Chapter 476.2: Who Created the Daoist Path? (2)

Cedric began the treatment without using any medicine or medical instruments. He simply had Miss Chu lie flat on the ground, then sat beside her as motionless as a clay statue.

Li Banfeng asked Miss Chu, "What's your name?"

"Chu Huaiyuan."

"Which Daoist path do you cultivate?"

"Ascetic Cultivator."

"Are you a man or a woman?"

Miss Chu glanced at him. "Do I need to strip and show you?"

Li Banfeng had no idea what else to ask. He and Miss Chu had never had much to say to each other.

"Why did you save me?"

Miss Chu smiled. "Don't play dumb when you know perfectly well. I have taken a liking to you. Don't tell me you didn't know."

"What made you take a liking to me?"

"I don't need a reason for that."

"Was what happened to Ma Wu your doing?"

Miss Chu shook her head. "I only played a small part in it. Most of it was the Ling brothers' doing. I went after Ma Wu because he had competed with me for business and taken some of it from me, so I wanted revenge. As for why the Ling brothers went after him, I don't know. They're members of the Brotherhood Alliance, so it might have something to do with Lu Xiaolan."

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You know about the Brotherhood Alliance?"

Miss Chu gave a small laugh. "In your eyes, I am just some stupid, clueless madwoman, aren't I?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't think you are a madwoman."

Miss Chu clenched her fist, then let out a long breath. "I don't just know about the Brotherhood Alliance. I also know that its leader is He Jiaqing. I know He Jiaqing is in the Outer Provinces, but he's actually been controlling the Brotherhood Alliance from behind the scenes all along. As for why he's targeting Ma Wu, it could have been for the Brotherhood Alliance's interests or because of a personal grudge. After all, both of them were once engaged to Lu Xiaolan."

Li Banfeng thought a personal grudge was unlikely. From what he knew, neither Ma Wu nor He Jiaqing cared all that much about Lu Xiaolan.

He asked Miss Chu, "You knew what the Brotherhood Alliance was after and how complicated they were, so why did you still work with them?"

Miss Chu blinked. "It's not like we just met. Do you really think I think that far ahead before doing something?"

"Did the Brotherhood Alliance also put you up to buying the Paramount Club?"

"I really did want the Paramount Club. Of course, they did encourage me to buy it as well."

At this point, Li Banfeng realized that if Miss Chu managed to survive this, he would need to rethink his impression of her.

Miss Chu looked at Li Banfeng. "Doesn't that make your heart ache a little?"

Li Banfeng rubbed his chest and shook his head. "No. Doesn't hurt."

Miss Chu sat up, glaring at him. "Do you even have a heart? You must have ripped it out and eaten it yourself!"

Li Banfeng stared at the back of Miss Chu's head for a long time.

The swelling there seemed to have disappeared.

He turned his gaze to Cedric. Cedric's cheek was twitching repeatedly, and it was slowly beginning to swell.

He transferred the poison from Miss Chu to himself?

What just happened shouldn't have been possible. As far as Li Banfeng knew, Cedric could only transfer an illness. Poison wasn't something his ability could transfer.

Miss Chu stared at Cedric in surprise. "You cured me?"

Cedric looked at her and smiled. "Miss Chu, I didn't cure you for your sake. Could you leave us alone for a little while? I have something to say to Li Banfeng."

Miss Chu looked at Cedric's condition, then at the way he was looking at Li Banfeng. She stood there stunned for a long moment before lowering her head and walking away, looking dejected.

Cedric turned to Li Banfeng and spoke slowly. "Don't ask me why I did it. I don't need a reason for that."

Li Banfeng gave a slight nod. "I don't have to ask."

Cedric continued, "In your eyes, am I just an obsessive, crazy foreign devil?"

Li Banfeng did not know how to answer.

Cedric's face had swollen badly. The lump on his forehead had nearly covered his eyes, while the swelling in his cheeks had almost buried his lips. "Seeing me like this, doesn't your heart ache a little?"

Li Banfeng pressed a hand to his chest. "It really doesn't hurt."

