Chapter 201: Into the Tiger’s Den

"Old Wu, do you know what Old Land is?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Of course I do. Old Land is a fine place to make money."

"And how exactly does it make money?"

"Well, the way it works is like this. First you have to get that thing, and then..." Ma Wu suddenly stopped. His eyes slid toward the side of the hall, and his face twisted in discomfort. "Old Qi, if we are going to talk about business, could we please send the band outside first?"

Ma Wu could not take it anymore. The two of them were trying to discuss serious, secret, money-making matters. Yet right beside them, Li Banfeng had stationed a band that was making a racket loud enough to scare the birds out of the trees.

It might have been bearable if they could actually play. Instead, the drummer kept dropping the beat, and the trumpet player blasted notes so crooked that the poor tune never stood a chance.

Li Banfeng knew perfectly well that the band was terrible. That was not the point. They were there for the atmosphere. "Bear with it for now. I will recruit a few more musicians in a few days."

"Don't you still have a gramophone? Why not use that to play music instead?"

"That gramophone has another use. I will tell you about it later. Let's talk about Old Land first."

Ma Wu frowned. "Old Qi, what I am about to say are secrets for making money. Are you sure you want them listening in?"

Li Banfeng immediately sent the band outside. When it came to matters that required secrecy, there was no room for carelessness.

Ma Wu then began explaining the nature of Old Land. Compared to Zuo Wugang, he was far better at putting things into words. The concepts he described were largely the same as Wifey's, but his focus was different. He was explaining how people made money from it.

"In Old Land, making money works differently than in New Land. In New Land, you harvest things. Some are alive and some are dead. In Old Land, what you harvest are things with spirit essence. They are either living spirit or hollow spirit."

Li Banfeng had heard the terms "living essence" and "empty essence" before, but it was clear that Ma Wu was not using them in their literal sense.

"In Old Land, human presence fades away and only ghostly auras remain," Ma Wu said. "The wandering souls that have lingered in the mortal world for years can stay there without restriction.

"When those souls stay in the Old Land long enough, living there freely, their thoughts begin to change. Little by little, they start believing they are still human.

"Once a soul begins to think of itself as human, it forgets the methods used to preserve a soul. As the years pass, the soul slowly dissipates, and what remains behind is its essence.

"That essence is called empty essence. It is an excellent material for refining enchanted artifacts and spirit-bound items."

Li Banfeng understood this part.

Before the Crimson Lotus could refine an enchanted artifact, his wifey first had to devour the soul, leaving behind only the spirit essence. Only then could an imprint be left on the artifact, allowing it to be controlled more easily.

Ma Wu continued, "Some wandering souls haven't been in Old Land for long, or they were born knowing how to protect their souls. Because of that, their souls remain intact. We call those living spirits."

"Living spirits can't be used to refine enchanted artifacts or spirit-bound items. Even if you manage to refine something from them, it won't obey you. However, they are the true source of danger in the Old Land."

"Among hunters, there's a saying: better to roam New Land for ten years than walk Old Land for a single day. It means that Old Land is far more dangerous than New Land.

"Most aberrant creatures in New Land lack intelligence. Even the few with some sense are still no match for humans. On top of that, they are restricted by the land deity, so they don't dare stray too far.

"But Old Land is different. Hollow spirits are only slightly less intelligent than humans, while living spirits possess intelligence equal to humans. After existing for so many years, many of them are even more cunning than ordinary people.

"Nine out of ten hunters who enter Old Land end up dead. And most hunters don't even have the means to collect empty essence.

"The Spiky Swallower bead we hunted earlier is excellent for capturing spirit essence. But a high-quality bead costs hundreds of thousands. What ordinary hunter could afford that?

"And even if a hunter has an artifact capable of capturing spirit essence, even if he is clever and skilled enough to catch it, that still doesn't mean he will make any money."

