Chapter 437: The Three Trials

Qiu Luoye glanced at Li Banfeng's back and saw that his two injuries were still bleeding. So, Qiu Luoye called over Old Tiger and had him fetch some medicine for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "No medicine. It'll be fine in a little while."

"You still need to bandage it."

"No need. This blood is all fresh. Can't let it go to waste," Li Banfeng said and placed the Blood-Drinking Pendulum on his back.

Once he saw Li Banfeng's bleeding stop, Qiu Luoye smiled. "How about we have a couple of drinks?"

"Sure!"

Qiu Luoye looked at He Yuxiu. "Are you Old Qi's sweetheart?"

A pink blush crept into He Yuxiu's cheeks. "I... If you say I am, then I am."

Qiu Luoye praised, "She's a good one. Just looking at her build, you can tell she'll have no trouble bearing children."

He Yuxiu looked smugly at Li Banfeng. "See? Big Bro Qiu says so too."

Qiu Luoye then looked at Miss Chu. "I didn't think much of you before, but you were all right today. You've got guts."

"I don't," Miss Chu replied, shaking her head shyly.

Qiu Luoye called out to the crowd of three-headed people, "Everyone, if you're injured, come to me and get treated. I've got excellent medicine. If you're not injured, come have a drink. I've got plenty of good wine. I was too wary of you all before. I was wrong to be that way. We're all fellow followers of the same Daoist Path to begin with, so let's drink our fill today!"

Fellow followers of the same Daoist Path? Juan thought.

The three-headed people were technically Physique Cultivators who had failed to enter the Daoist path, but Juan had never heard any Physique Cultivators call them fellow followers of the same Daoist path.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then they looked at Li Qi.

Li Qi smiled. "I'm guessing there won't be enough wine. I'll have someone fetch more from the foot of the mountain!"

Qiu Luoye brought out all the good wine he had saved over the years, while the three-headed people went home and then returned with plenty of food and drink.

Upon learning that Li Qi was fine, Ma Wu was overjoyed and had people send more wine up from the foot of the mountain. Everyone set up tables in the woods, drinking and eating to their hearts' content.

Ever since reaching level ten, Qiu Luoye had never once had a proper New Year's. He had a wonderful New Year's this time, but it might also be his last.

Meng raised a toast to Qiu Luoye, and Qiu Luoye drained his cup in one gulp. Juan raised a toast to him as well, and Qiu Luoye drained another cup. Little Shan raised a toast to him too, but Qiu Luoye could not stomach a third cup.

Qiu Luoye protested, "Even a kid can drink this much? Drinking with you people is just unfair. Three of you against one of me!"

Seeing Qiu Luoye stagger as he walked, Li Banfeng furrowed his brows slightly.

He Yuxiu whispered to Li Banfeng, "Chu Shaoqiang was driven off, but the deed is still in the possession of those in the Inner Provinces. I'm afraid Old Qiu won't make it past this hurdle.

With the Inner Provinces holding the deed, it's the same as holding his life in their hands. I, your older sister—"

"You're the younger sister."

He Yuxiu coughed, feeling a little embarrassed. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening before continuing, "I... your little sister, am not in a hurry to advance precisely because I don't want to go to the Inner Provinces and become a slave."

Li Banfeng put down his bowl of wine and sighed. "Is there no other way?"

He Yuxiu shook her head. "I can't think of anything. Why don't you go ask that sweetheart of yours, eh?"

"Which one... eh?"

He Yuxiu meant Xiao Yeci, and so Li Banfeng went to ask her. Xiao Yeci had indeed read many books recently, but there was simply too little recorded about deeds. Unable to rely on Xiao Yeci for this, he decided he would have to ask the Gramophone.

Li Banfeng found an opportunity to return to the Pocket Dwelling and told the Gramophone the whole story.

"Darling wifey, I really can't figure this out. Qiu Luoye has two deeds. Even if the Inner Provinces destroyed one of them, Big Bro Qiu shouldn't have lost his standing, much less ended up this badly injured."

The Gramophone said, "Darling husband, was Qiu Luoye's first deed given to him by the Inner Provinces, or did he seize it from someone else?"

"It was given by the Inner Provinces. Qiu Luoye is a local land deity appointed by the Inner Provinces."

"That makes things difficult."

"What's the difference between a deed given by the Inner Provinces and one that was seized?"

