Chapter 790: Born an Ordinary Person (Core Chapter Energy)

Three-headed beings who emerged from the Prisoner City were taken by Qiu Zhiheng to the underground city.

Every household in the underground city stuck their heads out to look—so many newcomers had arrived all at once, and no one knew where to house them.

The People’s Market, Earth Market, and Sea Market used to never lack people, but those days are gone; the business model has changed.

Li Banfeng and Ma Wu founded a new trading company dedicated solely to trade between Pulu Province and the Outer Provinces; many one-sided profit schemes from the Outer Provinces have been transformed into mutually beneficial trade.

For example, stone quarrying: Outer Province enterprises mined stone in Pulu Province, paying only rent to the Border Office, with labor costs nearly negligible—Li Banfeng, Tang Yuan, and Dengpao had all once worked at such quarries.

Now Li Banfeng forbids selling raw stone; he sells instead preliminary-processed dark energy carriers, yielding greater profits and requiring more labor.

Luo Zhengnan invited Zhang Fanglong to the Earth Market; Zhang Fanglong improved the seeds, and grain yields rose accordingly.

Old Train delivered a batch of new ships from across the sea: warships were retained by White Falcon County for defense, while cargo ships were sent to the Sea Market for transport.

The once terrifying Three-Headed Fork, once Pulu Province’s hell, now showed faint signs of life; Ma Wu even began discussing with Li Qi the expansion of the underground city.

“Expansion is necessary,” Ma Wu said confidently: “The surface of Three-Headed Fork is too dangerous—we must relocate all surface residents underground. As long as the railway stays open, the underground city can sustain the entire Three-Headed Fork.”

Can the railway’s openness be guaranteed?

Li Banfeng stood beside the railway, watching the speeding trains, then gazing at the clouds above.

He saw occasional streaks of heavenly light falling, and a quiet unease stirred within him.

The Innocent Army soon completed its handover; Li Banfeng entrusted the entire force to Tan Jinxiao. Once the situation stabilized, he handed all other affairs over to Ma Wu and Qiu Zhiheng—now he had to do something important, something extremely dangerous.

Before acting, preparation was needed.

The Peddler had helped Li Banfeng plant many sunflowers across Three-Headed Fork; now their flower heads bore divine statues—some dressed in suits and top hats, resembling Li Banfeng closely; some with gentle brows and kind expressions; some with fierce, snarling faces and three heads; and another type, highly abstract: the number “seven.”

Though the divine statues varied in appearance, their spiritual energy was pure and refined; after collecting half the statues across Three-Headed Fork, Li Banfeng had enough to ascend five levels.

This time, he did not seek A Yu—he went directly to Jiang Linger.

Ascending under Jiang Linger’s hand was slightly more painful, but if A Yu pulled some trick and boosted the Travel Cultivator one more level, Li Banfeng might die.

Zhao Xiaoan approved Li Banfeng’s idea: “Our own family is trustworthy—Linger would never harm her husband.”

Jiang Linger took out scissors, held them over fire for a moment, then approached Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng shuddered and buried his head in Zhao Xiaoan’s arms.

Zhao Xiaoan looked pained: “Linger, be extremely careful—don’t hurt your husband.”

Jiang Linger frowned and handed the scissors to Zhao Xiaoan: “Then you do it?”

Hong Ying spoke from the side: “We can’t handle this—whose woman spends her days sewing? We sisters grew up wielding blades and spears.”

Jiang Linger lifted the scissors, hesitating: “When I made a household spirit for that old woman, I once helped her ascend from Cloud Four to Cloud Five—but Cloud Five to Cloud Six? I’ve never tried.”

Yucui Tower spoke up: “Girl, go ahead boldly—I’m here watching. No major mistake will happen.”

Jiang Linger nodded slightly, began at the collarbone, and cut downward to the navel, slicing open a layer of Li Banfeng’s skin.

Hong Ying broke out in sweat: “Linger, the spiritual energy is sufficient—no need to add yang energy. Don’t cut below the navel.”

Two days later, Li Banfeng successfully ascended; though still wrapped in bandages, he could not wait to get up.

Both Household and Travel Cultivator levels rose to Cloud Five; the backlash ceased, Li Banfeng’s condition was good, and he prepared to seek A Yu to learn techniques.

Zhao Xiaoan warned: “Beloved husband, don’t rush to learn techniques—your body hasn’t recovered. Don’t go see A Yu. Even though we’ve fought side by side, we have no idea what she’s thinking now.”

Li Banfeng nodded: “I won’t seek A Yu—but I have another urgent matter—”

Zhao Xiaoan grabbed his arm: “Husband, don’t go see Old Train either!”

