Chapter 856

The cultivation ancestor of the Artisan sect, Duan Tielu, only realized one thing after being struck by the technique of Arrogant Disregard.

Li Banfeng threw him a false key, transformed using the Ten Thousand Wishes technique.

The fire tongs he took away were the real key, also transformed using the Ten Thousand Wishes technique.

Where did the real fire tongs go?

The real fire tongs were still fighting Li Banfeng.

This fire tongs was truly extraordinary—Li Banfeng had broken free from the water and fire encirclement, yet it still attacked him with thought arts, and Li Banfeng’s ears rang as if thousands of mosquitoes and flies buzzed incessantly.

Fortunately, there was only one fire tongs; if there had been more thought arts, it would’ve been truly hard to handle.

Li Banfeng glanced at the fire tongs: “Stop using this technique—I can’t hear it.”

This phrase contained the Foolish Cultivation technique; it would’ve worked on a Thought Cultivator, but this fire tongs ignored it entirely, stubbornly continuing its technique.

Li Banfeng had some resistance to Thought Cultivation techniques, so he didn’t need to tangle with the fire tongs over this method.

But right now, Li Banfeng was indeed entangled—not for the thought art, but because of the fire tongs’ unique properties.

Li Banfeng had fought with first-class weapons before, but he had never seen a first-class weapon with so many gates embedded in it, nor one with such formidable defense—even Foolish Cultivation couldn’t penetrate it.

Moreover, this weapon was extremely loyal; Li Banfeng had tried several times to communicate with it using Family Treasures Self-Count, yet the fire tongs never responded. Li Banfeng wanted to test this weapon’s limits—if it truly was forged by Duan Tielu, then Duan Tielu was a man capable of reversing the situation in Pulu Province and Neizhou.

“Still using thought arts? I told you—I can’t hear your technique!” Li Banfeng repeated the same phrase over and over, twelve times in total, until he genuinely couldn’t hear anything.

Li Banfeng was extremely pleased—the power of the Foolish Cultivation technique still held!

With the thought art interference gone, Li Banfeng’s movements returned to their usual agility. As the exchange continued, he gradually grasped some patterns in the fire tongs’ attacks. He seized an opening, closed the distance, and used Continuous Broad Chamber to send the fire tongs straight into the Personal Dwelling.

Once inside the Personal Dwelling, the family would surely have a way to deal with the tongs. Li Banfeng expected a fierce struggle, but unexpectedly, the old man whispered in his ear: “Aqi, this tongs stopped moving the moment it entered the house.”

Why was that?

Wasn’t this tongs supposed to fight on its own? Was Duan Tielu remotely controlling it?

But if it truly was remotely controlled, why did the Foolish Cultivation technique still work on the fire tongs just now?

Wait—did the technique even work at all?

Did it work on the fire tongs? On Li Banfeng himself? Or on Duan Tielu?

Duan Tielu’s cultivation base was still rapidly dissipating; he had aged beyond recognition.

The Personal Dwelling said: “Aqi, spare his life. This man knows too many Artisan methods—he’ll be immensely useful.”

The voice of the Fifth Room Lady also reached Li Banfeng through the Personal Dwelling: “He still has considerable cultivation left—don’t let it all vanish. Leave more; it’ll be truly useful.”

Li Banfeng retrieved the key from Duan Tielu. The glow on Duan Tielu’s body dimmed, yet he still struggled to crawl forward.

Such a formidable Artisan—Li Banfeng truly didn’t want to bring him home—but the Fifth Room Lady was desperate: “Seventh Guide, Seventh Master, Seventh Teacher, just bring him back! Put your mind at ease—I’ll keep him inside me, and guarantee no trouble!”

Li Banfeng smiled: “Such a fine ingredient—you think I’ll just give him to you for free?”

Lai Wuju thought for a moment: “Then I’ll promise you three things. Let’s sign a contract right now—these three things mustn’t be unreasonable, and must be within my ability.”

