Chapter 16: Cultivators Across the Land

Agrarian Cultivator. Hedonism Cultivator. Gourmandism Cultivator. Wanderlust Cultivator. Homebound Cultivator.

Li Banfeng had never even heard of these terms before. Yet now, he was being asked to choose one.

Monkey Qiu set Li Banfeng down against a tree, leaving him half-reclined on the trunk, and said to the Peddler, "He can't move right now. Give him a bowl of soul-returning soup first."

"Give?" The Peddler shook his head. "Nothing here is free."

Monkey Qiu reached into the inside pocket of his suit, feeling around. "I'll cover it, but I didn't bring much cash today, so just put it on my tab."

From the lower shelf of his wooden cabinet, the Peddler took out a clay pot. He measured out medicinal herbs and water, poured them inside, and set the pot over a charcoal fire to brew.

As he fanned the flames at a steady pace, he asked, "Monkey Qiu, what's your relationship with this fellow? Why are you being so nice to him?"

Monkey Qiu gave a simple reply. "He gave me food."

The Peddler asked again, "And who's going to pay for the Activation Powder?"

"I'll pay," Monkey Qiu said. "Let him choose whichever path he wants."

Then Monkey Qiu pulled out a left hand from his pocket. Half of it had already been eaten away.

So it was him!

Li Banfeng suddenly realized that this Monkey Qiu was the very man who had begged him for food on the train.

At the time, the man had spoken in such a low voice that Li Banfeng hadn't recognized him. He had given him two cup noodles, never expecting that this small act would save his life.

"Got any medicine? Help me reattach the hand," Monkey Qiu said, handing the severed hand to the Peddler.

After examining the severed hand, the Peddler looked reluctant to deal with it. "Don't you know that legendary physician from Medicine King Gully? Get him to do it. He's highly skilled."

Monkey Qiu had indeed planned to seek out that physician to reattach his hand, but since he had run into the Peddler, he didn't want to owe the doctor another favor. Favors were hard to repay, but the Peddler's prices were fair and honest.

Monkey Qiu chuckled. "Since I'm already here, I'll just get you to do it."

"Your hand's already like this, and you still insist on having me fix it!" the Peddler grumbled as he rummaged through the cabinet for herbal plasters. "Do you know how many herbal plasters I'll have to use? Next time, tell your wife to gnaw only on the flesh to fool her stomach into thinking she's full. Don't let her chew through the tendons too..."

Li Banfeng lay half-reclined beneath the tree, watching as the Peddler pulled out several plasters.

For the first time ever, Monkey Qiu pulled his left hand from his pocket—or rather, his left wrist.

"Hold it in place yourself first!" the Peddler said as he roasted the plaster over the fire.

Immediately, Monkey Qiu used his right hand to press the severed left hand against his wrist. Once the herbal plaster was ready, the Peddler stepped forward and bound it around the wrist in several layers, as though taping the hand back into place.

It stuck? Does that actually work? If they want to glue it back on, shouldn't they at least dab some spit on it first?

Li Banfeng thought. He had seen many unbelievable things on this journey, but watching a hand reattached like this still felt absurd.

That thought made Li Banfeng worry about his own condition. As of now, he could only manage four or five breaths a minute, and in that same span, his heart barely beat twenty times.

Wait... did his pinky just twitch? Is something wrong with my eyes? No. My eyes are fine.

It wasn't just Monkey Qiu's pinky. All five fingers were moving, even the ring finger that had been nothing but bone.

His hand actually got reattached!

"It's only just been reattached. Don't move it yet!" the Peddler instructed. He brought over some medicinal powder, applied it to Monkey Qiu's left hand, and bound it tightly with gauze.

"Don't get it wet for ten days, and don't remove the plaster for a month. Next time we meet, remember to bring the money so we can settle the bill."

Monkey Qiu gave a nod, then climbed into a rickshaw and left.

He left! What about me?

Li Banfeng stared nervously at the Peddler.

The Peddler checked the fire, then grabbed the clay pot with a rag for protection and lifted it off the charcoal before pouring the herbal soup into a bowl.

"Young fella, time for your medicine," the Peddler said. He took out a funnel, pushed it into Li Banfeng's mouth, held it steady with one hand, and poured the soup with the other.

A warm current flowed through Li Banfeng's stomach, and his eyelids soon grew heavy. He drifted into sleep. When he opened his eyes again an hour later, he realized that his body could move again.

The Peddler was occupied with a customer, serving a young man of eighteen or nineteen who was buying Activation Powder. The young man stood about 170 cm tall and weighed nearly the same in kilograms. His face was as round as his body. Squinting his small eyes, he made his choice with grave seriousness.

"Gourmandism Cultivator! That's my choice!"

