Chapter 842: What Does It Mean to Live Alone!

Lian Budab followed Li Banfeng onto the clouds, walking with a worried expression.

“Old Seven, I haven’t been in touch with Lian Budab in years. Don’t let her being my sister fool you—this girl’s cunning; even when I speak, she might not listen.”

Li Banfeng had full confidence in Lian Budab: “Show some elder brother’s authority. When a brother speaks up, how could she dare refuse?”

Lian Budab wore a gloomy face: “What if she refuses? Am I supposed to beat her?”

Tian Nü looked at Lian Budab and Li Banfeng with contempt: “What kind of skill is hitting people? Only the incompetent solve problems with violence.”

“You’d better take my advice—don’t lay a hand on Lian Budab. To accomplish great things, you must keep your temper. If you can’t control your own rage, how can you possibly hold onto Puluozhou?”

Looking at Tian Nü, Lian Budab felt even more uneasy: “When I split you into two, I had no choice—you refused yourself, so I could only divide my body, not your soul—”

“Don’t bring up the past,” Tian Nü said generously. “Let’s handle what’s before us first.”

The three reached the bottom of the building. Li Banfeng called out: “Sister-in-law, I’ve come to see you.”

Lian Budab’s voice came from inside: “Don’t come in—your master isn’t here!”

Li Banfeng was used to bickering with Lian Budab and grinned: “Sister-in-law, I’m not looking for my master—I came specially to see you!”

Lian Budab laughed: “You always show up when your brother’s away. Isn’t that a bit too suspicious?”

,

Li Banfeng straightened his chest, his expression solemn: “I’m an upright man—don’t you know that? Let me in for a sit!”

Lian Budab sneered: “Better not. My husband’s petty—if he catches you here, I fear he won’t let you off easy—”

CLANG!

Tian Nü kicked open the door and rushed in.

“Your husband? Who’s your husband? Who do you call husband? You shameless slut!”

Sounds of a struggle came from inside.

Lian Budab truly hadn’t expected this—she knew Li Qi had arrived because he’d greeted her.

She also knew Lian Budab and Yuan Miaoping had come; none of them escaped her perception.

But she had no idea Tian Nü was here—not a single hint.

Li Banfeng waited at the door for a while. Lian Budab asked beside him: “Didn’t you say not to lay hands on Lian Budab?”

“She may not have laid hands at all—she might’ve just been reasoning,” Li Banfeng stood calmly before the door. “To accomplish great things, you must keep your temper.”

A few more minutes passed. Then Tian Nü’s voice came from inside.

“Come in, all of you!”

Li Banfeng and Lian Budab entered the room. Tian Nü tidied her disheveled hair. Lian Budab wiped blood from her face.

After a moment of silence, Lian Budab shouted at Li Qi: “Are you insane? You brought her here? Do you know what happens when she sees the peddler?”

At the mention of the peddler, Tian Nü’s eyes filled with tears.

Lian Budab frowned: “Why are you crying? What happened?”

Li Banfeng offered no explanation. Lian Budab stayed silent, head bowed.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Yuan Miaoping quickly smoothed it over: “Nothing’s wrong—we came to take you out. If we don’t bring Tian Nü-sister, you can’t leave!”

“You want to take me out? Tell me why,” Lian Budab said, looking at Yuan Miaoping. She turned the channel dial—the screen’s background shifted from a campus to blue sky. Yuan Miaoping’s sportswear became a parachute suit as she plummeted through the air.

Yuan Miaoping quickly deployed her parachute: “Sister, why do you need a reason? We just saw you’ve been cooped up too long—we wanted you to get some fresh air!”

“Fresh air?” Lian Budab twisted the dial again. “Girl, are you really that kind?”

The scene changed: blue sky became a beach. Yuan Miaoping wore a sun hat and a swimsuit, playing beach volleyball.

A ball flew straight at her. She couldn’t dodge it—hit square in the face.

She wiped sand from her face and grinned at Lian Budab: “Sister, we’ve got you a great job. You know our boss—he’s the famous Li Qi. You’ve done business with me before—we’re old acquaintances. Can you stop changing channels? Let’s talk properly!”

“Properly!” Lian Budab released the dial. The channel locked onto a hot spring.

Yuan Miaoping, wrapped in a towel, stood in the center of the hot spring. Around her, a circle of middle-aged men soaked in the water.

Tian Nü stared fixedly at the screen, waiting for what came next.

Yuan Miaoping smiled at the surrounding men, then unleashed high-voltage electricity. Everyone collapsed, unconscious.