“Keep an eye on him first. We’ll haggle over the price later.” Li Banfeng sent Duan Tielu back into the Personal Dwelling. To be honest, he didn’t want to kill Duan Tielu either.

He glanced toward the hall and called out: “Come out.”

He Jiaqing stepped out from a dormitory, cautiously asking: “Banfeng, where’s Duan Tielu?”

Li Banfeng smiled: “Where is he? Don’t you know?”

“I don’t know! I know nothing! I saw nothing, heard nothing! I just helped you grab a few things, then I hid outside—I truly know nothing—” He Jiaqing wished he could go mad or dumb right then and there; he longed to forget everything that had happened here.

Li Banfeng laughed: “You didn’t come here empty-handed, did you?”

He Jiaqing shook his head vigorously: “Without your orders, I wouldn’t dare take anything!”

Li Banfeng looked around: “Some magic treasures want to follow me—don’t touch those. The rest, you can take. Take as much or as little as you think fit. Once you’re done, leave quickly.”

He Jiaqing nodded and took six magic treasures total. Given his contribution, he felt this number was reasonable.

He didn’t dare pick or choose—he only knew these treasures hadn’t declared their loyalty to Li Qi. He grabbed them and left quickly.

Li Banfeng walked near the small totem, wondering how to handle it.

Taking it home now was impossible—the family couldn’t withstand the totem’s damage.

Leaving it unattended was even worse—if someone else got hold of it, who knew what disaster it might trigger?

Li Banfeng pulled out a vial of Wuwang and opened the cap, flicking a few drops of medicine onto the center of the totem.

The black shadow at the totem’s center immediately faded. After more than twenty minutes, the shadow vanished completely.

Wuwang Ash had astonishing lethal power against the Void Yuan Silkworm.

Ayi had once told Li Banfeng that the black shadow at the center of the great totem was the Void Yuan Silkworm, and these shadows determined the great totem’s function.

Now that the shadow was gone, could he safely bring the small totem home?

The Personal Dwelling was confident: “Aqi, bring it back first. I’ll find a room to store it, then send a few passengers to test it.”

“Old Man, we’re in legitimate business—letting passengers test this? Won’t that cause misunderstandings?”

The old man sneered: “What misunderstanding could there be from having them do something? Zhao Xiao was one of our passengers—you turned her into your wife, and she still had to grit her teeth and endure it!”

“What do you mean ‘endure’? We were both willing!”

After dealing with the small totem, Li Banfeng walked back and forth twice through Duan Tielu’s house. The place was enormous—eight stories total, including the basement.

According to Ayu’s observations, every floor had hidden rooms, and the number of hidden rooms exceeded the visible ones. Such a fine residence—Li Banfeng felt it deserved proper use.

Not only was the residence excellent, but as the glove wandered through the house, he found more than a thousand magic treasures—every handful was a treasure: “Master, we’ve struck it rich! We’ve hit the jackpot! You won’t need to hawk goods on the roadside like a peddler anymore—we’ve got capital to spare!”

As he reached the basement, the glove grew even more excited—this place held the most treasures.

He discovered a treasure vault and was about to open the door when the Personal Dwelling suddenly burst into laughter: “Hahaha!”

The glove jumped in fright: “What are you doing? Gone mad?”

“A-tao, feel downward—the best treasures are below.”

“Below whom?” A-tao was reluctant—he was a righteous man.

The old man was thrilled: “Below the floor! A fortune of treasures!”

A-tao considered the house’s structure—the basement was the lowest level; below the floor would be the foundation. What could possibly be there?

“Old Man, if you want to study Artisan methods, go yourself—I don’t like that.”

“Not Artisan methods—ready-made treasures. Go take a look!”

A-tao carefully felt along the floor and soon found a seam in the hidden passage. After entering, he soon poked his head out: “I thought you meant something great—turns out it’s the treasure you wanted!”

