Chapter 18: Choosing a Daoist Path

For most people in Huan, buying a house was the greatest challenge in life, without question. And it always came with a crucial dilemma: where should the house be located?

Li Banfeng wondered.

Should I buy a place in Yuezhou City or in Medicine King Gully? No, Yuezhou City is impossible. Just thinking about the price crushes my will to live. Maybe I should just buy a house here in Medicine King Gully and settle down for good.

As Li Banfeng mulled it over, he looked around at the lush greenery and blooming red flowers and thought,

Living here might not be so bad. Maybe the housing prices in Medicine King Gully aren't that high.

He slipped a hand into his pocket to feel the two thousand yuan and tried to guess what kind of house that amount could buy. The rickshaw ride alone had already cost him about five hundred...

"Do Homebound Cultivators really have no special skills if they don't have a house yet?" he asked.

"You mean abilities?" Ma Wu thought for a moment before answering. "They do have a few. Once they've started Homebound Cultivation, even without a house, their bodies become stronger than those of ordinary people. And they're especially good at hiding in plain sight."

"What do you mean by hiding in plain sight?" Li Banfeng asked.

"Homebound Cultivators never stand out. In a crowd, people naturally ignore them. They can slip past surveillance, and at higher levels, even escape the senses of Sound Cultivators."

Evading surveillance... that would be really useful for me!

Li Banfeng was leaning toward Homebound Cultivation.

However, Chubby Qin reminded him, "Brother Li, if you choose that path, how will you make a living? Everyone who chooses this path comes from a wealthy family. They never have to worry about food or clothing."

Li Banfeng glanced at Chubby Qin and said, "Do I look like someone who worries about food and clothing?"

Actually, I am that kind of person right now. That really is a problem. Homebound Cultivators can't even leave the house to work? Do they really have to stay indoors all the time? Worst case, I could always find a remote job. But does this place even have internet?

In the long run, Homebound Cultivation really does seem to have the greatest restrictions for future growth. Maybe I should consider becoming a Wanderlust Cultivator instead.

"Do Wanderlust Cultivators have abilities too?"

"Yes, they do." Ma Wu nodded. "Wanderlust Cultivators are quick on their feet, but they have to walk every single day. They cannot stop. The higher their level, the farther they must travel. That is why they do not keep a fixed residence. They stay wherever their feet take them."

Considering his current situation, if he had to walk every day, it would only draw the attention of the Dark Star Bureau and could easily lead to his death. In the long run, Wanderlust Cultivators also faced livelihood problems since they had to keep moving. Unless they found work as a tour guide, survival would be difficult.

Should I become a Hedonism Cultivator with Ma Wu?

Li Banfeng thought.

Regarding this, Ma Wu fully approved. "Brother Li, with your strong build, you would be well suited for the life of a Hedonist Cultivator. Hedonist Cultivators are skilled at confusing the mind. They can even inflict serious injuries on enemies without them realizing it."

Li Banfeng thought,

This sounds like a good path too.

However, Ma Wu brought up a very serious issue.

"Brother Li, how resilient is your partner? Can they handle it?"

Partner?

Li Banfeng thought.

"I don't have a partner!"

Ma Wu raised his brows. "If you're still single, that's a problem. One-night stands aren't a long-term solution."

This was the reality. Ma Wu never lacked women, but Li Banfeng wasn't in the same situation.

Should he go back to the university and try to find Ms. Song? But he couldn't return to school any time soon. Even if he did, no teacher could handle doing it ten times a day.

As Li Banfeng wrestled with the thought, a bold idea struck him. "Can I choose multiple Daoist paths?"

If he could, then he could cultivate several paths at once, claim the abilities of each, and later decide which one suited him best.

Chubby Qin shook his head with a chuckle. "Do you think the heavens let you have it that easy? Most people can't even master one path, and you're talking about cultivating more than one?"

However, Ma Wu didn't laugh. He had heard of such things before. "Taking on several paths is impossible. But taking on one more, known as dual cultivation, has happened before. Even so, it was usually out of necessity, and it is rare for those people to achieve anything.