Li Banfeng said: “I’m not going to Old Train—I want to see what the Dark Star Bureau and the storage cabinets look like in their true forms.”

»

Zhao Xiaoan asked: “Have you found clues? I’ll go with you.”

Li Banfeng thought a moment: “Beloved wife, you stay inside the Portable Dwelling with me. After all, it’s someone else’s home—if we both show up, they’ll grow suspicious.”

Hearing the word “home,” Zhao Xiaoan grew even more uneasy—she could tell at a glance that this was what Li Banfeng truly cared about; his eagerness to learn techniques was likely to deal with the home’s owner.

“Husband, let’s wait until we’re fully healed.”

Li Banfeng shook his head: “We can’t wait—I suspect this house holds hidden secrets. You know as well as I do that the Heavenly Maiden A Yu carries cannot summon heavenly light—if she could, we might not have held her back that day.”

Zhao Xiaoan understood: “You fear there’s another Heavenly Maiden in this house—one who can summon heavenly light.”

Li Banfeng nodded: “Red Lotus and A Yu are both in our hands—if she senses them one day and strikes me with heavenly light, how could I withstand it?”

Give me a few hits, how could I possibly withstand it.»

Zhao Xiaoan felt the matter was more complex: “Husband, is heavenly light truly your only concern? To avoid heavenly light, we could hide in the Inner Province, Outer Province, or Gourd Village—why not wait a few more days?”

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly: “Some things cannot be avoided.”

Zhao Xiaoan frowned: “Are you worried about the train?”

Hong Ying had been lost: “You just said there are two Heavenly Maidens—which one is real?”

Zhao Xiaoan explained: “Both are real. The Heavenly Maiden, like Old Train, may have been split in two—one originally in the Outer Province, later brought to Gourd Village by A Yu; the other in Pulu Province.”

Hong Ying said: “If they’re only half a Heavenly Maiden, there’s no need to worry—we can just take them all together.”

Li Banfeng looked at Hong Ying and suddenly thought she looked especially beautiful today.

“Husband, don’t listen to Yingying’s nonsense—just gather information. Don’t engage her lightly; we can’t say which of the two Heavenly Maidens is stronger,” Zhao Xiaoan repeated her warnings, deeply concerned.

Hong Ying thought Zhao Xiaoan was overcautious: “Travel Cultivators must have courage—what kind of man hides at home all day?”

Zhao Xiaoan slapped Hong Ying: “Is that something a Household Spirit should say?”

Li Banfeng arrived in Green Water City, returned to Xiao Yao Wu , and saw Manager Zhang leading people to clean up the grand dance floor—broken tables, chairs, and wine vessels scattered everywhere.

Li Banfeng asked Manager Zhang: “What happened?”

Manager Zhang looked ashamed: “Seventh Master, a ruffian came to cause trouble. I was weak-minded and didn’t kill him—this is your problem, I’ll handle it.”

Who dared cause trouble at Xiao Yao Wu ?

Li Banfeng warned Manager Zhang: “If it’s just an ordinary person, forget it—we lost little and needn’t bother.

But if a dangerous man came to stir trouble, don’t act rashly—tell Qin Tianjiu, let him handle it.”

Manager Zhang clenched his teeth in rage: “Seventh Master, the more you say that, the more I feel I’ve failed you—if I catch that bastard, I won’t spare him!”

Li Banfeng asked no more—he hurried to the Peddler’s house.

Arriving above the clouds, Li Banfeng reached the villa’s door, knocked a few times, and received a response.

“Why are you back again?”

“It’s been many days—I’ve missed Sister-in-Law.”

“Your brother isn’t home, yet you keep sneaking into my room—is this proper?”

Li Banfeng countered: “Then tell me, when is your husband ever home?”

The woman fell silent: “He’s usually… never home.”

Li Banfeng asked again: “Then when would be a good time for me to come?”

The woman thought carefully: “I can’t say—”

“I’m already at your door—do you expect me to stand here?”

The woman bit her finger, realizing she’d been impolite, cleared her throat, and said: “Since you’re here, come in and sit.”

Li Banfeng entered and sat on the living room sofa: “Sister-in-Law, there’s no tea on the table—you don’t treat me as a guest.”

The woman grew annoyed: “You came empty-handed—how dare you complain about manners?”

Li Banfeng pulled a feather duster from his sleeve and placed it on the table: “I brought you a gift.”

»

A sky-blue porcelain cup appeared on the table—empty at first, then after a moment, water churned and filled it to seven-tenths, yet no tea leaves were visible.