Li Banfeng frowned. "How could that

not

make money? From what I know, even a single spirit-bound item sells for more than ten thousand silver dollars. Enchanted artifacts cost even more!

"And spirit essence is the key ingredient for both. If someone put it up for sale, the price would be outrageous. A hundred thousand in Huan currency wouldn't surprise me. Honestly, even a million wouldn't be that shocking."

Ma Wu nodded. "Sure, it might sell for a hundred thousand. Maybe even a million. But first you have to pay the toll.

"Old Land isn't some open road. Bandits guard the main routes. When hunters go in, they must pay to come back out. No money? Then they hand over whatever spirit essence they managed to scrape together.

"And mind you, going into Old Land and coming back empty-handed meant that you would be losing a lot. But even if a hunter somehow brings back a single hollow spirit, that still ends up in the bandit leader's hands."

"Old Qi, if you are thinking about hunting in Old Land, drop that idea right now," Ma Wu said. "We are not short on money, and it's not worth risking your life for it."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm not thinking about hunting. I'm thinking about revenge. I squeezed a bit of information out of the Three Heroes of Iron Goat."

"Lu Xiaolan is now the big thousand-spiker on Iron Goat Mountain. Iron Goat Mountain sent her to sweep our territory, and they nearly succeeded. This grudge has to be repaid.

"If we don't strike back, they will come again. And next time, they will hit even harder.

Li Banfeng was certain of it. Lu Xiaolan would never give up. For the sake of the Crimson Lotus, she would keep hounding them.

Ma Wu fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "This grudge does have to be settled. The problem is how."

"If the bandits from Iron Goat Mountain show up right in front of us, then we fight them to the death.

"If they come out of the Old Land, we will have a chance to strike. But if they hide inside Old Land, there's nothing we can do."

"Back then, the He Family captured a great yao in Old Land and passed by Iron Goat Mountain without informing Rong Yeguang. In the end, the great yao was robbed from them.

Li Banfeng asked, "What is a great yao?"

"A great yao is also a type of empty essence. It forms when dozens, even hundreds, of wandering souls gather together. Over many years, they merge and eventually become a special kind of empty essence."

"The He Family went through great trouble to capture that great yao. After it was stolen, they flew into a rage and led people to attack Iron Goat Mountain. They fought for half a month but still failed to take it."

"That was the He Family. Even they couldn't take it back. What chance do we have?"

"The bandits have lived in Old Land for years," Ma Wu said. "They know the roads, they know the people, and they know all the rules. Trying to enter Old Land and attack their mountain stronghold is nothing but a fantasy."

"We still have to go once," Li Banfeng said. "Even if we can't beat them, we should at least find out where they are hiding. Then we can settle the score when the chance comes."

He had already set his sights on Iron Goat Mountain.

"I honestly don't know where Iron Goat Mountain is. I will ask around."

Ma Wu went off to gather information about Iron Goat Mountain. Meanwhile, Li Banfeng pushed the gramophone across the territory, pulling out the baited hooks one by one.

He set the record on the turntable, wound the spring tight, placed the needle, flipped the switch, and then shoved the gramophone forward before breaking into a sprint.

「 Fake and phony, fake and phony,

Why pretend so much in life?

If you want to look, if you insist,

Then look well and see it right! ♪」

Li Banfeng shot past the warehouse like a gust of wind. Little Chuan stared after him in confusion and muttered, "What's gotten into Master Qi?"

Bang!

Something exploded inside the warehouse.

Amid the music, another baited hook was pulled free.

Nearby, Little Gen was busy preparing his precious "golden" juice.. And just as he had guessed earlier, the moment the golden juice of aberrant creatures mixed with that of ordinary people, a tiny change appeared.

His cultivation was speeding up nicely now. In fact, Little Gen was already thinking about going back to the Peddler and buying himself a third bucket.

Up ahead lay a particularly fine pile. It had just the right warmth, and the purity was excellent. There were barely any impurities mixed in at all.