Tian Nü looked disappointed. Yuan Miaoping gazed earnestly at Lian Budab: “Sister, we’ve done so many deals together—have I ever lied to you?”

“That depends on which side you’re on now,” Lian Budab adjusted the antenna. The image wobbled.

“I’m with the Suiju Gang!” Yuan Miaoping steadied herself in the spring and tugged firmly on her towel.

“I’ve never heard of that gang. Just say it straight—what do you want me to do?”

Yuan Miaoping spoke plainly: “Our boss wants you to steal a mountain.”

“Who’s your boss?”

Yuan Miaoping pointed at Li Banfeng:

“The famous Li Qi! He calls you sister-in-law every day—don’t you know him?”

“What are you talking about?” Lian Budab glanced at Li Banfeng. “How do you steal a mountain? Teach me.”

Li Banfeng looked at Lian Budab with admiration: “Sister-in-law, don’t be modest. You’ve stolen houses before—how hard could stealing a mountain be?”

Lian Budab turned to Tian Nü: “You told him everything? Are you crazy?”

“Crazy? No, I’m fine.” Tian Nü grabbed her own hair and shoved it into her mouth, crunching it loudly for a long while. Lian Budab said to Li Banfeng: “Stealing a house? That used the Zhai Xiu magic treasure—the one with the Cloud Technique called ‘Add Brick and Tile.’ It gathers bricks and tiles from elsewhere and attaches them to your own house.”

“I gathered bricks and tiles from one household—and while I was at it, I took their chests, cabinets, bottles, jars, tables, chairs, clothes, bedding—all of it.”

“The treasure was useful, but I took too much—I stripped the place bare. When I got home, I scolded the treasure.”

“In the end, I took all that stuff to make a home. That’s Zhai Xiu technique—applied wisely. How can you call that stealing?”

Li Banfeng agreed: “Sister-in-law speaks sense. Dao Guiling has mountains, water, trees, and many kind, warm-hearted Dao Laoghosts. Bring them all home, live well—this isn’t stealing.”

Lian Budab narrowed her eyes: “Are you talking nonsense? How big a house would you need to fit an entire mountain?”

“You just said Dao Guiling—where do you plan to move it? If all those Dao Laoghosts come out, won’t they turn Puluozhou upside down?”

Yuan Miaoping quickly explained: “Precisely because the Dao Laoghosts are fierce fighters, we’re moving Dao Guiling beneath San Tou Cha Underground City.”

She explained the full plan. Lian Budab refused outright: “I won’t get involved in war. If we lose, I lose nothing. If we win, what do I gain?”

“There are many benefits!” Yuan Miaoping glanced at Li Banfeng—she thought Lian Budab was bargaining.

Li Banfeng said: “Name your price.”

Lian Budab smiled: “I’ll say it plainly—I want my freedom. I won’t be a Zhai Spirit anymore.”

Everyone looked at Tian Nü. This was her decision.

Tian Nü nodded: “I agree.”

Lian Budab, seeing her first demand accepted, pressed for the second: “Everything in this house—I earned it all. It all belongs to me.”

Tian Nü nodded again: “I agree to that too.”

Lian Budab looked around, then made her third demand: “I’ve lived here so long—I’ve grown attached. Give me this house too.”

Tian Nü said nothing.

This was her and the Peddler’s house.

Lian Budab smiled: “Hesitant? Not only this house—your other half-body belongs to me too. Agree?”

Tian Nü fell silent for a long while, then raised her head: “I give you my other half-body. But you must leave me this house.”

Lian Budab shook her head: “No. I didn’t say you could counteroffer. If you accept these terms, we do business. If you don’t—”

“Then the deal’s off,” Li Banfeng stood up.

Yuan Miaoping adjusted her antenna, tightened her towel, and said to Lian Budab: “Sister, you’re being unreasonable—you’re making our boss angry.”

Lian Budab stared at Li Banfeng: “What? You think you can walk away because the deal fell through? You think my price is too high? Go find someone else! You gonna fight me?”

Li Banfeng rolled up his sleeves and explained seriously to Lian Budab: “This isn’t fighting. This is demonstrating combat ability within reasonable bounds to earn trust between business partners. Plainly put—it’s Zhi Xiu technique applied wisely.”

“Wait a minute—you’re not making sense!” Lian Budab turned to Tian Nü, pointing at Li Banfeng. “He bullies me in my own home—do you just stand there?”

“Will you do anything about it?”

Tian Nü looked at Lian Budab: “This is my home too. How did you treat me just now?”