This was no illusion—Li Banfeng had been watching with Golden Eyes’ Acuity the whole time, and still could not trace the tea’s origin.

Could this be the Ten Thousand Wishes Technique?

If she could use the Ten Thousand Wishes Technique, then his wife was right—this house’s Heavenly Maiden was stronger than the one behind A Yu.

“Sister-in-Law, I’ve been sitting here for hours—won’t you come out and meet me?”

The woman sniffed: “A man and woman alone—why should I come out? If you have something to say, come to the bedroom!”

Li Banfeng picked up the teapot, sipped with a slurp: “I won’t enter your bedroom—your brother might get suspicious.”

“You know fear? How often have you come in?”

“Don’t let your brother hear that—I never entered your bedroom. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I went to the Outer Province.” As he spoke, Li Banfeng pierced his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall to the floor.

An invisible aura spread rapidly—he tested the sister-in-law’s reaction.

The sister-in-law showed no response: “Say what you came for. If you have nothing else, drink your tea and leave.”

“The tea’s hot—I’ll sit a while longer.” Li Banfeng sipped again, activating the Pillow Without Worries Technique.

The woman suddenly asked: “I heard you hold a high position in the Outer Province—have you met A Yu in the Dark Star Bureau?”

A surge of danger came—the woman sensed something amiss.

“Are you close to A Yu?” Li Banfeng stared at the bedroom door, activating the Connected Chamber Technique—he aimed to swap the woman inside.

The final stage of the Connected Chamber Technique is to use it inside another’s home—whether it works depends on the strength of the Heavenly Maiden within.

“I’m close to A Yu—we’re like sisters!” The woman inside suddenly surged with power—Li Banfeng failed to swap.

“What a coincidence—I call A Yu ‘Big Sister’ too—now our bond grows deeper.” The technique hadn’t ended; Li Banfeng intensified the Connected Chamber Technique.

“Impressive, little brother!” The woman inside gritted her teeth.

The bedroom door trembled violently—Li Banfeng gained the upper hand.

Dust rained down; the woman seemed unable to sit still: “Little brother, I don’t want to come out—why are you forcing me? Isn’t this a breach of propriety?”

Li Banfeng said nothing—he was reassessing this Heavenly Maiden’s combat power.

Her power might not surpass the one behind A Yu—the two Heavenly Maidens likely specialize in different areas; this one’s Connected Chamber Technique was far weaker.

“Little brother, that’s enough!” The woman grew impatient. “I’m not threatening you—but that teacup you used? It’s one of our family’s treasures. If you damage our family’s treasures, think of the consequences.”

It seems Xuan Guang Zhu Xie is this Heavenly Maiden’s signature technique.

But if A Yu wasn’t lying, this technique should be extremely difficult to trigger.

According to A Yu’s description, triggering Xuan Guang Zhu Xie requires three conditions.

First, the teacup must bear a spiritual seal.

Second, the teacup must have been touched by someone else.

Third, after it was touched, the Zhai Xiu must sense it.

Li Banfeng said to the woman: “Sister-in-law, did you sense me touching your teacup?”

The woman smiled: “What do you think?”

“I think you’re not the Heavenly Maiden!” Li Banfeng intensified the Lian Kuo Dong Fang technique.

The woman was startled—she didn’t understand how Li Banfeng had uncovered her identity.

“Sister-in-law, I never touched your teacup. How could you sense that I did?” Li Banfeng picked up the teapot and took another sip.

The woman was puzzled. Through the mirror in the room, she clearly saw Li Banfeng use the teacup—could it be an illusion technique?

This wasn’t an illusion technique.

Li Banfeng asked for tea, so she gave him a cup.

After he drank the tea, she assumed he had touched the cup—so much so that she never noticed what he actually used to drink.

She didn’t notice because this involved a Yu Xiu technique: reversing cause and effect. The woman had been deceived.

Li Banfeng did drink tea, but he never touched the teacup—he drank from his own old teapot.

Her claim of sensing him proves she isn’t the Heavenly Maiden.

“Sister-in-law, come out!” Li Banfeng pushed Lian Kuo Dong Fang to its limit.

The woman inside couldn’t hold out: “Younger brother, I don’t want to hurt you. I know you’re the Peddler’s brother. If I truly wanted to deal with you, I have many ways—don’t force me to go too far!”

Li Banfeng ignored her and continued applying the technique.

The woman cried: “Younger brother, listen to me—I’m not wearing clothes. I can’t come out to see you. Don’t pull me out—don’t regret it!”

BOOM!

Li Banfeng pulled the woman out of the bedroom. She was thin and short, wearing a short jacket on top and long pants below.