Cedric looked at Li Banfeng and struggled for breath. "I... I still have one last wish. I... I hope you can help me fulfill it. If anyone ever asks what the Toilblade Ghost's poison is like, you have to tell them..."

"Tell them what?"

"Tell them... it's absolutely delicious!" Cedric drew in a deep breath, and his swollen cheeks slowly began to sink back in. It looked as though he were sucking something out of his own cheeks.

Gulp! Gulp!

Cedric swallowed several mouthfuls of the unknown liquid in succession, and his face gradually returned to normal.

Cedric's face had turned back to normal, but his stomach was now giving him trouble. He clutched his chest and coughed continuously until he finally coughed up blood. Only then did his breathing become a little easier.

"The taste is so primal, yet so pure. It is as perfect as sashimi."

Li Banfeng stared at Cedric and asked, "You managed to neutralize the Toilblade Ghost's poison?"

Cedric shook his head. "That's not exactly right. First of all, it isn't a poison. It's a kind of disease-causing abnormality. In the Outer Provinces, they would call this a prion. Biologists classify prions in different ways, but in my opinion, they are really a form of life.

"Being able to control living abnormalities like this is an important part of my Daoist path. The virus carried by the Toilblade Ghost is extremely powerful. Whether I can keep it under control depends on my strength and my luck. Honestly, I was never capable of doing this on my own, but the founding cultivator's power helped me a lot. I also got very lucky today."

"You have already brought the Toilblade Ghost's virus under control?"

"Not yet." Cedric shook his head. "Things are not as easy as you think. Once someone is infected by the Toilblade Ghost's virus, there's no cure unless the affected limb is cut off. But doesn't this trait sound familiar? Doesn't this remind you of some kind of infectious disease? Or of the founding cultivator of my Daoist path? The disease he inflicts can't be cured either."

Li Banfeng gave a slight nod. If he looked at that one trait alone, there really were some similarities.

Cedric continued, "However, there's one thing we still need to verify. Which came first? Was it the founding cultivator of my Daoist path or the Toilblade Ghost? Puluo Province doesn't have a proper historical record, and even the stories that have survived don't follow any clear timeline. It's very similar to my homeland. The destruction of history is an effective way to strip people of their soul. Still, judging roughly from some of the surviving records, I think Ghostblade Ridge existed before the founding cultivator of my Daoist path."

Li Banfeng said, "So you think the founding cultivator of your Daoist path was a Toilblade Ghost, not the Greenwater Beggar?"

Cedric thought for a moment. "That explanation still isn't quite accurate. Toilblade Ghosts possess a special ability that comes from the prions inside them, and the power of those prions comes from dark matter. Looking at it that way, Toilblade Ghosts could be considered Dark Ability Users. They would be very primitive ones, but they are still a long way from having a Daoist path.

"Back in my homeland, there are many Dark Ability Users like that. They are called witches. They possess dark abilities, but they can't use them freely and have to rely on all kinds of complicated rituals. I know one witch who once spent two whole days preparing a ritual just so she could pass through a wall. For you, the same thing would be nothing more than using a level-four Wanderlust Cultivator ability.

"The witches in my homeland don't even know about the concept of Daoist paths, much less any mature abilities. When they are hunted, they have very few ways to fight back. So the real question is, who created the Daoist path, and who was the founding cultivator of the Disease Cultivator path?"

Cedric's explanation reminded Li Banfeng of what Ling Miaosheng had told him about Inner Amikan, but at this moment, he was more concerned with another question. "You have had your sights set on Ghostblade Ridge since a long time ago, right?"

Cedric nodded.

"Were you the one who moved Ghostblade Ridge here?"

"I don't have that kind of power."

Li Banfeng asked, "You must have been to Ghostblade Ridge before then."

Cedric shook his head. "Ghostblade Ridge is on Sheep Fork Mountain. In Puluo Province, only a special kind of person can climb Sheep Fork Mountain."

"What kind of person?"