"Think about it. Cultivating a single path already takes immense effort. For instance, a Gourmandism Cultivator must eat at least two and a half kilograms of rice a day. If they were also an Inebriate Cultivator, they would also have to drink another one and a half to two and a half kilograms of liquor. Just cultivating in accordance with the proper order of the path would already be very exhausting."

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you have to cultivate both paths at the same time? Can't you just drop one halfway?"

"Of course not! Once you choose two Daoist paths, you must commit to both. If you neglect one and only cultivate the other, it could cost you your life. That is why the two paths in a dual cultivation must share similar traits and complement each other. If they do not align, the clash could kill the cultivator on the spot."

After hearing that, Li Banfeng immediately abandoned the idea of dual cultivation. If both paths had to be cultivated at the same time, choosing dual cultivation would be foolish and unrealistic. Ma Wu was right. No one had the energy to cultivate two Daoist paths at the same time. If it were Gourmandism Cultivation and Inebriate Cultivation, there might have been a chance, since those two paths shared similar traits and complemented each other. But among the types of Activation Powder offered by the Peddler, none of them seemed complementary.

Then Ma Wu asked, "To cultivate two Daoist paths, you also need strong Dao affinity. Brother Li, how strong is your Dao affinity?"

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "What is Dao affinity?"

Seeing the confusion on Li Banfeng's face, both Ma Wu and Chubby Qin froze.

Chubby Qin was stunned. "You don't even know what Dao affinity is? Why would you come here to buy Activation Powder without it? That's basically asking to die!"

Seeing that Li Banfeng still didn't understand, Ma Wu explained, "Dao affinity is your foundation. To build mine, I spent a fortune on water from the Fountain of Wisdom and Clarity, and I drank over thirty liters just to solidify it."

Chubby Qin snorted. "I'm not some rich guy. I tried every remedy I could find, from minor tonics to stronger ones. It took me five years before I finally dared to visit the Peddler and buy Activation Powder."

Even after hearing their explanations, Li Banfeng still didn't understand what Dao affinity was. He asked, "Can you only gain Dao affinity through special medicine?"

"Medicine?" Ma Wu repeated, thinking the word wasn't quite suitable.

Chubby Qin understood what Li Banfeng meant. "You don't necessarily need to take medicine. You can also go to certain places to accumulate Dao affinity. The Three-Headed Fork is one such place!"

At the mention of Three-Headed Fork, Li Banfeng shivered.

Growing a third head just for Dao affinity doesn't sound like a good deal.

He asked cautiously, "Is Dao affinity absolutely necessary?"

Chubby Qin replied, "Of course! Do you think anyone can just walk up to the Peddler, buy some medicine, and become a cultivator? The accumulation of Dao affinity is a fortuity! A fortuity that comes but once in a lifetime! Cultivators are the dragons and phoenixes among men!"

Dragons and phoenixes among men? That sounds like too much. I'm pretty sure that rickshaw driver earlier was a cultivator too. Is he a dragon among men?

Ma Wu looked at Li Banfeng. "I wouldn't call myself a dragon among men, but you'd best never set foot in Three-Headed Fork. You might not make it back. Let's leave everything else aside. The foundation of cultivation is no small matter. Brother Li, do you have Dao affinity? If not, you'd better not be reckless. This is a matter of life and death."

After pondering for a long time in silence, Li Banfeng asked, "Does being struck by the Heavenly Light count as Dao affinity?"

"You were struck by Heavenly Light?" Ma Wu, who had been clutching his chest in pain, suddenly dropped his hand and stood up.

Chubby Qin stood up as well. "When were you exposed to Heavenly Light?"

Li Banfeng thought back. "Around two in the afternoon."

Chubby Qin glanced at the setting sun, while Ma Wu took out a gold-cased pocket watch.

Ma Wu took several steps back. Chubby Qin followed suit, edging closer to him.

"Brother Li, how are you still standing?" Ma Wu asked.

Li Banfeng forced a laugh. "So if you're struck by Heavenly Light but don't choose a Daoist path, you're doomed to die?" Ma Wu nodded. "Brother Li, that's exactly right."

Chubby Qin retreated two more steps. "It's not only that you'll die. You could drag others down with you. I'd better get going."

