Chapter 736: Who Is That Lover?

The peddler's face was charred, smoke rising from his hair, as he pushed his cart forward.

The cart itself was in poor condition—the axle was crooked, both wheels had gaps, and it lurched unsteadily as it moved.

A Yi covered her face; her features were unharmed, but her clothes were shredded, barely covering her vital parts.

Cui Ti had injured his leg and limped behind, complaining all the way.

"Everything was going perfectly—at least a third of the troops in the encampment had already been infected by the orally transmitted lesion. Who could have foreseen an earthquake? Who could have imagined this earthquake was caused by you!"

"I was running in an extremely difficult posture when the earthquake struck—I fell straight to the ground and broke my leg."

"Many of my patients also fell to the ground, which had a severely negative impact on the further spread of the disease!"

The peddler snapped: "You've been whining about this tiny mess the whole way. How was I supposed to know that explosive was so powerful?"

Cui Ti turned to A Yi: "He didn't know—didn't you know either?"

A Yi thought carefully: "This batch of explosive had a new ingredient—it was stronger than the one Li Qi used to blow up the altar. To be honest, I'd never tested it before!"

Cui Ti grew angry: "Is this how you treat war? You brought untested weapons to such a critical battlefield?"

A Yi retorted: "So what if it wasn't tested? If it works, that's all that matters!"

Cui Ti disagreed with A Yi's view: "It's not just about whether it works—it's about safety and reliability. What if your blast had killed the peddler? Who would be the next Lord of Pu Luo?"

A Yi lowered her head, blushing: "I'm just a woman running a Gourd Village. It's not easy, but adding Pu Luo Province wouldn't be too much more."

Cui Ti shook his head: "Managing two places at once is too much for one person. I think Pu Luo Province should be entrusted to me."

A Yi bristled: "What's that supposed to mean? Don't you still run Knife Demon Ridge?"

Cui Ti pointed out the difference: "Knife Demon Ridge is part of Pu Luo Province, but Gourd Village isn't. Managing both Pu Luo and Knife Demon Ridge isn't contradictory—it's natural."

A Yi saw no distinction: "One sheep or two sheep—it's all the same herding. I've got plenty of strength. I can manage it naturally too."

Cui Ti still believed he was more suitable: "Since the peddler is gone, the next Lord of Pu Luo must be chosen with extreme caution. We must conduct a full comparison—"

Clang!

The peddler set down his cart and turned to face the two.

Cui Ti ducked behind A Yi: "I was just making a poorly chosen analogy."

The three entered Gourd Village. A Yi first took Cui Ti to Knife Demon Ridge.

Before leaving, the peddler pulled out a medicine box containing six Xiao Xuan Yun Pills.

Cui Ti took one out and returned it to the peddler: "We agreed on five. You gave me too many."

The peddler waved his hand: "Keep it. Consider it compensation for the accident."

A Yi's explosive had triggered the earthquake, which indeed exposed Cui Ti to unexpected risk.

Cui Ti expressed his gratitude: "You are a fair person. Pu Luo Province's achievements today stem from your absolute fairness."

The peddler shook his head: "There is no absolute fairness in this world. Can you guarantee you've wiped out the Vanguard Camp of the Tufang?"

Cui Ti was confident: "The Vanguard Camp is certainly gone. My original plan was to have the infected flee to Mo Ye City and spread this precious lesion to every resident."

"But due to the accident, many patients were injured. Whether they can reach Mo Ye City remains uncertain."

Qiu Qiu Luoye listened nearby, breaking out in goosebumps: "Damn, this foreign devil talks about killing people like he's treating diseases?"

The peddler warned Cui Ti: "Don't think having pills makes you invincible. You've ascended too fast—better slow down, or you'll end up like your ancestral master."

Cui Ti laughed: "I'm different from him—in essence, completely different."

A Yi told A Yun to see the guest off. Cui Ti left Gourd Village for Knife Demon Ridge.

A grand ritual was underway at Knife Demon Ridge. Cui Ti had already seized the position of Ancestor of the Disease Cultivators and was now slowly claiming the identity of the Knife Labor War God.

These sources of vital energy were too precious. He'd find other ways to compensate Li Qi, but he couldn't let this vital energy go to waste.

After the ritual ended, Cui Ti, saturated with vital energy, entered a cave, fetched a bucket of clear water, and cleaned the Green Lv Lv Shuigong.

Though the Green Lv Lv Shuigong was no longer the "Ancestor of the Disease Cultivators," Cui Ti still tended to his ancestral master with solemn care.