"People who can find the entrance to Sheep Fork Mountain. Sheep Fork Mountain is part of the Proper Land. The Proper Land is divided into the Upper Thirty Percent, Central Thirty Percent, and Lower Thirty Percent. Together, those make up ninety percent of the land. The remaining ten percent is known as Uncharted Land, where Sheep Fork Mountain is located."

Li Banfeng was familiar with the concept. Ma Wu had told him about it before.

"Is Sheep Fork Mountain like Bitter Greens Manor?"

"It's like Bitter Greens Manor, but also different," Cedric explained. "Sheep Fork Mountain and Bitter Greens Manor are both within the Uncharted Land, so they are the same in that respect. However, Bitter Greens Manor has entrances everywhere. You can reach it from any territory in Puluo Province.

"Sheep Fork Mountain is the exact opposite. It has no entrance, or rather, no entrance that can be reached by normal means. As for why an entrance suddenly appeared in this part of the New Land, I can't figure that out either."

At that, Cedric suddenly chuckled.

Li Banfeng knew why. "No need to worry about why. This entrance is exactly what you were hoping for. Now you can investigate the origins of your Daoist path."

Cedric nodded. "I have been lucky, but if I really want to get to the bottom of this, I will still need help from a local land deity."

"What does this have to do with a local land deity?"

Cedric stood up and looked toward the distant mountain. "Ghostblade Ridge appearing here is a good thing for everyone else, but for the local land deity, it's a major problem. The local land deity will seal off the entrance to the mountain soon. Once that happens, it will be much harder for me to get up there. Li Banfeng, I saved Miss Chu's life, and Miss Chu saved yours. That basically means I saved your life too. So you have to help me with this."

"How can I help you?"

"Talk to the local land deity for me. Give me three days. During that time, I need to be able to come and go from Ghostblade Ridge freely everyday."

"You need three whole days?"

"I don't have a choice. The Toilblade Ghosts on Ghostblade Ridge only appear during thunderstorms, and I have no idea which day it will rain."

CHOOO-CHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! CHOOO-CHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The train whistle sounded, urging Li Banfeng to hurry back.

Li Banfeng got to his feet. "I will ask him and see if he will give you three days."

Letting Cedric onto the mountain was easy. Sealing the mountain entrance again afterward would be much harder. Yet they couldn't simply leave it open. Otherwise, before long, the entire area would be crawling with Toilblade Ghosts.

Where had Ghostblade Ridge come from in the first place? Was there some way to send it away?

On his way back, Li Banfeng passed Miss Chu's camp and found her packing her things. He cleared his throat. "You saved me just now, and I haven't thanked you yet."

"No need to thank me. Thank the foreigner. One life for another. You and I are even."

Li Banfeng rarely bothered asking such questions, but this time he did. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Miss Chu kept her head down as she packed her clothes. "What else am I supposed to do? I crossed the boundary line, which means my land activation failed. Under the rules of the New Land, I am not allowed to activate any land within fifty kilometers of here anymore."

"There might be some room to negotiate. I will talk to the local land deity. If you stay here and continue the land activation, three days should just about be enough."

Miss Chu stopped packing and set the clothes down. "You know the local land deity?"

"We are on fairly good terms."

"Alright. I will wait to hear from you."

Li Banfeng pulled his hat lower over his face and left.

Sitting alone in the tent, Miss Chu thought back to the way Li Qi had acted just now and couldn't help chuckling. "Still the same old Li Qi."

***

Back in the Pocket Dwelling, the Gramophone was beside herself with worry. "Husband dear, did you go to Ghostblade Ridge?"

Li Banfeng froze. "Wifey, how did you know? Even I didn't realize that mountain was Ghostblade Ridge. The moment I went up there, a thunderstorm broke out and Toilblade Ghosts were running everywhere. I nearly lost my life."

He told her everything that had happened on Ghostblade Ridge and wifey got really scared.

"Husband dear, this was my fault. When you first told me a Brushwork Cultivator had painted a mountain into existence, I really thought it was some technique of his. It wasn't until I saw how quickly your cultivation had risen over the past two days that I started wondering whether you had gone to Ghostblade Ridge."

