Chapter 703: The Leader of the Plow Cultivators

Scattered branches and leaves, withered yellow seedlings—if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Li Li Banfeng truly wouldn't have believed that everything before him was real.

This was Li Li Banfeng's earliest territory, the new land he had obtained from the hands of the Mountain-Pulling Master. The Earth Deity here was called Li Li Furong.

Li Li Furong's deed was in order, and under Zhang Wanlong's management, the territory had originally been flourishing. Li Li Banfeng had wanted to come back to check on Xiao Genzi's situation and, in passing, collect the human Qi on the territory, but he hadn't expected it to have turned into such a miserable sight.

The farmland was in a state of ruin. Li Li Banfeng went to the village Zhang Wanlong had built; the buildings in the village were still there,

but the villagers were all gone.

Whether it was those villagers with their distinct characteristics and complex behaviors, or those villagers who looked exactly like Zhang Wanlong and could only perform simple labor, all had vanished without a trace.

Li Li Banfeng walked to Zhang Wanlong's residence. The furnishings inside the house were still relatively clean, and there was still some rice in the pot,

and although it was cold, it hadn't gone moldy.

Zhang Wanlong should still be living here; where had he gone?

Where had he taken Xiao Genzi?

Walking outside the door, Li Li Banfeng sniffed. The entire village was permeated with an aura of ruin and desolation,

and even Zhang Wanlong's home made him feel like a stranger; it was as if it were a completely different place from the residence Li Li Banfeng had been familiar with before.

Li Li Banfeng searched all around the fields and finally saw Zhang Wanlong in a plot of land.

Zhang Wanlong was holding a water ladle, watering the seedlings, while Xiao Genzi was holding a spoon, following behind to apply fertilizer. Li Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Zhang, what happened?"

If Li Qi hadn't spoken, Zhang Wanlong wouldn't have known he had arrived; the stealth of a fourth-layer Cloud-Ascending Residential Cultivator was truly too strong.

"Seventh Master, watch your step; please don't tread on the seedlings." Zhang Wanlong was much more haggard than before. He kept staring at Li Li Banfeng's feet; he was truly afraid Li Li Banfeng would step on these few seedlings.

When little Xiao Genzi saw Li Li Banfeng, his eyes turned red, and his voice trembled: "Seventh Master, the crops have all withered and died. Only these few seedlings are left, only these few are left—"

Perhaps wanting to cry but unable to, Xiao Genzi's voice was somewhat slurred.

Li Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Speak clearly. What exactly happened? Did someone attack?"

Xiao Genzi shook his head: "No one attacked."

"An infestation of insects?"

"None of that either."

"Did it hail?"

Zhang Wanlong's eyes also turned red: "Seventh Master, there were no disasters or pests; the crops within these ten miles just disappeared like this!"

Li Li Banfeng couldn't ask any more. He was a layman in farming, while Zhang Wanlong was a top-tier expert; he couldn't interfere blindly here.

But the matter inside had to be investigated carefully. This was his own territory; who had dealt such a ruthless hand to Zhang Wanlong here?

He He Jiaqing?

Or perhaps Xuehuapu?

Li Li Banfeng summoned the surrounding strange creatures. The most cultured Old Ox told Li Li Banfeng about the situation: "Seventh Master, we got along quite well with Brother Zhang, especially us vegetarians; we often got grain from Brother Zhang.

Just these past few days, I don't know what happened, but the crops all died off, patch by patch. We don't know who did the evil deed; if we find out, we'll definitely kill that bastard!"

Li Li Banfeng instructed Old Ox: "Go and inquire more; see if anyone knows the inside story."

Old Ox nodded: "Seventh Master, rest assured, I will definitely do my best to investigate."

"Good. Once you find a clue, I'll tell the Earth Deity. When the time comes, I'll record your top merit and reward you with cultivation!"

That was what he said, but it was hard to rely on this group of strange creatures to get things done.