"As far as I know, deeds made by the Inner Provinces contain a portion of the cultivator's flesh and blood. There's a curse involved, though I don't know exactly what it is. I have only heard some rumors. If a local land deity appointed by the Inner Provinces refuses to obey the Inner Provinces' orders, the Inner Provinces will destroy the local land deity's deed, and the land deity will die because of the curse."

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment. "After you ascend from the ninth level to the tenth, you go to the Inner Provinces and become a dog. When you reach the first level of the Cloudborne Layer, you're sent off to a New Land. You build up enough human presence in your New Land and establish it as a Proper Land. Then those in the Inner Provinces send people over to reap the rewards. Even seizing the deed isn't enough, because the curse still follows you."

He paused before asking, "Darling wifey, once someone starts on the path to the Inner Provinces, is there really no chance of ever turning things around?"

The Gramophone sighed. "Husband dear, none of the local land deities who came out of the Inner Provinces even dare to mention the Inner Provinces. They're genuinely afraid. Those in the Inner Provinces just have to tamper with the deed a little to take their lives. Qiu Luoye is still alive now. His deed hasn't been completely destroyed, but the Inner Provinces must have damaged part of it. That's why he's so badly injured."

Li Banfeng thought of an idea. "I'll dig up Big Bro Qiu's deed now. If we can find a way to repair it, his injuries will heal too."

"Darling husband, you can't just dig it up without serious consideration. His cultivation level will drop. He's already seriously injured, and if we can't bring his cultivation level back up, he will die."

Li Banfeng was confused. "He already obtained Madam Kinless' deed. Why would his cultivation level drop?"

"Deeds have an order of importance. A deed seized from someone else in Puluo only has blood spilled on it. A deed brought from the Inner Provinces has not only blood but also flesh and bone. It has a deeper connection to the local land deity that it belongs to. That means if you dig up Qiu Luoye's deed from the Inner Provinces now, it's his connection to that deed that will affect him first. His cultivation level will definitely drop. He may still be able to recover the loss in cultivation through the deed he seized. However, considering that he's seriously injured, if he can't recover the loss in cultivation, his soul may end up flying away and scattering."

In other words, there are two possible results: recovering his loss in cultivation or death, Li Banfeng thought. Then he asked, "Is there a high chance that he'll be able to recover it?"

"Based on what I've heard, there won't be even a ten-percent chance. The key point is that doing this won't help. Husband dear, even if we dig up Qiu Luoye's deed now and repair it, our efforts will be to no avail. The two halves of the deed are connected. If we repair the half that's here, the Inner Provinces will see that reflected on the one in their possession and damage it again. We'd have to go through all sorts of hardships to repair it here, while they just need to lift a finger to destroy it. That would be like treating Qiu Luoye's wounds, only for them to torture him again after he's healed. Repeating the process would only make Qiu Luoye suffer for nothing."

The idea was a mistake from the very beginning, Li Banfeng realized.

"Darling wifey, is there any other way?"

The Gramophone thought for a long time before saying, "I once heard a rumor. A local land deity truly didn't want to be controlled by the Inner Provinces, so through certain means, he slowly lowered his own cultivation level, stabilized his soul, and eventually became a Wounded Demonic Fiend."

"Becoming a Wounded Demonic Fiend can free him from the curse?"

The Gramophone explained, "In theory, yes. When a cultivator advances from the ninth level to the tenth, they must cast off their corporeal body and become a departed spirit. When they advance from the tenth level of the Terranean Layer to the first level of the Cloudborne Layer, the Inner Provinces will construct a new corporeal body for the cultivator. The departed spirit becomes human again, but the curse is contained in the corporeal body that the Inner Provinces gave the cultivator.

"Becoming a Wounded Demonic Fiend is equivalent to becoming a vengeful spirit. Once the corporeal body is cast off, the curse is naturally cast off with it. But this method still won't work for Qiu Luoye. It requires extremely elaborate techniques, which Qiu Luoye is unlikely to master. Besides, it would take a year and a half or even longer. Qiu Luoye can't afford to wait that long. The Inner Provinces could strike at him at any time. Even if he forcibly lowered his cultivation level, Qiu Luoye still wouldn't survive."

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of his bed and gazed up at the ceiling without speaking for a long while.

The Gramophone tried to comfort him. "Don't get angry, Husband dear. We'll think of something else."

"We need to find a solution quickly. He really can't wait. I think it's best to just try repairing the deed first."

The Gramophone soothed him. "Don't be impatient, Husband dear..."

"What's the use of repairing the contract? You're right, Wifey. That would only make Big Bro Qiu suffer for nothing. Let's think again, see if there's another path we can take."

