Chapter 711

A-Yi was blasted quite far away. Watching her flight trajectory, Qiu Qiu Luoye put down the washboard, thinking she would never return.

But by evening, A-Yi returned.

She brought A-Yun, A-Long, and a group of villagers, pulling several carts of coal and bricks from the deep mountains. Everyone who participated in the work was given two silver dollars each.

Li Li Banfeng was quite curious: "Is there anywhere to spend money in this village?"

"Yes, there are plenty of places to spend money!" A-Yun introduced, "Villagers spend money when buying things from each other. Old villagers sometimes go outside to look around, and that also costs money."

"Where can they go to look around?"

"They go to both the Inner Continent and the Outer Continent, but the place they go most often is Puluo Continent."

As the two were talking, the coal blocks walked down from the cart, picked up bricks, and repaired the house for A-Yi.

Li Li Banfeng was a man of the world. In Puluo Continent, he had seen plenty of things like stone people acting as thugs or laborers.

But using coal blocks to directly pick up bricks to build a house was a situation he couldn't quite understand.

Li Li Banfeng squatted beside the coal blocks and saw smoke rising from them as they carried bricks upstairs. Beside them were coal blocks responsible for mixing mud. They cooperated with each other, quickly repairing the wall Li Li Banfeng had blown up.

One small coal block carried bricks a few times before its body was completely burned out, leaving behind a smear of fly ash as it came to A-Yi's side.

A-Yi took out a glass bottle, collected the fly ash, and asked softly: "What do you want to be in your next life?"

Li Li Banfeng turned on his Insightful Spirit Sound and heard the voice from inside the bottle.

The fly ash said: "I want to be a human."

A-Yi smiled: "It's not that easy. First, be a bug for a lifetime, then see if you can become a beast,

and then think about being a human. How about that?"

The fly ash was very stubborn and repeated: "I just want to be a human."

A-Yi sighed: "Alright then. Tomorrow I'll send you to the coal yard; you'll have to be coal for one more lifetime before you can try your luck again."

The coal ash in the bottle agreed.

Li Li Banfeng sat beside A-Yi, looked at the bottle, and asked: "If it's coal for one more lifetime, will it definitely be able to be a human in the next?"

A-Yi shook her head: "Hard to say. There are countless coal blocks on the back mountain of Gourd Village. It depends on what kind of coal block it is reincarnated into in the next life. If it's a good piece of coal, perhaps it really can become a human."

Li Li Banfeng still didn't quite understand: "Whether the coal blocks of Gourd Mountain can become human, is that something you decide?"

A-Yi shook her head: "It's not decided by me; it's decided by their own spiritual nature. The spiritual nature a piece of coal can gather isn't small, but the change isn't great. Choosing to be coal in the next life is a very risky thing. When you are a piece of coal, you might start with 10,000 spiritual nature, but after cultivating for a lifetime, you might still only have 10,000 spiritual nature at the end.

But being a bug is different. You might start with only 300 or 500 spiritual nature, but this spiritual nature grows fast. By the time the lifetime is over, it might have grown to over 1,000, or it might have grown to 20,000 or 30,000, or it might not have grown at all, dying just after breaking the eggshell. No one can say for sure."

"You really didn't explain it clearly; I don't understand at all." Li Li Banfeng asked the coal ash, "Are you choosing to be a coal block in your next life to leave yourself a higher starting point?"

The coal ash didn't respond. A-Yi mocked Li Li Banfeng: "Are you stupid? Why are you talking to a pile of coal ash?"

The coal blocks burned out one by one. By the time the last coal block turned into coal ash and flew into A-Yi's bottle, A-Yi's house was also repaired.

The coal blocks' craftsmanship was slightly rough; traces of the repair were clearly visible on the wall Li Li Banfeng had blown up.

A-Yi wasn't picky. She called Qiu Qiu Luoye: "As long as it's livable, why repair it so nicely? Wife, we're going home!"

Li Li Banfeng carefully inspected the house: "It's indeed repaired quite well. I'll blow it up."