Li Li Banfeng went to the neighboring territory. As soon as she heard Li Qi had come, Meng Meng Yuchun was overjoyed. She took Li Li Banfeng's hand and went straight into the inner room.

Meng Meng Yuchun's territory had been opened up by half, all thanks to the Three-Headed People Li Li Banfeng had lent her.

That wasn't all; Li Li Banfeng had also given her the other half of the deed.

Meng Meng Yuchun didn't know how to repay Li Qi. As a Residential Cultivator, she didn't know much about etiquette to begin with; she only felt that a benefactor like Li Li Banfeng should be given everything she had.

"This is where I sleep, this is my bed, and there's another room over there where my Residence Spirit sleeps. Go in and take a look."

She pulled Li Li Banfeng into the Residence Spirit's room and saw a rosewood dressing table in the room, with a bronze mirror on it.

Meng Meng Yuchun said: "This is my Residence Spirit."

Li Li Banfeng took a look with the Jinjing Jinjing Qiuhao technique. In the bronze mirror was a woman who looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

Her age seemed to be about the same as Meng Meng Yuchun's. In terms of looks, she could be considered pretty, but she was far inferior to Meng Meng Yuchun.

She was peering curiously out of the mirror. She was very curious about what kind of person Li Qi was,

but she felt like Li Qi was also looking at her, and she was so scared that she quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Meng Meng Yuchun continued: "That over there is my treasure room; all the magic treasures in my home are kept in that room.

There's also a room where I keep some small trinkets; they are all women's playthings. If you like them, go take a look too.

And that door, that's where I go when I need to save my life; I have to leave myself a way out—"

"Stop!" Li Li Banfeng waved his hand, "You don't need to tell me these things."

Meng Meng Yuchun shook her head: "Everything about me should be told to you; nothing should be hidden from you!"

Li Li Banfeng said: "I came to find you for one thing. There is a Plow Cultivation expert in my territory,

you know that."

Meng Meng Yuchun nodded: "You're talking about Zhang Wanlong, right? I've bought quite a bit of grain from him; we can be considered acquaintances."

"Something happened to him recently; do you know?"

"I know a little. His crops withered, and to this day, no one knows the reason. I guess it was some Insect Cultivator or Poison Cultivator who harmed him, but that's just a guess. I don't have any clues here."

Meng Meng Yuchun didn't have any clues either.

Who could it possibly be?

Li Li Banfeng returned to Zhang Wanlong's village. Zhang Wanlong was still in the fields looking after the seedlings. Li Li Banfeng wanted to ask if Zhang Wanlong had encountered any enemies recently, but he hadn't expected someone else to ask that question for him.

"Wanlong, have you offended anyone recently?"

Although Li Li Banfeng didn't sense any malice, he still hid in the distance.

Zhang Wanlong was startled, and little Xiao Genzi trembled. The two of them quickly bowed: "Master."

Xu Han had arrived.

Li Li Banfeng had heard from Yao Lao that Xu Lao had matters to deal with; could it be that he had come specifically to deal with Zhang Wanlong?

Xu Han squatted down and plucked a leaf from a seedling: "Didn't you hear me when I asked you just now?

Did you offend someone?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head: "I haven't offended anyone."

Xu Han checked two more leaves: "Think carefully again."

Zhang Wanlong thought for a long time and remembered three people: "A Dance Cultivator once came; he wanted to buy seeds, but I didn't sell them to him."

He was talking about Du Du Wenming.

Xu Han waved his hand: "It's not a Dance Cultivator. Tell me about someone else."

"There's also He He Jiaqing. He also wanted to come and buy seeds, but he and Seventh Master are not on good terms. I didn't want to offend anyone because of him, so I didn't sell them to him."

Xu Han was silent for a long time: "He is a Theft Cultivator; it's possible it was him. Tell me about someone else."