"Husband dear, what's gotten into you...?"

"What other path could there be? As long as the other half of the deed remains in the Inner Provinces, every path is a dead end."

"Husband dear, stop this..."

However, Li Banfeng was not talking to the Gramophone.

"Isn't becoming a Wounded Demonic Fiend another path? At least it would free him from the Inner Provinces' curse.

"What kind of path is that? After finally making it to a Proper Land, now he has to become an evil spirit? Still, even if he lowers his cultivation level, he won't be able to survive.

"Didn't she say it might be possible for him to recover the loss in cultivation?

"Didn't she say there's less than a ten-percent chance? Were you even listening at all?

"Maintain order in the meeting. Speak one at a time in an orderly fashion!"

The Gramophone let out a puff of steam and shrouded Li Banfeng with it. "Darling husband, you're frightening me!"

Li Banfeng hugged the Gramophone. "Wifey, what if we dig up Big Bro Qiu's deed, forcibly lower his cultivation level so he becomes a Wounded Demonic Fiend, have him cast off his corporeal body and the curse, then use Madam Kinless's deed to recover his loss in cultivation? Would that work?"

The Gramophone considered it for a moment. "In theory, it could work, but he can't become a Wounded Demonic Fiend. To recover his cultivation, he has to pass three trials. If he makes even the slightest mistake in any of the three, he'll fail.

"The first trial is the Soul-Separation Trial. That's when his cultivation drops from the Cloudborne Layer to the Terranean Layer, and his soul has to separate from his corporeal body. After the deed has been dug up, some local land deities separate immediately, while others have to wait several days. To put it plainly, the separation of soul and body means dying. It's extremely painful, and the soul will suffer at least twenty percent damage. If there's fear or panic, the damage will worsen.

"Once the damage exceeds twenty percent, he'll become a Wounded Demonic Fiend, and his cultivation level can never be recovered. Given Qiu Luoye's serious injuries, it would be suicide. For this trial, the soul's damage must remain below twenty percent. Only someone extraordinarily intelligent and strong-willed can survive it. You wouldn't even be able to find one person like that in ten thousand."

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Why would someone be able to survive it just because they have extraordinary intelligence and strong will?"

"An extraordinarily intelligent person can distinguish their body and soul with perfect clarity. They would know that only their body is dying, not their soul. They must firmly believe that they have not died. At the moment when they enter the crossroads between life and death, there can't be the slightest trace of fear or panic in their heart. Ask Qiu Luoye whether he can do that."

When it came to strength of will, Li Banfeng had absolutely no doubts about Qiu Luoye. As for extraordinary intelligence, there was a bit of a problem there. Moreover, Qiu Luoye would also have to distinguish between the concepts of body and soul.

Li Banfeng was certain Qiu Luoye could not even distinguish between the words "body" and "soul". Could he explain it so that Qiu Luoye would understand the concepts behind them? Qiu Luoye might be able to learn embroidery, but he definitely could not understand such complicated concepts.

"Wifey, what if we drug Qiu Luoye and put him straight to sleep? Then he wouldn't feel any fear or panic. What do you think?"

The Gramophone shook her head. "Husband dear, if he's asleep at the moment when his soul separates from his body, he'll never wake up again. His soul will perish along with his body."

So drugging him won't work either.

At the moment between life and death, the cultivator needs to firmly believe they haven't died... I feel like I've seen this somewhere before. I definitely have.

This trial is far too difficult. I need to look into it carefully. Let's just put this idea aside for now.

Li Banfeng asked, "What about the second trial?"

"The second trial is Rebirth, but it's even harder than the first. The difficulty lies in rapidly regenerating the body that was lost. Only then can the damaged soul be nourished back to health, allowing the deed to be used to recover the lost cultivation."

Regenerate the body. Qiu Luoye has a fast healing speed, but if he has to start from nothing, would he even know how to regenerate his body?

Who can teach him this? Who knows how to regenerate their body?

After thinking about it for a moment, Li Banfeng rubbed his cheeks, adjusted the angle of his brows, and put on a gentle and affectionate smile.

He entered the second room and found Hong Ying doing her makeup.

Li Banfeng took the eyebrow pencil from Hong Ying and said softly, "Ying, let me do it for you."

Hong Ying wore a bashful smile, picked up her lipstick, and wrote the character for "despicable" on Li Banfeng's face. She said sweetly, "Darling Qi, out with it!"