“How did I treat you? You dare ask?” Lian Budab glared at Tian Nü. “All these years, I’ve been alone here. Did you ever care? Did anyone ask how I suffered? What does ‘living alone’ mean? Does anyone even know?”

Tian Nü had no reply.

Lian Budab shouted at Tian Nü: “Fine. You won’t help? I’ll handle him myself. I don’t need anyone—I’ve survived alone this long!”

Li Banfeng was about to engage Lian Budab when he heard Lian Budab weeping beside him.

Lian Budab smiled: “Brother, don’t feel sorry for me. Don’t be caught in the middle. Just watch.”

“Who’s feeling sorry for you?” Lian Budab wiped his tears. “You know how hard it is to live alone. You know how awful it is to be by yourself!”

At those words, Lian Budab sat back on the sofa, elbows on the armrests, fingers interlaced before her.

Lian Budab’s expression puzzled Li Banfeng—guilt, discomfort, the urge to explain, yet no courage to speak. Why did Lian Budab’s words strike Lian Budab so deeply?

Lian Budab rubbed her fingers, whispering: “I didn’t know her well back then. If I’d known how it would be… I never would’ve—”

Lian Budab shouted: “You didn’t know her well, so you introduced her as my wife? You ruined my life—how do you pay for that?”

Thinking of Lian Budab’s wife, Yuan Miaoping felt a pang: “All these years, living with a woman like that—how did he endure it?”

Lian Budab shouted at Lian Budab: “I’m asking you—how do you pay for this?”

Lian Budab lowered her head: “I’m in the wrong. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Lian Budab said: “All previous terms are void. Go move Dao Guiling from Jianren Gang to the underground city. Then we’re even.”

Lian Budab shook her head slightly: “I can’t do that.”

Lian Budab frowned: “Didn’t you just name your price?”

Lian Budab blushed: “Brother, I was just talking big—I don’t have the ability to move mountains.”

Li Banfeng roared: “No ability, yet you demanded such a high price? That’s fraud! How do we settle this?”

If you don’t have the guts, say nothing.

Li Banfeng softened his tone slightly: “Alright, I’ll find the mountain-movers myself. You figure out how to cover this up—before Dao Guiling reaches the underground city, no one can find out.”

Dan Buda raised his head: “I still have some confidence in this matter.”

The Sky Maiden wrote out a contract: “Your affair with your brother has nothing to do with me. Once this is done, we part ways amicably—you’re no longer my household spirit, and anything in this house that belongs to you, you may take.”

If you think the terms are fair, sign the contract.”

Dan Buda couldn’t understand the Sky Maiden’s motives: “Why are you helping Pulu State fight? They drove you out. You’ve suffered for years. Why help them now?”

“This is Pulu State!” The Sky Maiden gave no further explanation—she simply placed the contract before Dan Buda.

Dan Buda asked no more. He took the pen and signed the contract.

Dan Buda didn’t know if this would help—the peddler was gone, and he doubted the contract would ever take effect.

Li Banfeng wasn’t worried about the contract. He turned his gaze to the Sky Maiden.

She was now to fulfill her first promise: granting Dan Buda freedom.

Dan Buda was nervous. She glanced at Li Banfeng and whispered, “You brought me here. This must be settled with you—if I’m no longer the household spirit of this house, no one here can restrain the Sky Maiden.”

Li Banfeng nodded: “I thought of that.”

Dan Buda continued: “Her other half is still in this house. If she wants to reclaim it, none of you can stop her.”

Li Banfeng nodded again: “I thought of that too.”

Dan Buda broke out in a cold sweat: “Old Seven, if she suddenly turns back into what she was, we’re in deep trouble!”

Yuan Miaoping’s screen flickered with static: “Boss, if you regret this, there’s still time to backtrack—I can still think of a way—”

Li Banfeng’s face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on the Sky Maiden.

The Sky Maiden extended her right hand, crossing her index finger and thumb—another contract appeared in her palm.

Dan Buda recognized this contract. Household cultivators and household spirits usually pledge by word alone, but the Sky Maiden had never trusted Dan Buda—they’d signed a written contract, though Dan Buda never knew where it was kept.

The contract was hidden in this house—and today, before Dan Buda’s eyes, the Sky Maiden burned it.

“The contract is destroyed. You’re free from now on,” the Sky Maiden brushed her hair aside. “Dan Buda, our sisterly bond ends here.” Dan Buda bit her lip, seeming reluctant.

But reluctance meant nothing—the contract was burned. The bond between household cultivator and spirit was broken.