Zhang Wanlong said again: "There's also a foreigner named Cui Cui Tike. He also came to buy seeds, but at that time, Desongya had just had an incident, and I didn't want to be implicated by him, so I didn't sell them to him either—"

"No need to say more," Xu Han sighed, "Even if one is just a farmer, one cannot escape these rights and wrongs!"

Zhang Wanlong cried: "Master, the few acres of land I painstakingly saved are down to these few seedlings. I see that there's something wrong with these leaves too—"

Xu Han took the leaf in his hand, looked at it again, and then threw it onto the ground: "Come with me."

Zhang Wanlong saw hope and excitedly chased after Xu Lao with Xiao Genzi.

Li Li Banfeng also followed behind. The four of them walked together to the outside of the fields. Xu Lao took out his pipe and smoked a pipe of tobacco.

Halfway through this pipe of tobacco, Xu Lao tossed the ash from the bowl out.

The dust flew into the sky, turning into sparks that filled the air, falling onto the farmland like raindrops.

Zhang Wanlong let out a wail: "Master, what are you doing!"

He wanted to rush into the farmland but was stopped by Xu Han: "These crops have caught a disease. I have never seen these lesions before. If they spread, the disaster will be boundless!"

Caught a disease? Lesions?

Li Li Banfeng's heart sank. According to Xu Lao's statement, the culprit of this matter had already been confirmed.

Could it really be Cui Cui Tike?

Zhang Wanlong was still crying and shouting. Xu Han frowned: "What are you crying for? Can't you afford to lose? As a farmer, you have no wits at all; you deserve to be plotted against!"

"Master, put out the fire; I'll think of another way!"

Xu Lao shook his head: "This fire cannot be put out. It must burn for three days to burn these lesions clean. They absolutely cannot be brought outside the territory.

Wanlong, wipe your tears. This fire can burn away the lesions and the insects. The grass ash produced can also nourish the land. Once everything is burned clean, you can sow seeds again.

Just consider the previous harvest as having been robbed by someone. We are farmers; if we fall, we must learn to climb back up ourselves."

Zhang Wanlong squatted on the ground and cried, and little Xiao Genzi cried along with him. Tears fell one by one; his heart was in pain, yet he seemed afraid to cry out loud.

Xu Lao turned his eyes to Li Li Banfeng: "Old Seven, whose person is Cui Cui Tike exactly? Is he your person, or the Peddler's person?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "He can be considered my friend."

Xu Lao nodded: "Since he is your friend, I'll trouble you to pass a word to him. He and my disciple did indeed have a conflict before. I don't want to ask about right or wrong anymore.

This time my disciple suffered a loss, and I don't intend to haggle with him, but if there is a next time, I must ask him for an explanation."

After speaking, Xu Han turned and disappeared into the night.

Little Xiao Genzi cried: "Brother Zhang, Master has left; let's hurry and put out the fire."

Zhang Wanlong shook his head while crying: "Brother, don't be foolish. What kind of methods does our Master have? He said this fire must burn for three days, so it must burn for three days. Not a day less."

Li Li Banfeng advised: "You two stop being sad for now; we can talk about things when we get home."

Zhang Wanlong also said he wanted to go home, but his home was gone.

The village and house that he and little Xiao Genzi had managed had all been burned. Xu Lao's fire had covered almost all the territory within ten miles.

Li Li Banfeng had built a wooden house on the territory before, so he arranged for the two of them to stay there for the time being. There were still people managing the territory of Youtao and He He Yuxiu, so there was water and food; there was no shortage of food and drink for the two of them.

The surrounding strange creatures rushed over and sent them quite a few supplies. It had to be said, Zhang Wanlong was indeed well-liked. Under everyone's comfort, his emotions gradually calmed down.

After sending the others away, Li Li Banfeng asked Xiao Genzi: "How is your cultivation?"

Little Xiao Genzi said: "Relying on Brother Zhang's guidance, I'm at about the sixth layer now."

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "Put in more effort. When you reach the seventh layer, remember to find me."