Holding his stomach, Chubby Qin staggered off into the distance.

The Peddler called after him, "It hasn't even been half an hour!"

Chubby Qin waved him off. "It's fine. Close enough is good enough."

Two attendants supported Ma Wu as he prepared to leave. Seeing Li Banfeng still at the same spot, Ma Wu turned back to warn him. "Brother Li, don't waste another second. Enter a Daoist path now. If you are even a step too late, you could explode. And no one knows what might come out of that explosion, or how many people you might harm. This is a matter of life and death. You cannot afford to delay."

Li Banfeng asked, "If I have been exposed to Heavenly Light, does that mean I have strong Dao affinity?"

"Strong! Very strong!" Ma Wu replied as he walked away. "Brother Li, forget about cultivating two paths at the same time. Just focus on staying alive for now!"

***

The two men left one after another, while the Peddler continued tending to his business.

A woman in her fifties bought a jar of snow moisturizing cream from him, then asked for a small sample and rubbed it onto her face. "Don't mind me. I just need to see if this stuff is the real deal."

The Peddler chuckled. "Oh, come now, sister. Once you put on my snow moisturizing cream, your skin will be plump and full of moisture."

"You and that sweet mouth of yours." The woman laughed as she walked away.

Snow moisturizing cream was an old skincare classic. It was pretty much the same as modern face cream, mainly used to keep the skin from drying or cracking. Back at the orphanage, Li Banfeng had seen a jar of it in Granny Wu's room, and he had even smeared some on his own face once or twice.

However, the Peddler's snow moisturizing cream was something else. After the woman applied it, her face truly did look more radiant. That must have been why she had come all the way into the wilderness just to buy from him.

By now, the sky was darkening, and the last of the customers had gone.

The Peddler turned back to Li Banfeng. "Have you decided? The soul-returning soup can only keep you alive for four hours. You don't have much time left."

With that, the Peddler waved his hand, and a row of drawers slid open from the cart, each one filled with powders of different colors. He was urging Li Banfeng to apply a powder immediately.

Time really was running out. Li Banfeng had drunk the soul-returning soup just before three in the afternoon, and now it was nearly seven.

Li Banfeng had made up his mind. He would walk the path of Wanderlust Cultivation.

Though he preferred the Homebound path deep down, buying a house was far too difficult. For the sake of his future cultivation, Wanderlust Cultivation was the most logical choice.

"I choose Wanderlust Cultivation."

Just as Li Banfeng finished speaking, someone shouted from behind, "I need the soul-returning soup! I need the soul-returning soup!"

When Li Banfeng turned, he saw a figure that struck him as both familiar and unfamiliar. The figure was familiar because Li Banfeng had seen him countless times on the news, yet unfamiliar because he had never seen him in the flesh.

It was the legendary sprinter Qiao Yuesheng! With powerful and agile strides, he charged toward Li Banfeng.

In the glow of the setting sun, his body blurred, leaving afterimages trailing in the air. At such speed, Li Banfeng was sure he could break a world record. But that wasn't the point!

The point was that he barreled straight into Li Banfeng, smashing into him with full force. The impact launched Li Banfeng through the air, sending him hurtling toward the Peddler's cart.

The Peddler scrambled to pull the drawers back, but he was a heartbeat too late.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Li Banfeng slammed into the cart.

Two drawers failed to close in time, and the powders inside burst into the air. The scatter of blue Wanderlust Cultivation powder and golden Homebound Cultivation powder landed all over Li Banfeng's face. Immediately, a wave of unbearable pain tore through him, and he blacked out at once.

The Peddler glanced at Li Banfeng, then turned to look at Qiao Yuesheng.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Qiao Yuesheng grabbed the peddler by the shoulder, tears streaming from his eyes. "I need soul-returning soup! I need soul-returning soup!"

The veins under his skin swelled, some already starting to rupture. His face contorted with desperation as he looked at the Peddler, pleading with everything he had.

The Peddler fixed his gaze on Qiao Yuesheng, his brows knitting tighter with each passing moment. After a long silence, he spoke in an icy voice, "You've harmed his life and ruined my reputation. How do you plan to repay this debt?"