A-Yi smiled at Qiu Qiu Luoye: "Look at how good my brother is at telling jokes. I just finished repairing the house,

and he wants to blow it up."

Qiu Qiu Luoye said: "Why do you think he's telling a joke?"

A-Yi was stunned for a moment, seeing Li Li Banfeng had already reached the upper floor with explosives.

A-Yi hurriedly rushed upstairs: "Brother, there's something I haven't taught you yet. This technique of ours must be used with ease. Why don't you blow up somewhere else!"

That evening, A-Yi earnestly taught Li Li Banfeng the essentials of using the technique with ease: "The key to using it with ease lies in the order of doing things. Never mind the big things; just take these small things like eating, drinking, and relieving oneself. As long as the order is correct, you can contain the madness.

Cook before eating, boil water before drinking, and check if there's anyone inside before going to the outhouse. This is called order. Don't look at these things as simple; in fact, there is knowledge in every single one of them."

Li Li Banfeng thought for a long time and felt the process was still a bit abstract.

A-Yi said impatiently: "Let me give you an example! How do you usually do things with your wife!"

Li Li Banfeng puffed out his chest and said: "Do it! Then finish!"

A-Yi sighed at Li Li Banfeng: "Is that how you treat your wife? She married you; how is she supposed to live her life from now on? There's a lot of knowledge in this. I'll teach you step by step—"

The next morning, Li Li Banfeng had learned the order of doing things and felt his thinking was much clearer.

But after learning the order one by one, Li Li Banfeng discovered an important problem: "Sister, we aren't really not crazy; we're just pretending not to be crazy."

A-Yi smiled: "If you weren't crazy, you wouldn't be able to enter our sect at all. And let me tell you,

among the people of this world, there have never been few crazy people. They all pretend not to be crazy in front of others. When they are alone, they might be even crazier than us!

You still need to continue learning the essentials of the Crazy Cultivation sect. If there's nothing to do these two days, just walk around the village with me."

Li Li Banfeng walked around the village with A-Yi for a few days and discovered two things.

First, the state of the Gourd Village villagers when they are alone is indeed very different from when they are in front of others.

Second, Gourd Village is very large, much larger than Li Li Banfeng had imagined.

Besides the Gourd Head, Gourd Waist, and Gourd Belly, Gourd Village had also sprouted many small gourds. These small gourds made up coal mountains, mines, and countless forests and grasslands.

A-Yi reminded him: "Don't just wander into these forests; I've gotten lost here before too."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "You're worrying too much. I'm also a traveling cultivator above the clouds; how could I get lost in a forest?"

"Is being a traveling cultivator so amazing?" A-Yi hummed, "Traveling cultivators can recognize the way because they remember directions and the paths they've walked before. These forests change every day, and the directions of Gourd Village also change every day. It's nothing new for a traveling cultivator to get lost here."

A-Yi took Li Li Banfeng into a forest and wrote the character "Yi" on a pine tree.

This was a mark. Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is this for fear of getting lost?"

A-Yi shook her head: "This pine tree was originally the end of this forest; now it's no longer the end.

This proves the position of the trees has changed, or perhaps the forest itself has grown."

"The forest has grown?" Li Li Banfeng looked into the depths of the forest, where whispers could be heard amidst the heavy fog.

A-Yi said: "Land can grow, but this isn't a technique I researched; it's a technique from the Inner Continent. I've studied it for a long time and have learned seven-tenths of it, but there are still three-tenths I haven't learned."

Li Li Banfeng asked A-Yi: "Which three-tenths haven't you learned?"

A-Yi grabbed a handful of soil and gave it to Li Li Banfeng: "New soil stolen from the Inner Continent can grow the same way when brought into Gourd Village,

but how to manufacture new soil that can grow—this, I truly haven't learned."

Li Li Banfeng thought for a moment: "Then take some time to go to the Inner Continent and learn it?"

A-Yi smiled: "You don't say, I happen to have some free time these two days. Brother, there are many big shots in Puluo Continent who have been researching the boundary for many years. They all feel the boundary is the key to grasping Puluo Continent. What do you think?"