After washing him, Cui Ti trimmed the Green Lv Lv Shuigong's fingernails and spoke to him: "Ancestor, I have good news—I've elevated our Dao to a new height."

"The three techniques I created above the clouds have stabilized my position. Now I'll push toward even higher levels."

"There are two paths upward: the fourth layer above the clouds, and beyond the clouds. I know you despise the path beyond the clouds. I'll follow your advice—I trust your choice. I'll ascend to the fourth layer above the clouds."

"It's an extraordinary path—the very dream you could never achieve in your lifetime. Now I've fulfilled it for you. Will you be pleased?"

Snap!

Cui Ti clipped off one of the Green Lv Lv Shuigong's fingernails.

The fingernail was half-moon shaped—normal human fingernails, when cut, are half-moon shaped.

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong's fingernail fell to the ground and began growing rapidly—changing from half-moon to oval, then gradually into a perfect circle.

Watching the nail transform, Cui Ti suddenly clapped his left hand over his eye. Green pus oozed from it.

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong stared at Cui Ti with a twisted expression, a hoarse laugh grinding from his throat.

"Ancestor, laughing now—isn't that premature?" Cui Ti slit the blisters on his palm and poured the pus into his eye—he was using his own lesion to fight the Green Lv Lv Shuigong.

After five minutes, Cui Ti collapsed, writhing in unbearable pain.

"You should have died long ago!" The Green Lv Lv Shuigong spoke. Though his voice was hoarse, every word was crystal clear.

Ten minutes later, Cui Ti rose to his feet and revealed his left eye.

The green pus had vanished. White pus now mixed into the sclera, protecting his eye.

Cui Ti had won. The Green Lv Lv Shuigong's lesion had been destroyed.

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong stared at Cui Ti with bloodshot eyes, desperate to attack—but he could not break free from the lesions binding his body.

Cui Ti picked up the fingernail. It was still half-moon shaped, but the longer you stared, the more its shape shifted.

This was the Green Lv Lv Shuigong's ambush tactic—nearly killed Cui Ti.

Cui Ti found it fascinating: "Using shape-shifting to infect enemies—I once used a similar technique when I was still at the Earth Skin level, and I mastered it well. But after ascending to the Clouds, I neglected it."

"Ancestor, I respect you more and more. I never expected that even now, you're still learning and advancing."

"I must study this technique thoroughly. Spreading lesions through vision is the perfect way to strengthen our Dao. Imagine—if people merely saw a totem and caught plague, how beautiful the world would be!"

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong growled: "You'll never see that day. You don't understand cultivation. Cultivation means killing."

Cui Ti smiled: "I truly respect you. But in your understanding of the Dao, you're far behind. You've always treated disease as a weapon of killing. Such cultivation can never bring you to the peak of the Dao."

"You've always sought to exterminate everyone in Green Water Bay. You've invented many excuses—you claimed it was to ascend to the fourth layer above the clouds, or that you were obeying orders from Neizhou."

"But these are lies. You've told them so long you believe them yourself—even fooled the peddler sometimes."

"Destroying Green Water Bay didn't help you much, did it?"

"You wanted to wipe out Green Water Bay because you're insane, aren't you?"

"You never liked disease. You never have. You used disease to kill enemies, to cull the weak and old."

"You made Green Water Bay rich and strong—but you never liked disease."

"You poured your entire being into a Dao you hated—and it drove you mad!"

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong's eyes contracted repeatedly, as if struck at his core. Fear surged within him.

Cui Ti washed his coins and wiped the Green Lv Lv Shuigong's face: "Ancestor, this is where you and I differ. Your talent is exceptional—but you lack true love for the Dao. That's why your achievements are limited."

"I truly love our Dao. I'm willing to sacrifice every human on this earth to our Dao."

"Of course, you're excluded. I'll keep you alive—until the very end—so you can witness that glorious moment with me."

The Green Lv Lv Shuigong averted his gaze, unwilling or unable to meet Cui Ti's eyes.

After wiping his face, Cui Ti remembered another: "Perhaps I should keep him too. He's given me much help. Having one more witness to that moment isn't bad. Ancestor, do you know who he is?"

On a bench in Huahu Park, Li Li Banfeng held a gold bar, speaking with A Yu.

"I've settled it with her. She's already marked the boundary at the place you mentioned."

Li Li Banfeng was delighted: "Where exactly did she mark the boundary? Should I avoid that area?"

"Yes, avoid it. She marked the boundary at the new exit of Tiemenbao. People from Tiemenbao can no longer enter Xindi."