“Hurry, hurry!” the Personal Dwelling urged impatiently. “Wait any longer and it’ll go cold!”

“This thing was never hot to begin with!” A-tao dragged out a length of iron rail from beneath the floor—a genuine “ Gong ”-shaped rail.

The rail was just over a meter long, polished bright, with not a trace of rust. The cross-section was perfectly smooth—it was indeed a complete rail.

But this rail was far too short.

Of course, length only mattered in Li Banfeng’s perception—previous rails he’d found were even shorter.

Upon seeing the rail, Li Banfeng clearly felt the Personal Dwelling trembling: “Good stuff!”

A-tao warned: “Old Man, can you handle it? There’s more down there! If I pull out another one, don’t faint!”

“Nonsense! My body’s as strong as ever—pull out as many as you like, I’m fine!”

“You said so!” A-tao soon dragged up another rail.

“Good, good!” The Personal Dwelling was ecstatic—now he had ten rails total.

After a while, A-tao dragged up another. The Personal Dwelling said nothing—he had once owned twelve rails in his prime, and now he had eleven.

Li Banfeng sensed something was wrong and warned A-tao: “Brother, slow down.”

It was too late.

A-tao had already dragged up the twelfth rail.

Li Banfeng felt a sudden tremor behind him, then silence.

“Old Man!” A-tao was terrified. “You said you could handle it! What happened? Answer me!”

Li Banfeng and A-tao called out for a long time before the Personal Dwelling finally responded.

Hoo-wee~

First, steam hissed out.

Woooo—another long wail.

The Personal Dwelling took a deep breath and began sobbing: “Twelve! Twelve! The rails are finally complete!”

Duan Tielu had only four rails—no wonder his house could travel from Neizhou to the Curse-Worm Wasteland.

This house contained over a thousand magic treasures, and even setting those aside, the house itself was a treasure.

“Aqi, the piping is exquisitely arranged, the boiler design is masterful. In all my years, I’ve never seen such refined Artisan craftsmanship—we must keep this house at all costs.”

“How do we keep it?” Li Banfeng squinted. He liked the house too—but it had no spiritual essence.

A house without spiritual essence was hard to bind to its master. To cultivate spiritual essence, Li Banfeng would need to dwell here for a long time.

But Li Banfeng had no time to cultivate spiritual essence here, and he didn’t want to assign someone to guard it—whether they could even hold it was uncertain, and if someone used this house for mischief, a little manipulation could cause massive trouble!

What should he do?

Destroy the house?

The Personal Dwelling spoke: “I’ll drag it away.”

Li Banfeng stared in disbelief: “It’s this big—you can drag it?”

A-tao laughed: “Anything our Old Man likes—even a mountain—he can drag.”

The old man was in good spirits today and didn’t want to argue with A-tao: “Aqi, I’ll handle the house. Go home first. If anything happens, hurry and ask Duan Tielu—wait too long and he’ll be eaten up.”

Li Banfeng returned to the Personal Dwelling. Duan Tielu had already been eaten by the Fifth Lady in several places.

Li Banfeng snapped: “We haven’t even negotiated the deal yet—you’ve already started eating? Any sense of decorum?”

Li Banfeng snapped, “We haven’t even discussed the deal yet, and you’re already picking up your chopsticks? Do you have any manners at all!”

Fifth Lady wiped her mouth and said, “Marry a man, marry a man—for clothes and food—why so many rules?”

How could a pure, innocent girl student say something like that?

If my wife were home, she’d surely beat her with a paddle!

But my wife once said something similar.

Yuan Miaoping frowned: “Marry a man? Have you even married? Does our boss even find you worthy?”

Hong Ying snapped, “If she’s not good enough for him, neither are you, you slut! Seventh Lang , don’t fool around with these sluts at home—wait till Xiao Wan comes back, and see how you explain yourself!”