"Deal!" the Peddler exclaimed with a wave. He pulled open a drawer on the upper shelf of the cabinet, scooped out a spoonful of powder with a small wooden spoon, wrapped it in kraft paper, and handed it to the chubby fellow.

The chubby fellow handed over sixty thousand Huan yuan, unwrapped the kraft paper, and was about to toss the powder into his mouth when the Peddler suddenly shouted, "Hold it!"

The chubby fellow glared. "What! I already paid! Are you trying to raise the price now?"

The Peddler just stared at the chubby fellow and gave no response.

Behind him, a well-dressed man who had also come to buy Activation Powder chuckled. "You really don't know anything. The Peddler just saved your life!"

The man looked to be in his twenties, handsome and refined. He wore a top hat, a tailored suit with a vest over his shirt, and a tie at his collar. Behind him stood five attendants and a coachman, a clear sign that he was no ordinary man.

The chubby fellow turned around and said, "I paid for it, so why won't he let me eat it?"

The man gave him a look of pure disdain. "You want to eat that? This is a guiding agent refined through generations by countless venerable predecessors. Its power is far too great. If you swallow it directly, it will rip your intestines apart!"

While tidying up his stock, the Peddler said, "You're supposed to apply this powder to your skin. It's not meant to be eaten."

The chubby fellow froze, holding the packet in confusion. "Where do I apply it?"

The Peddler answered, "As long as it's on your skin, you can rub it anywhere. Just choose whatever's convenient."

The well-dressed man reminded him, "Just apply it where your body is thicker. This stuff burns! I once met a lady who rubbed it on her plump buttocks, which were over one foot thick, and she was in so much pain that she couldn't walk!"

"I'm not afraid of pain!" the chubby fellow declared, lifting his shirt to show his pale belly. He turned to the Peddler and asked, "After I apply this, I'll become a level-one Gourmandism Cultivator, right?"

The Peddler shook his head. "You've got it wrong again. This powder only guides you to start your cultivation journey. It won't raise your level."

The chubby fellow snapped, "What a scam! This powder costs so much, and it won't even get me to level one?"

The Peddler closed the drawer, unwilling to explain further.

The wealthy man behind him grew impatient. "If you don't know anything, then ask someone who does. Stop making a fool of yourself! This powder only helps you start cultivating. Advancing isn't that simple. To reach the first level, you have to cross the threshold."

The chubby fellow looked confused. "What threshold?"

The wealthy man couldn't remember clearly. "For Gourmandism Cultivators... I think it has something to do with eating a lot."

The Peddler said, "To reach the first level as a Gourmandism Cultivator, you must eat ten kilograms[1] of food in one sitting."

"Ten kilograms..." The chubby fellow's face tensed. "How long is one sitting? A whole day counts, right?"

The Peddler shook his head. "What are you thinking? One sitting means an hour. Anything beyond that doesn't count."

Upon hearing this, the chubby fellow felt troubled as he thought,

How can anyone eat ten kilograms of food in just one hour?

Seeing the chubby fellow remain silent, the Peddler waved his hand, and sixty thousand yuan appeared once more in his palm. "If you regret it now, there's still a chance to turn back. I'll give you your money back."

The chubby fellow clenched his teeth and slapped the powder onto his belly.

As soon as the powder touched his skin, it vanished instantly. The chubby fellow's face went pale, and he staggered over to the tree and sat down beside Li Banfeng.

"It hurts! It really fucking hurts!"

"How bad is it?" Li Banfeng asked curiously.

The chubby fellow's face twisted in pain as he cried out, "Worse than being burned! I can't take it, I really can't!"

The wealthy young man stared at the chubby fellow's suffering. His expression turned somewhat conflicted, and he muttered, "No matter what, I'll have to endure this pain. Bring it on!"

He stepped up to the Peddler and said, "I want the powder for Hedonism Cultivation."

The Peddler glanced at the wealthy young man. "You don't seem like someone in need of money. Why choose the path of Hedonism Cultivation?"

The wealthy young man said, "This path resonates with my heart more than any other."

The Peddler chuckled. "Why not choose the path of a Homebound Cultivator? You could just lie around at home and still grow your cultivation."

The wealthy man shook his head. "I'm not the type to sit still. Enough talk. I want to be a Hedonism Cultivator!"

The Peddler said, "Let me remind you. If you wish to advance in Hedonism Cultivation, you must do it ten times a day without a single break. Only by keeping it up for two full months can you reach the first level."

Li Banfeng stared in disbelief.

Ten times a day? Is that really what I'm thinking? Surely not... Because ten times a day for two whole months... Just how fierce is this wealthy young man?

"I know the rules!" the wealthy young man said.