Li Li Banfeng was astonished: "Why mark the boundary so far away? Are they giving up even Pu Luo Province's own Xindi?"

"Pu Luo Province? Xindi?" A Yu pondered the concept. "I never thought Xindi belonged to Pu Luo Province. She didn't either. Outside Pu Luo Province, I can't help. Only the peddler thinks Xindi is part of Pu Luo. You could ask him. Oh, I forgot to ask—do you know the peddler?"

"I know him." Li Li Banfeng didn't deny it. At his level, no cultivator could fail to know the peddler.

A Yu's voice grew colder, sharper: "You must not tell the peddler—or anyone else—about me, about where we are, our situation, or how we communicate. If you do, you'll never find me again. Understood?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "What if I can find someone to rescue you? Can I reveal some information to him?"

"No. You must not tell anyone," A Yu's voice softened suddenly. "I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm waiting for you to save me."

"I don't want others to come for me. If you truly care for me, bring me some food sometime."

The voice in his mind vanished.

Li Li Banfeng immediately contacted Song Song Laoshi: "Please tell Brother Song to inform the residents of Tiemenbao immediately—"

"Don't approach Xindi. A boundary has appeared at its entrance."

Song Shu quickly relayed the message to Song Song Qianhun, then called Li Li Banfeng back.

"Li Banfeng, I have some new research on wormholes I'd like to give you. Could you come to my home?"

His wife was still refining the Dark Bridge Cannon and needed theoretical knowledge.

Going to his teacher's home for study alone wouldn't bother Li Li Banfeng—but he feared she had other intentions.

Like thoughts about the Hand-and-Foot Alliance.

Li Li Banfeng hesitated whether to go—when suddenly, a narrow path appeared beside the park. A beautiful woman waved at him.

"Teacher, I'm busy right now. Let's discuss academia another time." Li Li Banfeng hung up, happily followed the path, and went with A Yun to Gourd Village.

At A Yi's residence, the peddler pulled out a notebook: "This is the notebook left by Old Train. Consider it payment for this job."

A Yi took the notebook, glanced at it, and her smile grew sweeter: "Brother Peddler, if you ever have another good job like this, be sure to call me."

A Yi took the notebook, glanced at it, and her smile grew even sweeter: "Brother Hauler, if you ever get a job like this again, be sure to call me."

"Calling me?" the peddler snorted. "Lucky I ran fast—if I'd been a second slower, I'd be unrecognizable, and my brand-new cart's been blown to pieces by you."

"How big a deal is this?" A Yi patted her chest. "Give me the cart—I'll fix it by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The peddler stared mournfully at the wheel. "It's this bad? Who knows how many days it'll take to fix. Next time something like this happens, I'm bringing Old Qi with me!"

A Yi waved her hand. "Old Qi won't do—he only bought a little explosive from me, not enough even for his own use."

"How's he supposed to blow up your grain depot?"

The peddler grunted. "Can't blow it up? At least he can burn it!"

A Yi still wasn't convinced. "How do you know he can burn the depot? Have you ever seen him burn anything?"

The peddler said: "I've seen him burn houses!"

Li Li Banfeng walked over, holding a lighter. "Brother, who were you saying he'd burn?"

The peddler snapped: "Not my house, that's for sure!"

Li Li Banfeng sat beside the peddler and scolded him: "I'm not saying this to be rude, but why aren't you staying put in Like Puluozhou? Why are you always running around? Don't you know what's happened these past few days?"

The peddler grew angrier. "Disrespectful! Is this how you speak to your senior brother?"

A Yi, beaming, said: "We blew up Tufang's grain depot—huge one!"

Li Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "How big?"

A Yi was still calculating dimensions—she was a Master Gongxiu, hypersensitive to measurements; she wouldn't speak unless the numbers were precise.

The peddler cut in with a metaphor: "It'll make Tufang ache for years."

That's a bit exaggerated, isn't it?

"Tufang's a country—would one grain depot really make them suffer for years?"

A Yi poured Li Li Banfeng a cup of tea. "Brother, you don't understand—the Tufang people aren't like merchants. They eat grain. But Neizhou has no sunlight; their crops yield little. Grain is extremely precious in Tufang."

Li Li Banfeng thought of Xindi: "Xindi has no sunlight either, yet Master Gongxiu still grow plenty of grain."

Qiu Qiu Luoye, more familiar with Neizhou, waved his hand. "Soil and water differ. Seeds from Like Puluozhou don't grow well in Neizhou."

Li Li Banfeng still didn't get it: "If grain's so precious, why don't the Tufang people just eat coal like the Shang people?"