Duan Tielu had lost vast amounts of cultivation and flesh, and was clearly dying—Li Banfeng pulled out the peddler’s snow cream and smeared some on him.

Honestly, this healing ointment was truly miraculous; soon after, Duan Tielu’s lost flesh regrew.

Hong Ying exclaimed, “This stuff is too effective!”

Fifth Lady licked her lips and grinned: “Seventh Teacher, next time I’ll eat two fewer pieces—you smear some snow cream on him, let his flesh grow back, and he can keep eating forever!”

Li Banfeng looked at Duan Tielu.

Duan Tielu shed tears.

“I’m the founding ancestor of my sect—give me a quick death.”

Li Banfeng glared at Fifth Lady: “You’re going too far!”

Fifth Lady, reprimanded by Seventh Teacher, lowered her head and said nothing.

Li Banfeng comforted Duan Tielu: “Lu, she won’t do this again. I have a few questions for you—you must tell me the truth.”

“Ask.”

“Why did you come to the Curse and Guxu ?”

Duan Tielu, utterly defeated, revealed everything without concealment: “I came to study the Great Totem. The stone for the Great Totem is hard to find, but the stone on this mountain closely resembles it.

The Curse and Guxu also has the Xuyuan Silkworm—once the Great Totem is built, it can serve as a perfect supplement.”

Li Banfeng nodded slightly; Duan Tielu’s craftsmanship was truly unmatched.

“You refused to make the Jade Seal for Prince Anshun just to come here and focus on building the Great Totem?”

Duan Tielu did not deny it: “Making the Jade Seal would consume too much time and energy. Even if I succeeded, what then? Do I really expect the Inner State to grant me a princely title?

Shu Wanjuan’s example is right before us—without the royal bloodline of the Inner State, no matter how great your achievements, they’re useless. Not even a princely title,

not even your own life is guaranteed.

At this point, I no longer wish to hide anything from you: if I can build the Great Totem, from now on, I’ll never again have to live under someone else’s shadow.

I’m a craftsman—I only want to master my craft, earn my living by my own skill, and carve out my own place in the world.

But who knew that being too skilled would become a noose around my neck, impossible to shake off?

I worked for Pulu Province, and the Inner State wanted me dead. I worked for the Inner State, and Pulu Province wanted me dead.

For years, only the Peddler had any mercy—he spared my life. But since he didn’t kill me, I became a curse: I repaired the Great Totem, forged a new Jade Seal, and brought disaster upon Pulu Province.

But can I be blamed? Isn’t it right for a craftsman to take payment and do his work?”

“Li Qi, swear on your conscience—where did I go wrong? Swear on your conscience—what’s wrong with being skilled?”

Li Banfeng shook his head: “I never said you were wrong.”

Duan Tielu wept old tears: “Then why are you trying to kill me?”

Li Banfeng explained: “On the battlefield, I wouldn’t spare you—that’s a rule you understand.”

“I’ve never set foot on a battlefield.”

“You haven’t fought on the battlefield, but you’ve still fought. In war, you don’t just kill enemy generals—you kill their strategists. Isn’t that obvious?”

Duan Tielu thought a moment, still refused to admit it: “I’m no longer in the Inner State—why are you still coming to kill me?”

Li Banfeng sat beside Duan Tielu, calmly: “You’re no longer in the Inner State—that’s why I came to negotiate with you. Who knew you’d turn on me?”

Duan Tielu lowered his head, silent, now confused.

He didn’t believe he was wrong—he thought striking first was always best.

But if he’d chosen differently, would the outcome have changed?

Li Banfeng pointed to the fire tongs on the ground: “This isn’t a first-grade weapon, is it?”

Duan Tielu looked at the fire tongs, then at the small Totem without its shadow: “They’re actually one thing.”

“What do you mean?”

Duan Tielu said: “While repairing the Great Totem, I noticed something strange—it sometimes behaved oddly.