Li Li Banfeng had thought about this question many times: "Actually, there are two keys, and there is one that is even more critical than the boundary:"

"The biggest key is the New Land!" He He Haiqin was shuffling a deck of cards.

He had played three rounds with Lady Zuo Anna, and Lady Zuo Anna hadn't won a single round.

Lady Zuo Anna watched He He Haiqin's shuffling movements carefully and asked: "Why do you think the biggest key to Puluo Continent is the New Land, not the boundary?"

He He Haiqin pulled a spade three from the deck: "This is a Puluo Continent person. First, they act as a 'White Lamb,' and then, with the Peddler's help, they become a land-layer cultivator.

Under the Peddler's special rule system, Puluo Continent has plenty of opportunities. No matter how humble a person's background is, as long as they grasp the opportunity, they have the possibility of becoming a ninth-layer land-layer cultivator."

While speaking, the card in He He Haiqin's hand changed from a spade three to a spade nine. The entire process didn't have a single unnecessary movement; the playing card changed right in front of Lady Zuo Anna.

"Upon reaching the ninth layer of the land, a cultivator will face a problem they cannot bypass: the cultivator must go to the Inner Continent to be reborn, and both body and mind will undergo tremendous changes."

The card in He He Haiqin's hand changed from a spade nine to a diamond ten: "This change is fatal. It is fatal for the entire Puluo Continent. This cultivator, cultivated by Puluo Continent, not only fails to become a guardian of Puluo Continent but, under the control of the Inner Continent, becomes a combat force for the Inner Continent's invasion of Puluo Continent."

Lady Zuo Anna took the diamond ten from He He Haiqin's hand and carefully inspected it: "What you're saying is a bit absolute. As far as I know, not every ninth-layer cultivator has to go to the Inner Continent to promote to the tenth layer. Many people skip this step, and you are among them.

The Peddler should know the method to skip the tenth layer. If he were generous enough, he should be able to popularize this method, which would solve this key problem."

He He Haiqin smiled: "You are not a Puluo Continent person. Your main enemy is not the Shang Kingdom, but the Tufang Kingdom, so you haven't thought deeply about this problem at all.

There are many methods to skip the tenth layer, but every method cannot escape one problem: once promoted to above the clouds, one needs territory to maintain their status and recruit popularity.

This causes all promoters who skip the tenth layer to have to snatch land from existing local gods, or accidentally discover ownerless land—the latter is a low-probability event and not worth discussing. And snatching land from existing local gods is not something an ordinary cultivator can do."

Lady Zuo Anna stroked the playing card in her hand and nodded slightly: "You're right. The New Land is a restriction Puluo Continent cannot bypass. But as far as I know, many local gods who return from the Inner Continent still maintain hostility toward the Shang Kingdom and maintain loyalty to Puluo Continent."

He He Haiqin shook his head: "That's just an emotional expression. They were abused in the Shang Kingdom; it's definitely difficult to make them keep thinking of the Inner Continent's kindness.

But if the Shang Kingdom changed its strategy, took out all the contracts for the New Land, and threatened the local gods with their lives, asking them to jointly execute a task, do you think they would refuse?"

He He Haiqin waved his hand, and the playing card in Lady Zuo Anna's hand changed from a diamond ten to a heart ten: "At this time, they won't refuse. They will completely turn into Shang Kingdom people.

And these people are the true elites of Puluo Continent, because Puluo Continent cannot provide these elites with the necessary conditions for growth, which leads to today's result."

Lady Zuo Anna placed the playing cards on the table and nodded slightly: "Is this the reason you are going to Chaoge again to steal the contract?"

He He Haiqin put away the playing cards: "You can understand it as my personal ambition, but this is indeed striving for an opportunity in Puluo Continent!"

Lady Zuo Anna nodded: "I can send you to Chaoge."

"That is far from enough. The situation in Chaoge is already different from before. The Wenyuan Pavilion must have strengthened its guard, and it's even possible the contract is no longer in the Wenyuan Pavilion and has been transferred elsewhere. I need your cooperation and help. I need news from Chaoge, not just a simple ride."