Her hair hung over her face; Li Banfeng couldn’t see her features, only that she carried a woman on her back.

Without asking, the woman on her back was certainly the other Heavenly Maiden—this one was even paler than the one behind A Yu.

Why was she so pale?

Why were her hairs white too?

Dammit! It’s a stone statue!

The statue was too lifelike—Li Banfeng hadn’t recognized it at first glance.

Now he recognized it—he stood up and ran.

“Too late to run!” The woman moved to block him, but Li Banfeng glanced at her—her feet tangled,

and she fell to the ground along with the statue.

The fall was inexplicable—even she didn’t understand it.

She had intended to stop Li Banfeng, but for some reason, her feet moved toward the door while her body strained toward the stairs.

This seemed like a Lv Xiu technique: Dong Ben Xi Zou.

She had only seen Dong Ben Xi Zou once before. The technique wasn’t deadly, but it was extremely fast—and effective even against high-level cultivators.

Such a rare technique—how could this kid possibly learn it?

Before the woman could rise, Li Banfeng had already dashed out of the room.

He had seen this statue before—it was the Heavenly Maiden’s statue.

Last time An Xing You saw it, it was standing. Today, it was lying face-down.

Whether standing or lying down, seeing this statue brought dire consequences.

The woman stood up and looked out the window, laughing loudly: “Younger brother, I told you not to push me—now you’ve brought this on yourself?”

She put away the feather duster on the table: “You gave me a gift, so I gave you one in return. If the Peddler blames me, I’ve got an explanation—we’re even.”

Li Banfeng ran all the way to Yun Chi when his knee joints suddenly locked—he collapsed instantly.

His body swelled violently—he felt like he was about to explode.

What technique did this statue use? Why was it so deadly?

This time, it absorbed far more people than last time—but luckily, his cultivation base was higher now, so his body barely held up.

He tried to pull out his key to enter Suishenju, but his joints were locked tight—completely immobile.

“A Qi, don’t panic—I’ll find a way to pull you in!”

Suishenju doing this was extremely risky—it might expose him to the Heavenly Maiden, or even reveal Ye Honglian.

But seeing Li Banfeng’s condition, the old man couldn’t care less—he was about to open the car door when Li Banfeng’s body shrank rapidly, then swelled violently again.

BOOM!

The people inside Li Banfeng exploded, blasting him clear out of Yun Chi.

“A Qi!” Suishenju chased after him desperately.

Li Banfeng’s vision went black—he felt the sound of the little train fading farther away.

Ding dang! Ding dang!

Li Banfeng opened his eyes and saw a clear sky dotted with white clouds.

He looked around and saw a toothbrush, scissors, a comb, a brush, pomade, cupping jars, and a feather duster.

Li Banfeng smiled and said: “Master.”

The Peddler pushed his cart under a willow tree, set up a pot, and began boiling medicine.

After the decoction was ready, the Peddler inserted a funnel into Li Banfeng’s mouth and poured down a bowl of Huan Hun Tang.

The medicine was scalding hot—Li Banfeng shivered all over.

The Peddler scolded: “Serves you right! You burned my house, you messed around in my home while I was away—now look what happened! Happy?”

The Peddler set down the bowl and sat under the tree shade to cool off.

Li Banfeng tried to get up—tried several times, but failed.

The Peddler rolled a cigarette, took a deep drag: “Stop moving. If you move again, your body will collapse. What were you thinking, breaking into my house? Do you know who’s inside?”

Li Banfeng said: “I saw one woman and one stone statue—is the statue your wife?”

The Peddler thought for a moment—it was hard to explain: “That’s not entirely a statue. First, tell me why you came to my house.”

“I feared the Heavenly Maiden would use Heavenly Light on me, so I went to greet her.”

The Peddler chuckled: “You greeted her, so she won’t use it on you? There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yes!” Li Banfeng didn’t deny it. “Pulu Province just got a train—I didn’t want the Heavenly Maiden to ruin it.”

The Peddler asked: “You’re worried that my half of the Heavenly Maiden might cross the boundary?”

Li Banfeng said: “I’m not just afraid she’ll cross the boundary—I’m afraid she’ll interfere with the train conductor.”

The Peddler recalled: “In my memory, my half of the Heavenly Maiden isn’t good at Guan Men Bi Hu or Jin Wu Cang Jiao—she’s far worse than the one from Waizhou.”

Li Banfeng said: “I’ve had similar suspicions, but I can’t afford to gamble. If I lose, many lives will be lost—and Pulu Province’s courage will be shattered.”

The Peddler rolled another cigarette and placed it in Li Banfeng’s mouth.