I could sense its spirit, and I realized the Great Totem had the will to fight, but no means to fight.

So I had an idea: could I create a weapon the Great Totem could wield, so it could fight?

It was just an idea, not yet realized—but Qiao Yi had already rushed into battle.

At that time, my situation was dire: the Great Totem and the Jade Seal were finished. Qiao Yi could kill me at any moment. My best possible outcome would’ve been to have my memories erased by the Great Totem.

While Qiao Yi was away fighting, I struck first, carved my own path, and escaped the Inner State.

In the Curse and Guxu , I forged the Small Totem, and from it, I created these fire tongs—it’s the Small Totem’s weapon.

The fire tongs can perform so many techniques not because they contain many secrets—truly, it’s the Small Totem that understands them. If the tongs are too far from the Small Totem, they’re just ordinary tongs.”

Li Banfeng picked up the fire tongs, studied them for a long while: “You made all these things—just to save your life?”

Duan Tielu’s gaze grew distant, as if dreaming: “Who hasn’t dreamed? With the Great Totem, and the Peddler gone—could I become a master in Pulu Province?

I often dream this dream. Being a craftsman is hard work. Without a good dream to cling to, how could I endure?

But I know I’m not cut out for it—I just think about it—”

Li Banfeng set the fire tongs aside and picked up the Dingpan Map: “Where’s the best place to pour?”

“There are two ways to Zhen E. One is easy to find—it leads straight to Shengxian Peak. Qiao Yi marched his troops from Zhen E directly to Shengxian Peak.”

Li Banfeng had considered this route—it was easy to find, but dangerous.

The Inner State had plenty of clever people; after Qiao Yi’s defeat, this route would be heavily fortified. Li Banfeng wouldn’t reach Zhen E before he died.

“What’s the other way?”

“The other way I opened myself—it’s hard to find. Let me draw it for you.”

Duan Tielu drew the route on the Dingpan Map—it was real; he hadn’t lied: “Seventh Master, I’ve told you everything I know—spare my life.

I’m afraid of death—I truly am. If you spare me, I’ll do anything.”

Li Banfeng stared at the route on the Dingpan Map, silent. His Body Dwelling whispered: “Aqi, this is your decision—but I’ll say this: Duan Tielu knows many crafts. If he dies, they’ll be lost!”

“Find a place to lock him up.” Li Banfeng temporarily spared Duan Tielu.

His Body Dwelling was delighted, cleaned a room, and locked Duan Tielu inside.

Fifth Lady added: “Give him something to eat—don’t let him starve to death. Tomorrow, when we let him out, he can still sit at the table!”

“Show some restraint!” Li Banfeng scolded Fifth Lady. “Look at you—you don’t even look like a student anymore!”

Fifth Lady lowered her head: “Seventh Teacher, are you going to punish me? Don’t hit me too hard—I’m afraid of pain.”

“Don’t change the subject!” Li Banfeng pulled out a contract: “We haven’t settled the business yet. First task: make bodies for everyone in this room who lacks one.”

Fifth Lady looked up: “Easy. Tell me when you want delivery!”

“Speed doesn’t matter, but two conditions: first, no tricks inside the bodies.”

“Don’t worry—I’m family. I wouldn’t play such games.”

“Second, the bodies must nourish souls. The body you made for my wife was excellent—I want others’ bodies to be just as good.”

Fifth Lady stuck out her tongue and pouted: “Seventh Teacher, that’s hard. Zhao General’s soul is well-nourished not just because of her body—she absorbed other souls herself. Others don’t have that ability.”

The Sky Maiden snorted: “Do you really not know your own ability? The Peddler’s rule forbade you from eating others’ souls—that’s why the Red Lotus never ate raw ones. How many souls have you secretly devoured? Do you think I haven’t seen?”

“Teacher! I really haven’t!” Fifth Lady hid behind Li Banfeng, looking terrified.