Lady Zuo Anna thought for a long time: "If this is the case, we need to bear more risks and pay more resources. I'm afraid this help won't be free."

He He Haiqin spread out the playing cards and displayed them in front of Lady Zuo Anna: "Pick a few cards and give me a list. I can hand over a portion of the local gods' contracts to you."

Lady Zuo Anna calculated for a long time and pulled out three playing cards: "This is the price I'm asking. I'll notify you of the specific list after I consult my superiors."

Shang Kingdom, Bo City.

Bo City, originally named Bo Capital, is the oldest capital of the Shang Kingdom. Although the buildings are old and the population isn't large, the scale of this city is even larger than Chaoge.

This city still retains the layout of the Nine-Fold Gate of the Shang Kingdom's capital. In the ninth gate, there is a huge circular altar, and Lan Qiao Yi is presiding over the sacrificial ceremony on the altar.

This sacrificial ceremony is different from the past. In the past, the ceremony only lasted three days; this time it will last for ten whole days, without the slightest interruption in the middle. At this moment, Lan Qiao Yi remains awake, while Xie Gong and Zhu Jin sleep. These three people take turns, allowing the ceremony to proceed smoothly for seven days.

In the center of the altar, soil gushes out from time to time. The High Priest leads his subordinates to chant blessings, offer sacrifices, and then perform songs and dances, rewarding the ministers participating in the ceremony with the offerings.

The same process must be repeated continuously. The High Priest also has three heads, but his workload is much greater than Lan Qiao Yi's, and he is about to be unable to hold on.

The mud in the center of the altar has piled up into a small hill. The High Priest doesn't know what Lan Qiao Yi wants to do with so many kinds of soil. Relying on elixirs to struggle for three days, the ceremony finally ended. The High Priest led his subordinates to hand over the mud on the altar to Lan Qiao Yi.

Lan Qiao Yi inspected the quality of the mud and ordered people to send this mud to the Muxhou Garden of the eight city gates.

Muxhou Garden was originally a place for the Imperial family to graze and hunt. The Muxhou Garden of Bo City is quite special; it connects to an entrance leading to Puluo Continent—a random entrance.

The mud newly born on the altar is called "Seed Soil." After undergoing a certain degree of processing and treatment in Muxhou Garden, it is directly dropped into Puluo Continent through the entrance.

This Seed Soil will grow rapidly in Puluo Continent; this is the process of the birth of the New Land. In the past, the affairs of processing and treating the Seed Soil were always the responsibility of Luo Luo Yanjun, but now the Luo family's situation is special, and this key task has been handed over by Lan Qiao Yi to his trusted aide, Yang Yuezhe, to handle.

This must be done quickly. Once this Seed Soil leaves the altar, it must be dropped into Puluo Continent within five hours, otherwise, the Seed Soil will lose its activity.

Two hours later, Yang Yuezhe let out a long cry and shook the leg of his chair, indicating that his task had been completed and the Seed Soil had been dropped into Puluo Continent.

The ministers all felt Yang Yuezhe did things decisively and efficiently, and they praised him one after another.

In fact, Yang Yuezhe had only done half the work. The Seed Soil was processed, but it hadn't been dropped into Puluo Continent.

He distributed the Seed Soil to thirteen local gods who were preparing to take office, waiting for Lan Qiao Yi's order.

When the ministers left Muxhou Garden and prepared to return to Chaoge, Lan Qiao Yi came to the pavilion and assigned tasks to these thirteen local gods.

"The Great Shang has always enfeoffed the heads of the hundred miles by having them receive the soil. Today, I risk death to break the precedent and let you all carry the soil to receive the enfeoffment."

When Lan Qiao Yi said these words, Yang Yuezhe was terrified just listening.

"Receiving the enfeoffment by carrying the soil" refers to having the land made first, letting the local gods each carry the contract, and then going to the New Land to take office. This is the convention of the Shang Kingdom.