Just as Little Gen was about to step forward, Li Banfeng suddenly rushed ahead of him.

Squash.

The beautiful pile was flattened under Li Banfeng's foot.

Little Gen felt terrible about missing out on that lovely pile of dung. He stood there staring at the shoe print stamped right on top of it. After a moment, he reluctantly collected it anyway.

"What's gotten into Master Qi?" he muttered. "Why's he so flashy today?"

Flashy was exactly the word for it.

A gigantic pinwheel had been tied behind the gramophone, spinning round and round without stopping. It whirled so fast it made the whole thing look ridiculous. And it wasn't just the gramophone that was flashy. The song was even flashier.

"The Pretender" was a must-play song in every dance hall. The tune was catchy, the lyrics were catchy, and most of all, Wifey sang it with tremendous spirit. Her playful, charming voice rang out and spread across the entire territory.

By the time one song finished playing, Li Banfeng had already covered most of the territory.

Of course, playing that song came at a price. After each performance, the gramophone had to rest for three full days.

Li Banfeng kept careful count. By the time he finished his round, he had pulled out six baited hooks.

They had most likely been left behind when Lu Xiaolan sneaked in earlier. She had clearly invested quite a bit in this little operation.

Spycraft Cultivators were an absolute nuisance to guard against. Slippery, sneaky, and always leaving something unpleasant behind. From now on, the area would need far more frequent sweeps.

Li Banfeng returned the gramophone to his Pocket Dwelling. After spending half a day wandering around the area and building up enough cultivation progress, he finally walked to Zuo Wugang's door and pushed it open.

Inside, Zuo Wugang was practicing martial arts with a centipede maiden. The exchange looked fierce. They advanced, retreated, and clashed again. Judging by the pace, it seemed they had only just begun.

Seeing this, Li Banfeng quietly stepped aside to give them some privacy.

Less than a minute later, the centipede maiden left.

Li Banfeng stepped into the room and asked, "Do you know where Iron Goat Mountain is?"

Zuo Wugang was hurriedly putting his clothes back on. Since he knew the Three Heroes of Iron Goat, Li Banfeng had assumed he would also know where Iron Goat Mountain was.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

"Master Qi," Zuo Wugang said, "the Lu Family did business with Iron Goat Mountain a few times back then, but it all happened in Proper Land. I was only working as a support hook at the time, so I just saw those people a few times.

"Later, there was one deal where the goods from Iron Goat Mountain turned out to be poor quality. The empty essence had been mixed with living spirits. A dispute broke out, and several fights followed. I even clashed with the Three Heroes of Iron Goat myself, so I can recognize them."

"Did the Lu Family win in the end?"

"No! Those bandits from Iron Goat Mountain follow no rules at all. When they have the upper hand, they fight like madmen. But the moment things turn against them, they bolt straight back into Old Land.

"The Lu Family didn't want to chase them into Old Land and get tangled up in that mess, so the whole matter eventually died down."

"Master Qi, those bastards came into our territory and caused trouble. I know you can't swallow that kind of insult.

"However, you absolutely cannot go into Old Land to fight them. Their big ladle handle is only a level-six cultivator, roughly on my level. However, Iron Goat Mountain is crawling with all kinds of people, and every one of them has some trick up their sleeve. Anyone who goes there will suffer a huge loss."

Both the He Family and the Lu Family had suffered losses at Iron Goat Mountain. That alone showed it was no ordinary place!

How had Lu Xiaolan managed to find such a powerful force backing her?

Li Banfeng wondered. At this point, he felt even more curious about Iron Goat Mountain.

He returned to his Pocket Dwelling and asked the Gramophone, "Wifey, where is Iron Goat Mountain?"

"Husband, why do you want to go to Iron Goat Mountain?"

"To clear my head," Li Banfeng said. He felt rather pleased with the excuse he had just come up with.

Pop... crackle... pop...

