bit difficult. The Inner Province is frequently sending troops there, so it must be heavily guarded," Li Li Banfeng already had a plan, "We have another road, which should not have been blocked yet."

He He Jiaqing passed through a thicket of thorns, trekked for several hours in the New Land, and found a factory building.

There were factories in the New Land; this kind of thing was very fresh. He He Jiaqing dodged the patrolling strange monsters, entered the factory, and saw a white-haired old man polishing parts.

"Old Master Shi, He Mou pays his respects." He He Jiaqing bowed deeply.

Shi Shi Gongxing looked up, put down his tools, and wiped the grease off his hands: "Young Master He, what can I do for you?"

He He Jiaqing looked at the environment of the factory. Compared to other factories in Puluo Province, the equipment here was obviously much simpler. This was the New Land; the factory's products were likely unable to be sold. Building this factory was probably just Shi Shi Gongxing finding some comfort for himself.

"Old Master Shi has such attainments, but shouldn't be buried in this kind of place."

Shi Shi Gongxing shook his head slightly: "At my age, being able to earn some peace is rare. It cannot be called being buried. Young Master He, speak directly if you have something to say."

He He Jiaqing said: "The contract for the New Land is not complete. He Mou plans to help the Old Master take back the other half of the contract, and then help the Old Master turn the New Land into Proper Land. I wonder what the Old Master thinks?"

Shi Shi Gongxing was stunned for a moment: "No merit, no reward. Young Master He, such a great favor, how can this old man bear it?"

He He Jiaqing took out a contract: "It cannot be called a favor. The junior wants to do a great thing together with the Old Master."

PS: Li Banfeng promised to save Train Eunuch; he is about to make a move. ===== CHAPTER 663 =====