"Carrying the soil to receive the enfeoffment" means letting the local gods carry the Seed Soil, go to Puluo Continent to scatter the soil themselves, and after the New Land is formed, directly become local gods.

For the Shang Kingdom, carrying the soil to receive the enfeoffment is very risky, because no one can guarantee where these local gods will take the Seed Soil, or who they will give it to.

But carrying the soil to receive the enfeoffment is not without precedent. The beggar cultivator Dogtail Grass was a local god of the New Land who carried the soil to receive the enfeoffment. The reason he was allowed to carry the soil to receive the enfeoffment was to monitor Green Lv Lv Shuigong.

In the case of receiving the enfeoffment by carrying the soil, the Seed Soil is directly dropped into Puluo Continent. The entrance of Muxhou Garden is very special; after the mud goes out, the drop point is random, which means the Shang Kingdom is completely ignorant of where the New Land will be formed.

But in the case of carrying the soil to receive the enfeoffment, the enfeoffed person chooses the location to scatter the soil themselves. Dogtail Grass arranged his New Land next to Green Water Bay, which allowed him to complete the task of monitoring Green Lv Lv Shuigong very well.

That was the initial plan, but the result was unsatisfactory. Beside Green Lv Lv Shuigong, Dogtail Grass's New Land was eaten away, he almost lost his status, and under the coercion of Green Lv Lv Shuigong, he became a thug,

and eventually died at the hands of Li Li Banfeng.

Now, Lan Qiao Yi is letting thirteen local gods carry the soil to receive the enfeoffment together, and there is only one reason: he wants to connect these thirteen pieces of land.

Having experienced the theft of the contract, Lan Qiao Yi reached a conclusion: He He Haiqin's line of thinking is feasible. Connecting thirteen pieces of New Land together and eventually placing them under the command of one person, then cultivating them into "Proper Land," would allow for the establishment of an empire within the territory of Puluo Continent.

Of course, such things cannot be said explicitly, and these thirteen local gods must be carefully selected.

The thirteen people Lan Qiao Yi selected had suffered all kinds of torture in the Shang Kingdom and no longer considered themselves human. Usually, as long as a Shang Kingdom person smiled at them, they would be deeply grateful, even willing to go through fire and water for the other party.

And now, Lan Qiao Yi letting them carry the soil to receive the enfeoffment is an immense favor they never dared to imagine in this life.

Time was running out. Lan Qiao Yi called out the most loyal of the thirteen people: "Liu Liu Bufei,

today I appoint you as General Fenwu, leading twelve people of the hundred-mile heads to suppress rebellion and guard the mountains and rivers!"

Liu Liu Bufei knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

The other twelve local gods were also appointed as miscellaneous generals, kowtowing along with Liu Liu Bufei until their heads were covered in blood, unable to stop.

Lan Qiao Yi ordered wine to be prepared for the send-off. After sending these thirteen local gods away, the exhausted Lan Qiao Yi

returned to his residence and fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as he fell asleep, Xie Gong quickly woke up. This was a unique sense shared by the three of them; they could not all fall asleep at the same time.

Xie Gong carefully sensed the state of Lan Qiao Yi and Zhu Jin; they were both sleeping very soundly.

After resting for a while, Xie Gong walked out of the residence and wandered around the surroundings. Learning that the ministers who participated in the sacrifice were already on the road back to Chaoge, Xie Gong felt that this matter was not very ordinary.

The sacrifice lasted for ten whole days, and now they were still slow to leave. Had Lan Qiao Yi done something?

Xie Gong looked at Lan Qiao Yi's face in the mirror; the sleeping Lan Qiao Yi made him feel increasingly like a stranger.

Beside the mirror, a spider crawled past quickly.

Xie Gong wanted to crush the spider, but suddenly heard someone report that the carriages and boats were ready, asking Xie Gong if they should set off back to Chaoge.

Should he leave or not?

Xie Gong wanted to stay in Bo City to continue investigating, but he was afraid of arousing Lan Qiao Yi's suspicion.

While he was struggling, the spider had already run far away.