"Where is Ghostblade Ridge normally? And why did it appear in my domain?"

"Husband dear, no one really knows where Ghostblade Ridge is. There are many things in the Uncharted Land that simply can't be explained. As for why Ghostblade Ridge appeared in your domain, it might have something to do with the Heavenheart Stone."

"Heavenheart Stones can be produced on Ghostblade Ridge?"

"Not exactly. Heavenheart Stones have a way of guiding things to them. I suspect someone deliberately placed one in your territory and used it to draw the entrance to Ghostblade Ridge here."

Li Banfeng rubbed his chin. "Who was trying to set me up?"

Hong Ying said, "It doesn't matter who's behind this. If you send the Heavenheart Stone away, Ghostblade Ridge should follow."

The Pocket Dwelling flew into a rage. "Absolutely not! The Heavenheart Stone has already been built into the station. It's too late to tear it out now."

Glove wriggled out of Li Banfeng's pocket. "Sir, let's be reasonable here. You tore apart the Joysoil station before, and the Joysoil could still be reused. Why can't the Heavenheart Stone be taken out too?"

The Pocket Dwelling gave a cold snort. "Because this is Artificer Cultivator work! What would a little thief like you know about it?"

Li Banfeng was still wondering who had planted the Heavenheart Stone there in the first place.

Were they targeting me? Could word have already gotten out that I am the local land deity?

"Wifey, is there any way to seal off the entrance to Ghostblade Ridge for now? There are a few things I want to investigate."

"Erm..." Wifey felt a little troubled.

Hong Ying shook her head. "You can't keep people out. No matter what you do, there will always be someone willing to risk their life to get up there."

"What's so great about that place? Why is everyone so desperate to go?"

"Darling Qi, Ghostblade Ridge is an excellent place for cultivation. Wanderlust Cultivators can seek out dangerous terrain there, Literary Cultivators can find inspiration, Martial Cultivators can temper their bodies against the yin energy, and Nightfiend Cultivators can gather that energy and command departed spirits. If I remember correctly, cultivators from thirty-three different Daoist paths can benefit greatly from the mountain. Their cultivation can advance at an astonishing pace once they're up there. How many people do you think could resist that?"

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. The more he heard, the more troublesome the situation seemed.

Still, Hong Ying had given him an important clue. She knew about Ghostblade Ridge, but not the Greenwater Beggar. That made it very likely that Ghostblade Ridge had existed before the Greenwater Beggar, which meant Cedric's guess had been right.

The Gramophone tried to reassure him. "Husband dear, the Toilblade Ghosts all want to return to Ghostblade Ridge. They usually don't stray far from the mountain, so there's no need to worry too much."

It was true. The Toilblade Ghosts that had chased Li Banfeng hadn't strayed far from Ghostblade Ridge. But if Ghostblade Ridge remained there, any aberrant creature unable to resist the temptation would try to climb it, and very few would make it back alive.

Once word spread, there was no telling how many people would come in search of Ghostblade Ridge. With so many eyes drawn to Li Banfeng's territory, it would only be a matter of time before Li Furong's identity was exposed as well.

Just when Li Banfeng couldn't think of any solution, the Pocket Dwelling spoke up. "There are still two Heavenheart Stones left. We might be able to use them. Pick a place, and I will find a way to send Ghostblade Ridge there."

Send it away? But where could he possibly send it?

***

"I told you to bring Ghostblade Ridge here. Where did you end up sending it?"

At the Sage's residence on Sage's Peak, the Sage sat in his study, waiting for Chu Shaoqiang to give him a reasonable explanation.

Chu Shaoqiang, seated opposite him, replied, "Something went wrong along the way, and the Heavenheart Stone that was guiding it suddenly went missing."

The Sage asked, "Where did it go missing?"

"Most likely somewhere in the New Land. I am still investigating."

"How long will it take for you to find anything from your investigation?"

Chu Shaoqiang really didn't like the Sage's attitude, but given the Sage's status, he still kept himself in check.

"Three days at most. I will give you an answer by then."

Author's Note:

PS: What does the Sage want with Ghostblade Ridge?