At his signal, an attendant brought over fifty thousand Huan yuan, which he passed to the Peddler. After taking the money, the Peddler wrapped up a packet of powder and passed it to him.

An attendant beside the wealthy man urged in a low voice, "Young Master, apply it to your buttocks. This powder really hurts."

The young man snorted. "You want me to take off my pants in front of so many people? What kind of man do you think I am?"

He undid the top button of his shirt and slapped the powder onto his chest. The moment the powder touched his flesh, his legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.

Several attendants stepped forward to support him, but the wealthy young man waved them off. "No need. I can still stand."

He staggered to the tree and sat down beside Li Banfeng. Sweat streamed down his face, yet he clenched his teeth and uttered not a sound.

Li Banfeng was baffled. "My friends, if this medicine hurts that much, why not wait until you're home to apply it? At least then someone could take care of you."

By now, the chubby fellow had recovered somewhat. Seeing someone even more clueless than himself gave him a sudden sense of superiority, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You really don't know anything, do you? This is the Peddler's rule. If you buy the Activation Powder, you have to apply it on the spot. You can only leave if nothing unusual happens within half an hour. Otherwise, he won't take responsibility for whatever happens after."

The wealthy man winced through the pain as he glanced at Li Banfeng's clothes. "Friend, you don't dress like you are from here."

The chubby fellow looked puzzled as well. "Did you just get off the train? I heard people say that anyone who steps off that train has been to the immortal realm above the nine heavens!"

The wealthy youth shook his head. "It's not the immortal realm above the nine heavens. It's just the Outer Provinces. I haven't been there myself, but someone in my family has.

"My surname is Ma, and I'm the fifth child in my family. People who know me well call me Ma Wu[2]. How should I address you two?"

Despite his privileged background, this young master was not stuck up at all.

The chubby fellow cupped his hands. "My surname is Qin, and I am the ninth child in my family. People who know me call me Chubby Qin."

Chubby Qin? What does this name have to do with being the ninth child?

Li Banfeng wondered before saying, "My surname is Li, and I am the seventh child in my family. People who know me call me Li Qi[3]."

Ma Wu froze for a moment and muttered, "Five, seven, nine?"

Chubby Qin grinned. "All odd numbers in sequence! It must be fate that brought us together!"

Maybe it really was fate that made Ma Wu start a conversation. "Brother Li, may I ask which Daoist path you've chosen?"

"Daoist path?" Li Banfeng asked, not quite understanding.

Ma Wu paused for a moment before realizing why Li Banfeng was confused. "I remember now. In the Outer Provinces, they don't call it the Daoist path. They call it a profession. And cultivators are not called practitioners; they are known as Dark Ability Users."

Dark Ability Users!

Li Banfeng had heard of this term before. The ones from the Dark Star Bureau who had pursued him and wanted him dead were all Dark Ability Users.

What profession does that lightbulb-eyed man who oozes oil belong to? He must be a Gourmandism Cultivator. He probably swallowed so much oil that it's seeped out through his skin.

Jiaqing might be a Dark Ability User as well. If he can monitor things from a distance, then what profession does that make him?

So the activation of cultivation here just means becoming a Dark Ability User, and this Peddler in front is the one selling the medicine that transforms people into Dark Ability Users.

It seemed the Peddler not only sold this powder but also daily necessities. An old man came to buy candles, and a child came to buy rock sugar.

There was also a woman who brought her own porcelain jar to buy snow moisturizing cream. She handed the Peddler a silver coin, and after checking it, he filled her jar to the brim.

While the Peddler was busy serving customers, Ma Wu asked again, "Brother Li, what profession did you choose?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I haven't decided yet."

Ma Wu took a canteen from one of his attendants and drank a sip. Seizing the moment as the pain eased, he offered Li Banfeng a word of advice. "If you haven't made up your mind, then don't act rashly. This Peddler only brought five kinds of powder. If none of them feel right, just wait for the next chance. Once you choose a profession, there's no turning back."

Li Banfeng was even more surprised. "Agrarian Cultivator, Hedonism Cultivator, Gourmandism Cultivator, Wanderlust Cultivator, Homebound Cultivator... are there really cultivation paths beyond those five?"

"Of course!" Chubby Qin's eyes lit up with excitement. "There are Literary Cultivators, Martial Cultivators, Poison Cultivators, Medicine Cultivators, Spycraft Cultivators, Mentalism Cultivators, Entomic Cultivators, Sylvan Cultivators, Smoking Cultivators, Inebriate Cultivators, Love Cultivators, Sleepbound Cultivators... There are hundreds of cultivation paths in this world, and countless cultivators beneath the sky!"

1. This would be 22lbs. ☜

2. The "Wu" means five. ☜

3. The "Qi" means seven ☜