Zhang Wanlong had suffered such a huge loss, so Li Li Banfeng gave him some elixirs. Zhang Wanlong waved his hands repeatedly: "This won't do, Seventh Master. This is a grudge I incurred myself; it has nothing to do with you."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "I'm not apologizing for Cui Cui Tike; I'm thanking you on behalf of Xiao Genzi. With your cultivation, you might not be able to use these elixirs. You can exchange them for money or something else. In any case, grit your teeth and manage the land plot."

After chatting for a while, Li Li Banfeng left. Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi saw him off for a long way.

When it was time to part, Xiao Genzi sobbed and shed tears again.

Zhang Wanlong sighed: "Brother, stop crying. You cried enough just now; if you cry again, Seventh Master will make a joke of us!"

【112】

Xiao Genzi wiped his eyes: "I'm not crying; the wind and sand got into my eyes."

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "I'm leaving first. If anything happens, remember to find me."

Walking into the distance, the firelight behind him was still clearly visible, but Li Li Banfeng never heard Xiao Genzi's crying.

Should Xiao Genzi have cried out loud?

He should have!

Li Li Banfeng had seen Xiao Genzi cry before. Back when he had forcibly entered the Metal Cultivation Sect because he had stolen medicinal powder, Xiao Genzi had cried out loud.

His temperament was just like that: when proud, he would laugh out loud; when frustrated, he would cry out loud. When fighting, he would pick up a bucket; he didn't have the habit of gritting his teeth and holding back tears.

The wind and sand got into his eyes.

Was there such strong wind and sand here?

Li Li Banfeng took a detour, used the Unimpeded Travel technique to enter the cliff, and entered the Earth Deity's residence.

The blind mountain wolves smelled Li Li Banfeng returning and were overjoyed. Li Li Banfeng was worried they wouldn't have food to eat, so he specifically brought them plenty of food and drink.

The mountain wolf wagged its tail: "Master, it's rare for you to come back once; how can we let you feed us? The strange creatures in the mountains often send us food. I'll tell the kitchen to prepare wine and dishes; no matter what you say, you must have a meal at home!"

Li Li Banfeng went to the backyard first, took the Earth Deity Seal, and absorbed the human Qi.

The human Qi in the Earth Deity Seal was very abundant, which was within expectations. The crops grown by Zhang Wanlong could produce human Qi; this point had been verified before.

Li Li Banfeng took the Earth Deity Seal, distributed cultivation to the strange creatures in the residence, and then returned to the territory to distribute cultivation to the strange creatures there. Until he had emptied the Earth Deity Seal, he took the Earth Deity Seal and returned to the residence.

What the mountain wolf said before wasn't just polite talk; he really called people to prepare wine and dishes: "Master, if you think highly of us, let's have a meal."

Li Li Banfeng had a meal in the residence. He usually came back too little, and the people at home were somewhat afraid of him,

but when it came time to eat, everyone felt that the master was quite easygoing. Knowing that their eyes couldn't see, when pouring wine and serving dishes, Li Li Banfeng even personally helped out.

After eating and drinking his fill, Li Li Banfeng went to the backyard and put the Earth Deity Seal back in its original place.

As soon as he put it on, Li Li Banfeng felt that the situation was not right.

The Earth Deity Seal had a response; it had received human Qi.

Li Li Banfeng waited for a moment, took the Earth Deity Seal off the deed, and placed it on his own head.

There was human Qi, not a large amount, but Li Li Banfeng could sense it.

From taking the Earth Deity Seal off, collecting human Qi, distributing cultivation, having a meal, and then taking it back, it had only been a few hours.

Why could he receive human Qi in these few hours?

If it were Green Water City, that would be fine; there were many people, and human Qi was naturally abundant, so receiving some was to be expected. In such a desolate territory, Zhang Wanlong's army of plant-people were all gone; where did this human Qi come from?

Li Li Banfeng put the Earth Deity Seal back, sat in the main hall of the residence, and fell into deep thought. Zhang Wanlong's crops caught a disease; was it really done by Cui Cui Tike?