A Yi shook her head. "It's not that simple. The Shang people can eat coal because generations of effort went into developing powerful Gongfa to transform their bloodlines into ones that can digest coal."

"And they have giant furnaces—things only they can do. The Tufang people can't."

Li Li Banfeng organized his thoughts: "If I recall correctly, Tufang people, like the Shang, use steam engines as their core. Since they eat grain, what do they use to power their steam engines?"

A Yi explained seriously: "The core principle of a steam engine is using heat to boil water. Coal provides heat."

"Grain provides heat too."

"But for the Tufang people, grain isn't just heat—it has other nutrients that sustain their lives."

"Don't the Shang people need nutrients?"

A Yi nodded. "They do—they eat normal food too—but not much, because they can separate heat from other nutrients. So their grain consumption is far lower."

A Yi had traveled extensively between Neizhou, Waizhou, and Like Puluozhou—her knowledge was vast—but Li Li Banfeng listened, half-understanding.

Qiu Qiu Luoye told Li Li Banfeng not to strain himself: "She talks about this every day—I'm sick of it. I've had a feast prepared. Let's eat and talk."

When the food and wine arrived, A Yi still felt something was missing: "I should've kept that foreign devil around—we could've had a victory feast together."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Which foreign devil?"

"That illness cultivator!"

"Cui Ti went too?"

"He did!" A Yi bit into a roasted chicken, drinking wine, her tone approving. "That kid's tough—he wiped out Tufang's Vanguard Battalion! If we'd taken Muye City too, we'd have hit it big."

Li Li Banfeng exhaled. "If I'd known you planned to strike, I wouldn't have had to endure so much blame!"

Li Li Banfeng exhaled: "If I'd known you'd already decided to fight, I wouldn't have had to endure so much blame!"

Qiu Qiu Luoye asked concernedly, "Why are they blaming you? Are those old bastards picking on you?"

"Tufang sent over three hundred men to probe—they insisted on climbing Kuwu Mountain. I killed them all with Xu Lao," Li Li Banfeng recounted the events briefly.

A Yi downed a large bowl of wine, set it down, and said: "Good riddance! Those blaming you are fools. Like Puluozhou has rules: pure-blooded Neizhou people aren't allowed to step inside. They sent so many—could we have tolerated that?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "We couldn't tolerate it—but now Shang and Tufang are at war, and Like Puluozhou's been dragged into it by Lan Qiao Yi. Thinking of it still angers me."

The peddler shook his head. "It wasn't dragged in. Even if we hadn't joined, Tufang wouldn't have spared Like Puluozhou. This war was inevitable."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Why is Tufang so fixated on Like Puluozhou?"

"Because Like Puluozhou can truly hurt them," the peddler said, smiling at Li Li Banfeng. "You're bound to feel blamed—it's painful. But there's no choice. Big problems used to be handled by bigger men. Now your shoulders've grown."

"It's not that painful. When Tufang hurts, I feel better," Li Li Banfeng drank a bowl of wine, then remembered something. "I need to go to Shang. We've already struck—they can't just watch. They have to fight too."

The peddler chuckled. "Don't worry about Lan Qiao Yi. His nose is sharp—he'll send troops within two days, and he'll go all out. Tufang won't survive it."

After eating, Li Li Banfeng and the peddler strolled through the village. Li Li Banfeng pondered whether to tell the peddler about A Yu.

The small gold bar had been placed inside his Sui Shen Ju. This place was Hulucun, layered with shielding—A Yu might not know.

After eating, Li Li Banfeng and the peddler strolled through the village; Li Li Banfeng was pondering whether to tell the peddler about Ayu.

A Yu's cultivation technique surpassed Li Li Banfeng's understanding; was it safe to risk it?

If A Yu's thread snapped, many future problems would become unsolvable.

He didn't have to say it outright—he could hint.

"Brother, who is that lady on the cloud?"

The peddler blinked. "Which lady?"

"The one whose house I keep burning."

The peddler was stunned. "You've seen her?"

Li Li Banfeng thought. "Sort of."

"What does she look like?"

Li Li Banfeng looked at the peddler. "Why ask that? She's your lover—haven't you seen her?"

The peddler counted on his fingers. "I haven't seen her in many years."

Li Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Aren't you always on that cloud?"

The peddler nodded. "I just go up, walk around the house—never go inside. Did you?"

Li Li Banfeng didn't understand the peddler's meaning: "Aren't you always hanging around that cloud?"

The peddler nodded: "I just go up there, walk around the house, rarely go inside. Did you go in?"

They stared at each other. The peddler pulled out a feather duster.