They smoked the whole cigarette together. The Peddler took the butt, wiped the ash from Li Banfeng’s face: “To be honest, I’m also afraid she’ll cause trouble. If you hadn’t gone to her, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Li Banfeng blinked: “Now you know what to do?”

“I do!” The Peddler was confident. “You pushed her this far, and she still didn’t lock you behind the boundary—

proving she truly isn’t skilled at Guan Men Bi Hu.”

Li Banfeng smiled bitterly: “Why go through all this trouble? Why not just go into the house and test her?”

The Peddler shook his head: “I’ve tested it many times—but I can’t enter that house. What would I do if I went in? Kill the Heavenly Maiden?”

Li Banfeng said: “Must meeting mean life or death? Can’t this agreement be flexible?”

The Peddler shook his head: “No flexibility. I signed a covenant with her. If we meet, only one of us survives. We signed the covenant—if we break it, we both face punishment.”

Li Banfeng thought this absurd—how could a covenant bind the Peddler? “Don’t you have a way around the covenant?”

The Peddler shook his head: “Others have ways—but I don’t. This concerns my Dao gate.”

“What Dao gate? Covenant cultivation?”

The Peddler glared at Li Banfeng: “Why ask about my cultivation? Trying to kill me?”

Li Banfeng snapped: “With our friendship, do you still not trust me?”

“I trust you—then why did you burn my house?” The Peddler brought back the funnel, inserted it into Li Banfeng’s mouth,

and poured another bowl of Huan Hun Tang.

Li Banfeng coughed for a long time: “Can’t we skip this? I just drank one bowl!”

“You must drink twelve. One less, and it won’t work.”

Li Banfeng caught his breath: “Is the stone statue her technique? Why is it so deadly?”

“Not her technique alone.” The Peddler added more herbs and water, continuing to boil.

Li Banfeng asked: “There’s another woman in her room—is she your wife too?”

The Peddler shook his head: “She’s a Dao Xiu master—not from the same school as Xiao Qianshou. Her skills aren’t top-tier, but her mastery rivals Xiao Qianshou’s. She’s the Zhai Ling of the Heavenly Maiden.”

Li Banfeng was astonished: “How many Zhai Lings does the Heavenly Maiden have?”

“How many Zhai Lings do you have? You defeated the Dang Kou Army—your Zhai Lings did a great job!”

Li Banfeng shook his head: “I dare not claim this merit. You found the allies—You Lu, Sun Tiecheng, Qiu Luoye, Cui Ti, and Bai Jiameng. Without them, the Difeng Camp could never have broken through, let alone destroyed the great altar in Liangcheng.”

I heard the great furnace in Neizhou was damaged too—that was your doing, wasn’t it? You kept Qiao Yi tied up, letting me fight in Dingyecheng in peace. Half of this victory’s merit belongs to you.”

The peddler laughed: “You’re actually being modest with me?”

Li Banfeng thought a moment, then said: “Then I won’t refuse. Let’s split the merit fifty-fifty.”

The peddler laughed for a long while; after he stopped, he looked at Li Banfeng with solemn eyes: “When you were fighting to the death with the Dangkou Camp, I was battling the Tufang Kingdom. Cheng Jun had gathered a host of reinforcements from Hushengzhou and nearly killed me.”

At that moment, I thought: what if we both lost? What would happen to Puluo Province?”

Younger brother, thank heaven we both prevailed—we both won. I truly don’t know what reward to give you.”

Li Banfeng seized the opening: “Talking about rewards isn’t appropriate between us. I’m no ordinary man—didn’t you know from the first moment you saw me that I’m not ordinary?”

The peddler blinked: “Actually, the first time I saw you, I thought you were quite strange.”

Li Banfeng pressed on: “Your appearance at Yaowang Gou that day wasn’t coincidence—it was planned before the chaos broke out!”

The peddler spoke sincerely: “I really was just passing through Yaowang Gou that day.”

Li Banfeng shook his head: “That’s impossible. If you’d just seen me as a passerby, why would you have entrusted me with your personal treasure?”

The peddler added another log to the fire: “Because I had no choice.”

Li Banfeng looked astonished: “How could you have no choice?”

“Don’t pretend you’re just going along with the flow,” the peddler stirred the medicinal broth. “At that time, you were carrying her—so I had no choice.”

Though his tactic had been exposed, Li Banfeng still pressed: “Who exactly was it I was carrying—Honglian or the Heavenly Maiden?”

The peddler poured the broth into a bowl: “Let me put it this way—if she’d fallen out of your pack back then, the calamity of Puluo Province would have already arrived.”