Cui Cui Tike was a ruthless person; Li Li Banfeng admitted this. But Zhang Wanlong just didn't sell him seeds; was this matter really worth Cui Cui Tike's revenge?

Moreover, Li Li Banfeng had solved the seed matter for Cui Cui Tike. If he wanted to take revenge on Zhang Wanlong, how would he explain it to Li Li Banfeng?

This didn't look like something Cui Cui Tike could do.

Who exactly did this?

After thinking for a long time, Li Li Banfeng picked up the Earth Deity Seal again.

The Earth Deity Seal had human Qi again; the speed of human Qi accumulation surprised Li Li Banfeng very much.

Could it be that Zhang Wanlong's army of plant-people was still there?

Where were they?

Amidst the raging fire, Li Li Banfeng traveled back and forth through the flames.

He held Green Flower's bowl in his hand, quietly observing the changes in the three spoons.

The flames left by Xu Han were very fierce. Li Li Banfeng relied on the Auspiciousness-Seeking, Trace-Free Step, and Wind-Riding Cloud-Driving techniques to walk and stop in the fire. After traveling for two full hours, he finally found an entrance.

When he opened the entrance, the scene before him stunned him.

He saw a road, with lush crops on both sides of the road,

the road led to a village, and at the entrance of the village, an old man was squatting at the door smoking a dry pipe.

A woman was carrying a child, threshing corn.

A shy girl was lighting an oil lamp in the room, earnestly tracing calligraphy.

Zhang Wanlong's two wives were washing clothes in the courtyard.

Li Li Banfeng entered Zhang Wanlong's courtyard, sat down at the table, looked at the two women, and smiled: "Please ask your man to come see me; just say Li Qi wants to find him."

The woman didn't dare to ask more and quickly left the residence. Not long after, Zhang Wanlong arrived.

"Seventh Master."

The moment he saw Li Li Banfeng, Zhang Wanlong was somewhat embarrassed.

But after being embarrassed for a short while, Zhang Wanlong's expression returned to normal.

"You've seen everything, so I won't say much more."

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "Brother Zhang, can you tell me, what is the origin of this place?"

Zhang Wanlong said: "I've been farming here for so many days and discovered this Unnamable Place. So I built a new village in this Unnamable Place, which can be considered leaving myself a backup defense."

Li Li Banfeng raised his head and lifted his hat brim: "Who are you defending against?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head: "Seventh Master, I'm definitely not defending against you; I know you are the Earth Deity of this territory."

Li Li Banfeng didn't deny it: "How did you know?"

Zhang Wanlong replied: "This matter isn't difficult for me. Plow Cultivators eat by relying on the land. You've been to the underground city of Santoucha; there's a place in the underground city called the Earth Market. I stayed there for a long time.

I have a response to the land, and this land has a response to you. Every time you come, this land is happy to death.

I've been farming on this land all along; I've never defended against you. I did this to defend against my Master."

Li Li Banfeng said: "You knew your Master was coming?"

Zhang Wanlong nodded: "In this life, the one I fear most is my Master; I must keep an eye on his whereabouts."

Li Li Banfeng touched the dining table; this table was very intimate; he had eaten at this table before: "So you rebuilt such a big village?"

Zhang Wanlong sighed: "This is also a matter of having no choice. I've painstakingly managed this for so many days and finally made a name for myself; I can't let my Master destroy it all."

Li Li Banfeng picked up the teacup; this teacup was also very familiar; he had also drunk tea here before: "Can't you talk to Xu Lao properly?"

Zhang Wanlong gave a bitter smile: "Seventh Master, you don't know the bitterness here. I want to do something different, but in my Master's eyes, everything I do is wrong.

You saw it just now; he said the crops had lesions. There are many ways to destroy the lesions, but he insisted on setting a fire.

Seventh Master, do you think Master really trusts me? With this fire, the crops were burned, the village was burned, and the territory was burned to a depth of three feet.