Li Li Banfeng added: "I never saw her—only heard her voice. She always sends me somewhere—in Waizhou."

At this point, the peddler should understand.

The peddler put away the duster, glanced around—no telling if he truly understood.

He didn't mention the lady again, only warned Li Li Banfeng: "Tell your wife to keep studying the boundaries. That's crucial."

"Is studying that still useful?"

The peddler held the Anqiao Cannon in high regard. "Some things are useless, others aren't. What your wife studies is extremely useful."

"Also, watch the war closely. Whoever wins between Tufang and Shang won't spare Like Puluozhou."

They walked a while. The peddler looked at Li Li Banfeng. "You've really grown. Carried a lot. I have something for you."

The peddler pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Li Li Banfeng.

It was a folded white sheet—the folded edges were sticky, glued shut. Li Li Banfeng tugged for a long time but couldn't open it.

"What's this paper for?"

"Old Train Nose's snot."

Li Li Banfeng pinched the paper between thumb and forefinger, keeping it at a distance. "You want me to keep snot?"

The peddler frowned. "It's a precious thing. You don't recognize value. Take it home—someone there will understand. Even Dan Chengjun wanted this paper—he couldn't get it."

Dan Chengjun and his subordinates escorted the Holy One to Muye City.

The Holy One stood atop a sand dune outside the city, surveying the scene below.

Muye City was sealed shut—no one could leave. Some infected, hands dangling, mouths open, wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Many household heads lay sprawled, their bodies so badly decayed they were unrecognizable.

The Demon Lord had ordered the Holy One to clean the plague from the city swiftly.

The Holy One turned to Dan Chengjun. "I just sent scouts. About thirty percent of the city has died from plague. The rest remain unknown. Minister Dan, I entrust this to you."

Dan Chengjun held the cart wheel, stared at the endless yellow sand, then at the vast Muye City.

The Sage turned to Shan Chengjun: "I just sent someone to investigate—about thirty percent of the city's population has died from the plague; the condition of the remaining seventy percent is unknown. Minister Shan, I entrust this matter to you."

Dan Chengjun handed the wheel to the Master Gongxiu Hao Hao Shouyi, then ordered: "Teng Teng Chuanchang, release poison into the city."

The Poison Cultivator Teng Teng Chuanchang, most obedient to Dan Chengjun, asked only: "What kind of poison?"

Dan Chengjun said: "Something lethal—but you don't need to enter the city."

Teng Teng Chuanchang estimated Muye City's area and found it difficult. "Inside houses, it might kill. But outdoors, wind disperses poison—it won't work."

The Holy One frowned. "Minister Dan, why this method?"

Dan Chengjun gave no explanation. "Your Majesty, just trust me."

Teng Teng Chuanchang approached the city wall, unfurled his robe, and released dozens of emerald birds.

The birds looked ordinary, but their color was vivid—pure emerald green. They flew into the city, darting between houses. Whenever they saw people inside, they spat a puff of emerald smoke.

The smoke carried a strong, foul, bitter stench. Those with weak constitutions died instantly. Those stronger rushed outside, vomiting uncontrollably.

These kingfishers had no unusual shape, but their color was vivid—a lush green—and as they flew into the city, they darted between houses; whenever they saw someone inside a dwelling, they spat out a puff of emerald smoke.

The smoke carried a strong, fishy-bitter stench; those inside who were weak immediately died, while those with stronger constitutions rushed outside, vomiting uncontrollably.

Dan Chengjun flew to the city wall, stood upwind, and picked up the wheel.

Hao Hao Shouyi added a stand and crank to the wheel, and mounted blades on the spokes.

Dan Chengjun gripped the crank and spun the wheel rapidly; the wind and sand around them changed direction, sweeping one by one over every street in Moye City.

Those who fled into the streets had their bodies pierced by the wind and sand, blood spraying everywhere.

The Saint flew into a rage and shouted at the crowd: "Stop him immediately!"

No one dared to stop Dan Chengjun, and no one could stop him.

After about half an hour, Moye City fell silent.

Dan Chengjun approached Teng Teng Chuanchang and instructed: "Disperse more poison. Leave no survivors."

The Saint glared at Dan Chengjun.

Dan Chengjun remained calm, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, the Lord of Tufang sent us here to do this very thing—for this exact outcome."

If even one infected person from this city escaped, it could easily drag tens of thousands to their deaths."

Tufang messed up their own plan, didn't want the blame, and dumped this black pot on us. We'll carry the blame—but do we have to carry it gracefully?"

PS: Is the woman in the Cloud House really the peddler's lover?