Hong Ying gritted her teeth: “The vile women keep multiplying!”

Li Banfeng slapped the contract onto Fifth Lady’s face: “Make the bodies. Teach everyone how to nourish souls. The other two tasks—later.”

Outside the Body Dwelling, the Glove said to Li Banfeng: “Master, I don’t need a body—I find it a burden.”

“Don’t use it if you don’t want to. Keep it handy—you’ll need it someday. Better to have it than not.” Li Banfeng patted the Glove, descended the mountain, and headed toward the village.

Yang Xiangjun was still waiting in the village. Seeing Li Qi return, she burst into tears.

“Seventh Master, you scared me to death! I thought you wouldn’t—” She didn’t dare finish; it felt unlucky.

Li Banfeng smiled: “Why worry? If I never came back, you wouldn’t have to stay here.”

“Seventh Master, what are you saying!” Yang Xiangjun grew angry. “If you don’t come back, I’ll wait for you my whole life!”

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly: “A whole life is too long. Don’t say things like that.”

Yang Xiangjun smiled playfully: “Then how long do you want me to wait?”

This matter was truly hard to ponder—Li Banfeng couldn’t let Yang Xiangjun spend her whole life guarding the Curse-Cocoon Ruins, but the Ruins housed the Phantom Yuan Silkworm and materials for crafting the Great Totem, so someone had to guard the place.

That was hard to answer. Li Banfeng couldn’t let Yang Xiangjun stay forever in the Curse and Guxu —but the place had Xuyuan Silkworms and materials for the Great Totem—it had to be guarded.

Yang Xiangjun could sense his hesitation. He truly feared for Li Banfeng—but now he was bargaining.

Li Banfeng knew this well: on Yang Xiangjun, truth and falsehood could not be clearly separated.

“Guard this place for one year. I’ll pay you.”

Yang Xiangjun’s lips curled: “First tell me what the payment is. I don’t lack money!”

Beyond money, Li Banfeng didn’t know what to offer: “Then name your price.”

Yang Xiangjun said: “My price is low. I only want you to do one thing.

I’ve spent my whole life as a wanderer—others pay me to do things. I live freely, but something’s missing.

This war between the Inner State and Pulu Province is the third I’ve seen. I never fought on the battlefield—but I feel I’ve fought in it. So I want—”

Li Banfeng said: “Don’t ‘feel’ it! You fought. The Curse and Guxu is a battlefield. You won a great victory!”

“I accept!” Li Banfeng nodded firmly,

“Not just me—I accept, and the entire Pulu Province accepts. I’ll find people to write a book about this battle, and there must be a dedicated chapter just for you!”

“Good!” Yang Xiangjun smiled. “That’s enough—I’ll stay here and hold the line for another year!”

Li Banfeng said, “After a year, I’ll return to the Curse Marsh to find someone to replace you. If I can’t come myself, someone else will come in my place. Let’s sign a contract now!”

Yang Xiangjun frowned: “Why wouldn’t you come?”

Li Banfeng chuckled, “I’m the head of Pulu Province—I’m busy, with countless things to handle. Wuwang, give me more. I know you need some here too—give me as much as you can.”

“That stuff isn’t worth much—you can have as much as you want!” Yang Xiangjun pulled out dozens of vials from her sleeve and handed them to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng carefully counted the vials, as if calculating something.

Yang Xiangjun said, “Not enough? I’ll refine more—just come get them. Don’t scare me like that!”

“Why would I scare you?” Li Banfeng counted again, then nodded slightly. “This should be enough. These aren’t free—I’ll pay you.”

Li Banfeng left behind a large sum of silver dollars. Yang Xiangjun saw him off as he left the village.

Watching Li Banfeng’s retreating figure, Yang Xiangjun could not tear her eyes away, feeling as though she would never see him again.

Watching Li Banfeng’s back, Yang Xiangjun could not tear her eyes away, feeling as though she would never see him again.