If I hadn't made preparations early, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to keep even a single seed."

Li Li Banfeng raised his head: "So you're saying this village is newly built?"

Zhang Wanlong nodded: "It's newly built. I did the right thing; at least I kept the important things.

Seventh Master, for the sake of our friendship, can you not tell my Master about this?

If you really want to tell him, you won't be able to find those good seeds anywhere else in the future."

Li Li Banfeng didn't answer. He asked one thing first: "What exactly is going on with the crops on the territory? Why did so many crops wither? What method did you use to deceive Xu Lao?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head: "I didn't deceive him. Those crops really caught a disease, but I was the one who planted the lesions."

Li Li Banfeng was startled: "You have the methods of a Disease Cultivator?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head: "No, but a friend has them. He has always wanted my seeds, so I made a deal with him."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is this friend of yours Cui Cui Tike?"

Zhang Wanlong didn't deny it.

Li Li Banfeng put down the teacup and stood up: "I won't reveal this matter to anyone else for the time being."

Zhang Wanlong nodded: "Thank you, Seventh Master."

He didn't see Li Qi out the door because he knew Li Qi definitely didn't want to be followed at this time.

He trusted Li Qi's promise, but the words "for the time being" made him feel very uneasy.

Why Li Qi found this place was Zhang Wanlong's biggest doubt in his heart.

Could this matter have something to do with Xiao Genzi?

Xiao Genzi was still over at the small wooden house; should he go over and take a look?

As soon as Zhang Wanlong stood up, he suddenly heard a crisp "ding-ling" sound.

A silver dollar fell to the ground.

Someone had placed a silver dollar on him!

Who placed this? When was it placed?

Zhang Wanlong picked up the silver dollar and looked at it against the oil lamp.

Two words were engraved on the front of the silver dollar: Plow Cultivation.

Two words were engraved on the back: Leader.

Zhang Wanlong tightened his grip on the silver dollar; fear and excitement mixed together, making his body tremble uncontrollably.

Li Li Banfeng walked on the village road, thinking about whether he should go to Cui Cui Tike's place to ask for the truth.

Looking at every blade of grass and tree, looking at every passerby, Li Li Banfeng felt very familiar.

Because he had been here before; a Traveling Cultivator would never forget the road he had walked.

Zhang Wanlong didn't tell the truth. This village wasn't newly built; this was Zhang Wanlong's original village. The one burned by Xu Lao was his newly built village; that village made Li Li Banfeng feel like a stranger.

But how did Zhang Wanlong move an entire village into the Unnamable Place?

Did he move it in, or lock it in?

Li Li Banfeng had seen the techniques of a Lock Cultivator in Wasteland Town, but the Peddler said that Lock Cultivation had already been lost. How did Zhang Wanlong use Lock Cultivation techniques?

If it weren't for Xiao Genzi mentioning "wind and sand," which reminded Li Li Banfeng of the Wind and Sand Land, he might never have found this place.

Xiao Genzi had also reminded him of one thing before: Zhang Wanlong had iron-tendon bamboo in his hands, although it wasn't the ten-tendon kind yet.

Thinking further toward Cui Cui Tike's side.

If Cui Cui Tike really produced lesions that could poison crops, what kind of deal would he make with Zhang Wanlong?

Zhang Wanlong had just acted in front of Xu Lao, pushing all matters onto Cui Cui Tike. In this deal, Cui Cui Tike bore extremely high risks and might even suffer Xu Lao's revenge.

Facing such huge risks, he definitely wouldn't just want some seeds.

What else did he want?

Li Li Banfeng walked out of the Unnamable Place. Amidst the raging fire, he always felt a chill running down his spine.

Could it be that Zhang Wanlong has already—

The Peddler said from the side: "He might have already cracked the Lock Cultivation medicinal powder."

PS: It gave me a fright; why did the Peddler come out? ===== CHAPTER 704 =====