Dan Buda’s gaze hardened: “It’s settled. We go our separate ways from now on!”

The Sky Maiden scanned the mansion, her voice icy: “Now gather your things and leave this house. Never return.”

“Alright!” Dan Buda rose, walked through every room upstairs and down, and soon returned downstairs, a bundle on her back. She stood before the Sky Maiden. “Everything’s packed. Check it if you want.”

The Sky Maiden shook her head: “No need. I don’t want to keep anything of yours. Anything that isn’t yours, you can’t take.”

Dan Buda tied the bundle, turned to Li Qi: “Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”

“Wait,” the Sky Maiden turned to Li Banfeng. “I have one more thing to make clear.”

The war has reached this point—Pulu State’s chances of victory are vanishingly slim. Even if you move Dao Guiling to Santoucha, the tide won’t necessarily turn.

Even if you slaughter every totem soldier at Santoucha, Qiao Yi can still bring reinforcements from Neizhou. Even if you block the harbor exits, he’ll find others.

I have a suggestion: I’ll reinforce the boundaries of every Pulu State territory. Even if we lose Santoucha entirely, the rest of Pulu State can still be held.”

Dan Buda was stunned—he feared this most: “You mean reinforcing the boundaries—will trains still be able to run?”

The Sky Maiden shook her head: “We must sever all enemy advance routes completely. At that point, no trains, no vehicles, no transport of any kind will pass. The Zhengdi and Xindi regions will be cut off by the boundaries.”

Yuan Miaoping’s expression turned grim. A middle-aged man woke in the hot spring—she zapped him hard. Smoke rose from his body. He was dead.

She chewed gum and asked the Sky Maiden: “What about Jianren Gang? There’s still a route to Neizhou there. From Jianren Gang, they can reach Wuyou Ping or Qunying Mountain. If Qiao Yi leads the totem soldiers there, how will you handle it?”

The Sky Maiden looked at Yuan Miaoping: “Once my body is fully restored, I’ll build a mansion in Jianren Gang. I’ll settle there—and use the boundary to seal Jianren Gang completely.”

Dan Buda said: “The Jade Seal is in Qiao Yi’s hands. He can open a path anytime. Do you know where he’ll open it? Maybe the next battle will be at Lüshuicheng—will you build a mansion there too? Is it that easy to build a mansion?”

The Sky Maiden remained unmoved: “If they reach Lüshuicheng, we fight there. If we hold it, good. If we don’t, it won’t spread to other areas.”

Pulu State is now a scattered mess. Resisting Neizhou is impossible unless we follow my method—it’s the only way to buy Pulu State enough time.”

She turned to Li Banfeng: “Li Qi, you’re now the head of Pulu State. I’ve spoken plainly. I think you understand.”

Li Banfeng nodded: “I understand.”

The Sky Maiden asked: “Will you accept my suggestion?”

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly: “No.”

The room’s temperature plummeted. The sweat and oil on Dan Buda’s face nearly froze.

The Sky Maiden wound her hair around her fingertip, gently stroking the ends.

Li Banfeng adjusted his hat brim, a key clasped in his palm.

This was the Sky Maiden’s mansion.

But Li Banfeng’s own mansion stood just behind him.

Dan Buda sensed they were about to clash—she even felt they already had. The air in the room pulsed with an indescribable tension.

Dan Buda looked toward the door: “We already agreed—I have no connection to this house anymore. I’m leaving.”

Yuan Miaoping also wanted to follow Dan Buda to the door, but before she went, she urged the Sky Maiden: “Our boss refuses for a reason. Can’t you two talk it over again?”

“No need to talk. I don’t want to hear reasons,” the Sky Maiden shook her head, looking at Li Qi. “First, finish the battle at Santoucha. If you win, I’ll listen to your reasons. If you lose, you’ll listen to mine.”

Li Banfeng lowered his hat brim, giving a slight nod.

Dan Buda said: “Since it’s settled, let’s go to Dao Guiling.”

Yuan Miaoping stayed close to Dan Buda, eager to leave the mansion: “Once you get to Dao Guiling, what will you do?”

Dan Buda shook her head: “Can’t say yet. We always scout first.”

They left the mansion. The Sky Maiden waved her hand—faint glimmers appeared, layers of boundaries sealing the mansion completely.

Li Banfeng asked: “Aren’t you taking your other half with you?”

“Not yet,” the Sky Maiden shook her head. “This state is fine. We’ll deal with it next time we fight.”

PS: It’s a holiday. Wishing all readers a peaceful Dragon Boat Festival. Word count will be slightly lighter these days—please forgive me.