The Gramophone fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Husband, your little wifey does remember a place called Iron Goat Mountain, but only that it lies somewhere in Old Land. As for the exact route, I truly cannot recall.

"My dear husband, listen to your little wifey. If you want to wander into Old Land to clear your head, you should wait until your cultivation improves a little more."

Whether his wifey truly could not remember or was simply unwilling to say, Li Banfeng had no idea. He just could not get any more information out of her.

Li Banfeng returned to the meeting hall and continued drilling the band. After learning that he liked "The Pretender," the band spent the entire afternoon practicing it in the hall.

Before long, everyone was hooked. The whole territory caught the fever.

The warehouse keeper sang while weighing goods. The bookkeeper sang while counting money. Swallowie and Qin even fought each other while singing.

Ma Wu returned, humming the tune all the way. When he reached Li Banfeng, he said, "Old Qi, there's a hunter in our territory who claims he knows where Iron Goat Mountain is."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "Where is he? Take me to him."

"I don't know if he's telling the truth, Old Qi. We really shouldn't be reckless about this."

"It's fine. Let's hear what he has to say first."

Ma Wu had the hunter brought to the half-kilometer plot, where it was relatively safe.

On the way there, Ma Wu asked Li Banfeng, "Should we give this five-kilometer domain a name?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I have already thought of one. Let's call it Properfolk Village."

Ma Wu considered it for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. "That's a good name."

The hunter's name was Sun Tiecheng. He was over fifty, dressed simply, and had an honest-looking face.

When he saw Li Banfeng and Ma Wu, he hurried forward and bowed. Li Banfeng immediately asked about the location of Iron Goat Mountain. The old hunter replied, "That depends on whether you two masters want to go from the outside or from the inside."

Li Banfeng frowned. "What do you mean by outside and inside?"

Ma Wu said, "He means New Land and Proper Land."

Sun Tiecheng explained, "If you travel from Proper Land, the road stays relatively peaceful until you reach Old Land. Even with my legs, it would still take half a month.

"But if you go through New Land, you can reach the place in just one day."

The hunter could reach Iron Goat Mountain within a single day. If Li Banfeng went himself, would it take only an hour?

"Big Bro, what's your Daoist Path?"

"Wanderlust Cultivator. Level three."

What a coincidence,

Li Banfeng thought.

Ma Wu said to the hunter, "Draw us a map. Show us the route."

The hunter sketched one out, but when he finished, Li Banfeng could not make sense of it.

The hunter looked embarrassed. "Masters, I don't know how to draw maps. I can't write either. I have barely held a brush in my life."

"This will do," Ma Wu said as he folded the map and put it away. He handed Sun Tiecheng two silver dollars. "Go sell your goods. Once you are done, leave quickly."

Ma Wu truly did not want Li Banfeng going into Old Land. In fact, he had not even wanted to bring this hunter here in the first place.

However, if he refused to bring the man, it would look as though he did not take Li Banfeng's request seriously. If Li Banfeng later found the hunter on his own, Ma Wu would appear dishonest and untrustworthy.

Handling it this way was perfect. The hunter had drawn a vague map that was hard to understand, and the map remained in Ma Wu's hands. As for going to Iron Goat Mountain, that matter could wait for another day.

The hunter returned to Properfolk Village, sold his goods there, and, without lingering, continued deeper into New Land.

After half an hour, having walked two or three kilometers, Sun Tiecheng suddenly felt someone trailing behind him. When he turned around, he saw Li Banfeng following him.

"Master, what are you planning to...?" Sun Tiecheng asked nervously.

Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "Aren't you a level-three Wanderlust Cultivator? You are not moving very fast."

The hunter wiped the sweat from his brow. "Master, with you following behind me, I didn't dare walk fast."

Li Banfeng took out thirty silver dollars and pressed them into the hunter's hands. "I want to go to Iron Goat Mountain. Can you guide me there?"

Author's Note:

PS: Old Land is far more interesting than New Land!